The Standard & Poors agency has cut Spain’s credit rating Thursday two notches, saying the outlook is negative. In reducing the country’s sovereign debt rating from “A” to “BBB+,” S&P cited what is calls the risk that Spain’s debt could expand while the economy shrinks. The financial rating agency predicted that the Spanish economy will […]
UN’s Ban: Syria Violating Pledge to Pull Weapons From Civilian Areas
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 7:35 pm (UTC-5)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has accused Syria of violating a pledge to withdraw heavy weapons from population centers and demanded that the government comply with that commitment “without delay.” In a statement released Thursday, Mr. Ban says U.N. observers in Syria have reported a continued presence of heavy weapons, military equipment and troops in […]
Bangladesh Signs Gas Deal with Russia’s Gazprom
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 7:25 pm (UTC-5)
Bangladesh’s state-run energy corporation, Petrobangla, on Thursday signed an agreement with Russian energy giant Gazprom to drill 10 development gas wells. Bangladeshi officials said the two companies signed the deal worth almost $200 million in the capital, Dhaka, paving the way for drilling the wells in the country’s six state-owned gas fields. The officials expressed […]
Protests Erupt in Pakistan After Gilani’s Contempt Conviction
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
Protests were held across Pakistan Thursday after the Supreme Court in the capital, Islamabad, found Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani guilty of contempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The court gave Gilani only a symbolic sentence of less than a minute’s detention, sparing him a possible jail […]
US Judge Refuses to Dismiss Charge of Helping Enemy in Wikileaks Case
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 6:20 pm (UTC-5)
A U.S. military judge has refused to dismiss the most serious charge against a soldier accused of leaking secrets to Wikileaks: aiding al-Qaida. Colonel Denise Lind made her ruling Thursday in Fort Meade, Maryland. But she said the court would hear more defense motions if during the trial, prosecutors fail to prove Private Bradley Manning […]
Afghan Soldier Kills American Service Member
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 5:50 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. and Afghan officials say an Afghan soldier has shot dead an American service member in southern Kandahar province. The incident late Wednesday is the latest in a series of attacks on international troops by their Afghan counterparts. NATO did not give any other details but said the man who started shooting was killed when […]
Dylan, Glenn, Albright to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 5:20 pm (UTC-5)
A folk song legend, a pioneering astronaut, and a former U.S. secretary of state are three of the 13 recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom. The medal is the highest civilian honor, presented to those who have made lasting contributions to America’s national interest, world peace and culture. This year’s winners include Bob […]
US Welcomes Taylor War Crimes Conviction
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 5:00 pm (UTC-5)
The United States has welcomed the conviction of former Liberian President Charles Taylor by the Special Court for Sierra Leone on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the State Department, noted that the court in the Netherlands found Taylor criminally responsible for aiding and abetting the commission of […]
US Reviews Potential Threats Ahead of Anniversary of Bin Laden’s Killing
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 5:00 pm (UTC-5)
The White House Thursday said it had no information about potential threats facing the United States ahead of the first anniversary of the killing of former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that “at this time we have no credible information that terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, […]
US Calls on Sudan, South Sudan to Formalize Cease-Fire
Posted April 26th, 2012 at 4:25 pm (UTC-5)
The United States has called on Sudan and South Sudan to formalize the current cease-fire by announcing an agreement to withdraw their forces from disputed areas. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Thursday that there is a glimmer of hope that violence may stop after two days without attacks from either side. “This follows […]
