LONDON – Scotland, unaccustomed to the hot spotlight of  international diplomacy, fought to justify its release of the  Lockerbie bomber yesterday, after a U.S. official angrily  accused the country of rewarding terrorism.

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HALIFAX – Hurricane Bill brought rain and heavy winds to  Nova Scotia in eastern Canada yesterday, which could flood and  damage coastal areas and possibly impact offshore oil and gas  facilities.

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ISLAMABAD – The Pakistani Taliban announced a successor to  slain commander Baitullah Mehsud, but intelligence officials  said yesterday it was probably a smokescreen meant to hold  together a movement left leaderless for almost three weeks.

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TEHRAN – Influential former president Akbar Hashemi  Rafsanjani has urged Iranians to follow Supreme Leader  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s guidelines, five weeks after he  challenged the authority of the country’s most powerful figure.