NATIONAL
Stimulating conversation
The Senate passed President Obama’s proposed economic stimulus package on Feb. 10. The stimulus bill costs $838 billion, and the House and Senate will next move into negotiations in order to transfer the bill to the president’s desk.
INTERNATIONAL
Raq the vote
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s party swept provincial elections on Jan. 31, beating out Shiite religious parties during Iraq’s first nationwide election since December 2005. Al-Maliki’s victory may boost United States military confidence for troop reductions.
SMOKING THE COMPETITION
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, the winner of a record eight gold medals at last summer’s Beijing Olympics, was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming. The suspension comes after a photo of Phelps inhaling from a bong that appeared in a British tabloid on Monday, Feb. 2.
SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY
Giga bites
Microsoft founder Bill Gates released a jar of mosquitoes during his presentation at a Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Conference in Long Beach, Calif. Gates released the insects to increase malaria awareness and promote malaria research.
ENTERTAINMENT
Eye-ly Cyrus
Teen pop star Miley Cyrus defended a photo in which she is shown pulling her eyes into a slanted position by claiming that she was making a goofy face. The photo was first obtained by TMZ, an entertainment news Web site, and was considered offensive by some Asian American groups.
WACKIEST
Magic goat theory
In Nigeria, a goat was held on suspicion of armed robbery. Vigilantes claimed a robber used black magic to transform himself into the goat in an attempt to escape arrest.
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