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US Jobless Claims Fall Slightly

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 9:00 am (UTC-5)
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The number of Americans signing up for unemployment compensation dropped a bit last week, indicating a slight improvement in the troubled U.S. job market. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department says 1,000 fewer people filed initial claims, bringing the nationwide total down to 400,000. Experts say a healthy job market would see claims fall below […]

Tags: , Posted in Economy, US

French Court to Investigate IMF Chief Lagarde

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 9:00 am (UTC-5)
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A French court has decided to investigate whether International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde abused her authority when she served as French finance minister, and tried to resolve a legal dispute involving a controversial tycoon. The court ordered the investigation Thursday after examining the results of a preliminary probe of Lagarde’s actions. Prosecutors accuse her […]

Tags: , Posted in Economy, Europe

Protesters Burn Copies of Indian Anti-Graft Bill

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 8:55 am (UTC-5)
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India’s effort to crack down on corruption is coming under fire from activists, who say a new bill before parliament does not go far enough. Activists in western India burned copies of the draft legislation Thursday, slamming the legislation for exempting the prime minister, the judiciary and lawmakers. They say without the power to investigate […]

Tags: , Posted in South Asia

Man in Afghan Police Uniform Kills NATO Soldier

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
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NATO says a man wearing an Afghan police uniform has shot and killed one of its service members in eastern Afghanistan. The international force did not provide details and said it was investigating Thursday’s incident. It is unclear if the shooter was actually a police officer or just disguised as one. The attack on the […]

Tags: , , Posted in South Asia

Swaziland Activists Criticize South African Bailout

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 8:05 am (UTC-5)
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Opposition groups in Swaziland have condemned South Africa’s decision to offer an economic bailout to their country, Africa’s last absolute monarchy. On Wednesday, South Africa announced a bailout package worth more than $350 million to its cash-strapped neighbor. The package contains so-called “confidence building measures” aimed at persuading Swazi leader King Mswati to make economic […]

Tags: , , Posted in Africa

European Stocks Lower in Midday Trading

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 7:40 am (UTC-5)
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European stock prices are lower in midday trading Thursday. London’s Financial Times index is down over one percent. The CAC-40 in Paris is down more than six-tenths of one percent, and trading on the DAX index in Frankfurt is down nearly one-half of one percent. In New York, the S&P futures contract is down nearly […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Economy

Indian Military Rescues 30 From Sinking Ship

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 7:35 am (UTC-5)
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Indian navy and coast guard helicopters have rescued 30 crew members from a sinking cargo ship off the coast of Mumbai. Military officials said Thursday that the vessel sent out a distress signal and the authorities immediately began operations to rescue the crew of Indonesian, Jordanian and Romanian nationals. It is unclear why the ship […]

Tags: , , Posted in South Asia

Polish President Sets Parliamentary Elections for October 9

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 7:05 am (UTC-5)
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Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has set October 9 as the date for parliamentary elections. Opinion polls put the ruling Civic Platform party ahead of the Law and Justice party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of Poland’s late president Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash last year. Voters will be selecting […]

Tags: , Posted in Europe

Asia Markets Close Mostly Lower

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 6:55 am (UTC-5)
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Major Asian stock markets closed mostly lower Thursday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index gained nearly one-quarter of one percent to finish at 9,659. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped one-half of one percent to finish the day’s trading at 21,885. Share prices were higher in Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Shanghai and Wellington, but lower in Bangkok, Jakarta, Mumbai, […]

Tags: , Posted in Economy

Wayward Penguin Cleared for Return to Antarctic

Posted August 4th, 2011 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
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The Antarctic penguin who was found wandering aimlessly on a New Zealand beach two months ago has been cleared to return to his natural habitat. Veterinarians at the Wellington Zoo have given a clean bill of health to the emperor penguin nicknamed Happy Feet. The penguin was discovered on the Peka Peka beach north of […]