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Les Beckhams Come To Paris - A Week In The Life

WORLDCRUNCH

Worldcrunch

PARIS – When David Beckham announced that he had signed a five-month contract with France's Paris Saint-Germain soccer club, millions of fans of both Monsieur and Madame Spice started fantasizing about the Beckhams moving from the city of angels to the city of lights.

As it turns out, Becks and Posh's kids are already enrolled at schools in London, meaning that the 37-year-old legend will probably be commuting most of the time. All the same, here's what his schedule in Paris might look like:

Monday
From L.A. to OOH LA LA feels quite all right…

[rebelmouse-image 27086233 alt="""" original_size="244x309" expand=1]

His French is improving- il comprend:

[rebelmouse-image 27086234 alt="""" original_size="250x140" expand=1]

Thursday
Confirmed reports say Daddy Beckham will donate his entire PSG salary to a children's charity in Paris. Unconfirmed reports say this could lead to a cut in Thursday's weekly allowance check for Becks’ kids: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. In true French fashion: strike is called.

Friday
Afternoon practice, then out on the town with new PSG teammate, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (hair-swapping optional).

Saturday
Shopping, anyone? Posh gets even posher in the fashion capital of the world.

DEBATE: So, Posh Spice in Paris: Fashion Line? New Perfume? Photo Shoots? Not really about footy, now, is it? #Cynical?

— SuperSoccerSite (@SuperSoccerSite) January 31, 2013

Sunday
Tired of commuting by plane or Eurostar, Beckham steals his London Olympics’ boat, makes a right after Tower Bridge and drives his way across the Channel.

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Geopolitics

Yes, Xi Jinping Is Now More Powerful Than Mao Zedong Ever Was

After being re-elected as head of the Communist Party last year, the Chinese leader has been unanimously re-elected to another five-year term as head of state. Now, wielding more power than any other past Chinese communist leader, he wants to accelerate the rise of Chinese influence around the world.

Photo of huge portrait of Xi Jinping

Huge portrait of Xi Jinping is displayed in the National Day mass pageantry celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China

Yann Rousseau

-Analysis-

BEIJING — Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has been re-elected to a third five-year term at the head of the world's second largest economic power. Nobody was surprised.

The vote took place during a legislative assembly convened to rubber stamp decisions of the authoritarian power, during which 2,952 parliamentarians unanimously approved Xi's re-election before rising, in perfect choreography, to offer a prolonged standing ovation to their leader. As usual, Xi remained completely neutral in the face of the enthusiasm.

His victory was a mere formality after his re-election last fall as the head of the all-powerful party, which controls all of the country's political institutions, and after legislative amendments to erase term limits that would have forced him out.

Xi Jinping, who took over the presidency in 2013, "is now the most powerful leader in the history of the People's Republic, since its founding in 1949. Institutionally, he holds even more power than Mao Zedong," says Suisheng Zhao, a professor and Chinese foreign policy expert at the University of Denver.

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