World

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The IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear-inspection agency, said it had proof Iran was working on a complex atomic project whose only purpose could be as a trigger for a nuclear weapon. Tehran denied the claim, saying the IAEA was bringing itself into disrepute. Western governments have long doubted Iran's contention that its nuclear interests are purely civilian.

Anger and Disillusionment on Iberian Streets

SPAIN

The ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero suffered its worst electoral defeat in decades May 22 at local and municipal polls. The elections took place against a backdrop of demonstrations in cities across the country. The protesters' outrage is directed at the government's handling of Spain's debt-stricken economy, especially its inability to tackle mounting unemployment. In Madrid's iconic Puerta del Sol, 30,000 people defied an election-day ban on political protests. Analysts said the electoral gains of the right-wing opposition reflected not its popularity but rather the public's disenchantment with the state of the Spanish economy. Indeed, protesters seemed no more enamored of the right than the left. Days after the vote, the demonstrations continued.

Raising Ghosts of The Past

CHILE

The corpse of former President Salvador Allende was exhumed in order to resolve the mystery surrounding his 1973 death. The democratically elected Marxist supposedly killed himself rather than surrender to a CIA-backed coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. Yet many believe Allende was gunned down, the first casualty of Pinochet's 17 years of dictatorship. An autopsy may lay some ghosts to rest.

Thar She Blows!

ICELAND

A year after the Eyjafjallajokull eruption grounded intercontinental travel, the volcano Grimsvotn spewed smoke and ash (left), forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

On the Brink of Civil War

SUDAN

On July 9, South Sudan will officially declare itself independent, dividing what was once Africa's largest country. But disputes over the contested boundary between North and South threaten to plunge Sudan, where millions have died over decades of conflict, back into full-fledged civil war. Tensions center on Abyei, a stretch of land claimed by factions on both sides, which northern troops shelled and then seized May 22, prompting tens of thousands to flee and alarm bells to ring at the U.N., which has overseen Sudan's six-year peace process. Dozens of fighters have died in cross-border skirmishes.

[The following text appears within a map. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual map.]

NORTH SUDAN

Red Sea

Khartoum

Abyei

2005 treaty line

SOUTH SUDAN

Juba

Africa