The World

10 ESSENTIAL STORIES

By Harriet Barovick, Ishaan Tharoor, Alexandra Silver, Claire Suddath, Frances Romero and Josh Sanburn Monday, Nov. 08, 2010

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    5 | London

    WikiLeaks Tackles Iraq

    Watchdog group WikiLeaks posted nearly 400,000 classified papers from the Iraq war, the largest such leak in history. Two key revelations: U.S. officials routinely overlooked reports of Iraqi police brutality, and civilian casualties were underreported by at least 15,000.

    6 | Indonesia

    TRAGEDY STRIKES TWICE

    A day after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the waters off Sumatra triggered a 10-ft. (3 m) tsunami that swept away more than 300 people, Indonesia was hit by a second deadly disaster: Mount Merapi, the nation's most volatile volcano, erupted in Java, killing 30. The toll was kept low by the speedy evacuation of thousands of villagers living on the slopes. The twin tragedies highlighted the hazards of living in one of the world's most geologically unstable regions.

    7 | Wyoming

    Nukes Go Off-Line

    On Oct. 23, 50 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)--representing one-ninth of the U.S. land-based stockpile--went briefly out of communication with launch-control computers at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. The failure lasted less than an hour, according to the Air Force, which also said the ICBMs "were always protected," thanks to a secondary security system.

    8 | Iran

    Fueling Up a Nuclear Plant

    Iran loaded its first nuclear-power-plant reactor with fuel Oct. 26 amid increased sanctions by the West and renewed calls for Tehran to reopen talks on its nuclear program. The Bushehr plant, not directly subject to sanctions, is supervised by the U.N.'s nuclear agency. While Western nations remain suspicious of Iran's nuclear intentions, the reactor is expected solely to supply Iran's energy grid.

    9 | New York

    LimeWire Shut Down

    A federal judge in New York City ordered file-sharing service LimeWire to shut down. The decision capped a four-year legal battle between the company and the Recording Industry Association of America in which LimeWire and its founder have already been found liable for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The company hopes to reach a deal with the music industry that would allow LimeWire to legally offer music for sale.

    10 | Mexico

    Tijuana Rocked by Killings

    The massacre of 13 people at a Tijuana drug-rehabilitation center, coming a mere two days after 14 people were killed at a Ciudad Juárez party, underlined how uncontrollable drug violence has become in Mexico. The Tijuana killings were especially alarming because the city had seemed to be making progress against violent crime. Authorities are investigating whether the gunmen responsible were seeking retaliation for the recent seizure and destruction of 148 tons of marijuana in the city, the largest haul in the country's history.

    * | What They're Mourning in Germany:

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