Israel, Jordan, and Palestinians sign water project deal
JERUSALEM — In a rare display of regional cooperation, representatives of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement Monday to build a Red Sea-Dead Sea water project that is meant to benefit all three parties.
Israel agrees to allow building materials into Gaza
JERUSALEM — Under pressure from the United Nations amid a mounting economic and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Israel has agreed to restart the transfer of construction materials to Gaza on Tuesday after an eight-week hiatus.
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Harvard College is facing a new round of disapproval, and even ridicule, from some educators following news that the most common grade awarded is an A, more than a decade after professors pledged to combat grade inflation.
Before IPO, Twitter adds first woman to its board
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter announced Thursday that it had added the former publishing executive Marjorie M. Scardino to its board of directors — the first woman to serve in a such a role at the social networking company.
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Saudi Aramco, a company that last year produced an average of 9.5 million barrels of crude oil a day, on Wednesday opened a research center in Cambridge, the first of three new US research facilities the global energy giant will set up by the end of next year.
Florida State QB will not be charged with sexual battery
A Florida prosecutor Thursday announced that Florida State University star quarterback Jameis Winston will not face charges of sexual battery.
Frontal passages produce precipitation
A range of precipitation types is expected to fall at the Institute over the next few days as two cold fronts pass through the area. The first of these cold fronts will pass through during the day today, meaning that this morning’s unseasonably warm air is not long for our area. People enjoying temperatures in the mid 50s°F this at the start of their day may not be pleased to discover temperatures falling through the 40s°F in the afternoon and evening. Meanwhile, rain showers will intensify and become steady overnight, possibly changing over to snow before ending tomorrow morning.
US charges dozens of Russian diplomats with Medicaid fraud
NEW YORK — Federal law enforcement authorities have charged nearly 50 past or present Russian diplomats and their spouses in a $1.5 million Medicaid fraud scheme, an unusual twist in what has become a familiar criminal story line in New York.
House passes bill that raises the bar for lawsuits over patents
WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a bill protecting technology companies and their customers from nuisance patent-infringement lawsuits by shell companies that exist merely to gather dormant patents and threaten lawsuits against suspected violators.
Two companies aim to treat allergies with pills or drops
For much of her adult life, Shirley Hickey received two injections a week in an effort to tame severe allergies that caused frequent sore throats and sinus infections. Now she uses a less painful method.
Insurgents strike in major Nigerian city
LONDON — Authorities in northeastern Nigeria imposed a 24-hour curfew around the region’s main city on Monday after Islamic militants staged an audacious attack apparently aimed at a government air base, news reports said, describing the assault as among the most dramatic in the insurgents’ campaign to create an Islamic state.
Biden faces delicate two-step in Asia
TOKYO — With Japan locked in a tense standoff with China over disputed airspace, Vice President Joe Biden arrived here late Monday for a weeklong visit to Asia intended to reassure a close ally and demand answers from a potential adversary.
Economies worldwide are showing momentum
Bucking fears of a sharp brake on growth after the government shutdown in the United States and earlier signs of distress in Europe and Asia, global manufacturing activity sped up in November, raising hopes for a broader global economic turnaround in the coming year.
December is here, but no snow yet
The first week of December will be reasonably warm, with a mix of sun and clouds and highs in the mid-40s°F. A low-pressure system is situated over the Atlantic Ocean, but most of the precipitation is expected to stay away from the New England coast. The precipitation, if any, will be in the form of rain instead of snow. Temperatures will be on par with historical averages for Boston at this time of year.
Ukrainian protesters control landmark plaza
KIEV, Ukraine — Even as thousands of protesters occupied Independence Square, blockaded the Cabinet Ministry and continued to demand his resignation, President Viktor F. Yanukovych of Ukraine on Monday defended his refusal to sign accords with the European Union, said he was on the verge of securing lower gas prices from Russia, and urged opposition politicians to wait for presidential elections in 2015 to challenge him.
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a ruling from New York’s highest court requiring Internet retailers to collect sales taxes even if they have no physical presence in the state.
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WASHINGTON — More than a year after the Supreme Court upheld the central provision of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, a fresh wave of legal challenges to the law is playing out in courtrooms as conservative critics and their Republican allies on Capitol Hill make the case that Obama has overstepped his authority in applying it.
Top UN rights official links Assad to crimes in Syria
GENEVA — The top U.N. human rights official linked President Bashar Assad of Syria to war crimes and crimes against humanity for the first time Monday, citing evidence collected by her panel of investigators over the course of the 33-month-old conflict in that country.
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WARSAW, Poland — Two weeks of U.N. climate talks ended Saturday with a pair of last-minute deals keeping alive the hope that a global effort can ward off a ruinous rise in temperatures.
Wal-Mart names chief of international unit as new CEO
As Wal-Mart enters a fiercely competitive holiday season while still hampered by sluggish sales, the company’s board announced Monday that Michael T. Duke, its chief executive, would retire early next year and a longtime executive, C. Douglas McMillon, would replace him. McMillon, 47, president of Wal-Mart International, will take the helm Feb. 1, just after the holiday season, the company said. He was also elected to the board effective immediately and Duke will help with the transition.