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China’s president is shoring up his authority but, as Dikötter’s weighty study of the country indicates, he might have less of it than he thinks
There are a number of problems with a tag line like “the most powerful man in the world,” the subtitle of this biography of Xi Jinping by German journalists Stefan Aust and Adrian Geiges, its publication shrewdly timed for the imminent confirmation of its subject’s third term in office, expected at next month’s party congress. For one thing, it begs more questions than it answers; it invites comparisons that can be deceptive, and it takes the display of power at face value. The reader would be wise to approach such claims with a degree of caution.
Xi Jinping does offer useful insights into the biography and the ascent to power of China’s president, Communist party general secretary and chairman of the military commission: that he is the son of a prominent party figure and therefore a red princeling, that he was promoted to the position of mayor of Shanghai after the incumbent – chiefly memorable for his tally of 11 mistresses – was arrested for corruption; that he was head of the organisation committee of the 2008 Olympics, spending three times the budget of the Athens Games, previously the most expensive in history.

Taiwan’s de facto ambassador given invite to Lancaster House, but hasn’t said whether it can send anyone to the state funeral
Taiwan’s de facto ambassador in London received a special invitation to sign the book of condolence for the Queen, the island’s foreign ministry said, adding he was given the same treatment as other dignitaries.
Britain, like most countries, has no diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan . Democratically governed Taiwan is largely excluded from most international events and bodies due to Beijing’s objections.

Organizers urged community members to lean on professionals for mental health issues, but said community gatherings, storytelling can be a form of therapy, as well ...

Black, green or Oolong teas linked to reduced risk of developing type 2 form of the disease
Drinking plenty of tea – at least four cups a day – can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 , research has found.
Chinese academics behind the findings say that four or more cups of tea daily can lower the risk by 17% over 10 years. “Our results are exciting because they suggest that people can do something as simple as drinking four cups of tea a day to potentially lessen their risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” said Xiaying Li from the Wuhan University of Science and Technology in China, the lead author.

Russian forces are in retreat yet Nato still holds back for fear of what a humiliated Kremlin might do. But now is precisely the time to step up the pressure
There has been much excited talk of a “turning point” following Ukraine’s rapid military advances in north-eastern Kharkiv region and what Kyiv cheerily calls its “de-occupation” by fleeing Russians. Less comforting for the western democracies is an alternative theory: that the war is approaching “a moment of
Worries that a cornered, desperate Vladimir Putin may resort to nuclear, chemical or biological weapons have resurfaced in the US and Europe, along with the argument, articulated by France’s Emmanuel Macron, that Russia’s president, despite his terrible crimes, – and allowed a way out.
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Two Chinese astronauts have completed a spacewalk from a new space station that is due to be completed later this year.

American chestnut tree on Traylor Renfro's mountaintop retreat in Grassy Creek, N.C. CENTREVILLE, Del. (AP) — After the species was devastated by an Asian blight in the early 20th century, a single ...

Two Chinese astronauts went on a spacewalk Saturday from a new space station that is due to be completed later this year.

After India’s prime minister said that now is not the time for war, an increasingly isolated Mr. Putin threatened “more serious” actions in Ukraine while insisting he was ready for talks.

Just as we recover from the debacle of congressional redistricting, where an out-of-state special master appointed by an upstate judge wreaked havoc on our representation in Washington, we have ...

A memorial for Elizabeth has given residents of the former British colony a rare platform for public, if quiet, political dissent.