Charming Colonial in Braintree makes splash

This attractive single-family Colonial in Braintree Highlands has a classic elegance with a nicely landscaped yard and an in-ground heated pool with a cabana.

Built in 1998, the well-maintained three-bedroom house with a hip roof at 130 Catherine Drive has been updated several times by its current owners since 2007. Renovations include a central air-conditioning system, renovated master bathroom and all-new toilets, new high-efficiency burner and refinished oak floors. The 2,660-square-foot home, which was recently repainted outside and inside, is on the market for $639,900.

The house sits on a cul de sac at the end of a long driveway with an attached two-car garage and brick walkway. The exterior is blue clapboard with black shutters and white trim. The entrance has a widow's walk framed by a large Palladian window.

A grand two-story ceramic-tiled entry foyer has a large brass chandelier above and two closets, one for storage and the other for coats.

To the right of the foyer is a formal dining room with oak floors, crown molding, 8-over-8 windows and a built-in mantel.

On the other side of the foyer is an open living

dining area with oak floors, 8-over-8 windows and a ceramic-tiled wood-burning fireplace. There are glass doors from the dining area out to a rear deck and down to a granite patio with a heated in-ground pool enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. The pool's heater and propane tanks were recently replaced and there's a cabana at one end.

Back inside, the stylish kitchen features 26 white bargeboard-faced cabinets and built-in racks. There's a center island with grayish granite counters and a built-in electric range. All-white appliances include a cabinet-front Amana side-by-side refrigerator, built-in General Electric wall oven and new microwave and a Bosch dishwasher.

Off the kitchen is a half bathroom with gray ceramic tile floors, a linen closet and a cabinet that holds a washer

dryer hookup with shelving above. Adjacent is direct access to the home's two-car attached garage.

The stairway and second-floor landing that overlooks the foyer have paneled wainscoting.

There are three bedrooms on the second floor, including a master suite. The carpeted master bedroom has four 8-over-8 windows and a fan

light overhead. There's a deep walk-in closet with a built-in shelving system. The en-suite master bathroom, renovated last year, has beige ceramic tile floors and tile that surrounds a raised whirlpool bathtub. There's a separate glass-doored Fiberglas shower, a granite-topped double-sink vanity and a linen closet.

There are two other carpeted bedrooms ideal for children. There's also a second full bathroom with a ceramic tile floor, a linen closet, a Corian-topped vanity and a one-piece Fiberglas tub and shower.

The finished basement has a carpeted media

family room with a big storage closet for games and toys. There's also a carpeted home office with a built-in added by the current owner with desk space for two and cabinets above. And there's even a full bathroom in the basement, with access to the outdoor pool through a door.

Pros:

 Stylish kitchen with bargeboard-faced white cabinets and gray granite counters

 Open living

dining area with wood fireplace and glass doors out to in-ground pool with granite patio

 Master bedroom suite has large walk-in closet and newly renovated bathroom

Cons:

Fiberglas showers in bathrooms

 Some appliances and tile finishes are average grade

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Safety rules limited for small fertilizer plants

There were no sprinklers. No firewalls. No water deluge systems. Safety inspections were rare at the fertilizer company in West, Texas, that exploded and killed at least 14 people this week.

This is not unusual.

Small fertilizer plants nationwide fall under the purview of several government agencies, each with a specific concern and none required to coordinate with others on what they have found.

The small distributors — there are as many of 1,150 in Texas alone — are part of a regulatory system that focuses on large installations and industries, though many of the small plants contain enough agricultural chemicals to fuel a major explosion.

The plant in West had ammonium nitrate, the chemical used to build the bomb that blew up the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. According to a document filed in 2012 with the Texas Department of State Health Services, the maximum amount of this "extremely hazardous substance" the plant could store in one container was 90 tons, and the most it could have on site was 270 tons. It is unknown how much was onsite at any given time, or at the time of the explosion.

It was also authorized to handle up to 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, a substance the Texas environmental agency considers flammable and potentially toxic.

"This type of facility is a minor source of air emissions," Ramiro Garcia, the head of enforcement and compliance at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, told The Associated Press.

"So the inspections are complaint driven. We usually look at more of the major facilities."

No federal agency determines how close a facility handling potentially dangerous substances can be to population centers, and in many states, including Texas, many of these decisions are left up to local zoning authorities. And in Texas, the state's minimal approach to zoning puts plants just yards away from schools, houses and other populated areas, as was the case in West.

That plant received a special permit because it was less than 3,000 feet from a school. The damage from the blast destroyed an apartment complex, nursing home and houses in a four-block area.

State and federal investigators have not yet determined the cause of the disaster, which occurred Wednesday night after a fire broke out at the site after work hours. The explosion that followed could be heard miles away and was so powerful it registered as a small earthquake.

The West Fertilizer Co. stored, distributed and blended fertilizers for use by farmers around the Central Texas community. The plant opened in 1962 outside the rural town of 2,800, but development gradually crept closer. Wednesday night, residents and rescue workers tried to evacuate the area as the fire consumed the plant.

Donald Adair, the plant's owner, said in a statement Friday he was cooperating with the investigation and expressed sympathy for the victims. He has not returned phone calls seeking comment.

Over the years, the fertilizer company was fined and cited for violations by federal and state agencies.

Last summer, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration assessed a $10,000 fine against West Fertilizer for improperly labeling storage tanks and preparing to transfer chemicals without a security plan. The company paid $5,250 after reporting it had corrected the problems.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also cited the plant for not having an up-to-date risk management plan. That problem was also resolved, and the company submitted a new plan in 2011. That plan, however, said the company did not believe it was storing or handling any flammable substances and didn't list fire or an explosion as a danger.

David Gray, an EPA spokesman in Dallas, said the company's plan identified a worst-case scenario as an accidental release of all 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, which at room temperature is a gas.

"This scenario is a plausible worse-case scenario as gaseous anhydrous ammonia can be lethal," Gray said.

The risk management plan also did not cite a possible explosion of ammonium nitrate, the solid granular fertilizer stored at the site. But that would not be unusual, he said, because ammonium nitrate is not regulated under the Clean Air Act.

The plant's plan said there was no risk of fire or explosion and noted they had no sprinklers, water deluge or other safety mechanisms installed.

"We do not yet know what happened at this facility. The ongoing investigation will inform us on the plan's adequacy," Gray said.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality also dealt with the company and issued a permit for handling anhydrous ammonia, which requires safety equipment the company had told the EPA it didn't have. But TCEQ acknowledged it may never have checked to confirm the equipment was there.

"It's a minor source under the Clean Air Act so it doesn't get much scrutiny at all," said Neil Carman, a Sierra Club clean air expert and chemist who used to work for the TCEQ.

The company's last contact with regulation may have come as recently as April 5, when the Texas Office of the State Chemist inspected the plant. But that agency focuses mostly on ensuring that commercial fertilizers are properly labeled and blended, said Roger Hoestenbach, the office's associate director. His inspectors found no problems, he said, but they would not have checked for safety systems such as sprinklers. That office also provided the company with the required license to store and handle ammonia nitrate and renewed it in September after a summer inspection, he said.

Many other towns in Texas have small fertilizer distributors operating under similar regulations near populated areas.

Matt Murray, owner of ABC Fertilizer and Supply in Corsicana, bought his facility about 15 years ago. It sits in an industrial zone in the town of about 23,700 people, but in a community barely five miles long, it is still not far from the population center, he said.

"Every little community, town that's in Texas, has one of these," he said.

Murray's facility also has a state license to sell ammonium nitrate.

Even though Murray said he has discussed an evacuation plan with his local fire chief, there is nothing in writing. And he isn't required to have a formal plan. That may be changing now, he said.

"It's been something that's been brewing for years and years, ever since Oklahoma," he said.

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Plushnick-Masti, who can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RamitMastiAP , reported from Houston. Gillum, who can be followed at https://twitter.com/jackgillum , reported from Washington.

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Back Bay businesses hit hard by marathon bombings

The arduous task of rebuilding the Back Bay after the deadly Marathon Monday attacks is under way but could be a tall task for businesses as many are not covered by insurance, because the damage was from a terror attack.

"There is no insurance for terrorism for these businesses," said City Councilor Michael Ross, who represents the Back Bay. "We're talking weeks, possibly months, with no income for some of these businesses."

The bombs struck in the heart of one of the city's busiest retail and business centers, shuttering bars, restaurants and stores, while investigators sift through the wreckage. Some businesses may be beyond repair, but the full extent of damage is not yet known.

Marathon Sports, Forum restaurant and a Lens Crafters store appear to have sustained heavy destruction, while the Charlesmark Hotel may have fire, smoke and blast damage.

"We don't yet know the structural condition of any of the buildings," Ross said.

He's been working with a variety of city agencies to help business owners and will seek aid for those not covered.

Terrorism coverage is optional and most small businesses do not have it, said Robert Hartwig, president of the New York-based Insurance Information Institute.

"Most businesses would have coverage for such things as fire, smoke and explosions, and the business interruption coverage that goes along with that," Hartwig said. "But not all businesses buy (separate) business interruption coverage."

Even if they do, for terrorism coverage to take effect, the federal government must certify an event meets the formal definition of terrorism, which has yet to be done in this case. In addition insured losses must exceed $5 million, Hartwig said.

David Sapers, owner of Sugar Heaven at 669 Boylston St., which lost business, said he's still waiting for answers from city officials.

"They didn't know when they're going to release our area," he said. "We'd love to have the city step in and cover our losses."

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday issued a notice to impacted residents and businesses about the city's plan for reopening Boylston Street and the surrounding area. The street will reopen slowly but the hardest hit areas could remain closed for weeks as the FBI probe continues. Information is on the city's website at www.cityofboston.gov.

"We believe that some blocks may be ready to open more quickly than others," Menino's letter said.

Ross said the historic Trinity Church has been lent space by Temple Israel, but most businesses have been left without many options. He's exploring federal, state and city aid possibilities as well as setting up a fund to help.

"The Back Bay businesses definitely need the support from the rest of the community," Ross said.

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CBS Twitter feeds are compromised

NEW YORK — The Twitter accounts for two national CBS programs have been compromised and suspended.

A CBS News spokeswoman confirms Saturday that tweets sent earlier in the afternoon from the "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours" Twitter handles saying their accounts were compromised are correct.

The tweets said the network is working with Twitter to investigate. On Saturday night both accounts were suspended and inaccessible.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The CBS spokeswoman didn't comment further.

Earlier in the day tweets coming from the 60 Minutes account seemed farfetched, including one that claimed the US government was "hiding the real culprit of the Boston bombing."

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World finance leaders say growth still weak

WASHINGTON — While world finance leaders say the global economy has improved slightly this year, they said the outlook for the future was uneven with growth and job creation still too weak.

The policy-setting committee for the 188-nation International Monetary Fund said governments need to act decisively to nurture a lasting recovery and restore the resiliency of the global economy.

But the major economies could not reach a consensus on what policies to follow as they move forward.

"The commodity that is in shortest supply now is confidence," Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the chairman of the IMF panel and Singapore's finance minister told reporters. "We need to regenerate optimism and confidence."

The World Bank announced that its steering committee had approved a proposal to establish the goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030. The bank defines this condition as living on less than $1.25 a day. The bank estimates there are 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia.

A spokeswoman for Oxfam , the anti-poverty group, Emma Seery, said while the World Bank target was welcome "we are concerned that it will duck the tough choices needed to reach it."

The weekend began with two days of discussions among finance leaders of the Group of 20 nations, composed of major economies such as the United States, Germany and Japan and fast-growing developing nations like China, Brazil and India. The meetings of the IMF and its sister lending institution, The World Bank, followed.

The finance ministers tried to show they were cooperating even though they did not resolve differences that surfaced after an initially flawed bailout of Cyprus in March. The banking troubles on the Mediterranean island renewed fears that a prolonged European debt crisis still posed risks to the global economy.

The U.S. urged European nations to scale back their austerity programs of spending cuts and tax increases in favor of more stimulus to boost growth and combat high unemployment in countries such as Spain and Greece.

But the push was met with resistance from Germany and Britain, which believe heavily indebted European nations must reduce their debts to give markets confidence and keep government borrowing costs low. In the end, the financial leaders sought to bridge the difference by issuing economic blueprints that left room for both the growth and austerity camps to claim victory.

The G-20 nations did reject proposals to issue hard targets for reducing budget deficits, a victory for the United States and Japan, which had argued for more flexibility.

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Israel approves 'Open Skies' deal with EU

JERUSALEM — Israel's Cabinet on Sunday approved a deal to allow more EU flights, hours after the country's airlines went on strike out of concerns that the agreement would cost them jobs and possibly even ruin their companies.

The approval of "Open Skies" raised the possibility of a longer, broader strike by Israel's major labor union. Already, hundreds of people scheduled to fly on Israel's three carriers, El Al, Arkia and Israir, have been stranded.

As hundreds of union workers protested outside, the Cabinet overwhelmingly approved the agreement, which allows more carriers to serve the Israeli market.

"The Open Skies reform is good for Israel. It will lead to the lowering of prices and increase competition, and it will not harm work places in the market, rather the opposite," Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid said.

He said the deal would not be implemented until April 2014.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the deal. "The goal of the reform that we approved today is to lower the prices of flights to and from Israel and to increase incoming tourism," he said.

Tourism is a major industry in Israel, bringing in more than 3.5 million visitors a year.

Critics warned that Israel's small fleet of planes, along with high security costs, would hinder it from competing with larger international airlines.

Ofer Eini, head of the powerful Histadrut labor union, told Israel Radio that he favors Open Skies, but the deal needs to be amended to secure local jobs. He said the arrangement could cause local airlines to collapse, warning that thousands of jobs are at risk.

Although Sunday's strike did not affect flights by international carriers, Eini indicated the work stoppage could be broadened. He did not elaborate, but a strike by unionized airport workers or security staff, for instance, could bring the whole airport to a standstill.

A spokeswoman for El Al, Israel's national carrier, said of 22 flights planned for Sunday, 14 were brought forward before the strike began and eight were canceled. She said the strike affected hundreds of passengers.

Travelers were given the option to transfer to other flights or get their money back, she said. She requested anonymity in line with company policy.

Some tourists stuck at the airport said they had alternate flights, but they were facing long delays.

"There are hundreds of people that can't get out, and it's a little upsetting," said Darius Schwartz, a New York native who now lives in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem. "I'm a loyal El Al customer and I'll continue to fly El Al, but there's no reason to go on strike just because of ratifying a treaty that would equalize competition," Schwartz said.

Travelers with Israir on domestic flights to Eilat, Israel's Red Sea resort, were provided with buses. The flight lasts half an hour, but the bus trip takes about four hours.

The Open Skies agreement is meant to reduce restrictions on European carriers for using Israeli airspace, increasing competition. It would expand the number of flights between Israel and Europe and allow Israel to become a layover hub. Now it is a final stop.

Hundreds of union members demonstrated outside the Cabinet meeting, despite unseasonably rainy weather. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said officers arrested eight protesters for "causing a public disturbance."

Arieh Katz, a longtime El Al worker, said at the rally, "They are finishing off the company. The pain is immense. Irresponsible people are running this government, and we will pay the price in the end."

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Blackstone founder creates $300M China scholarship

BEIJING — A U.S. private equity tycoon announced Sunday the establishment of a $300 million endowed scholarship program in China for students from around the world, and billed it as a rival to the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

Stephen A. Schwarzman, founder of the private equity firm Blackstone, said he would give $100 million as a personal gift and raise another $200 million to endow the Schwarzman Scholars program at Beijing's Tsinghua University. It will be the largest philanthropic gift with foreign money in China's history, according to the tycoon and the university.

The Wall Street mogul said China's rapid economic growth and rising global influence would define the 21st century, as U.S. ties to Europe did to the 20th century — when the Rhodes Scholarship was created at Oxford University with the goal of producing outstanding leaders.

"China is no longer an elective course, it's core curriculum," he said in Beijing.

By partnering with the prestigious Chinese university, Schwarzman said he hoped the educational program would train future world leaders and play a positive role in relations between China and the United States.

"For future geopolitical stability and global prosperity, we need to build a culture of greater trust and understanding between China, America and the rest of the world," he said.

Tsinghua — known for its engineering programs but in the midst of transforming itself to be more comprehensive in academic offerings — also has produced many of China's senior leaders, who have traditionally been technocrats. It is the alma mater for both President Xi Jinping and former President Hu Jintao.

The $300 million endowment will allow 200 students each year to take part in a one-year master's program at Tsinghua — all expenses paid — in public policy, economics and business, international relations or engineering, beginning in 2016. Schwarzman said 45 percent of the students would come from the United States, 20 percent from China and the rest from other parts of the world.

Already, $100 million has been raised in the last six months from private donors, Schwarzman said.

Both President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulatory letters, which were read out loud at the announcement ceremony at the Great Hall of People — China's symbolic heart of political power. "That was pretty remarkable to listen to," Schwarzman said. "That was pretty awesome."

Vice Premier Liu Yandong attended the announcement and gave a speech.

The announcement also was the top news on state-run China Central Television's evening newscast, which is typically reserved for the activities of China's top leaders.

The program's advisory board includes former world leaders such as France's Nicolas Sarkozy, Britain's Tony Blair, Canada's Brian Mulroney and Australia's Kevin Rudd. Former U.S. secretaries of state Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice are also on the board, as is renowned cellist Yo-yo Ma.

"The board shares my belief that fostering connections between Chinese students, American students and students from around the world is a critical aspect of ensuring geopolitical stability now, and into the future," Schwarzman said.

He said the program would be jointly governed by the Schwarzman Education Foundation and Tsinghua University on matters including curriculum and faculty.

Schwarzman said he believes the program will enjoy academic freedom like any other Western educational institute and that he understands no topic will be off limits in the classrooms at the Schwarzman College, home to the program, to be built on the Tsinghua campus.

Many international corporations already have signed on as donors to the program, including BP, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Boeing, GE, JPMorgan Chase, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Caterpillar, Credit Suisse and Deloitte. International companies often give charitable gifts to cultivate ties with potential future leaders.

Tsinghua traces its roots to 1911, when the United States used the indemnity money paid by the Chinese government after an anti-foreigner rebellion to establish a preparatory school for students later sent to study in America.

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Tesla car manufacturer seeks Natick Mall sales

NATICK, Mass. — Tesla Motors is expected to ask Natick planners for an exception to zoning regulations to allow the manufacturer of upscale electric cars to sell at the Natick Mall.

The Boston Globe reports (http://bo.st/11rJGIR ) that the exception would allow Tesla to consolidate its operations in Natick that include a showroom at the mall where customers can view a car and get information and a sales office elsewhere that handles sales.

The California company wants to sell its cars directly to consumers rather than working through independent dealerships, the traditional sales model and required by law in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the United States.

A judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association, which tried to block Tesla's proposed mall site. The dealers group is suing the Natick Board of Selectmen.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe

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Report: Ex-HSBC man says US advised he go to Spain

MADRID — A man wanted by Switzerland on suspicion of stealing confidential banking information now being used by international financial investigators says U.S. officials warned him he was in danger and advised him to go to Spain, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Herve Falciani, a former employee of global banking group HSBC, was arrested in July after he left France by sea and tried to enter Spain through the northeastern port of Barcelona.

In December, Spain's National Court released him after authorities argued Falciani was cooperating with investigators from several European countries in probes into tax evasion, money-laundering and terrorism financing.

He is now fighting extradition to Switzerland, where he is accused of stealing information between 2006 and 2007 related to at least 24,000 customers with private accounts with the Swiss division of HSBC.

In a lengthy interview published in El Pais newspaper, the 40-year-old is quoted as saying that he was cooperating with U.S. Justice Department officials when he was told to head for Spain.

"They told me that from that moment my life was at risk," Falciani says. "They told me the only safe place in Europe was Spain."

The paper quotes Falciani as saying that American authorities advised him on what day to travel — July 1.

"They even knew which judge would be on duty when I arrived," he is quoted as saying.

The paper says Falciani used his finger in a side-to-side horizontal movement across his neck to reinforce the point that his life was in danger.

"The United States had warned me just before (his departure to Spain) that it would be easy for someone to pay to try to get me killed," Falciani was reported as saying.

U.S. officials did not immediately offer comment on the claims.

Falciani also is accused of breaching banking secrecy, including allegedly releasing a list of names of HSBC private customers to French officials in 2008, the year he fled Switzerland for France.

France's former finance minister, Christine Lagarde, now head of the International Monetary Fund, passed the list on to the U.S. and several European Union countries, thereby exposing many of the bank's clients to prosecution for tax evasion.

The documents have added more pressure on Switzerland from its European neighbors and the United States to crack down on tax evasion.

Falciani, who has French and Italian citizenship, could be sentenced to a seven-year jail term in Switzerland if extradited and convicted.

At an extradition hearing on April 15, Falciani said that he told Swiss authorities in 2008 about what he had discovered at HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA, but that they refused to let him make an anonymous complaint.

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Russian Alisher Usmanov tops British rich list

LONDON — Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov is Britain's richest person, displacing steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who held the distinction for the past eight years, according to a list published Sunday.

The Sunday Times, which publishes the annual list, said Mittal's fortune fell 21 percent in the past year to 10 billion pounds ($15 billion) as share values in his ArcelorMittal steel business tumbled.

The Indian-born tycoon, who was No. 1 on the list for the longest time since its first edition in 1989, dropped to fourth on this year's list.

Usmanov, 59, is valued at 13.3 billion pounds ($20.25 billion). The Times said his fortune rose by about 1 billion pounds, buoyed by the strong performance of his London-listed cellphone operator MegaFon and his stake in Russian iron ore producer Metalloinvest.

The billionaire also owns a 29 percent stake in English soccer club Arsenal and several homes in the U.K., including a mansion formerly home to late oil baron J. Paul Getty.

In total, the Times said the 1,000 wealthiest people named on the list have added 35.4 billion pounds to their wealth.

Two other Russians were in the top five: Len Blavatnik, whose wealth jumped 45 percent to 11 billion pounds, is second; Roman Abramovich, who owns Chelsea soccer club and is valued at 9.3 billion, is in fifth place.

The highest-placed British-born person on the list was Gerald Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, who owns much of London's sought-after luxury property. He was ranked eighth and is estimated to be worth 7.8 billion pounds.

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