World

Turmoil in the First Days of a Post-U.S. Iraq

1 | IRAQ

In a challenge to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki from within his Shi’ite coalition, followers of radical Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Dec. 26 for the dissolution of parliament and early elections. The call came amid a series of crises that followed the Dec. 18 withdrawal of the last U.S. troops.

The day after the American pullout, Maliki issued an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi, accusing him of running a death squad. That led Hashimi’s Iraqiya bloc to boycott parliament. On Dec. 22 a series of coordinated explosions ripped through Baghdad, killing 70 people; al-Qaeda claimed responsibility. On Dec. 26 a suicide bomber targeted the Interior Ministry, killing another seven.

SAMOA

24 Hours Samoa loses when it eliminates Dec. 30, 2011, to set its time zone to be three hours ahead of Australia’s instead of 21 hours behind

Christmas Bloodbath Sparks Tensions

2 | NIGERIA

Authorities are scrambling to stave off further religious conflict after a Christmas bombing spree killed 39 Christians. Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the blasts, which authorities fear could lead to additional violence in the religiously divided country.

ON TIME.COM

‘The court ignored all the points raised by the defense lawyer at the trial, so what point is there in appealing?’

ZHANG QUNXUAN, wife of Chen Xi, a Chinese dissident handed a 10-year jail sentence on Dec. 26 for inciting subversion through online essays; his was the second lengthy sentence given to an activist in China in four days

A Saleh Exit Strategy?

3 | YEMEN

In a situation reminiscent of President Jimmy Carter’s dealings with the ailing Shah of Iran, the Obama Administration agreed in principle to allow Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh into the U.S. for medical treatment. An unnamed official said the U.S. hoped that assisting Saleh’s exit from Yemen would help the political-reform process there go forward. As of Dec. 28, however, the State Department said it was still reviewing Saleh’s visa application.

No Rest in the Long Winter

4 | RUSSIA

Tens of thousands of Russians, many holding off-white flowers as a symbol of protest, assembled in Moscow on Dec. 24 to demand the dissolution of Parliament and a rerun of December elections they say were rigged. The rally, which was larger than one held two weeks earlier, is the most visible sign of opposition gathering against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin before the March presidential elections in which he is a candidate.

Bypassing the Buck in Asia

5 | CHINA

On Dec. 25, China and Japan announced an agreement to begin direct trading of their currencies, freeing businesses in both countries from the need to convert their money into U.S. dollars first. The deal won’t immediately challenge the dollar’s status as the standard reserve currency, but it is a large step by China toward internationalizing the yuan. China and Japan, the world’s second and third largest economies, are also the countries with the two biggest stockpiles of foreign-exchange and total-currency reserves.

Amount of reserve assets

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

CHINA*

$3.5 trillion

JAPAN

$1.3 trillion

EURO ZONE

$912 billion

U.S.

$149 billion

*CHINA FIGURE INCLUDES GOLD AND FOREIGN-EXCHANGE RESERVES ONLY; OTHER FIGURES ARE FOR TOTAL RESERVE ASSETS; SOURCES: PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA; IMF

Arab League Arrives

6 | SYRIA

Arab League monitors sent to observe the Syrian government’s response to months of unrest began their mission on Dec. 27 by visiting the embattled city of Homs, where thousands of residents then took to the streets to protest the regime of President Bashar Assad. Activists accused the government of withdrawing tanks and troops in an effort to mislead the observers. An estimated 5,000 people have been killed in clashes in Syria over 10 months.

A Pause in an Endless Campaign

7 | INDIA

Anticorruption activist Anna Hazare, who went on a two-week hunger strike last summer to promote legislation to create a government ombudsman, cut short his most recent, three-day fast because of health concerns. The lower house of Parliament approved antigraft legislation on Dec. 27; however, Hazare called it watered down, as the watchdog it created lacks authority over India’s Central Bureau of Investigation.