UNITED STATES-NUCLEAR TERRORISM

WASHINGTON — Tucked into the surveillance bill that became law last week is a little-noticed section that will let the United States complete ratification of two long-stalled treaties aimed at stopping a frightening scenario: terrorists wielding radioactive bombs. By Deb Riechmann. 

AFGHANISTAN MASSACRE

TACOMA, Washington — The U.S. soldier who murdered 16 Afghan villagers in 2012 says he had lost compassion for Iraqis and Afghans over the course of his four combat deployments. 

MEXICO-ELECTIONS

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's first independent gubernatorial candidate was leading in exit polls as voting closed in central states after an election marred by sporadic outbursts of violence. 

TROPICAL WEATHER

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico — Hurricane Blanca was downgraded to a tropical storm as it neared the Baja California Peninsula, where residents boarded up home and storefront windows in preparation for the heavy rains and high winds that were forecast to lash a wide area including the resorts of Los Cabos. 

ABORTION DECLINE

Abortions have declined in U.S. states where new laws make it harder to have them — but they've also waned in states where abortion rights are protected, an Associated Press survey finds.

CARACOL, Haiti — Over the decades, impoverished Haiti has gained a reputation as a wasteland for wildlife. The country has only about 2 percent of its original forest cover, and its waters are severely overfished. Now, Haitian conservationist Jean Wiener is leading a homegrown environmental campaign to protect the country's northern coastal areas, including barrier reefs and threatened mangrove forests.