North Korea blame loss to U.S. on players getting struck by lightning - Dirty Tackle - World Soccer Blog - Yahoo! Sports

North Korea blame loss to U.S. on players getting struck by lightning - Dirty Tackle - World Soccer Blog - Yahoo! Sports: "A couple of second-half goals gave the U.S. a 2-0 win over North Korea and a strong start to their Women's World Cup run. The eighth-ranked North Koreans have the youngest team in the tournament with an average age of 20. Still, their discipline and skill gave the U.S. a lot of trouble in the first half before controversial starter Lauren Cheney justified her selection by heading in the first goal in the 54th minute and defender Rachel Buehler scored a second in the 76th minute."

North Korea shuts down universities for 10 months - Telegraph

North Korea shuts down universities for 10 months - Telegraph: "North Korea has shut down its universities for the next 10 months and sent students to work in factories, agriculture and the construction sector as it struggles to rebuild its economy."

How the demise of a trusted adviser could bring down Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Robert Fisk, Commentators - The Independent

How the demise of a trusted adviser could bring down Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Robert Fisk, Commentators - The Independent: "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's irascible, unpredictable but devout president, may be forced to resign in the coming weeks as a political crisis far greater than the massive street violence which followed his re-election in 2009 threatens to overwhelm him and his court favourites in the government"

Violence flares before key Greek austerity vote | Reuters

Violence flares before key Greek austerity vote | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Greek police firing tear gas fought running battles with stone-throwing protesters outside parliament on Wednesday as signs grew the government would succeed in pushing through an austerity plan demanded by creditors."

AFP: Iran secretly tested 'nuclear-capable missiles'

AFP: Iran secretly tested 'nuclear-capable missiles': "LONDON — Iran has carried out secret tests of ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear payload in breach of UN resolutions, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday.
Hague's comments came a day after Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said they had fired 14 missiles in an exercise, one of them a medium-range weapon capable of striking Israel or US targets in the Gulf."