Technical glitch delays rocket launching, North Korea says
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Monday that a technical glitch had been found in the rocket it had planned to launch as early as this week to put a satellite in orbit, but that it still planned to try the launching by the end of the month.
Seasonable temperatures and clear skies will be returning this week
Breezy conditions today will allow cool air to push through New England. A low pressure system, responsible for the rainy weather yesterday, will continue moving northeastward through southern Quebec. The same system brought a cold front through our region last night. The front shifted the winds from southerly to northwesterly, transporting much cooler air into our region. This overall pattern will continue through the week, with winds easing up as a high pressure center anchors itself over the eastern U.S. Dry conditions will prevail under the high, and overall temperatures will be at normal December levels. Lighter winds and clear skies will keep the cool air mass firmly in place through Friday. Any unsettled weather should hold off until next weekend, when the high departs into the Atlantic and a new storm emerges in the Midwest.
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Taxpayers will soon shed their last holdings in the American International Group, more than four years after a rescue by the federal government during the most chaotic days of the financial crisis.
Chinese police detain Tibetans in self-immolation protests
BEIJING — Chinese police officials have detained a Tibetan monk and his nephew and accused them of playing a role in a series of self-immolations, according to Xinhua, the state news agency. The move appeared to be part of a campaign to prosecute Tibetans who are accused of aiding others who set fire to themselves in protest of Chinese rule.
US forecast as No. 2 economy, but energy independent
WASHINGTON — A new intelligence assessment of global trends projects that China will outstrip the United States as the leading economic power before 2030, but that America will remain an indispensable world leader, bolstered in part by an era of energy independence.
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WASHINGTON — Democratic luminaries with ties to the Obama and Clinton administrations, including two former Treasury secretaries and two former White House chiefs of staff, on Tuesday will enter the tax debate with an overhaul plan that would raise an additional $1.8 trillion in the first decade.
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BRUSSELS — NATO’s plan to buttress Turkey against potential attack from Syria calls for deploying U.S., German and Dutch Patriot missile-defense batteries under the operational control of the alliance’s military command, Western officials said Monday.
Greece offers to buy back debt from investors
LONDON — In a bold bid to reduce its debt burden, Greece offered Monday to spend as much as 10 billion euros to buy back 30 billion euros of its bonds from investors and banks.
Mars Curiosity rover discovery revealed
SAN FRANCISCO — In a sand drift on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered … sand.
Warm weather won’t last
Today will be likely be more than a dozen degrees warmer than the normal temperature for December 4th, as warm air continues to be advected from the south ahead of an approaching cold front.
Automakers report strong November sales
DETROIT — Automakers said Monday that new vehicle sales in the United States rose 15 percent in November, as the replacement of cars and trucks damaged in Hurricane Sandy contributed to the industry’s best monthly sales rate since 2008.
Republicans make counteroffer in fiscal talks with Obama
WASHINGTON — Republican congressional leaders Monday countered President Barack Obama’s deficit reduction proposal with a plan of their own that is far heavier on spending cuts but that embraces $800 billion in new taxes over the next 10 years.
US companies will face tax crackdown in Britain
PARIS — The British government announced plans Monday to crack down on tax dodgers as a parliamentary report criticized U.S. companies for what it described as tax avoidance.
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Philip J. Hanlon, the provost of the University of Michigan, will be the next president of Dartmouth College, starting in July.
UN, in blow to US, heightens the status of Palestine
UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted Thursday to upgrade Palestine to a nonmember observer state of the United Nations, a triumph for Palestinian diplomacy and a sharp rebuke to the United States and Israel.
Main airport and web are disrupted in Syria
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syria lost two major links with the outside world Thursday as the largest commercial airport in the capital canceled flights because of fighting nearby and Internet access disappeared across the country, perhaps signaling an impending escalation by the government against the uprising, opponents of the Syrian government said.
Israeli success in downing Hamas rockets draws interest
WASHINGTON — The success cited by Israel for its Iron Dome anti-missile system in its confrontation with Hamas has re-energized U.S. missile defense advocates and generated new interest in the global arms bazaar from nations like South Korea that face a short-range rocket threats from hostile neighbors.
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SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, has replaced his defense minister with a hard-line general as part of his effort to fill the army leadership with a new generation of officers loyal to him, South Korean officials said Thursday.
Cold weather to warm next week
A series of unsettled weather will move through New England this weekend, bringing alternating periods of precipitation and warmth. Today and tomorrow will remain cold; however, expect temperatures to warm up by early next week.
Senate committee approves stricter privacy for email
WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would strengthen privacy protection for emails by requiring law enforcement officials to obtain a warrant from a judge in most cases before gaining access to messages in individual accounts stored electronically.