Determined to crush even the slightest perceived opposition to his hold on power, Xi has escalated state repression of civil society on multiple fronts, overseeing the drafting and implementation of a spate of draconian laws on NGOs, cyberspace and 'National Security,' while aggressively targeting thousands of activists.
Homeowners here pay the highest taxes in the nation, and after a decade of escalating complaints, state residents have been rewarded with escalating property taxes.
Egypt is also struggling to cope with an escalating Islamic State (IS) insurgency.
"We're some of the 'unpatriotic ones' who find the 2012 Olympics, with the ensuing spectacle of wealth (when so many here struggle to feed themselves and their families) and escalating police state, frankly offensive.
Achim Steiner, the head of the United Nations Environment Program, noted that 145 countries rely on water from rivers that cross borders, with tension escalating among states over control of them as demand starts to outstrip supply.
This campaign comes after repeated religious violence, the most recent examples being the killings in the village of Khusus and the siege of the Abasseya Cathedral in Cairo (that escalated with state security forces firing numerous rounds of tear gas inside the Cathedral).
BUSINESS DAY, PAGE C1 More Insurers Warn Trenton Companies insuring almost a third of New Jersey's drivers are considering withdrawing from the state, escalating the battle over auto insurance in the state.
The turmoil over the proposed division of the state escalated on Tuesday when state power workers walked off their jobs, leaving the Seemandhra and parts of Telangana in the dark.
On a subsequent whistle-stop tour of diners throughout the state just days later, he continued to emphasize the drastic measures necessary for grappling with the state's budget shortfall because of the sharp drop in income tax revenue and escalating costs of state programs.
The escalating war between State Attorney General Bill McCollum and former health care industry executive Rick Scott for the state's Republican gubernatorial nomination can safely be described as downright dirty.
