* Kim's biggest miscalculation may have been in assuming that Beijing and Moscow would indulge his rhetoric. * Former North Korean spy calls Kim Jong-un's nuclear program "a bargaining chip for aid." * In a satirical video, Syrian rebels announce they will protect the U.S.
* The Senate's rejection of filibustering gun-control legislation is not a victory, only a continuation of the fight. * South Carolina congressman, opposed to background checks, likens national gun registry to the Rwandan genocide. * Actress loses lawsuit against IMDb for publishing her real age against her objections. * Finland apologizes
* U.S. Navy to begin deploying anti-drone lasers aboard warships in 2014. * "All Servicepersons and People Will Become Human Bullets and Bombs," and other hit songs according to North Korean news. * Four charts depict the history of energy consumption in the U.S. * A study finds rice
* Intelligence reports reveal the CIA has been using drones in Pakistan to kill possible militants—not just al Qaeda leadership. * Iran denounces Google Earth as an intelligence-gathering ploy, announces plans for an "Islamic" version. * Silencer manufacturers claim otherwise, but their product isn't for hunting or
* Iraq claims to be a "sovereign partner" of the U.S., but Iranian influence and an emerging autocracy signal otherwise. * Russell Brand on Margaret Thatcher—"an icon of individualism, not of feminism." * Femen: We are transforming female sexual subordination into aggression, and thereby starting the real
* China struggles to convince a population—skeptical for good reason—there's no connection between dead pigs and bird flu. * As North Korea shows signs of a new missile launch, China shows signs of a shift away from Pyongyang. * Don't worry, North Korea is bluffing; Kim Jong-
* Syrian government refuses to allow UN chemical-weapons investigators permission to broaden their mission. * Ignatius: I was there and I'm here to tell you, Margaret Thatcher opened the door for modern Britain. * Remembering Thatcher's 1978 appearance on "Desert Island Discs." * One-fifth of Earth’
* Obama pleads with Congress to vote on gun control, criticizing Republicans who have threatened to filibuster. * Republican senators' staffers complain of new gun groups' harassment campaigns. * Britain debates whether it's OK to celebrate Thatcher's death, as many have done with champagne and public partying.
* Story of Nek Muhammad, enemy of Pakistan whom the CIA killed in exchange for access to Pakistan's airspace. * New science teaching standards in the U.S. will include extensive lessons on human-made climate change; not so in the UK. * Nicholas Lemann on the disappearance of America'
* Tour company experiences 400% increase in inquiries about trips to North Korea. * South Korea says the North may be planning to conduct another underground nuclear test. * NASA plans to use robotic spaceship to lasso asteroid and "park it near the moon." * Uganda may ban above-the-knee skirts
