Attempts to hide disgrace only backfire

GONG WEIGUO, MAYOR of Linxiang, a city under Yueyang, Hunan province in Central China, was suspended on suspicion of drug use and under formal investigation, according to the Yueyang government on Tuesday. However, previous speculations about Gong's drug use were denied by the local publicity department which refused to give further information. Instead it only vaguely implied that his two-week-long absence was due to him being unwell. Comments:

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Central barrier for reconciliation in East Asia

On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed "deep remorse" for Japan's World War II aggression at the Asian-African Summit, but stopped short of apologies.

Many in West back winds of change in world

Influential Western economic commentators have supported China's move to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and said US President Barack Obama made a big mistake by pressuring US allies to shun the bank.

China meets challenge of South Africa riots

On April 18, South African President Jacob Zuma canceled his visit to Indonesia to attend the Asian-African Summit in order to end the deadly xenophobic attacks at home. Goodwill Zwelithini, the traditional king of Zulus, too has called for an end to the violence that has swept across parts of South Africa.

Manila should stop playing with fire

The United States and the Philippines started their largest annual combat readiness exercise on Monday. This blatant show of force will heighten tensions in the South China Sea and thwart regional efforts to resolve the maritime disputes through peaceful means.

Pulitzer winners named

It was a list that no US state wanted to top. So when South Carolina was ranked as having the highest rate of women being killed by men, The Post and Courier of Charleston set out to explore why.

'Crack sniper' hid Chinese heritage

Billy Sing earned the nicknames "The Murderer" and "The Assassin" as a deadly sniper who shot more than 200 Ottoman troops during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I.

Around the world

Serbia

Two held in shipwreck tragedy that killed 900

Italian police on Tuesday arrested the captain and first mate of a boat involved in the Mediterranean's deadliest disaster in decades on suspicion of murder, causing a shipwreck and involvement in illegal immigration.

Cease-fire deal in sight, Iran says

A US aircraft carrier was headed to the Arabian Sea on Tuesday as Washington said it was monitoring Iranian vessels suspected of carrying weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen in violation of a UN embargo.