The World

1 | Belfast Violence Reawakened Twelve years after the last killing of a British soldier in Northern Ireland, two deadly shootings in as many days threatened to reignite the violence that once plagued the region. On March 7, two British soldiers were killed in an ambush while accepting a pizza delivery at an army base near Belfast, an attack for which the dissident splinter group the Real IRA claimed responsibility. Just two days later, a policeman was murdered while sitting in his unmarked patrol car. A separate faction, Continuity IRA, said it had orchestrated the killing; two suspects have been arrested. Some speculate that local tensions over an increase in British troops may have prompted the shootings. Catholic and Protestant leaders in the region’s power-sharing government called the attacks the work of terrorists.

2 | Brazil Abortion for 9-Year-Old Tests Church A Catholic Archbishop has sparked a bitter debate by excommunicating the mother and doctors of a 9-year-old girl who received an abortion. Brazilians, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, assailed the church for hewing to doctrine despite extreme mitigating circumstances–the child, who was carrying twins, had allegedly been raped by her stepfather. While generally illegal in heavily Catholic Brazil, abortion is permitted in rape cases. Critics said the church–whose actions were backed by the Vatican–risked alienating congregants.

3 | Baghdad An Echo of Iraq’s Dark Days A pair of deadly suicide attacks in the Iraqi capital have stoked fears that Sunni extremists may be preparing more violence in anticipation of the U.S. troop pullout later this year. On March 10, 33 people were killed in a blast following a reconciliation meeting in the town of Abu Ghraib on the outskirts of Baghdad. Two days earlier, at least 28 died in a similar attack outside Baghdad’s police academy.

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

Iraqi Civilian Deaths

30,000 deaths 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

SOURCE: IRAQ BODY COUNT PROJECT

4 | Washington A Reversal on Stem Cells In his latest move to undo the policies of his predecessor, President Barack Obama, on March 9, lifted a Bush Administration ban on using federal funds for human embryonic-stem-cell research, which scientists believe could help treat illnesses like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Pro-life advocates criticized Obama’s move, saying it could lead to the destruction of human embryos in the name of research.

5 | Washington Supremes Rule on Race In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965 in part to increase the number of black officeholders. The Justices ruled that the act requires states to create new voting districts only when the new district will have a minority population greater than 50%. Dissenting Justices argued that even districts without such a majority are worth creating, because they encourage the election of minority candidates with the help of concentrated minority populations and so-called crossover white voters. Later this year, the court will rule on whether states with a history of racial discrimination must get federal approval before changing their voting procedures.

6 | Germany DEADLY SCHOOL SHOOTING A 17-year-old gunman clad in black combat fatigues opened fire at his former school (above) near Stuttgart, slaying nine students and at least six other people before taking his own life. The tragedy struck a day after a man rampaged through southern Alabama, killing at least 11–including himself–in what authorities called the worst mass shooting in that state’s history.

7 | Pakistan Opposition Under Fire In the latest sign of political unrest in this nuclear-armed state, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s government cracked down on opposition parties on the eve of a major demonstration, arresting hundreds and enforcing a ban on protests in two provinces. The ban was intended to suppress a planned “long march” on Pakistan’s Parliament to demand that Zardari reinstate the judges dismissed by former President Pervez Musharraf in 2007.

8 | England Shakespeare’s New Look Fans of the bald, dour Bard might have to prepare for a studly new William Shakespeare. British scholar Stanley Wells has unveiled what he claims is the only known portrait of the writer made during his lifetime. The Cobbe portrait–named for the Irish family that unknowingly possessed it–purportedly shows a fresh-faced Shakespeare in his mid-40s.

This 1623 engraving has long been the accepted depiction of Shakespeare

The earringed Chandos portrait, some say, is of a different person entirely

The Bard 3.0: more sharply dressed, wealthier–and with a lot more hair

9 | China Trouble on The High Seas An encounter between a U.S. Navy intelligence ship and five Chinese military and fishing vessels in the South China Sea touched off a diplomatic firestorm between Beijing and Washington, with U.S. officials accusing China of harassment and Chinese officials accusing the U.S. of violating its territorial waters. The Pentagon alleges that one Chinese boat came within 25 feet (about 7.5 m) of the U.S.N.S. Impeccable, forcing its crew to turn a fire hose on the approaching ship. The flotilla also tried to foul the lines of Impeccable’s trailing sonar array (the area is thought to be heavily used by Chinese submarines). The encounter came a week after a Pentagon statement noted “increasingly aggressive conduct by Chinese vessels.” Said a U.S. official: “The debate is still on in China whether, as its military power increases, it will be used for good or for pushing people around.”

10 | Washington The Incredible Shrinking Global Economy The world’s gross domestic product will contract for the first time since World War II, according to a new World Bank report, but the outlook is even more dire for developing countries hit hard by plummeting trade and tightening credit. Poorer nations face a shortfall of $270 billion to $700 billion, which threatens progress toward developmental goals like reducing mortality rates.

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

Out of 116 developing countries …

94 countries have experienced an economic slowdown

43 of those 94 countries have high levels of poverty

RECESSION WATCH

The economic downturn and record-high gas prices have been a boon to public transit. Americans took 10.7 billion trips last year on the nation’s trains, buses and subways–the highest level of ridership in 52 years, according to the American Public Transportation Association. But while the rate stayed high even as gas prices dropped, rising unemployment could mean fewer commuters in 2009.