Made in USA: Americans fight back over Chinese imports

As Chinese President Hu Jintao meets his American counterpart Barack Obama in Washington, many Americans are worried about the dominance of Chinese trade in their country. They fear that the yuan is undervalued, meaning that US exports struggle to break into the Chinese markets, while imports from China are cheap to bring in and are in abundance. Yet some consumers are starting to fight back.

FOCUS

By Emmanuel SAINT-MARTIN / Nathan KING

Programme prepared by Kate Williams, Marie Billon and Patrick Lovett

20/05/2013 - SYRIA

The battle for Qusair

In recent days Syrian government forces and rebel fighters have struggled for control of the town of Qusair, located 10 kilometres from the Lebanese border on a vital supply route. Fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah have reportedly lent support to the Syrian army, while Sunni gunmen allegedly crossed the border to reinforce the rebels.

20/05/2013 - CHINA

Seven Days in Tibet

Tibet has been off-limits to journalists since the Chinese government brutally suppressed riots in the region five years ago. France 24's regional correspondent Cyril Payen managed to get a seven-day visa to enter the region. What he saw lends weight to the complaints of the Dalai Lama and human rights organisations, who say Tibetan culture is being erased.

17/05/2013 - BANGLADESH

Building collapse casts glare on working conditions

More than 1100 people were killed when the Rana Plaza collapsed on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. The accident has raised questions over the future of the country's garment industry, a vital sector for Bangladesh's economy. Many in the country are calling on stakeholders like factory owners and western retailers to do more to avert similar catastophes in the future.

17/05/2013 - LIBYA

Libyans fight for property rights

Property rights in post-Gaddafi Libya are among the many causes of friction following the end of the former dictator’s 42-year rule. A law in 1978 prevented Libyans from owning more than one house, meaning those without a home could take from Libyans who had several properties. Now, former owners are coming back to claim the properties from their occupants, and some are using force to do so. Our team in Tripoli, Marine Casalis and Huda Abuzeid, report.

16/05/2013 - FRANCE

France probes Swiss bank over tax cheats

In another instance of governments cracking down on tax evaders in hard economic times, France has asked Swiss authorities for help determining whether 353 French clients of the Swiss bank, UBS, were trying to cheat the taxman by having undeclared assets in Switzerland. On Wednesday May 15, official figures from the EU's statistics office showed the French economy had contracted by 0.2% in the first quarter of this year, officially entering a recession.