African Union head proposes national unity govt for CAR

The head of the African Union, Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi, has proposed a government of national unity to resolve the rebel conflict in the Central African Republic.

Mood darkens as 'fiscal cliff' looms for US

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are on the brink of letting their nation slide over the so-called fiscal cliff - leaving senators to fume that nobody does dysfunction better than Congress.

Clinton admitted to hospital after blood clot found

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital on Sunday with a blood clot linked to a concussion she suffered earlier this month, the State Department said.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Toward better bilateral ties

It has long been debated whether trust, or distrust, between China and the United States is on the rise. Those who believe the US is unwilling to accept China's peaceful rise - and thus makes it difficult to maintain a healthy environment for Sino-American trade - have many facts to support their view.

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Help Internet users fight corruption

Aseries of anti-corruption cases, many exposed by new media, have hit the headlines since the 18th Party Congress elected a new leadership in November. While observers say China's fast-growing online community is becoming increasingly influential in fighting corruption, they attribute the recent cases, some of them high profile, to the new leadership's determination to root out corruption.

Dream big and aim high

"Omnishambles" is the Oxford Diction- ary's "Word of the Year 2012". It denotes "a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations".

Smoke signals from tobacco

There is no denying the harm tobacco causes to human health, so we need determination and corresponding action to ban smoking in public places.

Asia faces hard road ahead

Next year will present significant challenges and new responsibilities - political, economic, and social - for developing Asia. The path to sustainable, inclusive economic growth will be difficult, but it will also entail exciting opportunities for Asia and the rest of the world.

Building a peaceful environment

The security situation in its neighboring environment will have a far-reaching influence on China in the coming year.

Govt has to narrow the wealth gap

An increasing number of young people fear being left on the wrong side of the divide as China's wealth gap continues to widen and the competition for well-paying jobs intensifies.