Topic: Peter Ford

China: Al Jazeera reporter expelled for 'breaking Chinese laws'

Chinese authorities forced Al Jazeera English to close its China news operations, and suggested that its reporter had broken unspecified laws and behaved unethically.

China forces Al Jazeera to close Beijing news bureau

China refused to renew the visa for Al Jazeera's China reporter. This is the first time an accredited foreign correspondent living in China has been ejected since 1998.

Good Reads: Predicting the end of history and the fall of China

Year-end pieces predicting future events may seem like just so much guesswork, but looking deeply at present events and guessing where they will go is part and parcel of journalism. 

Correspondent reflections: The 10 news events that shaped 2011

In this special section, we look at the year’s biggest stories, and seven staff correspondents reflect on events in hot spots from Latin America to the Libyan front. 

Good Reads: When to shelve 'Arab Spring' jargon, and China's 'little emperors'

With so many North African rebellions falling short of their goals, has the term 'Arab Spring' lost its usefulness? And since when did China's young people become obsessed with 'lifestyle' issues?

China: toddler run over twice. Why did no one stop to help?

China: toddler run over by two cars is in the hospital. Some 18 people passed by her before a trash collector stopped to help, sparking intense debate over morality.

Looking back: The Monitor's coverage of 9/11

A selected archive of The Monitor's coverage of 9/11 and beyond.

The price of gold: as influential as a global power

The record price of gold and the universal obsession with the sparkling metal make it a parallel global power.

Social media: Did Twitter and Facebook really build a global revolution?

Social media: From Iran to Tunisia and Egypt and beyond, Twitter and Facebook are the power tools of civic upheaval – but social media is only one factor in the spread of democratic revolution.

Artist Ai Weiwei released, Chinese police say

After more than 2-1/2 months of detention, prominent dissident and artist Ai Weiwei has been released because of his 'good attitude in confessing,' according to Chinese state media.

Underdog candidate Carstens takes on IMF's European tradition

Mexico's central bank chief Agustín Carstens faces an uphill battle against French frontrunner Christine Lagarde, who this week is lobbying India, China, and Egypt for support.

Can the planet handle more middle-class humans?

In just 10 years, the world for the first time will be more middle-class than poor. That will tax resources and set up conflicts. But with more people free from just trying to survive, the arts and sciences should boom as well.

Surging BRIC middle classes are eclipsing global poverty

By 2022, those living in poverty will be a minority for the first time, as the global middle class – particularly from BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) nations – surges. Does new affluence signal shifting global power?

Rising global food prices squeeze the world's poor

Weather, inflation, and biofuels pushed the United Nations food price index to an all-time high in December, sparking concern over the poor being left with empty plates.

The world in 2011: Trends and events to watch in every region

Monitor staff writers and correspondents in each of the world's regions share what they expect to be top headlines in 2011.

China to mold future world energy use: IEA

China will drive rising energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions over the next 25 years, says Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency. But it will also lead the way in new sources of renewable energy.

Why you should care where your dinner has been

When you plop down your money for bananas or fish sticks at the supermarket, you are buying into an increasingly global supply chain. That raises questions about food-safety laws.

As hopes for China miners fade, Chile mine rescue comparison lingers

Rescuers are stepping up frantic efforts to save 11 China miners still believed to be trapped by a deadly gas blast on Saturday.

The Party

China’s communist party: Light on ideology, heavy on control.

Q&A: Why China has become the Middle East's favorite customer

China’s stake in the Middle East is growing. It buys more oil and sells more goods in the region than any other country, including the US. So why did Beijing vote in favor of Iran sanctions?

China, Taiwan forge strongest ties yet with sweeping trade deal

The latest China-Taiwan trade deal, signed Tuesday, avoided discussing sensitive political relations but signaled much closer cooperation between the longtime rivals.

Tiananmen Square massacre now searchable on Google China?

The Internet was buzzing today that the Chinese government has dropped censorship of Google search items such as 'Tiananmen Square massacre' and 'Dalai Lama.'

Olympics curling begins with support from Google Doodle and Simpsons

Ahead of curling competition today in Vancouver at 9 am (12 pm EST), Google offered the sport a Doodle and The Simpsons featured an episode wherein Homer curls in the Vancouver Games.

Is it possible to be a cheapskate on Valentine's Day

China joins multinational naval force to fight Somali piracy

With Somali piracy still posing a severe threat, China agreed Thursday to join the US, Europe, and others in a multilateral naval force. Since late 2008, China has dispatched four flotillas to the Gulf of Aden area, expanding its military activity abroad.