Stocks rose slightly today with the Dow Jones industrial average briefly touching a new intraday trading high after the UN Security Council condemned North Korea over its claim of an underground nuclear test.

Wall Street was encouraged by a sharp drop in oil prices today and rebounded from its lows of Tuesday to close with just a narrow loss.

Stocks drifted higher in New York today, brushing aside another record high for oil prices amid hopes third-quarter profit reports would override worries about a struggling economic recovery.

Better-than-expected profits from Motorola lifted Wall Street higher today as investors grew more optimistic that third-quarter earnings in general will be strong. The Dow Jones industrials rose nearly 90 points to a 16-month high.

Brazilian police arrested two men who allegedly threw a box into the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro, saying it was a bomb.

New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani refused to bow to fear today, marching in a Columbus Day parade that combined a traditional celebration of Italian-American heritage with a patriotic theme.

America was tonight put in a heightened state of security alert and the Emmy awards, television’s equivalent of the Oscars, were cancelled after the first strikes on Afghanistan.