Greek civil servants lose their tenure, new promises rehabilitate a disgraced political coalition, and never look down the barrel of a harpoon gun when cleaning it.

Greece’s parliament approved a plan to immediately layoff 2 Thousand civil service workers, a precondition of the multi-billion dollar rescue package from the European Union.  Senior EU officials will not meet to approve a loan payout that had been withheld until Greece fired the workers.  Critics say it’s a stab in the back, those civil servants were promised tenured employment; and the move is destined to fail because it’s 2 thousand fewer salaries being spent in the Greek economy.

Iceland has returned to power the center-right parties that many voters had previously blamed for the 2008 economic crisis.  The Independence Party and the Progressive Party had promised to end austerity, and to forgive or to renegotiate underwater mortgages that have homeowners owing more than they originally borrowed.

New strains of the parasite that causes Malaria are drug resistant.  These organisms are able to withstand treatment by artemisinin, a commonly used drug against malaria.  The new strains starting popping up in Cambodia in 2008 but have since spread to other parts of Southeast Asia.

Family needed counseling:  52-year old Mark Hayes of southeast England is accused of fatally stabbing his 48-year old brother Sean Hayes to death.  And it happened at the wake for their third brother Tom. 

Five women were rescued from a hot air balloon in the Pacific Ocean off Peru.  The balloon’s gondola was designed to float in case it crashed into the water.  But a male passenger who tried to swim to shore is missing, as is the balloon’s pilot.

A Brazilian man is recovering after shooting himself through the eye with a harpoon. Bruno Coutinho (not the football player) was cleaning his gun when he accidentally fired it, sending the spear through his left eye and into the back of his skull.. All the way back.  Bruno lost the sight in his eye but amazingly, did not suffer brain damage.