Sean Connery, the Scottish actor, urged the people of his country to vote for independence from Britain when a referendum is held in September, saying the split would put renewed focus on Scotland’s culture, heritage and creative excellence.
Cristian Manzano, 20, of Dallas faces a felony count of causing injury to a child after he reportedly used a firearm for target practice in his yard and a stray bullet shattered the window of a nearby home and struck a 9-year-old girl, critically injuring her.
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, will meet today in Geneva with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua to discuss the recent student-led protests in Venezuela and what the government plans to do to end the unrest.
Randy Sexton, the owner of Gordy’s Pizza & Pasta in Port Angeles, Wash., said his workers were inundated with calls from people trying to vote for American Idol contestants after a glitch caused the calls to be routed to his restaurant for about two hours.
Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City who plans to skip the nation’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade because participants are banned from carrying signs identifying themselves as gay, joined the gay-friendly St. Pat’s For All Parade in Queens, saying the event honored the city’s traditions by celebrating inclusion.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Lois Lerner, the former head of the Internal Revenue Service, will testify Wednesday about the agency’s past targeting of Tea Party-backed groups seeking tax-exempt status.
Jacob Lew, the Treasury Department secretary, told a pro-Israel lobbying group that the U.S. is ready to impose additional sanctions on Iran if talks about limiting that nation’s nuclear activities fail, adding that “all options remain on the table.”
Charles Rickett, 26, of Bozeman, Mont., was convicted of escaping from a pre-release center, kidnapping his former foster mother, Diana Furuholmen, and holding her hostage while demanding keys and information to help him rob the bar where she worked.
Front Section, Pages 1 on 03/03/2014