Must Reads: A 'Red Era' museum, Obama and mothers of the missing

From attacks in Afghanistan to the missing in Mexico, here are five stories you shouldn't miss from the past week in global news:

China museum builder lets history speak

Obama faces new Mideast challenges in his second term

As 'insider attacks' grow, so does U.S.-Afghanistan divide

Mothers from Central America search for missing kin in Mexico

Britain's crackdown on Web comments sparks free-speech debate

-- Emily Alpert in Los Angeles

Photo: Marta Elena Perez of from Nicaragua attends Mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Oct. 28, 2012, with a photograph of her daughter, Karla Patricia Perez, who went missing in 2005. Credit: Marco Ugarte / Associated Press

Tibetans are content, China's Communist Party congress is told

BEIJING -- As far the Communist Party is concerned, Tibet is the happiest place in China and dissatisfaction is stirred up by outside agitators.

So pronounced Tibet’s top delegates at the 18th Communist Party congress, which is convening this week in Beijing. They dismissed the rash of self-immolations by young Tibetans and accompanying protests by thousands of students as the work of outsiders manipulating Tibetans for political gain.

Since Wednesday, at least six Tibetans, mostly teenagers, have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule.

"Overseas separatists entice victims. Those people who support Tibetan independence call their deeds a heroic act and these people heroes," said Lobsang Gyaltsen, vice governor of the Tibet Autonomous Region, which is under Chinese rule. He blamed the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, for the immolations. “It is actually an act of murder to entice somebody to commit suicide .... The Dalai Lama group is sacrificing other people’s lives to achieve their evil goals."

Former oil executive named as next archbishop of Canterbury

LONDON -- His first reaction on being given the job was "Oh no."

But Justin Welby said Friday that he now feels a "massive sense of privilege" at being appointed the next archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans and a post steeped in centuries of tradition.

Welby, 56, acknowledged the formidable challenges that face the Anglican Communion in general and the Church of England in particular; both have been riven by bitter divisions over sexuality and the role of women. Church attendance is also dwindling perilously in some parts of the Anglican world, including here in Anglicanism's birthplace, Britain.

But the oil executive-turned-priest, who will take up his duties as leader of the flock in March, expressed faith that the church would find a way through.

"I am utterly optimistic about the future of the church," Welby told reporters Friday. "We will certainly get things wrong; I certainly will. But the grace of God is bigger than our biggest failures."

Iran reportedly bans imports of foreign 'luxury' goods

Iran is reportedly banning the import of foreign cars, laptops and scores of other "luxury" goods in an effort to protect its stash of hard currency.

Iran Daily, a state-owned newspaper, reported Thursday that a long list of foreign products including cellphones and cosmetics could not be purchased from abroad. More than 70 kinds of foreign goods were included on its published list, including home appliances, apparel and luxury cars such as Porsches.

Products that could not be made domestically could later be removed from the list after more review, the article said, but those that could be produced inside Iran would remain banned.

The step comes as Iran faces continued pressure from Western sanctions over its disputed nuclear program. The value of Iranian currency has plunged dramatically over the last year, forcing Iranians to scale back. Western government experts believe its foreign currency reserves are in danger of running out, pushing it toward an “economic drop dead date.”

Tibetans greet China's Communist Party Congress with fiery protests

BEIJING — Tibetans greeted the opening of the 18th Communist Party Congress with fiery protests as a record number committed public self-immolations to mark their opposition to Chinese rule.

Over the last 48 hours, at least five Tibetans, possibly six, were reported to have set themselves on fire in western China. Most of them were teenagers.

Up to 6,000 people demonstrated against China on Thursday afternoon in Tongren, a monastery town in Qinghai province, following two self-immolations -- that of a 23-year-old woman on Wednesday and a young former monk on Thursday, exile groups reported.

“The situation there is very tense as Chinese armed forces have placed severe restrictions on movement in the town and are now closing in on the protesters," a member of the Tibetan parliament in exile told the Tibetan news service, Phayul.

“We have heard that 2,000 to 6,000 people demonstrated, which are plausible numbers given that there have been protests of that size before," said Harriet Beaumont, a spokeswoman for the London-based Free Tibet.

She said that the protests were in reaction to the stifling Chinese security measures, the presence of troops, intimidating footage on television and harsh sentences doled out to anybody involved in a protest or even telling people outside about protests.

"Tibetans were also aware of the approach of the congress and that might be a factor in the serious escalation in the last few days," Beaumont said.

Wednesday was the deadliest single day since Tibetans began setting themselves on fire last year. Three were teenaged monks, ages 15 to 16, from a small monastery located on the outskirts of Aba, the Sichuan province county where the immolations began. They lighted themselves on fire simultaneously outside the gates of the town’s public security bureau, chanting “freedom for Tibet” and calling for the return of the exiled Dalai Lama.

Few details were available about another self-immolation reported to have taken place Wednesday in Driru county inside what is called the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Until recently, self-immolation had been unheard of among Tibetan Buddhists who believe suicide destroys not only the body, but the chance of being reincarnated as a human being.

"People are really desperate. They feel there is no exit," said Tenzin Losel, a Tibetan businessman living in Dharamsala, India, where the Tibetan government in exile is based. “Whenever they try to speak up or make demands, it is met with a brutal crackdown by the Chinese government.”

The 18th Party Congress, which opened Thursday, is the showpiece political event for the Chinese Communist Party as it transitions into a new generation of leadership, and security has been heightened throughout China.

In his opening speech in Beijing Great Hall of the People, President Hu Jintao didn’t address the Tibetan situation although he referred repeatedly to the need for social harmony.

“Social harmony is an inherent attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics," Hu said.

One of the Communist Party’s hand-picked Tibetan delegates to the congress appeared flustered when journalists asked about the immolations. "Can I not answer that question?" she begged in response.

ALSO:

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Obama reportedly planning Myanmar visit this month

U.S. elections dominate talk on Chinese social media site

-- Barbara Demick

Photo: Tibetans hold a portrait of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama while shouting slogans during a protest in solidarity with Tibetans who have self-immolated. Credit: Ashwini Bhatia / Associated Press

Attacks in Afghanistan leave at least 20 people dead

KABUL, Afghanistan — Bombings killed at least 20 people in Afghanistan on Thursday as insurgents targeted Afghan security forces but left a number of civilians dead.

The deadliest incident was in southern Helmand province when a van struck a roadside bomb, killing 10 people, including five women and a child, said Helmand government spokesman Abdul Zeki.

Two teenage boys died when a bomb exploded in Zabul province as police tried to defuse it, said police spokesman Assadullah Shirza. Three police officers were wounded in the blast, he added. The boys had been scavenging for items in a trash pile when the explosion occurred, Shirza added.

The bombing elicited a strong condemnation from the NATO-led military coalition in Afghanistan. “These attacks are the most recent examples of how insurgents intentionally target, kill and injure those who want a brighter future for Afghanistan,” said Gen. John R. Allen, the force’s commander.

Obama reportedly planning Myanmar visit this month

NEW DELHI — President Obama is considering a visit to Myanmar within the next few weeks, according to news reports Thursday, as part of his administration’s bid to bolster democracy and strengthen ties with Asian nations in the region.

Neighboring Cambodia said this week that Obama will attend an Asian summit meeting in its capital of Phnom Penh on Nov. 18. Myanmar has made security arrangements for a Nov. 18-19 presidential visit, an unnamed official in the capital of Naypyidaw told the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France Presse news services, adding that the schedule has not been finalized.

While such a visit would carry risks -– most notably by staking presidential prestige on a government still dominated by generals with a brutal past -– it dovetails with the administration’s visible support for Myanmar’s nascent democracy. It also fits with its so-called pivot strategy aimed at checking China’s influence by bolstering military and political ties with democracies on its periphery.

The timing of the visit, if it does come off, would presumably not be appreciated in Beijing as it prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership change early next year in which Vice President Xi Jinping is expected to replace Hu Jintao as president. Analysts said little news is expected out of the summit of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, attended by regional leaders, with any Myanmar trip more likely to grab headlines.

U.S. elections dominate talk on Chinese social media site

While China gears up for a once-in-a-decade change in leadership, legions of its Internet users have been glued to the U.S. elections halfway across the world.

Close to 25 million messages about the American polls had been sent on the Chinese social media website Sina Weibo by late Wednesday afternoon, making it by far the top topic, the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong said.

The messages ranged from celebratory to critical. One message cheered the fact that "'aggressive China' Romney" hadn’t won; another argued that the presidential race made little difference because "the Pentagon will always be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and Imperialist America will always be self-serving." Still others drew sharp comparisons between the U.S. election and the Chinese political system.

"Why do Chinese people pay attention to the United States election? It’s because of media hype, because of market attention, but at the bottom of their hearts, there is also a political longing," lamented one message gathered by the China Media Project.

More takes from foreign media on the U.S. election

 The Times rounded up some early reactions and reflections from abroad on the U.S. presidential campaign. As foreign media continue to mull over the reelection of President Obama, here’s more of the coverage Wednesday from newspapers and other outlets worldwide:

The Cold War is abolished, Kommersant (Russia): The reelection of Barack Obama as president of the USA allows many in Moscow to breathe easier. ... Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who called Russia Geopolitical Foe #1, has gone off in the distance and will no longer get on the Kremlin's nerves with his "caveman proclamations."

Mandate renewed, El Universal (Mexico): What does this mean for Mexico? ... The domestic difficulties and economic crisis will make it difficult to have a bilateral relationship that is very different than the one that exists now.          

Europe fears a greater interventionism from Obama II, Le Figaro (France): The continuing euro crisis and the risk of recession will be the first test. Before and after his reelection, Barack Obama does not want to see the U.S. economy dragged down due to mismanagement in Europe. ... The second term is likely to be more aggressive.

What Obama’s win means, The Times of India:
And the lessons for India? First up, this is how real democracy works. In over 200 years and 44 U.S. presidents, only three have ever been dynasts. ... The U.S. campaign carries an important message for Indian politicians: privilege, entitlement and dynasty are all living on borrowed time.

New U.S. government needs to craft more constructive China policy, New China News Agency (China): It is natural for the U.S. ... to have difficulty completely disarming its suspicions toward China, which is politically, economically and culturally different. However, the U.S. should know nothing in the world remains forever unchanged, and that China will never abort its development objective simply because of Washington's unwarranted anxiety.

What foreign media are saying about the U.S. election

Voters in the United State handed President Obama a second term in office on Tuesday. As the rest of the world reacted and reflected on the presidential campaign, here’s a sample of the reactions and analysis from newspapers and other media around the globe:

Obama won with pragmatism and realism, Clarin (Argentina, link in Spanish): In effect, after the promised hope and change of 2008, this year Obama recognized that he hadn’t achieved all that he had set out to do. And he honestly asked for four more years to be able to do it. Few leaders, in the campaign to get reelected, have the courage to recognize their limitations.

Obama will disappoint his friends around the world, Gulf News (United Arab Emirates): Drone attacks continue to outrage public opinion in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. And Guantanamo Bay prison which operates outside U.S. law remains open, despite Obama’s specific promise to close this moral outrage during his first year in office. The new Democrat administration would generate a huge amount of goodwill if it chose to do something about any (or all) of these problems.

FULL RESULTS: ELECTION 2012

Mitt Romney lost because hard-line Republicans betrayed him, Guardian (Britain): By all historical precedent, given the figures, Romney should have sewn it up months ago. But his Reagan-esque ideas were out of date. The voters replied: "It's the economy, but we're not stupid."

A new term, an old playbook, Jerusalem Post: Elections usually turn a new page, and the president certainly has an opportunity to try to make a fresh start. But so far, Obama and other figures on the national and international stage have done little to suggest they’ll be using a different playbook.