ATHENS – Greek voters enraged by economic hardship caused by the terms of an international bailout turned on ruling parties in an election yesterday, putting the country’s future in the euro zone at risk and threatening to revive Europe’s debt crisis.
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WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday the United States was ready to give blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng a visa ““right away” and warned Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney would be weak on the international stage.
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MOSCOW – Vladimir Putin will be sworn in as Russia’s president at a glittering ceremony today, hours after clashes between police and protesters laid bare the deep divisions over his return to the Kremlin for six more years.
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DAMASCUS – Syria holds a parliamentary election on today which authorities tout as a milestone of political reform after a 14-month popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
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SANYA, China – A central government plan to create a high-end tourist industry on the tropical Hainan Island has delivered a much-anticipated surge in economic growth, but it has also widened the wealth gap between rich and poor that Beijing was trying to close.
