World

Back to the Bad Old Days?

1 | EGYPT

Security forces in Cairo were blamed for the deaths of 24 Christian Copts who had been protesting the desecration of a church in the south of the country. Activists claim they were marching peacefully when set upon by soldiers, a charge denied by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the military body that has ruled Egypt since the toppling of long-ruling autocrat Hosni Mubarak in February. The council instead points to troublemakers among the demonstrators. Critics fear that the military is tacitly stoking sectarian tensions, a tactic used at times by the Mubarak regime to keep a stranglehold on power.

Queen Bee To Jailbird

2 | UKRAINE

Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for her involvement in a money-losing deal between a Russian gas giant and the country’s state-run gas company, which was signed when she was in office. Critics claimed the trial was a politically motivated attack launched by her rival, President Viktor Yanukovych. The verdict drew howls of protest from Moscow to Brussels.

Foreign-Exchange Rate: 1,000 to 1

3 | ISRAEL

Both Israel and the Islamist faction Hamas claimed victory after reaching an agreement to trade Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured in 2006, for some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. For Hamas, the deal will be hailed as the triumph of dogged resistance over diplomacy–the latter a path long followed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a Hamas rival. Shalit’s prolonged captivity was a source of national anguish in Israel; his freedom may boost domestic support for hard-line Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Don’t Ask for an Encore

5 | LIBYA

Forces of the governing National Transitional Council began what many hoped would be the final assault on the holdout city of Sirt, birthplace of ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The NTC says that it has wrested control of much of the city and that victory is near; dozens of NTC fighters have been killed in the offensive.

JAPAN 10,000

Number of free airplane tickets to Japan the country’s tourism agency will offer in 2012 to boost a tourism sector hobbled by the aftermath of this year’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown

A Pole of Stability

4 | POLAND

For the first time since the fall of communism in 1989, a ruling government kept its grip on power. The re-election of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his center-right, pro-E.U. Civic Platform Party has been hailed as a sign of growing maturity in Polish democracy at a time of political and economic tumult in Europe.

A Sacred, Soggy Place

6 | THAILAND

A man paddles through floodwaters past the Chaiwatthanaram temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the now inundated ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya. Southeast Asia has been bombarded by a summer of epic monsoon rains and typhoons, causing billions of dollars in damage. Thailand is experiencing its worst floods in half a century; the rising waters have claimed nearly 300 lives since July.

A Truly Monumental Struggle

7 | U.S.

The World Monuments Fund’s 2012 list of endangered historic structures includes 67 sites spread across 41 countries and territories. Ranging from crumbling churches to congested old neighborhoods, many of the monuments are imperiled by growing urban populations as well as increased, reckless tourism. The fund stresses the need to balance development with the preservation of cultural heritage.

Endangered Piles

DESA LINGGA

Indonesia

An old Sumatran farming village whose distinctive architecture is fading

GINGERBREAD NEIGHBORHOOD

Haiti

Classic Port-au-Prince homes have been falling apart since the 2010 earthquake

ST. PARASKEWA CHURCH

Poland

A 16th century wooden cathedral that is at risk of catching fire

TIANTAI AN

China

Dating back over 1,200 years to the Tang dynasty, this temple suffers from local neglect

FIRST CEMETERY OF ATHENS

Greece

A 19th century site whose tombs all need urgent repair

510 FIFTH AVENUE

U.S.

The Manhattan building, a Modernist glass cube, has had its interior gutted

ON TIME.COM

‘There may be solid evidence that the apelike yeti roams the Siberian tundra.’

JOE JACKSON, TIME contributor, on a recent report from a region in eastern Russia claiming with “95%” certitude that scientists there have discovered evidence of the mythical yeti