Fitch Ratings slashed Spain's sovereign credit rating by three notches Thursday, citing ballooning estimates of the cost of a banking crisis, mushrooming debt and a deepening recession.The long-term rating was chopped to BBB from A and left with a negative outlook, said Fitch, swooping as expectations mounted that the Europe Union would have to throw a lifeline to Spanish banks."The likely cost of

British researchers say people concerned about heart disease and diabetes should watch their height-to-waist ratio rather than the body mass index.A team of British scientists found people should keep their waist measurement to half of their height, The Daily Telegraph reported.In a study of 300,000 people, the team found this ratio was a better predictor of high blood pressure, diabetes and cardi

A progressive South Korean party decided Wednesday to oust two pro-North Korean lawmakers at the center of political controversy in the new National Assembly session.The move by the beleaguered Unified Progressive Party (UPP) will apparently spur efforts by conservative lawmakers to deprive Reps. Lee Seok-gi and Kim Jae-yeon of their seats.The duo has faced weeks of pressure to voluntarily step do

The ruling Saenuri Party stepped up pressure Tuesday on the main opposition Democratic United Party(DUP) to help discipline opposition lawmakers accused of sympathizing with North Korea.In a radio address, Saenuri chairman Hwang Woo-yea urged the DUP to take punitive measures against Rep. Lim Su-kyung, an activist-turned-lawmaker who made headlines in the past week for calling North Korean defecto

Two women are asking Mississippi's governor to spare their brother from execution, even though he killed four of their children, paralyzed another and stabbed one of the sisters.Henry ``Curtis'' Jackson Jr., 47, is scheduled to die Tuesday by injection. He killed the four children, ages 2 to 5, during a rampage that started when he went to his mother's home in Leflore County to take money from her

The new National Assembly is unlikely to convene its first plenary meeting scheduled for Tuesday as the ruling and main opposition parties continue to squabble over who will control key parliamentary committees.The 300-member parliament began its four-year term last week and was scheduled to formally open with a plenary meeting Tuesday.However, the main opposition Democratic United Party looks lik

Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffee-shop operator, agreed to buy Bay Bread LLC for $100 million in cash, adding to its expanding portfolio of non-coffee businesses.The acquisition of San Francisco-based Bay Bread and its La Boulange brand will decrease full-year profit by 2 cents a share, the Seattle-based company said in a statement today. The French-themed bakery sells homemade granola,

The Apple iPad extended its lead in the global market for tablet computers at the start of 2012 while Amazon's Kindle Fire flamed out after a sizzling introduction, a survey showed Monday.The ABI Research survey showed overall global sales of media tablets amounted to 18.2 million in the first three months of the year, up 185 percent from a year earlier, but down 33 percent from the fourth quarter

South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Tuesday that it has increased the number of companies on its watch list by nine that limits mutual investments and loan guarantees.The Fair Trade Commission said the number of corporate affiliates on the list stood at 1,850 that belonged to 63 private business groups and large public companies as of Friday, compared with 1,841 in the previous month.Twelve comp

The Pentagon insisted Monday that the decision to replace the troubled leader of U.S. special forces in South Korea is not associated with his recent public blunder.Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley, commanding general of the Special Operations Command Korea, came under fire after he reportedly said in late May that some of his troops have been sent clandestinely into North Korea on spy missions.The Departme

South Korea's top home appliance manufacturers said Tuesday that their three-dimensional (3D) smart TVs have won eco-friendly certifications from leading European technical service review organizations.Samsung Electronics Co. said its flagship 55-inch ES8000 model won TUV Rheinland Group's coveted Green Mark for energy efficiency and low carbon emissions in the production stage. It added its Itali

In less than a month after famous fat cat Meow died in Santa Fe, two New York cats have stepped in to a fatter-cat fight.Meow, a 39-pound cat who made appearances on "Today" and "Anderson Cooper" died in early May after suffering respiratory distress and then pulmonary failure, the New York Post reported at that time.On Saturday, a Manhattan shelter cat named SpongeBob was featured in the NY Post