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The heated rivalry between the Egyptian and Algerian national soccer teams exploded into violence, threatening diplomatic ties between the North African nations. Attacks on a bus carrying the Algerian squad in Cairo triggered a series of skirmishes there and in Algiers that left fans of both teams injured. The conflict escalated after Algeria won a Nov. 18 match between the two countries in Khartoum, Sudan, earning a spot in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Assaults against Egyptian fans leaving the stadium sparked riots outside the Algerian embassy in Cairo and spurred Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to recall his country's ambassador. Though the frenzy is expected to die down, the two sides could face off again at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, a meeting that analysts fear will reignite tensions.
6 | California
NO BAILOUT FOR HIGHER ED
The University of California regents board voted Nov. 19 to hike education fees 32%, spurring students across the system to barricade themselves in buildings and clash with police. Cash-strapped pupils say the increase, scheduled to take effect next fall, will force many to drop out or transfer to community colleges. UC president Mark Yudof said the measure was unavoidable because of the state's ongoing budget crisis.
7 | Atlanta
Swine Flu on The Wane?
Health officials in the U.S. are reporting that the current wave of H1N1 swine flu appears to have peaked. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups, new infections are declining in most states, though the virus continues to spread in Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as remote parts of the U.S. Experts also caution that H1N1 might return later this winter. The virus has killed at least 6,700 people worldwide since April.
8 | London
Water World
An international team of scientists has discovered more than 17,000 species living in the darkness some three miles beneath the surface of the world's oceans. The findings were inventoried as part of the upcoming global Census of Marine Life. Oceanographers say thousands more species are yet to be discovered.
Bottom dwellers
ENYPNIASTES
A species of transparent sea cucumber found near Mexico. Feeds on sediment on the ocean floor
NEOCYEMA
Only five specimens of the elongated orange fish, which lives in the Atlantic Ocean, have ever been caught
DUMBO
This octopod, measuring more than 6 ft. in length, earned its moniker on account of its ear-shaped fins
COPEPOD
New varieties of the freshwater crustacean were found in the depths of the Atlantic
9 | Minneapolis
Recruiting American Jihadis
Federal authorities unsealed charges against eight people accused of recruiting young Americans to join an Islamist insurgency in Somalia. Officials say the ring persuaded about 20 Minneapolis men, most of them Somali natives, to fight alongside al-Shabab, a militant group linked to al-Qaeda. At least six fighters were killed. A total of 14 men have been charged in the case.
10 | Washington
Hate Crimes on the Rise