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Some 20,000 Israelis now live in the Golan Heights, and so far, the Syrian conflict has had little impact on their lives. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's concerned the fighting could pose a threat.

It happens after every disaster. People want to help, but their donations often turn out to be a burden. Newtown, Conn., for example, was so inundated with gifts, it asked people to stop sending them. Instead, disaster aid groups are trying to figure out a better way to channel good intentions.

In Mexico City, the government is offering cash, new bikes and computers for guns. The mayor says the buyback program is taking dangerous weapons out of commission. But mayors of some cities overrun by drug traffickers say law-abiding citizens need guns for protection.

From Superstorm Sandy to gun laws to the fiscal cliff, national issues are on the minds and the lips of the nation's governors setting their state agendas this week. Some want Congress and President Obama to act; others are urging state legislators to do what Congress hasn't.

The drought that damaged crops in the Midwest last summer has brought the water level to historically low levels. Now barge traffic along a vital stretch of the Mississippi is dangerously close to running dry, putting shipping and jobs at risk.

Three more fiscal cliff-type deadlines are fast approaching. They involve: 1) raising the debt ceiling 2) imposing automatic spending cuts and 3) funding the federal government to avert a partial shutdown.

In Afghanistan, governors are not elected, they are selected — and more often than not due to family or political connections. But in an attempt to curb graft, the country has just sworn in a batch of governors — including the first female district governor — selected through a new merit-based program.

The president has nominated his chief of staff. Jack Lew is also a former budget director in both the Clinton and Obama administrations. He would replace Timothy Geithner, who plans to step down soon.

At a news briefing Thursday afternoon, Kern County Sheriff Don Youngblood said that a science teacher helped convince the gunman, a 16-year-old student at the school, that he should put his weapon on the ground. The teacher was joined by a campus supervisor in talking to the gunman.

It's taken a few months for official reports to confirm what local Moroccan farmers predicted months ago: This year's date harvest was well above average. The reasons for this year's impressive haul, though, are harder to pin down.