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Two monster snowstorms blanketed the northeastern U.S. in a single week, temporarily shutting down the federal government (at a cost of $100 million per day) and closing schools up and down the East Coast. Airlines canceled thousands of flights, while thousands of homes in Washington--where winds reached up to 40 m.p.h. (55 km/h)--were left without power. At least 750 D.C. workers were dispatched to clear accumulations that topped 3 ft. (1 m) in some areas; some reported breakdowns of their cleanup equipment, which was unaccustomed to such strenuous use.
7 | London
Student-Visa Crackdown
Amid concern that Britain could become a breeding ground for Islamic extremists, the U.K. is tightening its student-visa standards to bar "bogus" entrants, a move that could reduce by thousands the number of foreigners studying in the country. The move followed the suspension of student-visa applications from northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh after their numbers soared.
Helmand is a primary opium-growing area
8 | Afghanistan
Operation Moshtarak
In what is being billed as the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, 20,000 coalition troops are set to invade Marja, a Taliban stronghold in the country's southern Helmand province. The offensive will target Taliban fighters who for years have holed up with the area's narcotics traffickers, planning and carrying out suicide and roadside bomb attacks. U.S. officials took the unusual step of announcing the mission ahead of time, saying the element of surprise was not as important as reassuring citizens that the Afghan government will be there for them once the militants are gone.
9 | Washington
Rethinking Mental Health
The American Psychiatric Association has proposed the first revision of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders since 1994. Draft changes to the manual--considered by many to be the bible of modern psychiatry--include broadening the spectrums of eating disorders and autism. Though the updates may help make diagnoses more accurate, critics say they could also lead to overdiagnosis of some illnesses.
10 | Greece
Europe's Bay of PIIGS
After a decade of overspending, Greece has fallen into a debt crisis. The country--which along with Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain is a member of the so-called PIIGS group of troubled European economies--is carrying a deficit close to 13% of GDP, more than four times the E.U. limit. Part of the blame for Greece's economic woes has been placed on padded public-sector wages and rampant tax evasion. Proposed austerity measures, which include a pay freeze for government employees, prompted thousands to go on strike. European leaders, who fear that Greece's troubles will trigger widespread financial strain in the region, are mulling over a rescue plan that could include regional loans or financial aid from the International Monetary Fund.
PIIGS 2009 Debts and Budget Deficits
[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]
ITALY 114.6% 5.3%