Mitt Romney goes after Rick Santorum on budget
CINCINNATI — Mitt Romney was barely six minutes into a campaign speech here Monday afternoon, dwelling on the success story of a local bioscience company, when he broached a topic that is suddenly confounding his Republican presidential aspirations: Rick Santorum.
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CAIRO — Two Iranian warships docked in a Syrian port Monday as a senior Iranian lawmaker denounced the possibility that the U.S. might arm the Syrian opposition, adding to the international tensions over the nearly yearlong crackdown by President Bashar Assad’s government.
Unusual warm spell to continue
With sports stores already advertising their “end-of-season” sales and cyclists comfortably riding outdoors, it seems that Cambridge completely skipped over the snowy winter season that normally clogs up its roads and sidewalks. Next time you complain about how “freezing” it feels outside, reconsider, since many days have been 10 to 15 degrees above average thus far this year. For the upcoming week, expect warm air to bring with it increased moisture and a chance of rain.
Bill requiring ultrasound before abortion nears vote
RICHMOND, Va. — A bill requiring a woman to get an ultrasound before having an abortion is poised to pass Virginia’s Legislature this week, placing it on track to be signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Saleh cedes power in Yemen but hopes to retain influence
SANAA, Yemen — A day before a national vote that will mark the end of his presidency, Ali Abdullah Saleh signaled his hope to be an anomaly in the Arab Spring: a toppled autocrat who can preserve some degree of influence in his nation’s governance.
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DETROIT — The Nigerian man who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner with explosives concealed in his underwear on Christmas Day in 2009 was sentenced Thursday to life in prison by a federal judge who said his crime and subsequent lack of remorse demanded the maximum possible punishment.
Colleges statewide see record applicants
Dozens of local colleges and universities are seeing record numbers of freshman applicants this year, including Northeastern University, Boston University, Boston College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and three campuses of the University of Massachusetts.
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ROME — Over the years, the Italian government has quietly passed scores of laws that benefit the Roman Catholic Church, but it is rare for it to issue a public statement announcing it intends to strip the church of privileges.
Snowfall-deficient precipitation for today
While the second half of January brought some hope for snow-lovers across New England, the past two weeks have not been so promising. The same story is true for today as southerly flow is bringing in moisture, rainfall, and above-average temperatures. This unusual weather can be explained through the February jet stream (i.e. storm track), which has directed the most intense storms through Canada and prevented others from moving toward New England. Sometimes the jet has also split itself, allowing systems to pass to our south and leave New England free of any precipitation.
Cameron details arguments against Scottish independence
LONDON — Arguing that the centuries-old “ties that bind” Britain together were under threat from Scottish separatism, Prime Minister David Cameron traveled to Edinburgh on Thursday to meet with First Minister Alex Salmond in what was seen here as the first sparring bout of a longer battle over an independence referendum.
Egypt uses Israeli treaty as bargaining chip
CAIRO — The Islamist party that leads the new Egyptian Parliament is threatening to review the 1979 peace treaty with Israel if the United States cuts off aid to the country over a crackdown on U.S.-backed nonprofit groups here.
Seven arrested in Olympus accounting cover-up
OSAKA, Japan — The Japanese authorities arrested seven central figures in the huge accounting scandal at Olympus — including the camera-maker’s former chairman and executive vice president — on Thursday as part of investigations into a decade-long cover-up that has prompted concern over what critics say is lax corporate governance at Japanese companies.
Athens shaken by riots after vote for austerity
ATHENS, Greece — The acrid stench of tear gas permeated central Athens on Monday and the husks of burnt-out buildings still smoldered after a night of rioting following the Greek Parliament’s vote to approve austerity measures in exchange for more rescue financing.
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TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey state Senate voted Monday to legalize same-sex marriage, a significant shift in support from two years ago, when a similar measure failed.
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Warde J. Manuel, who raised expectations on the playing field and in the classroom in six years as the athletic director at Buffalo, was introduced Monday as Connecticut’s new AD at a time when the Huskies’ Men’s Basketball team is dealing with the fallout from academic issues and the health concerns of its Hall of Fame coach, Jim Calhoun.
Warmth and lack of snow will continue this week
With the exception of a few cold spurts (like this past Sunday), this winter has been marked by a general trend of above average temperatures. This weather will continue this week, with high temperatures in the mid to upper 40s (8°C); 10°F (-12°C) above normal. It has also been a dry winter, with only 2.74" of precipitation occurring since Jan. 1, compared to a climatological value of 4.67". The first two weeks of February have also been unusually dry, with only 0.07" of precipitation compared to a usual month-to-date value of 1.31". Not only has this winter featured a lack of precipitation — Boston has had a lack of snowfall in particular. Since Dec. 1, Boston has recorded 6.8" of snow, far less than the climatological value of 26.5" (and miniscule, compared with last season’s 71.2"). Unfortunately for those hoping for snow, it doesn’t appear to be in the cards this week. There is a system coming through on Thursday and Friday that should bring measurable precipitation, but it looks to be only in the form of rain.
House Republicans yield on a payroll tax cut
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans on Monday backed down from a demand that a payroll tax holiday be paid for with reductions in other programs, clearing the way for an extension of the tax cut for 160 million Americans through 2012.
American active on Internet recounts beating in China
The Chinese Communist Party has long felt threatened by overseas websites and social media outlets, but the recent detention of a California physicist who says he was beaten by Chinese security agents seeking the password for his Twitter account suggests how far the government will go in its battle against a freewheeling Internet.
Apple, in shift, pushes an audit of sites in China
Responding to a growing outcry over conditions at its overseas factories, Apple said Monday that an outside organization had begun to audit working conditions at the plants where the bulk of iPhones, iPads and other Apple products are built, and that the group would make its finding public.
Snow in Store for Saturday
After several weeks of recurring sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures, it appears Boston will finally get a taste of typical New England winter this weekend. A low pressure system is forecast to develop tonight off the coast of the Carolinas, moving up the East Coast in the classic pattern of a Nor’easter storm. As the storm intensifies and passes to the southeast of the Massachusetts coast tomorrow, the Boston area is likely to receive at least 2-4 inches of snow accumulation. The snowstorm could be the largest of the season to date this season, with the largest previous accumulation clocking in on January 21st at 2.9 inches. However, as the surface low has yet to develop, there is still considerable uncertainty in the projected track of the storm, and relatively small perturbations in its track could end up resulting in vastly different snow totals here.