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...

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Clinton to Visit Middle East in Effort to Defuse Gaza Conflict

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — President Obama sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East on Tuesday to try to defuse the conflict in Gaza, the White House announced. Mrs. Clinton, who accompanied Mr. Obama on his three-country Asia trip, left on her own plane immediately for the region, where she will stop first in Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of...

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N.Y. police officer says not guilty of plan to cook, eat women

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York City police officer pleaded not guilty on Monday to conspiring to kidnap, torture, cook and eat women.Gilberto Valle, 28, of Forest Hills, Queens, was charged and arrested in October with conspiring to cross state lines to kidnap the women and with illegally accessing a federal database. Prosecutors...

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RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Contestants Announced

TV Watch By Maggie Coughlan 11/19/2012 at 09:30 AM EST Start your engines ... RuPaul's Drag Race is back!Fresh on the heels of RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race, the fifth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race is slated to premiere in January 2013. Not only will 14 contestants from around the world compete for the coveted title...

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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...

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Wall Street set to climb on optimism over budget talks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock opened higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 rising 1 percent, as signs of progress in talks to resolve the fiscal crunch heartened investors at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 100.14 points, or 0.80 percent, to 12,688.45. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> rose 13.76 points, or 1.01...

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Church of England Prepares for Vote on Female Bishops

LONDON — Two decades after it supported the introduction of female priests, the Church of England was set to begin three days of deliberations on Monday that will include a critical vote on the ordination of female bishops — a notion that still splits its members and priests into rival camps. The 470-member national assembly of the church, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion that is...

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Wii U Launch Day: Everything You Need to Know

For Nintendo fans, the big day has arrived. Nintendo‘s newest console, the Wii U, began selling at midnight on Sunday morning across the United States.[More from Mashable: Meet the Super Fan Who Waited in Line for a Month for a Wii U [VIDEO]] The Wii U boasts high definition graphics and an innovative, new tablet controller...

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Taylor Swift and One Direction's Harry Styles: Are They Dating?

By Patrick Gomez 11/17/2012 at 10:40 PM EST Taylor Swift and Harry Styles Janet Mayer/Splash News Online; Don Arnold/Wireimage Taylor Swift appears to be taking her love life in a new direction.The "Never Ever Getting Back Together" singer is seemingly taking...

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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...

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