Snow Shuts Federal Government, But Effects Negligible

Euro-zone central banks are crafting rules that will increase the diversity of assets that banks are permitted to pledge to tap loans and creating a hodgepodge of rules across the common-currency area.

Abu Qatada, a radical Jordanian cleric described as an inspiration to 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta, was released from a British jail on bail, a British official said.

A shallow magnitude 5.5 earthquake was reported Monday afternoon six miles from Weitchpec, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 1:07 p.m.

Vampires, witches, demons, angels, Jesus and dybbuks — with “The Wolf Gift,” Anne Rice adds lycanthropes to her bucket list of characters. Rice has never shied away from tackling Big Issues:

China and Russia declined to say Monday whether they would support an Arab League initiative calling for the U.N.