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The goal of the Arms Trade Treaty, which the U.N. has sought for more than a decade, is to keep illicit weapons out of the hands of terrorists, insurgent fighters and organized crime.

At age 13, Farzana Wahidy was beaten in the street for not wearing a burqa. To have carried a camera then would have been unthinkable. But she went on to become a pioneering photographer and, after working and studying abroad, returned to Afghanistan to "show the bigger image, not just show we have problems."

But the man who issued one of the earliest warnings about the potential for global warming isn't going away. He plans to concentrate on his environmental activism efforts.

President Barack Obama named Julia Pierson as the head of the Secret Service, the first female director in the agency's history. At least one woman is said to be on the shortlist for FBI director. Women are also climbing the ranks on local police forces as well.

The writer's family was living in Egypt, in exile from Libya, when Matar's father, a prominent opponent of the Qaddafi regime, was kidnapped, taken back to Libya, and imprisoned. That was in March 1990, and it was the last time Matar saw his father. After the revolution in March 2012, Matar returned to look for his father or at least try to find out what became of him.

Critics argue that wind turbine syndrome is a fictional malady perpetuated by people angered by the turbines in their communities. Now experts are weighing in on whether it could be real.

Before the American Revolution, a huge tree has been standing in central Missouri, growing to 90 feet tall. The beloved bur oak, which everybody calls "The Big Tree," has survived all kinds of punishments during 350 years on the prairie. But last year's record drought was rough on the tree, causing it to wilt and alarming two locals who nursed it back to health.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach produced the Tuareg guitar virtuoso's latest album and adds sonic heft rarely heard on African guitar recordings.

An obscure tax provision crafted for drug dealers is giving state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries a headache. Federal income tax rates for dispensaries in Colorado can soar to 70 percent because businesses can't claim certain deductions. It's a policy the industry is trying to change.

About 1.2 million people die prematurely every year in China from exposure to outdoor air pollution. Smog has dogged the country as it grows at an explosive rate and burns huge quantities of fossil fuels. But there are signs that the government is beginning to take the issue more seriously.