The World

1 | Afghanistan

Millions Missing at Kabul Bank

Afghan regulators are struggling to uncover what happened to up to $900 million that may have gone missing from Kabul Bank, Afghanistan’s largest and most sophisticated financial institution. The sum, now thought to be three times as large as an estimate made in August, is alleged to have been siphoned off in a web of corruption, bribes and mismanagement that likely benefited a small group of privileged and politically connected Afghans. Analysts fear that because the bank is a pillar of the country’s meager financial system, its collapse could crash Afghanistan’s fragile economy and spark domestic chaos. The government is determined to keep the bank afloat, though doing so would require a large cash injection from its already strapped, foreign-aid-dependent budget.

2 | India

Tibet’s Troubled Lama

A media frenzy surrounded Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th incarnation of the Karmapa Lama, after investigators seized about $1 million in cash from his monastery home in India, including currency in Chinese yuan. Dorje, 25, is the second most famous Tibetan religious figure in exile, after the Dalai Lama. He has long faced rival claimants to his holy position as well as the distrust of some in New Delhi who see him as a possible Chinese agent and question the nature of his dramatic 1999 escape from Chinese Tibet. Dorje’s associates and allies, like the Dalai Lama, insist the cash comes from routine donations made by Buddhists around the world, including mainland China.

3 | Burma

A Democracy, in Theory

The Burmese parliament convened for the first time in more than two decades, bringing into effect a new constitution that technically ends a half-century of military rule. While Burmese officials tout a transition to democracy, most of the seats remain controlled by the all-powerful military. Though Than Shwe, the highest-ranking figure in the junta, is not in the mix to become President, most expect him to retain ultimate power in the country.

4 | Niger

Election Held To Restore Civilian Rule

The impoverished West African nation held elections meant to bring an end to a year of military rule. In 2010 a coup ousted Mamadou Tandja, who had come to power in 1999 after replacing another military leader. Tandja had attempted to seek a third term and now faces corruption charges. The polls came amid tensions between Niger and its former colonial ruler, France, over recent kidnappings of French nationals by suspected al-Qaeda terrorists.

5 | Pakistan

An Expanded Nuclear Arsenal

According to new estimates, Pakistan has steadily grown its nuclear stockpile over the past two years and now boasts between 95 and 110 deployed weapons. The nuke count, tallied by U.S. intelligence and nongovernmental analysts in Washington, puts the unstable, poverty-wracked country significantly ahead of its archrival India. While Islamabad insists its arsenal is for deterrence, there are long-standing concerns about the Pakistani nuclear program’s vulnerability to Islamist extremists.

Estimated stockpiles of strategic nuclear warheads worldwide

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

RUSSIA 2,600

U.S. 1,968

FRANCE 300

CHINA 180

U.K. 160

PAKISTAN 95–110*

ISRAEL 80

INDIA 60-80

*INCLUDING NEW ESTIMATES

SOURCE: FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS; MAY 2010

6 | Japan

ROARING TO LIFE

Shinmoedake, a volcano that is part of the Mount Kirishima cluster of volcanoes on the Japanese island of Kyushu, showed its first sign of activity in 52 years when it erupted Jan. 26. It continued to spew thick ash, toppled trees and shattered windows of buildings and cars as far as five miles (8 km) away, prompting officials to widen the exclusion zone around the peak, which served as the villain’s lair in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice.

7 | Yemen

Egypt Effect Hits Wider Region

In a bid to stave off growing protests against his rule, President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced that he would not seek to extend his presidency after his current term ends in 2013. Taking their cues from events in Egypt, Saleh’s opponents are seeking the autocrat’s immediate ouster. He has ruled the fractious country since 1978. Elsewhere, protests demanding democratic reform prompted the King of Jordan to sack his Cabinet and name a new Prime Minister.

8 | Tunisia

Return of an Islamist

Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the once outlawed Tunisian Islamist party al-Nadha, returned to his native country after 22 years in exile in London. Thousands greeted Ghannouchi upon his arrival, made possible only after a popular uprising toppled the country’s decades-old authoritarian regime. Critics fear al-Nadha’s Islamism may erode Tunisia’s secular politics. Officials have said that the nation’s first free elections could happen within the next six months.

9 | Belarus

Sanctioning a Despot

The U.S. and E.U. imposed sanctions on Belarus in an attempt to get President Alexander Lukashenko to release political prisoners after a postelection crackdown. Since the Dec. 19 vote, 600 political opponents, including seven presidential candidates, have been arrested. Critics say Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994, stole the election.

10 | Florida

A Challenge To Health Care Reform

A federal judge ruled that last year’s landmark health care reform law is unconstitutional because it mandates that people buy health insurance. Twenty-six states signed on to the suit, which is not the first to challenge the legislation. The law, which has been upheld by other judges, will likely end up before the Supreme Court.