Shorts (left)
The District of Columbia has the highest rate of AIDS infection of any city in the country, nearly twice that of New York, and the disease is being transmitted to infants, older adults, women and heterosexual men at an epidemic pace, according to a report released Monday by city health officials.
Hard-Liners in Middle East Resist Peace Efforts of U.S.
The leaders of Hamas on Monday espoused a hard line against Israel at a conference that they and the militant Islamic Jihad faction convened in Gaza on the eve of the American-sponsored Middle East peace gathering in Annapolis, Md.
Federal Prosecutors Subpoena Blackwater Employees in Iraq
Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to some of the Blackwater employees present at a Sept. 16 shooting in Baghdad in which the company’s security personnel killed 17 Iraqi civilians, lawyers in the case and government officials briefed on the matter said Monday.
Pakistani Supreme Court Upholds Musharraf’s Presidential Election
The newly formed Supreme Court of Pakistan, which was appointed after emergency rule was imposed two weeks ago, Monday dismissed the main outstanding challenges to Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s election for another presidential term, almost certainly ensuring his confirmation as president later this week.
Shorts (left)
A security guard along with 20 other people who had been riding in a truck were arrested on Monday after the guard shot a teenage girl in central Baghdad, witnesses and an Iraqi army sergeant said. The guard, whose nationality was not immediately known, wounded the girl, who is 18, in the leg as she crossed the street in the bustling, mixed neighborhood of Karada around noon, according to witnesses.
Thousands Killed in Cyclone, Millions More Left Homeless
The number of people left dead after the powerful cyclone that swept through Bangladesh on Thursday rose to more than 3,100 Monday, the government said. The United Nations estimated that a million people had been left homeless, many of them in remote areas without predictable food supplies.
Samsung Scandal Worsens With Former Legal Aide’s Accusation
Samsung, which has vigorously denied bribery charges in a snowballing corruption scandal, sustained another blow to its image Monday when a former legal adviser to President Roh Moo-hyun said the company had once offered him a cash bribe.
Auto Insurance Rates in MA Drop 7.7 Percent After Switching to New System
Massachusetts auto insurance premiums will drop an average of just under 8 percent in the first year of the state’s new competitive insurance system, less than what some analysts had forecast would happen if regulators continued to set the rates.
Shorts (right)
The latest round of talks between the producers’ league and the stagehands union broke down Sunday night, leaving no end in sight for the strike that has already darkened most of Broadway for nine days. Soon after the breakdown, the League of American Theaters and Producers announced it was canceling performances of the 27 shows affected by the strike through next Sunday.
Thanksgiving Travel Forecast
Although not exactly ideal, weather conditions today and tomorrow should not cause major problems for those departing Cambridge for the holiday. A warm front moving in from the west will make for a dreary day today, bringing cloudy skies and light rain or wet (non-accumulating) snow. Tonight will be chilly and damp, but then the temperature will rise all the way through Thanksgiving afternoon, in response to southerly flow induced by a low pressure area developing well to our southwest. Overcast skies will predominate during this interlude of warmth, with the clouds perhaps squeezing out a few showers on Thanksgiving.
Shorts (left)
President Bush announced Thursday he was nominating a federal judge and former prosecutor from Chicago as the No. 2 official in the Justice Department.
Senate Panel Drops Immunity From Bush Wiretapping Act
Reflecting the deep divisions within Congress over granting legal immunity to telephone companies for cooperating with the Bush administration’s program of wiretapping without warrants, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a new domestic surveillance law on Thursday that sidestepped the issue.
Ruling Jolts Even Saudis: 200 Lashes for Female Rape Victim
A Saudi court on Tuesday more than doubled the number of lashes that a female rape victim was sentenced to last year after her lawyer appealed the original sentence. The decision, which many lawyers found shocking even by Saudi standards of justice, has provoked a rare public debate about the treatment of women here.
Commercial Airlines Given Priority In Military Airspace to Cut Delays
A week before the peak Thanksgiving travel period, the White House got involved at an unusually detailed level with air traffic, as President Bush announced Thursday that airlines will be able to make fuller use of military airspace to relieve congestion and cut delays.
Despite Emergency Rule Instituted by Musharraf, Pakistan Militants GainPakistan Militants Extend Their Reach
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, said he instituted emergency rule for the extra powers it would give him to push back the militants who have carved out a mini-state in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Fatah Leader Calls for OusterOf Hamas From Power in Gaza
Three days after Hamas policemen shot and killed at least seven civilians at a rally in Gaza, leading a number of Gazans to express shock and anger at Hamas, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president and the leader of the rival faction Fatah, called for the ouster of Hamas from power in Gaza.
Hail to the Victors
Following several clear days with relatively warm temperatures, a low pressure system has brought overcast skies to New England. Today, expect cooler weather as a cold front sweeps through our area. Gusty winds and scattered showers contribute to the chilling effect, although the latter should taper off as the afternoon progresses.
Shorts (right)
Pfizer, the world’s biggest drug company, flopped miserably with a seemingly can’t-miss idea. But Alfred E. Mann is so certain he can succeed that he is betting nearly $1 billion of his own money on the effort.
Six Palestinians Killed in Pro- Western Fatah Rally Monday
At least six Palestinians were killed and more than 100 wounded here on Monday when a rally by the relatively pro-Western Fatah movement to mark the third anniversary of the death of its founder, Yasser Arafat, ended in armed clashes between Fatah and its rival, Hamas.
Pakistan Detains Bhutto in an Attempt to Stop Protest March
Pakistani authorities issued a seven-day detention order against the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Monday, in a bid to stop her from leading a planned protest march this week from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital, Islamabad.