UNITED STATES

Afghan insurgents shot down a U.S. transport helicopter in Wardak province early Saturday killing 30 U.S. troops, seven Afghan commandos and one civilian interpreter.

A U.S. military guard known as a ringleader in the physical abuse and sexual humiliation of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison was released Saturday after serving more than six years in a Kansas military prison barracks, a U.S. Army spokesperson said.

The S&P cut in the U.S. long-term credit rating to AA-plus is an unprecedented blow. It called the outlook "negative," signaling another downgrade is possible in the next 12 to 18 months. The U.S. dollar may weaken and Treasury yields rise when Asian markets reopen on Monday.

US Federal Government studies revealed that extreme solar activity and emissions may result in complete blackouts for years in several areas of the US.

Rating agency standard & Poor's has staunchly defended the decision to downgrade the creditworthiness of the U.S. government and warned that further action was possible. "The debacle over the debt ceiling continued until almost the midnight hour," S&P's Sovereign Ratings Committee Chairman John Chambers said.

Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> said on Sunday it aimed to boost its sales in Japan in a move that would also help reduce exports by as much as a third and reduce the impact of the yen's crippling strength.

Recent industry buzz on Pfizer's alleged strategy to sell its cholesterol reducer-blockbuster drug, Lipitor as an over-the-counter pill, reinforces debate on the safe compliance of prescription drugs when sold as OTC's.

S&P?s stunning and controversial downgrade Friday in part reflected the firm?s assumptions about the U.S. political system?s ability to solve its problems. Others hold a more optimistic view, as Winston Churchill did. Churchill said, ?In the end, you can count on America to do the right thing - after she?s exhausted all other possibilities.?

The Catalans defeated Mexico's America, 2-0

Aaron Carson Vaughn, a navy SEAL from Tennessee, died in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Saturday, family members confirmed. Aaron Vaughn's family member told News Channel 3 that he was among 38 people who perished in a Taliban attack on a NATO Chinook troop transport helicopter over eastern Afghanistan.

A top White House economic adviser slammed Standard & Poor's on Saturday for having stuck with its decision to downgrade the U.S. credit rating despite having made a $2 trillion mistake in its fiscal projections.

Chinese economists said the U.S. credit rating downgrade by Standard & Poor's poses great risk to financial markets and expect it to prompt China, the world's biggest holder of U.S. Treasuries, to accelerate the diversification of its holdings.

AntiSec, a group of online hackers, said it breached 10 gigabytes of sensitive data after gaining access to more than 70 U.S. law enforcement Web sites. The hackers who claimed to have gotten emails, credit card information among other sensitive information, is said to be retaliating against the arrests of alleged members accused of hacking into the CIA, Britain's Serious Organized Crimes Agency, or SOCA, and Sony.

Arkansans shopped until they dropped on Saturday, braving temperatures deep into the triple-digits to take advantage of the state's first sales tax holiday weekend.

Check out the highlights from the Barcelona victory over America in Arlington Texas.

Hackers start young and their parents couldn't be prouder about their children following in their footsteps.

More than 20 SEAL Team 6 members perished in a helicopter crash when Taliban insurgents shot down a NATO Chinook troop transport, possibly with a rocket-propelled grenade over eastern Afghanistan on Saturday.

Solar storms are brewing some 93 million miles away, and if one of them hits Earth, it has the potential to bring serious electrical and communication failures. Could this be Armageddon? The U.S. government is warning users of satellite, telecommunications, and electric equipment to prepare for possible disruptions over the next few days.

The fact that U.S. Treasury bonds managed to cling to their coveted triple-A rating this week failed to impress several prominent bond fund managers, who say they are lightening up on Treasuries and stocking their portfolios with corporate bonds instead.

Deputy finance ministers from the Group of 20 leading economic powers will hold a conference call on Saturday to discuss the crises in Europe and the United States, a Brazilian finance ministry official said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday evening to discuss the financial situation after the U.S. credit rating downgrade, Cameron's office said.