1. OBAMA APPROVES ARMING REBELS
The U.S. has concluded that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against rebels, something President Obama has called a "red line." As a result, Obama authorized supplying opposition fighters with weapons for the first time. Last year, then-CIA Director David Petraeus recommended arming the rebels, but Obama was reluctant to wade into another Middle East war. Some diplomats say the U.S. is also considering imposing a limited no-fly zone near the Syria-Jordan border. [New York Times, Reuters]
………………………………………………………………………………
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2. COLORADO FIRE BECOMES THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE IN STATE HISTORY
Firefighters are continuing to battle fast-moving wildfires on Friday, as hot, blustery conditions continue to fuel the blazes, one of which has already become the most destructive in the state's history. The Black Forest fire outside Colorado Springs had killed two people and destroyed at least 360 homes as of Thursday night. That fire had scorched 16,000 acres, but remained just 5 percent contained despite the efforts of 750 firefighters to bring it under control. [CNN]
………………………………………………………………………………
3. IRANIANS VOTE TO PICK AHMADINEJAD'S SUCCESSOR
Millions of Iranians cast ballots Friday to choose a president to replace the outgoing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the country's 50 million eligible voters to turn out in defiance of U.S. critics who say the election will be unfair. Six candidates are running in the country's first vote since a disputed 2009 election that triggered months of unrest, although none pose a challenge to the Islamic Republic's 34-year-old system of clerical rule. [Reuters]
………………………………………………………………………………
4. NICARAGUAN ASSEMBLY APPROVES PLAN TO DIG A CANAL TO RIVAL PANAMA'S
Nicaraguan lawmakers on Thursday approved a $40-billion-dollar plan by a Hong Kong company to dig a shipping passage across the country to link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, rivaling the Panama Canal. Supporters hope that the canal, a century-old dream, will lift the impoverished Central American nation's economy. Skeptics say it's not needed, and environmentalists say it will damage Lake Nicaragua, a crucial source of fresh water. [Associated Press]
………………………………………………………………………………
5. JUSTICES RULE THAT NATURAL DNA CANNOT BE PATENTED
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that naturally occurring DNA sequences cannot be patented. The decision was considered a victory for cancer patients, as it voided patents that had driven up costs of tests for genes that make women more susceptible to breast and ovarian cancers. It also could help scientists and companies developing tests using altered DNA, which they can patent, to spot risks for illnesses from cancer to heart disease. [NBC News]
………………………………………………………………………………
6. BLAST KILLS ONE WORKER AT LOUISIANA CHEMICAL PLANT
An explosion and fire at a Louisiana chemical plant killed one person and injured more than 70 others on Thursday. The rest of the plant's 300 workers were all accounted for hours after the early morning incident. The blast sent workers scrambling to escape — some climbing over gates. Authorities could not immediately identify the cause, although they said terrorism was not suspected. [Associated Press]
………………………………………………………………………………
7. BRITISH GOVERNMENT ORDERS AIRLINES TO KEEP SNOWDEN AWAY FROM THE U.K.
The British government has warned airlines around the world not to let Edward Snowden, who leaked secret information about U.S. surveillance programs, fly to the U.K. Snowden is currently hiding out in Hong Kong. Any carrier violating the order faces a $3,130 fine. A British diplomat confirmed that the travel advisory had been issued by Britain's Home Office, probably, he said, because it had deemed that Snowden was detrimental to the "public good." [CBS News]
………………………………………………………………………………
8. DIVIDED ARIZONA LAWMAKERS APPROVE MEDICAID EXPANSION
A sharply divided Arizona legislature approved ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion on Thursday, clearing the way to add hundreds of thousands of the state's poor to the federal health-care program. The move marked a high-profile victory for Gov. Jan Brewer (R) over other GOP conservatives, who fiercely opposed the measure. Brewer has battled with President Obama over immigration policies, but said taking $1.6 billion in additional federal money for Medicaid would help the state. [Reuters]
………………………………………………………………………………
9. MURDOCH FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM DENG
Publishing tycoon Rupert Murdoch filed for divorce from his third wife, Wendi Deng, in New York on Thursday. Murdoch, 82, and Deng, 44, have been married since 1999, and have two daughters together. Forbes estimates Murdoch's fortune at $11.2 billion. His last split — from second wife Anna in 1999 — reportedly involved one of the largest marriage settlements ever, at $1.7 billion. [People]
………………………………………………………………………………
10. DOZENS INJURED AS MIAMI-AREA SPORTS BAR DECK COLLAPSES
Two dozen people were injured Thursday night — two of them seriously — when a deck at a waterside sports bar outside Miami collapsed while patrons were watching the Miami Heat play in the NBA Finals. About 100 people were on the deck at Shucker's Bar & Grill when it collapsed, part of it falling into Biscayne Bay. [Fox News]
'Criminal trail?'
Grindr 'shared user HIV status' with ad firms, lawsuit claims
The best dog-friendly hotels around the UK
