Shorts (right)
After almost three decades of untrammeled power, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Monday signed an agreement that gives his longtime political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, the authority to shape and carry out government policies as the country’s new prime minister.
Covert Georgian Recordings Cast Russia As an Aggressor
A new front has opened between Georgia and Russia, now over which side was the aggressor whose military activities early last month ignited the lopsided five-day war. At issue is new intelligence, inconclusive on its own, that nonetheless paints a more complicated picture of the critical last hours before war broke out.
Many States Aim to Cut Greenhouse Gases by Billing Polluters
Ten states from Maryland to Maine are about to undertake the nation’s most serious effort yet to tackle climate change, putting limits on carbon dioxide emissions from utilities and making them pay for each ton of pollutants.
Shorts (left)
Federal Reserve officials were in urgent talks with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase on Monday to put together a $75 billion lending facility to stave off a crisis at the American International Group, the latest financial services company to be pummeled by the turmoil in the housing and credit markets.
No Swift Return to Heavily Damaged Galveston Island
As the search continued here for people killed or stranded by Hurricane Ike, authorities said Monday that they were faced with much larger challenges than simply clearing roadways and restoring electricity before they could let residents back onto this debris-strewn island.
Sunny September to Continue
When people ask “When’s the best time to visit Boston?” I smile and think to myself, “could they have asked an easier question?” September is certainly the best time. Climatologically, this is the month with the most number of sunny days. Combine that with the comfortable temperatures, this is the month where anybody would be able to enjoy the outdoors (OK, maybe not those pesky skiers). Excluding the effects of the two tropical storms, this September is no different. In fact, if you blindly believe the numerical weather prediction models, there will not be any rain for the next two weeks!
For Lehman Employees, The Collapse is Personal
In the last few days, employees of Lehman Brothers have wrung their hands as the value of their stock evaporated before their eyes. Now, many fear losing their jobs, too.
With Democrats Worried, Obama Plans Sharper Attacks
Sen. Barack Obama plans to intensify his assault against Sen. John McCain, with new television advertisements and more forceful attacks by the candidate and surrogates beginning Friday morning, as he confronts an invigorated Republican presidential ticket and increasing nervousness in the Democratic ranks
Shorts (right)
The trade deficit reached a 16-month high in July as oil prices hit a record, the government said Thursday.
Zimbabwe Rivals Strike a Bargain to Share Power
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai struck a power-sharing deal on Thursday after more than a month of wrangling, but it was still far from clear how the bitter foes would divide the authority to govern.
A West Bank Ruin, Reborn as a Peace Beacon
Pessimism is a steady companion these days for advocates of Middle East peace. A lame-duck Israeli government is negotiating with a weak Palestinian leadership in the twilight of an unpopular U.S. administration. Few forecast success.
I Like Ike?
It was only last week that Hanna swung through and drenched our Saturday night, and now Hurricane Ike is preparing to hit Texas. Ike, the fifth hurricane of the season, developed off the coast of Africa, and reached the status of Category 4 last Thursday with a low of 935 mb and peak winds at 145 mph (230 km/h). After drenching the Turks and Caicos Islands, it was downgraded to a Category 3; in Haiti its floodwaters and mudslides were the cause of 74 deaths; it dropped to a Category 1 after soaking Cuba. Ike now approaches Galveston with winds stretching 115 miles from the center. Storm surges are expected to reach up to 20 feet with 5-10 inches (125-250 mm) of rainfall on Saturday across the Louisiana and Texas coastline. It’ll weaken as it makes landfall turning up eastward through Arkansas and Missouri.
New York Pauses for 9/11 Observation at Ground Zero
Under chill gray clouds that gradually gave way to patches of blue, the city paused Thursday to observe the seventh anniversary of a day that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said “began like any other and ended like no other.”
Shorts (left)
In 1951, Morton Sobell was tried and convicted with Julius and Ethel Rosenberg on espionage charges. He served more than 18 years in Alcatraz and other federal prisons, traveled to Cuba and Vietnam after his release in 1969 and became an advocate for progressive causes.
Shorts (right)
Shares of United Airlines lost nearly all their value Monday morning when a false rumor swept financial markets that the struggling carrier had filed for bankruptcy protection.
McCain and Palin: Etiquette and the Coed Ticket
For now, the rule is simple: Hug your running mate, kiss your wife.
Large Hadron Collider Will Power On Tomorrow
The world’s biggest, most highly-anticipated physics experiment comes online this week, as the first beam of particles begins to circulate around a 17-mile underground racetrack that lies beneath France and Switzerland.
Shorts (left)
Five missiles fired from an American pilotless aircraft on Monday hit a large compound in North Waziristan belonging to one of Pakistan’s most prominent Taliban leaders, two Pakistani intelligence officials and a local resident said Monday.
Some 9/11 Rumors Solidify as Conventional Wisdom
Seven years later, it remains conventional wisdom that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida could not have been solely responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and that the United States and Israel had to have been involved in their planning, if not the execution, too.
Get Your Sweaters
The remnants of tropical storm Hanna swept through Boston at a relatively innocuous timing (well, it depends for whom) and much weakened specifically in wind, so that it was hard to distinguish it from a regular rainstorm. After the passage of Hanna, weather has been fair and pleasant. Unfortunately this nice trend will end today abruptly as a cold front pushes through our region. The cold front will manifest itself with thunderstorms that will begin late in the afternoon. A high pressure will bring relatively cool weather with temperatures that might require you to dust off a sweater or a jacket for Wednesday evening.