President Xi Jinping hailed China’s “irreversible” course from colonial humiliation to great-power status at the centenary celebrations for the Chinese Communist Party on Thursday, in a speech reaching deep into history to remind patriots at home and rivals abroad of his nation’s ascendancy. Speaking above the giant portrait of Mao Zedong which dominates Tiananmen Square, […]
Party
‘Not quite a religion’: China’s Communist Party attracts new devotees
Wang Ying is young, educated and an unquestioning believer in the Communist Party’s sole right to rule China -– exactly what the increasingly conformist institution seeks as it enters a new century. As the ruling body celebrates its 100th birthday on July 1, current members describe an increasingly cult-like atmosphere under leader Xi Jinping, propagandising […]
Why people join the Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party boasts 92 million members from all walks of life, drawn by ideology, ambition, and the pragmatic knowledge of how to get ahead in the world’s second-largest economy. But little is known about the inner workings of the secretive organisation, where open criticism is still taboo. As China prepares to celebrate the […]
Erdogan’s party fights to retake Istanbul in mayoral re-run vote
Istanbul will vote for a mayor for the second time in three months on Sunday as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party fights to win back the city after a shock defeat in March. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) successfully challenged the result in the city following the vote three months ago, which saw […]
What it is like to be an ambivert
Have you ever felt a sort of dismay upon being asked whether “you are you an introvert or an extrovert?” If this question has ever made you answer less then congratulations, you’re an ambivert! Ambiverts belong to a third category which lies somewhere in the middle of an introvert and extrovert. Being an ambivert is a […]