| How Texas’s Harris County went from ‘capital of capital punishment’ to zero executions Posted: 27 Dec 2017 12:22 PM PST ![How Texas's Harris County went from 'capital of capital punishment' to zero executions]( "How Texas's Harris County went from 'capital of capital punishment' to zero executions") From the tragedy of hurricane Harvey to the elation of the Astros' victory in the World Series, the Houston area had an eventful 2017. In recent decades, no county has been as prolific in its application of the death penalty as Harris County. If the county were a state, only one state would have executed more people since 1976, the year capital punishment was reinstated in the US: Texas itself.
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| Poland’s anti-democratic drift Posted: 27 Dec 2017 12:04 PM PST ![Poland's anti-democratic drift]( "Poland's anti-democratic drift") The European Union has drawn a line in the sand with Poland. The issue is whether that country, which, along with nine other mostly Eastern European countries, joined the EU in 2004, must abide by certain democratic values to keep its membership in good standing. More than Poland's future is at stake.
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| With submarine program, N. Korea signals surge toward full nuclear deterrence Posted: 27 Dec 2017 11:31 AM PST ![With submarine program, N. Korea signals surge toward full nuclear deterrence]( "With submarine program, N. Korea signals surge toward full nuclear deterrence") This year North Korea says it has tested its first hydrogen bomb and an intercontinental ballistic missile with the range to reach the entire continental United States. Movement of parts and equipment at a key North Korean shipyard indicate workers are assembling a new missile sub on an "accelerated schedule," according to 38 North, an analysis site run by the US-Korea Institute of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Recommended: Kim 101: How well do you know North Korea's leaders?
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| After soccer star risked all for Europe, Gambia still wrestles with why she left Posted: 27 Dec 2017 07:46 AM PST ![After soccer star risked all for Europe, Gambia still wrestles with why she left]( "After soccer star risked all for Europe, Gambia still wrestles with why she left") Recommended: Think you know Africa? Fatim became a goalkeeper for Red Scorpions, Gambia's best women's club, and later, for the national team. It is a dilemma shared by young people across Gambia, and the region: Europe seems present – its wealth on full display in the houses and cars and gadgets in every community, paid for by money sent back from migrants – but at the same time, its doors seem firmly shut.
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