Mikhail Gorbachev

In 1985, when the first rumblings of Gorbachev’s thunder disturbed the moldy Soviet silence, the holy fools on the street–the people who always gather at flea markets and around churches–predicted that the new Czar would rule seven years. They assured anyone interested in listening that Gorbachev was “foretold in the Bible,” that he was an apocalyptic figure: he had a mark on his forehead

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China’s ‘Most Dangerous Woman’ Gets a New Forum

The journalist Hu Shuli has often been called “the most dangerous woman in China.” And she may become even more so. As the pioneering editor of China’s most influential business magazine, she managed to publish groundbreaking stories on official ineptitude and financial malfeasance despite China’s tight control of the media.

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IMF warns of further recession risks

Banks round the world have still to reveal about half of their likely losses resulting from the financial and economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, warning that there was still a “significant” risk of another downward lurch in the global recession. The IMF described credit risks as remaining “elevated” even though financial conditions have improved significantly since spring.

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Economic summit comes year after financial meltdown

As the leaders of the world’s industrial powers gather this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, their economies are starting to emerge from the shadow of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression. A year ago, global markets were in free fall as governments moved to prop them up, sometimes nationalizing financial institutions and automakers.

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