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Japan has long been a friendly place for smokers. Despite tens of billions of dollars in cigarette-related health costs and damages, anti-smoking initiatives have always had trouble gaining traction.

The small New England state, which holds its primary on Tuesday, may not be racially diverse. (In fact, it's 93.9 percent white.) But its residents defy stereotypes with their political independence. More voters in the state are registered "undeclared" than Republican or Democrat.

In 1999, Rene Foreman was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Surgery saved her life; it also took her voice box. To speak, she now uses an electrolarynx, a small device that produces an electronic voice. And as Foreman tells her daughter, life's been different — and better — ever since.

The first week of the year means big profits for weight-loss firms. Some companies are looking to expand their customer base by specifically targeting men. Others are teaming up with big employers.

President Obama used a recess appointment to name Richard Cordray head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Unlike similar appointments, the Senate hadn't technically recessed.

Opposition leaders have coalesced into a united and focused movement that is preparing to choose one candidate to run against the president, posing the strongest electoral challenge to Hugo Chavez's populist rule. Chavez still leads his nearest rival, but the gap is nothing like in years past.

NPR asked three experts to comment on the controversy surrounding the GOP presidential candidate's income and the taxes he pays.

People in Nacogdoches, Texas, have rolled out the welcome mat for hundreds of refugees from Myanmar, also known as Burma, who moved here to work at a chicken processing plant. Though the mayor admits that immigration can be a touchy issue, residents have offered support to their new neighbors.

Jobless college graduates regularly march through the streets at appointed times, wearing color-coded vests. It's all part of an effort to secure a government job. But critics say that creating more government workers is not a solution to Morocco's economic woes.

More intense care can translate into worse, and more expensive, care at the end of life. So, the thinking goes, doctors who train at hospitals with better and more efficient care will be in better shape to become future leaders.