US, South Korea Restart Talks On Ambitious Free Trade Pact
U.S. and South Korean trade negotiators began a hurried round of talks on Thursday as Seoul agreed to resume U.S. beef imports in a concession aimed at smoothing the path toward what would be Washington's most ambitious free trade agreement in 15 years.
The Chill is Over
After a bitterly cold first week of March, the temperatures will finally moderate this weekend as the prevailing wind shifts from northwesterly to southwesterly. The frigid temperatures of the past few days — with low temperatures dipping down into the single digits for several mornings — has been the coldest March weather in Massachusetts in over half a decade. With a strong high pressure system pulling offshore today, the winds will shift direction in its wake and we will enjoy more seasonable temperatures.
US General Sees Long Fight, Maybe More Troops For Iraq
The new U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, warned Thursday that U.S. troops here faced a long road ahead and left open the possibility of calling in even more soldiers as he described the difficult task of calming the country.
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House Democratic leaders intensified their debate with President Bush over Iraq Thursday as they announced legislation that would pull American combat troops out of Iraq before the fall of 2008.
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Saad Hariri, the Sunni Muslim leader of Lebanon's March 14 coalition, the largest bloc in Congress, and the Shiite Parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, a major opposition leader, met late Thursday night to discuss ways of ending the country's political crisis. The meeting was widely seen as a significant break in the months-long stalemate that has brought Lebanon to a virtual halt.
Slip of the Tongue, $90 Million Donation Unexpectedly Leaked
An anonymous donor has promised $90 million for the Frank Gehry-designed future home of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Fla., one of the largest gifts to a classical music institution.
UN Agency Suspends Work With North Korea, Curtails Programs
The U.N. Development Program said Monday it was suspending work in North Korea because the country had failed to meet conditions set up in response to American complaints that U.N. money was being diverted to the government of Kim Jong Il.
Arctic Blast
The high temperature on Saturday was 57°F (14°C), yet today’s high will be below 20°F (-7°C)!
Afghans Say US Strike Killed Nine Family Members Sunday
Nine members of a family, including five women and three children, were killed in an American airstrike in central Afghanistan late Sunday, during a battle with militants, Afghan officials said Monday.
Bomb Kills at Least Twenty in Famed Baghdad Book Market
The book market along Mutanabi Street was a throwback to the Baghdad of old, the days of students browsing for texts, turbaned clerics hunting down religious tomes and cafe intellectuals debating politics over backgammon.
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The fallout from last week’s global stock dive showed few signs of letting up on Monday, as markets from Hong Kong to New York deepened their losses.
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When the Democrats swept to victory last fall, after a campaign fueled partly by attacks on President Bush’s trade policies, trade deals promoted by the administration seemed doomed in the new Congress. But that was then.
Iranian Authorities Arrest Women After Protests Outside Courtroom
Iranian authorities arrested 33 women on Sunday after protests outside a court where five of the women were being tried for leading a campaign to gain more legal rights for women, newspapers reported Monday.
Snow to Be Washed Out
Once strong, the low pressure centered over the Midwest is now an old storm, slowly filling up and loosing power. During the peak of its activity though,the low produced a potpourri of bad weather — tornadoes, hailstorms, and snow from Missouri to Illinois. The cold front, part of the low, will continue making its way towards the Atlantic, affecting Florida and the southern part of the East Coast with thunderstorms.
Former Taliban Minister Gets Arrested in Pakistan Monday
The former Taliban defense minister was arrested in Pakistan on Monday, the day of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's visit, two government officials said Thursday. He is the most important Taliban member to be captured since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Army Hospital Commander Gets Fired For Poor Outpatient Care
The two-star general in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center was relieved of command on Thursday, following disclosures that wounded soldiers being treated as outpatients were living in dilapidated quarters and enduring long waits for treatment.
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All travelers to the Caribbean for the Cricket World Cup in March and April will have their passports checked against an international database of lost or stolen travel documents, making the islands the first region in the world to put such a system in operation.
Some Libyans Seeking Economic Growth Without Political Change
For more than three decades, Libya has been an experiment in one man's ideology. The result is a country with few functioning institutions, an unreliable legal system, inadequate schools and hospitals, and a population isolated and unprepared for modernity.
Iran's President to Visit Saudi Arabia To Discuss Crises in the Middle East
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday for a summit meeting with King Abdullah intended to tackle the Middle East's growing sectarian and political crises, Iranian officials said Thursday.
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Thirteen people were accused Thursday of participating in a major insider trading ring, including a Morgan Stanley compliance official, a UBS research executive and traders for hedge funds and brokerage firms.