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Over the past three decades, the U.N. says Afghanistan's forest cover has decreased by about 50 percent — to just about 2 percent of the country's land. The main reason is the illegal harvesting and trade of timber. A visit to Kunar province, near the Pakistan border, reveals that many people, from top officials down, are involved.

The top rebel commander in northern Syria was not impressed with Secretary of State John Kerry's announcement of new direct U.S. aid to the rebels and their political leaders.

Researchers report that the U.S. ranks among the top countries at treating cancers of the brain, colon and breast. But it still lags behind most of Western Europe when it comes to drug abuse, heart disease and kidney problems.

This sleepy town on the west side of Prince William Sound is remote, and it's hit with brutal winter weather every year. Most of the residents live in a single 14-story building called Begich Towers.

British horticulturists figured out how to graft a tomato plant onto a potato plant. The plant, called Ketchup 'n' Fries, has crossed the pond and will be available to U.S. gardeners this spring.

Forbes in Israel has published a first-of-its-kind ranking of the country's richest rabbis. The estimated wealth of the top-ranked rabbi? $335 million. Some self-styled Jewish mystics attract wealthy, high-profile followers who donate huge sums in exchange for blessings and advice.

Secretary of State Clinton is meeting with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem Monday. U.S. relations with Israel have focused less on the Palestinian situation, and more on the chances of a war against Iran.

What does the growing income gap between the richest and poorest Americans mean for social mobility? An academic study published last week found that, contrary to popular perception, it has not gotten harder to climb the income ladder in the U.S. in the past two decades.

The Winter Olympics bobsled, luge and skeleton track was designed with safety in mind, not just speed. It was constructed after an athlete died in a violent crash, and others complained of out-of-control speed, at the Olympics four years ago.

So you know how, if someone comes by and taps the top of your open beer bottle, a volcano of brewski will explode? Well, it turns out that the physics involved are the same as what causes an atomic bomb to form a mushroom cloud. A scientist explains how it works.