National News

The Taliban tried to ban all music in Afghanistan. But now, 48 young Afghans — boys and girls — make up an orchestra that is coming to the U.S. to perform at a couple of the most prestigious venues in America.

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With limited options, some Americans are willing to pay thousands of dollars for stem cell replacement therapy. But the Food and Drug Administration, as well as many scientists, have concerns about its safety and argue more research and oversight is needed.

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The radical group posted a photo of the alleged suicide bomber on its website Saturday, calling the blast "an act of of self-sacrifice."

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The vice president says if Iranian leaders are serious and have an agenda for discussion, the U.S. is open to direct negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

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The president sparked controversy last week when he told The New Republic he does skeet shooting "all the time." In response, the White House released a picture of Obama shooting skeet last August at Camp David.

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The U.S. Geological Survey reports the tremor's magnitude was 6.9 and was centered very deep in the earth.

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It's a tradition that goes back to 1887, and while he's not always correct, the Punxsutawney, Pa., groundhog has a massive following who watch his every move on Groundhog Day.

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Francois Hollande visits the northern city of Timbuktu six days after French and Malian troops liberate it; he says France is prepared to hand over command of the battle against Islamists in Mali to an African-led military force.

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In Cairo you can get just about anything delivered at almost any hour of the night. Have the flu? You can order vitamin C and meds from the pharmacy at 2 a.m. One deliveryman has been dodging tear gas and clashes to get Lebanese takeout to people's doors.

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The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has just finished digitizing its huge archive of wildlife sounds — more than 9,000 of them — and made it available online.

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A small-town library in Colorado is lending more than just books. Patrons can now check out seeds and farm them. After the crops are harvested, the patrons return the seeds from the best fruits and vegetables so the library can lend them out to others.

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Though many of the immigrants entering the U.S. are from Mexico, others come from Central America, China, the Philippines and India. And while many do enter the country illegally, as many as 40 percent have simply overstayed their visas.

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Armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, militants attacked an army camp in Northwestern Pakistan early Saturday.

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It's been more than three months since Hurricane Sandy crashed ashore, and many family-owned businesses in New York and New Jersey are still struggling to get back on their feet. One of those businesses is Totonno's, where generations of pizza lovers have gone for a slice of American culture.

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The Superdome has hosted heavyweight fights, papal visits and — after this weekend — seven Super Bowls, an NFL record. But no event looms larger in the stadium's history than Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that turned the stadium into a teeming shelter of last resort and left it nearly ruined.

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Twitter said in a blog post Friday that the attackers may have been able to get usernames, email addresses and encrypted passwords. Twitter has reset the pilfered passwords and sent users email advising them that they'll have to create a new one.

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Under the proposed rule, employees at nonprofit religious organizations would get access to no-cost contraception, but their employer wouldn't pay for the coverage. The move is another attempt to provide contraceptive coverage without violating the beliefs of religious nonprofits.

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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., appears to have reversed his views on an earned path to citizenship, which in a Tea Party-backed 2010 campaign he called "code for amnesty." Some critics say the young Cuban-American lawmaker seems to be looking ahead to 2016 and a possible White House bid.

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Drug-resistant tuberculosis is on the rise worldwide, but identifying the disease has been difficult and time-consuming. Touted as a "game changer" in the fight against TB, a new tool cuts diagnostic times from weeks to hours and doesn't require a lab.

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Although a fiscal cliff was narrowly prevented at the beginning at the year, there's another budget deadline approaching. If Congress doesn't act, billions in automatic budget cuts will slice military spending, possibly hurting contractors and some personnel.

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