After #MeToo, a Facebook list names South Asian academics. Some say it’s a step too far.

Allegations of sexual assault against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and a social media campaign that followed are raking up long-muffled controversies across the globe. Now a list of academics accused of assault has caused a frenzy among India's intellectuals.  When Raya Sarkar, a 24-year-old law student of Indian descent at the University of California at Davis, posted a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/31/after-metoo-a-facebook-list-names-south-asian-academics-some-say-its-a-step-too-far/

A serial killer may be responsible for body parts found in coolers, Japanese police say

Japanese investigators believe they may have caught a serial killer after the dismembered remains of nine bodies were discovered in an apartment near Tokyo. Local media reports said Tuesday that police arrested 27-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi, who reportedly confessed to killing one person, dismembering the body and putting the remains in coolers covered with cat litter in his apartment in the city […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/31/a-serial-killer-may-be-responsible-for-body-parts-found-in-coolers-japanese-police-say/

A proposal in New Zealand could trigger the era of ‘climate change refugees’

New Zealand could become the world’s first country to recognize climate change as an official reason to seek asylum, a government minister said in an interview on Tuesday. If implemented, up to 100 refugees per year would be admitted to the island nation on a newly created visa category. This may appear relatively insignificant, given that the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/31/a-proposal-in-new-zealand-could-trigger-the-era-of-climate-change-refugees/

For Kurds in Baghdad, the failed Kurdish independence bid provokes an identity crisis

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Kurds' failed bid for independence has led to military confrontations in northern Iraq and leadership questions in the Kurdistan region’s capital of Irbil. But some 250 miles south, in a working-class corner of Baghdad’s sprawl, the vote has quietly provoked a crisis of identity. Akd al-Akrad, or Quarter of the Kurds, is a neighborhood […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/31/for-kurds-in-baghdad-the-failed-kurdish-independence-bid-provokes-an-identity-crisis/

Danish inventor, charged with journalist’s gruesome death, admits to dismembering her body

Danish inventor Peter Madsen admitted to dismembering the body of freelance journalist Kim Wall, Danish police said Monday, marking the latest shift in Madsen's explanation for how Wall's severed body sank to the sea floor off the coast of Copenhagen. Madsen still maintains he did not kill Wall, according to a police news release, now claiming Wall […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/30/danish-inventor-charged-with-journalists-gruesome-death-admits-to-dismembering-her-body/

Who did Manafort and Gates work for in Ukraine and Russia?

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III on Monday revealed an indictment against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his longtime business partner Rick Gates, as well as charges against former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty earlier this month. The developments stem from a sweeping investigation Mueller is conducting into possible collusion between the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/30/who-did-manafort-and-gates-work-for-in-ukraine-and-russia/

Trump and Netanyahu make out in a giant protest mural on West Bank separation wall

An artist managed to make Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank town of Bethlehem — already considered the world’s most contentious wall — more controversial with a mural of President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharing a kiss. The mural was splashed across the 26-foot concrete wall for several hours late last […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/30/trump-and-netanyahu-make-out-in-a-giant-protest-mural-on-west-bank-separation-wall/

Europe is considering a ban on either summer or winter time — but can’t decide which

BERLIN — As Americans were about to go to bed on Saturday, Europeans were already starting to wake up into a new time zone, one that has long been associated with heavy economic and health burdens. A week earlier than the U.S., European countries set their clocks back by one hour early Sunday morning, marking the start of winter time. Like in […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/30/europe-is-considering-a-ban-on-either-summer-or-winter-time-but-cant-decide-which/

How Japan will entertain a visiting President Trump: Golf and ‘Pen Pineapple Apple Pen’

President Trump arrives in Tokyo this Saturday for the start of a twelve day trip to Asia. It’s an important trip for the American leader, who will have to discuss a number of difficult issues in the region including ongoing tension with North Korea. But while Trump is in Japan, he may also receive some unusual entertainment — courtesy […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/30/how-japan-will-entertain-a-visiting-president-trump-golf-and-pen-pineapple-apple-pen/

How the Republic starts to fall

Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter. If you listen to history podcasts, you've probably heard of Mike Duncan. The American broadcaster's award-winning series “The History of Rome” and his ongoing […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/30/how-the-republic-starts-to-fall/

A British minister admits he made his secretary buy sex toys as #MeToo hits Parliament

After a Christmastime lunch in 2010, then-British Parliament member Mark Garnier handed his secretary cash and took her to a sex shop in the west end of London. He told her that he wanted her to go inside and purchase two vibrators, one for his wife and another for a woman in his constituency office. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/29/a-british-minister-admits-he-made-his-secretary-buy-sex-toys-as-metoo-hits-parliament/

Nuclear sub sailors fired after ‘absolutely disgraceful’ parties with a prostitute and cocaine

Royal Navy security personnel stand guard on HMS Vigilant at Her Majesty’s Naval Base, Clyde, Scotland in 2016. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) The British sailors who spend their lives in submarines safeguarding the nation’s nuclear missiles are, without hyperbole, contenders for the most important job in the world. The gravity of their mission is even […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/28/nuclear-sub-sailors-fired-after-absolutely-disgraceful-parties-with-a-prostitute-and-cocaine/

He claimed his adopted daughter choked on milk and died. Her orphanage in India wants answers.

Before search parties began looking for a missing three-year-old girl in Texas earlier this month, and before her father changed his story about how she went missing, Sherin Mathews was a happy, cheerful child at an orphanage in India. “We loved her laughter,” Babita Kumari, who managed the Mother Teresa Orphanage and Children’s Home in the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/he-claimed-his-adopted-daughter-choked-on-milk-and-died-her-orphanage-in-india-wants-answers/

In photos: Kenyan protesters have rocks and bottles. Soldiers answer with tear gas, water cannons and bullets.

Kenya woke up to a second day of violent protests Friday as opposition supporters denounced preliminary results showing that incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta won Thursday's presidential election with 98 percent of the vote. But the rerun of the country's bungled August election was marred by incidents. The leader of National Super Alliance opposition party, Raila […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/in-photos-kenyan-protesters-have-rocks-and-bottles-soldiers-answer-with-tear-gas-water-cannons-and-bullets/

Why does Spain’s Article 155 exist, and what does it actually say?

On Friday, the Spanish Senate invoked Article 155 against Catalonia, a region in the country's northeast. Just minutes before, Catalonia had voted to declare independence from Spain. In response, Madrid invoked something that's been described, alternately, as a “nuclear option” or “atomic bomb.” Article 155, which spans just two short paragraphs of the 1978 Constitution […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/why-does-spains-article-155-exist-and-what-does-it-actually-say/

Is making French less sexist a threat to the language? The Académie Française says oui.

PARIS — Quel scandale. France’s highest authority on language fears French is in “mortal peril” over attempts to make the language a little less complex and a little less, well, male-dominated. It is a particularly fraught moment for gender relations in French public life. The Weinstein scandal has had a particularly intense aftermath here, where a […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/is-making-french-less-sexist-a-threat-to-the-language-the-academie-francaise-says-oui/

With Mattis in Manila, Duterte decides its time to boost ties with Russia and China

  JAKARTA, Indonesia — This week, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited the Philippines, one of Washington’s closest military allies in Southeast Asia, as part of a scheduled gathering of international defense chiefs. The trip, however, was overshadowed by public gestures of support — including gifts of weapons — by America’s two main geopolitical rivals to Manila. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/with-mattis-in-manila-duterte-decides-its-time-to-boost-ties-with-russia-and-china/

Australia’s own ‘birther controversy’ may bring down the government

Australia’s conservative coalition government was thrown into turmoil on Friday after the country’s high court ruled that five politicians, including the deputy prime minister and four other senators, had been disqualified from office. The decision could bring down Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ruling coalition, which so far relied on a slim majority of only one seat. The […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/australias-own-birther-controversy-may-bring-down-the-government/

Quebec wants women to remove face veils when receiving public services. It’s not going over well.

OTTAWA — The Quebec government expected broad public support when it passed a law last week banning women from wearing Islamic face coverings when they provide or receive public services. Instead, the new law has prompted protests, confusion and ridicule. The legislation, which has yet to come into force, will require a woman to remove […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/quebec-wants-women-to-remove-face-veils-when-receiving-public-services-its-not-going-over-well/

Six newspaper front pages dramatically illustrate Xi Jinping’s power grab in China

  BEIJING — The People’s Daily is the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, its front pages offering as clear a window as we can get into the message the party leadership want to transmit to its members. On Wednesday, China’s President and Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping unveiled the other six members […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/six-newspaper-front-pages-dramatically-illustrate-xi-jinpings-power-grab-in-china/

Whatever happens in Catalonia, its anger with Spain is a sign of things to come

Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter. Confusion is still the order of the day in Catalonia. The region's standoff with Madrid could reach a tipping point Friday, nearly a month […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/27/whatever-happens-in-catalonia-its-anger-with-spain-is-a-sign-of-things-to-come/

Anthony Bourdain just got banned from Azerbaijan

Anthony Bourdain has traveled the world with his cooking show, "Parts Unknown." But top officials in Azerbaijan, an oil-rich country nestled between Russia and Iran, want him to know this: He just became a persona non grata. His crime? Traveling to Nagorno-Karabakh, an extremely contentious pocket of land that is located, technically, in Azerbaijan. But right […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/26/anthony-bourdain-just-got-banned-from-azerbaijan/

Editor of Russia’s biggest opposition newspaper says he will arm his staff to protect them from attacks

MOSCOW – The editor-in-chief of Russia's most prominent opposition newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, has said that he would arm his staff with rubber-bullet "traumatic" pistols and other self-defense measures after a spate of attacks against journalists in Russia. Days after the stabbing of a senior editor at Moscow's Echo of Moscow radio station, Dmitry Muratov, the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, told the same […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/26/editor-of-russias-biggest-opposition-newspaper-says-he-will-arm-his-staff-to-protect-them-from-attacks/

What’s a scary superstition in your part of the world? Share it with us.

Do you avoid walking under ladders? Or knock on wood to prevent something bad from happening? Superstitions are common but irrational beliefs that stem from a misinterpretation of scientific facts or from urban legends. Some are as simple as a schoolyard rhyme -- step on a crack and break your mother's back -- or as creepy […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/26/whats-a-scary-superstition-in-your-part-of-the-world-share-it-with-us/

Anne Frank’s diary was read in Italian stadiums. Some fans turned their backs and sang in protest.

"I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/26/anne-franks-diary-was-read-in-italian-stadiums-some-fans-turned-their-backs-and-sang-in-protest/

North Korea’s nuclear tests could collapse the mountain hosting them, and 5 other global stories

In this occasional series, The Washington Post brings you up to speed on some of the biggest stories of the week. First up: After six tests, the mountain hosting North Korea’s nuclear blasts may be exhausted. The biggest story: North Korea's possible 'tired mountain' problem Have North Korea’s nuclear tests become so big that they're altering the geological […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/26/north-koreas-nuclear-tests-could-collapse-the-mountain-hosting-them-and-5-other-global-stories/

A U.S. ambassador told a server she should cash in on her looks. An official inquiry followed.

It was newly-minted Ambassador Scott Brown’s first day in Samoa and the day’s activities seemed drawn right from the foreign emissary playbook. The former Massachusetts senator and his wife had spent the day at a site with volunteers from the Peace Corps, part of the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration. And on that evening in June, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/a-u-s-ambassador-told-a-server-she-should-cash-in-on-her-looks-an-official-inquiry-followed/

Saudi Arabia’s city of the future has women in sports bras and co-ed offices

Saudi Arabia is breaking into the city-building business. This week, the country's crown prince announced plans to build a “futuristic city” run entirely on alternative energy. Some other things will be different, too. The flashy promotional video features women running in sports bras and working side by side with men, often without the head-covering hijab. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/saudi-arabias-city-of-the-future-has-women-in-sports-bras-and-co-ed-offices/

Bangladesh is now home to almost 1 million Rohingya refugees

Wednesday marks the two-month anniversary of attacks in Burma, carried out by a small band of Rohingya militants, that triggered a massive and indiscriminate retaliation from the Burmese military and the exodus of most of the Muslim minority ethnic group from the country. Some 604,000 people, mostly Rohingya, have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since Aug. 25, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/bangladesh-is-now-home-to-almost-1-million-rohingya-refugees/

Saudi Arabia wants to return to ‘moderate Islam.’ Skeptics say it’s a marketing ploy.

When Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced on Tuesday that he wanted the kingdom to return to “moderate Islam,” not everyone was convinced. On the face of it, the statement fueled hopes that the ultraconservative kingdom would finally give in to critics who have long demanded more liberties and tolerance, but others cautioned that […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/saudi-arabia-vows-to-return-to-moderate-islam-but-critics-wonder-what-it-will-look-like/

What does the future of Europe look like? Subscribe on WhatsApp for updates and discussions

          Last month, some of you followed me on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger as I reported on the German election. After an overwhelmingly positive response and hundreds of fruitful conversations, we're relaunching our Berlin-based project to focus on all things Europe. How will Britain negotiate its controversial exit from the E.U.? How […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/what-does-the-future-of-europe-look-like-subscribe-on-whatsapp-for-updates-and-discussions/

Women in the developing world don’t need cows and sewing machines. But that’s what aid groups keep offering.

In the days and months after the Sri Lankan civil war ended in 2009, aid groups wasted little time. Many women had been on the front lines, fighting among the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Now, these groups decided, those women needed a healthy dose of “empowerment.” In development circles, the word “empowerment” has become […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/women-in-the-developing-world-dont-need-cows-and-sewing-machines-but-thats-what-aid-groups-keep-offering/

Chinese women sidelined as Xi takes center stage

BEIJING — President Xi Jinping this week heralded the dawn of a “New Era” for China. But, so far, the era offers little new for Chinese women. On Wednesday, after a week of long-winded speeches and praise for the president, the Chinese Communist Party announced the names of the cadres who will lead China for […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/chinese-women-sidelined-as-xi-takes-center-stage/

Catalonia has always been distinct. Why is it part of Spain?

To understand how Catalan people see themselves as distinct, a word from their language is instructive: seny. It is an adjective used to convey a supposedly unique Catalan sensibility: pragmatic, level-headed, and dignified. Seny is just about the last word the Spanish government and the European Union would use for the Catalans, who instigated a lurching attempt to declare […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/24/catalonia-has-always-been-distinct-why-is-it-part-of-spain/

Not being part of the Paris climate deal: something only the U.S. and Syria agree on

The very exclusive club of nations rejecting the 2015 Paris climate accord is about to get even more rarefied as Nicaragua has signaled its intention to sign the deal. That means that the only two countries in the world refusing to join the agreement to control climate change is the United States and a country it […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/24/not-being-part-of-the-paris-climate-deal-something-only-the-u-s-and-syria-agree-on/

Trump’s Niger uproar shines light on the U.S.’s murky African wars

Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter. For days, President Trump has been locked in controversy over his response to the deaths of four Special Forces soldiers ambushed by suspected Islamist militants […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/24/trumps-niger-uproar-shines-light-on-the-u-s-s-murky-african-wars/

Parts of Niger and Mali are already lawless. U.S. strategy might make it worse.

When four U.S. Special Forces soldiers were killed in Niger earlier this month, many Americans, including some in Congress, were surprised that their troops were active in the little-known country. Now, nearly three weeks after the ambush in which they died, the main story line is about how long it took President Trump to reach out to […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/23/parts-of-niger-and-mali-are-already-lawless-u-s-strategy-might-make-it-worse/

He patted a man’s butt in Dubai and faced months in prison — until a royal pardon freed him

The criminal offense happened as Jamie Harron was weaving through a Dubai bar in July, balancing a drink — his transgression so small that the British national didn't know he'd committed a crime until he was almost in handcuffs. Harron had lost his balance and grabbed a man's shoulder to keep himself and his drink upright, according […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/23/he-patted-a-mans-butt-in-dubai-and-faced-months-in-prison-until-a-royal-pardon-freed-him/

The U.S. invited Indonesia’s military chief to visit — then denied him entry

Indonesian leaders are seeking answers after the country’s military chief, Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, was denied entry into the United States over the weekend. Nurmantyo had been invited by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United States' highest-ranking military officer — to attend a conference on countering violent extremism on Monday […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/23/the-u-s-invited-indonesias-military-chief-to-visit-then-denied-him-entry/

Czech president brandished a mock gun ‘toward journalists,’ amid fears that media conditions there could deteriorate

Czech President Milos Zeman has long been an admirer of President Trump. Both have been accused of ties to Russia, sought ways to keep immigrants out — and essentially have declared war on the media. On Czech election day last Friday, however, Zeman took his virulent dislike of journalists to a level that even exceeds the open hostility in Washington. Speaking at a press […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/23/czech-president-brandished-a-mock-gun-toward-journalists-amid-fears-that-media-conditions-there-could-deteriorate/

Robert Mugabe, under sanction for human rights abuses, is named a WHO ‘goodwill ambassador’

Provoking global head-scratching and more than a little outrage, Robert Mugabe, the longtime president of Zimbabwe — who faces international sanctions for human-rights abuses including violent crackdowns on political dissent — has been appointed as a “goodwill ambassador” for the World Health Organization. The outcry rocketed around the world after this week’s announcement and seemed centered around […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/21/robert-mugabe-under-sanction-for-human-rights-abuses-is-named-a-who-goodwill-ambassador/

Spain vs. Catalonia: Here’s what you need to know about the independence showdown

This post has been updated. Spain appears on the brink of a political crisis. On Oct. 1, the country's Catalonia region voted to secede. Spanish courts ruled the outcome illegal. In a speech Tuesday, Catalonia's regional president, Carles Puigdemont, seemed to cede some ground. He stopped short of declaring independence and called for more talks with […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/09/30/catalonia-independence-referendum-spain/

Documentary explores Islamaphobia by darkening a white lady’s skin and giving her a fake nose

There are nearly three million Muslims in the United Kingdom. But when Channel 4 wanted to produce a documentary about Islamophobia in the country, they decided to follow around a white lady. In a new documentary called “My Week as a Muslim,” the station dressed a white woman as a Pakistani Muslim — complete with […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/20/documentary-explores-islamaphobia-by-darkening-a-white-ladys-skin-and-giving-her-a-fake-nose/

Everything we know about the Niger attack that left 4 U.S. soldiers dead

It took President Trump 12 days to speak publicly about a terrorist attack that left four American soldiers dead. And even then, it was only because a reporter asked, “Why haven't we heard anything from you so far about the soldiers that were killed in Niger?” Trump's answer — that he likes to call and write […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/20/everything-we-know-about-the-niger-attack-that-left-4-u-s-soldiers-dead/

Czech elections show how difficult it is to fix the fake news problem

As concerns over fake news websites mounted in the U.S. last year, the Czech Republic decided to do something about it. With elections set for October this year, its Interior Ministry established a task force to debunk the false accusations and fear-mongering spreading online — the Center Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats. With voters heading to […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/20/czech-elections-show-how-difficult-it-is-to-fix-the-fake-news-problem/

There’s a rising global tide of crackdowns on LGBT communities

Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter. This week, a government journal in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan announced that the country's interior ministry had compiled a registry of “proven” gays […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/20/theres-a-rising-global-tide-of-crackdowns-on-lgbt-communities/

Why thousands of people in Mexico City raised their fists to the sky Thursday

MEXICO CITY — Thousands of people in Mexico City gathered at 1:14 p.m.  Thursday and raised their fists in the air for three minutes of silence. It was an homage to the victims of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that slammed the national capital a month earlier, on Sept. 19. In the early days of the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/19/why-thousands-of-people-in-mexico-city-raised-their-fists-to-the-sky-thursday/

Sensationalized news is fueling tension over areas disputed between Iraqis and Kurds

KHANAQIN, Iraq — Tantalizing bits of news began to stream onto the social media feeds of Kurdish media organizations late Wednesday: Kurds angry with an Iraqi military takeover of their towns and cities were rising up and chasing the troops away. Unsteady cellphone videos of young men rampaging through the streets of Kirkuk, a city at […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/19/sensationalized-news-is-fueling-tension-over-areas-disputed-between-iraqis-and-kurds/

How fake news helped shape the Catalonia independence vote

A couple of weeks ago, Catalans went to the polls to decide whether to seek independence. Catalonia, located in Spain's northeast and the home of Barcelona, has been agitating for independence for more than 300 years. But something about this latest push was different, according to Spanish journalist Clara Jimenez Cruz. Cruz is a reporter with Maldito […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/19/how-fake-news-helped-shape-the-catalonia-independence-vote/

Move over America. China now presents itself as the model ‘blazing a new trail’ for the world.

BEIJING — American presidents are fond of describing their nation as a “city on a hill” — a shining example for other nations to follow. But China is now officially in the business of styling itself as another polestar for the world, with a very different political, economic and cultural model. “The banner of socialism […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/19/move-over-america-china-now-presents-itself-as-the-model-blazing-a-new-trail-for-the-world/

Like Trump, Europe’s leaders must also tread delicately when consoling the families of the fallen

BERLIN — As Trump found out this week, it is never easy to provide condolences to the families of soldiers killed in action — especially when it is in the service of your foreign policy. Several European leaders have also fallen afoul of the delicate process of negotiating grief and politics. To understand the relationship between European leaders and […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/19/like-trump-europes-leaders-must-also-tread-delicately-when-consoling-the-families-of-the-fallen/

The rise of a world power that seeks ‘total control,’ and 4 other stories you might have missed

In this occasional series, The Washington Post brings you up to speed on some of the biggest stories of the week. First up: Confidence, control, paranoia mark the Chinese party congress. The biggest story: The world's likely next superpower The 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party underway brings together 2,300 Communist Party members from across China. It's […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/19/the-rise-of-a-world-power-that-seeks-total-control-and-4-other-stories-you-might-have-missed/

Mexico’s presidential candidates include a Hillary wannabe and a guy promising better soccer

MEXICO CITY — Former first lady Margarita Zavala once styled herself as the “Mexican Hillary” as she prepared to run for president. That narrative faltered with the results of the 2016 U.S. election and then she lost a power struggle inside the right-wing National Action Party (PAN), once led by her husband. Instead of giving […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/19/mexicos-presidential-candidates-include-a-hillary-wannabe-and-a-guy-promising-better-soccer/

Thousands protest al-Shabab as new details of Somalia truck bombing emerge

After three days of mourning, thousands of men and women marched through the streets of Somalia's capital on Wednesday, answering the Mogadishu mayor's call for unity in the wake of the country's deadliest terrorist attack, which occurred over the weekend. Meanwhile, Somali intelligence officials began to divulge details of how the attackers, who killed at least 320 […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/18/thousands-protest-al-shabab-as-new-details-of-somalia-truck-bombing-emerge/

Across Canada, tributes pour in following news of Gord Downie’s death

Tributes poured in Wednesday for Gord Downie, the frontman for the Canadian band The Tragically Hip who was considered a national treasure. Downie died Tuesday at age 53. Downie, dubbed Canada’s unofficial unofficial poet laureate, had glioblastoma, an incurable form of brain cancer. He died with his children and family close by, according to a statement from his family “Gord […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/10/18/across-canada-tributes-pour-in-following-news-of-gord-downies-death/