A list of UN sanctions approved Thursday against North Korea over its weapons programsUNITED NATIONS — A panel of the U.N. Security Council approved sanctions Thursday against North Korea that include travel bans and asset freezes against five individuals, four companies and one state agency. It also banned sales of two materials used in ballistic missiles. Oil hovers near $60 in Asia as investors look to company earnings for crude demand signsSINGAPORE — Oil prices hovered just above $60 a barrel Friday in Asia as investors braced for a slew of company earnings reports next week that will provide clues on the strength of crude demand. China says Rio Tinto employees stole state secrets; Chinese steel executive detainedBEIJING — China has proof four detained employees of miner Rio Tinto Ltd. stole state secrets for foreign countries, the government said Thursday, following their detention amid contentious iron ore price talks. Milky Way’s “dark matter” mystery solved by astrophysicistsWASHINGTON - A team of astrophysicists has solved a mystery that led some scientists to speculate that the distribution of certain gamma rays in our Milky Way galaxy was evidence of a form of undetectable “dark matter” believed to make up much of the mass of the universe. Aluminum giant Alcoa reports 2nd-quarter loss but beats expectations, sees some stabilityPITTSBURGH — In an unofficial opening to the earnings season, Alcoa Inc. reported another quarterly loss but beat Wall Street expectations and said some markets for the metal may be stabilizing. Alcoa reports 2nd-quarter loss of $454M as global recession continues to hammer demand, pricesPITTSBURGH — Alcoa Inc. unofficially opened the earnings season by posting a loss of $454 million, citing continued weak prices and demand for its aluminum products amid the global recession. New testing facility to improve land mine detection equipmentWASHINGTON - Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have built a test facility to evaluate and enhance sensors designed to detect buried land mines. Waste Management 1st-qtr profit falls 36 pct, with trash, recycled business downHARTFORD, Conn. — Waste Management Inc., the nation’s largest garbage collector, said Wednesday its first-quarter profit fell 36 percent as the recession hurt prices of recycled goods and lowered the amount of trash picked up. |