http://www.boston.com/news Breaking local news, nation news, politics and world news from The Boston Globe and Boston.com. en-us 2009-11-20T22:53:49Z http://www.boston.com/ http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/bcom_logo_140w.gif http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2009/11/20/nh_ag_seeks_bankruptcy_for_mortgage_co?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news The New Hampshire attorney general's office wants to force a mortgage company that closed suddenly into bankruptcy. 2009-11-20T22:49:28Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2009/11/20/medical_examiner_testifies_in_death_of_ri_baby?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A state medical examiner says a 6-week-old Newport baby who died earlier this year had bruising on her skull and multiple rib fractures. 2009-11-20T22:49:26Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2009/11/20/conn_inmate_who_mailed_bomb_threat_sentenced?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A Connecticut prison inmate has been sentenced to 18 months for mailing a bomb threat to a federal agency. 2009-11-20T22:29:24Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2009/11/20/new_questions_arise_in_pequot_trading_probe?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A new development related to the government's investigation of possible insider trading at a major hedge fund has raised questions in the case and caught the attention of two key senators. Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer 2009-11-20T20:59:26Z http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2009/11/20/mumbai_still_vulnerable_1_year_after_attack?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news The walls that the rockets blew out have not been repaired, and the plaster is a dense scattershot of bullet holes. Dozens of holes, blasted by grenades, pockmark the linoleum floors. Erika Kinetz, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T20:52:37Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/20/panel_extending_nuclear_weapons_life_successful?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news An independent panel says the United States can extend the life of aging nuclear weapons for decades with existing programs, a finding that activists contend means there's no need for the nation to design replacements for the nuclear arsenal. Sue Major Holmes, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T20:52:28Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/11/20/court_filing_cuba_spy_suspect_to_plead_guilty?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A retired State Department worker and his wife accused of a three-decade-long plot to spy for Cuba have pleaded guilty in federal court. Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T20:43:01Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/20/pa_university_students_must_pass_fitness_class?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A Pennsylvania university's requirement that overweight undergraduates take a fitness course to receive their degrees has raised the hackles of students and the eyebrows of health and legal experts. Kathy Matheson, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T20:42:58Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/20/atty_hospital_hearing_set_for_fort_hood_suspect?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news An attorney for the Army psychiatrist charged in the mass shooting at Fort Hood says his client will have his first court hearing in his hospital room on Saturday. 2009-11-20T20:42:52Z http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2009/11/20/kidnapped_britons_say_somali_pirates_may_kill_them?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A British couple being held hostage by Somali pirates said in an interview broadcast Friday that they fear they will be killed or handed to a terrorist group if a ransom is not paid soon. David Stringer, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T20:42:50Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2009/11/20/play_4_day?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news The winning combination picked Friday in the Connecticut State Lottery's "Play 4 Day" drawing was: 2009-11-20T20:39:24Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2009/11/20/play_3_day?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news The winning combination picked Friday in the Connecticut State Lottery's "Play 3 Day" drawing was: 2009-11-20T20:39:23Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/20/giuliani_back_in_spotlight____but_whats_the_show?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Rudy Giuliani is back, whether he's planning to run for president, U.S. senate or just misses the spotlight. Sara Kugler, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T20:23:35Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/20/cops_woman_smuggled_drugs_to_pa_inmate_with_kiss?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A western Pennsylvania woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges she passed a drug-filled balloon to a state prison inmate while kissing him. State police said guards at the State Correctional Institution-Mercer became suspicious when an inmate appeared to swallow something after a prolonged kiss with a visitor on Oct. 19. 2009-11-20T20:23:33Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/20/teen_pleads_guilty_in_july_murder_of_border_agent?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to murdering a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times in head, neck and torso in the mountains east of San Diego. Elliot Spagat, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T20:23:30Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/20/eye_doc_may_lose_license_after_calling_patient_fat?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A North Carolina doctor could lose his medical license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the North Carolina Medical Board will decide if Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville overstepped the bounds of professional decency. 2009-11-20T20:23:22Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2009/11/20/maine_jobless_rate_drops?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Maine Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman says the state's jobless rate dropped by 0.3 percentage point in October to 8.2 percent 2009-11-20T20:19:27Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/11/20/army_announces_review_of_how_it_tests_body_armor?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news The Army says there will be an outside review of how body armor for its soldiers is tested. 2009-11-20T20:12:03Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2009/11/20/investors_sue_fla_lawyer_in_fraud_probe_for_100m?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Investors claiming they were fleeced by a high-profile South Florida attorney filed a $100 million lawsuit Friday contending that the lawyer orchestrated a massive Ponzi scheme with the help of a Canadian bank's U.S. subsidiary and several accomplices. Curt Anderson, AP Legal Affairs Writer 2009-11-20T20:09:26Z http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2009/11/20/yemen_somali_pirates_hijack_panamanian_cargo_ship?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Yemen's coast guard says Somali pirates have hijacked a Panamanian cargo ship in the treacherous Gulf of Aden between the Arabian peninsula and the Horn of Africa. Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T19:33:58Z http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2009/11/20/who_investigating_norway_swine_flu_mutations?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news The World Health Organization said Friday it is investigating samples of variant swine flu linked to two deaths and one severe case in Norway, but that so far the significance of the mutation is unclear. 2009-11-20T19:33:52Z http://www.boston.com/news/world/canada/articles/2009/11/20/lesbian_us_war_deserter_wins_stay_of_deportation?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A lesbian who deserted the U.S. military and fled to Canada must be given another chance to plead her case for refugee status, Canada's Federal Court ruled Friday. Charmaine Noronha, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T19:23:36Z http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2009/11/20/guatemala_reopening_international_adoptions?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Guatemalan officials on Friday announced the resumption of international adoptions after a nearly two-year suspension prompted by the discovery that some babies were being sold. Juan Carlos Llorca, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T19:09:10Z http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2009/11/20/afghan_police_are_weak_link_in_security_force?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained, Afghanistan's 93,000-member police force is the weak link in an ambitious security strategy to hand over defense of the country to Afghans so American and other foreign troops can go home. Elena Becatoros, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T18:51:58Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/11/20/sen_nelson_a_yes_on_health_care_test_vote?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska is a "yes" in a crucial weekend test vote on health care. 2009-11-20T17:42:22Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/11/20/ethics_committee_no_punishment_for_burris?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news The Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished Democratic Sen. Roland Burris for misleading investigators about his maneuvering to get Barack Obama's old Senate seat from the governor who was ousted for trying to sell it. Larry Margasak, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T16:53:11Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/11/20/senate_dems_moving_ahead_on_crucial_health_vote?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Senate Democratic leaders are looking ahead to a crucial test vote on health care amid indications the rank-and-file will stand together Saturday to give them the support they need. 2009-11-20T16:02:15Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/11/20/health_care_issues_bundling_payments?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: What can the government do to get doctors and hospitals to deliver cheaper medical services? The Associated Press 2009-11-20T15:31:57Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/11/20/obama_drops_by_daughter_sashas_school_for_event?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Fresh from his weeklong trip through Asia, President Barack Obama is taking time to catch up on dad duty. Julie Pace, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T14:42:08Z http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/11/20/state_scraps_plan_to_seek_147_million_in_stimulus_money_for_bus_line?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Massachusetts has missed an opportunity to tap into as much as $147 million in grant money available under the federal stimulus package because of a deep disagreement between the Patrick administration and residents of Roxbury and Mattapan. Meghan E. Irons, Globe Staff 2009-11-20T03:55:36Z met http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2009/11/20/being_the_underdog_never_deters_a_driven_brown?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Scott Brown was not always the self-assured state senator, lawyer, National Guard officer, triathlete, and Republican candidate for US Senate that he is today. Far from it. Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff 2009-11-20T03:53:49Z met