Egypt’s military rulers deny role in fatal clashes
CAIRO — Egypt’s temporary military rulers delivered a sweeping defense of their tenure Thursday, saying they were committed to handing over power to a civil authority by the end of June, and denying any role in clashes the day before that left at least 11 people dead.
Loyalist soldiers in Mali appear to seek countercoup
BAMAKO, Mali — Gunfire rang out over this West African capital Monday night as soldiers loyal to the president who was deposed in a coup in March appeared to be attempting a countercoup against the ruling military junta.
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PARIS — Stocks fell modestly in Europe on Monday, after confirmation that Spain had slumped back into recession in the first three months of 2012. The Spanish economy contracted by 0.3 percent in the January-March quarter, the same rate of contraction as in the last quarter of 2011, the National Statistics Institute said in Madrid.
Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser defends drone strikes
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Monday offered its first extensive explanation of how U.S. officials decide when to use drones to kill suspected terrorists — a tactic that the government often treats as a classified secret even though it is widely known around the world.
Antagonists in Syria accuse each other of subverting truce
BEIRUT — Syria’s official media reported a series of attacks against government buildings Monday, including two bombings that targeted two key security headquarters in the northern city of Idlib and a small rocket assault on the Central Bank in downtown Damascus.
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WASHINGTON — Democratic senators who lead the intelligence and armed services committees took issue Monday with claims from Bush administration officials that the Central Intelligence Agency’s coercive interrogation methods produced information that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden a year ago.
Rainfall to help alleviate drought conditions soon
The Boston and Cambridge areas will experience a soaking, day-long rainstorm today as a low pressure system moves in from the west and eventually heads out to sea. While the storm will make for rather cold and dreary conditions for those out and about today, it will also bring some much-needed precipitation to an area that has received an abnormally low amount of rain so far this spring.
Malaysian police to investigate violence at protest supporting free elections
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian police pledged Monday to investigate violence at a rally supporting free elections that spiraled out of control when protesters broke through barricades in central Kuala Lumpur.
Dispute over tiny island in Persian Gulf unites Iran
TEHRAN — For Iranians, whose country’s borders have shrunk in the past 200 years after wars and unfavorable deals by corrupt shahs, territorial issues are a delicate matter. So a renewed claim by the United Arab Emirates to the tiny island of Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf has touched a raw nerve.
Cool, clear weather this weekend; tornado threat in South will remain low
In comparison to this winter’s record warmth, the seasonable temperatures in the Cambridge area this weekend might feel quite cool. Cold and wet air behind a departing low pressure system will give rise to breezy, mostly clear skies with highs in the low 50’s F and lows dropping almost to freezing.
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With Congress and privacy watchdogs breathing down its neck, Google is stepping up its lobbying presence inside the Beltway — spending more than Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft combined in the first three months of the year.
New sanctions announced for aiding Syria and Iran
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama moved to tighten sanctions on Syria and Iran on Monday by taking aim at those who provide their authoritarian governments with technology to track down dissidents for abuse, torture or death.
Supreme court lets rent stabilization law stand
WASHINGTON — Tenants in nearly one million apartments subject to New York City’s rent regulations could breathe a sigh of relief Monday. The U.S. Supreme Court, after indicating it might be interested in hearing a challenge to the regulations, decided to let them stand.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hay and grass seed cover the bare spots on the lawn in front of the stately old City Hall where Occupy Charlotte’s camp held its ground for nearly four months. The occupiers are gone now and the protest movement quieted after arrests, a new anti-camping ordinance and, to a degree, the group’s own missteps along the way.
NATO shows confidence in Afghan security forces
KABUL, Afghanistan — A week after a complex insurgent attack paralyzed the capital, NATO commanders on Monday offered a startlingly buoyant assessment of security gains across the country and of the readiness of the Afghan police and the army to take full control of their country as U.S. and other international forces leave.
Police chief’s resignation over Florida shooting rejected
SANFORD, Fla. — Several hours after the city manager announced that he had reached an agreement with Chief Bill R. Lee Jr. to resign over the Sanford Police Department’s handling of the Trayvon Martin case, the City Commission voted late Monday afternoon to reject Lee’s resignation.
Breezy weather this week; more rain will come soon
The weather at the beginning of this week has been quite a contrast to the weather last week. Last Monday (Patriot’s Day), a record high temperature of 87°F was set in Boston. Temperatures also reached in to the 80°F’s last Tuesday — but this week is quite a different story.
UN observers prove little deterrent to Syrian attacks
BEIRUT — Syrian government forces engaged in an extended game of cat and mouse against U.N. observers Monday, attacking cities like Hama after the monitors left and adopting a low profile as the monitors visited the Damascus suburbs.
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BOSTON — Mitt Romney’s nondescript base camp on the outskirts of the North End of Boston has until now seemed too large for his presidential campaign — roughly 15,000 square feet of space on the first floor has sat largely empty and unused, even during Romney’s first presidential bid in 2008.
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President Barack Obama begins an all-out push Friday to get Congress to extend the low interest rate on federal student loans, White House officials said, an effort that is likely to become a heated battle along party lines. If Congress fails to act, the interest rate on the loans, which are taken out by nearly 8 million students each year, will double on July 1, to 6.8 percent.