On Oct. 1, the U.N.’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled against forcing Chile to negotiate giving up a slice of its territory to provide neighbouring Bolivia with a route to the sea. Gathered around giant screens in town squares in the capital La Paz, Bolivians watched with dismay. To them, the country’s landlocked status is a historical injustice and an affront to national pride. Here’s what to know about the history of Bolivia’s lost coastline:

When did Bolivia lose its route to the sea?
The dispute began in 1879, when Chile invaded the Antofagasta port city on its northern border with Bolivia as part of a dispute over taxes. Within four years Chileans had redrawn the map of South America by taking almost 50,000 square miles of Bolivian territory, including its 250-mile coastline on the southern Pacific Ocean. Bolivia accepted this loss in 1904, when it signed a peace treaty with Chile in return for a promise of the “fullest and freest” commercial access to port.

How did B..

(KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia) — The detained wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najjib Razak pleaded not guilty Thursday to laundering illegal proceeds from a graft scandal involving the 1MDB state investment fund, five months after her husband’s shocking electoral loss.

Rosmah Mansor, 66, was charged with 17 counts of money laundering and claimed trial, after smiling and waving at reporters as she was escorted into the court building. Rosmah had been arrested by the anti-graft agency Wednesday after being questioned a third time over alleged theft and money laundering at the fund.

“Clearly this is a first for Malaysia. This speaks to the prominent political role of Rosmah in the administration, which was highly contentious during Najib’s tenure. She was seen to be involved in the perceived corruption and his business dealings, as an important gatekeeper,” said Bridget Welsh, political science professor at John Cabot University in Rome.

Najib also appeared in court Thursday for the ..

The 2019 Putin VVP calendar, so-named for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initials, has hit the stands. This year’s take on the annual diary revives portrayals of the Russian president as a consummate diplomat and outdoorsman, suggesting that Putin, 65, is a president for all seasons.

The calendar kicks off January with an image of a bare-chested Putin dipping into the icy waters of Lake Seliger to observe the Russian Orthodox Epiphany, according to the Guardian. Putin’s image as an avid sportsman is also on display throughout the year, with photos of him wielding a shooting range pistol, playing hockey, horseback riding and cycling along a wooded road.

Subsequent months aim at showcasing the president’s softer side, with Putin holding a Bulgarian shepherd dog in one shot, and cuddling a leopard cub in another.

Russian state propaganda has carefully nurtured an image of Putin as an accomplished athlete and a paragon of masculinity. Images of Putin’s adventure holidays in the coun..