Thousands of people are fleeing from wildfires that continue to burn out of control in the southern state of Texas. Texas officials say 5,000 residents have been evacuated from the raging fires, which have already burned about 15,000 hectares of land and destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Two deaths – a 20-year old mother and […]
Retired General Petraeus Set to Become Next CIA Director
Posted September 6th, 2011 at 5:35 am (UTC-5)
Newly retired U.S. General David Petraeus is expected to be sworn in Tuesday as the 20th director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The oath of office is to be administered in a private ceremony. General Petraeus retired last week after 37 years in the Army. During the latter part of his career General Petraeus helped […]
On US Labor Day, Obama Calls for New Worker Aid
Posted September 5th, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama praised American workers on the country’s Labor Day holiday, while calling on political opponents to join him in supporting new spending to fix roads and bridges and to extend a national payroll tax cut. The president appeared Monday before a cheering group of union workers in auto industry hub of Detroit, […]
US Congress Returns, Facing Major Decisions
Posted September 5th, 2011 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Congress returns this week after a month-long recess, facing major decisions on a host of economic and money-related issues. Lawmakers left Washington after a contentious summer debate over raising the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt limit, which eventually was approved. Now they face equally thorny questions about how to cut more government spending, and […]
In US, a Labor Day Short on Celebration
Posted September 5th, 2011 at 9:15 am (UTC-5)
Monday is the Labor Day holiday in the United States, the country’s traditional salute to workers that this year finds the nation struggling with persistent high unemployment and stagnant job growth. Labor Day has been officially recognized in the U.S. since 1894, and over the years has often been celebrated as the last of the […]
Tropical Storm Lee Drenches Louisiana
Posted September 4th, 2011 at 3:51 am (UTC-5)
Strong winds and torrential rains from Tropical Storm Lee have knocked out power to thousands in the southern U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday. Many low-lying areas prone to flooding have already been evacuated. The National Hurricane Center says the slow-moving Lee could dump up to 50 centimeters of rain over southern parts of […]
UN Names New Peacekeeping Chief
Posted September 2nd, 2011 at 7:40 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations has named a new chief of its peacekeeping operations. Veteran French diplomat Herve Ladsous was appointed Friday to take on the high-profile job. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a statement the former ambassador brings”acute political judgement” and “a profound understanding” of the challenges facing the U.N. Ladsous will be in charge […]
US Gulf Coast Bracing for Rain as Storm Approaches
Posted September 2nd, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
A tropical storm over the Gulf of Mexico is set to bring massive amounts of rain to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Forecasters upgraded the weather system from a tropical depression to a tropical storm, named Lee, on Friday. The system is the 12th named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. Lee’s approach has already […]
Napolitano: No 9/11 Anniversary al-Qaida Plot Detected
Posted September 2nd, 2011 at 12:56 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says there is no “credible intelligence” that al-Qaida or its affiliates are plotting attacks in the United States to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But Napolitano says officials remain at a heightened state of vigilance. Her statement Friday said security measures are […]
Report: Chinese Investors Bid for Dodgers
Posted September 2nd, 2011 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
The Los Angeles Times reports that a group of investors indirectly financed by the government of China is offering to buy Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers for $1.2 billion. The group is led by Los Angeles Marathon founder Bill Burke, according to a letter sent this week to Frank McCourt, owner of the bankrupt […]
