MERS virus found in United States for first time
A new virus that has killed more than 100 people in the Middle East has been found in the United States for the first time, in an Indiana health care worker who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, federal health officials said Friday.
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NEW DELHI — At least 28 Muslims have been killed in three separate attacks on western villages in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, where long-simmering tensions have pitted members of the Bodo tribal group, who are demanding a separate state, against non-Bodo residents, including Muslims.
Study reveals sizable increase in diabetes among children
For years doctors have warned of a rising epidemic of diabetes among children. Yet there has been surprisingly little firm data on the extent of this disease among younger Americans.
Obama orders policy review of executions
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared this week’s botched execution in Oklahoma “deeply disturbing” and directed the attorney general Friday to review how the death penalty is applied in the United States at a time when it has become increasingly debated.
Mixed verdict in Apple-Samsung patent fight
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A federal jury said on Friday that Apple and Samsung had infringed each other’s patents on some mobile devices, a split decision in the latest court fight between the two technology giants.
Sweet spring supplies sunny scenes
As green continues popping up here and there, it is clearer and clearer that spring is here. This week, in particular, will be a really nice week. Temperatures will stay between 40F and 70F throughout the week, although with a few showers towards the tail side.
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BAGHDAD — Millions of Iraqis voted for a new Parliament on Wednesday, defying threats from Islamist extremists, in an election that was carried out, by Iraq’s brutal standards, in remarkable peace.
Turkish protestors defy May Day ban, dozens detained
ISTANBUL — Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Istanbul on Thursday in May Day rallies, confronting riot police officers to protest, lashing out against a government mired in a corruption scandal and accused of imposing a creeping authoritarianism in Turkey.
Seattle mayor details plan for $15 minimum wage
SEATTLE — Mayor Ed Murray presented on Thursday what he described as an imperfect but workable plan to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than twice the federal minimum wage and one of the highest anywhere in the nation, through a series of complex and phased-in stages. Just as crucially, he said, the plan has broad political support, with a coalition of labor and business groups ready to push hard for it at the City Council, starting with the first hearings next week.
Springtime temperatures for the weekend
After a week filled with temperatures in the 40s and on-and-off rain, Boston will finally see some nicer weather this weekend. Each day for the next few days will have a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures in the 60s. A mass of cold air high in the air column will move over the region on Sunday, creating an instability in the atmosphere. This system could generate showers and thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. Depending on the strength of the instability, some forecasts have even predicted the slight possibility of hail.
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WASHINGTON — Reporting of rape and other sexual assaults in the military is up by 50 percent, according to a Defense Department report that was released Thursday. White House and Pentagon officials said it was a welcome sign of increased confidence among victims that recent steps by military leaders show the Pentagon is taking these cases seriously.
Seeking court’s help, GM hopes to stop suits
An unusual meeting took place this week at a law office high in a Times Square skyscraper. Lawyers from about 100 law firms participated, either in person or by phone. The agenda: solidifying a strategy for taking on General Motors in bankruptcy court.
Report: Transparency in online data collection needed
WASHINGTON — The White House, hoping to move the national conversation on privacy beyond data harvesting by intelligence agencies to the practices of companies like Google and Facebook, released a long-anticipated report on Thursday that recommends requiring private companies to release information they gather from their customers online.
String of deadly storms hits across Midwest and South
ATLANTA — Residents of Arkansas began assessing the damage Monday after a night of deadly storms left at least 17 people dead across the central and southern United States.
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MINYA, Egypt — An Egyptian court here on Monday sentenced to death the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and more than 680 other people after a swift mass trial on charges of inciting or committing acts of violence that led to the destruction of a police station and the killing of an officer.
Syria announces Assad’s bid for re-election as war rages
BEIRUT — The Syrian government announced Monday that President Bashar Assad will compete in a presidential election scheduled for June 3 that is widely seen as an attempt to enhance his perceived legitimacy despite a raging civil war that has pushed his government out of much of the country and displaced millions of citizens.
Same court weighs different effects of similar abortion laws
NEW ORLEANS — For the second time this year, a federal appeals panel here heard arguments about the constitutionality of a new state law governing abortion. But despite much in common between the two laws — one in Texas, and the other, the subject of Monday’s hearing, in Mississippi — their effects would differ substantially, raising the possibility that the same court weighing similar laws might arrive at different conclusions.
French company Sanofi says dengue vaccine succeeds in late-stage trial
LOS ANGELES — The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi said Monday that its experimental vaccine for dengue fever had succeeded in its first late-stage clinical trial. The results could help pave the way for introduction of the first vaccine to prevent a disease that afflicts as many as 100 million people a year.
Severe weather threatens southeastern U.S., cool and cloudy in Boston
It’s been an active few days across the Southern Great Plains and the Southeast as a multi-day, multi-state severe weather outbreak affected the region. On Sunday, preliminary storm reports indicated that 32 tornadoes touched down from Iowa and Nebraska to Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, killing at least 18 people in three states. At the time of this writing Thursday afternoon, the severe threat persisted as tornado-warned storms continued to affect Mississippi and Alabama. Unfortunately, this severe threat will stick around for at least today and possibly tomorrow for parts of the
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Pfizer, the maker of best-selling drugs like Lipitor and Viagra and a symbol of business prowess in the United States for more than a century, no longer wants to be an American company.