By Catherine Contiguglia
♦ Germany gets a lot of advice – good and bad – about how it should be handling the situation in Europe, the FT's Tony Barber writes, when its greatest contribution would be to reform and modernise its own economy.
♦ Indonesia has enjoyed remarkable economic and political transformation, but the first regime change in the country's democratic era will be the true test of the country's resilience.
♦ Russia's awkwardly worded ban on "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors" has sparked international condemnation, as well as crackdown within Russia on those who question it – even in jest.
♦ With Larry Summers as a top pick to replace Ben Bernanke as chairman of the US Federal Reserve, there are a lot of questions about whether his connections with Wall Street make him better informed for the position, or whether they present a conflict of interest, especially as the Fed works to complete regulatory legislation.
♦ The mother of Neil Heywood, the British businessman whose murder led to the downfall of Chinese Communist official Bo Xilai and the conviction of his wife, has broken her silence in a statement saying that Chinese officials have still given her neither a full account of the murder nor compensation, leaving Heywood's two children without financial provision.
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