A little-known Chinese debt rating agency has downgraded the U.S. credit rating. The agency, Dagong Global Credit Rating, lowered its rating for U.S. debt from A-plus to A, saying the deal reached in Washington this week will not solve the underlying U.S. debt problems or improve the country’s ability to pay. The action comes as […]
Chinese Rating Agency Downgrades US Debt Despite Deal
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 11:10 pm (UTC-5)
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Iraq to Negotiate Possible US Troop Extension
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 6:50 pm (UTC-5)
Iraq’s political leaders have agreed to allow the government to negotiate a possible deal with the U.S. that would keep American troops in the country on a training mission lasting beyond the end of 2011, when they are due to withdraw. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari Tuesday said a final agreement is far from settled, and […]
British Police Make Another Arrest in Britain Phone-Hacking Scandal
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 5:20 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Britain have arrested another person in connection with the phone-hacking scandal involving journalists at the now-defunct British tabloid newspaper News of the World. The Metropolitan police say the 71-year-old man was arrested Tuesday morning at a police station in north London. Several British news organizations, including The Guardian newspaper and Sky TV, identified […]
UN Predicts Famine Across Somalia
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 4:20 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations says it expects famine to reach all regions of southern Somalia within the next four to eight weeks. A refugee agency spokeswoman told VOA Tuesday the U.N. analysis predicts conditions in the drought- and conflict-stricken nation will only worsen in the coming weeks as food prices rise and the dry season approaches. […]
Libyan Rebels Attempt Advance in Zlitan
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 2:55 pm (UTC-5)
Libyan troops and rebels are battling near the western town of Zlitan, where rebel fighters are trying to seize control of the area from forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. Reports from the scene are scarce, but the French News Agency quotes a rebel military spokesman Tuesday as saying opposition fighters have advanced closer to the […]
Suspected US Drone Kills 4 Militants in Pakistan
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 1:50 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed four militants in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, marking the second such missile attack in two days. The officials said Tuesday the U.S. drone fired missiles at the militants’ vehicle near Miran Shah, the main town in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal area. […]
Tropical Storm Emily Heads for Haiti
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 1:25 pm (UTC-5)
A tropical storm watch for Haiti has been upgraded to a warning as Tropical Storm Emily makes its way through the Caribbean. The storm is predicted to reach the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, by Wednesday. The news is particularly bad for Haiti, where thousands of people still live in […]
US Senate Passes Debt Bill
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 12:35 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to settle the political battle over the country’s growing debt, passing a bill that will cut spending and raise the nation’s borrowing limit. Senators approved the compromise measure, worked out by Republican leaders and President Barack Obama, less than 12 hours before the government ran out of money. President Barack […]
Vietnam Upholds 7-Year Jail Term for Prominent Dissident
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
An appeals court in Vietnam has upheld the 7-year prison sentence for the dissident son of one of Vietnam’s founding revolutionaries. Defendant Cu Huy Ha Vu, a human rights lawyer educated in France, was found guilty earlier this year of spreading propaganda against the state. The finding came despite Vu’s arguments that his calls for […]
US Stocks Decline
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
U.S. stock market indexes fell in Tuesday’s early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated half a percent, the S&P 500 fell seven-tenths of a percent, and the NASDAQ lost three-tenths of a percent. European stock markets were lower in afternoon trading. London’s Financial Times 100 index slid six-tenths of a percent, the CAC-40 in […]
