Tension Grows Over Role Of Kurds in Iraqi City
A new Iraqi military offensive is under way in this still violent northern city, but the worry is not only the insurgents who remain strong here. American commanders are increasingly concerned that Mosul could degenerate into a larger battleground over the fragile Iraqi state itself.
Yen Surges, Fueled By Abrupt End of Borrowing Scheme
Tumbling stock markets and falling currencies are causing global concern, but the Japanese yen is generating high anxiety for rising too much. The yen surged as much as 10 percent against the dollar last week. In the last month, it has gained an astounding 34 percent against the euro.
Candidates Aim for a Balance Between Confident and Cocky
Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain have been ever vigilant in recent days for signs of an unseemly affliction in the realm of presidential medicine: January Fever.
Alaska Senator Convicted On Felony Ethics Charges
Sen. Ted Stevens, Alaska’s dominant political figure for more than four decades, was found guilty on Monday of violating federal ethics laws for failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and services he received from friends.
U.S. Special Forces Raid Into Syria, Kill Iraqi Militant
A raid into Syria on Sunday was conducted by U.S. Special Operations forces who killed an Iraqi militant responsible for smuggling weapons, money and foreign fighters across the border into Iraq, U.S. officials said Monday.
I See You’re Eyeing Those Snow Boots
Well, I’m sorry to get your hopes up; Boston just isn’t far enough inland for that delightful white fluffy stuff. We get rain. Sorry. I feel your loss, really: after half of a semester of Experimental Physics 1, I’m more than ready to throw snowballs at all my friends. So, why are we not getting snow? It’s simply not cold enough here yet; remember how unseasonably warm it was on Sunday with a high of 66°F? The source of today’s storm is a low that strengthened as it moved from off the middle Atlantic coast to New England. It has enough moisture to give us anywhere from a quarter to a half inch of rain today in Cambridge (grab your umbrellas!), and drop anywhere from a few flakes to a few inches in the Berkshires and at other high altitudes far inland. Don’t worry too much though about your missed snowball fights; we’ll get our wintry weather soon enough.
IMF Mulls Credit to Stem Crisis in Developing World
With the financial crisis engulfing developing countries from Latin America to Central Europe, raising the specter of market panic and even social unrest, Western officials are weighing coordinated action to try to stabilize these economies.
Greenspan Concedes Flaws In His Hands-Off Approach
For years, a congressional hearing with Alan Greenspan was a marquee event. Lawmakers doted on him as an economic sage. Markets jumped up or down depending on what he said. Politicians in both parties wanted the maestro on their side.
Lagging, McCain Can Still See Several Victory Scenarios
Sen. John McCain woke Thursday morning to what has become a fairly common greeting in these tough last weeks of his campaign. A raft of polls showing him well behind. Early post-mortems on his candidacy. Even Republicans speaking of him in the past tense.
Shorts (left)
The City Council on Thursday cleared a path for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to run for re-election next year, voting to revise a term limits law twice approved by voters.
Shorts (right)
Half of all American doctors responding to a nationwide survey say they regularly prescribe placebos to patients. The results trouble medical ethicists, who say more research is needed to determine whether doctors must deceive patients in order for placebos to work.
Tribal Militias Walk a Tightrope in Fighting Taliban
Two tribal elders lay stretched out in an orthopedic ward here last week, their plastered limbs and winces of pain grim evidence of the slaughter they survived when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the midst of their tribal gathering.
Say It Ain’t Snow
The mere mention of snow sends people flocking to get sweaters, gloves, scarves, and occasionally every last loaf of bread and gallon of milk in supermarkets as well. We’re approaching that time of year when the flakes will begin to fall and cover the ground in a serene white. On average, the first snow arrives in Boston around Nov. 4, and the first inch of accumulating snow doesn’t usually occur until the first part of December. However, some years are curveballs, including 2005. On Oct. 29 of that year, 1.1 inches (2.8 cm) of slushy snow coated the still changing leaves.
Bush Decides to Keep Guantanamo Bay Facility Open
Despite his stated desire to close the American prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, President Bush has decided not to do so, and never considered proposals drafted in the State Department and the Pentagon that outlined options for transferring the detainees elsewhere, according to senior administration officials.
Shorts (left)
Four months after the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess guns, its decision is under assault — from the right.
Hate Groups Stay Mostly Quiet During Election
A tall, extra-hot mocha in his hand and a .380-caliber pistol on his hip, Bill White sat near the window of a Starbucks in Roanoke, Va., last month and discussed his political predicament as the leader of one of the nation’s more established neo-Nazi groups.
Frozen Credit Markets Begin To Thaw Around World
After weeks of extraordinary efforts by the world’s governments and central banks, the frozen flow of credit began to thaw on Monday.
Shorts (right)
As the price of oil roared to ever higher levels in recent years, the leaders of Venezuela, Iran and Russia muscled their way onto the world stage, using checkbook diplomacy and, on occasion, intimidation.
Federal Reserve Chairman Endorses New Stimulus
The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, said on Monday that he supported a second round of additional spending measures to help stimulate the economy.
Mugabe Blocks Zimbabwe Opposition Leader From Talks
Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, missed talks in Swaziland on the crisis in his country on Monday, after his rival and negotiating partner, President Robert Mugabe, refused to give him a passport.