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United Airlines has been reprising its old advertising slogan about the “friendly skies.” But some airports think the airline was a bit less than friendly when it formed a partnership with the ride-sharing company Uber without seeking airport input.
Racketeering trial opens in Atlanta Schools cheating scandal
ATLANTA — The criminal trial of a dozen public school educators opened here Monday with prosecutors alleging that the teachers and administrators had engaged in a “widespread, cleverly disguised” conspiracy to cheat on standardized test scores in an effort to protect their jobs and win bonuses.
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LONDON — In the world of drones, Europe is out to show that whatever the United States can do, it can do better.
Ferguson Police Chief offers apology to Brown’s family
CHICAGO — The police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, issued a rare public apology Thursday for the death of Michael Brown, addressing the Brown family directly in a short video posted online.
Beautiful warm weekend in store
Yesterday, a coastal low pressure system just missed us as it passed offshore, bringing overcast skies and a cool northeast wind to Cambridge. Today will be warmer, with a high temperature of 70°F (21°C) and mostly sunny skies thanks to a high pressure system building in from the west. Expect north winds becoming northeasterly at around 10 mph.
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The Obama administration Wednesday issued new guidelines intended to strengthen the oversight of federally funded biology research that could inadvertently produce bioweapons.
New Harvard investment chief; Yale sees high returns
As Harvard named a new management chief in its bid to improve the returns on its huge portfolio, Yale University reported Wednesday that its fund had earned a 20.2 percent return for the fiscal year, a big payoff for a strategy that was criticized in the wake of the financial crisis. The developments intensified the spotlight on the investment practices of the Ivy League colleges and the high stakes for their endowments.
Palestinian factions agree to resolve differences, leaders say
JERUSALEM — Leaders of rival Palestinian factions said Thursday that they had agreed to resolve their differences and allow the Palestinian Authority to return to the Gaza Strip so reconstruction could begin there next month.
Runner-up in Afghan vote strikes conciliatory tone
KABUL, Afghanistan — The runner-up in Afghanistan’s bitterly disputed presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, struck a conciliatory note toward President-elect Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in a speech Thursday in which he confirmed that he would join the government as its chief executive officer.
Obama sidesteps Congress with rules to curb corporate flight
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced rules on Monday that are aimed at making it more difficult for American companies to lower their tax bills by relocating overseas and that would wipe out the benefits for those that do. It is the administration’s latest move to sidestep a paralyzed Congress and tackle a politically charged element of President Barack Obama’s agenda.
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HONG KONG — Thousands of Hong Kong university students abandoned classes Monday to rally against Chinese government limits on voting rights, a bellwether demonstration of the city’s appetite for turning smoldering discontent into street-level opposition.
U.S. and allies hit Islamic State targets in Syria
WASHINGTON — The United States and allies launched airstrikes against Sunni militants in Syria early Tuesday, unleashing a torrent of cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs from the air and sea on the militants’ de facto capital of Raqqa and along the porous Iraq border.
Plaintiffs challenge Texas voter ID law, claim the law is biased
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A law requiring Texas voters to show government-issued identification before casting a ballot is the latest example of the state’s long history of discrimination against minorities and puts unjustified burdens on the right to vote for more than half a million Texans, lawyers challenging the law told a federal judge here on Monday.
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Four of five inmates who escaped from a jail in central California and were considered “armed and dangerous” were captured Saturday, the authorities said.
It’s always sunny at the Institute
Sunshine and light winds are expected to continue this week as strong high pressure is poised to dominate the northeastern United States. A broad high pressure system currently centered over the Ohio Valley will merge today with a secondary high currently located over eastern Canada. The combined high will move over New England tomorrow, bringing clear skies and calm winds to the region. Light southwesterly flow may prevent a sea breeze from developing this afternoon, keeping temperatures a few degrees warmer than they will be tomorrow. A coastal storm will have a chance of glancing the Massachusetts coastline on Thursday, but current indications do not appear favorable for the storm to make it this far north.
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SAN FRANCISCO — Lawrence J. Ellison is retiring as chief executive of Oracle Corp., a company he founded in 1977 that has transformed the business world and made him one of the world’s richest people.
Finding their gym on the city’s streets
NEW YORK — As dawn began its daily blanching of the bright lights in Times Square one morning, a cluster of early birds cheerfully dragged one another in wheelbarrow formations, pair by pair, up the steps of the TKTS booth. Yawning workers in suits hustled past, while police officers looked on ambivalently A couple of tourists raised their cellphones to capture the spectacle for posterity, or at least for Instagram.
Apple update keeps data private, even from police
Apple wants to make clear that it wants nobody snooping around in your device, not even the police.
UNTITLED
ANTAKYA, Turkey — The Islamic State released the latest in a series of propaganda videos Thursday, a slickly produced introduction to what it promised would be a multipart series on the group and the folly of efforts by the United States to fight it. The segment is a sharp departure from the IS’s recent grisly videos showing a black-clad executioner beheading Western hostages in the desert, which helped galvanize international support for wider military action against the group.
Much at stake as Xi Jinping, Chinese leader, visits India
NEW DELHI — India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, celebrated his 64th birthday on Wednesday by hosting President Xi Jinping of China in his home state of Gujarat, as the leaders of Asia’s two giants lay the foundation for a long-term relationship that carries huge stakes for both.