Nation & World
Winter bears down on Boston
Evon Daley, of Hartford, Conn., clears his truck after unloading snow at a “snow farm” Saturday in Boston. Mother Nature is proving to be cold-hearted to New England for Valentine’s…
Civilians too often casualties of war
International laws usually fail to slow wartime killings
World Briefs
SANAA, Yemen – Saudi Arabia, Italy and Germany shut down their embassies in Yemen on Friday amid growing political uncertainty as Yemen’s top U.N. envoy warned that the Arab world’s…
Republicans feeling limits of power
Despite controlling Congress, GOP legislative agenda in doubt
Obama seeks public’s help on cybersecurity
President Barack Obama spoke Friday at a cybersecurity summit at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., where he said everyone – tech companies, consumers, government, police and cybersecurity advocates –…
New storm heads for New England
Another snowstorm is heading into New England this weekend, bringing more snow and cold temperatures to an area still trying to dig out from recent storms that have brought several…
Nation Briefs
SALEM, Ore. – Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned Friday, giving in to mounting pressure to abandon his office amid suspicions that his fiancee used her relationship with him to land…
Spontaneous social norms emerge in naming
“Jessica” had peaked a decade or so after “Jennifer,” but in the mid-2000s, both saw a shift. These once-ubiquitous names had reached some kind of tipping point, and quickly plummeted…
Leaders OK Ukraine cease-fire
French President François Hollande, right, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hug each other after their marathon talks in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday ended with an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine.Kirill…
Nation & World Briefs
MOBILE, Ala. – An attorney for a gay couple says they have received a marriage license in an Alabama county that had earlier refused to grant it to them. Attorney…
Alabama county’s refusal to wed gays goes to federal court
Chilton County Probate Judge Bobby Martin discusses confusion over same-sex marriage in Alabama in his office in Clanton, Ala., on Wednesday. This week, Martin issued a license for a gay…
Senate confirms Obama’s pick for Pentagon chief
Onlookers are predicting Ashton Carter will have trouble meshing with President Barack Obama’s national security team when he takes over as the new defense secretary. The Senate confirmed Carter to…
Fewer reported sex assaults at military schools
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel speaks during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. A new Pentagon report says the number of reported sexual assaults involving students at…
Just how dangerous is that chocolate treat?
Consumer group says the truth is not too sweet
Nation Briefs
CLANTON, Ala.– Confusion reigns in Alabama over gay marriage, days after the first same-sex wedding licenses were issued in the Deep South state. Probate judges say it’s been a bewildering…
Turmoil in Yemen raises regional alarms
Houthis rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, beat demonstrators who were protesting the rebels’ seizure of the government.Anees Mahyoub/Associated Press The U.S., British and French moved to close their embassies, signaling a…
World Briefs
PARIS – Paris City Council authorized Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Wednesday to sue U.S. broadcaster Fox News for reporting there are “no-go zones” in the French capital where non-Muslims and…
Congress clears Keystone XL pipeline bill, setting up veto
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., sponsor of the Keystone XL pipeline bill, urged President Barack Obama to approve the project Wednesday after a bill clearing the way for the pipeline was…
GAO: Veterans’ health care costs a ‘high risk’ for taxpayers
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs budget.Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press…
Sunday deadline driving health law sign-ups for 2015
The HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, has not experienced problems during this year’s enrollment problem. The Health and Human Resources Department is reporting that consumers are stepping…
Egypt’s leader tries to avoid rift over aid
Official calls audiotape of el-Sissi a fake
More counties issue licenses to gay couples
Alabama officials still seeking clarification
Arizona town remembers slain hostage
U.S. confirms American aid worker held by militants is dead