The Week: Most Recent World Posts

Has Abenomics solved Japan's economic problems?

The Week — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:49:00 -0400

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's bold economic stimulus plan, known as "Abenomics," has triggered a wave of optimism. Last week, the government reported that the country's $5 trillion economy enjoyed a growth spurt in the first quarter, expanding at an annualized rate of 3.5 percent. Sony, the beleaguered electronics powerhouse, returned to profit for the first time in five years, and the Nikkei stock average rose above 15,000 for the first time. Has Abenomics cured Japan's financial ills?

Abenomics has a hefty price tag — $1.02 trillion a year, with the government borrowing nearly 50...

10 things you need to know today: May 21, 2013

The Week — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:25:00 -0400

1. 91 FEARED DEAD AFTER OKLAHOMA TORNADO
A massive tornado killed at least 51 people, including 20 children, as it blasted through Moore, Okla., on Monday. President Obama declared the area a major disaster, qualifying it for federal aid, as rescuers searched through the night for survivors and bodies. A state official said early Tuesday that as many as 40 more people might have died as the twister, with 200 mph winds, cut a two-mile-wide path through the Oklahoma City suburb, wiping out entire neighborhoods and two schools. [USA Today]
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The longest Ferris wheel ride

The Week — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:55:00 -0400

Clinton Shepherd, park operations manager of Chicago's Navy Pier, spent 48 hours, 8 minutes and 25 seconds awake on a Ferris wheel. That shattered the previous record of 25 hours. Shepherd's secret? His Ferris wheel gondola had a big screen TV and Xbox Live on which Shepherd played Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and watched James Bond and Batman movies. He also drank a whole lot of Mountain Dew Kickstart to stay awake.

Will Hezbollah tip Syria's civil war to Assad?

The Week — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:45:00 -0400

The Syrian army is pummeling the rebel-held town of Qusair, about six miles from the border with Lebanon — and they have help. While the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad bombard the town with airstrikes and artillery from the north and east, the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah is launching mortars and rockets from the southwest, rebels say, and Hezbollah militants are fighting their way into the city alongside Syrian government troops. (See a map below.)

Everyone agrees that Qusair, in central Homs province, is an important city to hold. "The region's strategic value...

North Korea's missile tests: A dangerous escalation?

The Week — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:20:00 -0400

North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea off its north coast on Monday. That makes six missile launches in three days for the combative communist regime, in what United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon calls a "dangerous escalation" of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jong Un's military says the missile launches were legitimate military exercises meant "to cope with the mounting war measures from the U.S. and South Korea," which have held joint military training recently. And while few people accept that stance at face value, there is a lot of disagreement over what exactly Pyongyang...

10 things you need to know today: May 20, 2013

The Week — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:15:00 -0400

1. OBAMA'S LAWYERS KNEW ABOUT IRS CASE FOR WEEKS
President Obama's top lawyer found out weeks ago that Internal Revenue Service employees had improperly targeted conservatives groups, a White House official said Sunday. The White House counsel didn't tell Obama, however. The president only learned about the controversy when the public did, two weeks later. Critics said the president's lawyers should have kept him better informed, but others said it was right not to involve him, to avoid the appearance of White House meddling in the investigation. [Wall Street Journal]
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10 things you need to know today: May 19, 2013

The Week — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:22:00 -0400

1. U.S. HITS DEBT CEILING SECOND TIME THIS YEAR
The U.S. bumped up against its borrowing limit Sunday, forcing the Treasury Department to employ "extraordinary measures" to make sure the government keeps paying its bills. Congress agreed to suspend the nation's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit the last time they approached it, in January. In a letter to congressional leaders, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said the extraordinary actions should allow the government to meet all its obligations at least through the Sept. 2 Labor Day holiday. [Chicago Tribune, The Hill]
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10 things you need to know today: May 18, 2013

The Week — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:14:00 -0400

1. CONGRESS GRILLS IRS OFFICIAL
Congress heard testimony from Steven Miller, the acting IRS commissioner who was forced to resign by President Obama after it was revealed that the agency flagged Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny. Miller told the House Ways and Means Committee that while the agency's actions were "obnoxious," they weren't motivated by partisanship. [New York Times]
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Should the U.K. leave the European Union?

The Week — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:25:00 -0400

British lawmakers are considering a bill that would authorize a popular vote by 2017 on whether the U.K. should leave the European Union.

If put up for a vote, there is a decent chance the measure could pass, considering that only 43 percent of Britons have a favorable view of the E.U.

What's at stake? Pro-exit politicians say that leaving the union would eliminate high membership fees, limit immigration, and free the U.K. from E.U. legislation. Many skeptics of a possible exit focus on what it would mean for trade.

"Let's be clear. Being a member of a reformed E.U. is the best way to preserve...

Will Russia's advanced missiles prevent U.S. intervention in Syria?

The Week — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:35:00 -0400

Russia has sent advanced antiship missiles to Syria in what U.S. officials called a "show of force." Moscow is one of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's last allies — and his most powerful. Moscow long ago admitted that it had supplied arms to Syria — including missiles — but insisted it only sent defensive systems. The sophisticated, radar-targeting these Yahkont antiship missiles have, however, would give Assad the ability to go on offense if the U.S. and other foreign countries try to intervene on behalf of the rebels in Syria's civil war.

The immediate fear is that...

Can Nawaz Sharif improve media freedom in Pakistan?

The Week — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:35:00 -0400

Less than 48 hours before Pakistan's historic democratic elections on May 11 — which saw former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif re-elected — Pakistani police gathered at the Islamabad home of New York Times correspondent Declan Walsh. They had Walsh sign for a letter from the interior minister, which informed him that his visa had been canceled because of his "undesirable activities." Walsh, an Irish national who had reported from Pakistan for nearly a decade — and is one of the most respected foreign correspondents — had three days to leave the country.

The irony...

The week's best photojournalism

The Week — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:00 -0400

A Rohingya Muslim woman living in a displacement camp in Myanmar wears traditional thanaka paste made from ground bark. The country's ongoing violence has forced authorities to segregate Muslims from the country's Buddhist majority. Click through for a look at more of the week's most eye-catching images from around the globe.

10 things you need to know today: May 17, 2013

The Week — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:20:00 -0400

1. OBAMA PICKS NEW IRS COMMISSIONER
The shake-up at the Internal Revenue Service continued on Thursday, as President Obama picked Daniel I. Werfel, the controller of the Office of Management and Budget, to be the tax agency's new leader. The appointment came a day after Werfel's predecessor, Steven Miller, was pushed out over the IRS' targeting of Tea Party and other conservative groups. A second top official — Joseph H. Grant, who was in charge of the division involved in the scandal — also said he was leaving the agency. [New York Times]
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Are Obama and Turkey's Erdogan united on Syria?

The Week — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:02:00 -0400

On Thursday, President Barack Obama stood next to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Rose Garden, shielded from falling rain by a pair of umbrella-wielding Marines. It was an awkward moment for an awkward task: Announcing a united front on Syria despite underlying differences over policy.

To be clear, both want to see Bashar al-Assad thrown out of power. It's just that Erdogan wants the international community to be more aggressive about it — preferably by instituting no-fly zones and providing "lethal" assistance to rebels, writes Fadi Hakura, associate fellow of London...

Why Venezuela is running out of toilet paper

The Week — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:25:00 -0400

Venezuelans are scrounging around for toilet paper. Markets throughout the country have run out, and when they are in stock the rolls fly off the shelves.

"This is the last straw," Manuel Fagundes told The Associated Press as he hunted for toilet paper in downtown Caracas. "I'm 71 years old and this is the first time I've seen this."

The problem is so bad that the Venezuelan government says it will import 50 million rolls to help alleviate the shortage.

Why is Venezuela running low on toilet paper?

The government is blaming the media. "There is no deficiency in production, but an excessive...

Photo of the day

The Week — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:30:00 -0400

President Barack Obama checks for rain during a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House. The president and prime minister discussed the civil war in Syria, and Obama also fielded questions on the ongoing IRS and DOJ scandals. Click through for more newsy images from around the globe.