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Six dead in Afghan car bomb attack

Five Afghan civilians and one police officer died Saturday in a car bomb attack targeting a police checkpoint in the country’s northeastern region, the NATO command reported. A billion gallons of ash sludge, laced with toxic materials, spilled from a holding pond and fouled 300 acres and two rivers near the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant on December 22. Forty homes were affected, roads were ruined, and residents were left wondering whether their water would ever be safe to drink.

Turning toxic coal ash into bridges, buildings

Despite the destruction it caused in a massive spill near a Tennessee power plant in December, coal ash has found many uses that benefit industry and even the environment.

Can Afghanistan Support a Beefed Up Military?

Unlike some of his predecessors, Defense Secretary Robert Gates declines to bluff when he doesn’t know the answer. When he was asked on Wednesday about the best strategy for the war in Afghanistan, he shrugged

U.S. moves to suspend aid for Madagascar

The United States is moving to suspend all non-humanitarian aid to Madagascar because it considers this week’s forced departure of its president "tantamount to a coup d’etat," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Friday. Earlier in the day, the African Union announced it had suspended Madagascar’s membership after its 15-member Peace and Security Council decided the transfer of government was unconstitutional, AU spokesman El Ghassim Wane told CNN. “We ask the de facto authorities to return the country to constitutional rule, and should they fail to do so, the Peace and Security Council may incur sanctions,” he said.

Israel: Netanyahu gets more time to form government

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, running out of time to form a coalition government, was granted a 14-day extension Friday by Israeli President Shimon Peres. Netanyahu has been negotiating with Labour Party leader Ehud Barak to try to broaden what would be a Likud-led coalition. The Labour Party is expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss Netanyahu’s offer and to vote on whether to join his government

Mitt Romney: Obama ‘is learning on the fly’

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, but John McCain snagged the nomination. This businessman and politician is keeping a critical eye on how things are shaping up in the presidency he wanted, and he shared his views on Thursday night’s “Larry King Live.” He gave a sharp critique of President Obama’s performance and shared his thoughts on Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and stem-cell research

Argentine farmers protest export taxes

Farmers in Argentina blocked highways and rural routes throughout the country to protest anew the lack in progress in negotiations with the government over export taxes on farm goods. Argentine television news channel Todo Noticias showed images of trucks and cars stopped along rural routes in the provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Rios on Thursday

A Crisis Averted, but Pakistan Unrest May Not Be Over

The drums have fallen silent, the dancing in the streets has ended and Pakistan’s stock exchange has rebounded, but Monday’s political compromise — which ended a dangerous standoff — has not necessarily ensured stability.

Signs of Tension Between Putin and Medvedev?

Whispers of a split between Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his handpicked successor, President Dmitri Medvedev, have grown louder over the past few weeks. The economic crisis is putting pressure on the ruling duo to show they’re on top of things. It may also be exacerbating their differences.

African group rejects Madagascar’s new leader

A regional body comprised of several southern African nations is refusing to recognize Madagascar opposition leader Andry Rajoelina as the island nation’s new president, an official said. The Southern African Development Community group, which met Thursday in Swaziland, has “completely rejected the legitimacy” of Rajoelina, the organization’s executive secretary, Tomaz Salomao, told CNN.