Chinese Firm Linked to CNPC Suspected of Fraud in Iraq

Investigators at Iraqi State-Owned Company Say Hermic Faked Documents to Win Bids

on January 7, 2014

Just after the December 29 celebration of the Muslim holiday Ashura in southern Iraq, heads of the Iraqi subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) received a letter titled “Suspending all activities of Hermic.”

The sender of the letter was Jameel Hussain, Vice General Manager of Missan Oil Co. (MOC) and Chairman of the joint management committee (JMC) of the Missan oil block.

Chicago Tribune

on January 6, 2014

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In one exciting day, the Chicago Tribune's suburban team grew by nearly 100 reporters and editors, serving readers of 38 publications, from the Wisconsin line all the way into Northwest Indiana. This brings to 50 the number of suburban sections now available on Chicagotribune.com.

These additional resources will complement the thorough local reporting and smart regional watchdog investigations you've come to expect here.

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Will Xi Jinping Bring a Positive New Day to China?

A ChinaFile Conversation

By Paul Mooney, Andrew J. Nathan & more on January 6, 2014

Chinese President Xi Jinping, just over a year in office, recently made a rare appearance in public in a Beijing restaurant, buying a cheap lunch and paying for it himself. Shortly thereafter, President Xi delivered a brief televised New Year message from what appeared to be his office, wishing Chinese workers and their families well. Both acts prompted lots of discussion among China-watchers.

Snowden Lied About China Contacts

By Gordon G. Chang on January 4, 2014

The New York Times has urged the Obama administration to offer Edward Snowden “a plea bargain or some form of clemency,” calling the former NSA contractor “a whistle-blower” for his exposure of “the vast scope” of the NSA’s “reach into the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe.”

Law, Media, Technology
Edward Snowden, Espionage, Freedom of Expression