NEWSWEEK: International Editions: Highlights and Exclusives, December 10, ...( COVER: Inside Putin's Circle. (At...),Health

COVER: Inside Putin's Circle. (Atlantic and Latin America editions). Moscow Bureau Chief Owen Matthews and Special Correspondent Anna Nemtsova report that Russia's real politics happens in and around the Kremlin, and it's a ruthless battle for money and influence. As Vladimir Putin prepares to step down (as he's constitutionally obliged to do), the clans that control the power of the Russian state are maneuvering frantically to protect their business empires-and, in some cases, their lives. Matthews and Nemtsova also report that the battle also involves ideological disagreements on economic and foreign policy, disagreements that will determine whether Russia emerges as a more or less autocratic, more or less open to free markets and Western influence.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/73233

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071202/NYSU003 )

COVER: How Japan Lost Its Groove. (Asia edition). Tokyo Bureau Chief Christian Caryl reports that Japan, known for its innovative technological advancements and cutting-edge design, seems to have lost its edge in a long tale of Japanese innovation failures over the last two decades-a huge irony, given that Japan is a technological powerhouse. The crisis is in large part rooted in the country's peculiar corporate culture. Japan Inc. still remains dominated by big, vertically integrated dinosaurs with little maneuverability and a marked disinclination to creativity. One exception: Nintendo, the gaming company whose innovation has enabled it to break away from the competition. But Nintendo, like several of Japan's other more innovative companies, is based in Kyoto-far away from staid Tokyo.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/73236

The Gates Keeper Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Dan Ephron, S
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