The details: Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said his Movement for Democratic Change party will not participate in cabinet meetings with longtime dictator Robert Mugabe. The move comes after Mugabe put an MDC official on trial. Mugabe, whose absolute power has only recently been challenged by Tsvangirai, routinely mounts terrorism prosecutions against his political opponents to intimidate them.

From fat to bone

2| New adult stem-cell procedure

The details: Scientific American reports that doctors have discovered how to grow human bone for patients using their own fat cells. The procedure was used to give cheek bones to a 14-year-old boy who was born without them. This advance is one of many demonstrating the possibilities of adult stem-cell therapy.

Like it’s 1999

3| Stocks return to old milestone

The details: Stocks rallied on gains in the energy sector, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached the 10,000 mark for the first time in a year last week. Although some ground was later lost due to poor profits for Bank of America and General Electric, the gains signaled investor confidence in an economic recovery.

Real competition

4| GOP primary in Florida heats up

The details: Republican Marco Rubio’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Florida, once believed to be a long-shot against Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, picked up steam as a new poll showed him gaining ground. Crist still leads in the race for the GOP nomination, 44 to 30 percent, but he was once an overwhelming favorite. The primary election takes place next August.

Ribbon in space

5| Satellite detects unexplained phenomenon

The details: NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Exporer, which orbits Earth, has discovered a “ribbon” of unknown origin within the solar system that will provide new clues for scientists about its makeup. The zone in question is filled with “energetic neutral atoms” and was completely missed by the earlier Voyager spacecraft that have explored the outer reaches of the solar system.

Doing the math 6| District’s math scores are up The Details: Fourth and eighth graders in D.C. posted significant gains of five and six points respectively on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is administered nationwide and often referred to as “the nation’s report card.” Only four states registered similar increases, so it’s a significant improvement even though District students still score well below the national average. Up to speed 7| Zoom-zoom over Wilson Bridge The Details: After enduring four years of reduced speed during reconstruction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, motorists can finally go 55 mph over the Potomac River again. The low speeds required on the eight-mile section of the Capital Beltway under construction contributed to agonizingly long backups during rush hour. Buh-bye 8| Thousands of criminals sent to ICE The Details: Since 2007, almost 2,000 illegal immigrants who committed crimes in Prince William County have been turned over to the feds for deportation. The 287(g) program is working so well that Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently can’t keep up. Under a new agreement with the county, only suspects charged with serious crimes such as murder, rape and armed robbery will be sent to ICE. Big Yellow 9| Teens pout over parking permit The Details: Loudoun teens are furious about the cost of parking permits at local high schools, which skyrocketed from $25 last year to $200 this fall to tie with Fairfax County as the highest in the Washington region. Despite students’ loud protests, school parking lots are as full as ever. And school officials, who estimate the permits will raise more than a half-million dollars, point out that the bus is still free. Call me 10| Metro improves cell phone access The Details: Transit riders without Verizon cell phones will finally be able to yak away as service is expanded for AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile customers in Metro’s 20 busiest stations. Even better, the cell phone deal will also bring in more than $50 million for the cash-strapped Metro over the next 25 years.