No Country for Young Men
1 | YEMEN
A three-day spasm of bloodletting led to at least 76 deaths, mostly of protesters calling for the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Activists claim government forces in the capital, Sana’a, fired on a camp of peaceful demonstrators Sept. 18, kicking off gun battles between Saleh loyalists and tribal militias and soldiers who have defected to the opposition. A cease-fire called by Vice President Abedrabbo Hadi–Saleh has been in Saudi Arabia recovering from injuries sustained in a June rocket attack–brought a lull in the violence. Hundreds have died since protests against Saleh’s regime began in January, and the resulting instability has led to fears that the crippled Yemeni state may turn into another Somalia.
ON TIME.COM
‘Prosecutors would have to prove that Pope Benedict XVI belongs in the company of the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide.’
STEPHAN FARIS, TIME contributor in Italy, on the unlikely attempt to bring the Vatican to the International Criminal Court for not taking action against pedophilia in its clergy
U.K. $4.7 million
Amount offered by News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch to charity and the family of a murdered teenage girl whose phone was hacked by a journalist in News Corp.’s employ
American Youth Look to Asia
2 | U.S.
A survey conducted in the U.S. and 12 European countries found that Americans are turning their attention away from more traditional transatlantic partners toward the rising economies of Asia. It found that a majority of Americans, especially those of college age, consider Asia to be of far greater national interest than Europe.
OLDER
YOUNGER
A perception shift over generations
[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]
THINK ASIA IS THE MOST IMPORTANT REGION
U.S.
EUROPE
65+
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
SOURCE: THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
One Less Voice for Peace
3 | AFGHANISTAN
Detonating a bomb in his turban, a Taliban suicide bomber assassinated Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former Afghan President and key figure in ongoing talks meant to reconcile the Taliban insurgency with the Afghan government. In 1996, Rabbani was ousted from power by the Taliban. His death deepens the gloom in Kabul, which faces the prospect of a civil war when the U.S. withdraws in 2014.
A Farewell to Arms
4 | LIBYA
Near the city of Sirt, a rebel soldier stands over a cache of weapons and munitions that once belonged to fighters loyal to ousted leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The toppled dictator continued to issue grim proclamations against his enemies from a hidden location while the last remnants of his regime withstood rebel advances on Sirt, Gaddafi’s birthplace.
Cracks in the Earth
5 | INDIA
The tremors of a 6.9-magnitude earthquake, centered in the mountainous northeastern state of Sikkim, were felt for hundreds of miles in neighboring Nepal and China and led to at least 74 deaths. Landslides and subsequent aftershocks have complicated attempts to rescue and bring relief to those affected. Major roads in this remote corner of India have been blocked, power has gone out, and officials worry that many more people may be missing.
Innocents Abroad: Free at Last
6 | IRAN
Two Americans jailed in Iran for more than two years were finally released ahead of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to the U.N. Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal were seized by Iranian authorities while hiking along the Iran-Iraq border in July 2009. A female friend arrested with them was freed last year. The hikers, charged with trespassing and spying, say they made an innocent mistake during their trek. Their detention became a loaded political issue in Iran as Ahmadinejad’s rivals initially blocked the hikers’ release.
An Election in Africa Is All About … China
7 | ZAMBIA
The presidential race has transformed into a referendum on the ubiquitous presence of Chinese interests throughout this copper-rich southern African country. At the time of writing, votes were being counted for the incumbent, Rupiah Banda, and challenger Michael Sata. Under Banda’s watch, Zambia was designated a middle-income nation by the World Bank, a feat spurred in part by significant Chinese investments in business and infrastructure projects. But the opposition claims that China’s influence does not benefit the common man and has led to corruption.
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
Chinese investment has changed the face of Zambia
1. Trade.
Bilateral trade with Zambia was worth nearly $3 billion last year; total Chinese trade with Africa stood at about $115 billion
2. Business.
Chinese execs have a stake in everything from copper mines to retail shops to chicken farms
3. Banking.
Zambia is the first African country to offer banking services in the Chinese yuan
4. Industry.
Two of China’s six Special Economic Zones in Africa are in Zambia; critics complain of unsafe and unethical working conditions
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