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Mo Yan was one of three writers favored to win. He is perhaps best known in the West as the author of Red Sorghum, which was made into a film. He is only the second Chinese writer to win the Nobel — the other is poet Gao Xingjian, who won in 2000.

California starts the ball rolling Wednesday on a controversial scheme to keep the planet from overheating: Businesses will have to get a permit if they emit greenhouse gases. And one California company is hoping to get in on the ground level, by turning trash into biomass energy.

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo made big gains this week on the country's eastern border. As has happened many times before in the area, the fighting touched off a mass exodus of civilians seeking safety.

Economic progress in China's countryside helps explain the varied reaction to the once-in-a-decade leadership transition. In big cities and online, some derided the process as an authoritarian charade. In rural China, though, there is a reservoir of goodwill and people are more accepting even if they don't know the leaders well.

Lots of people and companies are making donations to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy, but food and clothing aren't always the most helpful things. Most charities would prefer money so they can target help to the greatest needs.

Among the places hardest hit when Sandy made landfall last month was the small, working class community of Union Beach, N.J., just across the Raritan Bay from New York City. The powerful storm surge flooded much of the town, gutting buildings along the waterfront and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses.

Officials in Washington are still trying to make sense of the sudden resignation last week of CIA Director David Petraeus. More details are emerging about the extramarital affair that brought Petraeus down. It came to light following an FBI investigation, which was not focused originally on the CIA director but soon led to him.

At the beginning of January, the cover story of The New York Times Magazine declared: "George Saunders Has Written The Best Book You'll Read This Year." The stories in the author's latest collection, The Tenth of December, prove that The Times may well be right.

Some GOP House members argue that if the debt limit isn't raised, the president would have to make choices about what bills get paid. But economists say prioritizing payments — even assuming it would be possible — isn't a great idea.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new gun control bill into law Tuesday, just days after delivering an impassioned speech on the need to pass the legislation. The popular governor has managed to translate his high approval ratings into a number of political victories. But some say Cuomo is just padding his resume for a future presidential bid.