Moody's Investors Service, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings have dished out 93 corporate downgrades since Jan. 1, already more than in any full year since 2002, and they may not be done. Speculation is mounting that Moody's -- which met with officials in Brazil last week -- will lower the country's rating.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nicaragua’s political opposition, despite its noisy protests against President Daniel Ortega and his ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party, has virtually no chance of winning next year’s elections. That’s because Ortega enjoys a 74 percent popularity rating, according to the latest Gallup poll, and because Nicaragua’s feeble opposition isn’t connecting with average voters or raising issues people really care about – like poverty and rising crime.
ATHENS, Greece – Greece's government hiked taxes and paid billions of euros to its creditors on Monday, as banks reopened just days after the debt-laden country reached a reforms-for-cash deal with its European partners.
Jason Torres claimed his first national surf championship after 10 years competing on the Costa Rican national surf circuit. Meanwhile, Lisbeth Vindas continued to make history with her 12th national women’s championship title.
It is usually the most articulate entrepreneurs, the most charismatic, and the best communicators, who end up in the qualifying rounds. Since competitions don’t spend much time checking facts and figures due to volume and time constraints, what really creates the impact is the story, and that is creating a new breed of entrepreneurs: great storytellers for competitions.
Just seconds away from taking the game into a shootout, a stunning yellow card against Costa Rica brought about the one and only penalty kick needed to send the Ticos home from the Gold Cup.
On the black sands of Playa Hermosa, just below Jacó on the Central Pacific Coast, turtle-hatching season has begun again. And from an ideal vantage point on the beach, the Sandpiper Hotel on Hermosa's northern end stands as a symbol for the conservation efforts taken to help get as many baby turtles into the sea as possible.
On Monday morning, Cuba and the U.S. will re-open embassies in each other's countries. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez arrives in Washington Sunday night along with other high-ranking officials, former diplomats, and Cuban cultural and sports icons.
