At the best of times, the U.S. government is regarded as somewhat out of touch with what's happening in the American heartland, much less the world at large, so much so that the phrase inside the Beltway was coined to define the syndrome.
Ratings downgrades in the Euro zone by S&P underline why Europe must seal a pact to tighten fiscal rules quickly and get its permanent bailout fund up and running as soon as possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday.
Venezuela's Hugo Chávez said that if an opposition candidate wins this year's presidential election he will be the first to recognize the rival's victory and hand over power.
The Italian captain of the cruise ship that ran aground -- killing three persons and injuring 20 more -- was arrested late Saturday and is being investigated for manslaughter and abandoning ship, said a local prosecutor in Grosetto, Italy.
World music was ablaze once again at the ninth annual globalFEST 2012. The sold out event at New York City’s Webster Hall showcased 12 musical acts from 5 continents on 3 stages.