Senate Panel Drops Immunity From Bush Wiretapping Act
Reflecting the deep divisions within Congress over granting legal immunity to telephone companies for cooperating with the Bush administration’s program of wiretapping without warrants, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a new domestic surveillance law on Thursday that sidestepped the issue.
Ruling Jolts Even Saudis: 200 Lashes for Female Rape Victim
A Saudi court on Tuesday more than doubled the number of lashes that a female rape victim was sentenced to last year after her lawyer appealed the original sentence. The decision, which many lawyers found shocking even by Saudi standards of justice, has provoked a rare public debate about the treatment of women here.
Commercial Airlines Given Priority In Military Airspace to Cut Delays
A week before the peak Thanksgiving travel period, the White House got involved at an unusually detailed level with air traffic, as President Bush announced Thursday that airlines will be able to make fuller use of military airspace to relieve congestion and cut delays.
Despite Emergency Rule Instituted by Musharraf, Pakistan Militants GainPakistan Militants Extend Their Reach
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, said he instituted emergency rule for the extra powers it would give him to push back the militants who have carved out a mini-state in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Fatah Leader Calls for OusterOf Hamas From Power in Gaza
Three days after Hamas policemen shot and killed at least seven civilians at a rally in Gaza, leading a number of Gazans to express shock and anger at Hamas, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president and the leader of the rival faction Fatah, called for the ouster of Hamas from power in Gaza.
Hail to the Victors
Following several clear days with relatively warm temperatures, a low pressure system has brought overcast skies to New England. Today, expect cooler weather as a cold front sweeps through our area. Gusty winds and scattered showers contribute to the chilling effect, although the latter should taper off as the afternoon progresses.
Shorts (right)
Pfizer, the world’s biggest drug company, flopped miserably with a seemingly can’t-miss idea. But Alfred E. Mann is so certain he can succeed that he is betting nearly $1 billion of his own money on the effort.
Six Palestinians Killed in Pro- Western Fatah Rally Monday
At least six Palestinians were killed and more than 100 wounded here on Monday when a rally by the relatively pro-Western Fatah movement to mark the third anniversary of the death of its founder, Yasser Arafat, ended in armed clashes between Fatah and its rival, Hamas.
Pakistan Detains Bhutto in an Attempt to Stop Protest March
Pakistani authorities issued a seven-day detention order against the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Monday, in a bid to stop her from leading a planned protest march this week from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital, Islamabad.
Persistence Presents Problems
There are at least five different strategies in forecasting. One could look at trends, e.g. today is warmer than yesterday, so tomorrow will be warmer than today. Another method would use climatology. For instance, tomorrow’s high would look at the maximum temperatures that occurred on that particular day of the year and take the average of that data set. Thirdly, a more sophisticated way is called the analog method. For example, one would recognize the current pattern with a similar one that happened in the past and expect the same result. The fourth method is using numerical weather prediction. Finally, the fifth strategy is called persistence. One would forecast the weather to behave as it is currently. For example, using this strategy, one would expect it to rain tomorrow, since it rained today.
Silicon Valley Venture Capital Firm Names Former VP Gore as Partner
Deepening his ties to Silicon Valley, former Vice President Al Gore said on Monday that he had become a partner in the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Iraq Milatary to Remove Roadblocks In Baghdad to Help Reduce Violence
Iraqi military commanders signaled Monday that they would soon remove some roadblocks and other restrictions that had been imposed over the past nine months as part of the effort to reduce violence here in the capital.
Shorts (right)
A widening corruption scandal at Samsung engulfed the government of South Korea on Monday as President Roh Moo-hyun’s next chief prosecutor and his top anti-corruption agent faced accusations of accepting bribes from the conglomerate.
Shorts (left)
The U.S. attorney’s office has begun investigating an oil spill last week in San Francisco Bay. The move signals that criminal charges may be filed against the crew of the vessel that lost 58,000 gallons of fuel after hitting the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Wal-Mart Increases Availability, Quality in Health Plan Overhaul
For much of the last decade, the retailing behemoth Wal-Mart Stores has been associated with stingy health care as much as low prices.
Shorts (left)
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, Pa., has agreed to pay $3 million to a man who said that as a teenager he was sexually abused by one of its priests.
Democrats Tie Iraq Spending Measure to Troop Reductions
Congressional Democrats renewed their challenge to President Bush’s Iraq war policy on Thursday, offering $50 billion in interim spending for combat operations coupled to a goal of pulling out most troops within a year.
Egypt Accused of Complacency in Hamas Weapon, Money Smuggling
Israel says Egypt is doing far too little to stop the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, from smuggling weapons, militants and cash into the area from Egypt, and is appealing to Cairo to do more.
Shorts (right)
Ben S. Bernanke PhD ’79, chairman of the Federal Reserve, told Congress on Thursday that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better, a message that got a chilly reception from both Wall Street and politicians.
Congress Overrides Bush Veto 79-14 To Pass $23 Bil. Water Resources Bill
The Senate on Thursday dealt President Bush the first veto override of his presidency, with a resounding bipartisan vote to adopt a $23.2 billion water resources bill that authorizes popular projects across the country.