Easter 2018: 5 ways the season is being celebrated around the world

Christians are marking one of the most significant seasons in their calendar: the time to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some of the ceremonies associated with this time are joyful celebrations. Others reflect a more somber tone. In Manila, a Good Friday ceremony reenacted Christ's death, including the crucifixion. Reuters reported that […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/30/easter-2018-5-ways-the-season-is-being-celebrated-around-the-world/

Trump’s strange comparison of the Korean DMZ and Mexican border crosses a line

In a wide-ranging speech ostensibly about his infrastructure agenda on Thursday, President Trump compared the U.S.-Mexico border unfavorably with the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that runs between North Korea and South Korea. “Look at Korea. We have a border in Korea. We have a wall of soldiers,” Trump told the audience in Ohio. “We don’t get […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/30/trumps-strange-comparison-of-the-korean-dmz-and-mexican-border-crosses-a-line/

Long-lost film that warned of rise of anti-Semitism has ominous message for today’s world

BERLIN — In Europe, anti-Semitism once again dominated this week’s news agenda. On Monday, thousands marched in London against what they perceive to be blatant anti-Semitism in Britain’s mainstream Labour party. The same day, the Paris prosecutor’s office said that it was investigating whether anti-Semitism was a motivation for the killing of an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/30/long-lost-film-that-warned-of-rise-of-anti-semitism-has-ominous-message-for-todays-world/

Canadians’ love affair with Justin Trudeau is over

OTTAWA – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau no longer looks invincible. After showing a steady lead in public opinion surveys for more than two years after his surprise October 2015 election victory, Trudeau appears to be politically vulnerable. And that’s despite a buoyant economy, what’s seen as a steady hand in NAFTA trade talks with […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/29/canadians-love-affair-with-justin-trudeau-is-over/

A woman says she was raped by 3 rugby players. The jury disagreed.

For nearly nine weeks in Northern Ireland, a jury of eight men and three women struggled to understand what happened in Paddy Jackson's bed in June 2016. The plaintiff, 19 at the time, tells it this way: After a night out at a club in Belfast, she went to Jackson's house. The pair went up […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/29/a-woman-says-she-was-raped-by-3-rugby-players-the-jury-disagreed/

‘Fake news’ may soon be illegal in Malaysia. Who gets to define it?

Lawmakers in Malaysia may soon vote to approve a “fake news” law that human rights groups and experts say would significantly curtail freedom of expression and democracy in the country. It would subject both journalists and ordinary Internet users to up to six years in prison for disseminating content that the state deems misleading. “This is […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/29/fake-news-may-soon-be-illegal-in-malaysia-who-gets-to-define-it/

Trump’s envoy to Israel says he was ‘misquoted’ in reports that U.S. was seeking to replace Palestinian leader Abbas

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has said that he was misquoted in comments this week that suggested the United States would bypass Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas if he refused to engage with the Trump administration. “The United States is not seeking 'to replace' Mahmoud Abbas,” Friedman said in a tweet on Thursday. “It […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/29/trumps-envoy-to-israel-says-he-was-misquoted-in-reports-that-u-s-was-seeking-to-replace-palestinian-leader-abbas/

You know that Chinese satellite crashing to Earth within days? It’s not alone.

BERLIN — If you want to catch a last glimpse of Chinese satellite Tiangong-1, you better hurry. Circling the earth at a speed of 17,500 mph every 90 minutes, the 19,000-pound satellite will likely have vanished by the end of this weekend, to reappear as a fireball for up to a minute or more somewhere over the skies of […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/29/you-know-that-chinese-satellite-crashing-to-earth-within-days-its-not-alone/

Beijing’s mysterious visitor, and 6 other global 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. This week:  The biggest story: Kim-Xi meeting is new challenge for Trump A secretive meeting between North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and China’s Xi Jinping this week showcased the enduring bonds between the two communist countries. The message […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/29/beijings-mysterious-visitor-and-6-other-global-stories-you-might-have-missed/

She was Ukraine’s ‘Joan of Arc.’ Now she’s accused of plotting a coup in Kiev.

KIEV – Two years ago, Nadia Savchenko, a Ukrainian helicopter pilot who had been taken prisoner by pro-Russian forces in the country’s east, returned from captivity to a tumultuous hero’s welcome. Today she is once again behind bars – only this time she’s been put there by Ukrainian authorities. Savchenko was arrested last week on […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/28/she-was-ukraines-joan-of-arc-now-shes-accused-of-plotting-a-coup-in-kiev/

With a secret armored train journey to China, Kim Jong Un follows his father’s footsteps

Kim Jong Un’s visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping took many by surprise. For years, North Korea-watchers had noted that the young North Korean leader had not traveled abroad, despite his education in Europe and admiration for Western culture. There were theories that Kim, who had taken control of North Korea’s ruling dynasty […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/28/with-a-secret-armored-train-journey-to-china-kim-jong-un-follows-his-fathers-footsteps/

China’s official release on Kim Jong Un’s visit, annotated

In a lengthy statement Wednesday, China's party-controlled Xinhua agency confirmed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to China after days of denials and rumors that began when Kim's train was spotted in Beijing. The Chinese readout on the talks will likely be carefully analyzed by diplomats around the world — especially in the United States and South Korea. Both are […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/28/chinas-official-release-on-kim-jong-uns-visit-annotated/

An aid group brought rescued migrants to Italy. Now they’ll stand trial for doing so.

MILAN — Earlier this month, a ship patrolling the central Mediterranean on a search-and-rescue mission saved 117 migrants — including a 3-month-old baby in urgent need of medical attention — and brought them to Sicily. For that act, the two leaders of the ship’s crew are now facing up to five years in jail and potential […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/27/an-aid-group-brought-rescued-migrants-to-italy-now-theyll-stand-trial-for-doing-so/

Here are all the countries that just expelled Russian diplomats

BRUSSELS — Twenty-six countries around the world, including the United States, have announced plans to toss out Russian diplomats in an unusually coordinated response to a nerve-agent attack in Salisbury, England, that targeted a Russian ex-spy and his daughter. Affecting at least 150 people, it is the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/27/here-are-all-the-countries-that-just-expelled-russian-diplomats/

As diplomatic crisis intensifies, the world pays tribute to victims of devastating fire in Russia

In the same week that more than 100 Russian spies and diplomats have been expelled by more than two dozen countries, flowers and other expressions of tribute have been left outside Russian embassies around the world. However, these tributes have nothing to do with the diplomatic expulsions. Instead, people have been moved to pay their respects after a devastating […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/27/as-diplomatic-crisis-intensifies-the-world-pays-tribute-to-victims-of-devastating-fire-in-russia/

Boris Johnson’s ‘sexist’ behavior swiftly shut down in the House of Commons

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth. He once described Hillary Clinton as “a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital” with “dyed blond hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare.” He said Barack Obama is “part-Kenyan” with an “ancestral dislike” of Britain. He joked about Turkish President Recep Tayyip […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/27/boris-johnson-accused-of-sexism-after-calling-a-politician-by-her-husbands-last-name/

After U.S. expels 60 diplomats, Russia does what it’s best at: trolling

When countries decide to expel diplomats, the measures are usually supposed to send a serious message: Enough is enough. Monday’s expulsion of more than 100 Russian spies and diplomats by two dozen countries may very well pose practical challenges to the Kremlin’s ability to gather intelligence overseas. In comparison to the measures taken after Russia stood accused […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/27/after-u-s-expels-60-diplomats-russia-does-what-its-best-at-trolling/

Gripping video shows girl’s escape from burning building in Israel

Harrowing video footage published to Facebook shows a girl escaping a fire that was raging through an apartment building in Be’er Sheva, Israel, on Sunday. In the video, neighbors stretching out a sheet on a balcony two floors below the girl's apartment can be heard yelling to her. She scales a railing and jumps off […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/26/gripping-video-shows-girls-escape-from-burning-building-in-israel/

Who poisoned Sergei Skripal? Not Russia, Russians say.

Earlier this month, Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, England. The two had been poisoned with a nerve agent called Novichok, developed by Kremlin scientists several decades ago. They remain in critical condition. Skripal is Russian. He was arrested in 2006 for passing state secrets to […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/26/who-poisoned-sergei-skripal-not-russia-russians-say/

In a brutal open letter, Jewish leaders accuse Jeremy Corbyn of anti-Semitism

The Labour Party has a long history of troubling behavior, according to Jewish leaders in Britain. In 2016, former London mayor Ken Livingstone was suspended from the party after he said Adolf Hitler had been a supporter of Zionism in the 1930s. An internal review, conducted soon after, found that there was “much clear evidence” of […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/26/in-a-brutal-open-letter-jewish-leaders-accuse-jeremy-corbyn-of-anti-semitism/

84 statues appear on London roofs in a startling suicide-awareness campaign

Every week, an average of 84 men in the United Kingdom take their own lives. That's one death by suicide every two hours. According to The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a charity dedicated to the prevention of male suicide, suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in Britain. Three in […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/26/84-statues-appear-on-london-roofs-in-a-startling-suicide-awareness-campaign/

Arrest of former Catalan president leads to clashes in Barcelona and growing frustration with Europe

BERLIN — At least 89 people across Spain’s semi-autonomous Catalonia region were injured on Sunday in clashes with the police, according to local authorities. The protests in which tens of thousands participated came hours after the region’s former leader, Carles Puigdemont, was detained by German police, as he was entering the country from Denmark. The former […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/26/arrest-of-former-catalan-president-leads-to-clashes-in-barcelona-and-growing-frustration-with-europe/

Young Catholics tell Pope Francis the church is indifferent and judgemental

On Saturday, hundreds of young Catholics gathered to give Pope Francis a piece of their minds. They called for a more transparent and "authentic" church, one with a bigger role for women and more wisdom about the benefits and challenges of technology. They called for more flexibility too, arguing that "unreachable" moral standards should not be the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/25/young-catholics-tell-pope-francis-the-church-is-indifferent-and-judgemental/

‘He saved lives’: Arnaud Beltrame, French police officer who traded places with a hostage, dies

Arnaud Beltrame, a French police officer who willingly took the place of a hostage during a standoff with a rampaging gunman Friday in France, died from injuries sustained in the incident on early Saturday. His bravery earned him recognition as a hero in a country that has been deeply shaken by a number of terrorist attacks […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/24/he-saved-lives-arnaud-beltrame-french-police-officer-who-traded-places-with-a-hostage-dies/

Russia wants to build a bridge to North Korea. Literally.

North Korea shares a border with three countries — South Korea, China and Russia. The one with Russia is just 11 miles, following the Tumen River and its estuary in the far northeast. There is one lone crossing, dubbed the “Friendship Bridge.” It opened in 1959 and offers the two nations a fairly basic rail […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/24/russia-wants-to-build-a-bridge-to-north-korea-literally/

Venezuela hopes to tackle the world’s worst inflation by deleting zeros from its currency

CARACAS, Venezuela — Economic pledges may be par for the course in election campaigns, but in hyperinflationary Venezuela, the candidates' dueling promises are going further, with the incumbent vowing to lop a few zeros off the currency, while his main challenger calls for the adoption of the U.S. dollar. President Nicolás Maduro late Thursday briefly […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/23/venezuela-hopes-to-tackle-the-worlds-worst-inflation-by-deleting-zeros-from-its-currency/

Why North Korea called John Bolton ‘human scum and a bloodsucker’ in 2003

When it comes to controversial selections for President Trump's new national security adviser, there are few more divisive than John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration. Bolton's hawkish politics and belittling public statements have made him many bitter enemies over his decades in public life. Among […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/23/why-north-korea-called-john-bolton-human-scum-and-a-bloodsucker-in-2003/

John Bolton is set to clash with some of the United States’ closest allies

LONDON — In a move that may have far-reaching implications for U.S. stances on crises around the globe, President Trump on Thursday replaced Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser with conservative firebrand John Bolton. The news, announced by Trump in a series of tweets, did not go down well among some close U.S. allies. "Bolton? […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/23/john-bolton-is-set-to-clash-with-some-of-the-united-states-closest-allies/

American tourists killed in helicopter crash near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Two American tourists are dead and two others are injured after a sightseeing helicopter crashed near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, police said. The crash occurred just after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday local time, off the Whitsunday Islands, a cluster of islands near the barrier reef that is a popular tourist destination in its own […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/american-tourists-killed-in-helicopter-crash-near-australias-great-barrier-reef/

Police spent days excavating a hoarder’s cottage — then found the owner’s body

Gaynor Jones's cottage was so ancient, weed-choked and stuffed full of junk, a photographer passing through Aberaeron once mistook it for a ruin, the Telegraph reported. Jones had been born in the house, which may have been the oldest in this small Welsh seaside town, a neighbor told the British newspaper. She used to live there with her husband, but he […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/police-spent-days-excavating-a-hoarders-cottage-then-found-the-owners-body/

The ‘hygge’ trend took America by storm. Just don’t try to translate it.

The Danish word “hygge” broke into American popular consciousness sometime in 2016, about the time it was shortlisted as Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year. Since then, hygge has appeared in everything from coffee-table books to a Hygge card game. It’s put forward as a magic bullet for our anxieties, collective loneliness and seasonal depression. Surely […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/the-hygge-trend-took-america-by-storm-just-dont-try-to-translate-it/

Livid protesters chuck snowballs at Russian official

They complained for days about the stench coming from a waste dump. Then their children started getting sick. Residents of Volokolamsk, a town outside Moscow, took to the streets Tuesday after 57 children were hospitalized. Their spells of dizziness and nausea were thought to be linked to the noxious fumes emanating from the  landfill, the Moscow […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/livid-protesters-chuck-snowballs-at-russian-official/

Israel finally admitted it destroyed a Syrian reactor in 2007 — and set off a battle of egos

JERUSALEM — Israel’s admission on Wednesday that it was behind a mysterious attack on a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria more than a decade ago has caused a storm. But not in the way one might think. Within hours of the Israeli military censor permitting local media to publish most of the details of the 2007 air […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/israel-finally-admitted-it-destroyed-a-syrian-reactor-in-2007-and-set-off-a-battle-of-egos/

Fewer tourists are visiting the U.S. under Trump. Canadians didn’t get the memo.

TORONTO — When President Trump issued his first executive order banning nationals from majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States, some Canadians reacted by vowing to boycott traveling south of the border. Within days, Canadians of all stripes — academics, school board superintendents, thriller writers, even Girl Scouts — followed through with those pledges, abruptly […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/fewer-tourists-are-visiting-the-u-s-under-trump-canadians-didnt-get-the-memo/

From iconic to ironic: Britain’s new post-Brexit passports to be made by Franco-Dutch company

LONDON — In the wake of Brexit, Brits were promised their new blue passports would be “iconic.” They got ironic instead. Yes, Britain may have voted to leave the European Union. But a Franco-Dutch company will likely be producing its post-Brexit passports, according to British news reports and based on claims made by the British […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/from-iconic-to-ironic-britains-new-post-brexit-passports-to-be-made-by-franco-dutch-company/

How Cambridge Analytica’s ‘ticking time bomb’ blew up, and 5 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. This week:  The biggest story: The scary truth behind Cambridge Analytica Cambridge Analytica, a London-based data firm that sold its services to political campaigns, has been thrust into the spotlight this week thanks to a number […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/22/how-cambridge-analyticas-ticking-time-bomb-blew-up-and-5-other-stories-you-might-have-missed/

Watch a rocket carrying two Americans and one Russian blast into space

The United States and Russia seem to be in opposing camps on issue after issue of late. To list a few: the war in Syria, alleged interference in U.S. elections, Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the poisoning of a former spy in Britain. Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed some of the U.S. concerns […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/watch-a-rocket-carrying-two-americans-and-one-russian-blast-into-space/

Votes for Putin surged among Russians in the West

MOSCOW — Western politicians are condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reelection as a sham. What’s gone relatively unnoticed is that Putin’s electoral re-coronation played out in dramatic fashion on their home turf. A Washington Post analysis of precinct-level data from Russia’s Central Election Commission shows that support for Putin surged in Sunday’s election among Russians voting […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/votes-for-putin-surged-among-russians-in-the-west/

Lawmakers in Kosovo argued over a controversial bill. Then came the tear gas.

There's civil disobedience. There's a temper tantrum. And then, there's what this opposition party did to try to delay a controversial vote. On Wednesday morning, the Kosovo Assembly was voting on whether to accept a new border agreement with Montenegro. The deal — key to gaining Kosovars visa-free travel through the European Union — would […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/lawmakers-in-kosovo-argued-over-a-controversial-bill-then-came-the-tear-gas/

Britain’s Boris Johnson compares Russian World Cup to 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has compared  the upcoming soccer World Cup, due to be held in Russia this summer, to the 1936 Olympics held in Nazi Germany. “I think the comparison to 1936 is certainly right,” Johnson said Wednesday before the British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee, before suggesting that the thought made him feel […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/britains-boris-johnson-compares-russian-world-cup-to-1936-olympics-in-nazi-germany/

How the Islamic State got a foothold in Afghanistan

Last April, the U.S. military set out to take on the Islamic State in Afghanistan. At the time, officials estimated the group had about 700 fighters in the country. The U.S. forces seemed confident they could extinguish the jihadists. The United States targeted the fighters with the “mother of all bombs,” which was dropped on caves in Afghanistan last spring. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/how-the-islamic-state-got-a-foothold-in-afghanistan/

Trump congratulated Putin on his victory. Other world leaders stopped short of that.

It's a friendly tradition for one world leader to congratulate another after they win reelection. But when it comes to Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, the situation is more complicated. Not only have election monitors cast doubt about the legitimacy of Russian elections, but Putin has been linked to election interference in the United States and other countries. […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/trump-congratulated-putin-on-his-victory-other-world-leaders-stopped-short-of-that/

Man dies after trapping his head in a movie theater seat

LONDON — A man has died of a heart attack after reportedly getting his head trapped in a movie theater seat in Birmingham, England, as he tried to retrieve a dropped cellphone. The incident, which took place at the Vue Cinema in the Star City entertainment complex, was described as a “freak” accident. According to The Birmingham Mail, […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/man-dies-after-trapping-his-head-in-a-movie-theater-seat/

Hindu priests burn hundreds of mango trees in prayer ritual to curb ‘pollution’

More than 350 Hindu priests have gathered in India this week for a multi-day religious ceremony to pray that the gods deliver them from a modern-day scourge — air pollution. But the ceremony involved burning hundreds of mango trees — some 110,000 pounds of wood — in large fire pits constructed at the venue in […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/21/hindu-priests-burn-hundreds-of-mango-trees-in-prayer-ritual-to-curb-pollution/

Cambridge Analytica’s reach went far beyond the U.S. elections

American voters have big questions about what role Cambridge Analytica, a London-based data firm, may have played in the 2016 election of President Trump. The company, which consulted for Trump during the campaign, was rocked Friday by reports from the New York Times and Britain's Observer that it had improperly acquired data from Facebook users […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/20/cambridge-analyticas-reach-went-far-beyond-the-u-s-elections/

ISIS kidnapped dozens of Indian construction workers in Iraq. Their bodies were just found.

In 2014, 40 Indian construction workers went missing outside the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The city had fallen to the Islamic State militant group just days before. Relatives said they received panicked calls from some of the workers, begging for help. Then, for years, nothing. The Indian government urged relatives not to lose hope. But […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/20/isis-kidnapped-dozens-of-indian-construction-workers-in-iraq-their-bodies-were-just-found/

Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, has died, putting his species on the brink of extinction

Unable to stand, and suffering from a string of infections in his advanced age, the world’s last male northern white rhino was euthanized Monday by a veterinary team in Kenya that had fought for years to save him and his dwindling species. Only two now remain — his daughter, Najin, and granddaughter, Fatu — leaving […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/20/sudan-the-worlds-last-male-northern-white-rhino-has-died-putting-his-species-on-the-brink-of-extinction/

India’s Uber drivers went on strike because they’re making almost nothing

About 1.5 million Indians drive for Uber, Ola and other ride-sharing companies. On Monday, many of them refused to work. Thousands of workers participated in the countrywide strike, crippling traffic and creating massive headaches for commuters. The drivers say they have no other choice: They're simply not making enough money to survive. Many can't even afford to make car […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/19/indias-uber-drivers-went-on-strike-today-because-theyre-making-almost-nothing/

Videos online show blatant ballot-stuffing in Russia

As expected, Vladimir Putin was re-elected Sunday with a reported 76 percent of the vote, outpacing his nearest competitor by more than 60 points. The next morning, Elena Pamfilova, head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, claimed that the contest was one of Russia’s cleanest, with about half as many complaints of irregularities as in the 2012 presidential […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/19/videos-online-show-blatant-ballot-stuffing-in-russia/

When Kostya told Rina that he voted for Putin: a Russian voters’ dialogue

MOSCOW–It was a festive atmosphere at a polling place across the Moscow River from The Washington Post’s office in central Moscow on Sunday. As elsewhere in Russia, local officials had worked hard to draw people to the polls in an election in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to secure a fourth, six-year term. In […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/18/when-kostya-told-rina-that-he-voted-for-putin-a-russian-voters-dialogue/

Why turnout will be the detail to watch in Russia’s election

In a televised address on Friday, Vladimir Putin appealed to Russian citizens to vote in presidential elections on Sunday — warning that failure to cast a ballot would mean that "this decisive choice will be made without your opinion taken into account." The remark is a reflection of one of the key concerns for the Russian state […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/17/why-turnout-will-be-the-detail-to-watch-in-russias-election/

Is Russia dangerous, cold and run by a dictator? Here’s what Russians said.

Are Russian elections free and fair? Is Vladimir Putin an autocrat? Is Russia a cold and closed-off place? Those are questions that Americans have for Russians. We have some answers from Russians themselves. The presidential election Sunday will train a spotlight on the state of Russian public opinion, but here on the foreign desk of […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/16/is-russia-dangerous-cold-and-run-by-a-dictator-heres-what-russians-said/

Australia looks into resettling white South African farmers who say they are persecuted

Immigration and asylum are divisive subjects in Australia. So when Peter Dutton, home affairs minister and a defender of Australia's controversial offshore asylum seeker facilities, suggested this week that a "civilized country" such as Australia should fast-track humanitarian visas for people who were being "persecuted" and needed help, many took notice. But Dutton's comments have been unusually […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/16/australia-looks-into-resettling-white-south-african-farmers-who-say-they-are-persecuted/

9 charts that lay out Russia’s uncertain future — with or without Putin

This Sunday, Russians will vote for their next president. The result, however, is all but assured: Vladimir Putin will win — again. Putin, the incumbent, is ahead in polls by an insurmountable margin. The most recent, published by the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), showed him with 69 percent. His nearest rival, the Communist Party's Pavel […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/16/9-charts-that-lay-out-russias-uncertain-future-with-or-without-putin/

‘I screamed, but no one came’: The horrifying sexual violence facing Syria’s women and girls

Women are pawns in the Syrian war. That's the conclusion of the United Nations' Human Rights Council, which just released a new report on the horrific sexual violence facing the people of Syria. It documents an astounding array of atrocities. And it highlights the way Syrian government forces, under the control of Bashar al-Assad, have […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/16/i-screamed-but-no-one-came-the-horrifying-sexual-violence-facing-syrias-girls/

A plane’s door flew open during takeoff, raining gold and silver over 16 miles of Siberia

One of the coldest regions of the world saw some rain Thursday — a shower of silver and gold, that is. A plane carrying 9.3 tons of precious metals lost part of its cargo Thursday as it was taking off from the Yakutsk Airport in Siberia, scattering treasure across the runway as it gained height. Gold bars fell out of […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/15/a-planes-door-flew-open-during-takeoff-raining-gold-and-silver-over-16-miles-of-siberia/

Couple gets engaged on the floor of the House of Commons

An emotional video of a couple in Britain getting engaged surfaced on Twitter on Thursday. No, not that couple. Civil servant Matthew Reville got down on one knee on the floor of the British Parliament House in front of Parliamentary aide and 2018 Labour candidate Rachel Evans to ask for her hand in marriage. Evans […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/15/couple-gets-engaged-on-the-floor-of-the-house-of-commons/

North Korean media has nothing to say about nuclear talks but plenty about alleged U.S. human-rights abuses

Roughly a week has passed since President Trump announced he had accepted a proposal to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss denuclearization. The proposal had been relayed by visiting officials from South Korea, who had recently returned from Pyongyang, where they said Kim himself had made the offer. The idea of a Trump-Kim […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/15/north-korean-media-has-nothing-to-say-about-nuclear-talks-but-plenty-about-alleged-u-s-human-rights-abuses/

China’s fight over the Catholic Church, and 5 other stories you might have missed

In this occasional series, The Washington Post brings you up to speed on some of the biggest international stories. This week:  A Catholic bishop and his rural Chinese parish worry about a deal between Beijing and the Vatican  The bishop can’t really talk about religion right now. His unofficial church is caught in a fight […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/15/chinas-fight-over-the-catholic-church-and-5-other-stories-you-might-have-missed/

China’s peasants left for the cities to seek their fortune, and it made them miserable

BEIJING — It has been described as the greatest migration in human history, a mass exodus of hundreds of millions of people from China’s countryside to its fast-growing cities. But did it actually benefit those people who made the journey? A new study shows that migrant workers who moved from villages to cities were rewarded […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2018/03/15/chinas-peasants-left-for-the-cities-to-seek-their-fortune-and-it-made-them-miserable/