Bertha bypasses Boston
Tropical Storm Bertha is forecast to pass roughly 250 miles (400 km) off the coast of New England today, but its effects will barely be noticeable here at the Institute. The second named tropical cyclone of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, Bertha briefly attained hurricane status on Monday. Prior to that, the storm impacted the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. However, the storm’s path has since shifted to the north and east, and it is expected to go out to sea without having any significant impact on the mainland United States.
Israeli arrest in abduction of three youths is made public
JERUSALEM — Israel arrested a Palestinian last month accused of being the prime mover in the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June, it emerged from court papers on Tuesday. The abduction set off the most recent conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Muslim minister quits British government over Gaza policies
LONDON — The fighting in Gaza claimed an unexpected casualty among the British political elite Tuesday when Sayeeda Warsi, the first Muslim to serve in the British Cabinet, resigned, saying the government’s “approach and language” in the crisis had been “morally indefensible.”
New leadership style in China complicates American diplomacy
BEIJING — As Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, joined by a large group of U.S. officials, meet with senior Chinese leaders here this week, they will face an American-Chinese relationship riven by a strategic rivalry not seen before, a situation that neither side appears in the mood to improve.
Shorts (left)
KABUL, Afghanistan — After hours of pitched political drama that sent President Barack Obama and other officials scrambling to calm a surge of Afghan factional hostility, the presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah walked a perilous line Tuesday, threatening to declare his own government even while urging his frenzied supporters to give him time to negotiate.
Tanker hijackings add to tensions in South China Sea
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Add another problem to the rising tensions in the South China Sea this year: a mysterious spate of tanker hijackings since late April, as armed bands of men have boarded and commandeered the ships, siphoned their cargos of diesel and gasoline onto barges or other tankers, and fled into the night.
Holder urges Europeans to step up anti-terrorism tactics
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Tuesday implored more European countries to adopt U.S.-style counterterrorism laws and tactics, including undercover stings to prevent potential terrorists from traveling to Syria.
Ukraine rebels are retreating for last stand
KIEV, Ukraine — Separatist rebels retreated Monday from positions in eastern Ukraine, apparently blowing up bridges, and began building barricades in the two largest cities, Donetsk and Luhansk, in anticipation of a final stand against advancing government troops.
Pleasant weekend ahead
The hot and humid weather of the last several days will continue today, with a chance of thunderstorms today. Thunderstorms are a common summertime occurrence, but it is important to take the treat of severe weather carefully. On Monday afternoon, a mesocyclone passed just north of MIT, and had a tornado warning associated with it. Although no actual tornadoes were reported, there was a confirmed microburst (with straight line winds of 90–100 mph) that caused wind damage in Bedford. Although the threat of severe weather looks to be minimal in our area the rest of the week, it is good practice to stay informed by checking the National Weather Service (weather.gov) for severe weather watches and warnings.
Obama to nominate new deputy secretary of energy
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he is nominating Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, the National Security Council’s top nuclear proliferation and defense policy official, to be deputy secretary of energy.
Shorts (right)
JERUSALEM — The call came to the cellphone of his brother’s wife, Salah Kaware said Tuesday. Kaware lives in Khan Younis, in southeast Gaza, and the caller said that everyone in the house must leave within five minutes, because it was going to be bombed.
Iraqi Kurds take oil city as militants push forward
ERBIL, Iraq — Iraq’s fracturing deepened Thursday as Kurdish forces poured into the strategic northern oil city of Kirkuk after government troops fled, while emboldened Sunni militants who seized two other important northern cities this week moved closer to Baghdad and issued threats about advancing into the heavily Shiite south and destroying the shrines there, the holiest in Shiism.
Cantor forgot Virginia roots, voters contend
GLEN ALLEN, Va. — Here in the place that Rep. Eric Cantor calls home, few voters seemed to recognize him as one of their own. Despite Cantor’s rise to the second-most powerful member of his party in the House and for a time a leader of its angry right flank, Republicans here seemed in agreement with Cantor’s challenger who toppled him from power by tarring him as insufficiently conservative on issues including immigration, the federal budget and crony capitalism.
Storms to soak Boston area
The Institute will get wet today as a storm system that caused wind damage in several locations in the Mid-Atlantic moves northward over our region. Rain showers will move through the area throughout this morning and this afternoon, bringing with them the occasional heavy downpour, gusty wind, or rumble of thunder. Fortunately, these storms have weakened since striking the Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday, so significant damage or dangerous conditions are not expected. In all, less than an inch of rain should accumulate today — a much more manageable amount than was received on this day in 1998, when intense storms drenched eastern Massachusetts in over 5 inches of rain, and caused over 5 million dollars in property damage.
In Brazil, jeers and cheers for government and FIFA
SÃO PAULO — Protests erupted on the streets of Brazil’s largest city Thursday just hours before the opening of the World Cup soccer tournament, with the police dispersing demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets near the stadium where Brazil was to play against Croatia.
Shorts (right)
Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of The New York Times, will teach undergraduate courses in narrative nonfiction at Harvard this fall, the university announced Thursday.
Private health care exchanges enroll more than predicted
Employers are moving more quickly than forecasted to offer health insurance to their workers through private exchanges, according to new data from Accenture, a consulting firm.
Shorts (left)
BEIRUT — President Bashar Assad of Syria on Wednesday celebrated his overwhelming victory in a deeply disputed election, asserting his confidence and defiance in the Syrian conflict as supporters savored his success in thwarting the United States.