Cool, clear weather this weekend; tornado threat in South will remain low
In comparison to this winter’s record warmth, the seasonable temperatures in the Cambridge area this weekend might feel quite cool. Cold and wet air behind a departing low pressure system will give rise to breezy, mostly clear skies with highs in the low 50’s F and lows dropping almost to freezing.
Shorts (left)
With Congress and privacy watchdogs breathing down its neck, Google is stepping up its lobbying presence inside the Beltway — spending more than Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft combined in the first three months of the year.
New sanctions announced for aiding Syria and Iran
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama moved to tighten sanctions on Syria and Iran on Monday by taking aim at those who provide their authoritarian governments with technology to track down dissidents for abuse, torture or death.
Supreme court lets rent stabilization law stand
WASHINGTON — Tenants in nearly one million apartments subject to New York City’s rent regulations could breathe a sigh of relief Monday. The U.S. Supreme Court, after indicating it might be interested in hearing a challenge to the regulations, decided to let them stand.
Shorts (right)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hay and grass seed cover the bare spots on the lawn in front of the stately old City Hall where Occupy Charlotte’s camp held its ground for nearly four months. The occupiers are gone now and the protest movement quieted after arrests, a new anti-camping ordinance and, to a degree, the group’s own missteps along the way.
NATO shows confidence in Afghan security forces
KABUL, Afghanistan — A week after a complex insurgent attack paralyzed the capital, NATO commanders on Monday offered a startlingly buoyant assessment of security gains across the country and of the readiness of the Afghan police and the army to take full control of their country as U.S. and other international forces leave.
Police chief’s resignation over Florida shooting rejected
SANFORD, Fla. — Several hours after the city manager announced that he had reached an agreement with Chief Bill R. Lee Jr. to resign over the Sanford Police Department’s handling of the Trayvon Martin case, the City Commission voted late Monday afternoon to reject Lee’s resignation.
Breezy weather this week; more rain will come soon
The weather at the beginning of this week has been quite a contrast to the weather last week. Last Monday (Patriot’s Day), a record high temperature of 87°F was set in Boston. Temperatures also reached in to the 80°F’s last Tuesday — but this week is quite a different story.
UN observers prove little deterrent to Syrian attacks
BEIRUT — Syrian government forces engaged in an extended game of cat and mouse against U.N. observers Monday, attacking cities like Hama after the monitors left and adopting a low profile as the monitors visited the Damascus suburbs.
Shorts (left)
BOSTON — Mitt Romney’s nondescript base camp on the outskirts of the North End of Boston has until now seemed too large for his presidential campaign — roughly 15,000 square feet of space on the first floor has sat largely empty and unused, even during Romney’s first presidential bid in 2008.
Shorts (right)
President Barack Obama begins an all-out push Friday to get Congress to extend the low interest rate on federal student loans, White House officials said, an effort that is likely to become a heated battle along party lines. If Congress fails to act, the interest rate on the loans, which are taken out by nearly 8 million students each year, will double on July 1, to 6.8 percent.
Dozens killed in wave of attacks across Iraq
BAGHDAD — A string of deadly explosions and other attacks shook Iraq on Thursday, with bombings in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk resulting in the most fatalities.
Big investor to oppose re-election of a Goldman Sachs director
In the latest rebuke of eye-popping pay packages on Wall Street, a major institutional investor is taking the rare step to oppose the re-election of a Goldman Sachs board member who approves compensation for many of the bank’s top executives.
With elections days away, Sarkozy’s outlook grows dim
PARIS — The candidate — energetic, bold, indefatigable — is sure he will win, aides say, as he pulls energy from his big crowds.
UN chief says Syria is failing to adhere to peace plan
BEIRUT — The secretary-general of the United Nations gave a dark appraisal of the Syria conflict Thursday, accusing its government of failing to carry out nearly every element of the peace plan that took effect a week ago, obstructing work by an advance team of cease-fire monitors and doing nothing to alleviate an intensifying humanitarian crisis on the ground.
Unusual warmth easing toward cool, rainy weather
Dry, warm weather will continue for New England through today. Temperatures, however, will not be as abnormally high as they were earlier this week. While many probably thought last Monday’s weather was pleasant, runners in the Boston Marathon were probably less satisfied. According to USA Today, roughly 2,500 of the over 20,000 participants sought medical attention for heat-related illness. Although humidity levels were moderate that day, high temperatures reaching the upper 80°F (30-32°C) were the main concern for the athletes.
British police arrest three in phone hacking inquiry
British police arrested three people Thursday as part of an inquiry into accusations of bribery stemming from the news gathering and corruption scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, police said, bringing to 46 the number of arrests during more than a year of investigations.
Slow first quarter in China, but recent signs of growth
China’s economic growth slowed sharply in the first three months of this year, but recent efforts by policymakers to jump-start its economy, the world’s second largest, appear to be bearing fruit, with industrial and retail activity both rising during March, new data released Friday showed.
Shorts (left)
In one of the first tests of its willingness to show its muscle, the new agency created to protect consumers declined Thursday to put up a fight.
North Korea launches rocket, but it appears to fail
SEOUL, South Korea — Defying weeks of international warnings of more censure and further sanctions, North Korea on Friday launched a rocket, a belligerent act that the United States called a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that one day might be able to carry a nuclear warhead.