The new hygiene regulations have been slammed by the Australian Medical Association as “bubble-wrapping.”
Ground War: Syria’s Rebels Prepare to Take a Province from Assad
It was pomegranate season when the battle for Wadi Deif began in mid-October. Like so many rebel offensives, the fight for the Syrian military base, just east of the devastated city of Maaret Numan and one of the last major …
Why the Europeans Don’t Really Want an E.U. Budget Deal
Three months after failing to reach agreements on whether to slash or bolster the E.U. budget, leaders gather in Brussels to find their positions still far apart
Must-Reads from Around the World
A rights group says migrant workers at the Sochi Olympic construction sites are exploited, the U.K. is the world’s top land-grabber and Iran releases footage of a missing U.S. drone
South Korean Flight Attendants Fight Skirt-Only Dress Code
Asiana Airlines’ female cabin crew comes one step closer to winning a long fight with the carrier over its 10-page list of appearance guidelines.
The Shadow War Between Iran and Israel: The Bulgaria Front
How an attack on a bus in Bulgaria plays into a broader but secretive conflict between Israel and Iran (and Tehran’s Hizballah ally)
Filipino Faces Jail Time for ‘Offending Religious Feelings’
Filipino activist Carlos Celdran faces jail time for “offending religious feelings”
The View from Algiers: The Islamist Threat in Next Door Tunisia
Algerians may complain about the lack of democracy but they aren’t advocating a revolt. They say they’ve seen enough of what extremists can do to a country
Tinderbox: An Assassination Brings the Spotlight Back to Tunisia
Outrage over the killing of secularist opposition leader Chokri Belaid spills into the streets. Will Tunisia — the birthplace of the Arab Spring — be plunged into a new round of turmoil?
Must-Reads from Around the World
China plans to raise the minimum wage, the European Parliament might pass a fishing reform package and Argentina speaks out about the Falklands
The Big Prison By the Sea: Will Its Captives Change Turkey’s History?
The massive complex at Silivri holds prisoners from a six-year old campaign against supposed plotters against the Islamist-leaning government. The situation has helped grow a right-wing opposition movement
Chinese Environmentalists Lose Fight to Stop Nu River Dams
One of the sayings trotted out when people try to explain Chinese politics is, “The mountains are high, and the emperor is far away.” It is meant to describe the limits on the power of the central government and the ability …
France’s Mali Mission: Has al-Qaeda Already Been Defeated?
Despite the French army’s rapid progress in pushing al-Qaeda-linked extremists to the nether regions of Mali, officials in Paris say full elimination of jihadi militias in the Sahel is more than unlikely