UN inquiry hears harrowing reports on N. Korean prison camps
Will isolated state face Hague indictment? Probe on crimes against humanity includes look at women and at starvation as a weapon.
Robert Marquand
M23 surrender alone won’t end Congo war: 7 thoughts from US envoy
Former Sen. Russ Feingold, now State Department envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region, spoke candidly to reporters after Congolese Tutsi rebel group M23 laid down arms this week.
Churches feel vulnerable after Mugabe reelected in Zimbabwe
A top Anglican bishop says that church edifices, orphanages, homes of priests, and missions are being eyed by a renegade clergy-friend of Zimbabwe’s president.
In surprise, Chinese court releases mom from prison labor camp
A court in Hunan said Tang Hui’s ‘personal freedoms’ were violated when she was sent to prison for ‘reeducation through labor.’ She had spoken out against local officials.
US military chief in Beijing warns of North Korea ‘miscalculation’
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey is in China looking for help on North Korea. Though Beijing indicated it was ‘working on’ it, there are a number of reasons why China might be reluctant to push the North too hard.
Amid crisis, influential South Korean politician wants to deploy US nukes
A member of the South Korean National Assembly called for US tactical nuclear weapons on the peninsula. He also suggested that Seoul consider developing its own deterrent.
North Korea targets Hawaii, Guam in latest threat
The secluded state has been ramping up its rhetoric in recent weeks in response to new UN sanctions and joint military drills by the US and South Korea.
Will China end prison labor camps?
‘Re-education through labor’ has long allowed China to control dissent while circumventing the legal system.
French berate billionaire who wants to become Belgian
A day after French President Hollande made his case for new taxes, the public responded angrily to a report that its richest man, Bernard Arnault, was trying to avoid taxes by heading to Belgium.
Sarkozy ignites furor with push for foreign intervention in Syria
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who spearheaded air strikes in Libya, wants ‘rapid’ foreign intervention in Syria. Critics say the two conflicts are not remotely comparable.
Win-win moment in Europe takes edge off summer of gloomy predictions
Ugly eurozone-crisis dynamics threaten to make it a summer of social unrest. But Spain’s Euro2012 win and Germany’s agreement on a European rescue fund have shifted the tone.
Germany vs. Italy: At eurozone meeting, the battle is over urgent action
As Europe’s leaders meet in Brussels today, Germany is pushing hard for long-term reform. But Italy PM Monti says Europe faces disaster if high borrowing costs aren’t addressed quickly.
After 15 years, Aung Sun Suu Kyi and Nazi resistance figure Hessel finally meet
French intellectual Stéphane Hessel, a former Nazi resistance figure, will meet Aung Sun Suu Kyi tomorrow as she concludes a tour of Europe. He talks to the Monitor about what this means to him.
With elections behind them, Greece goes to bat with Germany
A larger showdown over whether ailing Greece can actually stay in the eurozone is taking shape between Germany and Greece.
Socialist election sweep gives Hollande clear mandate to push eurozone growth
The French Socialists and President François Hollande won a resounding victory in the final round of parliamentary elections Sunday night.
France headed toward undivided leftist government
Most parliamentary seats still need to be won in a June 17 runoff, but leftist parties enter those contests with the overall best showing, taking 46 percent of French voters.
Murdoch media crisis deepens with five new arrests
The famed Rupert Murdoch tabloid scandal-mills are grinding yet again.
The Merkel-Sarkozy ‘odd couple’ becomes a campaign duo
A German chancellor stumping for a standing French president is not something the French have seen before.
Will the EU really turn to growth?
EU leaders have agreed to and acted on austerity measures, slashing spending even as four governments fell, unemployment rates rose, and the EU distributed bailout funds.
Syria’s opposition concerned about independent armed rebel groups
A leading Syrian opposition figure says that as rebels become increasingly militarized, it is critical that disparate armed groups be integrated with the political opposition so that they are working in concert.