The World

10 ESSENTIAL STORIES

By Harriet Barovick, Laura Fitzpatrick, Alexandra Silver, Claire Suddath, Alyssa Fetini, Frances Romero, Kristi Oloffson and Kayla Webley Monday, May 31, 2010

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    Just one day after Iran brokered a nuclear fuel swap deal with Brazil and Turkey on May 17 (it has agreed to send its enriched uranium abroad in return for fuel rods for a medical-research reactor), the U.S., China, Russia and European allies agreed to draft a U.N. resolution for tighter sanctions against the country. Officials from those countries claim the sanctions, which include a strengthened arms embargo, are a reaction to Iran's continued refusal to suspend its uranium-enrichment program. Iran dismissed the resolution, saying the sanctions were unlikely to pass the U.N. Security Council, and that even if they did, they would not compel Iran to cooperate with international inspectors.

    6 | China

    ON GUARD

    The latest in a string of brutal stabbings occurred on May 19 when a group of knife-wielding men injured 13 students at a vocational college in Hainan province. Earlier in the week, a man hacked a woman to death and wounded five others at a market before jumping to his death. Across China, five assaults in two months have left at least 15 children dead and dozens more hurt, leading Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to acknowledge a "need to solve the deeper reasons behind this issue." Security has increased at schools, and some students are learning self-defense techniques.

    7 | Illinois

    ADHD Linked To Pesticides

    A new study published in the journal Pediatrics concluded that an association exists between exposure to pesticides and increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The study, the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, determined that children with high levels of a particular type of pesticide in their urine were more likely to have ADHD than those with undetectable levels.

    8 | Mexico

    Powerful Politician Disappears

    Kidnappings are unsettlingly routine in Mexico, but Diego Fernández de Cevallos' disappearance on May 14 has riveted the nation. If found to have been abducted by the country's powerful drug cartels, Fernández--a power player in the ruling National Action Party--could be their highest-profile victim yet. Just days after Fernández's bloodied SUV was found, President Felipe Calderón visited the U.S., in part to seek further aid from lawmakers in his fight against the drug lords, which has claimed 23,000 lives since he took office in 2006.

    9 | Morocco

    New Fossil Find

    The discovery of a new fossil site suggests that organisms like those from the famous Burgess Shale fossil bed in Canada didn't suddenly die out 500 million years ago as was thought. In a new Nature article, researchers explain that specimens found near Morocco's Atlas Mountains include an array of sponges, worms and mollusks typical of the Burgess Shale fauna. The find adds 20 million years to the Burgess Shale timeline.

    10 | Gulf of Mexico

    The Oil Is Coming! Maybe

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