Venezuelans are fleeing to Brazil for medical care, overwhelming its hospitals and morgues

BOA VISTA, Brazil — As throngs of Venezuelans trek to Brazil in search of food and medicine, hospitals along Brazil’s sparsely populated northern border are struggling to pick up the pieces of Venezuela’s failing health-care system. A spiraling economic crisis and hyperinflation have cleaned Venezuelan hospitals of needles, bandages and medicine. Desperate for care and […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/31/venezuelans-are-fleeing-to-brazil-for-medical-care-overwhelming-its-hospitals-and-morgues/

A Twitter hoax briefly convinced Britain that Queen Elizabeth II was dead

Looks like a fake BBC account reporting that the queen is dead pic.twitter.com/kVKYucUv88 — Anthony Cheung (@AWMCheung) December 29, 2016 Many people would argue that 2016 has been the year of celebrity deaths. Others might say it was the year of “fake news.” A story from Britain this week showed it could perhaps be both. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/30/a-twitter-hoax-briefly-convinced-britain-that-queen-elizabeth-ii-was-dead/

Russia slams Obama administration and CNN for ‘lie’ that it would shut American school in Moscow

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, has hit back at claims that authorities were planning to close an American school in Moscow in an act of retribution for wide-ranging U.S. measures against Russia, announced on Thursday. “US officials ‘anonymously informed’ their media that Russia closed the Anglo-American School in Moscow as a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/30/russia-slams-obama-administration-and-cnn-for-lie-that-it-would-shut-american-school-in-moscow/

The luxurious, 45-acre compound in Maryland is being shut down for alleged Russian espionage

On Thursday afternoon, the Obama administration announced its long-awaited retaliation for what has been characterized as Russian interference in November's presidential election. Among the wide-ranging measures, the White House announced that the State Department would be closing two Russian-owned compounds — one in Maryland and one in New York — that it says were used by Russian […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/29/the-luxurious-45-acre-compound-in-maryland-being-shut-down-for-alleged-russian-espionage/

Russia could disconnect itself from global Internet during a crisis, Putin adviser says

An adviser to Russian president Vladimir Putin has said the country could be “disconnected” from the global Internet if needed. The comments by German Klimenko, the Russian president's Internet adviser, come as the United States is said to be mulling covert cyber-operations against Russia in retaliation for Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential election. Klimenko made […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/29/russia-could-disconnect-itself-from-global-internet-during-a-crisis-putin-adviser-says/

Facebook’s ‘Safety Check’ confused firecrackers for a mass bombing — the algorithm’s latest flub

"Are you safe?" Facebook asks — so far posing the question to tens of millions of people in the wake of mass disasters, the tech giant says. They click "I'm safe," and their friends and relatives know they survived the hurricane, or the earthquake or the bombing. And a company that hopes to revolutionize human interaction brings calm […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/29/facebooks-safety-check-confused-firecrackers-for-a-mass-bombing-the-algorithms-latest-flub/

She said she killed her husband after years of abuse. Now François Hollande has set her free.

In 2012, Jacqueline Sauvage fatally shot her husband with a hunting rifle. Sauvage alleged that Norbert Marot had abused her for decades, a claim that was echoed by her daughters, who said they too were targets of abuse. The French woman was convicted of killing her husband and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But she gained […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/29/she-said-she-killed-her-husband-after-years-of-abuse-now-francois-hollande-has-set-her-free/

An obscure E.U. regulation may have saved lives in the Berlin Christmas market attack

The truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin last week may have been cut short when the truck automatically deployed its brakes, the result of European Union regulations that require automatic braking systems on large trucks. The new detail, revealed jointly by Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and broadcasters NDR and WDR on Tuesday, may explain why the truck […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/29/an-obscure-e-u-regulation-may-have-saved-lives-in-the-berlin-christmas-market-attack/

Duterte threatens to throw corrupt officials out of a helicopter—and says he’s done it before

In his latest controversial statement, President Rodrigo Duterte, known for his bloody anti-drug war that has killed thousands in the Philippines, threatened to throw corrupt officials out of a helicopter, saying he has done it before — and won't hesitate to do it again. "I will pick you up in a helicopter to Manila, and I […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/28/duterte-threatens-to-throw-corrupt-officials-out-of-a-helicopter-and-says-hes-done-it-before/

12 big takeaways from John Kerry’s speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Secretary of State John F. Kerry delivered frank remarks Wednesday on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a speech at the State Department. Here is what he said: On “trends on the ground”: “The truth is that trends on the ground — violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation — are destroying hopes for […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/28/12-big-takeaways-from-john-kerrys-speech-on-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/

A French town has named an ugly, dead-end road the ‘Rue de Brexit’

To many in Europe, Brexit is the road to nowhere. Now, a town in France may be making that a reality. Julian Sanchez, the 33-year-old mayor of Beaucaire in the south of France, had suggested naming a street in his town in honor of Britain's June vote to leave the European Union. Sanchez announced on Monday […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/28/a-french-town-has-named-an-ugly-dead-end-road-the-rue-de-brexit/

More migrants leave Germany voluntarily than are deported

If 2015 was the year in which Germany opened its doors to refugees, 2016 was when the country pondered how to close them. Although the influx of refugees peaked more than a year ago, attacks like the one in Berlin on Dec. 19 have led to demands to refuse entry to individuals without passports and to step […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/28/more-migrants-leave-germany-voluntarily-than-are-deported/

India’s Election Commission has disqualified 255 suspicious political parties. Here’s why.

NEW DELHI — When Prime Minister Narendra Modi abruptly scrapped large bills of India's currency two months ago with the goal of curbing illicit wealth, many citizens asked why he spared the country’s political parties and their opaque funding practices. The number of political parties is growing rapidly in the world’s largest democracy. At the last count, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/28/the-election-commission-in-the-worlds-largest-democracy-recently-removed-255-suspicious-parties-from-its-list-heres-why/

The Russian aid worker and ‘saint’ who died on the military flight to Syria

MOSCOW — The most famous person to die on Christmas Day aboard the Russian military flight that crashed into the Black Sea wasn’t a politician or army officer. She wasn’t a war journalist headed to cover the conflict, or one of the 64 doomed members of the famed Alexandrov Ensemble. (You've probably heard their “Skyfall” cover.) She was a 54-year-old woman named […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/28/the-russian-aid-worker-and-saint-who-died-on-the-military-flight-to-syria/

A Taiwanese teacher asked his students to vote on a parade theme. They chose Adolf Hitler.

To celebrate the 62nd anniversary of a school in northern Taiwan, students were invited to choose historical figures and "cosplay" them at a parade Friday. Liu Hsi-cheng, a history teacher at Hsinchu Kuang Fu High School, suggested to his homeroom class that they go with famous people from Arabic culture, he told the Taipei Times. But Liu's […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/27/a-taiwanese-teacher-asked-his-students-to-vote-on-a-parade-theme-they-chose-adolf-hitler/

Obama, in podcast interview, appears to agree that Britain’s Labour Party has ‘disintegrated’

As his time as U.S. president comes to a close, Barack Obama has sparked an unlikely controversy across the pond — by appearing to agree that Labour, Britain's left-wing opposition party and a traditional partner of the Democratic Party, had “disintegrated” over the past year. His comments came during an interview with David Axelrod, a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/27/obama-in-podcast-interview-appears-to-agree-that-britains-labour-party-has-disintegrated/

India to build the world’s tallest statue. Because that’s what the country really needs right now.

NEW DELHI — India plans to build the world’s tallest statue, twice the height of the Statue of Liberty, honoring a revered medieval Hindu warrior king. King Shivaji fought India's Muslim Mughal empire in the 17th century and carved out his own kingdom in the Maharashtra region near where modern day Mumbai is now located. Many […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/27/india-to-build-the-worlds-tallest-statue-because-thats-what-the-country-really-needs-right-now/

Is Abe the first sitting Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor? Well, actually, he may be the fourth.

In May, President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945 and soon compelled Japan's surrender, ending World War II. It was a historic moment: Obama was the first sitting U.S. president to visit the city. Now, Abe is repaying the favor. On Tuesday, he will accompany Obama […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/26/is-abe-the-first-sitting-japanese-leader-to-visit-pearl-harbor-well-actually-he-may-be-the-fourth/

How George Michael’s Wham! baffled Communist China and inspired its youth

It was a culture shock to rival the best of them. The bouffant, coiffured hair, exuberant dancing and extravagant image of Britain’s leading pop band, and the Communist Party’s dour insistence on uniformity. When George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley undertook a historic tour of China in 1985, they may have baffled many of the locals, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/26/how-george-michaels-wham-baffled-communist-china-and-inspired-its-youth/

Venezuelan women’s response to the country’s economic crisis: Get sterilized

CARACAS, Venezuela — In crisis-hit Venezuela, where raising a family is an increasingly grueling and expensive task, a growing number of young women are choosing to be sterilized. With inflation spiraling out of control, food and medicine supplies dwindling and violent crimes on the rise, women as young as 27 are seeking out surgeons to […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/24/venezuelan-womens-response-to-the-countrys-economic-crisis-get-sterilized/

After Berlin attack suspect found in Italy, Europe’s open borders come under fire

Anis Amri, the Tunisian man suspected of driving a hijacked truck into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday, was fatally shot by police in Milan during the early hours of Friday morning. The shooting ended a nearly four-day-long international manhunt after the terror attack killed 12 people That conclusion could be seen as a success for Europe's security authorities. But for […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/23/after-berlin-attack-suspect-found-in-italy-europes-open-borders-come-under-fire/

China has tried to stay positive with Trump. But it calls his trade chief pick ‘no laughing matter.’

First there was the policy-trampling phone call with Taiwan’s president, then talk of using the long-standing one-China policy as a bargaining chip in trade deals. And that's not even getting into the stream of anti-China tweets. But with President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of a noted China hawk as the new director of trade and industrial policy, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/23/china-has-tried-to-stay-positive-with-trump-but-it-calls-his-trade-chief-pick-no-laughing-matter/

Romania may soon name a little-known woman as the EU’s first Muslim prime minister

Romania is not exactly the place you'd expect Muslims to make political history. The small eastern European country is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian, and its government sent thousands of police officers to its borders during last year's refugee crisis to keep Syrians out. And yet a country where only 0.5 percent of the population is Muslim might […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/23/romania-may-soon-name-a-little-known-woman-as-the-eus-first-muslim-prime-minister/

In Tunisia, Anis Amri’s family implores its youngest to turn himself over to German police

OUESLATIA, TUNISIA – The day Anis Amri became Europe’s most-wanted man was also his 24th birthday. His 4-year-old niece, Zeineb, was running puzzled from the doorstep outside her grandmother’s simple one-story home in his home town in central Tunisia, to the bare room where the family – Anis Amri’s mother, Nour, 60, five sisters and two […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/22/in-tunisia-anis-amris-family-implores-its-youngest-to-turn-himself-over-to-german-police/

Outspoken Prince Charles again shows he’s not much like Queen Elizabeth II

LONDON — Prince Charles has warned against the rising tide of anti-immigrant populism in remarks broadcast Thursday, proving again just how different he is from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Speaking to the BBC, the Prince of Wales said the rise of populist groups around the world that are “aggressive” toward those who practice a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/22/outspoken-prince-charles-again-shows-hes-not-much-like-queen-elizabeth-ii/

Santa rides a camel? How the rest of world celebrates the holidays

Christmastime is upon us. For some people, that means it's time to break out the gaudy decorations, twinkling lights and holiday shopping lists. For others this is a deeply religious time, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Hanukkah miracle, or other festivals. From Egypt to India, Brazil to Japan, Post correspondents around the world share how the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/22/santa-rides-a-camel-how-the-rest-of-world-celebrates-the-holidays/

Refugees in Germany fear backlash after Berlin truck attack

BERLIN — It only took hours until the backlash started. As investigators were still examining the site of a truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin, right-wing politicians in Germany and across Europe demanded a tougher stance on immigration. Some even described the victims of Monday's attack as "Angela Merkel's fatalities." The attack, along with the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/22/refugees-in-germany-fear-backlash-after-berlin-truck-attack/

France’s National Front faces funding shortfall before the 2017 election

PARIS — In the final months before the French elections, the National Front — the country’s far-right populist party — is struggling financially. But the reason for the party’s newfound woes has shed new light on an issue that extends far beyond France’s own borders. The issue is Vladimir Putin's Russia and its apparent interest […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/22/frances-national-front-faces-funding-shortfall-before-the-2017-election/

Two Belgian teens started an Ikea sleepover craze. Now police are trying to stop copycats.

On a warm July night, somewhere in an Ikea showroom in Belgium, two teenagers popped out of wardrobes. They crept out, really: wide-eyed and whispering, listening for guards, already second-guessing their plan. Florian Van Hecke and Bram Geirnaert had graduated from high school a few weeks earlier. In a few more weeks, one was bound for […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/22/two-belgian-teens-started-an-ikea-sleepover-craze-now-police-are-trying-to-stop-copycats/

A Russian ambassador was murdered. The apology came in the shape of a huge diamond.

We're still gauging the diplomatic fallout of the chilling assassination of Andrey Karlov, Russia's ambassador in Turkey, on Monday. In front of cameras at an art exhibition in Ankara, a lone assailant gunned down Karlov and proceeded to shout out jihadist and anti-Russian slogans, animated by Moscow's role in the Syrian war, before he was killed […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/22/a-russian-ambassador-was-murdered-the-apology-came-in-the-shape-of-a-huge-diamond/

Russia’s popularity hits 30-year low in U.S., new poll finds

Russia's popularity among Americans has once again dropped to Cold War-era depths, according to a new poll from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs released on Wednesday. The poll found Americans giving Russia an average rating of 32 when asked to rate their feelings toward Russia from 0 to 100. That score is down from […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/21/russias-popularity-hits-30-year-low-in-u-s-new-poll-finds/

Some of Jerusalem’s rabbis are waging their own war on Christmas

In a letter faxed to hoteliers in Jerusalem, two of the city's chief rabbis warned against displaying Christmas trees on their premises. “As the secular year ends we want to remind you that erecting a Christmas tree in a hotel contravenes halacha [Jewish law] and that therefore it is clear that one should not erect [a tree] […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/21/some-of-jerusalems-rabbis-are-waging-their-own-war-on-christmas/

The 16 most memorable stories of the year, as told by Washington Post foreign correspondents

The Washington Post has 17 foreign bureaus staffed with correspondents covering war, terrorism, big-power politics and refugee crises. But it's often the small moments, the intimate encounters with people at the heart of these stories, that prove the most memorable. We asked our correspondents to reflect on the stories that meant the most to them this year. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/21/the-16-most-memorable-stories-of-the-year-as-told-by-washington-post-foreign-correspondents/

Mocked around the world, can Montreal’s ‘ugly’ tree find love before Christmas?

They hauled it into town on a flatbed in the dark of night — pines disheveled, branches broken. A man stood on the curb, a grocery bag in each hand, and watched the tree go by like a casualty from a football field. They stood it in a downtown square — all 88 crooked, flat-topped feet […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/21/mocked-around-the-world-can-montreals-ugly-tree-find-love-before-christmas/

Why do so many people miss the Soviet Union?

On Dec. 26, 1991, the Soviet Union officially ceased to exist. Its flag, with its famous hammer and sickle, was lowered outside the Kremlin at 7:32 p.m. Within a half-hour, the red, white and blue Russian flag had been raised in its place. For almost 70 years, the totalitarian Soviet Union had curtailed the free speech […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/21/why-do-so-many-people-miss-the-soviet-union/

A scholar of Islamist extremism makes a prediction: Europe’s problem will get worse

In recent years, Europe has been rocked by a series of catastrophic terrorist attacks either organized or inspired by Islamist groups. The attacks have left the continent fearful and divided, fundamentally changing the political discourse about Islam and immigration. This week's incidents — the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey and a deadly truck rampage at a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/%3Fp%3D134231

The Berlin attack is no surprise. Experts have warned about trucks for years.

As authorities in Berlin acknowledged that they might have arrested the wrong suspect in Monday’s Christmas market attack, the most important piece of evidence was still being examined Tuesday morning at the crime scene: the truck that was used to kill at least 12 people and injure dozens more. The crash, which is being investigated as a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/the-berlin-attack-is-no-surprise-experts-have-warned-about-trucks-for-years/

Bollywood stars give their newborn son the controversial name of a brutal Islamic conqueror

NEW DELHI — Many Indians on Tuesday weighed in when one of Bollywood’s most stylish couples announced they had given birth to a new baby boy. The baby's name is Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi. “Taimur” is a name many Indians may recognize from their school history textbooks. Taimur the Lame, often known as Timur or Tamerlane, was […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/bollywood-stars-give-their-newborn-son-the-controversial-name-of-a-brutal-islamic-conqueror/

Berlin attack: How the events unfolded

A truck plowed through a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 and injuring about 50 people. Here's how the events unfolded: Monday, Dec. 20 The Breitscheidplatz square in Berlin hosts one of the city's most famous Christmas markets. On the evening of the attack, visitors to the market were drinking mulled wine and enjoying […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/berlin-attack-how-the-events-unfolded/

Trump cites holy war in Berlin attack even while facts remain unknown

Uncertainty shrouded Berlin's tragic crime scene when President-elect Donald Trump, sitting thousands of miles away in New York, issued a clarion call on Monday evening: This was an Islamist attack on Christians. The Muslim terrorists “must be eradicated from the face of the earth.” A truck had plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/trump-cites-holy-war-in-berlin-attack-even-while-facts-remain-unknown/

Donald Trump’s BFF in Britain squares off with husband of slain lawmaker over Berlin attack

LONDON — A tussle has broken out between the British politician Nigel Farage and the widower of a slain British lawmaker after Farage said that the deadly attacks in Berlin would be the “legacy” of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On Monday night, a truck slammed into a heaving Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least 12 people. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/donald-trumps-bff-in-britain-squares-off-with-husband-of-slain-lawmaker-over-berlin-attack/

Amid rising German fears, experts warn of a new attacker profile in Europe: ‘underage terrorists’

Over the weekend, Germany's attention was focused on a 12-year-old boy with Iraqi parents who had allegedly planned a nail bomb attack at a German Christmas market. He may have received instructions from the Islamic State, according to media reports that cited unnamed intelligence sources. The story of Germany's perhaps youngest terror suspect will likely disappear […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/amid-rising-german-fears-experts-warn-of-a-new-attacker-profile-in-europe-underage-terrorists/

The unnoticed trend that worries Europe’s counterterrorism agencies

LONDON — The threat of the lone-wolf attacker has become part of counterterrorism measures around the world. Germany is once again a grim venue as investigators try to stitch together motives after a driver plowed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 on Monday in what German authorities described as an likely “act […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/the-unnoticed-trend-that-worries-europes-counterterrorism-agencies/

They banished their 15-year-old for having her period. She died in a cold Nepali hut.

A 15-year-old Nepali girl died over the weekend in a hut to which she had been banished for menstruating — the latest victim of an ancient ritual that persists in parts of south Asia. Roshani Tiruwa's father told Republica, a Nepali outlet, that he found her dead on the floor of the hut Sunday morning […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/20/they-banished-their-15-year-old-for-having-her-period-she-died-in-a-cold-nepali-hut/

The assassination of Russia’s ambassador in Turkey creates a crisis for Erdogan

Turkish and Russian officials labeled the assassination of Andrey Karlov, Moscow's envoy to Turkey, at an art exhibition in Ankara a “terrorist” attack. Karlov was shot in the back by a gunman who, according to reports, proceeded to shout jihadist slogans. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attack was “a provocation” that wouldn't affect the thaw in […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/the-assassination-of-russias-ambassador-in-turkey-creates-a-crisis-for-erdogan/

Diplomatic assassinations have a long and tragic history

The image of a suited gunman standing over the body of Russia's ambassador to Turkey stunned the world on Monday. But such an “act of terror” against a diplomat, in the words of Russia's foreign ministry, has plenty of unfortunate precedent. The impact of such deadly attacks on politics and international relations has often been enormous. Russia itself has […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/diplomatic-assassinations-have-a-long-and-tragic-history/

Lebanon’s first minister for women is a man

Lebanon finally has a new government, a development which could help end more than two years of political deadlock in the country. Prime minister Saad al-Hariri has said its priority will be to "preserve stability," the BBC reports. The new government will feature Lebanon's first "minister of state for women's affairs," a welcome development in a country […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/lebanons-first-minister-for-women-is-a-man/

How the rivalry between Russians and Turks shaped the world

On this day in 1853, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia. The Crimean War wouldn't end until 1856. #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/Xbn1wvAmhg — The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) October 4, 2015 A gunman shot Andrey Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, at a photo exhibition in Ankara on Monday. Karlov's condition was not immediately known. Initial Turkish media reports […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/10/09/how-the-rivalry-between-russians-and-turks-shaped-the-world/

Trump is already facing a ‘coup d’etat’ in the U.S., says Putin’s chief propagandist

In his weekly Sunday TV show, the Kremlin's top spin doctor warned that President-elect Donald Trump is facing a “coup d'etat” in the United States as the electoral college gathers to formalize the result of the U.S. presidential election. Dmitry Kiselyov, a prominent propagandist for Russian President Vladimir Putin who hosts a show on the state-run Rossiya-24 […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/trump-is-already-facing-a-coup-detat-in-the-u-s-says-putins-chief-propagandist/

The global wave of populism that turned 2016 upside down

If you had to sum up 2016 in one word, you might choose “populism.” Once rarely used outside the academic halls of political science departments, that word has been fully cemented in the mainstream this year as shock-voting results emerged around the world. Soon, we found ourselves debating not only populism, but also economic populism, authoritarian populism, radical […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/the-global-wave-of-populism-that-turned-2016-upside-down/

How Germany’s electoral college was set up to prevent another Hitler

When the U.S. electoral college meets on Monday, many of its members will have experienced weeks of rising pressure to select someone other than Donald Trump. The role of the electors has been the focus of controversies for years, with some arguing that they are unnecessary and that the difference between the public vote and the composition of […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/how-germanys-electoral-college-was-set-up-to-prevent-another-hitler/

Bana al-Abed told the world about Aleppo on Twitter. Now, she is safe.

She has been described as "our era's Anne Frank," updating the world on the horrors of war in Syria's Aleppo in real-time. But the story of Bana al-Abed, whose Twitter account now has more than 320,000 followers, took a much more fortunate turn on Monday. Several photos showed the 7-year old girl among a crowd of residents evacuated from […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/bana-al-abed-told-the-world-about-aleppo-on-twitter-now-she-is-safe/

In Aleppo’s war-ravaged Old City, visitors pose with selfie sticks

After years of fighting in Aleppo, much of Syria's largest city has been destroyed. Entire neighborhoods in the rebel-held east have been reduced to rubble by government airstrikes, with civilians forced to survive with only limited food and medical supplies. Now, as the battle for the city reaches its final stages, visitors are returning to the historical sites at the city's center — […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2016/12/18/in-aleppos-war-ravaged-old-city-visitors-pose-with-selfie-sticks/