Al-Qaida announces new branch in India
NEW DELHI — Al-Qaida has released a video announcing the establishment of a new branch on the Indian subcontinent, saying it is meant to revive jihadist activity in a region that was once “part of the land of Muslims, until the infidel enemy occupied it and fragmented it and split it.”
Shorts (left)
UNITED NATIONS — One in 10 girls worldwide have been forced into a sexual act, and 6 in 10 children aged 2 to 14 are regularly beaten by parents and caregivers, according to a report issued Thursday by the United Nations’ children’s agency, UNICEF.
FCC to promote high-speed broadband competition
WASHINGTON — Americans lack real choices among providers of high-speed Internet service, with fewer than 1 in 4 homes having access to two or more providers of the broadband speeds that are quickly becoming “table stakes” in modern communications, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday.
Justice Department to investigate Ferguson police practices
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will open a broad civil rights investigation into police practices in Ferguson, Missouri, where a white police officer killed an unarmed black teenager last month and set off days of racially charged unrest, the city’s police chief and other officials said Wednesday.
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MOSCOW — Five geckos launched into space by Russia for an experiment on sexual reproduction in near-zero gravity were found dead Monday after their spacecraft returned to earth, the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced in a statement.
Islamic State adds cluster bombing to its tactics
The Islamic State, the extremist militant group now almost universally vilified for atrocities that include boastful beheadings, summary mass executions and enslavement in the areas it aspires to control, also has attacked enemies with cluster bombs, the banned weapons that kill and maim indiscriminately, Human Rights Watch said Monday.
Summer weather continues into semester
A series of above-normal temperatures is expected this week, as summer-like weather rolls on into September. Warm temperatures will be encouraged today by a southerly breeze ahead of a cold front currently approaching from our west. These winds will bring warmer air up from the south, although slightly cooler ocean temperatures will prevent the mercury from climbing too high this afternoon. The aforementioned cold front will pass through overnight, bringing with it a band of showers and thunderstorms. After the frontal passage, skies will clear, and winds will shift to be from the north and west. This offshore flow will allow the temperature to climb once again tomorrow, with highs reaching the mid-80s (°F).
Fast-food workers plan strike for higher wages
The next round of strikes by fast-food workers demanding higher wages is scheduled for Thursday, and this time, labor organizers plan to increase the pressure by staging widespread civil disobedience and having thousands of home-care workers join the protests.
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BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel told lawmakers Monday that her government had decided to break with a taboo on delivering weapons to conflict zones because Germany and all of Europe faced a security threat from the extremists of the Islamic State.
St. Louis Rams cut Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL draft pick
Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team, was cut by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday.
Three Americans held in North Korea plead for US help
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea granted two U.S. news organizations interviews with three incarcerated Americans on Monday, with all three prisoners apologizing for violating its laws and beseeching Washington to send an emissary to negotiate their release.
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A number of U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase and at least four others, were struck by hackers in a series of coordinated attacks this month, according to four people briefed on a continuing investigation into the crimes.
Videos show mass killing the Islamic state in Syria
BAGHDAD — Fighters from the Islamic State stripped more than 100 captured Syrian soldiers down to their underwear and marched them through the desert to a patch of sand, where they were lined up and gunned down, according to video images posted online Thursday and a fighter from the group who was reached through the Internet.
As new cease-fire holds, dazed Gazans get to work
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Ismail Haniya, the Gaza-based political leader of Hamas, both declared a decisive victory on Wednesday as residents on both sides of the border grappled with the death and destruction wrought in a 50-day battle that ended in a limited cease-fire agreement the night before.
Food safety is crucial in China deal for baby milk
HONG KONG — Six years ago, when tainted infant formula sickened 300,000 babies in China and killed six, one of the biggest foreign investors in the sector was caught by surprise.
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The U.S. economy grew faster than first thought last quarter, the Commerce Department said Thursday, the latest in a series of signals that suggest a period of sustainable growth lies ahead.
Committee on Shut Lanes seeks records about texts
The New Jersey legislative committee investigating the mysterious closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge last September has subpoenaed a cellphone carrier in an effort to uncover text messages exchanged by Gov. Chris Christie and a top aide as the governor’s administration sought to contain the fallout from the ensuing scandal.
Cooler temps today, then a summery weekend
We had a summery first half of Orientation Week thanks to a high pressure system situated over the northeastern U.S. that brought clear skies and light winds to Cambridge. Temperatures topped out at 91 °F (33 °C) on Wednesday as southwesterly winds ushered in warm, moist air ahead of an approaching cold front. On Wednesday night, this cold front passed through Cambridge accompanied by light showers — if you were listening closely, you may have even heard a few rumbles of thunder!
Ebola could eventually afflict more than 20,000, WHO says
GENEVA — As the tally of deaths from the worst known outbreak of the Ebola virus continued its seemingly inexorable rise, the World Health Organization said Thursday that the epidemic was still accelerating and could afflict more than 20,000 people — almost seven times the current number of reported cases — before it could be brought under control.
Election panel enacts policy by not acting
WASHINGTON — The three Republican and three Democratic appointees of the Federal Election Commission had reached yet another deadlock: They would issue no advisory opinion on whether the Conservative Action Fund could accept contributions of bitcoin, the online currency created to be untraceable.