World Bank Comm. Finds That Wolfowitz Violated Ethics, Rules
A World Bank committee charged on Monday that Paul D. Wolfowitz violated ethical and governance rules as bank president by showing favoritism to his companion in 2005. In response, the Bush administration mounted a last-ditch global campaign to save Wolfowitz from being ousted from office. On a day of rapid developments that intensified the furor over Wolfowitz at the bank, in the Bush administration, and at government ministries around the world, the special committee that has investigated his conduct in the last month issued a scathing set of conclusions that seemed certain to hasten a decision on Wolfowitz's fate.
Bush Orders Review of Auto Fuel Efficiency For New Automobiles
President Bush announced Monday that he had directed his administration to begin the long process of establishing higher fuel efficiency standards for new cars.
Palestinian Interior Minister Resigns Monday, Unable to Control Factions
The Palestinian interior minister, Hani al-Qawasmeh, resigned Monday, and four more Palestinians were killed in fierce factional gun battles.
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The Japanese Parliament passed a bill on Monday calling for a national referendum on amendments to the country's pacifist constitution.
Secretary of State Rice Supports Embattled World Bank President
Bowing to pressure from the Bush administration, the World Bank board agreed Wednesday to give Paul D. Wolfowitz, the bank’s president, slightly more time to defend himself against charges of misconduct before the board decides his future.
Prosecutor Firings Justified, Gonzales Tells House Comm.
House Democrats pressed Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales at a hearing on Thursday to provide specifics about why federal prosecutors were dismissed, but he stuck to his past assertions that, although ineptly handled, the dismissals were justified and appropriate.
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The death toll of civilians killed in bombing by foreign forces on Tuesday night was much higher than the official figure of 21, and may be as high as 50 or even 80, residents reached by telephone said Thursday.
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As the House approved a plan on Thursday to finance the Iraq war only through midsummer, President Bush offered his first public concession to try to resolve the impasse on war spending, acknowledging rising pressure from his own party and the public.
Cooler Weekend Ahead
Unstable air associated with a cold front to the west will give us a chance for an isolated shower or thunderstorm today. Temperatures will remain unseasonably warm for one last day, as part of our mini-heat wave of this past week. As the high pressure over central Canada moves to our southwest, the associated clockwise circulation will bring in cooler air from the north. This will bring the weekend’s high temperatures back to the mid-60s, which is more normal for this time of year. The good news is that the friendly high pressure will bring sunny conditions Saturday through Monday, continuing the dry pattern we have been in for the past two weeks.
House Republicans Lobby Bush To Act Against Sudan Violence
In the latest attempt to exert pressure on Sudan over the killing in the Darfur region, a group of conservative-to-moderate Republicans in Congress demanded Thursday that President Bush impose sanctions against the government for its failure to rein in the violence.
Blair Announces Plans to Leave Post as Prime Minister in June
After months of coy hints and fevered speculation, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced Thursday that he would leave office on June 27 after a decade in power in which he sacrificed his popularity to the war in Iraq and struggled at home to improve schools, policing and hospitals.
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Danvers neighborhood last November, state officials Monday outlined the first federally approved plan to inspect small chemical and hazardous waste plants that they said could pose "a significant danger to populations in the event of a problem or accident."
Mass. Governor Patrick Moves To Reshape Executive Branch
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, in his latest effort to reshape his administration, has informed all commissioners and agency leaders appointed by his Republican predecessors that they must reapply for their jobs and will be notified by June 1 if they can remain in their positions.
The Heat Is On
After the generally dreary weather of March and April, anyone looking forward to summer will surely enjoy an early taste this week, as temperatures flirt with 80°F (27°C) in the coming days.
Report on Child Deaths Finds Some Hope in Poorest Nations
The rate at which young children perish has worsened most disastrously over the past 15 years in Iraq, hard hit by both sanctions and war, and in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland, devastated by AIDS, according to a report released Monday by Save the Children. But researchers also found against-the-odds progress is some of the world's poorest nations.
As Top Aide Resigns, Future For Wolfowitz Still Uncertain
World Bank president Paul D. Wolfowitz's efforts to keep his job floundered Monday as one of his top two aides resigned and several senior bank officials expressed concern in interviews that countries might withhold donations if his fate as head of the world's leading development institution isn't settled soon.
A Fan of the American Way Takes The Reins in France After Election
Two days before the first round of the presidential election last month, Nicolas Sarkozy donned a red checked shirt, jeans and cowboy boots, mounted a small white horse named Universe and rode around the Camargue country in France's deep south. A gaggle of reporters and cameramen followed him in a cart pulled by a tractor. The black bulls on the nearby pasture stayed away.
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert Survives 3 No-Confidence Votes in Parliament
Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, survived three no-confidence votes against his government on Monday, part of the political fallout from a harsh report on the country's leadership during last summer's war in Lebanon.
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Students at Amir Kabir University fended off club-wielding university security guards on Monday and went ahead with elections for a pro-democracy association.
L.A. Weather?
Sunny for five days in a row — is that possible? Yes! New England is well known for its changing weather, so several consecutive days of sunny skies can seem implausible. According to the National Climate Data Center, Boston receives clear skies for 98 days out of an average year, with clear skies being defined as less than 30 percent cloud cover. (Meanwhile, if you are curious, the number one city for clear skies is Yuma, AZ, which enjoys a whopping 242 clear days in an average year.) So statistically, the odds are against a string of clear days in Boston.