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December 05, 2014
Time for Italy to get its credit card cut up?
Standard & Poors downgraded the country’s sovereign debt rating to BBB-, one notch above junk. The ratings agency said it expects Italy’s sickly economy to grow by only 0.2% next year and then average 0.5% annual growth for the next few years after that.December 05, 2014
More than 100,000 people evacuate the Philippines coastline.
Tropical cyclone Ruby—which has just been upgraded to super typhoon status—is less than 200 miles off land. The Red Cross says it has moved 20,000 families, and expects “a lot more are to come.” The United Nations warns that as many 32 million people will be affected by the storm.December 05, 2014
The Orion test flight was a success.
At 11:29 EST, the spacecraft that perhaps someday might be used to transport humans to Mars splashed down. Orion went up 100,000 ft. during a maiden voyage lasting four hours and 20 minutes.December 05, 2014
James Watson’s Nobel Prize sells for $4.8 million.
The man who discovered the structure of DNA sold the medal because he says the science community ostracized him after remarks made in 2007 on intelligence and race. Watson, the first living Nobel winner to sell his prize, says he’ll donate some of the proceeds to charities that encourage scientific research.December 05, 2014
Obama officially names his pick for US defense secretary.
Ashton Carter, previously the Pentagon’s chief arms buyer and an assistant secretary of defense, is the US president’s choice to replace the outgoing Chuck Hagel. Carter’s appointment would require the approval of the Republican-led senate.December 05, 2014
New Jersey governor Chris Christie didn’t purposefully jam traffic.
“Investigators found no conclusive evidence whether Christie was aware or not” of plans to shut down lanes of the George Washington Bridge for several days last September, allegedly to punish a local mayor who refused to help Christie get reelected. The scandal had marred Christie’s viability as a US presidential candidate.
December 05, 2014
The Maldives needs a water delivery.
A fire at a water treatment plant cut off drinking water to the 100,000 or so people who live in Male, the country’s capital, forcing the government to declare a state of emergency. India is in the process of airlifting fresh water to the country, and bottled water is being distributed.December 05, 2014
The US jobs report is out—321,000 jobs were added in November.
That’s significantly better than expectations; the unemployment rate is unchanged, however, at 5.8%. Also, October’s numbers were revised to 243,000 jobs versus an original estimate of 214,000. This past year the US saw the fastest job growth in a decade and a half.December 05, 2014
It took 20 years, but King Felipe’s painting is finally done.
Antonio Lopez has literally spent decades painting a life-size portrait of the royal Spanish family. He finally unveiled his work at the Royal Palace in Madrid. The president of Spain’s National Heritage commissioned the piece; Lopez says he went to the Royal Palace every day to paint for five hours.Top Stories on Quartz
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