Nov. 6 election looms large for monetary policy
WASHINGTON — The next significant event for monetary policy is not the Federal Reserve’s meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, which is likely to pass quietly, but the presidential election two weeks later.
China’s slowing economy puts pressure on US exporters
As China’s economy cools, U.S. exporters are increasingly feeling the chill.
Shorts (left)
MOSCOW — During a day of old-school America-bashing in the Russian Parliament on Monday, a series of lawmakers took the podium to catalog rights violations perpetrated by Americans over the years, including waterboarding, Ku Klux Klan lynchings and the abuse of children adopted from Russia.
Despite push for austerity, EU debt has soared
LONDON — As Greece and its international lenders continue tense talks on reducing the Greek budget deficit, new data from the European Union on Monday underscored the potentially Sisyphean nature of such efforts.
Shorts (right)
WASHINGTON — The owners of a small nuclear reactor in Wisconsin said Monday that they would close the Kewaunee Power Station early next year because they were unable to sell it and it was no longer economically viable.
Seasonable weather in store for Boston
Last Friday’s muggy and wet weather provided a bit of a messy start to the weekend, but the weather rebounded to provide New England with gorgeous weather for the rest of the weekend into the beginning of this week. With sunny skies and above average temperatures, it was a great weekend to get outside, as the crowds at the Head of the Charles Regatta would surely agree. In fact, Saturday’s high temperature of 74°F was a whopping 14°F above normal! A warm front will approach the region tonight and tomorrow, so some light rain is possible tomorrow. However, a blocking pattern will keep the warm front to our south. With a high pressure from Canada in control, seasonable temperatures are in store for this week, with highs around 60°F.
Lebanon and Jordan move to contain Syria-related violence
BEIRUT — Lebanon and Jordan moved aggressively Monday to squelch the spread of violence from Syria’s deadlocked civil war, the most significant register yet of alarm over the strife spilling over Syrian borders.
South Korea bars leaflet drop over border with North
SEOUL, South Korea — Activists said Monday that they had succeeded in sending large balloons drifting into North Korea carrying tens of thousands of leaflets, despite South Korean police efforts to block the action and a threat from the North Korean government to retaliate with a military attack.
Afghan officials spar over 2014 vote
KABUL, Afghanistan — Nearly two years before Afghanistan’s presidential election, a brewing dispute between President Hamid Karzai and Afghan lawmakers over the handling of voter fraud complaints is raising questions about whether a credible election can be held — and, by extension, future international support for the country’s financially ailing government.
Shorts (right)
President Barack Obama has significant leads over Mitt Romney in Iowa and Wisconsin, two critical battleground states that could serve as a firewall for the president against a late surge by his rival in other places, according to new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls released Thursday evening.
Drilling payments cause a dispute in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — Four Pennsylvania townships are challenging a state regulator’s decision to withhold their share of proceeds from a statewide levy on drilling by the booming natural gas industry there.
French-German disputes could mar European summit
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders sought Thursday to overcome sharp differences over how to improve supervision of their banks and budgets, at the start of a two-day summit meeting aimed at resolving the eurozone crisis.
Rain to give way to warmth
A large low pressure system that has been responsible for high winds across the northern Plains and Midwestern United States earlier this week will bring rainy weather to start the weekend in the Boston area. Showers will begin in the early morning hours today and persist throughout the day, possibly becoming heavy at times as the storm persists into the evening.
Turkey & Egypt seek alliance amid upheaval of Arab Spring
ISTANBUL — With war on Turkey’s borders, and political and economic troubles in Egypt, the two countries have turned to each other for support, looking to build an alliance that could represent a significant geopolitical shift in the Middle East prompted by the Arab Spring, uniting two countries with regional ambitions each headed by parties with roots in political Islam.
Second Appeals Court rules against Federal Marriage Act
A federal appeals court in Manhattan ruled Thursday that the federal statute defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman unlawfully discriminates against same-sex married couples by denying them equal federal benefits.
Shorts (left)
The format for the second presidential debate is designed to be a little less stiff — a free-flowing question-and-answer session between the candidates and a studio audience.
Pakistani girl in Britain for care after shooting
ISLAMABAD — When the time came to choose medical treatment for Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl who defied the Taliban and then was gunned down by them, her family and doctors faced a world of possibilities after a global outpouring of advice and offers of assistance.
Gorgeous fall weather in the week ahead
The next few days in Cambridge will display lovely fall weather, with clear skies and temperatures mainly in the 50°s F. Autumn foliage is in full color, so be sure to look outside. This weekend will bring another low pressure system through the area with its corresponding precipitation and wind, but models so far show a quick passage; most likely for at least part of the weekend it will not rain.
Shorts (right)
BRUSSELS — The European Union toughened sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program Monday, banning trade in industries like finance, metals and natural gas, and making other business transactions far more cumbersome.