IT’S BECOMING increasingly difficult to reconcile the Obama administration’s military and diplomatic initiatives on Afghanistan. Last month, the State Department unveiled a “fight and talk” strategy that could involve the transfer of senior Taliban commanders from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar. The aim, officials said, was to induce Taliban leaders to accept what they have repeatedly rejected: talks with the Afghan government and a peace settlement based on the current Afghan constitution, including its protections for women. Read full article > >

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Editorial Board: The administration’s muddled message on Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy will grow faster in 2012 — if it isn’t knocked off track by upheavals in Europe, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists. Unemployment will barely fall from the current 8.6 percent rate, though, by the time President Barack Obama runs for re-election in November, the economists say. Read full article > >

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AP survey: Growth will pick up in 2012, but US economy is vulnerable to turmoil in Europe

The single most important thing to understand about the ongoing debate over the payroll tax cut is that it’s not about the payroll tax cut. This has gotten somewhat confused in the current contretemps over whether the extension should be for two months or one year, but if this were actually about the payroll tax cut, there would be no argument over the length of the extension. Read full article > >

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The ‘payroll tax cut’ debate is not about the payroll tax cut

People who crave a cause often have selective hearing, and this is particularly true in the current debate about global warming, writes Lisa Jardine.

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Climate change and craving a cause

Four quarterbacks are challenging Dan Marino’s single-season passing record of 5,084 yards, which says as much about his 1984 season as it does about the current N.F.L.

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N.F.L. Fast Forward: Quarterbacks Bear Down on Marino’s 1984 Record

Exhibitors at the Business Start-up fair at London’s Earl’s Court give their tips on how a small company can grow, in the current financial climate.

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VIDEO: Top tips for new start-ups

Suddenly, there is an imperative for the Republicans running for president to be mature, poised, mostly silent and even respectful of the current president’s responsibilities. The Post reports that Iran is closer to having a nuclear weapon than has been previously thought. The International Atomic Energy Agency will release a full report later this week. Read full article > >

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GOP candidates shouldn’t attack Obama on Iran

“9-9-9 will pass, and it is not the price of pizza because, it has been well-studied and well-developed… The problem with that analysis [that it will not raise enough revenue] is that it is incorrect. The reason it’s incorrect is because they start with assumptions that we don’t make. Remember, 9- 9-9 plan throws out the current tax code. … Now, what 9-9-9 does, it expands the base. When you expand the base, we can arrive at the lowest possible rate, which is 9-9-9.” Read full article > >

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Herman Cain’s misleading pitch for the ‘9-9-9’ plan

The single local victim (so far) of the listeria outbreak lived in central Maryland. He had eaten a Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupe contaminated with one of four strains tied to the current outbreak, which has already caused 72 illnesses in 18 states and claimed the lives of 12 other people. Where the Maryland resident ate the strange fruit, however, remains a complete mystery. Read full article > >

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Where did the Md. victim eat tainted cantaloupe? Who knows.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a conditional guarantee to cover 80 percent of a $344 million loan for the biggest residential solar rooftop project ever in the United States. A company called SolarCity plans to install, own and operate up to 160,000 rooftop installations on as many as 124 military housing developments in 33 states over the next five years. That would equal the current number of residential rooftop installations in the United States. It would provide 371 megawatts of generation capacity. Read full article > >

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DOE to offer loan guarantee for solar rooftop project

Since the current Syrian uprising began in March, the news has been flooded with amateur video footage from ordinary citizens detailing the horrors of the regime. We’ve seen throngs of men defy President Bashar Assad’s brutality and fill the streets with their cries for freedom. But where are all the women?

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Syria’s Women Protesters: Out Of Sight, But Not Out Of Action

The European Commission proposes a 150m euro (£134m) aid package to help EU salad farmers hit by the current E. coli outbreak.

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EU sets E. coli aid at 150m euros

Shahid Afridi says he will not play international cricket under the current Pakistan Cricket Board.

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Afridi ‘quits’ as Pakistan player

St Andrews University dismisses claims it received funding negotiated through people connected to the current Syrian regime.

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St Andrews dismisses Syria claims

A bill passed in the Texas House would slash $23 billion from the current level of spending over the next two-year budget cycle — a 12.3 percent reduction.

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After Years of Cost Cuts, Texas Tries to Find More