Rising prices and a falling stock market have sparked protests in recent weeks, increasing the pressure on a government already facing militancy, political discord.
AP - Sales of new homes fell in June for the seventh time in the past eight months, more proof that the worst housing slump in decades is getting deeper.
AP - Friday was France's turn to greet Barack Obama who was to visit Paris just long enough for talks with the French president and a joint news conference, but no rousing speech like the one he delivered in Berlin despite his solid French fan club.
AP - A hole the size of a small car in the underside of a Qantas jumbo jet carrying 346 passengers over the South China Sea forced the pilot to make an emergency landing Friday after a rapid descent.
Passengers described hearing a loud noise before their plane was forced to make an emergency landing with a gaping hole in its side. The pilot of the Qantas flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne, Australia, said an initial investigation showed there was an "explosive decompression," according to a report by officials at the Manila airport where the plane landed. Images of the plane showed a gash, about 9 feet long, where the wing attaches to the body of the jet.
The International Committee of the Red Cross announced Thursday that it arranged for the release Wednesday of eight civilians held for a week by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
As foreclosures continue to soar, 220,000 homes were lost to bank repossessions in the second quarter, according to a housing market report Friday issued by RealtyTrac.