Officials say the U.S. and Israel developed the Flame virus to slow down Iranian nuclear efforts (Se

Officials say the U.S. and Israel developed the Flame virus to slow down Iranian nuclear efforts. According to the Washington Post, the United States and Israel jointly developed a sophisticated computer virus nicknamed Flame that collected intelligence in preparation for cyber-sabotage aimed at slowing Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon. The massive piece of malware secretly mapped and monitored Iran's computer networks, sending back a steady stream of intelligence to prepare for a cyberwarfare campaign. The effort, involving the National Security Agency, the CIA and Israel's military, has included the use of destructive software such as the Stuxnet virus to cause malfunctions in Iran's nuclear-enrichment equipment.

Religious violence leaves 80 people dead in northern Nigeria. According to Reuters, at least 80 people have been killed since Monday in clashes in northern Nigeria triggered by Islamists waging an insurgency against the government. The violence -- some of which was sparked by church bombings over the last three Sundays -- has heightened sectarian tensions in Africa's most populous country, which is evenly split between Christians and Muslims. 

Iran and world powers remain stuck on nuclear negotiations. According to the AFP, talks between world powers and Iran to defuse the Iranian nuclear crisis face a tough future after the sides failed to edge any closer to a breakthrough at a meeting in Moscow. Negotiators from the six world powers and their Iranian counterparts managed to prevent the diplomatic process from collapsing completely by agreeing to a new meeting in Istanbul on July 3.