Aung San Suu Kyi party to run in Burmese elections
National League for Democracy's decision signals confidence in recent political reforms by Burma's military-aligned government
National League for Democracy's decision signals confidence in recent political reforms by Burma's military-aligned government
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party has decided to register to take part in elections in Burma.
The decision, which had been widely anticipated, signals the pro-democracy party's confidence in recent political reforms by the military-aligned government, which took power after the country's previous military rulers upheld a promise to hold elections in November 2010 and relinquish power.
The US president, Barack Obama, said he saw "flickers of progress" in Burma and would dispatch Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, to explore new ties.
What price the new democracy? Goldman Sachs conquers Europe
While ordinary people fret about austerity and jobs, the eurozone's corridors of power have been undergoing a remarkable transformation
The ascension of Mario Monti to the Italian prime ministership is remarkable for more reasons than it is possible to count. By replacing the scandal-surfing Silvio Berlusconi, Italy has dislodged the undislodgeable. By imposing rule by uneleted technocrats, it has suspended the normal rules of democracy, and maybe democracy itself. And by putting a senior adviser at Goldman Sachs in charge of a Western nation, it has taken to new heights the political power of an investment bank that you might have thought was prohibitively politically toxic.
 | High hopes and low blows in DRC election battle |
TANYA PAMPALONE - Nov 18 2011
One of the city's poorest, most densely populated areas, Tshangu -- called China by the locals -- runs along the road, immersed in grey slippery mud, with the stench of dried fish and urine hanging thick in the wet air. Traders scrape by on a few dollars a month, selling peppers and onions and second-hand shoes next to rubbish piles that form small urban hills.
Then the road changes. Four lanes on each side, freshly paved and painted with straight white lines, and Boulevard Lumumba -- named after Patrice Lumumba, the Congo's first prime minister -- emerges in its full glory. Straight ahead there are ultramodern streetlights and an expansive Chinese-themed shopping complex and public square is rising slowly from the dirt.
Then the road changes. Four lanes on each side, freshly paved and painted with straight white lines, and Boulevard Lumumba -- named after Patrice Lumumba, the Congo's first prime minister -- emerges in its full glory. Straight ahead there are ultramodern streetlights and an expansive Chinese-themed shopping complex and public square is rising slowly from the dirt.
America: The new sick man of Asia?
By Peter Lee
The tag line for United States President Barack Obama's appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Honolulu was "The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay".
The question is, is the United States a leader bringing economic and security solutions to the Pacific, or is it the new "Sick Man of Asia", infecting the region with its imperial malaise.
Obama was in full scold mode at the meeting, telling the Chinese their economy was "grown up" and it was time for Beijing to "stop gaming the system".
The question is, is the United States a leader bringing economic and security solutions to the Pacific, or is it the new "Sick Man of Asia", infecting the region with its imperial malaise.
Obama was in full scold mode at the meeting, telling the Chinese their economy was "grown up" and it was time for Beijing to "stop gaming the system".
Israel-Gaza tensions: Pilot program to expand Gaza exports falters
Israel promised earlier this year to allow Gaza to export garments and furniture after a five-year blockade. But delays are damaging sales – and hope
The Bright Star textile company in Gaza used to sew 4 million pieces of clothing a month, most of it for export to Israel and beyond – part of a humming manufacturing sector that accounted for nearly a third of Gaza's economy. But after Israel imposed a blockade in 2006, Gaza's factories fell silent, unable to import the raw materials they needed or send their finished products abroad for sale.
This year, Israel began allowing cloth into the tiny coastal territory and said it would allow exports of garments and furniture – a move that promised to help Gaza’s floundering economy get back on its feet after the five-year siege and a brief war with Israel, which devastated the territory's infrastructure.
'Historic opportunity for progress': Hillary Clinton to visit Myanmar
Former breadbasket of Southeast Asia has suffered during nearly 50 years of military rule
NBC, msnbc.com and news services
Detecting "flickers of progress" in the long shunned and sanctioned nation of Myanmar, President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will send Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the repressed country next month, the first official in her position to visit in more than 50 years.
"We want to seize what could be an historic opportunity for progress and make it clear that if Burma continues to travel down the road of democratic reform, it can forge a new relationship with the United States of America," Obama said Friday during his diplomatic mission to southeast Asia.
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