Former Kosovo Leader Acquitted in Hague Trial
The U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Thursday acquitted a former commander of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army of all charges of war crimes in a decision that could inflame anti-Kosovo sentiment in Serbia just weeks after Kosovo unilaterally declared independence.
Shorts (left)
Zimbabwe’s government staged separate police raids on Thursday against the main opposition party, foreign journalists and at least one democracy advocate, raising the specter of a broad crackdown aimed at keeping the country’s imperiled leaders in power.
NATO Endorses Missile System, More Troops for Afghanistan
NATO leaders agreed Thursday to endorse a U.S. missile defense system based in Europe and to provide more troops for Afghanistan, but they refused to back President Bush’s proposal to bring Ukraine and Georgia closer to NATO membership.
WxChallenge
The letters “wx” stand for the weather, hence the name WxChallenge, a national collegiate weather forecasting competition. MIT has competed in both this competition since its inception in 2006 and also its predecessor, the NCWFC (National Collegiate Weather Forecasting Competition). In fact, we have taken the national title five of the past six years. In the contest, we forecast for a different city every two weeks, estimating the high and low temperatures on any given day, the highest wind speed, and also the precipitation amount. The contest ends today, and what happens today at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport will determine if MIT takes the title again, or if our rival, Mississippi State University, comes out with a narrow victory. The final results will be posted on the “cumulative results” page of the WxChallenge Web site tomorrow afternoon, so check it out: <i>www.wxchallenge.com</i>.
The Day Before Yesterday
Historians at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced Tuesday that they have recovered the lab notebooks of famed Radiation Laboratory researcher Dr. Ira Hoaxe. The writings of Dr. Hoaxe, notable for discovering the weather forecasting technique of Doppler auguration, detail the scientist’s first forays into meteorology. Archaeologists have managed to decipher portions of Hoaxe’s texts, excerpts of which are presented here.
Increase in Disability Cases Overloading Social Security
The Social Security system is choking on paperwork and spending millions of dollars a year screening dubious applications for disability benefits, according to lawsuits filed by whistle-blowers.
Democratic Candidates Hit the Campaign Trail in Pennsylvania
The Democratic campaign took on the feel of the early voting states on Monday, back when the candidates’ buses would crisscross paths in a single state. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama were both in eastern Pennsylvania courting voters, on a day in which Obama gained a superdelegate.
Shorts (right)
The Speech is his finely polished sword, a transcendent weapon. Seen and heard on a thousand YouTube postings, Sen. Barack Obama’s speeches have made a happening of that hoariest of campaign forms, the stump speech.
Shorts (left)
In the Katib Wilayat mosque one recent Friday, the imam was discussing the wiliness of the Jew.
Wall Street Lobbying for Loose Oversight, Despite Loan Woes
More than a year ago, when the markets were flying high, a chorus of alarm went up on Wall Street. Talk spread that the United States risked losing its edge in the financial world.
Cleric’s Order to End Fighting Creates Fragile Peace in Iraq
Militiamen with the Mahdi Army, the followers of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, mostly vanished from the streets of Basra on Monday, a day after he ordered them to lay down their arms and also insisted that the Iraqi government grant a general amnesty for his followers and made other demands.
Clinton Treats Remarks From Obama’s Pastor Cautiously
Ever since Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., started running for president, her team has argued that she is more electable than Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.: more experience, as first lady and senator; more spine, after years fighting Republicans; and more popular with key voter blocs, like women, Hispanics and the elderly.
Chinese Crackdown in Tibet Echoes in Taiwan Before Vote
Violent unrest in Tibet has created shock waves in another volatile region on China’s periphery, shaking up the presidential election in Taiwan and sapping support for the candidate Beijing hoped would win handily.
Shorts (right)
Kofi Annan, the former secretary general, said Thursday that the United Nations was “overstretched” in conflict areas and should resist taking on new responsibilities as long as major powers proved unwilling to supply needed support.
U.S. Defends Use of Intrusive Tactics in Spitzer Investigation
The Justice Department used some of its most intrusive tactics against Eliot Spitzer, examining his financial records, eavesdropping on his phone calls and tailing him during its criminal investigation of the Emperor’s Club prostitution ring.
Facing Declining Markets, Lender Resorts to Emergency Financing
Even as financial shares led a stock market rally on Thursday, the crisis in the credit markets threatened to engulf one of the nation’s largest commercial finance companies.
Oil, Gold Prices Drop Sharply In Volatile Commodities Market
Oil, gold and other major commodities fell sharply on Thursday, capping their steepest weekly drop in a half-century, as investors fled what many had believed to be the last safe haven in turbulent markets.
Spring Roars In
Earlier this week, a slow-moving storm system dumped extremely heavy rain over a wide arc from northeast Texas to southern Indiana. Accumulated rainfall totals of over 6 inches (15 cm) in a 36 hour span were commonplace in this area, with scattered reports of up to 12 inches (30 cm) of rain. Some rivers with localized drainage basins in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas have experienced the highest water levels since record keeping began. Even portions of main-stem rivers like the Ohio and Mississippi are expected to see major flood conditions this weekend, as the rainwater continues to flow downhill toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Shorts (right)
Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson ascended to New York’s highest office on Monday, pledging civility and unity in government to an enthusiastic and palpably relieved gathering of state lawmakers and officials.