A top Russia expert at the State Department described the Kremlin as bullying its neighbors while silencing opponents and suppressing individual rights at home.
An airline is a peculiar business, because the fortunes of the company often run in inverse proportion to the well-being of the customers. Travelers love to pay fire-sale prices to fly on big planes with lots of empty seats. But that usually happens only when airlines have too many flights and are spiraling into financial turmoil. When the airlines are healthy, it's usually because their planes are flying nearly full, and they can command stiff prices for every cramped seat–which makes travelers grumpy.
U.S. News computed the Airport Misery Index by starting with a list of the 100 busiest U.S. airports. We divided those into two groups: large hub and nonhub airports, like Atlanta, Denver, and Orlando, and smaller regional airports like Austin and Buffalo. For each airport, we compiled data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics regarding on-time performance and load factor, which is the percentage of seats filled with passengers. We ranked the airports according to each of those variables, then added the two rankings together, weighting them equally.
The airlines tell you to arrive early, the government tells you to weigh your toothpaste, and the flight attendants tell you to be thankful for your pretzels and stay out of the aisle. But the nation's skyway warriors are the ones who know the real tricks for beating the system and turning stressful travel into a tolerable, even pleasant, experience.
AP - Under the cover of artillery barrages, dozens of Lebanese army tanks and armored carriers moved toward a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon Friday in pursuit of Islamic militants holed up inside.
AP - Kidnapped British reporter Alan Johnston appeared Friday in a videotape posted on an Islamic militant Web site, saying his captors had treated him well, denouncing Israel and blasting Britain's Mideast policy. It was the first sign of life from him since he was abducted almost three months ago.
AP - Detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared online Thursday in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sensitive project.
A senior House member wants to know how an infected man managed to get through U.S. Customs and Border Protection even though his passport was flagged in the agency's system. Lawyer Andrew Speaker is being treated at a Denver hospital as officials track down travelers who may have been exposed to the illness. Speaker's father-in-law is a microbiologist who studies TB at the CDC.
Saying he was being treated well, BBC reporter Alan Johnston appeared for the first time since his abduction in March in a video tape issued by his captors that was delivered to a Palestinian news agency in Gaza on Friday.
Lebanon's military on Friday launched a new artillery attack on a Palestinian refugee camp north of Tripoli where Islamic militants have been holed up.
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