Sept. 30 — Presenting both an opportunity to address the nations’ respective economic challenges and to rekindle old friendships, Russian and Chinese leaders met in Beijing this week to celebrate the completion of the first crude oil pipeline between the two nations.

“The smooth completion of the pipeline project is a model for the two countries’ mutually beneficial win-win cooperation and a milestone for China-Russia energy cooperation,” Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Monday. Continue reading →

Sept. 30 – Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of North Korea’s dictator and “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il, is believed to have been named his father’s successor following a rare North Korean Workers’ Party meeting which convened earlier this week.

The youngest son in the Kim family, Jong-un is thought to be in his late 20s and has spent some time outside of North Korea, studying under an alias at an international school in Berne, Switzerland. Jong-un, named “Brilliant Comrade” by the Party, was promoted earlier this week to the rank of 4-Star General, as well as to new positions of the Vice Chairman to both the Party’s Central Military Commission and Central Committee. Kim Jong-il’s two older sons have been deemed unsuitable for the role. Continue reading →

Sept. 28 – Pointing to improved living standards and other economic indicators, the Chinese government released a report on Sunday illustrating the country’s progress on issues involving human rights.

The report, titled “Progress in China’s Human Rights in 2009,” highlighted its RMB4 trillion (US$586 billion) economic stimulus package that helped the country recover from the Global Financial Crisis, but focused little on improving the rights and freedoms of its citizens. Continue reading →