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  S&P; Downgrades Japan Sovereign Debt

  Standard & Poor's on Thursday downgraded Japan's sovereign debt rating to AA- from AA, saying that it expects the country's fiscal deficits to remain high in the next few years.

  • Text of Standard & Poor's Release

• Tax Redo to Seek 'Level Playing Field'

  Treasury Secretary Geithner said a "level playing field" is a major goal of a corporate-tax revamp, which would allow the market rather than the tax system to drive investment.

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  United Fed Stands Pat

  Fed officials were united in deciding to continue buying government bonds to boost the recovery, even as they acknowledged that the U.S. economy looks in better shape.

  • News Hub: Fed Keeps Cheap Money Flowing
  • Parsing the Fed: How statement changed
  • Central Bank Watch

• Exxon Sees Gas Surpassing Coal

  Exxon Mobil, which has made big, recent investment in natural gas exploration and production, is predicting the fuel will supply more than a quarter of the world's energy needs by 2030.

  • Exxon Wells Come Up Dry Near Brazil
  • Natural Gas Grows in Importance

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  Mining Fight Shows Pressures on Multinationals

  Guinea's effort to use its vast iron-ore reserves to become among Africa's most prosperous economies is pitting multinationals Rio Tinto and Vale against each other, illustrating the difficulties of doing business on the continent.

  • Iron Ore Prices Slam Steelmakers

• Europe's Markets Open Flat

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  Stanford Judged Incompetent to Stand Trial

• Life Partners Will Change Sales Pitch

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  U.S. Sees Quicker Exit From GM

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  Fed Helps Asian Markets

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  BSkyB Profit Jumps With Subscribers

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  Netflix Sees Surge in Subscribers