Chilly temperatures continue
Although we experienced a brief respite from the cold on Monday with afternoon temperatures reaching into the mid 40s°F, that relief did not last long thanks to another Arctic cold front sweeping across our area Monday evening. Behind the front, air temperatures in the teens combined with wind gusts of up to 28 mph led to bitterly cold wild chills below 0°F yesterday morning.
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BANGUI, Central African Republic — Cheers broke out in the National Assembly building here Monday as representatives chose the mayor of this beleaguered capital to serve as the interim president of the Central African Republic, a country in the grip of a sectarian civil war.
Thai leaders declare emergency rule in response to protests
BANGKOK — The embattled government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra declared the imposition of emergency rule in Bangkok and surrounding areas on Tuesday, suggesting a more aggressive posture toward anti-government protesters who have occupied parts of the city during the past two months and are seeking to overthrow the government.
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Former Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia and his wife, Maureen, were indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges of accepting some $140,000 in loans and gifts in exchange for promoting the business of a political patron.
Snow, wind, brutal cold
With the arrival of another winter storm, another common meteorological term has entered the popular lexicon: bombogenesis. Bombogenesis refers to the rapid intensification of a mid-latitude cyclone (specifically, a surface pressure decrease of 24 hPa or more in 24 hour period). The system that brought snowfall to the Northeast beginning yesterday afternoon developed rapidly off the Virginia coast, prompting the use of the term bombogenesis in several media reports. A total of 8 to 14 inches of snow was expected across Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, making for our first major snowfall since the 15.1 inches we received in the January 2-3 storm. While the snow may stop around midday today, it will still be brutally cold, thanks to temperatures in the teens and blustery north winds - combining to create wind chill values near or below 0°F. Quite a contrast from the mild temperatures of last week! Tomorrow and Friday the skies will clear, but it will remain chilly with daytime highs in the teens and lows in the single digits. The weekend should bring a return to temperatures in the 30°Fs.
Human Rights Watch criticizes inaction on Syria
BERLIN — The advocacy group Human Rights Watch sharply criticized international powers Tuesday for the way they are dealing with the civil war in Syria, saying that the desire to bring President Bashar Assad’s government to the negotiating table should not become a pretext for failing to protect civilians caught in the conflict, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives.
States cutting weeks of aid to the jobless
RIEGELWOOD, N.C. — Last July, North Carolina sharply cut its unemployment program, reducing the maximum number of weeks of benefits to 20 from 73 and reducing the maximum weekly benefit as well.
Same-sex newlyweds sue Utah after series of rulings
DENVER — The legal saga in Utah over same-sex marriage grew even more complicated Tuesday, as four couples who had married during the brief window that Utah permitted such weddings sued the state over its recent decision not to recognize their marriages or provide any new state benefits to same-sex newlyweds.
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WASHINGTON — House and Senate negotiators reached accord on a trillion-dollar spending plan that will finance the government through September, reversing some cuts to military veterans’ pensions that were included in a broader budget agreement last month and defeating efforts to rein in President Barack Obama’s health care law.
Tunisian constitution, praised for balance, nears passage
TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly is close to passing a new Constitution that legislators across the political spectrum, human rights organizations and constitutional experts are hailing as a triumph of consensus politics.
Temperatures above average in Cambridge
Over the past few days, temperatures more than 10 degrees higher than average melted most of the snow remaining from the last storm. The daily average for this week in Cambridge is normally below freezing (32°F), but we have barely dipped below freezing even at night since last week. Expect warmer weather to persist through Friday before a return to normal temperatures this weekend.
NSA devises radio pathway into computers isolated from web
WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the U.S. to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks.
Federal judge rejects Oklahoma’s gay marriage ban
A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled Tuesday that the state’s constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage violated the federal Constitution, the latest in a string of legal victories for gay rights and one that occurred in the heart of the Bible Belt.
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WASHINGTON — FBI investigators do not believe Internal Revenue Service officials committed crimes in the unusually heavy scrutiny of conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status, a law enforcement official said Monday.
Court rejects FCC rules on equal Internet access
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out Federal Communications Commission rules that require Internet service providers to give all traffic equal access through their networks.
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BEIRUT — The leader of the Nusra Front, an affiliate of al-Qaida in Syria, on Tuesday proposed an initiative aimed at halting the worst infighting yet between the armed opponents of President Bashar Assad since the start of the conflict nearly three years ago.
New Jersey enticing businesses with revamped tax credit program
The tax break wars are heating up again, as New Jersey aggressively pushes a revamped program to encourage businesses to stay or move within its borders.
Another worryingly low inflation rate for the eurozone
PARIS — Consumer prices in the eurozone barely increased last month, raising fears of deflation and putting pressure on the European Central Bank to take further action.
Obama lost faith in his Afghan strategy, Gates’ memoir asserts
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama eventually lost faith in the troop increase he ordered in Afghanistan, his doubts fed by top White House civilian advisers opposed to the strategy, who continually brought him negative news reports suggesting it was failing, according to his former defense secretary, Robert M. Gates.
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BANGKOK — Anti-corruption authorities in Thailand announced Tuesday that they were opening investigations against 308 lawmakers, most of them from the governing party, on suspicion of “malfeasance in office,” in connection with a constitutional amendment that was later ruled by a court to have been enacted illegally.