Igor, Julia, and Karl, oh my!
The active hurricane season continues in the Atlantic, with three hurricanes occurring simultaneously (a fairly rare occurrence in the Atlantic). As of 5 p.m. yesterday, Igor had sustained winds of 125 mph, Julia had sustained winds of 85 mph, and Karl had sustained winds of 80 mph. Igor has maintained its Category 4 intensity for several days, and is expected to continue to be a powerful hurricane before gradually weakening as he moves over colder waters while curving towards Bermuda. Julia was a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, before weakening due to less favorable environmental conditions, including interaction with Igor’s outflow, and is forecast to continue to dissipate. Neither Igor nor Julia forecasted tracks indicate that they will impact the U.S. Karl actually intensified to hurricane status after making landfall in Belize as a tropical storm and crossing over the Yucatan peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to make a second landfall in eastern Mexico this afternoon.
In California, a showdown on greenhouse gas emissions
LOS ANGELES — A ballot initiative to suspend a milestone California law curbing greenhouse gas emissions is drawing a wave of contributions from out-of-state oil companies, raising concerns among conservationists as it emerges as a test of public support for potentially costly environmental measures during tough economic times.
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia approved
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s arms control treaty with Russia advanced to the Senate floor with bipartisan support Thursday, giving it a major boost toward ratification despite the election-year polarization that has divided the parties over so many other issues.
A technology sets inventors free to dream
SAN FRANCISCO — Businesses in the South Park district of San Francisco generally sell either Web technology or sandwiches and burritos. Bespoke Innovations plans to sell designer body parts.
Turkish constitutional changes pass by a wide margin
ISTANBUL — Turkish voters approved a sweeping package of constitutional reforms by a wide margin on Sunday, handing a major victory to the Islamist-rooted government that continued the country’s inexorable shift in power away from the secular Westernized elite that has governed modern Turkey for most of its history.
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The European Commission significantly raised its growth forecast for the region on Monday because of strong output data during the second quarter, and said that the recovery was starting to broaden across sectors.
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MEXICO CITY — In perhaps the clearest sign yet that economic change is gathering pace in Cuba, the government plans to lay off more than half a million people from the public sector in the expectation that they will move into private businesses, Cuba’s labor federation said Monday.
Clinton says deal is possible on settlements in West Bank
SHANNON, Ireland — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that she believed that the Israelis and Palestinians could work out a deal on Jewish settlements, leaving open the possibility that their fledgling peace talks could go forward even without an extension of Israel’s moratorium on settlement construction.
Igor, Julia churn in Atlantic
While relatively calm weather continues here in New England, a major hurricane is currently producing very strong winds in the Atlantic Ocean. Located about 700 miles (1,127 km) east of the Leeward Islands, Hurricane Igor was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 km/h) as of 5 p.m. yesterday. Igor is the ninth named tropical cyclone, the fourth hurricane, and the third major hurricane in the Atlantic basin this year, and while it is too soon to say whether it will directly impact the United States, Igor could reach Bermuda by this weekend.
Gulf may have avoided direst predictions after spill
NEW ORLEANS — Marsh grasses matted by oil are still a common sight on the gulf coast here, but so are green shoots springing up beneath them.
Court rejects Pennsylvania city’s efforts to curb immigrants
A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower-court ruling striking down ordinances adopted by Hazleton, Pa., that banned illegal immigrants from renting housing or being employed there.
Florida minister wavers on plans to burn the Quran
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Terry Jones, the Florida minister who set the world on edge with plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, said Thursday that he had canceled his demonstration because he had won a promise to move the mosque near ground zero to a new location.
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A year after a disastrous 27 percent decline that prompted layoffs, salary freezes and a halt to some campus expansion, the Harvard endowment on Thursday reported an 11 percent increase in its $27.4 billion portfolio for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
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BOULDER, Colo. — Federal fire managers said firefighters have the Fourmile Canyon Fire west of Boulder about 40 percent contained and that good progress against the blaze was made Thursday.
A surge of interest in hiring Republican lobbyists
WASHINGTON — With Democrats in danger of losing control of Congress, some prominent lobbying shops, trade groups and contractors are already moving to bring more Republicans on board to bolster their political fortunes.
Union accuses China of illegal subsidies in clean energy
HONG KONG — A broad trade case filed Thursday by an American labor union, accusing China of unfairly subsidizing its clean energy industry, pressed a hot-button jobs issue in the United States during a congressional election season.
Cool and clear <br />for the weekend
A high pressure system will again bring sunshine to the Boston area this weekend. High temperatures will remain in the high 60s and low 70s °F, however, with the persistence of clouds early this morning as well as the arrival of cool northern air tomorrow during the day. While these temperatures are a bit cooler than those we have been used to the past few weeks, they are close to normal for this time of year. September often marks the time of year at which temperatures begin to fall with the arrival of autumn: The normal high temperature for September 1 in Boston is 9.2°F higher than the normal high for September 30. Certain events associated with warm weather are still possible, however. For instance, on this date in 1954, Hurricane Edna dumped 5.64 inches of rain in Boston.
Dangerous quartet of Iraqi prisoners escapes U.S. custody
BAGHDAD — Four of the most dangerous prisoners in Iraq escaped overnight on Wednesday from American custody in a heavily fortified prison on the edge of Baghdad, an embarrassing security breach that led to an intensive manhunt, American and Iraqi officials said Thursday.
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THATA SIAL, PAKISTAN — When the governor of Punjab province arrived recently in this small town with truckloads of relief goods for flood victims, his visit was as much a political mission as a humanitarian one. His message to the hundred or so displaced people gathered under an awning was that the government was there for them.
Some see a ploy as Craigslist blocks sex ads
SAN FRANCISCO — Craigslist, by shutting off its “adult services” section and slapping a “censored” label in its place, is engaging in what some analysts describe as a high-stakes stunt to influence public opinion.