France to answer ratings downgrade with reforms

PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday it would respond to a Moody's credit downgrade by pushing on with reforms but complained the ratings agency had overlooked steps already taken to revamp the euro zone's second-largest economy. France lost its prized triple-A badge from the Standard & Poor's in January and so Monday's move by Moody's was not surprising but it underlined doubts...

Read More..

Gaza Clash Escalates With Deadliest Israeli Strike

Bernat Armangue/Associated PressSmoke rose over Gaza City on Sunday, as Israel widened its range of targets to include buildings used by the news media. CAIRO — Emboldened by the rising power of Islamists around the region, the Palestinian militant group Hamas demanded new Israeli concessions to its security and autonomy before it halts its rocket attacks on Israel, even as the conflict took an increasing...

Read More..

Amazon’s larger Kindle Fire HD ships early

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon has started shipping the larger version of its Kindle Fire HD tablet computer on Thursday, five days ahead of schedule.Amazon is short on stock, though, so new orders won’t ship until Dec. 3. Amazon.com Inc. had been taking orders for shipment on Nov. 20. The Kindle Fire is one of several tablets...

Read More..

Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez Reunite at American Music Awards Afterparty

By Maggie Coughlan 11/19/2012 at 10:35 AM EST Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez CelebrityVibe/Splash News On-again?Although she was a no show at the 40th Annual American Music Awards, Selena Gomez made an appearance later in the night – on Justin Bieber's arm at...

Read More..

EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

Read More..

Wall Street rises 1 percent on optimism over budget talks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose more than 1 percent on Monday, rebounding after last week's decline, on signs of progress in talks to resolve the fiscal crunch. Adding to optimism, U.S. home resales unexpectedly rose in October, a sign that the slow improvement in the job market is helping the housing sector. In another positive report on housing, sentiment among home builders...

Read More..

India Ink: Balasaheb K. Thackeray, a Look Back

The rise and influence of Balasaheb K. Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena who died Saturday, was closely chronicled in The New York Times.Below is his obituary, as well as selected excerpts from our archives from the 1990s, when anti-Muslim riots wracked Mumbai:“Bal Keshav Thackeray was born on Jan. 23, 1926, in the city of Pune, about 100 miles east of Mumbai, and came of age during India’s...

Read More..

Which Stars Wore Granny Panties on the Red Carpet?

Stylewatch Style News Now 11/15/2012 at 05:30 PM ET Startraks (2); GettyWhether you’re heading to your high school reunion next week or just going out with your hometown crew, here are two hot trends that’ll up your cool-girl style...

Read More..

EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

Read More..

Wall Street Week Ahead: Going off "cliff" with a bungee cord

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 1987 crash. The Y2K bug. The debt ceiling debacle of 2011. All these events, in the end, turned out to be buying opportunities for stocks. So will the "fiscal cliff," some investors say as they watch favorite stocks tumble during the political give-and-take happening in Washington. The first round of talks aimed at avoiding the "fiscal cliff" caused...

Read More..