The World

1 | Cambodia

Ancient Temple, New Battle

An uneasy lull settled over Preah Vihear, an 11th century Hindu temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, after four days of fighting between troops on both sides led to six reported deaths and dozens of injuries to soldiers as well as civilians caught in the cross fire. A 1962 U.N. ruling determined that the long-disputed temple complex sits on Cambodian soil, but the decision still rankles some Thai nationalists, who tend to exploit popular resentment over the UNESCO World Heritage site when waging their own political battles in Bangkok. It’s not yet clear what sparked the current clashes–this militarized patch of jungle has seen its fair share of violence in recent years–but the confrontation has accentuated hostilities on either side of the border, with few signs pointing toward peace.

2 | Tunisia

Ruling Party Shut Down

Tunisia’s interim government paved the way for the eventual dissolution of the political party that had held a viselike grip on the nation until Jan. 14, when a popular uprising chased President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali into exile. The offices of Ben Ali’s party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally, were shuttered and its members barred from meeting. While events in Tunisia have inspired similar revolts against authoritarian regimes elsewhere in the region (like Egypt), protests and clashes with police continue. Many remain wary of the interim government, which, though promising reform and open elections, has prominent figures from the old regime in its ranks.

3 | Pakistan

Not So Innocent Abroad

Raymond Davis, an American diplomat employed by the U.S. consulate in Lahore, was at the center of a political storm after killing–in self-defense, he says–two Pakistanis he claims were armed and pursuing him on motorbikes. Among a multitude of murky reports, some suggest the two men were intelligence agents monitoring Davis, whose activities Washington has yet to clarify. The Obama Administration insists Davis is entitled to diplomatic immunity, but he remains behind bars in Lahore, having become the target of long-standing Pakistani frustrations over CIA drone attacks and other U.S. operations in the region that have killed civilians.

4 | Italy

Sex Scandal May Go to Trial

Prosecutors in Milan announced they would seek to immediately take Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to trial on charges of criminal prostitution and abuse of office. Berlusconi, 74, is accused of paying for sex in 2010 with a then minor, Karima El Mahroug (left), and using his office to cover up the deed. While Berlusconi, who denies any wrongdoing, has lost some political support, his party maintains a slim parliamentary majority.

5 | China

Drought Hits Wheat Crop

A punishing drought in China prompted the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization to issue a special alert about the threat to the country’s winter wheat crop. China, the world’s biggest wheat producer, may have to rely more heavily on imports this year, further stoking global food prices. On Feb. 8, wheat futures hit 30-month highs, a level that signals even higher global food costs, which the FAO said last month were at a historic peak.

More than a third of China’s wheat crop is at risk

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

5.16 MILLION HECTARES

The drought affects man and beast

2.57 MILLION PEOPLE

2.79 MILLION LIVESTOCK

SOURCE: U.N. FAO

6 | Sudan

IT’S OFFICIAL

Ninety-nine percent of the nearly 4 million southern Sudanese voted in last month’s referendum to secede from Sudan. Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, accepted the final results, but disputes remain over oil rights and political boundaries. In recent clashes, some 50 people were killed in a border region. The new nation, likely to be called South Sudan, is expected to declare its independence July 9.

7 | Russia

Chechen Terrorist Emerges

Doku Umarov, a Chechen warlord whom Russian state news had previously reported dead, appeared in two Internet videos in which he claimed to be the mastermind of the Jan. 24 suicide bombing of Moscow’s largest airport, which killed 36 people. Sitting next to him in one of the videos is the man Russian investigators suggest may have carried out the airport attack. Umarov styles himself as a protector of Muslims in Russia, particularly those living in the restive republics of the North Caucasus, where Chechnya is located. He is said to have tenuous links with al-Qaeda.

8 | Indonesia

Wave of Islamic Anger

Hundreds of Muslims in central Java set fire to two churches and attacked a court, claiming that a five-year prison sentence given to a Christian who had allegedly blasphemed Islam was too lenient. The attacks followed an incident in which a mob assaulted members of a minority Islamic sect deemed heretical by more orthodox Muslims. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, often promotes its pluralism and diversity as an example for the Islamic world.

9 | Brazil

Carnaval Costumes Ablaze

A month before Rio de Janeiro’s streets are due to be filled with the dancers, drummers and glittering floats of the annual Carnaval, a fierce fire burned through a warehouse complex known as Samba City, destroying a year’s worth of festival preparations, including 8,400 costumes. At least three samba schools may no longer be able to participate, but officials say the show must go on.

10 | Washington

Electronics Not to Blame in Toyota Probe

A 10-month U.S. government investigation concluded that mechanical problems and in some cases user error, not electronics flaws, may have caused the sudden unintended acceleration of some Toyota vehicles. The defects plunged the automaker into international crisis and led to the recall of millions of cars and trucks last year. While the findings offer Toyota some consolation, they do not repair the damage done by the recalls, which hurt the once peerless company’s prestige as well as its sales.