Recent sectarian strife in Myanmar threatens the country's nascent democratic reforms. Not so long ago, Indonesia faced similar challenges. Now, it's a thriving democracy.

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Ramsey gained instant fame with his accounts of what happened after he heard cries for help from inside a Cleveland home where authorities say three young women had been held captive for about a decade. His tale famously included a mention of the Big Mac he'd been eating.

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A Japanese mountaineer has become the oldest person to conquer Mount Everest, as Yuichiro Miura, 80, reached the peak Thursday morning. The feat marks Miura's third time atop Mount Everest. As in 2008, Miura's accomplishment is in danger of being surpassed by rival climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 81.

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When researchers challenged people with heart disease to perform some stressful tasks, those who took a popular antidepressant had fewer symptoms related to reduced blood flow to the heart. The findings, though preliminary, suggest another avenue for treatment.

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There was more of a decline than economists expected, but the weekly pace hasn't really changed much since late 2011.

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Ibragim Todashev, law enforcement sources tell NPR and other news outlets, was being questioned about the 2011 killings of three men in Waltham, Mass. Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has also been linked to that unsolved case.

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Also: Amazon to begin publishing fan fiction; Paul Ryan and Elizabeth Warren are writing books; Keith Richards' exorbitant library fines.

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A British soldier was hacked to death on a busy south London street Wednesday. Witnesses say the two attackers claimed to be acting in revenge for the deaths of Muslims. Authorities are praising the heroism of women who confronted the attackers.

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Among the first to be remembered will be 9-year-old Antonia Candelaria, one of 7 children killed at their elementary school. She and her best friend, Emily Conatzer, were holding on to each other when they both died.

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JUNEAU — An Anchorage lawmaker plans to introduce a bill in the next legislative session that would overhaul Alaska’s conflict of interest rules.

Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski’s proposal would require a majority vote to allow a House or Senate member with a stated conflict to abstain from voting. Wielechowski’s office says currently a single lawmaker can force another legislator to vote, even if there’s a significant conflict.

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ANCHORAGE — A former Anchorage police officer accused of using a state database to look up confidential information about a woman he arrested and had sex with also urged prosecutors to drop drunken driving charges against her, charging documents say.

Mark Moeller, 25, also obtained and then burned a report from Alaska State Troopers about the woman and her ex-boyfriend, the Anchorage Daily News reports citing the documents.

It is against the law for police to use the state database for personal reasons.

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ANCHORAGE — After drifting toward shore on a floating drill rig tilted by 30-foot swells and 45-knot winds, then riding a basket up to a hovering Coast Guard helicopter, Todd Case said he would revise the towing plan for the vessel on a winter trip across the Gulf of Alaska.

In hindsight, he told a Coast Guard investigation panel Wednesday, two tugs would have been advisable for towing the Kulluk, a Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill vessel, on its December voyage from Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands to Seattle.

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KODIAK — The state of Alaska is planning to replace a ferry that serves Kodiak and southwest Alaska but has been out of service for repairs since November.

The 49-year-old vessel Tustumena had been scheduled to return to service in April but that date was pushed back to July.

“If that boat gets seriously delayed, we really feel it’s very important that we replace it as quickly as we can,” marine highway system general manager John Falvey said.

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FAIRBANKS — A University of Alaska Fairbanks professor is disputing the claim that this year’s Nenana Ice Classic culminated with the latest river breakup in the history of the 97-year-old guessing game.

The Tanana River ice moved at 3:41 p.m. Monday. The game of guessing when the ice will move officially uses standard time, not daylight time, so the winning time was listed as 2:41 p.m., breaking the record of 11:41 a.m. AST set May 20, 1964.

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The Chicago school board voted to close dozens of schools, despite community protests that the closings disproportionately affect minority students. Now the teachers union and community activists want to change the system and oust the elected officials who disagreed with them.

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Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama's re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls "climate change deniers." But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline.

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Elysha O'Brien calls herself a "Mexican white girl." Not just because of her ethnically ambiguous appearance, she says, but also because she can't speak Spanish. Fearing their children would experience discrimination if they spoke Spanish, her parents chose not to teach them their native tongue.

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Federal prisoners can request compassionate release if they are terminally ill, but a recent investigation found that many die while their requests drift through the system. Now, prison leaders say they will simplify the approval process and start tracking requests electronically.

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Master slack key musician Cyril Pahinui (featured in Pacific Heartbeat 100 – Waimea ‘Ukulele and Slack Key Guitar), jams with some of the best musicians in Hawai‘i in these intimate backyard performances. Cyril is the son of Gabby “Pop” Pahinui, who is considered the “Godfather” of Hawaiian slack key guitar and whose music was featured prominently in the Academy Award winning film, The Descendants.

• Thursday, 5/23 at 8:00pm