Iranian hospitals have been deluged by the thousands of people injured in a pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked the country over the weekend. Officials estimate that more than 5,000 people were injured and 300 had died as a result of the disaster. More than 1,000 villages were affected by the earthquakes, which measured 6.4 and 6.3 in magnitude. Twenty villages were completely destroyed, according to the Red Crescent. The organization sent 100 ambulances, 1,100 aid workers, and 5,600 tents to help with relief efforts.

That's all, folks: the London 2012 Olympic Games have officially ended with a closing ceremony that held nothing back. In an ode to British pop, there were performances from the reunited Spice Girls, as well as boyband One Direction, the Kaiser Chiefs, Ray Davies, George Michael, and Elbow, among others. Athletes and onlookers commemorated the event's finish for more than an hour of wild celebrations. As mimes acted out Beatles songs, Batman and Robin burst from an exploding car and Winston Churchill read Shakespeare, the Olympic athletes streamed onto the field in a mass of flags and colors, probably relieved to be done with their competitions. The ceremony will be broadcast Sunday night on NBC.

The Egyptian military’s top officer is out Sunday, stripped of his powers by President Mohamed Morsi in the latest development as the country’s political and military leaders jostle for power. No explanation was given Sunday for Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi’s dismissal. Morsi also announced Sunday that he was canceling amendments to the country’s Constitution that gave significant scope and power to military leaders. Just how much control army brass have over the administration and government of Egypt has been central to debate about the country’s future since dictator Hosni Mubarak was tossed from power. That argument has only heated up since Morsi, backed by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, was voted into office.

President Obama made his first public remarks about Mitt Romney's newly minted running mate today at a Chicago fundraiser. He congratulated Paul Ryan, calling him "a decent man" and an "articulate spokesman," but criticizing the congressman's proposed economic plans that he said didn't cut deficit, create jobs, or revive the middle class. "My opponent and Congressman Ryan and their allies in Congress, they all believe that if we just get rid of more regulations on big corporations and we give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, it will lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody else," Obama said. "They have tried to sell us this trickle-down fairy dust before, and guess what? It didn't work."

With the largest victory margin in PGA Championship history, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy took the trophy with eight strokes over David Lynn and nine strokes over four other competitors. McIlroy broke the current seven-stroke record from 1980 and is also the youngest champion, at just 23 years old. "I don't think I've let it sunk in yet ... I'm speechless," McIlroy said afterward. "I played solid the whole way through the week ... I thought my putting today was phenomenal." Tiger Woods didn't come out from his mediocre rut, and is still without a major win since 2008.

The United States will walk home from the 2012 London Games with 46 gold medals—more than any other nation. American athletes also won the most medals overall, nabbing 29 silvers and 29 bronzes to pile on to the country’s Olympic loot. It’s the fifth consecutive Games in which the U.S. was most successful in plundering the international trophy case. America grabbed the lead in the medals race over China on Saturday. “I like to hear ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’—a lot,” said U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Larry Probst as America strode closer to its total of 104 medals Saturday. The U.S. won 31 medals in swimming alone and 29 in track-and-field events. China finished next closest overall, with 87 medals and 38 golds.

It's unclear whether or not she was asked, but Sarah Palin – as predicted by Newsweek’s Peter Boyer – has announced she will not be making a speech at the Republican National Convention. The former vice presidential candidate released a statement on the blog of Fox's Greta Van Susteren saying she looks forward to hearing "other voices speak at the convention." She'll be focusing instead on grassroots organization to support Romney-Ryan and other Republican candidates "so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new president to get our country back on the right path."

Foreign ministers from the Arab League have postponed a Sunday meeting to select a replacement for Kofi Annan, who resigned as special envoy to Syria earlier in August. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is on a trip to Turkey, said the two countries are working on plans for new ways to aid rebels in Syria, where fighting continues in the country’s major cities. Annan’s resignation came earlier this month after violence continued to worsen despite attempts to implement a six-point peace plan backed by the United Nations and the Arab League.

The Bourne Legacy, the fourth installment in the spy franchise, overtook The Dark Knight Rises on Sunday with $40.3 million in its opening weekend. Coming in second place is The Campaign with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis at $27.4 million. The third Batman flick was pushed from three weeks at No. 1 to third place, earning $19.5 million and a total of $400 million so far. Turns out Matt Damon isn't being missed too badly—seems the audience likes Jeremy Renner.

Take that, Brangelina! Actress Jennifer Aniston is finally tying the knot—to boyfriend Justin Theroux, an actor and screenwriter. The two starred in Wanderlust together and have been dating for more than a year. "Justin Theroux had an amazing birthday on Friday, receiving an extraordinary gift when his girlfriend, Jennifer Aniston, accepted his proposal of marriage," his rep told People magazine.

Mitt Romney knew Paul Ryan was his VP pick Aug. 1—but keeping that decision a secret took some careful planning. Beth Myers, who led the presumptive Republican nominee’s search, broke the silence around the pick Saturday, saying that the campaign had to arrange a covert rendezvous between the two men in Brookline, Mass., before the choice became final. For that tête-à-tête, Ryan had to travel from Wisconsin to an airport in Connecticut wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat so he would not be recognized, and Romney escaped reporters camped out near his vacation home. “We gave a lot of thought on how to make this work undetected,” Myers said.

After demands that the country beef up its security in Sinai, Egypt says it has killed seven militants in the region Sunday. They are the first killings to result from a crackdown in the Sinai Peninsula that began a week ago. The country has been under pressure from Egyptians as well as from politicians in Israel after 16 members of the Egyptian armed forces were killed by militant gunmen a week ago near the border with Israel. Troops from the Israeli armed forces killed those gunmen. Egyptian sources said that the militants on Sunday fought back against government troops with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

Afghan officials may hope to resuscitate peace talks with the Taliban after meeting with the group’s jailed former second in command in Pakistan. The talks with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar may signal more than attempt to bring the Taliban back to the table. Pakistan’s involvement in facilitating the meeting is an unusual step taken by the country toward helping to broker a peace in neighboring Afghanistan. “We are fully cooperating with Afghanistan and whatever they are asking for the peace process for developing peace in Afghanistan,” said Pakistan’s interior minister. “We are giving every kind of help.”

London’s almost reached the finish line. As the city prepares to close the 2012 Olympic Games, many details for the closing ceremony remain secret—despite British journalists’ best efforts. Director Kim Gavin has said that the three-hour spectacular, titled “A Symphony of British Music,” will be “an elegant mashup of British music, a rich tapestry of British culture and life ... something people remember for years.” The ceremony will pay homage to the United Kingdom’s rich literary traditions and musical culture—and will reportedly include a performance by the reunited Spice Girls.

Though 37 state legislatures, many of them Republican-led, have passed tighter voter-ID laws to toughen up on perceived instances of fraud, a new analysis shows that the feared offense almost never occurs. A review of 2,068 cases of alleged fraud over the past 12 years showed that despite there being 146 million registered voters in the U.S., there were only 10 cases of voter impersonation at the polls since 2000—a finding that undercuts the case made by those who say IDs must be more tightly regulated to ensure fair elections.

A fire at a recycling center in East London erupted Sunday afternoon as more than 200 firefighters rushed to the scene to control the blaze. Investigators haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause of the fire, which released a plume of smoke so large that it could be seen across the city. The blaze consumed the entire soccer-field-size facility. London officials, who called this the worst fire the city has seen in years, said it isn’t affecting any Olympic stadiums and that they still have enough manpower to respond to other emergencies.

In another grim revision, Iranian state television again raised the death toll on Sunday from two earthquakes, saying that 250 people had died and thousands more were injured. Iranians who lost or were evacuated from their homes in the afflicted northwestern region of the country where the earthquakes struck were shown shivering and crying while they slept outdoors in the aftermath of the tremors. The disasters came on Saturday near the city of Tabriz, and are reported to have flattened villages and caused serious damage to other structures in the area.

A man who bystanders said skipped through Times Square with a kitchen knife while pursued by police was shot and killed by officers after a standoff Saturday. The man was approached by officers for smoking marijuana. The suspect then drew the knife and tied on a blue bandanna. He fled, with officers in pursuit. Many Times Square tourists were shocked by the incident. Bystanders said that the man was taunting police as he fled, even as dozens of officers pursued him. Police tried to use pepper spray to stop the man six times before shooting him.

Just a month after wreaking havoc in a Las Vegas neighborhood, a pet chimp escaped again, police said Saturday. Law enforcement cornered the creature around 5:30 p.m. local time Saturday and captured her after using tranquilizer darts. The primate last escaped July 12 and went ape through her owners’ neighborhood, a spree that ended when police shot and killed her mate Buddy. No more second chances for the banana-loving recidivist this time, however, officials said—CJ the chimp has reportedly been turned over to a local zoo.

The American men’s basketball team beat Spain 107–100 on Sunday in one of the last events of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Team USA won its second consecutive gold medal in the sport. Spain had been widely considered one of the teams most likely to present a challenge to the undefeated U.S. men’s squad. The American men nearly fell to another serious contender, Argentina, in the semifinals. Beyond a team gold, there were some considerable egos at stake, with LeBron James adding an Olympic gold to what has already been an all-star year for him.

The Transportation Security Administration has opened an investigation into claims made by TSA officers that minorities were improperly targeted for screening at Boston’s Logan Airport. “They just pull aside anyone who they don’t like the way they look—if they are black and have expensive clothes or jewelry, or if they are Hispanic,” a white TSA officer told The New York Times. More than 30 officers have complained to the TSA about what they say is a widespread practice, one that in part results from demands from management for more searches. The TSA said it would take “immediate and decisive action” if the allegations should prove true.