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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Wednesday it regretted the decision by Moody's ratings agency to downgrade Portugal's debt, saying the move underlined "questionable behavior" of ratings agencies.

"...The timing of Moody's decision is not only questionable, but also based on absolutely hypothetical scenarios which are not in line at all with implementation. This is an unfortunate episode and it raises once more the issue of the appropriateness of behavior of credit rating agencies," European Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj told a regular news briefing. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also said the decision added to the speculation in euro-zone debt.

Pandora Earrings "Yesterday's decisions by one rating agency does not provide more clarity. They rather add another speculative element to the situation," Barroso told a news conference in Strasbourg. The downgrading of freshly bailed-out Portugal's credit rating to "junk" by Moody's shocked financial markets on Wednesday and cast new doubt on European efforts to rescue distressed euro zone states without debt restructuring. CAIRO, (AP) — A sonic boom over Cairo has caused jitters around the capital where many residents called emergency services to report what they thought were explosions. Pandora Charms for bracelets

State television reported Wednesday that an airplane breaking the sound barrier was the cause of loud booms that shook buildings over large parts of the city of 18 million. Sonic booms are rare in Cairo. Egypt has been in turmoil since the uprising that ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in February. There have since been sporadic protests, riots, clashes and a marked deterioration in security with fewer police on the streets. Pandora Charms Online

New York prosecutors will meet with the lawyers of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Wednesday to discuss the increasingly difficult sexual assault case against the former IMF chief, CNN reported. The news network cited a source with knowledge of the case. Neither the lawyers nor prosecutors could immediately be reached for comment. The case against Strauss-Kahn suffered a major blow last week when prosecutors cast doubt on the credibility of the maid at the luxury Manhattan hotel who accused Strauss-Kahn of assaulting and attempting to rape her on May 14.

Pandora Earrings SilverLast week Strauss-Kahn -- a prominent French politician once seen as in line for the presidency -- was released from house arrest after prosecutors disclosed their doubts about the Guinean-born maid. US media have since reported that prosecutors plan to drop the charges. On Tuesday a French writer filed a complaint alleging that Strauss-Kahn attempted to rape her about eight years ago, indicating he could face further legal woes if and when he returns to France. Strauss-Kahn resigned from the International Monetary Fund in May to battle the US charges, leading to a change in leadership at the global lender during the Greek debt crisis threatening the eurozone. Pandora Necklace