Iran: President Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made a diplomatic breakthrough yesterday speaking to each other on the telephone. It’s the first time since 1979 that leaders of Iran and the US have spoken to each other. Obama said Iran has pledged not to develop nuclear weapons and the US respects Iran’s right to have peaceful nuclear energy. Many Iranians were thrilled by the development, but some protesters threw eggs and a shoe as Rouhani returned to Tehran.

Mall Directory: Several news outlets report that the al-Shabab terror group ran a shop in Nairobi’s Westgate mall for about a year while it stocked weapons and planned its attack. The terrorists would have had to obtain fake government IDs, possibly from corrupt officials, in order to rent the store. At last count 72 people are dead and 61 listed as missing.

Shutdown Countdown: House Republicans are expected to meet today to plan their next move. The Senate stripped a provision to kill Obamacare and passed a spending bill to avoid a federal shutdown. The bill needs to pass in the House where hardcore conservatives still threaten to let the government close its doors at midnight Monday.

Greenhouse: The UN’s climate panel says that to avoid irrevocable damage we should place a limit on how much carbon we burn in the history of the world. The report says the limit should be a total of one trillion metric tons of burned carbon with its resulting greenhouse gases. About half that amount has already been burned since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago. At the current rate, the trillionth ton would be burned in 2040.

Mumbai Collapse: At least 33 survivors have been pulled from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building, but 42 are reported dead. No cause has been given, but investigators are looking into the possibility of structural alterations in the basement.

Water, Water: The surface of Mars is about two percent water, according to analysis of the first scoop of soil sampled by the Curiosity rover. Laurie Leshin, Dean of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is quoted in a press release saying, “We now know there should be abundant, easily accessible water on Mars. When we send people, they could scoop up the soil anywhere on the surface, heat it just a bit, and obtain water.” Although water is essential for life as we know it, no signs of life have yet been found on Mars.

You’re So Fine: A giant rubber duck designed by a Dutch artist is now anchored opposite the Pittsburgh skyline. Similar 40-foot ducks have been anchored in Sydney, Auckland and Hong Kong. The artist Florentijn Hofman says, “The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn’t discriminate people and doesn’t have a political connotation.” We get it. It’s a rubber duck.

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