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Kimberly Motley is an American lawyer working in Afghanistan trying to make changes in the country's legal system. She initially moved there in 2008, when she took a job with the State Department to train Afghan lawyers. What she saw there shocked her.

Even infants too young to discern the meaning of words seem better able to learn while listening to the sound of human speech than while listening to nonsense — speech run backward. Little surprise there, perhaps, but a study shows that recordings of lemur calls spark learning, too.

A new poll in the Virginia governor's race reports Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a sizable lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli among female voters. That's a departure from the 2009 contest, when the Republican nominee won the women's vote by a healthy margin.

The horrific effects of chemical weapons used during World War I led to a treaty banning their use.

The country also known as Burma was rocked by mass protests in the summer of 1988. Discontent through the spring led to a general strike on Aug. 8, but the demonstrations and upheaval in the following weeks were capped by a brutal September crackdown.

Werner Herzog's latest project is a slight departure for the acclaimed filmmaker: a 35-minute public service announcement on the dangers of texting and driving. Yes, it's long, he says, but the "inner landscape" of great suffering such accidents can cause "can only be shown if you have more time."

Library or Apple store? The Digital Commons at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., has more screens than it does books. It's just one example of the many ways libraries are remodeling to meet the needs of 21st century users.

The Secret Service made some immediate changes after the president's death 50 years ago this month: Open limousines were out. And it began taking a more aggressive approach to its advance work. Over the years, the service has established counter-sniper units, assault teams and surveillance units.

Eight candidates are vying for the office in a race that has tightened in recent weeks. The top two contenders include the candidate from the ruling party that has been in power since 2009, and the wife of the former president who was deposed by the military four years ago.

The Federal Election Commission has rejected a bid by conservatives to weaken the campaign-finance disclosure law. A Tea Party group had asked for a precedent-changing decision to keep its donor lists secret. It said members are being targeted for harassment and intimidation.