Iran’s style has changed. Has its substance?

March 20, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Pleasantries can mask bad intentions.

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Russian forces seized military installations across the disputed Crimean Peninsula on Wednesday, prompting Ukraine’s security chief to announce that his country will hold joint military exercises with the United States and Britain. US Vice President Joe Biden was in Lithuania, trying to reassure nations along Russia’s borders who were terrified by the sight of an expansion-minded Moscow. “We’re in this with you, together,” Biden said.

Toyota agreed to pay $1.2 billion to settle an investigation by the US government, admitting that it hid information about defects that caused Toyota and Lexus vehicles to accelerate unexpectedly and resulted in injuries and deaths. Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the penalty is the largest of its kind ever imposed on an auto company. The four-year criminal investigation focused on whether Toyota had promptly reported the problems.

The Palestinians on Wednesday threatened to resume their campaign for international recognition at the United Nations if Israel calls off a planned release of Palestinian prisoners, deepening a crisis that has threatened to derail US-led Mideast peace efforts. Israel pledged to release 104 long-serving Palestinian prisoners in four stages at the outset of the current round of talks last July. The fourth and final release was set to take place by March 29.

Stocks retreated in late-afternoon trading Wednesday after the Federal Reserve announced it would cut back further on its economic stimulus. Bond prices fell, sending yields higher. The central bank and its newly installed chair, Janet Yellen, also set the stage for a possible interest rate increase sometime next year.

In surprise testimony in a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday, Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law recounted the night of the Sept. 11 attacks, when the Al Qaeda leader sent a messenger to drive him into a mountainous area for a meeting inside a cave in Afghanistan. The testimony came at Sulaiman Abu Ghaith’s trial on charges he conspired to kill Americans and aid Al Qaeda as a spokesman for the terrorist group.

A portion of the historical Seven Mile Bridge, a Florida Keys icon, is to be saved for future generations after officials on Wednesday approved a $77 million restoration and maintenance program that is to continue for the next 30 years.

A comprehensive survey of the University of California system has found nearly one-quarter of students, staff, and faculty members say they have felt intimidated or on the receiving end of hostile behavior while at the system’s 10 campuses and major off-campus offices. UC officials said Wednesday that the survey was part of an effort to promote respect and diversity following a series of charged incidents that included a noose and Ku Klux Klan hood being found at UC San Diego and ongoing tensions between Palestinian supporters and Jewish students at several schools.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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