Shorts (left)
ZUEITINA, Libya — The commander of the Libyan rebel army said it was “likely” that NATO warplanes conducted an airstrike against a convoy of rebel tanks early Thursday, killing at least four people in the second case of friendly fire in less than a week. The commander, Gen. Abdul Fattah Younes, said the tanks — deployed by the rebels on Thursday to the frontlines for the first time — came under “a fierce attack” around 10:30 a.m. “It is likely it is NATO by mistake,” he said, adding that the rebels had notified NATO well in advance that the tanks were headed to the battlefield.
Obama’s regulatory air emission program halted by Congress
WASHINGTON — The House voted 255 to 172 Thursday to halt the Obama administration’s program to regulate industrial air emissions linked to climate change, delivering a rebuke to a central tenet of the president’s energy and environmental policy.
Government shutdown might damage economic recovery
It’s not just an estimated 800,000 federal employees who would feel the financial pinch of a government shutdown.
Disney to open $4.4 billion theme park in Shanghai by end of 2015
SHANGHAI — The Walt Disney Co. placed a huge bet on China’s shifting approach to Westernized entertainment on Friday as it broke ground here on a $4.4 billion theme park — even if it is one without classic American features like a Main Street.
At Yale University, harassment of women attracts national attention
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — It has taken on the predictability of an annual ritual, like parents’ weekend or commencement: the outburst of raunchy male behavior that has shaken the Yale University campus in each of the last few school years.
Weather is looking good for CPW
You should trade in the umbrellas for sunglasses today and tomorrow. The gloomy, rainy weather of early this week has given way to cool, sunny conditions. A high pressure center will slowly move through the area today, keeping skies clear and winds light. Saturday looks even better, with temperatures climbing into the lower 60s°F (15–17°C) under fair conditions once again. However, clouds will be rolling in on Sunday along with a chance for some rain. A low pressure system, expected to form in the Midwest, will bring this rain. The rain may even be accompanied by some thunderstorms late Monday. Otherwise, the weather is looking just fine through Sunday for the CPW events. Wetter conditions will stay away until the new workweek begins.
Tsunami alert and raised fears pervade Japan after 7.1 aftershock hits northeast
TOKYO — The strongest aftershock to hit since the day of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan rocked a wide section of the country’s northeast on Thursday night, prompting a tsunami alert, raising fears of further damage to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and knocking out external power at three other nuclear facilities.
Shorts (right)
BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick on Monday nominated a lesbian who is married to her partner to serve on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
Raped Libyan woman gets support through TV network
TRIPOLI, Libya — Eman al-Obeidy says the government of Moammar Gadhafi victimized her twice. First members of his militia kidnapped and repeatedly raped her. Then his state television network attacked her as a thief and a prostitute.
Google bids $900 million for all patents of Nortel Networks
SAN FRANCISCO — Google has bid $900 million for the patent portfolio of Nortel Networks, the Canadian telecom equipment maker, as part of a strategy to defend itself against patent litigation.
Shorts (left)
TOKYO — Tokyo Electric Power Co. began dumping more than 11,000 tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Monday, mostly to make room in storage containers for increasing amounts of far more contaminated runoff.
Wild weather
Tornadoes were reported in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky yesterday as the eastern half of the U.S. experienced some exceptional weather. A strong cold front extending from Louisiana to Ohio brought heavy rain, thunderstorms, and hail to more than 15 states.
Old Boeing 737s to be taken out of sky to inspect for cracks and holes in hulls
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that it would require extensive inspections of some older-model Boeing 737s for cracks in the planes’ fragile skin that can be caused by pressurization and depressurization of the cabin over tens of thousands of takeoffs and landings.
Verizon, MetroPCS challenge to net neutrality shot down by court
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Monday rejected as “premature” a lawsuit by Verizon and MetroPCS challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s pending rules aimed at keeping Internet service providers from blocking access to certain websites or applications.
Japan business conditions sink as post-disaster devastation remains
HONG KONG — The devastating natural disasters that struck Japan last month have caused widespread concern about business conditions in coming months among Japanese companies, according to survey results released Monday by the Japanese central bank.
Thought winter was over? April Fools!
Although spring officially started more than 10 days ago, we have not yet quite escaped the grasp of wintry weather. A nor’easter storm coming up the coast will bring a mix of snow and rain as well as blustery winds and chilly temperatures today, making for a rather miserable first day of April. The wintry mixture began yesterday evening, and it will intensify as the center of the storm passes over eastern Massachusetts. The heaviest precipitation will likely fall as rain this morning, but rain and snow could continue to fall all day, potentially putting a damper on the Red Sox’s scheduled opening day.
Shorts (right)
Ten years ago, Goldman Sachs proclaimed that Brazil was among the new economic powerhouses. Now it is the next frontier for hedge funds.
Shorts (left)
A group of 16 people who filed a Title IX complaint against Yale University last month said Thursday that the federal Department of Education had launched an investigation to review Yale’s policies for dealing with sexual harassment and assault cases.
Syria offers changes to ward off anti-government protests
CAIRO — As Syria braced for renewed anti-government demonstrations, the government announced new measures on Thursday seemingly aimed at addressing the protesters’ demands.
NATO warns Libyan rebels not to attack civilians
WASHINGTON — Members of the NATO alliance have sternly warned the rebels in Libya not to attack civilians as they push against the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, according to senior military and government officials.