Europe
12:56 pm
Wed November 16, 2011

Europe's Debt Crisis Moves Toward Bigger Economies

With every day that passes, the troubles in Europe seem to grow bigger, and leaders are still at odds over how to contain the crisis. On Wednesday, just about every country in Europe saw borrowing costs rise.

For a long time the crisis was limited to small peripheral countries like Ireland and Greece, but no longer. Now, countries like Italy, Austria and the Netherlands have seen their borrowing costs rise as well.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:49 pm
Wed November 16, 2011

Geckos Threatened By Booming Demand For Traditional Medicines

An Asian lizard that likes to come out at night has become a prime target for hunters looking to make a quick ringgit, dong or Philippine peso.

The tokay gecko is reputed to have HIV-fighting properties, though there is no scientific evidence to support that notion. And it's been an ingredient in Asian traditional medicines for lots of other uses, including cancer.

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The Two-Way
11:44 am
Wed November 16, 2011

Proposed Piracy Legislation Puts Internet Giants On Defensive

Credit Screenshot / Tumblr
This is what a Tumblr news feed looks like today.

The biggest names on the Internet — Google, Facebook, Twitter, AOL and eBay — are banding together to urge Congress to scrap the Stop Online Piracy Act, which they say poses a huge threat to the Internet. The House is set to debate the measure today.

The Christian Science Monitor reports on what Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt had to say about the bill:

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The Salt
11:15 am
Wed November 16, 2011

A Clothing Company Goes Fishing For Change With Salmon Jerky

Credit Patagonia
Patagonia Provisions salmon jerky will be available sometime this winter.

What does a clothing company that sells high-end products with names like Nano Puff know about the fish business?

"It is a big jump," Yvon Chouinard, the storied founder of Patagonia, admits to The Salt. He's talking about the company's new plan to sell fish — salmon jerky to be exact — at his retail shops around the world.

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Politics
11:12 am
Wed November 16, 2011

How U.S. Tax Policies Increased Economic Inequality

Credit Jim Cole / AP
The eight Republican presidential candidates sitting at the table listen as a video of former President Ronald Reagan is played during a debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., on Oct. 11.

Originally published on Wed November 16, 2011 7:54 pm

The Occupy Wall Street movement continues to protest policies that have made the top 1 percent of income earners richer, while about 14 million Americans are out of work.

Meanwhile, the Congressional supercommittee only has one week left to come up with a plan that will cut more than $1 trillion from the deficit. Republicans are opposed to raising revenues by raising taxes, even on the wealthiest Americans, who have seen their taxes dramatically cut over the past 14 years.

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The Two-Way
10:48 am
Wed November 16, 2011

Head-On Collision Kills 18 Kindergarteners In China, Prompting Outcry

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Chinese police stand beside a damaged school bus after it collided with a red truck on a road in the Yulinzi township in northwest China's Gansu province.

Originally published on Wed November 16, 2011 12:12 pm

A truck carrying coal slammed into a overcrowded bus this morning in the Northwest Chinese township of Yulinzi, killing 18 children and two adults. According to China's official news agency Xinhua, 44 other children were injured. Xinhua reports that "a van with nine seats was carrying 64 people."

Reuters reports that the accident has prompted anger toward the government:

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It's All Politics
10:31 am
Wed November 16, 2011

Wisconsin's Governor: Recall Drive Is About Unions Seeking 'Power'

Credit Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, March 7, 2011.

Many of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's citizens may be signing petitions for his recall in reaction to the battle he led earlier in the year to weaken his state's public-employee unions.

But Walker doesn't appear to be backing off one inch from his stance that he did what was right for his state.

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