Authorities in the southern Philippines say at least 12 soldiers are dead and 10 more missing after a firefight with hundreds of fighters from the region’s largest Muslim rebel group. An army spokesman on flashpoint Basilan island told reporters the fighting erupted at dawn Tuesday, as soldiers investigated reports of rebel incursions and kidnappings by […]
At least 12 Philippine Troops Dead in Shootout with Rebels
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
Leave a comment
World Leaders Welcome Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
International leaders hailed Tuesday’s prisoner exchange between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Among the reaction: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit’s release, telling reporters on a visit to Libya that the Israeli soldier was held for “far too long.” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hopes the […]
Angola’s Longtime President: ‘No Dictatorship Here’
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:55 am (UTC-5)
Angola’s president, who has been in power for 32 years, is rejecting claims that his country is a dictatorship that disregards the rights of its citizens. During his annual State of the Nation address on Tuesday, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said “There is no dictatorship here whatsoever.” He argued instead that Angola is a […]
Bomb Kills 6 in Southeastern Turkey
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
A roadside bomb has killed at least four policemen and two civilians in southeastern Turkey. The bomb, on a road in the Guroymak district of Bitlis province, exploded Tuesday as a police vehicle was passing by. The civilian victims included a two-year-old girl. Four people were wounded. Authorities suspect Kurdish separatists were behind the attack. […]
Obama to Sign Three Trade Agreements Friday
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
US President Barack Obama plans to sign trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia on Friday following years of negotiations on what are being described as the most significant trade deals in 18 years. Mr. Obama is scheduled to sign the agreements at the White House where he will be joined by business and […]
UN: Asylum Applications Up 17 Percent in 2011
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations refugee agency says asylum applications have risen 17 percent, with most claims coming from countries with long-standing displacement situations. In a report released Tuesday, the agency says nearly 200,000 asylum applications were lodged in the first six months of this year, compared with almost 170,000 during the same period in 2010. It […]
Thai Soldiers Rush to Reinforce Bangkok Flood Walls
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
Thai soldiers and government workers scrambled on Tuesday to pile more than a million sandbags onto flood walls protecting northern Bangkok, after officials voiced new worries that flood defenses were weakening. The new push comes 24 hours after officials said the major flood threat to the city had passed. But authorities later discovered new weaknesses […]
EU Cancels Meeting With Ukranian President
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
The European Union has postponed a meeting planned this week with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych because of concerns over judicial standards following the jailing of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Tuesday that the meeting is postponed to when conditions will be more conducive to […]
Bank of America Slips To Second Place
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
The Bank of America reported profits but at the same time fell to second place among U.S. banks Tuesday, with JPMorgan Chase now the largest by assets. Bank of America posted a third-quarter profit of $5.9 billion, which was a major improvement over a multi-billion dollar loss for the same period a year earlier. The […]
US Stocks Mixed in Early Tuesday Trading
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
U.S. stocks were narrowly mixed in Tuesday morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ composite index are both down a tenth of one percent, while the S&P 500 is up a tenth of a percent. European stock prices were lower in afternoon trading. London’s Financial Times index is off nine-tenths of a […]
