UMass Amherst lifts ban on Iranian engineering students
UMass Amherst based its decision on a law Congress enacted in 2012. The “Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012,” restricts Iranian citizens from education in United…
Obama Urges Global United Front Against Extremist Groups Like ISIS
WASHINGTON — President Obama called on Americans and more than 60 nations on Wednesday to join the fight against violent extremism, saying they had to counter the ideology of the…
Afghan Taliban, U.S. Peace Talks To Begin In Qatar, Sources Say
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Sources within the Afghan Taliban said on Thursday their negotiators would hold the first round of peace talks with U.S. officials in Qatar later…
115 million people are collectively going, ‘Shiver me timbers, it’s cold!’
The kind of cold that makes even winter-tested Chicago throw in the towel. That makes battle-hardened Boston cry out “Enough already!” And sunny Florida lament, “Not us too!” Pretty much…
‘Out of My Mouth Comes Unimpeachable Manly Truth’
On a cold, sunny New Year’s Eve in 2014, I am sitting at the edge of my king-size bed at the Four Seasons hotel in New York, munching through a…
Mark Zuckerberg delivers Lunar New Year message in Mandarin
Gwen Sung contributed to this story. Mark Zuckerberg wants to make us all smarter
The $160,000 gift bag
Hair follicle stimulant: Value: $1,200 A receding hairline can be an actor’s worst nightmare, so thankfully, the gift bag includes a product that stimulates hair growth with “polypeptide-enriched media and…
Isaac Latterell, South Dakota Lawmaker, Says Planned Parenthood Is Worse Than ISIS
A South Dakota lawmaker attacked Planned Parenthood on his official website, calling the family planning center worse than ISIS. Isaac Latterell, a Republican member of the state’s House of Representatives,…
Germany rejects Greece’s debt extension request
But its lenders, led by Germany, have demanded Greece stick to the terms. The extension request is due to be debated by eurozone finance ministers at a meeting in Brussels…
Photos of two small moons open the door to a new vastness
The fuzzy images of moons that NASA New Horizons satellite are sending back to Earth are a slim crack in a door opening on a vastness humankind has not seen…
To Jump-Start Your Exercise Routine, Be Mindful
By now, many of us, beset by bad weather and declining motivation, are struggling to maintain our New Year’s exercise resolutions. But a timely new study offers encouragement, suggesting that…
Brian Williams steps down from Medal of Honor foundation
At virtually every commencement speech he’s delivered, Williams has made a point to salute veterans and service members in attendance. The most recent instance of him sharing the false story…
Bacteria Battle: Which Of These Spots Are Germier?
Unless you live in a plastic bubble, germs and bacteria are on every surface you touch. Apparently, even washing your hands promises very little protection; one study revealed 25 percent…
This Is What Diabetes Looks Like In America
The health threats Americans face every day are staggering, but none as pervasive as diabetes: 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes, a disorder caused…
Rubio talks DHS funding ahead of possible shutdown
READ: Rubio gets personal with Iowans Asked about the debate on Wednesday during a book tour stop in Las Vegas, Rubio declared: “We have to fund Homeland Security.” – And…
Female investors often beat men
Women are also less likely to engage in risky day trading or put their retirement funds entirely in stocks, according to Fidelity’s data. They diversify their portfolios better across stocks,…
In New York, Immigrants’ Advocates Vow to Fight After Judge Halts Obama Programs
Immigrants and their supporters gathered on Wednesday at rallies and news conferences in New York and across the nation to denounce a judge’s order halting President Obama’s sweeping executive actions…
Walmart’s other promise to workers: Better schedules
The schedule change came along with the company’s announcement that it will raise pay well above the minimum wage. But a consistent schedule may be just as important for some…
White House Struggles on Immigration Ruling
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s lawyers, facing what could be months of delay on the White House’s immigration efforts, are struggling for a response to a Texas judge’s ruling that has…
Australian David Hicks, Former Guantanamo Detainee, Wins Appeal
An appeals court on Wednesday struck down the terrorism conviction of Australian David Hicks, reversing one of the few successful prosecutions of a prisoner before a U.S. military court at…
Pakistanis Try to Nudge Taliban Along the Path to Peace Talks With Kabul
KABUL, Afghanistan — Pakistan’s top military and intelligence officials have begun pressing the Taliban to sit down for face-to-face discussions with the Afghan government, potentially opening a path for direct…
Gold Coins, at Bottom of Sea for Millennium, Go on Display
CAESAREA, Israel — Israel on Wednesday unveiled the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, accidentally discovered by amateur divers and dating back about a thousand…
We’re playing into ISIS’ hands
“We cannot kill our way out of this war,” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said on Tuesday. “We need in the medium to longer term to go after the root…
We’re playing into ISIS’ hands
And, I would suggest, she should have gone further: There’s reason to think that bombing is exactly what ISIS wants us to do. Why else would they be goading us…
How to spend $300k on dinner like Vice’s Shane Smith
The prices of entrées on the menu range from $36 (Rosemary-Lime Roasted Chicken) to $85 (Filet Mignon). Taking an average of all of the choices comes to just over $51…
Alex Rodriguez’s Tricky Future With the Yankees
Sports of The Times By JULIET MACUR Hasn’t everyone had enough of Alex Rodriguez by now? Enough of the lies and the apologies, and then the lies again, and the…
Uruguay Troubled By Guantanamo Refugees Sent By U.S.
Controversy is flaring over the six Guantanamo detainees taken in by Uruguay for resettlement, with even the man who pushed through the plan, President Jose Mujica, seeming to criticize them…
Cuomo Unfazed By Lack Of Buzz
In Albany and statewide, it’s a bleak winter for Gov. Andrew Cuomo. And nationally, the picture isn’t much brighter. Read the whole story at Times Union
Snow Won’t Stop These New England Churches From Soldiering On
(RNS) If God brought all this snow, he also made it very hard to get to church. New Englanders, clobbered by four major storms in the past month and bracing…
Crowds pack streets to protest Argentine prosecutor’s death
It was supposed to be a silent march when demonstrators packed the streets of Buenos Aires. But it didn’t take long for the chanting to start at Wednesday’s march through…