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Some of Greenland's 57,000 people struggle with alcoholism, sexually transmitted diseases and depression. A sudden influx of new workers (mostly foreign men) may exacerbate those issues, breed new ones and spur culture clashes.
BORDER BATTLES
Denmark and Canada largely settled an old dispute involving rich waters in 2012. As more ice melts, opening up previously inaccessible areas to hungry energy giants, similar tensions could re-emerge as Arctic states define new sovereign lines.
CATASTROPHIC RISKS
BP temporarily abandoned its bid in 2010 after 170 million gallons of its oil flooded the Gulf of Mexico. Critics say any spill would irreparably harm the hard-to-reach waters.
Beating Down the Vote
BANGLADESH
A man, left, en route to cast his ballot near Rajshahi is laid low by anti-election protesters on Jan. 5. It was the bloodiest election day in the country's history, with at least 18 killed. Although the ruling party of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gained more power, the low turnout and widespread violence led many countries, including the U.S., to doubt the election's validity.
The Explainer
Israel's Migrant Problem
Thousands of Africans rallied in Tel Aviv this month, marching to foreign embassies in hopes that international attention would push Israel to designate them refugees--a characterization many Israelis oppose. Here's how tensions escalated.
PAST
Roughly 50,000 people (many from Eritrea and Sudan) crossed from Egypt in recent years to flee oppression or find better economic opportunities. Israel erected a fence to block more.
PRESENT
Opponents say the influx of Christian and Muslim migrants undermines Israel's character as a haven for Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called them "infiltrators" who tear at the country's social fabric.
FUTURE
A new law (being challenged) calls for illegal migrants to be held up to a year without trial, and the Cabinet raised payments to those leaving voluntarily. Critics want work permits issued and the asylum system reformed.
WORLDWIDE
904 MILLION
Number of overweight or obese people in developing nations in 2008--up nearly 400% since 1980--says a new Overseas Development Institute report
Trending In
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PROGRESS
Tunisia's soon-to-be-adopted constitution stipulates that "all male and female citizens have the same rights ... without discrimination"
ARCHAEOLOGY
A Japanese team unearthed the 3,000-year-old tomb of a beer brewer, dating to the Ramesside period, in Luxor, Egypt
CONSTRUCTION
Nicaragua delayed starting construction on a proposed megacanal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans until 2015 because its path was still undefined
SCANDAL
Hundreds of police officers were relieved of their duties in Ankara as the Turkish government aimed to contain fallout from a sweeping corruption probe
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