Strong Aftershock Jolts Japan; Workers at Nuclear Plant Take Cover

TOKYO — The strongest aftershock to hit since the day of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan rocked a wide section of the country’s northeast on Thursday night, prompting a tsunami alert, raising fears of new strains on the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and knocking out external power at three other nuclear facilities.

Read More

Nation girds for a shutdown

WASHINGTON — The federal government began warning its scientists, park employees, tax collectors, environmental enforcers, and hundreds of thousands of other employees yesterday to prepare to be furloughed as negotiations among congressional leaders and President Obama continued to sputter, setting up a major disruption of government services at midnight tonight.

Read More