Le Figaro (France)
La menace savamment dosée de Pékin (Beijing’s cleverly dosed threat)

According to the daily, these recent attacks are far less violent than last spring – when the Olympic flame went on a chaotic trip through Paris.
This time there is a gradual and controlled escalation says Le Figaro, which notes that on the internet the more virulent criticism from angry nationalists has been cleaned up.
However, warns the daily, once the pictures of the meeting come out, the mood could change... Le Figaro ends on two interesting points
1. Tibet has replaced Taiwan as bone of contention between China and the West
2. Among western countries, it’s France that has been singled out by China as the target to get the message across to world.

Liberation (France)
Girouette - Foreign policy Flip Flop

China uses “intimidation diplomacy” says the left wing daily, but if Nicolas Sarkozy is indeed the victim, he brought it upon himself. The French president “played it all wrong by presenting himself as the human rights president, then capitulating to Chinese threats and finally sending his wife to meet the Dalaï Lama in his place before seeing him on the quiet in Poland.” “Ridiculous” says Libération, and China has picked up on this “inconstant attitude”.
The daily ends with this damming line: “By refusing to choose between realpolitik and honour, Sarkozy has lost on both fronts”.

Wall Street Journal Asia
After Quake, parents start over

Staying in China, with a follow-up story on the Sichuan earthquake that left nearly 90 000 people dead or missing…
The article begins with the story of one 50-year-old man who, six weeks after death of his only daughter in May’s earthquake, decided to use the money received from the government to have a reverse vasectomy…
With his 45-year-old wife, the aging couple knows that hey have to move fast if they want to start a new family.
This is not an isolated case: recovery in Sichuan seems to be linked to this quest for new life, as people register on mass for official permission to have another child (the onechild policy was strictly enforced in the region).
Without children these families have nothing left – beyond the obvious grief, Chinese parents rely on their offspring for all financial support in their old age.

The Guardian (UK)
A month ago the hospitals were overflowing, now they lie empty

This special report form Harare shows that Zimbabwean doctors and nurses - once known for their dedication and the quality of their work - are now being driven out of hospitals by “appalling conditions”… leaving the sick to die.

The Financial Gazette (Zimbabwe)
Zimbabwe National Water Authority or ZINWA, not sanctions to blame
 

In this comment piece, the independent daily takes a look at how the state newspapers are covering the crisis; even they can’t “ignore the ugly realities on the ground” says the Gazette.
“It’s clear that government officials could not care less what happens to the people…” says the daily, which demands that the government take responsibility for the crisis rather than pointing to sanctions against the country as justification for doing nothing. A dishonest and cruel move according to the Gazette. “The simple act of telling the truth would be a good starting point for this government." Interestingly though, the daily doesn’t call for Mugabe to leave office….

South China Morning Post (China)
Pilgrim’s progress
A stunning picture of a pilgrim praying in front of Mecca’s Grand Mosque

Star (Malaysia)

A comprehensive presentation of the Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam, complete with a short history, a map, the monuments and the pilgrims’ journey…

The National (UAE)
Lifelong dream comes true for good citizen

Aziz Alrhaman, a 70-year-old Muslim of Indian descent, is fulfilling his dream thanks to a Dubai-based social development program that is paying for his trip.
By financing pilgrimages, the program aims to “emphasise the social aspect in religion”.