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Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel returned to the Mideast on Monday after a weekend tour of Afghanistan and a stop in Pakistan. The trip focused on a planned security deal with Afghanistan and concerns among Gulf allies about a nuclear deal with Iran.

Tuesday's vote was not as close as some expected. Some Republicans joined with Democrats to move the plan forward. The two-year deal avoids any more government shutdowns until at least 2015.

Duke University is known for its basketball. But this year, Duke's fans are cheering for their football team, which has won the most games in its history. Lead by the national coach of the year, the Blue Devils are headed the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest Sunday in his rural homestead of Qunu, which leaves this modest region to cope with the influx of thousands wishing to pay their last respects.

The news that the nation's spy agencies have been collecting phone records has been followed by word that they're also gathering up reams of information from the servers of major Internet and tech companies.

Mexico City has largely been spared the drug violence in other parts of the country. But a brazen daylight abduction of 12 young people from a Mexico City bar is putting the spotlight on one of the capital's roughest neighborhoods, and putting the popular mayor on the defensive.

Four albums of reissues and archival recordings from Crosby's own vaults are getting a high-profile release; they demonstrate that his influence on modern singing is so huge, we barely notice it anymore. He could sing anything from Latin to Hawaiian to The Great American Songbook.

A scientist who studies tornadoes says there's still much to be learned about how they form and how to better forecast them. Still, the storm chasing and research communities will be reevaluating their procedures in the wake of three colleagues' deaths.

Reversing a trend that dates back to the 1990s, the lobbying industry is becoming more secretive. And campaign money now looms ever larger as a critical element in the persuasion business.

The burden for retirement planning has shifted dramatically, from traditional pensions run by experts to 401(k)s that require decisions by "gravely undereducated investors, Vanguard founder John Bogle says. He says the government should set minimum standards to protect retirement plans.