Shorts (left)
The top American envoy to Africa declared Thursday that Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was the “clear victor” over President Robert Mugabe in the nation’s disputed election and called on other countries — including the United States — to help solve the deepening political and humanitarian crisis there.
Shorts (right)
Seizing on her Pennsylvania primary victory, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her surrogates are renewing their efforts to have the disputed Michigan and Florida convention delegates seated and pushing the argument that she now leads in the total number of votes cast when the tallies in those two states are included.
McCain Faults Bush’s Emergency Response to Katrina Disaster
Sen. John McCain took direct aim at the Bush administration Thursday as he stood in the lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, the area hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and declared the handling of the disaster “terrible and disgraceful” and pledged that it would never happen again.
Medics, Trained for Combat Wounds, Tend to Iraq’s Needy
Shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday, there was a desperate wail at the back gate of B Company’s compound in Sadr City. A woman had been badly burned and her relatives were begging for help.
Shrinkage of Work Hours Contributes to Market Slump
Not long ago, overtime was a regular feature at the Ludowici Roof Tile factory in eastern Ohio. Not anymore. With orders scarce and crates of unsold tiles piling up across the yard, the company has slowed production and cut working hours, sowing worry and thrift among its workers.
Probe of Outgoing H.U.D. Chief Reveals Ties to Contractors
Most of the time, the prominent men hovered in different orbits and different cities. Yet for years now, their lives have converged here on this resort island of white beaches and rippling sea.
Clinton’s Latest Attacks On Obama Sway Few Voters
Throughout their contentious debate on Wednesday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton tried again and again to put Sen. Barack Obama on the defensive in a pointed attempt, her advisers say, to raise doubts about his electability among a small but powerful audience: the uncommitted superdelegates who will likely determine the nomination.
Across Globe, Food Shortages Prompt Rising Social Unrest
Hunger bashed in the front gate of Haiti’s presidential palace. Hunger poured onto the streets, burning tires and taking on soldiers and the police. Hunger sent the country’s prime minister packing.
Dramatic Increase in Deaths, Doctor Visits Characterizes This Flu Season
The current flu season has been more severe than the last three, with more doctor visits and more deaths from flu and pneumonia, federal health officials are reporting.
Shorts (left)
The Bush administration appears to be preparing to back away from a demand that North Korea fully disclose all of its past nuclear weapons activities, in an attempt to preserve a nuclear agreement requiring it to disclose and dismantle the bulk of its nuclear weapons program.
Shorts (right)
Trying to stem the infiltration of militia fighters, U.S. forces have begun to build a massive concrete wall that will partition Sadr City, the densely populated Shiite neighborhood in the Iraqi capital.
Warm Friday, Cooler Weekend
Spring is finally showing in all its splendor as temperatures today will approach, or even surpass the psychological barrier of 70°F (21°C). Of course, those who think in Celsius face a slightly different psychological barrier at 20°C (68°F).
Shorts (left)
Edward G. Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, demonstrated his value to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton last weekend, helping her quickly devise a strategy to counter and exploit remarks by Sen. Barack Obama.
Bankruptcies Sweep Retail Chains as Consumers Cut Back
The consumer spending slump and tightening credit markets are triggering a widening wave of bankruptcies in American retailing, prompting thousands of store closings that are expected to remake suburban malls and downtown shopping districts across the country.
Italy’s Slvio Berlusconi Returns To Power, Winning Majority
Silvio Berlusconi, the idiosyncratic billionaire who already dominates much of Italy’s public life, snatched back political power in elections that ended Monday, heading a center-right coalition certain to make him prime minister for a third term.
At State Level, Lawmakers Increasingly Try to Limit Guns
State lawmakers across the country are ramping up efforts to pass new restrictions on guns, following nearly a decade in which state legislative efforts have been dominated by gun advocates.
Bush and Pelosi Clash With Intensity Over Colombian Trade Pact
President Bush and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, intensified an increasingly personal fight over a stalled trade deal with Colombia on Monday, trading accusations over who was best protecting the interests of American workers.
Shorts (right)
J.K. Rowling, the creator of the wildly popular Harry Potter series who rose from poverty to become the world’s most famous children’s author, took the stand in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday to sharply criticize a fan accused of stealing her work to publish a reference guide.
Dry Week Ahead
This week, an area of high pressure will dominate the eastern third of the country. This high pressure region is forecasted to move very slowly from west to east, which means we will see an extended period of dry weather. A low pressure system that might graze us Thursday night is the only chance we have for rain through Friday. Today will be sunny with perhaps a few fair weather cumulus clouds. Even though the sun will be shining, the wind will blow in cold air out of the north. On Wednesday and Thursday, the winds shift and come from the west, which will result in temperatures in the low to mid 60s. Evenings will still be chilly, since the lack of cloud cover lets thermal radiation escape easily into space.
Growing Use of Biofuels Stresses Global Food Markets
The idea of turning farms into fuel plants seemed, for a time, like one of the answers to high global oil prices and supply worries. That strategy reached a zenith last year when Congress mandated a five-fold increase in the use of biofuels.