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Russia Says Recession Over but Economic Pain Goes On

Russia's economy minister on Monday said the country has edged out of recession but the crisis-hit economy remains mired deep in trouble. 

"According to formal indicators the recession in the Russian economy has finished," minister Alexei Ulyukaev was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency.

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Dollar up on Rate Rise as Markets Slow ahead of Thanksgiving

The dollar rose against the yen and emerging Asian currencies on Monday, boosted by a looming U.S. interest rate hike, but analysts said liquidity will be thin ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Mounting expectations the U.S. will raise interest rates for the first time in almost a decade next month have driven the greenback higher.

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Hong Kong Shares Flat by Break as Shanghai Gains

Hong Kong stocks clawed back early gains to trade flat by the break on Monday, while Shanghai shrugged off concerns about the re-starting of IPOs to push higher.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index edged down 6.09 points, to 22,748.63, by the break.

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German Luxury Store Brings Back Israeli Wine after Uproar

Berlin luxury department store KaDeWe said Sunday that it would resume selling Israeli wines it had pulled from its shelves over new EU labeling guidelines for products from Jewish settlements.

The decision to stop carrying the wines, reported Friday in the German media, had sparked fury in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasting a "boycott" by the German company.

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Britain to Boost Counter-Terror Spending by 30 Percent

Britain is to increase its counter-terrorism funding by 30 percent in the wake of the Paris attacks, finance minister George Osborne said Sunday.

The chancellor of the exchequer would not rule out cuts to frontline police numbers but said he was confident Britain would be able to deal with a major terror assault.

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Retailers Cautious ahead of U.S. Holiday Shopping Season

Lackluster earnings reports from retailers have raised questions about whether the 2015 holiday shopping season will bring as much of a boost to the U.S. economy as hoped.

Apparel giant Gap and kitchen and home furnishings chain Williams-Sonoma late this week became the latest big U.S. retailers to slash their profit forecast for the critical December quarter.

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Swiss Alternative Bank Breaks Negative Rates Taboo

A tiny Swiss bank specialized in financing social and environmental projects will on January 1 go where no retail lender has gone before, applying negative interest rates on individual clients.

The Alternative Bank Schweiz (ABS) caused shockwaves with a letter sent to all clients in mid-October informing them that it would begin imposing interest charges on deposits in 2016.

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Brazil's New Middle Class Faces Plunge back to Poverty

Brazilian Monica de Oliveira thought she'd forever left behind those days of worrying about getting her daughter new clothes.

As part of a wave of poor Brazilians to enter a basic sort of middle class in recent years, de Oliveira was a Latin American success story. But for how much longer?

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France Economy to Shake off Paris Shock

France can withstand the financial shock of the Paris attacks, analysts say, despite people deserting big stores, shunning concert halls and cancelling hotel bookings.

Beyond the incalculable human cost, the experience of attacks in New York in 2001, Madrid in 2004, London in 2005, and Mumbai in 2008 shows the economic impact may be fleeting.

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S&P Raises the Netherland's Back to Top AAA Credit Rating

Standard and Poor's raised The Netherlands back to its top AAA credit rating on Friday, saying the eurozone nation's economic recovery has gained traction.

"The upgrade reflects our view of the strengthening of the economic recovery in The Netherlands, with domestic demand growing strongly as a result of increases in real disposable income, employment, and investment activity," the ratings agency said in a statement.

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