Planning Afghanistan's Future Beyond 2014

Just as the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah a month ago catalyzed new opportunities for Mideast peace, the death of long-elusive Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar Thursday turbocharges the transformation of the Middle East towards a more secure and prosperous future. To appreciate the possibilities, it is vital to understand the significance of the Sinwar as a leader.

LOS ANGELES – Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93. Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press. “As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life,” Reyes and Rosamonda said in a joint statement.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center says there is a 60% chance that a weak La Nina event will develop this autumn and could last until March. La Nina is part of a natural climate cycle that can cause extreme weather across the planet — and its effects vary from place to place. Although there is no guarantee how this La Nina will play out, there are some general trends.

A Montrose County man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in a decades-old Colorado cold case, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday. Dan Bishop, a 68-year-old man from Naturita, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in the 1999 disappearance of then-42-year-old Dale Williams, CBI officials said in a Thursday news release. At the time of his disappearance, 25 years ago, Williams owned an auto body repair shop in Nucla.

As cities around the world grapple with congestion and seek to lower emissions, one New Zealand-based startup is looking upward for solutions. Next year, Whoosh will begin construction on a gondola-like ride-hailing network in a 370-acre area of tourism hot spot Queenstown—the first of its kind. Whoosh resembles a ski lift, descending for passenger pickup, but operates differently.

Colorado taxpayers could receive state refunds of up to $1,130 when they file taxes in 2025, depending on their filing status and gross income, state officials said. According to the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Taxation Division, single-filing taxpayers could receive between $177 and $565 in tax refunds under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, and joint-filing taxpayers could receive between $354 and $1,130, depending on their gross income bracket. TABOR is a constitutional amendment that caps the state budget and requires tax revenues collected above that to be refunded to taxpayers.