North Korea fires long-range rocket
In a major advance for the nation’s weapons program, North Korea successfully fires into orbit a long-range rocket carrying a satellite, an outside aerospace monitoring organization said.
A collection of burns aimed at Silvio Berlusconi
'Italy needs a Berlusconi comeback like it needs a hole in its head'
Leon E. Panetta arrives in Kabul to assess U.S. pullout pace
![Leon E. Panetta arrives in Kabul to assess U.S. pullout pace](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/12/National-Security/Images/Mideast_Kuwait_Panetta_076bf-930.jpg)
Obama administration is weighing how quickly to draw out the 68,000 troops that remain in Afghanistan.
Obama administration formally recognizes Syrian opposition group
![Obama administration formally recognizes Syrian opposition group](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/12/Foreign/Images/Mideast_Syria_Refugee_Winter-07523.jpg)
Move is an effort to speed up the downfall of Assad and the formation of a new government.
Islamists’ brutality grows in Mali
![Islamists’ brutality grows in Mali](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/12/Web-Resampled/2012-12-11/malirefugeesnov2012 0141354738098--90x60.jpg)
Forced marriages, amputations and other abuses are on the rise in the northern region seized this spring.
U.S. inspectors find Afghan anti-
corruption efforts ‘deeply troubling’
![U.S. inspectors find Afghan anti- <br> corruption efforts ‘deeply troubling’](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/11/National-Security/Images/515457134.jpg)
Report cites bypasses to programs intended to rein in corruption and provide for good governance.
Justice Department outlines HSBC transactions with drug traffickers
![Justice Department outlines HSBC transactions with drug traffickers](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/11/Production/WashingtonPost/Images/80089859-2424.jpg)
British bank pays record $1.9B to settle charges it laundered drug cash and violated U.S. sanctions.
Morsi’s supporters, foes hold rival rallies near presidential palace
![Morsi’s supporters, foes hold rival rallies near presidential palace](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/11/Foreign/Images/Mideast_Egypt-052cf.jpg)
Backers and opponents of Egypt’s president rally ahead of Saturday’s vote on a new constitution.
Venezuelan VP says Hugo Chavez recovering after successful operation
![Venezuelan VP says Hugo Chavez recovering after successful operation](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/12/Production/WashingtonPost/Images/Venezuela_Chavez-06bf4.jpg)
Venezuelan president underwent a successful cancer operation in Cuba, his vice president said.
Photo Gallery
Images from around the world
Take a look at some of the week’s best photographs from around the globe.
Latest Headlines
- China revokes title of new Catholic bishop in Shanghai in fresh challenge to Vatican authority
- US backs new Syrian opposition as international conference convenes to support it
- Pope Tweets: 'Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter...'
- Ousted Madagascar president not to run in next vote; bloc to ask current leader not to run
- Italy's borrowing costs drop as it sells 6.5B euros in 1-year bonds despite political upheaval
- French parliament drops law making it a crime to help illegal immigrants
- Iraqi officials say al-Qaida inmate attempts suicide bombing inside his prison cell
Post Picks
![PostWorldNews](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1932333900/wapo-world-avatar_normal.jpg)
French parliament drops law making it a crime to help illegal immigrants http://t.co/4vFaQyWG
![PostWorldNews](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1932333900/wapo-world-avatar_normal.jpg)
Kuwait names new government with no major changes amid political crisis http://t.co/tq5PGXtU
![PostWorldNews](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1932333900/wapo-world-avatar_normal.jpg)
Justice Department outlines HSBC transactions with drug traffickers http://t.co/Y4FNfFA5
Photos from Around the World
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/10/Foreign/Images/Mideast_Syria-0b961.jpg)
Broadening Syrian war
Gains by rebels come as the European Union denounces the conflict, which activists say has killed more than 40,000.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/10/Web-Resampled/2012-12-09/Spain_Bolivia_00c60-6850--145x100.jpg)
Images from around the world
Take a look at some of the week’s best photographs from around the globe.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/04/Foreign/Images/515759301.jpg)
Life and war in Afghanistan
Scenes of daily struggle in war-torn nation as coalition forces attempt to shift duties to Afghan troops.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/08/Foreign/Images/APTOPIX_Mideast_Egypt_0e42e-6837.jpg)
Protests roil Egypt
Riot police beef up security as supporters and opponents of President Morsi clash in Cairo.
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Spain’s austerity crisis
The number of people registered as unemployed edges up toward 5 million as the recession shows few signs of abating.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/06/Foreign/Images/APTOPIX_Philippines_Typhoon_00ea1.jpg)
Typhoon Bopha strikes Philippines
Bopha unleashes heavy rains, winds on the southern Philippines, killing over 300 people.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/29/Web-Resampled/2012-11-29/145453584 (1)--145x100.jpg)
Conflict brewing in Mali
This former French colony nestled in the Sahara Desert could become a key place for next war on terrorism.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/06/Foreign/Images/APTOPIX_Mideast_Syria-0e555.jpg)
War in Syria
As battles between the government and the opposition rage on, fears of a regional war grow.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/03/Web-Resampled/2012-12-03/2012-12-02T164241Z_01_BUD05_RTRIDSP_3_HUNGARY-ANTISEMITISM--145x100.jpg)
Hungarians rally against far-right politician’s list
Civic groups gather in Budapest to protest lawmaker’s call to screen Jews for security risks.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/25/Others/Images/2012-10-25/poverty181351168095.jpg)
Living poor in Saudi Arabia
In a country with vast oil wealth and lavish royal spending, an estimated quarter of Saudis live in poverty.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/09/Foreign/Images/515875080.jpg)
Images from around the world
Take a look at some of the week’s best photographs from around the globe.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
Tunnels between Gaza and Egypt are back in business
Primary commerce of Rafah, Egypt, focuses on tunnel network that circumvents the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
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Mexico’s new president is sworn in
Enrique Peña Nieto takes the oath of office, while protests against him go on outside.
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In Mali, musicians flee south
Radical Islamists have driven artists from northern Mali, where playing music can bring beatings, and even prison time.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_145x100/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/30/Foreign/Images/AP832013830214.jpg)
Strife in Congo
Hundreds of rebel fighters have pulled out of Congo’s city of Goma, raising hopes for negotiations to end the insurgency.
Editor's Choice
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/03/17/Foreign/Images/plaza rio FINAL 01_1332012241.jpg)
The New Mexicans
The middle class is becoming a majority in Mexico, where dramatic demographic changes are taking place.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/03/08/National-Security/Images/509388467.jpg)
Red Nobility
In a society rooted in egalitarianism, the families of top Communist Party officials wield increasing clout.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/12/08/Foreign/Images/2011-12-06T134105Z_01_TGN106_RTRIDSP_3_EUROZONE.jpg)
Continental Shift
How deep cuts in government spending are transforming Europe as it grapples with debt.
![](https://webharvest.gov/congress112th/20121212110412im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
Power Grab
Already the world's biggest energy user, China is scouring the globe for even more coal, oil and natural gas.
World Blogs
Photo Essays |
Elsewhere in World
Africa
![](/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Production/Digital/Pages-Web/global/_module-content/Standing_Art/africa-86x56.jpg)
- US backs new Syrian opposition as international conference convenes to support it
- Ousted Madagascar president not to run in next vote; bloc to ask current leader not to run
- South Africa opens new investigation into 1986 plane crash that killed Mozambique's president
- Mali's prime minister resigns under duress, after being arrested by junta
Middle East
![](/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Production/Digital/Pages-Web/global/_module-content/Standing_Art/middle-east-86x56.jpg)
- Iraqi officials say al-Qaida inmate attempts suicide bombing inside his prison cell
- Vandals spray-paint hate graffiti on wall of Greek Orthodox church in Jerusalem
- Iran indicts 18 unnamed American officials and ex-officials for 'crimes against Iran'
- Egyptians abroad vote as Islamist government moves ahead on constitution referendum
Europe
![](/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Production/Digital/Pages-Web/global/_module-content/Standing_Art/europe-86x56.jpg)
- French parliament drops law making it a crime to help illegal immigrants
- Tolerant Amsterdam to ban smoking marijuana in school
- Britain to unveil findings of probe into police, army role in 1989 killing of Belfast lawyer
- Ruby, Moroccan teen at center of Berlusconi's pay-for-sex trial, turns up in Mexico
The Americas
![](/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Production/Digital/Pages-Web/global/_module-content/Standing_Art/americas-86x56.jpg)
- Panetta: Obama to decide soon on US troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014
- Colombia's Congress passes military reform law against objections of human rights groups
- Venezuelan VP says Hugo Chavez recovering after successful operation
- Honduras congress OKs referendum on police cleanup amid tension between president, judiciary
National Security
![](/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Production/Digital/Pages-Web/global/_module-content/Standing_Art/national-security-86x56.jpg)