To the Point
Is China's Communist Party Putting Itself on Trial?
A former candidate to lead China went on trial today on corruption charges. We learn why the trial is a major event for China's new leadership and what consequences are likely.
A former candidate to be leader of China went on trial today on corruption charges minor compared to things he's widely known to have done. But Bo Xilai is staging a spirited defense. We learn why the trial is a major event for China's new leadership and what domestic and foreign consequences are likely. Also, the world reacts to the latest attacks in Syria, and one of Turkey's most influential figures -- in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains.
Banner image: Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai stands trial inside the court in Jinan, Shandong province August 22, 2013, in this photo released by Jinan Intermediate People's Court. Photo: Jinan Intermediate People's Court/Handout via Reuters
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Grisly videos of dead children and people gasping for breath are reportedly evidence that Syria's al-Assad regime attacked a neighborhood near Damascus yesterday using chemical weapons. The big question is whether UN weapons inspectors will be allowed to go to the scene. Colum Lynch is UN correspondent for the Washington Post .
Read the story8 minIs China's Communist Party Putting Itself on Trial?
China's trial of the century is not following the political script that was widely predicted. On Day One, former Communist Party honcho Bo Xilai vigorously defended himself, and claimed his bribery confessions had been coerced.
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