NATO is probing the cause of a helicopter crash in the central Afghan province of Wardak, where 38 coalition members, including 22 personnel from the elite U.S. Navy SEALS, were killed when their aircraft went down early Saturday. NATO spokesman Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsen said Monday the crash site was being secured and that nobody […]
NATO Probes Cause of Deadly Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan
Russia to send 50,000 Tons of Food Aid to North Korea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country will send 50,000 tons of grain to North Korea to help it cope with food shortages after devastating floods. Lavrov spoke to reporters Monday after a meeting with visiting South Korean counterpart Kim Sung-hwan. The South Korean minister for foreign affairs and trade arrived in Moscow Sunday […]
Libyan Rebels Reshuffle Cabinet
Libya’s rebel leader is reshuffling the executive branch of his de-facto government in an effort to ease tensions over the killing last month of the rebels’ military chief. A spokesman for the Transitional National Council says Mahmoud Jibril, the rebels’ de-facto prime minister, has been asked to form a new executive body of ministers. The […]
Nyad Swimming North in Record Cuba-Florida Bid
Veteran U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is making her way through calm waters as she attempts to set a new world record with a swim between Havana, Cuba and the Florida Keys. Nyad, who is nearly 62 years old, is hoping to accomplish what she failed to do at 28 – complete the estimated 60-hour […]
Markets Plunge; S&P, US Spar Over Rating Cut
Global financial markets dropped sharply Monday in reaction to an unprecedented downgrade of the U.S. government’s credit rating and lingering concerns about European debt problems and global growth. An index that measures broad U.S. stock market activity was down almost 7 percent Monday, and has dropped 11 percent since the beginning of the year. Major […]
Obama Offers $105 Million in New Drought, Famine Aid for E. Africa
U.S. President Barack Obama has approved $105 million in new drought and famine aid to East Africa. The White House says the United States will continue to help those who desperately need food, shelter, water and medicine. So far this year, the United States has sent about $565 million in aid to Somalia, Ethiopia and […]
US Stock Markets Plunge After Credit Downgrade
U.S. stock markets plunged Monday, following last Friday’s downgrade of U.S. government debt. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 5.5 percent , ending at 10,810. This is the biggest one-day drop for the Dow in almost three years. The broader S&P 500 index fell 6.7 percent to 1,119, while the NASDAQ composite index fell […]
Pakistan’s Military Concerned About Karachi Violence
Pakistan’s military has expressed concern about the ongoing political and ethnic violence in the southern port city of Karachi, where more than 200 people were killed in July. During a meeting Monday in Rawalpindi, army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and other military commanders discussed the situation in the country’s economic hub and its implications […]
Crude Oil Prices Fall Sharply
Here are the prices of some key commodities traded in New York on Friday: Crude oil prices lost more than 6 percent to close at $81.31 per barrel, their lowest point for the year. Coffee prices lost 4 cents to finish at $2.34 a pound. Copper prices dropped 16 cents to end at $3.96 per […]
Syria’s Assad Replaces Defense Minister, Arab Nations Recall Envoys
Syrian state media say President Bashar al-Assad has replaced his defense minister, as Damascus comes under increasing pressure from its Arab neighbors to stop a deadly crackdown against an opposition uprising. Mr. Assad appointed the Syrian army chief of staff, General Dawoud Rajha, as the new defense minister Monday. He replaces General Ali Habib, whom […]