NEWS The immersion of today’s leaders of China in the political experimentation that preceded the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 raises the question of whether they will be open to new ideas and discussion. Andrew Jacobs reports from Beijing, and Chris Buckley from Hong Kong.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey is facing his worst political crisis in more than a decade of power, and he seems little inclined to change his approach. Tim Arango reports from Istanbul.
President François Hollande’s Socialist government came into office a year ago promising a better deal for the Roma, an end to the shantytowns and the rehousing and integration of those displaced. But like other promises, including a return to economic growth, reality has been a recalcitrant political partner. Steven Erlanger reports from Paris.
Rami Hamdallah, the Palestinian Authority’s new prime minister, is a respected academician who lacks political experience and an international profile, and is known for his work expanding his university. Jodi Rudoren reports from Jerusalem.
The court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning, whose secret release of a vast archive of military and diplomatic materials put WikiLeaks into an international spotlight, opened Monday with dueling portrayals of a traitor who endangered the lives of his fellow soldiers and of a principled protester motivated by a desire to help society who carefully selected which documents to release. Charlie Savage reports from Fort Meade, Maryland.
Explosions and fire tore through parts of a poultry processing plant in northeast China on Monday, killing at least 120 people in one of the country’s worst factory disasters in years. Chris Buckley reports from Hong Kong.
FASHION The Italian fashion house Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld, its legendary designer, have pledged 2.2 million euros for the Trevi Fountain and other sites in the Eternal City. Suzy Menkes writes.
ARTS Sea levels may be rising and economies shrinking but the expansion of the Venice Biennale goes on regardless. Twenty years ago, 53 countries were represented at the Venice event. This year there are 88 national pavilions, with Angola, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Ivory Coast, Kosovo, Kuwait, the Maldives, Paraguay, Tuvalu and the Vatican officially appearing for the first time. Roderick Conway Morris writes from Venice.
SPORTS An expensive new requirement has led to a dearth of contestants at the America’s Cup, and San Fransisco leaders are raising doubts about the race’s benefits for the city amid lagging interest. Norimitsu Onishi reports from San Francisco.
For a French Open that has yet to have a major upset, it has surely been a tournament full of big surprises and big swings of emotion. Christopher Clarey writes from Paris.
