Scientists Discover Gene Linked To Heart Disease in Europeans
Two rival teams of scientists have discovered a common genetic variation that increases the risk of heart disease up to 60 percent in people of European descent.
Senator Clinton Proposes Vote to Rescind Bush’s War Authorization
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., proposed Thursday that Congress repeal the authority it gave President Bush in 2002 to invade Iraq, injecting presidential politics into the congressional debate over war funding.
Seeking An Edge, Florida Legislature Approves Plans to Move Up Primary
Casting more uncertainty over the presidential nominating process for 2008, the Florida Legislature on Thursday moved the state’s primary up to Jan. 29, ignoring the threat of sanctions from the national Republican and Democratic parties.
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Sen. Barack Obama, whose crowds at political rallies across the country have often numbered in the thousands, was placed under Secret Service protection Thursday, a spokesman for the agency said.
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A federal official whose investigations of waste and corruption in Iraq have repeatedly embarrassed the Bush administration is being investigated himself by an oversight committee with close links to the White House and by the ranking Republican on the House Government Reform Committee.
Meeting With Syrian Minister Marks Shift in Bush Strategy
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Thursday with her Syrian counterpart in the first high-level diplomatic contact between Washington and Damascus in more than two years.
Former Deputy General Claims U.S. Attorneys Show Competency
A former deputy attorney general told the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that he regarded most of the fired U.S. attorneys as highly competent prosecutors who should not have been dismissed.
The Springtime Jet
Yesterday started off very cold and damp, however it quickly shifted to sunny weather and temperatures slightly above 70°F. If you are curious about the source of this springtime variability, at least part of it is due to the jet stream that is currently located over Boston. The jet acts as a guide for smaller scale perturbations that can potentially cause weather variations over a few hours. Also, since the jet stream in the upper atmosphere is concomitant with a large temperature gradient near the surface and lower atmosphere, to be close to the jet is also to be close to the boundary between the polar air masses and the tropical air masses. This is yet another source of variability since it provides the potential for rapid changes in temperature due to air crossing over either from the pole or from the equator side of the boundary.
Senior Officer Testifies Against Previous Military Jailer in Iraq
A senior commander in the American military’s main detention center here testified Monday at a military hearing that his predecessor, Lt. Col. William H. Steele, gave computer programs and other gifts to the daughter of a high-value detainee.
Sunni Ministers Threaten to Quit Iraqi Government in Frustration
The largest bloc of Sunni Arabs in the Iraqi parliament threatened to withdraw its ministers from the Shiite-dominated cabinet Tuesday in frustration over the Iraq government’s failure to deal with Sunni concerns.
Five Muslims Convicted For Planning 2005 Bomb Attack
A jury found five British Muslim men guilty on Monday of planning fertilizer-bomb attacks around London, ending a yearlong trial that linked the plotters with two of the four men who blew themselves up on London’s transit system in July 2005.
Interior Dept. Proposes Expansion of Oil and Gas Drilling Along U.S. Coasts
The Bush administration on Monday proposed leasing out millions of acres along the coasts of Alaska and Virginia to oil and gas drillers, a move that would end a longstanding ban on drilling in those environmentally sensitive areas.
Wal-Mart Violated Workers’ Rights Over Labor Unions, Report Finds
In its first study of how an American company treats its workers, Human Rights Watch asserted Monday that Wal-Mart’s aggressive efforts to keep out labor unions often violated federal law and infringed on its workers’ rights.
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Gov. Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia closed a loophole Monday in the state’s gun laws that allowed a mentally disturbed Virginia Tech student to buy the guns used in a shooting rampage this month that left 33 dead at the university.
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Climate scientists may have significantly underestimated the power of global warming from human-generated heat-trapping gases to shrink the cap of sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean, according to a new study of polar trends.
U.S. Commander Charged With Aiding Iraqi Detainees at Prison
The American military has charged a top commander at its main detention center here with nine violations of military law, including “aiding the enemy,” a rare and serious accusation that could carry a death sentence.
The Rumble of Spring
You’ve probably noticed the change in the weather recently as we’ve been on one crazy roller coaster ride, going from stinging ice pellets to downright balmy weather in less than two weeks. Spring seems to have missed its layover in Boston, but these wild swings from day to day are very characteristic of the temperamental nature of the season. Gradients between cold and warm air masses can become very sharp. For instance, on Tuesday there was a blinding snowstorm in the foothills of Colorado where some places received almost two feet of snow and tornadic thunderstorms were spinning on the high plains less than 100 miles to the east.
Researchers Connect Seven New Genes to Adult–Onset Diabetes
Researchers said Thursday that they had identified seven new genes connected to the most common form of diabetes — the latest result of an intensifying race between university researchers and private companies to find genes linked to a range of diseases.
Chief Exec. of Siemens Resigns in the Midst of Widening Corporate Scandal
The embattled chief executive of Siemens, Klaus Kleinfeld, said Wednesday that he would step down when his contract expired in September, the latest casualty in a widening corruption scandal that has shaken corporate Germany.
Putin Suspends Arms Treaty To Contest U.S. Defense Plans
President Vladimir V. Putin said Thursday that Russia would suspend its compliance with a treaty on conventional arms in Europe that was forged at the end of the Cold War, opening a fresh and intense dispute in the souring relations between NATO and the Kremlin.