An image grab taken from Syrian TV shows Syrian security forces taking position during armed clashes with gunmen who the TV called "terrorists" (unseen) in the Al-Midan district of Damascus on July 18, 2012. Rebel forces said the battle to "liberate" Damascus had begun, as heavy fighting raged with the regime using helicopter gunships in the capital for the first time.
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Although he's barely eight months into his reign, Kim Jong Un, believed to be 29, is already flexing his political power--and trying to distinguish his North Korea from that of his father, Kim Jong Il. Here are three of his most buzzed-about moves.
FIRING HIS CHIEF
North Korea's army chief, Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho, was relieved of his military and political duties July 16, after more than 53 years of service--much of it spent, of course, under Kim Jong Il.
SHORTENING HEMLINES
Recently released images of life in Pyongyang show women sporting high heels and donning skirts that reveal far more than the stodgy Mao suits that were the standard uniform under the previous regime.
DATING A POP STAR
Global media went into a tizzy after images appeared of a woman accompanying Kim at a state function. She's thought to be Hyon Song Wol, a local pop star whose biggest hit is "Excellent Horse-Like Lady."
A Ruined State
5 | LIBYA
Libyan militiamen stand watch atop the crumbling remains of an Italian colonial-era tower near the town of Bani Walid, home to loyalists of the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi and the site of recent tensions between rival sets of militias. Though the country recently held successful elections, its politics are still dogged by long-standing tribal and regional enmities that too often spark into violence.
Medal Mania
6 | LONDON
Things look good for America going into the 2012 Olympics: the U.S. has brought home roughly 1,200 more medals than its nearest (now defunct) competitor. Here's how other major players stack up. China, with 385 medals, still has a long way to go.
All-time Olympic-medal standings
U.K.
725.5
FRANCE
633
GERMANY
658.5
USSR
1,122
U.S.
2,302
SOURCE: NBC.COM
AUSTRALIA
'We need to really understand them ... not resort to the Neanderthal reaction of a hunt and kill.'
JANITA ENEVOLDSEN, of the Wilderness Society, condemning Australia's decision, following a string of attacks, to legalize the hunting of great white sharks