Palestinian leader agrees on unity government GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Wednesday his coalition deal with the rival Fatah movement is complete and he would present his new Palestinian government to parliament for final approval this weekend. "Today is an occasion to celebrate. We have done everything," Haniyeh told reporters after a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah. Haniyeh said he would announce the names of the new Cabinet on Thursday and Parliament will hold a vote of confidence in the government on Saturday, capping months of stop-and-go negotiations. Abbas and Haniyeh met late into the night to wrap up final details, including who will hold the key position of interior minister, which oversees some security forces. Officials declined to identify the new minister that had been selected.
LOCAL Measure to delay plans for mayor's waterfront City Hall The City Council took up a measure today that seeks to delay Mayor Thomas M. Menino's proposal to sell City Hall and build the new one on the South Boston Waterfront. According to the Boston Globe, the measure was filed by Councilor at Large Michael F. Flaherty and is the first major political challenge to Menino's idea to raze the city's "much maligned" seat of government with the goal of building an architectural landmark near the harbor's edge. Flaherty says that businesses down by the waterfront are opposed to the plan, since it would increase traffic flow and not "fit with the character of the neighborhood." Flaherty said that the city's master plan does not accommodate what the mayor proposes.
West Newton rabbi first gay president of rabbinical assembly The Boston Globe has reported that West Newton Rabbi Toba Spitzer of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek was elected president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Assembly yesterday at the group's annual convention, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Spitzer is the first openly gay or lesbian person to head a rabbinical assembly. She is also deeply involved in the advocacy of economic justice in the United States and peace in the Middle East. According to the article, Reconstructionism is the smallest and youngest of modern Judaism's four major movements. About 165,000 of the approximately 5.5 million Jews in North America identify themselves as Reconstructionists.
UNIVERSITIES Statistics show increase in female engineers across nation (U-WIRE) PHILADELPHIA, PA - The number of females majoring in sciences and engineering is going up, according to statistics released last week by the National Science Foundation, a federal agency that promotes the study of science. According to the nationwide study, titled "Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering," 70,579 female undergraduates were enrolled in engineering programs in 2005 - an increase from the 67,286 reported a decade earlier. And the University of Pennsylvania is part of that trend, boasting similarly high enrollment rates. From 1996 to 2006, the number of female undergraduates enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied Science rose from 356 to 486.
Sorority under fire for ejecting sisters based on their looks (U-WIRE) PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Media coverage and protests from students and faculty at DePauw University have landed Delta Zeta sorority's national leaders in trouble with the school's administration after accusations that they asked members of the university's Delta Zeta chapter to leave because they weren't up to conventional standards of beauty. The New York Times reported Feb. 25 that Delta Zeta national officials demoted 23 sisters from the DePauw chapter to "alumna status," saying the sisters were uncommitted to the recruitment process. In a letter addressed to alums and Delta Zeta president, Deborah Raziano, DePauw President Robert Bottoms announced his decision to "sever ... future ties with the Delta Zeta national."
INTERNATIONAL Sudan found responsible for U.S.S. Cole bombing NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A federal judge said Wednesday that Sudan is responsible for the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole but he needs more time to determine damages for the families of the 17 sailors killed ...in 2000. "There is substantial evidence in this case presented by the expert testimony that the government of Sudan induced the particular bombing of the Cole by virtue of prior actions of the government of Sudan," U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar said. The civil trial started Tuesday in which the victims' relatives tried to prove the terrorist attack couldn't have happened without Sudan's support. Sudan sought unsuccessfully to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds that too much time had passed between the bombing and the 2004 lawsuit.
ON CAMPUS BC study finds businesses unprepared for workforce shift According to a study conducted by Boston College's Center on Aging and Work, U.S. businesses are largely unprepared for a seismic workforce change that will be underway in the coming decade. Tens of millions of baby boomers are retiring and in their place, far fewer new employees are arriving. The report surveyed 578 companies and found that more than a quarter have made no plans whatsoever to compensate for the changing demographics projected to create a worker shortage. The study suggests that the problem will be felt across most professions around 2012.
UNDER REPORTED Lingerie thief found with more than 4,000 pieces of underwear Police in Hiroshima, Japan, recently raided the home of construction worker Shigeo Kodama, 54, after his arrest and found over 4,000 pieces of stolen lingerie. Kodama had apparently used the climbing skills involved with his job to amass the 3,977 panties, 355 bras, and 10 pairs of stockings over the course of six years. He was caught stealing underwear from two houses when the authorities arrested him, which subsequently led to the raid of his home. "He didn't steal any other kinds of clothing. But as long as it was underwear, apparently anything would do," said a police spokesman from Hiroshima.
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