The price of oil on world markets continued to fall Wednesday, reaching levels not seen in months. In New York, the price for the West Texas Intermediate crude drilled from U.S. oil rigs dipped to as low as $91.81 a barrel — the lowest point since last November — before edging higher again. In London, […]
Syrian Activists Say Government Attacks Kill 9 People
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian activists say government shelling and gunfire killed at least nine people across the country on Wednesday, most of them in a region where U.N. military observers were caught up in a deadly shooting and bomb blast the day before. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces opened fire in the northwestern […]
German Pledges $190 Million Annually for Afghan Security
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 2:55 pm (UTC-5)
Germany has pledged to contribute $190 million per year to help sustain Afghan security forces after the withdrawal of foreign troops scheduled in 2014. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Hamid signed the agreement Wednesday in Berlin, days before Mr. Karzai joins a NATO summit in the United States with the leaders of donor […]
France Unveils New Cabinet
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
New French President Francois Hollande is putting the pieces in place to forge ahead with “a new path” for the European economic power. Aides announced the formation of the new French Cabinet Wednesday, one day after Socialist Mr. Hollande was sworn in during a rain-soaked ceremony in Paris. The new assignments include former Socialist prime […]
Greece Appoints Caretaker PM, Sets Date for New Elections
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
Greece has sworn in a senior judge as the country’s new caretaker prime minister. Council of State head Panagiotis Pikrammenos was appointed Wednesday after major political parties failed to form a coalition government following several attempts to broker a deal. The 67-year-old Mr. Pikrammenos will be tasked with organizing the country’s repeat elections scheduled for […]
Greeks Withdrawing Euros from Their Banks
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
Greeks worried about the safety of their financial holdings are starting to withdraw large sums of euros from banks as the country ponders its fate in the 17-nation currency union. The country’s leaders reported that account holders withdrew about 700 million euros — nearly $900 million — on Monday as it became apparent that political […]
Indonesia Predicts Slow Probe of Crashed Jetliner
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 1:50 pm (UTC-5)
Indonesia says it could take as long as a year to analyze equipment and flight data recovered from the crash site of a Russian jetliner that slammed into the side of a volcano last week near Jakarta, killing all 45 people on board. Aviation authorities, quoted in Indonesian media Wednesday, said the crash probe will […]
Defiant Mladic Goes on Trial at The Hague
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 1:10 pm (UTC-5)
Prosecutors are making their case against the infamous military commander blamed for helping engineer the genocide of Bosnian Muslims two decades ago. Former Bosnian Serb army commander General Ratko Mladic gave a thumbs-up and clapped his hands as he entered the courtroom at The Hague. The defiant 70-year-old taunted survivors, looking at one Muslim woman […]
US Senators to Debate Budget Plans
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 12:50 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Senators are set to discuss and vote Wednesday on five different budget plans in an attempt to break a deadlock over how to cut spending and reduce the federal debt. All five plans scheduled for debate are offered by Republicans, even one that closely mirrors a budget blueprint offered by the White House earlier […]
Syrian Activists Say Government Attacks Kill 9 People
Posted May 16th, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian activists say government shelling and gunfire killed at least nine people across the country on Wednesday, most of them in a region where U.N. military observers were caught up in a deadly shooting and bomb blast the day before. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces opened fire for a second […]
