Gulf may have avoided direst predictions after spill
NEW ORLEANS — Marsh grasses matted by oil are still a common sight on the gulf coast here, but so are green shoots springing up beneath them.
Court rejects Pennsylvania city’s efforts to curb immigrants
A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower-court ruling striking down ordinances adopted by Hazleton, Pa., that banned illegal immigrants from renting housing or being employed there.
Florida minister wavers on plans to burn the Quran
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Terry Jones, the Florida minister who set the world on edge with plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, said Thursday that he had canceled his demonstration because he had won a promise to move the mosque near ground zero to a new location.
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A year after a disastrous 27 percent decline that prompted layoffs, salary freezes and a halt to some campus expansion, the Harvard endowment on Thursday reported an 11 percent increase in its $27.4 billion portfolio for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
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BOULDER, Colo. — Federal fire managers said firefighters have the Fourmile Canyon Fire west of Boulder about 40 percent contained and that good progress against the blaze was made Thursday.
A surge of interest in hiring Republican lobbyists
WASHINGTON — With Democrats in danger of losing control of Congress, some prominent lobbying shops, trade groups and contractors are already moving to bring more Republicans on board to bolster their political fortunes.
Union accuses China of illegal subsidies in clean energy
HONG KONG — A broad trade case filed Thursday by an American labor union, accusing China of unfairly subsidizing its clean energy industry, pressed a hot-button jobs issue in the United States during a congressional election season.
Cool and clear <br />for the weekend
A high pressure system will again bring sunshine to the Boston area this weekend. High temperatures will remain in the high 60s and low 70s °F, however, with the persistence of clouds early this morning as well as the arrival of cool northern air tomorrow during the day. While these temperatures are a bit cooler than those we have been used to the past few weeks, they are close to normal for this time of year. September often marks the time of year at which temperatures begin to fall with the arrival of autumn: The normal high temperature for September 1 in Boston is 9.2°F higher than the normal high for September 30. Certain events associated with warm weather are still possible, however. For instance, on this date in 1954, Hurricane Edna dumped 5.64 inches of rain in Boston.
Dangerous quartet of Iraqi prisoners escapes U.S. custody
BAGHDAD — Four of the most dangerous prisoners in Iraq escaped overnight on Wednesday from American custody in a heavily fortified prison on the edge of Baghdad, an embarrassing security breach that led to an intensive manhunt, American and Iraqi officials said Thursday.
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THATA SIAL, PAKISTAN — When the governor of Punjab province arrived recently in this small town with truckloads of relief goods for flood victims, his visit was as much a political mission as a humanitarian one. His message to the hundred or so displaced people gathered under an awning was that the government was there for them.
Some see a ploy as Craigslist blocks sex ads
SAN FRANCISCO — Craigslist, by shutting off its “adult services” section and slapping a “censored” label in its place, is engaging in what some analysts describe as a high-stakes stunt to influence public opinion.
Grim housing choice: help<br />today’s owners or future buyers
The unexpectedly deep plunge in home sales this summer is likely to force the Obama administration to choose between future homeowners and current ones, a predicament officials had been eager to avoid.
Labour politicians call for a second look at a phone scandal
LONDON — Senior opposition politicians are calling on the government to respond to renewed accusations that Downing Street’s chief communications officer, Andy Coulson, encouraged reporters to illegally intercept messages from the cell phones of public figures when he was editor of The News of the World.
American Muslims ask,<br />will we ever belong?
For nine years after the attacks of Sept. 11, many American Muslims made concerted efforts to build relationships with non-Muslims, to make it clear they abhor terrorism, to educate people about Islam and to participate in interfaith service projects. They took satisfaction in the observations by many scholars that Muslims in America were more successful and assimilated than Muslims in Europe.
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The unexpectedly deep plunge in home sales this summer is likely to force the Obama administration to choose between future homeowners and current ones, a predicament officials had been eager to avoid.
A warm start to classes, then rain and chilly winds
An area of high pressure centered to our south in the Atlantic will continue moving eastward. As it does so, southwesterly winds will reach New England, providing a quick surge of warm air for today. Highs will likely reach the mid 80s over the area, but remain below those of last week’s heat wave. Temperatures should cool off somewhat for Wednesday as the next storm system approaches, bringing a weakening low pressure across southern Canada toward Nova Scotia. This system will swing a cold front through the east Coast by Wednesday night. Skies will become cloudy and rain should begin falling on Wednesday as showers, or possibly thunderstorms. The fast moving cold front will give way to cooler temperatures (around 70°F) by Thursday, and allow some showers from the accompanying low pressure to move southward from Canada. Don’t worry, no tropical cyclones in sight for now.
Baghdad attack highlights still dangerous role of U.S.
BAGHDAD — Insurgents mounted a coordinated attack on one of the main military commands in Baghdad on Sunday, briefly drawing fire from American soldiers, an event that underscored the ambiguity of the American military role in Iraq after the declared end of its combat operations.
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Hurricane Earl closed in on North Carolina early Thursday evening, pelting the eastern part of the state with bands of rain and powerful blasts of wind as communities and seaside towns across the eastern seaboard braced for the storm’s devastating force.
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Stanford’s football team does not make it to many premier bowl games, but the Cardinal rules college sports by another influential measure: it has won the Directors’ Cup 16 years in a row.
In a shift, fewer young voters identify with democrats
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The college vote is up for grabs this year — to an extent that would have seemed unlikely two years ago, when a generation of young people seemed to swoon over Barack Obama.