Environment

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Tom Poti had a power-play goal during his two-game conditioning stint with the Hershey Bears (Associated Press)

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Arnold Schwarzenegger steps back into the type of role he mastered in the 1980s in "The Last Stand," and the years show on his face. Forest Whitaker plays an FBI agent in the film. (Lionsgate via Associated Press)

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Syrians struggle to get pillows and blankets distributed at a camp for displaced civilians, in the village of Atmeh, Syria. Other Syrians have escaped the conflict by going to neighboring countries, taxing the ability of those nations and international relief agencies to help them. "In terms of the overall numbers, it is very clear the region is facing a humanitarian disaster that is deepening by the day," said Sharon Waxman, of the International Rescue Committee's Commission on Syrian Refugees. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** At a hospital in Xiangyang, parents help their young children inhale atomized liquid medicine to fight the effects of China’s dangerous levels of air pollution that have kept children indoors and sent coughing residents to hospitals. (Xinhua News Agency via Associated Press)

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People wearing masks are common in many Chinese cities now choked by dense smog, including Wuhan in Hubei province. Air pollution is a major problem because of the country’s rapid changes and disregard for environmental laws, but, for the first time, government officials are talking about it. (Associated Press)

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The departure of Interior Secretary Kenneth L. Salazar and other Cabinet members gives oil and gas leaders optimism that President Obama's energy and environmental policies will be friendlier to the industry during his second term. (Associated Press)

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"Zero Dark Thirty" director Kathryn Bigelow, much-heralded for "The Hurt Locker," has fallen from favor among some in the Hollywood community for her new film's nonjudgmental take on what they regard as "torture." (Columbia Pictures)

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Timothy W. Cannon faces a maximum of five years in prison after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to negotiating employment with a company that had a multimillion-dollar contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (Courtesy of Federal Emergency Management Agency)

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Workers with the Verizon Center put down the markings and logos on the ice surface for the Washington Capitals ice rink on Jan. 9, 2013. The shortened, 48-game season begins for the Capitals on Jan. 19 against division foe Tampa Bay. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Edner Gue (right) and Labon Florestal work to clean up the earthquake damaged Grande College Auguste Comte de Petionville, in their neighborhood of Petionville, Haiti, on Jan. 11, 2013. The director of the elementary and high school is paying workers to clean up his school and plans to open classes even if the government does not rebuild it. On Jan. 12, Haiti will mark the 3rd anniversary of the earthquake that officials say killed more than 300,000 people and displaced more than a million others. The disaster is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in modern history. (Associated Press)

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Virginia state Sen. John C. Watkins has introduced legislation to create a robust, highly regulated environment for uranium mining. "I respect the concerns that opponents of uranium mining have expressed," Mr. Watkins said. (Associated Press)