Here are the prices of some key commodities traded in New York on Monday: Crude oil prices fell more than $1 to settle at $94.39 per barrel. Coffee prices rose 2 cents to end at $2.41 per pound. Copper prices lost 7 cents to close at $4.40 a pound. Cocoa futures were down $19 to […]
US Mandates Insurance Coverage for Birth Control
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued rules requiring new health insurance plans to fully cover preventative care for women, including birth control. Those new rules have sparked controversy with groups opposed to all birth control, such as the Roman Catholic Church, and those who approve of only some types of birth […]
Sri Lanka Admits to Civilian Deaths During War
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 3:30 pm (UTC-5)
Sri Lanka has acknowledged for the first time that civilians may have been killed in the last phase of the country’s quarter-century-long civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels. A defense ministry report released Monday said although the military followed a “zero civilian casualty policy,” it was impossible to avoid such casualties given the magnitude […]
Buenos Aires Mayor Wins Re-Election
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 3:25 pm (UTC-5)
The mayor of Buenos Aires, Argentina has been re-elected in a runoff, defeating the hand-picked candidate of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. With about 99 percent of the votes counted from Sunday’s election, Mayor Mauricio Macri had 64 percent. Macri is a businessman and former head of a football club. He ran against Senator Daniel […]
US Debt Deal Faces Critical Congressional Vote
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. Congress is set to take critical votes later Monday on a package of increases to the government borrowing limit and cuts to spending, after months of political bickering that pushed Washington to the edge of default on its massive debt. In the Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Minority Leader Mitch […]
Sri Lanka Admits to Civilian Deaths During War
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
Sri Lanka has acknowledged for the first time that civilians may have been killed in the last phase of the country’s quarter-century-long civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels. A defense ministry report released Monday said although the military followed a “zero civilian casualty policy,” it was impossible to avoid such casualties given the magnitude […]
Russia Criticizes US Senate Resolution on Georgian Territories
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
Russia has strongly criticized the U.S. Senate’s July 29 resolution calling for Moscow to withdraw its troops from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway Georgia territories that have declared their independence. The resolution is Washington’s latest call for Moscow to comply with the terms of the cease-fire that ended its brief 2008 war with Georgia. […]
Gary Locke Sworn In As New US Ambassador to China
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sworn in Gary Locke as the new U.S. ambassador to China. At the State Department Monday, Clinton said the U.S. relationship with China is an “extraordinarily important one.” She said both countries are large, complex nations with different histories and political systems, but that they know the importance […]
Israel to Extradite Bosnian Serb Accused of War Crimes
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 2:40 pm (UTC-5)
A court in Jerusalem has approved the extradition of an Israeli citizen to Bosnia-Herzegovina to answer charges that he committed acts of genocide during the 1992-to-1995 Balkans conflict. The court ruled Monday that Aleksandar Cvetkovic could be sent for trial to a war crimes court in Sarajevo. He is a Bosnian Serb who was granted […]
Pakistan Asks US for Clarity in Joint War on Terror
Posted August 1st, 2011 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistan is calling on the United States to agree upon “clear terms of engagement” in the fight against Islamist militants. Pakistani officials say President Asif Ali Zardari told the U.S. special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Marc Grossman, that the terms should be clearly defined and specified so that any dispute could be settled amicably […]
