Australia blocks sale of Ireland-sized chunk of land to private Chinese company

The Australian government on Friday blocked once and for all a bid that would have seen a chunk of its land the size of Ireland — or more than 1 percent of the country's total landmass — sold to a private Chinese company. The company at first seems like an extremely unlikely contender to become not only Australia's, but […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/30/australia-blocks-sale-of-ireland-sized-chunk-of-land-to-private-chinese-company/

Don’t drive in these European countries

LONDON — Much of Europe might like to present itself to the world as a unified continent, but when it comes to driving, E.U. nations could hardly be more diverse. New data collected by the European Commission show which countries drivers might want to avoid and where they might be safest. The risk associated with driving is lowest in […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/30/dont-drive-in-these-european-countries/

The world’s largest ivory burn is happening in Kenya on Saturday

NAIROBI — On Saturday, Kenyan wildlife officials will set more than 105 tons of elephant and rhino ivory on fire — a display intended to combat the growing threat of poaching. The market for ivory across much of Asia, and particularly China, has remained strong in recent years, driving poachers in Sub-Saharan Africa to kill […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/why-is-kenya-about-to-set-100-million-in-ivory-on-fire/

South African court says embattled president must face corruption case

In another blow to South Africa’s embattled president, a high court ruled Friday that a 2009 decision to drop 783 corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma should be set aside, calling the earlier decision “irrational” and saying that Zuma should face the charges. It was Zuma’s second dose of bad news in South Africa’s courts in less […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/south-african-court-says-embattled-president-must-face-corruption-case/

Aleppo lost one of its last pediatricians in latest hospital bombing

Tributes began coming in Friday after one of the last pediatricians in the embattled city of Aleppo was killed in airstrikes in rebel-held areas of the Syrian city. Air raids in the city late Wednesday left dozens dead, including patients and staff at al-Quds hospital, which was supported by international aid groups. But it was the death of […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/aleppo-lost-one-of-its-last-pediatricians-in-latest-hospital-bombing/

Japanese tourism guide explains to Chinese visitors why flatulence and stealing cutlery won’t be tolerated

Chinese tourists get a bad rap abroad, but is their reputation a little exaggerated? Last year, the Japanese island of Hokkaido released a Chinese-language tourism etiquette leaflet designed to explain the dos and don't of Japanese culture. The leaflet, produced by the Hokkaido Tourism Organization and published in August, placed large red "X" marks over unwanted behavior, including bathroom etiquette and […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/japanese-tourism-guide-explains-to-chinese-visitors-why-flatulence-and-stealing-cutlery-wont-be-tolerated/

First it was Trump. Now Brits want to ban French far right leader Marine Le Pen.

PARIS — First it was Donald Trump the British wanted to ban from entering their country. Now it’s Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Front party. But the Brits behind this proposed ban are not the same ones who advocated keeping Trump out because they believed his comments about Muslims constituted “hate […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/first-it-was-trump-now-brits-want-to-ban-french-far-right-leader-marine-le-pen/

German police warn of a ‘climate of fear’ and more right-wing extremist violence

DRESDEN, Germany — In a bleak assessment, Germany's Federal Police warned on Thursday that the country should be prepared for more politically motivated violence committed by right-wing extremists in the coming months. "Apart from physical harm, one has to reckon with murders," authorities concluded in a statement. The report came amid allegations that police authorities had failed to […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/german-police-warn-of-a-climate-of-fear-and-more-right-wing-extremist-violence/

This is how the Russian police say they will put down mass protests

MOSCOW — It has been years since Russia's protest movement showed much moxie, sending tens of thousands onto the streets of Moscow for raucous demonstrations against electoral fraud and Vladimir Putin's third term as president. But with the economy now mired in its longest recession in 20 years and parliamentary elections set for this September, Russia's police are drilling for […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/watch-how-russian-police-are-drilling-to-put-down-mass-protests/

China vows to tackle ‘family corruption’ — but even state media can’t hide its skepticism

In China, corruption is definitely a family affair.  The Chinese government announced this month it is making a renewed attempt to tackle an issue that has plagued one-party rule here: The way relatives of some top officials have used their political ties to amass fabulous wealth. State media says that four out of every five […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/china-vows-to-tackle-family-corruption-but-even-state-media-cant-hide-its-skepticism/

These Bangladeshi bloggers were murdered by Islamist extremists. Here are some of their writings

The latest grisly murder took place this week in Dhaka. Multiple assailants made there way into an apartment building and hacked to death Xulhaz Mannan, a gay rights activist, and Tonoy Majumder. According to reports, the attackers shouted "Allahu Akbar" before leaving the scene. A group affiliated with al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the incident. Just two days […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/these-bangladeshi-bloggers-were-murdered-by-islamist-extremists-here-are-some-of-their-writings/

The battle over the word ‘Rohingya’

Hundreds of people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, Burma, on Thursday with a simple demand: The United States must stop using the word "Rohingya." "It is already clear that there is no such ethnicity as Rohingya in our country," a protester named Win Zaw Zaw Latt told Anadolu Agency before the demonstration. "We demand the U.S. as well […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/29/the-battle-over-the-word-rohingya/

More tigers have been poached in India this year than all of last year

  In the year 1900, there may have been as many or more than 100,000 tigers roaming this planet's forests. And every year since then until now, that number has decreased. But a combination of better and broader monitoring techniques and, governments say, increased vigilance against poachers has led to the first increase in tiger numbers in over […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/more-tigers-have-been-poached-in-india-this-year-than-all-of-last-year/

Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan: The world’s most-needed hospitals are under attack

The al-Quds hospital in Aleppo targeted in Wednesday night's attacks was one of 150 hospitals supported by Doctors Without Borders in Syria. The organization directly runs six in the country, but provides funding and medical supplies to other medical facilities. The international charity group, also referred to as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in French, said the medical facility […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/syria-yemen-afghanistan-the-worlds-most-needed-hospitals-are-under-attack/

An attack rocked Kabul last week. And a former Bagram detainee may have played a key role.

KABUL — Even in a city that sometimes barely blinks when explosions go off, residents are still shaken over an attack last week that killed 64 people and wounded about 350. The assault involved a suicide bomber striking at the gates of a compound housing an intelligence training office, followed up by a three-hour gun battle. The force […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/an-attack-rocked-kabul-last-week-and-a-former-bagram-detainee-may-have-played-a-key-role/

Brazil’s anti-impeachment protesters block highways at rush hour

NITEROI, Brazil -- Demonstrators protesting the impeachment process threatening Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff occupied dozens of highways in major cities during rush hour Thursday morning, causing long backups. Organizers claimed that 30 highways in nine Brazilian states were blocked. It was a taste of the civil disruption that the president’s supporters threaten if, as seems […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/brazils-anti-impeachment-protesters-block-highways-at-rush-hour/

Zionism and Hitler? A guide to the wild scandal rocking Britain’s left

Watch this. Extraordinary. John Mann MP: You're a disgusting Nazi apologist, Livingstone'. pic.twitter.com/1wlbA1BmND — Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 28, 2016 British politics is in chaos on Thursday after a scandal over Israel and anti-Semitism devolved into a vicious fight over the views of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The scandal had already seen Naz Shah, one of Britain's few female Muslim members […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/zionism-and-hitler-a-guide-to-the-wild-scandal-rocking-britains-left/

Denmark says you are ‘ethically obligated’ to eat less beef

The meat industry contributes more to greenhouse gas emissions than the combined exhaust from every form of transportation on Earth — a whopping fifth of the total. Beef is the biggest culprit, and it requires almost 30 times as much land and 11 times as much water to produce as pork or chicken. Denmark's Council of Ethics, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/denmark-says-you-are-ethically-obligated-to-eat-less-beef/

Where the world’s good (and great) jobs are

Disappointed by the state of the U.S. job market? Well, take heart. A handful of countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar or Bahrain, are home to more "good" jobs, but, according to a major new Gallup survey of nearly a half-million adults around the world, the United States job market has a larger share of "great" jobs than all but […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/where-the-worlds-good-and-great-jobs-are/

A Vietnam veteran and a 1960s radical met on a bus headed for Khe Sanh. Here’s what happened.

Suel Jones, a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran who helped lead the tour, had a story a minute as the bus snaked through the mountains on the way to Khe Sanh Marine Base – the site of a disastrous siege in 1968. The hilltop now boasts a coffee shop, a museum, an American helicopter and a couple of tanks.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/a-vietnam-veteran-and-a-1960s-radical-met-on-a-bus-headed-for-khe-sanh-heres-what-happened/

Donald Trump’s real foreign policy: A clash of civilizations.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump delivered a scripted address on foreign policy in Washington, his most direct attempt yet to signal his chops as a potential statesman on the world stage. He unveiled his plan for a "coherent," "America first" foreign policy, one which supposedly "replaces randomness with purpose, ideology with strategy, and chaos with peace." The speech, as […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/donald-trumps-real-foreign-policy-a-clash-of-civilizations/

Justin Trudeau wants the world to stop paying ransoms to terrorists

One of the primary channels through which terrorist organizations get hard cash is ransom payments for hostages. Some, like Abu Sayyaf, a group in the Philippines that aligns itself with the Islamic State and recently beheaded a Canadian hostage, have few other sources of funding, and operate almost as mercenary outfits. Abu Sayyaf has kidnapped dozens of Filipinos […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/justin-trudeau-wants-the-world-to-stop-paying-ransoms-to-terrorists/

A French synagogue is being repurposed as a mosque after local Jews left the neighborhood

A synagogue in Marseille, France, is being closed as the Jewish community that once supported it has left the neighborhood. Instead, the building will soon be reopened as a mosque, catering to the area's growing Muslim community. The French daily La Provence reported this week that the al-Badr Association, a Muslim organization, had paid about $450,000 for the Or Thora synagogue, located near […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/28/a-french-synagogue-is-being-repurposed-as-a-mosque-after-local-jews-left-the-neighborhood/

Kickbacks, dirty deals and more: The corruption scandals plaguing Latin America

The massive bribery scandal that has enraged Brazilians and pushed President Dilma Rousseff to the verge of impeachment is just one flashpoint among many right now across Latin America. The usual kickback schemes and dirty deal-making of the past just aren’t the same anymore. They can be even more wildly profitable, yes. But corruption also […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/kickbacks-dirty-deals-and-more-the-corruption-scandals-plaguing-latin-america/

After years of hosting a notorious refugee camp for Australia, Papua New Guinea says: Enough.

The saga of Australia's controversial offshore refugee detention centers took an unexpected turn Tuesday when the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea ordered that the biggest facility, on its Manus Island, be closed. Between 2010 and 2014, Australia saw a huge influx of refugees — many from Afghanistan, Iran and Bangladesh — attempting sea journeys. The government […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/after-years-of-hosting-a-notorious-refugee-camp-for-australia-papua-new-guinea-says-enough/

Israel’s controversial ‘roof knocking’ tactic appears in Iraq. And this time, it’s the U.S. doing it.

"Roof knocking" is a controversial Israeli military practice used in the Gaza Strip. It works on a simple logic designed to minimize civilian casualties. Occupants of a building are given a warning a few minutes before a military strike. The first warning is generally a phone call. The second is a rocket. The Israeli military has argued that the practice […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/israels-controversial-roof-knocking-tactic-appears-in-iraq-and-this-time-its-the-u-s-doing-it/

Venezuela declares a 2-day workweek because of dire energy shortages

In a desperate attempt to save electricity, drought-stricken Venezuela has introduced a new concept to the workplace calendar: the five-day weekend. President Nicolás Maduro has decided to furlough the country's public employees — who account for a third of the labor force — for the bulk of the week, so they can sit through rolling blackouts at home rather than […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/venezuela-declares-a-2-day-workweek-because-of-dire-energy-shortages/

A new Egyptian uprising fizzled out before it could even start

CAIRO -- On April 15, the largest protests Egypt had seen in years erupted over the government's decision to hand over two Red Sea Islands to Saudi Arabia. Emboldened activists called for more protests that many hoped would turn into nationwide demonstrations against the ruling regime. They were scheduled for Monday. The protests, however, fizzled. As army jets and […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/a-new-egyptian-uprising-fizzled-out-before-it-could-even-start/

Paris terror suspect is ‘a little jerk,’ his lawyer says

  Salah Abdeslam, the 26-year-old French national of Moroccan origin suspected of involvement in November's Paris terrorist attacks, was transferred to French custody by Belgian authorities Wednesday. According to French officials, he'll be placed in solitary confinement in a maximum-security facility as investigative judges determine his eventual charges. Abdeslam, as my colleague James McAuley noted, was […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/paris-terror-suspect-is-a-little-jerk-his-lawyer-says/

Why are people fleeing to Darfur? And other questions from Africa’s refugee crisis.

Since January, 43,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to eastern Darfur. That's right — Darfur, home to one of the 21st century's worst, ongoing humanitarian crises. That number, announced by the United Nations on Monday, is a window into a tragic and bewildering refugee crisis in Africa that is often overshadowed by migration flows to Europe. In many parts […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/why-are-people-fleeing-to-darfur-and-other-questions-from-africas-refugee-crisis/

French shop owner fined for refusing to sell merchandise to women on weekdays

When Jean-Baptiste Michalon posted a notice on the outside of his general store last year, he hardly imagined that it would create a national outcry. "Sisters on Saturdays and Sundays only," the note read. Michalon's message to customers in the French city of Bordeaux: Women were welcome only on weekends. Men could shop on weekdays. On Tuesday, a court […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/french-shop-owner-fined-for-refusing-to-sell-merchandise-to-women-on-workdays/

A new book portrays Hitler as a normal guy. That’s a problem for some.

The Nazi-era and Adolf Hitler's devastating rule are among the most extensively researched themes in German historiography. Now a new book,  published this week in Berlin has traced the whereabouts of the world's most infamous dictator from his birth in 1889 until his death in 1945. In a staggering 2,432 pages, "Hitler — The Itinerary. Whereabouts […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/hitler-in-pajamas-even-the-fuehrer-had-his-humdrum-moments/

Holidays in Saudi Arabia? The Kingdom’s ambitious post-oil tourism plan

For most Western readers, a vacation may not be the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the words 'Saudi Arabia.' The Persian Gulf kingdom certainly doesn't exactly have the elements that most American or European holidaymakers would seek – the country's harsh interpretation of Islamic law forbids alcohol and places considerable restrictions on women, for example. Cancun, this […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/holidays-in-saudi-arabia-the-kingdoms-ambitious-post-oil-tourism-plan/

A shocking beheading is a reminder of the terror threat in the Philippines

Authorities in the southern Philippines announced Monday that they had found the decapitated head of a Canadian tourist who had been taken hostage last year by Islamist guerrillas. In September, John Ridsdel, a 68-year-old former mining executive from Calgary, Alberta, was seized while on holiday near the city of Davao, on the island of Mindanao, by militants […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/a-shocking-beheading-is-a-reminder-of-the-terror-threat-in-the-philippines/

Elderly elephant collapses and dies after giving rides to tourists in Cambodia

Tourists flock to Angkor in Cambodia — home to one of the largest operating archaeological sites in the world — to marvel at massive Khmer Empire ruins and ride elephants. For a price, you, too, can sit atop one of these majestic creatures as it carries you around the Angkor Wat temple complex. Elephant riding has long been […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/elderly-elephant-collapses-and-dies-after-giving-rides-to-tourists-in-cambodia/

India orders ‘panic button’ for mobile phones in bid to protect women

Mobile phones sold in India will be required to have a “panic button” after Jan. 1, part of the government’s efforts to address women’s safety in a country where incidents of reported rape continue to rise. “It's a game changer,” Maneka Gandhi, the minister of women and child development, told reporters Tuesday. The country’s department […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/india-orders-panic-button-for-mobile-phones-in-bid-to-protect-women/

London’s Big Ben to fall silent for several months

LONDON — The chimes of Big Ben that have rung out across the British capital for more than 150 years are set to fall silent for “several months” in order to carry out “urgent” repairs, Britain’s Parliament announced Tuesday. Big Ben is one of London’s most famous icons, and its "bongs" are broadcast live on BBC […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/londons-big-ben-to-fall-silent-for-several-months/

Street signs pointing back to Syria and Iraq appear near Danish asylum centers

At first glance, the street sign near Thisted in Denmark's Jutland Peninsula looks normal. It offers standard directions to drivers, showing that it is just four kilometers to Thisted and three to the nearby Sennels. But underneath it was a smaller sign in a near-identical style. This sign offered directions to Iraq, which it said was 5317 kilometers away. And this wasn't […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/street-signs-pointing-back-to-syria-and-iraq-appear-near-danish-asylum-centers/

An American company is apologizing for ‘denying genocide’ in the sky above New York City

The messages that a Geico-sponsored "skytyping" company scrawled across New York City skies last week weren't exactly innocuous: "101 years of Geno-lie," "Turkey = Truth," "Gr8 ally = Turkey" and "BFF = Russia + Armenia." They were accompanied by patriotic creeds in Turkish, too. The advertising was part of a cross-country media blitz by FactCheckArmenia.com, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/an-american-company-is-apologizing-for-denying-genocide-in-the-sky-above-new-york-city/

The world’s longest-serving president just won a sixth term with 99% of the vote

Teodoro Obiang Nguema has never received less than 97 percent of the vote in an election. On Monday, with partial results indicating that 99.2 percent of the vote has gone in his favor, Equatorial Guinea's leader was surely all set for another seven years in a seat that has no doubt molded to his figure. One-sixth of African countries have an executive who has […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/the-worlds-longest-serving-president-just-won-a-sixth-term-with-99-of-the-vote/

What the search for a missing Ottoman skull says about Turkish politics

Earlier this month, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu launched a hunt for a lost skull. Standing outside Istanbul's majestic 16th century Suleymaniye Mosque, Davutoglu said he had ordered an investigation into the missing remains of the building's Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan, the most celebrated figure in his craft in the history of the empire. It's believed […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/26/what-the-search-for-a-missing-ottoman-skull-says-about-turkish-politics/

Leading gay rights activist hacked to death in Bangladesh

Police in Bangladesh say unknown assailants brutally killed two men, one of whom was a gay rights activist associated with the country's first LGBT magazine. That victim was identified as Xulhaz Mannan, a U.S. Agency for International Development employee who also served as an editor for the publication Roopbaan, according to the Associated Press. The second victim was identified as Tanay […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/leading-gay-rights-activist-hacked-to-death-in-bangladesh/

Saudi Arabia announces plan to end its ‘addiction’ to oil

Saudi Arabia is a country near-synonymous with the oil industry, but now the kingdom is moving to end what it calls its "addiction to oil" with a new plan. The plan, known as Vision 2030, was announced Monday by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the fast-rising 31-year-old said to be at the helm of Saudi Arabia's plans […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/saudi-arabia-announces-plan-to-end-its-addiction-to-oil/

This city embedded traffic lights in the sidewalks so that smartphone users don’t have to look up

Few nations in the world take red traffic lights more seriously than Germany. Foreign visitors frequently wonder why crowds of Germans wait for traffic lights to turn green when there are no cars in sight. That is why officials in the city of Augsburg became concerned when they noticed a new phenomenon: Pedestrians were so busy looking at […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/this-city-embedded-traffic-lights-in-the-sidewalks-so-that-smartphone-users-dont-have-to-look-up/

India’s Modi won praise for ‘slapping’ China. Then this happened.

Patriotic chest-thumping over the weekend in India gave way to embarrassment and bitterness as the government made a very public U-turn on issuing a visa to Uighur dissident Dolkun Isa. He is the executive committee chairman of the World Uighur Congress, an organization that represents the Muslim minority in northwest China, and has been labeled a terrorist by […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/indias-modi-won-praise-for-slapping-china-then-this-happened/

Watch: What Chernobyl looks like now — from a drone

Update: This post was originally published in November 2014. The 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster is this Tuesday. The area around Ukraine's Chernobyl power plant, site of one of the world's most horrifying nuclear disasters, is the subject of endless fascination. Increasingly, adventurous tourists and scientists have come to the site, which was abandoned after a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/11/28/watch-what-chernobyl-looks-like-now-from-a-drone/

The stunning success of Austria’s anti-immigrant far-right, in one map

In a dramatic demonstration of the state of European politics, Norbert Hofer, the candidate of the far-right Freedom party, came out on top in the first round of voting in Austria's presidential elections. He secured 36 percent of the vote, which, though not an outright majority, placed him far ahead of candidates from the country's two main […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/the-stunning-success-of-austrias-anti-immigrant-far-right-in-one-map/

Dutch newspaper publishes cartoon depicting Turkey’s Erdogan as an ape crushing free speech

Wel benieuwd of De Telegraaf vandaag ook in de Turkse krantenkiosken te koop is... #Erdogan pic.twitter.com/dPNZBqEmip — Mike Muller (@_MikeMuller) April 25, 2016 After a Dutch journalist was arrested in Turkey this weekend for allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the most-read newspaper in the Netherlands on Monday published a front-page editorial cartoon that shows Erdogan as […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/dutch-newspaper-publishes-cartoon-depicting-turkeys-erdogan-as-an-ape-crushing-free-speech/

This is how scientists are keeping Chernobyl’s radiation contained

Engineers at Chernobyl, Ukraine, are close to installing a new state-of-the-art protective shelter over the remains of reactor no. 4, the site of the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. The New Safe Confinement, a 30,000-ton structure that resembles a hangar the size of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, is the largest movable structure built. It will serve two purposes. First, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/this-is-how-scientists-are-keeping-chernobyls-radiation-contained/

How the Soviet Union stayed silent during the Chernobyl disaster

Thirty years ago, an accident at a power plant in Chernobyl on April 26 resulted in one of the biggest nuclear disasters in history. The explosion and fire caused a roof and wall on one of the buildings to collapse, sending a radioactive cloud into the air that stretched across the Soviet Union and much of Europe. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/25/how-the-soviet-union-stayed-silent-during-the-chernobyl-disaster/

The ancient Persian god that may be at the heart of ‘Game of Thrones’

The sixth season of HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones," starting this weekend, will likely bring into focus an important historical element from the fictive universe of George R. R. Martin's novels, upon which the television show is largely based: the legend of Azor Ahai. (To be clear, WorldViews is as much in the dark as anyone […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/24/the-ancient-persian-god-that-may-be-at-the-heart-of-game-of-thrones/

Why terms like ‘transgender’ don’t work for India’s ‘third-gender’ communities

Sexuality's spectrum is littered with labels. One that is getting increased attention in the U.S. political discourse nowadays is "transgender." Generally speaking, the label refers to those who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. More broadly, it indicates a transgression — to be "trans" is to defy rigid, binary constructions of gender and […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/04/23/why-terms-like-transgender-dont-work-for-indias-third-gender-communities/