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The Justice Department says about half of all international criminal organizations have links to extremist groups, such as Hezbollah, the Taliban and FARC rebels in Colombia. But diffuse priorities are hindering U.S. efforts to combat this growing problem of transnational, organized crime.

While the ATF is a fraction of the size of its sister agency, the FBI, it runs the show when it comes to tracing weapons at crime scenes and investigating bombs and arson. But the agency has been without a permanent director for almost seven years.

The country is preparing to host the 2014 World Cup by refurbishing its stadiums for soccer's biggest event. But some of the venues are behind schedule, and the preparations are costing taxpayers more than they expected. Some now wonder if all of the fanfare is worth the effort.

Charles Darwin is known as the father of evolution. But another British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, played a major role in developing the theory of natural selection before fading into obscurity. A trip to what's now Sulawesi in Indonesia, and the unique animals he found there, helped form his seminal ideas.

The investigation is widening as authorities try to determine if anyone helped the two brothers who are the main suspects in the attack and other crimes that followed.

That debate has been a partisan one. Democrats wanted the tax high, saying consumers will gladly pay. Republicans wanted a lower tax, saying if not, a black market will develop.

Following recent tradition, Queen Beatrix chose to abdicate in order to pass the crown to a new generation. Her son, Willem-Alexander, becomes the first Dutch king since 1890.

British jigsaw puzzle maker Dave Evans had hand cut the wooden pieces from images of Queen Elizabeth's jubilee. He says it needs to be put back together by next week, and he's hoping some of the queen's men and women can help him restore it.

The bombing is the second in as many days in Damascus and is thought to be part of a stepped-up campaign against the government.

SpaceX calls it the "Grasshopper" — it's a rocket that doesn't fall back to Earth haphazardly after launch. It carefully returns itself to the launchpad standing up, right where it started.