| Why mixed-gender combat units are on the rise in Israel Posted: 08 Feb 2018 01:51 PM PST ![Why mixed-gender combat units are on the rise in Israel]( "Why mixed-gender combat units are on the rise in Israel") The soldiers rummaging through the concrete slabs with gloved hands and operating hydraulic jacks are women alongside men, working in teams as part of their mixed-gender brigade. Jackhammers used to break apart fallen walls shoot sparks into the heavy air, but in this case the missing people the soldiers are trying to rescue are plastic dolls, and the scenario of Israel being under nationwide missile attack is only a drill. Recommended: How much do you know about Israel?
|
| On cusp of budget deal, Congress far from functional Posted: 08 Feb 2018 01:40 PM PST ![On cusp of budget deal, Congress far from functional]( "On cusp of budget deal, Congress far from functional") When Senate minority leader Charles Schumer announced a two-year budget deal this week he was all smiles. There's no resolution for young unauthorized immigrant "Dreamers" (to the dismay of Democrats). And the debt looks set to increase (to the ire of GOP deficit hawks). But the military gets the spending increase it wanted, while lawmakers also boosted funds for domestic priorities like health care and disaster relief. Lawmakers universally describe the budgeting process – Congress's most basic job – as being in a state of chronic breakdown, Exhibit A for dysfunction on the Hill.
|
| Presidential limbo in South Africa: Why Zuma's appeal persists Posted: 08 Feb 2018 12:17 PM PST ![Presidential limbo in South Africa: Why Zuma's appeal persists]( "Presidential limbo in South Africa: Why Zuma's appeal persists") The tune was an old anti-apartheid struggle song, "Awulethu Umshini Wami" – "Bring Me My Machine Gun" – and it was being led by the man who had made it famous again: the country's president, Jacob Zuma. As Mr. Zuma's deep, gleeful voice belted across the room, the moment seemed to encapsulate the strange turning point at which his party, the African National Congress, suddenly found itself. Recommended: Remembering Nelson Mandela: How much do you know about his legacy?
|
| Signal of hope for Venezuela Posted: 08 Feb 2018 11:39 AM PST ![Signal of hope for Venezuela]( "Signal of hope for Venezuela") Of all the refugee crises in the world, from those in Syria to Myanmar to Libya, the one least recognized as a crisis is Venezuela's. That perception changed in recent days, however, after a tour of Latin America by United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The massive influx of Venezuelans into the rest of the region was a major topic, helping turn a distant issue about the country's economic implosion into an explosion of empathy for the rising number of refugees. The shift in concern should add to the diplomatic momentum for a solution in Venezuela, where poverty and hunger are now the norm and President Nicolás Maduro's dictatorial grip will probably increase after a pseudo-election planned for April.
|
