Pilot crashes plane into IRS building; no terror link seen
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Leaving behind a rant against the government, big business and particularly the tax system, a 53-year-old computer engineer smashed a small aircraft into an office building where nearly 200 employees of the IRS were starting their workday on Thursday morning, the authorities said.
Arrest of number two in Taliban was largely a result of luck
WASHINGTON — When Pakistani security officers raided a house outside Karachi in late January, they had no idea that they had just made their most important capture in years.
In surprise move, Fed raises key interest rate
WASHINGTON — Taking a step to normalize lending after holding interest rates to extraordinary lows for more than a year to prop up the financial system, the Federal Reserve on Thursday raised the interest rate it charges on short-term loans to banks.
Democrats reel as a senator <br />steps aside
WASHINGTON — Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election, sending a wave of distress over his fellow Democrats and focusing new attention on the view that unyielding partisanship had left Congress all but paralyzed.
In California, Exhibit A in health insurance debate
LOS ANGELES — When Bernhard Punzet opened the dreaded envelope from Anthem Blue Cross one recent Saturday, it ruined his weekend.
Shorts (left)
The lack of black and Hispanic professors, highlighted in two recent reports critical of the faculty makeup at MIT and Emerson College, is a problem shared by the most prominent universities in the Boston area, a Globe survey reveals.
Shorts (right)
WASHINGTON —The Taliban’s top military commander was captured several days ago in Karachi, Pakistan, in a secret joint operation by Pakistani and U.S. intelligence forces, according to U.S. government officials.
WEATHER Another Storm Arriving
Boston will experience wintry precipitation today as a storm continues to track northeastward near the East Coast. The associated low pressure center will move towards Boston by this evening and continue toward Nova Scotia thereafter. Although this storm is not expected to be a classic nor’easter, Boston will still experience some gusty winds and mixed precipitation through the day. The metro area should expect anywhere from 2–5 inches of snow by tonight, with higher amounts as you move inland towards New Hampshire and the Worcester area. An easterly wind today will bring warmer air off the ocean, and thus Boston could see light rain mixed with the snow from late morning to mid-afternoon. By evening, snow accumulations should become apparent as ground surfaces cool below freezing.
As China develops ports in south Asia, India frets
HAMBANTOTA, SRI LANKA — For years, foreign ships laden with oil, machinery, clothes and other cargo sped past this small town near India as part of the world’s brisk trade with China.
Militants defy allies on third day of fierce combat
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Ten minutes after walking out of the small outpost on Monday morning, the Marines of K Company were ambushed again.
Greek bailout increasingly unpopular in Germany
BERLIN — As European finance ministers refused Monday to name specific measures to rescue Greece and the Continent’s common currency, opposition grew among Germans to bailing out what they call spendthrifts to the south after years of belt-tightening by workers at home.
Cyberspying fears help fuel China’s drive to curb internet
BEIJING —Deep inside a Chinese military engineering institute in September 2008, a researcher took a break from his duties and decided — against official policy — to check his private e-mail messages. Among the new arrivals was an electronic holiday greeting card that purported to be from a state defense office.
Shorts (left)
<i>VAIL, Ariz.</i> —Students endure hundreds of hours on yellow buses each year getting to and from school in this desert exurb of Tucson, and stir-crazy teenagers break the monotony by teasing, texting, flirting, shouting, climbing (over seats) and sometimes punching (seats or seatmates).But on this chilly morning, as bus No. 92 rolls down a mountain highway just before dawn, high school students are quiet, typing on laptops.
Shorts (right)
CAIRO —Iran’s president boasted Thursday that his nation had the capacity to make weapons grade nuclear fuel if it chose to, in a speech designed to rally the nation as it marked the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Obama has edge over GOP in NYT/CBS poll
WASHINGTON —At a time of deepening political disaffection and intensified distress about the economy, President Barack Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
Bill Clinton undergoes surgery to clear a blocked artery
WASHINGTON —Former President Bill Clinton was taken to a New York hospital on Thursday after experiencing chest pains and underwent a procedure to clear a blocked artery that, if untreated, might have led to a heart attack within days, aides said.
North Korea apologizes for currency change blunder
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —The North Korean government has made a rare apology for a policy blunder and lifted a ban on using foreign currency, South Korean news organizations said Thursday.
Sunny weekend ahead
Wednesday’s storm was a major disappointment for those hoping for significant snow accumulations here in Cambridge. While the storm dumped around a foot of snow along the I-95 corridor from Washington D.C. to New York City, it remained stalled off the Long Island coast for most of the day on Wednesday. We therefore only experienced light snow and some drizzly rain; Logan Airport recorded 1.2” of snow. It appears that warm air advection wrapping around the storm allowed the temperatures to increase enough to prevent significant snow accumulation in Eastern Massachusetts.
European leaders vow to aid Greece during euro plight
BRUSSLES —European leaders promised Thursday to safeguard their common currency, the euro, by aiding Greece during its debt crisis. But they offered no immediate assistance to the Greek government and remained silent on how they would respond if investors remain jittery about Greece and other nations with weak economies that use the euro.
Downward spiral continues as U.S. stocks fall below 10,000
NEW YORK The Dow Jones industrial average, a closely watched barometer of the economy’s health, dipped below the 10,000 threshold on Monday, delivering a psychological setback as investors braced for more market volatility.