Two US Ebola patients are released by Atlanta hospital
ATLANTA — The two American aid workers who were the first patients ever to be treated for the Ebola virus at a hospital in the United States have been released, capping a transcontinental medical drama that stirred public debate about whether any American with the virus should have been allowed to return.
US Supreme Court delays gay marriage in Virginia
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a last-minute order delaying same-sex marriages in Virginia, less than a day before officials there were to begin providing marriage licenses to gay couples.
Summer to make comeback after cool weekend
As summer comes to a close, the second half of August has been a bit cooler than usual so far at the Institute. While normal high temperatures for this time of year are around 80°F (27°C), temperatures observed at Logan Airport in Boston have not exceeded 80°F since Aug. 17. This trend of cool weather will continue into the weekend, as a weak low pressure system passes over New England. This system will bring cloudy skies, scattered rain showers, and a steady easterly breeze, which will blow cooler ocean air over the the coastal land region.
Despite horror of Islamic State, Hill wary of US military expansion
WASHINGTON — For weeks, Capitol Hill has watched U.S. military engagement in Iraq with quiet unease.
Shorts (right)
MOSCOW — Russia’s Federal Migration Service on Tuesday moved to deport the American wife of a high-profile human rights lawyer living in St. Petersburg, labeling her “a threat to national security.”
Shorts (left)
ATLANTA — The North Carolina missionary who contracted the Ebola virus while working in Liberia arrived in Georgia on Tuesday and joined another aid worker in the specialized isolation ward of a hospital here.
US diplomacy on Gaza strains ties with Israel
WASHINGTON — When the State Department condemned Israel’s strike on a United Nations school in Gaza on Sunday, saying it was “appalled” by this “disgraceful” act, it gave full vent to what has been weeks of mounting American anger toward the Israeli government.
Japan imposes new sanctions on Russia but keeps a diplomatic door open
TOKYO — Torn between maintaining solidarity with Washington and keeping a diplomatic door open with Moscow, Japan imposed new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday but kept them more limited than those recently ordered by the United States.
Putin urges economic retaliation for sanctions
MOSCOW — Russia should retaliate against the economic sanctions being imposed on the country over the Kremlin’s Ukraine policy, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday. His was the strongest endorsement yet for calls in Russia to ban everything from major Western accounting firms to overflights by European airlines to frozen U.S. chickens.
Bertha bypasses Boston
Tropical Storm Bertha is forecast to pass roughly 250 miles (400 km) off the coast of New England today, but its effects will barely be noticeable here at the Institute. The second named tropical cyclone of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, Bertha briefly attained hurricane status on Monday. Prior to that, the storm impacted the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. However, the storm’s path has since shifted to the north and east, and it is expected to go out to sea without having any significant impact on the mainland United States.
Israeli arrest in abduction of three youths is made public
JERUSALEM — Israel arrested a Palestinian last month accused of being the prime mover in the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June, it emerged from court papers on Tuesday. The abduction set off the most recent conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Muslim minister quits British government over Gaza policies
LONDON — The fighting in Gaza claimed an unexpected casualty among the British political elite Tuesday when Sayeeda Warsi, the first Muslim to serve in the British Cabinet, resigned, saying the government’s “approach and language” in the crisis had been “morally indefensible.”
New leadership style in China complicates American diplomacy
BEIJING — As Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, joined by a large group of U.S. officials, meet with senior Chinese leaders here this week, they will face an American-Chinese relationship riven by a strategic rivalry not seen before, a situation that neither side appears in the mood to improve.
Shorts (left)
KABUL, Afghanistan — After hours of pitched political drama that sent President Barack Obama and other officials scrambling to calm a surge of Afghan factional hostility, the presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah walked a perilous line Tuesday, threatening to declare his own government even while urging his frenzied supporters to give him time to negotiate.
Tanker hijackings add to tensions in South China Sea
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Add another problem to the rising tensions in the South China Sea this year: a mysterious spate of tanker hijackings since late April, as armed bands of men have boarded and commandeered the ships, siphoned their cargos of diesel and gasoline onto barges or other tankers, and fled into the night.
Holder urges Europeans to step up anti-terrorism tactics
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Tuesday implored more European countries to adopt U.S.-style counterterrorism laws and tactics, including undercover stings to prevent potential terrorists from traveling to Syria.
Ukraine rebels are retreating for last stand
KIEV, Ukraine — Separatist rebels retreated Monday from positions in eastern Ukraine, apparently blowing up bridges, and began building barricades in the two largest cities, Donetsk and Luhansk, in anticipation of a final stand against advancing government troops.
Pleasant weekend ahead
The hot and humid weather of the last several days will continue today, with a chance of thunderstorms today. Thunderstorms are a common summertime occurrence, but it is important to take the treat of severe weather carefully. On Monday afternoon, a mesocyclone passed just north of MIT, and had a tornado warning associated with it. Although no actual tornadoes were reported, there was a confirmed microburst (with straight line winds of 90–100 mph) that caused wind damage in Bedford. Although the threat of severe weather looks to be minimal in our area the rest of the week, it is good practice to stay informed by checking the National Weather Service (weather.gov) for severe weather watches and warnings.
Obama to nominate new deputy secretary of energy
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he is nominating Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, the National Security Council’s top nuclear proliferation and defense policy official, to be deputy secretary of energy.
Shorts (right)
JERUSALEM — The call came to the cellphone of his brother’s wife, Salah Kaware said Tuesday. Kaware lives in Khan Younis, in southeast Gaza, and the caller said that everyone in the house must leave within five minutes, because it was going to be bombed.