Thailand’s new prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has unveiled a new cabinet after receiving the approval of the country’s king. Details of the 35-member Cabinet were released late Tuesday, a day after Ms. Yingluck took office with a call for peace and national reconciliation. The new Cabinet includes four “outsiders”, or non-lawmakers, but notably excludes leaders […]
Crude Oil Prices Fall
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
Here are the prices of some key commodities traded in New York on Tuesday: Crude oil prices lost more than $2 to close at $79.30 a barrel, the lowest price since September. Coffee prices rose 1 cent to finish at $2.35 a pound. Copper prices gained 1 cent to end at $3.97 per pound. Cocoa […]
US Central Bank To Hold Interest Rates Low
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 3:40 pm (UTC-5)
Top officials of the U.S. central bank say they are worried that the economy is recovering more slowly and the labor market is weaker than they expected. Tuesday, in a bid to boost the faltering U.S. economy, they voted to keep the key interest rate in its current ultra-low range until at least the middle […]
Obama Honors US Troops Killed in Afghanistan
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 3:30 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is honoring the 30 American troops killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. The president traveled to Dover Air Force Base in the eastern U.S. state of Delaware on Tuesday to pay his respects as the remains of the fallen soldiers, including nearly two dozen elite Navy SEALS, were brought home […]
US Successfully Sells First Bonds with Downgraded Credit Rating
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 3:25 pm (UTC-5)
The United States has successfully sold its first bonds since the country’s credit rating was downgraded, and at a record low interest rate. Investors have lost billions of dollars in the value of their stock holdings at exchanges throughout the world as the markets reacted to Standard & Poor’s U.S. credit rating downgrade last Friday […]
Reports: Uzbekistan Deports Americans for Suspected Missionary Activities
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
Russian media reports say Uzbekistan has expelled a group of U.S. nationals after accusing them of illegal missionary activities. The reports Tuesday quote Uzbek officials as saying the Americans, posing as businessmen or English-language teachers, attempted to convert local Uzbeks to Christianity. Authorities in Tashkent, according to the reports, noted that the Americans had mastered […]
Nyad Ends Cuba to US Swim
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 2:55 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad has ended her second attempt in 33 years to swim from Havana, Cuba to the Florida Keys. After nearly 30 hours in the water, the 61-year-old athlete abandoned her effort Tuesday because of asthma, shoulder pain and battering wind and waves. The swim was expected to take 60 hours and […]
Libya Accuses NATO of Civilian Deaths
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 2:50 pm (UTC-5)
The Libyan government is accusing NATO forces of killing dozens of civilians in a village near the western town of Zlitan. Authorities Tuesday said 85 people were killed late Monday following allied airstrikes over the region. State-run television showed video of what it said were victims of the strikes, including women and small children. The […]
US Central Bank To Hold Interest Rates Low
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
Top officials of the U.S. central bank say they will keep the key interest rate in its current ultra-low range until at least the middle of 2013. That rate was cut to between zero and one-quarter of a percent in December of 2008. Tuesday’s Federal Reserve announcement is intended to bolster the faltering U.S. economy, […]
Russia, Azerbaijan Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has met with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilam Aliyev, for talks focusing on the conflict between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two leaders met Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to discuss ways to peacefully resolve the long and often violent dispute over the majority […]
