IBT Staff Reporter

Standard & Poor's credit rating downgrades of nine Eurozone countries will fuel attempts by European Union lawmakers to slap stricter curbs on sovereign ratings.

Computer hackers disrupted access to the Web sites of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and Israel's flag carrier El Al Airlines on Monday, officials at both companies said.

Computer hackers disrupted access to the websites of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and Israel's flag carrier El Al Airlines on Monday, officials at both companies said.

Commercial banks parked almost half a trillion euros at the European Central Bank, the highest on record, as the mix of debt crisis worries and a recent giant injection of ECB cash left banks awash with money but too scared to lend it.

The new chief of Agricultural Bank of China brings no-nonsense flair and a strong track record in bank overhauls to the helm of the lumbering Chinese lender where he started out years ago as a filing clerk.

Euro zone bank shares fell but stocks seen as resilient to an economic slowdown gained on Monday in the wake of Standard and Poor's mass downgrade of euro zone sovereign ratings, while the euro hovered near 17-month lows against the dollar.

Mass Eurozone ratings downgrades are unlikely to shake up investors too much, but with Greek debt talks at an impasse, pressure has been loaded on the bloc to shore up its defenses and glimmers of optimism from last week have been firmly doused.

Mass euro zone ratings downgrades are unlikely to shake up investors too much, but with Greek debt talks at an impasse, pressure has been loaded on the bloc to shore up its defenses and glimmers of optimism from last week have been firmly doused.

Global leaders and businessmen urged Europe on Monday to take fresh steps to resolve its deepening debt crisis, with a top executive of the IMF warning the continent will see a downward spiral of collapsing confidence if no further action is taken.

Thousands of Chinese workers protesting over compensation and job security at a Sanyo Electric Co Ltd plant clashed with police in southern Shenzhen, media said on Monday, the latest outbreak of labor unrest in China's manufacturing hub.

Anger at the practice of demanding dowries, which can lead to violence against brides, has prompted a takeoff of Angry Birds called Angry Brides that aims to highlight the illegal practice still prevalent in many South Asian countries.

European shares fell on Monday and the euro was stuck at 17-month lows against the dollar while German government bonds eased after early gains on fears that S&P's mass euro zone sovereign rating cuts and a Greek debt standoff would worsen the region's debt crisis.

Europe will see a downward spiral of collapsing confidence if no further action is taken, said David Lipton, first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund, urging a pause in monetary tightening for countries in which inflation has eased.

The arrest of a Northern California high school teacher for sexual abuse of a 14-year-old male student has raised questions about the boundaries of behavior and whether schools should police social media contact between teachers and students, authorities said on Friday.

Ever wondered whether single life in New York is really like Sex and the City?

Asian shares fell on Monday on fears that mass sovereign debt rating cuts by Standard & Poor's would further aggravate euro zone funding difficulties, threatening to derail progress in resolving the debt crisis.

Current TV hasn't soured on Keith Olbermann since their recent spat over Iowa caucuses coverage: Asked if he anticipates Olbermann remaining on the network for years to come, Current co-founder Al Gore responded with an unequivocal Yes.

The name Pina Bausch might not ring a bell, but even if you don't follow modern dance, you might still be aware of her work as a choreographer - movie fans will remember the two haunting dance pieces she created that bookend Pedro Almodovar's Talk to Her.

Canadian actor Marc-Andre Grondin will play the lead role in L'homme Qui Rit (The Man Who Laughs), an adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1869 novel of the same name, TheWrap has confirmed.

Liam McIntyre said he had to work out to prove to Starz that he could handle he lead role on Spartacus.

Brian Austin Green and wife Megan Fox are doing just fine, thank you. But the former Beverly Hills, 90210 actor does have beef with one of his ex-girlfriends.

Melrose Place actress Heather Locklear was taken to the hospital on Thursday after emergency services were called to her home near Los Angeles, police said.

Work It, the cross-dressing comedy despised by critics and transgender activists, has been pulled from ABC's schedule after just two episodes.

The Canadian comedy Starbuck, about a class-action lawsuit against a prolific sperm donor by 142 of the children he fathered, has won the Palm Springs International Film Festival's audience award for the festival's best narrative feature, PSIFF announced at an awards luncheon on Sunday.

The Iron Lady, the Weinstein Company's biopic of Margaret Thatcher, entered its first week of wide release as the No. 10 movie in America -- the only specialty film in the top 10.

First-time director Angelina Jolie and Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar made the most of an afternoon red-carpet event on Saturday, playfully striking a deal to work together on a movie.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Bud Selig said Saturday he was counting on the bankrupt Los Angeles Dodgers to be sold by April 30.

China's $350 billion mutual funds industry may be stumbling due to a sliding stock market and fierce competition but that has not stopped new foreign entrants from paying hefty premiums -- double of what they are offering in India, in some cases -- to get their toes in.

The Golden Globes crowned a new galaxy of television stars on Sunday, honoring a slew of shows in their first season and leaving old favorites out in the cold