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BRUSSELS — EU legislators overwhelmingly approved Thursday a law that puts about 130 of the eurozone’s largest banks under the scrutiny of the European Central Bank.
In Lybia, strikes and threats bring oil industry close to a standstill
Two years after local militias overthrew the Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, many of those same fighters have brought Libya’s critical oil industry to a halt, as a challenge to the latest in a series of that country’s interim governments.
European rail crashes hint at gaps in increasingly precarious system
PARIS — In the wake of a fiery train crash this summer in northern Spain that killed 79 people, investigators, survivors and passengers are demanding to know why the rail line entrusted the train’s safety with a sole driver who had publicly boasted about past speeding and was talking on a mobile phone seconds before the derailment.
India sends security forces to north after deadly clashes
NEW DELHI — India deployed thousands of police officers and army troops to a region in the north of the country on Monday after weekend confrontations between Hindus and Muslims caused the death of at least 30 people and grave injuries of many more, according to the police.
Summer temperatures making a comeback
Many of us threw on our jackets yesterday morning before heading to campus as a high pressure system brought cooler weather to the area. Last night, that high pressure moved offshore, allowing a warm front to work into the region today.
Pakistan takes step toward talks with the Taliban
ISLAMABAD — A conference of Pakistan’s political and military leadership on Monday agreed to clear the way for peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, calling it the best strategy to end a decade of militant-driven bloodshed.
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BEIJING — A homemade bomb outside a school in the southern city of Guilin on Monday killed at least two people and injured 17, many of them children, according to state news reports.
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ROME — Pope Francis already has distinguished himself from his predecessor with a more down-to-earth style. Now, he is both unnerving the Vatican and delighting the faithful by picking up the telephone and spontaneously calling people, earning the nickname “the Cold Call Pope.”
Kerry’s comments on Syria mark a shift over strike
WASHINGTON — When Secretary of State John Kerry dangled for the first time on Monday actions that President Bashar Assad of Syria could take to avoid a military strike, it seemed an acknowledgment that Congress, America’s allies, and the Russians were all looking for an off-ramp for what a week ago seemed like inevitably military action against Syria.
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LOS ANGELES — Inmates at California state prisons have ended a two-month hunger strike, corrections officials and inmate advocates announced Thursday.
Egypt’s interior minister survives assassination attempt
CAIRO — A powerful bomb blasted through a convoy of cars carrying the interior minister along a residential street Thursday, raising fears of a widely predicted turn toward terrorist violence by supporters of Egypt’s ousted president, Mohammed Morsi.
In Syria, Iraqis see replays of their past and fears for future
BAGHDAD — Abu Mohaned spent Tuesday night washing the bodies of victims of that evening’s car bombs, preparing them for burial. When a couple of roadside bombs went off the next day, he did the same thing.
Australia’s prime minister, facing election, drops in poll
SYDNEY — Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who emerged triumphantly from the political wilderness to regain Australia’s leadership earlier this year, is battling widespread predictions of a defeat in federal elections Saturday that would bring an end to his party’s tumultuous six years in power.
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HONG KONG — A court in northwest China sentenced a former provincial safety official Thursday to 14 years in prison for graft, a year after he became a symbol of a callous and corrupt bureaucracy when Chinese Internet users circulated photographs suggesting he had been living beyond his means.
Fall weather envelopes New England
Fall semester has arrived and with it autumn weather. The overnight lows are dipping below 60°F, resulting in chilly mornings perfect for intense outdoor exercise. Daytime high temperatures will remain in the 70s°F for the next few days, with partly cloudy skies but no significant precipitation expected. Elsewhere in the Northeast, areas of MA, NY, VT, NH, and ME expected their first frost and freeze warnings this morning.
Europe offers compromise to US on airline emissions taxes
BRUSSELS — Seeking to end years of acrimony, the European Union has made concessions to the United States to try to gain support for global rules on airline emissions.
European Central Bank chief tamps down optimism
FRANKFURT, Germany — The president of the European Central Bank issued a sober assessment of the eurozone economy, saying Thursday that he was “very, very cautious” about prospects for growth and acknowledging concern about shock waves from the civil war in Syria.
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WASHINGTON — The spreading expectation that President Barack Obama will name Lawrence H. Summers to lead the Federal Reserve Board appears to be working against the central bank’s efforts to stimulate the economy.
Sunshine expected for the start of classes
This weekend’s stretch of humid, stormy weather will give way to a more settled pattern just in time for the start of the fall semester on Wednesday.