A Chilean teenager has died after being shot during massive protests pressing for education reform. Authorities said Friday that 16-year-old Manuel Gutierrez was shot during a confrontation with police. Family members blamed police for firing the shot that killed Gutierrez, a charge authorities denied. Meanwhile, President Sebastian Pinera called for peace and proposed a dialogue […]
Israel Agrees to More Egyptian Troops in Sinai
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 4:55 pm (UTC-5)
Israel has agreed to the deployment of more Egyptian troops in the Sinai peninsula, after recent cross-border attacks sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. At least eight Israelis were killed last week when militants crossed into southern Israel from the Sinai. At least 26 others were wounded in the attacks. Five Egyptian security […]
Breakaway Georgian Region Elects President
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 4:30 pm (UTC-5)
Residents of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia voted for a new president Friday, three years after Russia recognized the region, and another breakaway area, South Ossetia, as independent states. Three candidates are hoping to replace President Sergei Bagapsh, who died in May. They are acting President Alexander Ankvab, Prime Minister Sergei Shamba and Raul […]
US Stocks Rise
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 4:15 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. stock market indexes rose strongly in Friday’s trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.2 percent to finish at 11,284. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5 percent to close at 1,177 and the NASDAQ gained 2.5 percent to end at 2,480. European stock markets were lower at the close of trading. London’s Financial Times 100 […]
UN Seen as “Soft Target” for Attacks
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 4:10 pm (UTC-5)
United Nations offices and personnel have often been attacked by terrorists — leading Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to caution Friday that the world body is increasingly perceived as a “soft,” or easy, target. Earlier this year Mr. Ban urged U.N. members to ratify a protocol that would extend legal protection for U.N. staff to all operations […]
Crude Oil Price Up Slightly
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
Here are the prices of some key commodities traded in New York on Friday: Crude oil prices rose 7 cents to close at $85.37 a barrel. Coffee prices rose 4 cents to end at $2.79 per pound. Copper prices gained 2 cents to finish at $4.10 a pound. Cocoa futures advanced $51 to end the […]
Greece Battles Huge Forest Fire Near Turkey
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 3:30 pm (UTC-5)
Greece has declared a state of emergency in its northern region of Evros and asked its European Union partners for help in battling a major forest fire that continues to burn for a third day. The blaze in Evros, near the border with Turkey, has destroyed about 4,000 hectares of forest and forced the evacuation […]
Gunmen Abduct Son of Slain Pakistani Governor
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistani authorities have launched a major operation to find the abducted son of a Pakistani governor assassinated earlier this year for opposing the country’s controversial blasphemy law. Witnesses say Shahbaz Taseer was abducted in Lahore’s upscale Gulberg area early Friday, when kidnappers intercepted his car and took him away in their vehicle. No one has […]
Obama Urges Americans to Prepare for Hurricane Irene
Posted August 26th, 2011 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
President Barack Obama is urging residents of the U.S. East Coast to take precautions now, ahead of a powerful hurricane he said is likely to be “extremely dangerous and costly.” Mr. Obama said Friday that all indications point to Hurricane Irene being a “historic” storm. He said the nation has to be “prepared for the […]
