Election commission votes to allow bitcoin donations
WASHINGTON — The Federal Election Commission voted Thursday to allow political committees to accept bitcoin donations and outlined the ways that the virtual currency can be used by federally regulated campaigns.
Snapchat settles charge with FTC that it deceived users
The disappearing act of messages on Snapchat, the mobile messaging service, has not been as foolproof as the company promised.
Obama policy bans employee use of leaked material
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is clamping down on a technique that government officials have long used to join in public discussions of well-known but technically still-secret information: citing news reports based on unauthorized disclosures.
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Both sides in the South Sudan civil war have committed crimes against humanity including arbitrary killings, mass rapes and other sexual violence, systematic pillaging and attacks on churches, hospitals and international aid facilities, the U.N. Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan said Thursday in its most detailed report on the conflict.
Kellogg agrees to change labeling on Kashi line
The Kellogg Co., maker of some of the country’s most familiar breakfast cereals, said Thursday that it had agreed to drop the terms “all natural” and “nothing artificial” from some products in its Kashi line as part of a settlement agreement ending a class-action lawsuit.
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Oklahoma on Thursday delayed the execution of Charles F. Warner by six months, to allow time for a review of lethal injection procedures that was started after a bungled execution last week left a prisoner writhing in pain before he died of heart failure.
Tensions rise between China and Vietnam over disputed waters
BEIJING — China demanded that Vietnam withdraw ships from disputed waters around a Chinese drilling rig Thursday — the latest volley in a standoff that has quickly escalated into one of the most serious in years in the contested South China Sea.
Showers precede spring warm-up
The last weekend of spring semester will get off to a rainy start. A frontal system will pass through the area today and tomorrow, bringing the possibility of rain showers, and even the occasional thunderstorm. Today, in advance of the system, onshore winds will combine with cloud cover to keep temperatures in check. However, a warm front will pass through the area overnight, leading to considerably warmer temperatures during the day on Saturday.
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From its very beginnings, “Game of Thrones,” has been riddled with sexual brutality. The franchise, which started as a series of fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin about a bleak, feudal world, has at various times included a warrior king who claims his child bride on their wedding night and the gang rape of a young woman by “half a hundred shouting men behind a tanner’s shop.”
MERS virus found in United States for first time
A new virus that has killed more than 100 people in the Middle East has been found in the United States for the first time, in an Indiana health care worker who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, federal health officials said Friday.
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NEW DELHI — At least 28 Muslims have been killed in three separate attacks on western villages in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, where long-simmering tensions have pitted members of the Bodo tribal group, who are demanding a separate state, against non-Bodo residents, including Muslims.
Study reveals sizable increase in diabetes among children
For years doctors have warned of a rising epidemic of diabetes among children. Yet there has been surprisingly little firm data on the extent of this disease among younger Americans.
Obama orders policy review of executions
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared this week’s botched execution in Oklahoma “deeply disturbing” and directed the attorney general Friday to review how the death penalty is applied in the United States at a time when it has become increasingly debated.
Mixed verdict in Apple-Samsung patent fight
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A federal jury said on Friday that Apple and Samsung had infringed each other’s patents on some mobile devices, a split decision in the latest court fight between the two technology giants.
Sweet spring supplies sunny scenes
As green continues popping up here and there, it is clearer and clearer that spring is here. This week, in particular, will be a really nice week. Temperatures will stay between 40F and 70F throughout the week, although with a few showers towards the tail side.
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BAGHDAD — Millions of Iraqis voted for a new Parliament on Wednesday, defying threats from Islamist extremists, in an election that was carried out, by Iraq’s brutal standards, in remarkable peace.
Turkish protestors defy May Day ban, dozens detained
ISTANBUL — Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Istanbul on Thursday in May Day rallies, confronting riot police officers to protest, lashing out against a government mired in a corruption scandal and accused of imposing a creeping authoritarianism in Turkey.
Seattle mayor details plan for $15 minimum wage
SEATTLE — Mayor Ed Murray presented on Thursday what he described as an imperfect but workable plan to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than twice the federal minimum wage and one of the highest anywhere in the nation, through a series of complex and phased-in stages. Just as crucially, he said, the plan has broad political support, with a coalition of labor and business groups ready to push hard for it at the City Council, starting with the first hearings next week.
Springtime temperatures for the weekend
After a week filled with temperatures in the 40s and on-and-off rain, Boston will finally see some nicer weather this weekend. Each day for the next few days will have a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures in the 60s. A mass of cold air high in the air column will move over the region on Sunday, creating an instability in the atmosphere. This system could generate showers and thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. Depending on the strength of the instability, some forecasts have even predicted the slight possibility of hail.
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WASHINGTON — Reporting of rape and other sexual assaults in the military is up by 50 percent, according to a Defense Department report that was released Thursday. White House and Pentagon officials said it was a welcome sign of increased confidence among victims that recent steps by military leaders show the Pentagon is taking these cases seriously.