Comment on S&P controversy fuels demands for ratings reforms

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Scorpio. Happy Birthday for Tuesday, June 18, 2024: You are charming, passionate and adventurous. You want life to be interesting! You are serious about your profession. This year holds exciting changes and increased personal freedom. Be flexible so you can go with the flow and seek out new opportunities.

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean soldiers fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed the rivals’ land border Tuesday for the second time this month, South Korea’s military said. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The South’s military observed increased North Korean construction activities along their heavily armed border to install suspected anti-tank barriers, reinforce roads and plant land mines.

RUIDOSO, N. M. — Residents of a village in southern New Mexico were ordered to flee their homes Monday without taking time to grab any belongings due to a fast-moving wildfire. “GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately,” officials with Ruidoso, a village home to 7,000 people, said on its website and in social media posts at about 7 p.m. Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to part of the village due to the fire, which had grown to at least 2 square miles (5.1 square kilometers) at the time the evacuation was ordered, KOAT-TV reported. The glow from the fire could be seen Monday night from a webcam in the downtown area, where lights were still on. The South Fork Fire started Monday on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The Village of Ruidoso is about 75 miles (121 kilometers) west of Roswell, where several evacuation centers were set up. An air quality alert was issued for very unhealthy air in Ruidoso and surrounding areas due to smoke.

Chinese and Philippine ships collided again in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, ratcheting up tensions and prompting the U. S. to condemn Beijing for “irresponsible actions” causing bodily injury. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] China’s navy, coast guard and maritime militia vessels engaged in “dangerous maneuvers, including ramming and towing” while Philippine ships conducted a routine resupply mission to its military outpost in Second Thomas Shoal, according to Manila’s task force on the contested sea. STATEMENT OF THENATIONAL TASK FORCE FOR THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA17 June 2024 | ManilaToday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted a routine rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission to BRP SIERRA MADRE (LS 57) at Ayungin Shoal.… pic.twitter.com/wXEEuZZ4DV— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) June 17, 2024 For its part, the China Coast Guard said the Philippine supply ship “deliberately collided” with Chinese vessels and it took “control measures” such as warning and interception, boarding and inspection, and forced eviction against Philippine vessels “in accordance with the law.” China’s actions “caused bodily injury, damaged Philippine vessels and hindered lawful maritime operations,” U.

Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra was formally charged in a royal insult case Tuesday, part of a series of legal cases that threaten to plunge the Southeast Asian country into political turmoil. Thaksin, a two-time former prime minister and the de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party, was arraigned under Thailand’s stringent lèse-majesté law that protects the royal family from criticism, according to a spokesman with the attorney general’s office. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] While the outcome of the case is far from certain, the litigation pose risks to the less than a year old government that was formed after a messy general election last year.

Black Chicagoans could see reparations in their near future, after the city’s mayor signed an executive order Monday aimed at creating a task force that will look into the massive endeavor. The Black Reparations Co-Governance Task Force “will conduct a comprehensive study and examination of all policies that have harmed Black Chicagoans from the slavery era to present day,” and will then draft recommendations for reparations, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said in a press release.