Judge affirms her earlier acquittal

She again throws out case against director and company for allegedly importing rosewood without a permit

Xi Jinping's here to stay: China leader tipped to outstay term

Already China's most powerful leader in decades, President Xi Jinping will probably seek to extend his term to more than 10 years, analysts say, the first Communist Party chief to do so since Deng Xiaoping.

Xi Jinping is no Mao Zedong

Much of the world is watching Chinese President Xi Jinping with concern. Not only has he been re-concentrating power in the hands of the central government, but many believe his radical anti-graft campaign is a fig leaf for a political purge. They worry that Mr Xi is building a cult of personality, much like the one that surrounded Mao Zedong and fuelled the Cultural Revolution.

Man used as test subject in CIA torture program to ask for Guantánamo release

A man the CIA used as a guinea pig for its post-9/11 torture program will plead his case for freedom from Guantanámo Bay later this month, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday, in perhaps the hardest challenge to date for Barack Obama’s intentions to empty the infamous detention center.

The Guardian

New Singapore Law Slammed as Attack on Free Speech

Critics say a proposed bill is yet another assault on freedom.

In Japan, an Emperor Constrained by History and a National Identity Crisis

The hint by Emperor Akihito of Japan that he would like to abdicate challenges something bigger than the laws requiring him to serve until his death and questions over succession.