Discovery space shuttle leaves Earth for the last time
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — With seconds to spare after a last-minute glitch, the repaired shuttle Discovery, grounded since November because of vexing fuel tank cracks, rocketed into orbit Thursday on its 39th and final flight, setting off for the International Space Station to deliver supplies, equipment and a final American storage module.
Resurgent General Motors posts 2010 profit of $4.7 billion dollars
DETROIT — General Motors, which nearly collapsed from the weight of its debts two years ago before reorganizing in a government-sponsored bankruptcy, said Thursday that it earned $4.7 billion in 2010, the most in more than a decade.
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Responding to criticism that tenure gives even poor teachers a job for life, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, announced a plan Thursday to overhaul how teachers are evaluated and dismissed.
Active Weather Ahead
The high pressure system that has brought us sunny, dry weather for the last week has finally moved off the coast, allowing a sequence of storms to impact our region over the next few days. The first system comes through today, bringing heavy rain and blustery conditions. The rain should taper off by the evening, but could be quite heavy at times this morning and this afternoon. We should receive 1.5–2 inches of rain. As for the wind, the southeast winds of the morning will weaken and shift as the low passes in the afternoon, before shifting to strong northwesterlies on the backside of the low. Gusts of up to 55 mph are possible tonight. Saturday will be mostly quiet before a shortwave trough brings a chance of snow showers on Sunday morning. The next major system moves in on Monday; right now it looks like it will be mostly rain, but some sleet and freezing rain could be mixed in.
Gadhafi’s forces strike with fury as Libyan unrest grows
CAIRO — The faltering government of the Libyan strongman Colonel Moammar Gadhafi struck back at mounting protests against his 40-year rule, as security forces and militiamen backed by helicopters and warplanes besieged parts of the capital Monday, according to witnesses and news reports from Tripoli.
Zimbabwe arrests 46 for watching uprisings on TV
JOHANNESBURG — Dozens of students, trade unionists and political activists who gathered to watch Al-Jazeera and BBC news reports on the uprisings that brought down autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to oust President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
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Blockbuster, the bankrupt video rental company, said on Monday that it had agreed to sell itself to a group of creditors for about $290 million as a way to jump-start an auction process that could yield a higher bid.
In Wisconsin, back to work in the Senate — minus a party
MADISON, Wis. — With the Capitol braced for another week of protests and deadlock over a budget bill that would severely restrict public employees’ unions here, the top Republican in the State Senate announced that the body would resume consideration of other matters.
Egypt’s new leaders signal commitment to civilian rule
CAIRO — The military and civilian leadership controlling Egypt in the wake of a popular revolution took several high-profile steps Monday to reassure Egyptians that it shared their fervor for change and to signal to foreign leaders that the move to full civilian rule would be rapid.
New Jersey’s ailing economy may test governor’s charismatic allure
In a year as governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie has captivated conservatives with an in-your-face frankness and nonstop aggressiveness that few have seen from a chief executive.
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FRANKFURT, Germany — BMW, the German luxury car builder, said on Monday that it would create a sub-brand known as BMW i to market a line of battery-powered cars starting in 2013, and gave the most complete picture yet of how the vehicles made of carbon fiber and aluminum would look.
Winter-like conditions return to New England
The cold temperatures of the winter season are back in full swing after an unusually warm period late last week. Last Friday evening, the warm weather came to an abrupt end as some surprising thunderstorm squalls raced through the area.
Strong in number and spirit, Republican freshmen hold sway
WASHINGTON — The last speaker was Rep. Steve Southerland, freshman lawmaker from Florida, and so he dug deep. Drawing on the two things that propel him through each day — his experience as funeral home operator, and his general loathing of all things Washington — Southerland politely lit into Republican House leaders one day last week, explaining that he had not come to Washington to whack the federal budget this year by one dollar less than the $100 billion he had pledged to cut in his campaign.
Iran opposition leader missing as tensions rise
A main leader of Iran’s opposition was reported missing on Thursday and both the opposition “green movement” and Iran’s hardliners issued calls for street rallies, escalating tensions after the re-emergence of street protests and their brutal suppression on Monday.
Planned Parenthood funding caught in budget feud
Almost unnoticed in the wars over the federal budget has been a pitched battle over funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides contraception, medical services and abortions at 800 clinics around the country.
Despite combustible conditions, no unrest yet In Uganda
KAMPALA, Uganda — Fresh from fighting in the bush, Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, a former rebel commander, electrified the crowd at his inaugural address in 1986 when he declared that “the problems of Africa, and Uganda in particular, are caused by leaders who overstay in power.”
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SAN FRANCISCO — Apple has been exploring ways to broaden the appeal of the iPhone by making the popular device less expensive and allowing users to control it with voice commands.
British government begins an overhaul of welfare system
LONDON — The British government on Thursday introduced legislation meant to simplify and reduce the cost of the country’s welfare system, saying that it wanted to change a culture in which welfare recipients risked losing income if they found jobs.
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OTTAWA — A federal Cabinet minister said Thursday that hackers, perhaps from China, compromised computers in two Canadian government departments in early January, leaving bureaucrats with little or no Internet access for nearly two months.
Weekend weather returns to normal
For the last several days, we have been experiencing temperatures in the 50°Fs, tricking us into thinking that spring has arrived. Yesterday it reached 59°F at Logan Airport, just shy of the 61°F record high. Warm temperatures will persist today thanks to a high pressure system in the Atlantic that is spinning warm air our way. However, the rest of the weekend will feature a return to normal conditions, with high temperatures in the upper 30°Fs. A cold front will pass through tonight, but a lack of moisture associated with it means any precipitation will be minimal. Saturday and Sunday will be partly cloudy with blustery conditions that will make it feel quite cold compared with yesterday and today, especially on Saturday, when gusts of up to 45 mph are possible. For our day off on Monday for President’s Day, a low pressure system will bring the possibility of a wintry mix of precipitation.