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Thabo Mbeki’s resignation as president of South Africa could hardly have come at a worse time for Zimbabwe, where he had just brokered a power-sharing deal that has now reached a pivotal — and perilous — moment, analysts say.
Fall Has Fallen
The Autumn season has officially begun as of 11:44 a.m. EDT yesterday morning, and today is its first full day. We can expect gradually falling temperatures through the coming months, as New England transitions from its warm, pleasant summer to another cold, snowy winter. Although you may need to stop wearing flip-flops and start wearing jackets, you will still get to enjoy some sunshine; in fact, October has the greatest average number of clear days of any month in Boston. However, while it may still seem nice outside now, it won’t be long until winter weather arrives, as the average date of the first trace of snow is November 4th.
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Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne told a House committee on Thursday that he might fire employees in the agency that collects oil and gas royalties, a week after the department’s inspector general reported extensive ethics abuses there.
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An agreement to extend the U.S. military mandate in Iraq beyond this year — near completion only a month ago — has stalled over objections by Iraqi leaders and could be in danger of unraveling, according to Iraqi and Bush administration officials.
Jittery Investors Strain Money Market Funds
For the second time in a week, a multibillion-dollar money market fund has been forced to take extraordinary steps to deal with sudden cash withdrawals by nervous institutional investors.
Iran’s President Says He Opposes Israel, Not Israelis
The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took the unusual step on Thursday of explaining that while he strongly opposed the state of Israel, his hostility did not extend to the Israeli people.
For Rivals, Financial Crisis Poses On-the-Fly Tests
The financial crisis has turned the race between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama into an audition for who could best handle a national economic emergency.
Two Regulators Move To Limit Short Selling
Traders who have sought to profit from the financial crisis by betting against bank stocks were attacked on two continents Thursday.
Sunny and Mild Days Ahead
September continues to live up to its expectation of being a month of calm, pleasant weather (don’t worry skiers, it’s only three months until snow). The next seven days look to be filled with sunshine, except for a few clouds here and there. High temperatures Sunday will be in the mid 70s, but otherwise highs will be in the low to mid 60s through the beginning of next week. Tropical activity in the North Atlantic is quiet for the moment, though we may see the development of a storm off the coast of Africa or in the Caribbean early next week.
Dow Falls Over 500 Points In Largest Loss Since 2001
Fearing that the crisis in the financial industry could stun the broader economy, investors drove stocks down almost 5 percent on Monday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index to their lowest levels in two years.
Obama, McCain Take Different Approaches to Wall Street
The crisis on Wall Street will leave the next president facing tough choices about how best to regulate the financial system, and although neither Sen. Barack Obama nor Sen. John McCain has yet offered a detailed plan, their records and the principles they have set out so far suggest they could come at the issue in very different ways.
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After almost three decades of untrammeled power, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Monday signed an agreement that gives his longtime political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, the authority to shape and carry out government policies as the country’s new prime minister.
Covert Georgian Recordings Cast Russia As an Aggressor
A new front has opened between Georgia and Russia, now over which side was the aggressor whose military activities early last month ignited the lopsided five-day war. At issue is new intelligence, inconclusive on its own, that nonetheless paints a more complicated picture of the critical last hours before war broke out.
Many States Aim to Cut Greenhouse Gases by Billing Polluters
Ten states from Maryland to Maine are about to undertake the nation’s most serious effort yet to tackle climate change, putting limits on carbon dioxide emissions from utilities and making them pay for each ton of pollutants.
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Federal Reserve officials were in urgent talks with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase on Monday to put together a $75 billion lending facility to stave off a crisis at the American International Group, the latest financial services company to be pummeled by the turmoil in the housing and credit markets.
No Swift Return to Heavily Damaged Galveston Island
As the search continued here for people killed or stranded by Hurricane Ike, authorities said Monday that they were faced with much larger challenges than simply clearing roadways and restoring electricity before they could let residents back onto this debris-strewn island.
Sunny September to Continue
When people ask “When’s the best time to visit Boston?” I smile and think to myself, “could they have asked an easier question?” September is certainly the best time. Climatologically, this is the month with the most number of sunny days. Combine that with the comfortable temperatures, this is the month where anybody would be able to enjoy the outdoors (OK, maybe not those pesky skiers). Excluding the effects of the two tropical storms, this September is no different. In fact, if you blindly believe the numerical weather prediction models, there will not be any rain for the next two weeks!
For Lehman Employees, The Collapse is Personal
In the last few days, employees of Lehman Brothers have wrung their hands as the value of their stock evaporated before their eyes. Now, many fear losing their jobs, too.
With Democrats Worried, Obama Plans Sharper Attacks
Sen. Barack Obama plans to intensify his assault against Sen. John McCain, with new television advertisements and more forceful attacks by the candidate and surrogates beginning Friday morning, as he confronts an invigorated Republican presidential ticket and increasing nervousness in the Democratic ranks
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The trade deficit reached a 16-month high in July as oil prices hit a record, the government said Thursday.