The former monarch, who died Monday in Beijing at 89, was at various times a playboy prince, a teenage King, an independence leader, an elected Prime Minister, an exile and, later, a peace negotiator
Guinea-Bissau: How Cocaine Transformed a Tiny African Nation
Seven years ago, almost no one in Guinea-Bissau could imagine that just 1 g of a bland-looking white powder could be worth more than their average monthly salary
Blood Ivory: Hong Kong Fights a Losing Battle Against Smugglers
China’s demand for elephant ivory, which is still widely seen as a status symbol on the mainland, has transformed the port city of Hong Kong into a major transit point for illegal trade
Where Turkey Is Already at War: Are Kurdish Militants Doing Syria’s Bidding?
As Turkey and Syria trade fire, the one war Turkey is already fighting — its conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party — has become the most violent in more than a decade
How the Injury to an African Dictator May Hobble France
Whether by accident or attempted coup, the shooting of the President of Mauritania removes a key ally just as France is contemplating a military strike against allies of al-Qaeda in north Africa
E.U.’s Nobel Peace Prize: Does NATO Deserve It More?
The E.U. won the 2012 Nobel peace prize, but some argue other institutional actors played a far more immediate role in bringing security and prosperity to the once war-ravaged continent
Nobel Peace Prize Sows Discord — and Laughter
Comedy, of course, depends on timing, and the timing of this award couldn’t be more piquant
Must-Reads from Around the World
On deck for Friday: Greece’s unemployment rate hits a record high, forced evictions in China are sparking violence and deaths, and
Remembering the Bali Bombings, 10 Years On
It has now been ten years since the 2002 attacks that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, on the resort island of Bali
Behind the Story: TIME’s Hannah Beech Discusses China’s Next Leader, Xi Jinping
TIME’s China bureau chief talks about how she reported on the upcoming political handover in Beijing and why China continues to be a morally oppressive society
How Malala Yousafzai May Affect Pakistan’s Violent Culture Wars
The Taliban has declared that the education of girls is only a small part of its attack on Malala. It is the secularist movement she represents that it wants destroyed — and that is a more volatile debate in a deeply sectarian country
Cover Story: The Next Leaders of the Unfree World
This week’s TIME cover story, written by Hannah Beech, examines the upcoming once-in-a-decade leadership transition set to take place in China
France Holds Seven Suspects Thought to Be in a ‘Terrorism Cell’
French prosecutors announce the indefinite detention of seven suspected Islamist extremists arrested on Oct. 6, after raids unearthed guns, bombmaking equipment and evidence of recruiting French radicals to join militias in Syria