World

Return of the Strongman

1 | YEMEN

Gunfire in the streets of Sana’a heralded the arrival of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, back in his home country for the first time since June, when a rocket attack on his palace compound sent him to a hospital and convalescence in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Weeks of clashes between Saleh loyalists and renegade soldiers backed by tribal militias have left dozens dead. Saleh issued calls for peace and talks, but his forces continued shooting at peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators. Chaos reigns in parts of the country, with al-Qaeda-affiliated militants gaining ground. A key opposition figure compared Saleh to the Emperor Nero, fiddling as Rome burned.

ISRAEL

Number of new housing units the Israeli government plans to construct in East Jerusalem–a move U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said was “counterproductive” for the Middle East peace process

He Gets To Pick

2 | INDIA

To pre-empt the Chinese government from choosing his replacement after his death, the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, announced that he intends to give instructions on who will succeed him by the time he is 90. The Dalai Lama, 76, is keenly aware of the central role he has played in winning attention for the Tibetan struggle and hopes to safeguard it for decades to come.

They Know Who’s Boss

3 | RUSSIA

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he would run for President next year, and he’s all but guaranteed to win, given the strength of his United Russia party. The announcement, while hardly unexpected, dashes the slender hopes of some Russians that current President Dmitri Medvedev, seen as a reformer, will stand for a second term.

A Vote for Change?

4 | SAUDI ARABIA

King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run in municipal elections, beginning in 2015. It is an important victory for Saudi activists emboldened by the Arab Spring, but real power is elusive. The country remains an absolute monarchy in which elected officials hold little sway. The move may also sideline debate over the system of sex segregation that curtails women’s rights.

Saudi women need a man’s permission to:

1. Drive

Women must rely on paid chauffeurs or male relatives for rides

2. Travel

To travel abroad, women must often get permission from a male guardian

3. Bank

Guardians also have to approve financial transactions, including loan applications

4. Mingle

Women are discouraged from interacting with men in many social contexts

No More Bull

5 | SPAIN

At La Monumental arena in central Barcelona, a matador walks off, bidding adieu to thousands who came to witness the close of the bullfighting season in Catalonia. As of Jan. 1, the sport will be banned in this autonomous northwestern region of Spain after a long-running campaign by local animal-rights groups. But the tradition, now seen by many as barbaric, will live on in other parts of the country.

Cities of Smog

6 | SWITZERLAND

The world’s worst urban air pollution is not in the Dickensian megacities one might typically expect–Beijing, say, or Mexico City–but in smaller, poorer towns in countries with lax environmental regulations. A new report by the U.N.’s World Health Organization shows that heavy industry isn’t the main driver of urban smog. Across the developing world, people often burn heavy fuel for heat and energy, including firewood and dried dung, which produces thick smoke. The WHO quality standards recommend less than 21 micrograms per cubic meter of PM10, a measurement of particulates in the air.

The five most polluted cities in the world …

… four major cites that are not as polluted as you think …

… and the least polluted city in the world

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

Ahwaz, Iran 372*

Ulan Bator, Mongolia 279

Sanadaj, Iran 254

Ludhiana, India 251

Quetta, Pakistan 251

Beijing 121

Mexico City 30

Los Angeles 25

New York City 21

Whitehorse, Canada 3

*MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METER OF PM10

SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Small Victories

7 | BURMA

Dozens of Burmese gathered in Rangoon to mark the fourth anniversary of the Saffron Revolution. In 2007 peaceful protests by burgundy-robed monks triggered a brutal crackdown. This time, there were no killings or mass arrests. Are Burma’s rulers ready for real reform? Not likely. But the landmark protest, combined with last year’s release of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, offers a glimpse of progress.

ON TIME.COM

‘What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic.’

WALT MEIER, polar expert, urging people everywhere to take the threat of climate change seriously