Here are the prices of some key commodities traded in New York on Wednesday: Crude oil prices increased $4.01 to end at $79.68 a barrel. Coffee futures rose more than one cent to close at $2.28 a pound. Copper prices edged less than a penny higher, closing at $3.10 a pound. Cocoa futures increased $30 […]
Liberia President Sirleaf Cleared for Re-Election Bid
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been cleared to run for re-election in next week’s presidential poll, despite failing to meet the constitution’s residency requirement. The Liberian Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed a case against Sirleaf, her main challenger Winston Tubman, and five other top candidates. Liberia’s constitution says candidates must be a resident in the […]
House Committee Approves 3 Trade Agreements
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 3:30 pm (UTC-5)
A U.S. congressional committee has approved three long-pending free trade deals that now will be sent to the full House of Representatives for expected final approval next week. The House and Ways Committee Wednesday acted on the Colombia, Panama and South Korea agreements, two days after the White House formally sent them to Congress. Both […]
London 2012 Post-Olympics Development Plan Submitted
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
The Olympic Park Legacy Company has submitted a 5,000 page plan on how the Olympic Park in London can be transformed after the 2012 Games have ended. Its proposal envisions turning the 64-hectare site for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park development into five neighborhoods. Some 10,000 new homes are to be integrated with new parks, […]
Frankfurt Stock Exchange Evacuated After Bomb Threat
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
The stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany was briefly evacuated Wednesday due to a bomb threat. Operator Deutche Boerse says the threat came about a half hour before the end of trading, but that computer-based trading was not affected despite the evacuation. On Wednesday, the DAX index in Frankfurt closed 4.9 percent higher to end the […]
UN Chief Sees ‘Moral Obligation’ to End Bloodshed in Syria
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the international community has a “moral obligation” to prevent further bloodshed in Syria, a day after a European-drafted resolution aimed at curbing the violence failed at the U.N. Security Council. A spokesman said Wednesday that Mr. Ban sees the violence as unacceptable and regrets that the Security Council has not […]
US Reviews Iraq’s Request For Military Trainers
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
The United States is reviewing an Iraqi request for American forces to remain in the country beyond their scheduled December pull-out. Iraqi officials are calling for an unspecified number of U.S. troops to stay in the country as military trainers without legal immunity, meaning the trainers would not escape prosecution if they commit crimes while […]
US, European Stocks Advance in Wednesday Trading
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Stocks advanced in the United States and Europe on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up seven-tenths of 1 percent in afternoon trading. The S&P 500 is ahead nine-tenths of a percent, while the NASDAQ is up 1.5 percent. European stocks closed sharply higher. London’s Financial Times index ended up 3.2 percent , to […]
India Launches “World’s Cheapest” Computer
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 1:55 pm (UTC-5)
India has unveiled what it is calling the world’s cheapest computer, aimed at bridging the digital divide between the nation’s rich and poor. The tablet computer called “Aakash,” or sky in Hindi, will be sold to students at the government-subsidized price of $35. Indian officials and the company that developed the computer, DataWind Limited, handed […]
Bahrain Civilian Court to Retry Convicted Medical Staff
Posted October 5th, 2011 at 1:45 pm (UTC-5)
Bahrain has ordered a retrial for 20 medical staff sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in the Gulf island’s political unrest. Bahrain’s attorney general called for a civilian court retrial in a statement issued Wednesday. Last week, the medical personnel were sentenced by a military court to prison terms ranging from five to […]
