Shorts (left)
There’s a single message across the television spectrum since Hurricane Sandy: Please give.
Lingering unemployment poses long-term risk
WASHINGTON — In the economy-focused presidential campaign, the two candidates and their teams have scarcely mentioned what economists describe as not just one of the labor market’s most pressing problems, but the entire country’s: long-term unemployment.
China presents plan to end Syrian conflict
A new proposal to end the conflict in Syria was presented Thursday by China, one of the Syrian government’s few foreign defenders, which calls for a phased-in truce, the establishment of a transitional authority and an intensified international response to the humanitarian crisis afflicting millions of Syrians.
Improved economic conditions seen in China and much of Asia
HONG KONG — Two surveys released Thursday buttressed the view that the giant Chinese economy is picking up a little speed after months of deceleration.
International observers denounce the Ukrainian election
KIEV, Ukraine — International observers delivered scathing criticism Monday of Ukraine’s parliamentary election, saying the vote was heavily tilted in favor of President Viktor F. Yanukovych’s Party of Regions through the abuse of government resources, the dominance of media coverage and the jailing of two prominent opposition leaders.
Court hears challenge to 2008 law letting US eavesdrop
WASHINGTON — A challenge to a federal law that authorized intercepting international communications involving Americans appeared to face an uphill climb at the Supreme Court on Monday, but not one quite as steep as many had anticipated.
Shorts (left)
ISTANBUL — At a reception Monday evening at the president’s mansion to celebrate Turkey’s founding 89 years ago, something previously unheard of occurred: The country’s top military commander stood alongside the wives of the president and prime minister, even while the women wore Islamic headscarves.
Attacks continue during failed holiday truce in Syria
BEIRUT — The declared four-day holiday truce between the warring factions in Syria ended on Monday much as it had begun — with airstrikes, artillery barrages and other firefights around the country that made a mockery of the cease-fire.
Hurricane Sandy strikes East Coast
The largest Atlantic hurricane in over 25 years made landfall on the New Jersey coast on Monday evening. High winds from Sandy have downed power lines and trees over a vast expanse of the U.S., from Florida all the way to Maine. Blizzard warnings are in effect over parts of the Appalachians, where a cold Arctic air mass clashed with the moisture-laden air rotated counter-clockwise from the Atlantic Ocean. Peak tide levels and coastal flooding may overtop that observed in New York during Hurricane Irene last year.
Low voter turnout in Sicily suggests anger at politicians
ROME — Sicilians shunned regional elections to renew the island’s Parliament on Sunday in record numbers, in an unequivocal signal of growing disaffection with Italy’s political class, even as the center-left wrested control from center-right parties that had governed the region since 2000.
Shorts (right)
Stock markets in the United States will be closed again Tuesday for a second day without trading as Hurricane Sandy roared closer to the New York area.
Judge in Trayvon Martin case denies request for silence
MIAMI — The judge in the Trayvon Martin murder case on Monday denied a prosecution request to bar lawyers for George Zimmerman from using a website about legal issues, as well as social and traditional news media, to comment about the case.
Ford closing three plants in European downsizing
The Ford Motor Co. has broken from the pack of troubled European automakers, announcing deep cuts that include shutting three factories in the region and eliminating 5,700 jobs.
The calm before the storm…
Ever heard the above phrase? Well, our region’s weather is expected to shift dramatically over the next several days. The weekend will have tranquil conditions, similar to the weather from earlier this week. Mostly sunny skies, light winds, and normal temperatures will continue today and tomorrow. Some cloudy skies may linger this morning, but nearby high pressure and dry air should erode those clouds by afternoon. Highs will remain in the mid 60s°F (17-19°C).
Shorts (left)
JERUSALEM — Israel maintained its official silence Thursday over Sudan’s accusation that the Israel military was behind an air attack that destroyed a weapons factory in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, early Wednesday.
Obama and Romney set to raise $1 billion each
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are both on pace to raise more than $1 billion with their parties by Election Day, according to figures released by the campaigns Thursday.
Bad luck and missteps make GOP climb steeper
WASHINGTON — The Indiana Senate candidate Richard E. Mourdock’s reintroduction of rape and abortion into the political dialogue this week is the latest in a series of political missteps that have made the Republican quest to seize control of the Senate a steeper climb.
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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Thursday that he and other top military commanders “felt very strongly” that deploying U.S. forces to defend against the fatal attack last month on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, was too risky because they did not have a clear picture of what was happening on the ground.
Iran said to complete underground nuclear enrichment plant soon
WASHINGTON — Intelligence officials from several countries say Iran in recent weeks has virtually completed an underground nuclear enrichment plant, racing ahead despite international pressure and heavy economic sanctions in what experts say may be an effort to give them leverage in any negotiations with the United States and its allies.
On a frenetic day, Obama votes and Romney is for change
WORTHINGTON, Ohio — Mitt Romney adopted the mantra that fueled his opponent’s victory four year ago, casting himself as the candidate of “big change” Thursday in Ohio as he began to outline a closing argument in the state that could decide the race.