19 July 2010: Morning

  • Last month was the warmest June on record globally; extreme heat boils the United States and Europe.
  • France did not say it would reimburse Haiti for its independence fee, says France, repudiating hoax.
  • Gallery director explains why Berlin is more serious than other cities and there's no reason to learn German.
  • Boulder, Colo., named best place to raise abducted children.
  • Explanation of the Saudi line of succession and which of 5,000 princes will become king.
  • Sonic profile of North Korea, where accordions dominate.
  • How $1,475 can guarantee Chinese couples U.S. citizenship for their babies.
  • Debate ignited over genetic-testing oversight after 23andMe mixes up customer information and 87 people receive wrong results.
  • More mothers are donating umbilical cord blood, the latest life-saving fluid.
  • Skin-lightening market expands 18% a year in India; Vaseline launches a Facebook avatar-lightening app.
  • Prison manual describes violent methods used to subdue youth in private U.K. jails.
  • Movies use inflatable crowds in lieu of extras; inflatables' creators irked when extras seek revenge.
  • Awesome? Or appalling? Semi-serious profile of ROFL culture.
  • Questionable-content reviewers suffer depression and occasionally cry or vomit at unpleasant images.
  • When a mother won't quit smoking and a daughter won't stop trying to help her quit, by TMN's Jessica Francis Kane.
  • Birnbaum on Joseph Epstein's new stories; TMN's Kevin Guilfoile caught gazing.
  • After writing a surprise third volume to his best-selling recent novels, Murakami suggests he may also write parts four and zero.