NYT Global Update ( December 16, 2012) | Bussiness | Fundamentally : The Economy and Stocks: A Big Disconnect

December 16, 2012 Compiled 05:45 GMT Global Update

TOP NEWS Children Were All Shot Multiple Times With a Semiautomatic, Officials Say By JAMES BARRON On a day of anguish and mourning, other details emerged about how but not why the devastating school attack in Connecticut had happened, including acts of bravery during the maelstrom. Photographs | Names of the Victims |   Mass Shootings in the U.S. Motherlode: How Not to Talk to Kids About the Shooting A Mother, a Gun Enthusiast and the First Victim By MATT FLEGENHEIMER and RAVI SOMAIYA Nancy Lanza loved guns, and it was one from her collection that was apparently used to take her life Friday, when her son went on a shooting rampage. Egypt Islamists Expect Approval of Constitution By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and KAREEM FAHIM The main group aligned with President Mohamed Morsi predicted ratification of a constitutional referendum after Egyptians voted peacefully and in large numbers.  Slide Show Global Edition Home Page »

Arts Interactive Feature: The Year in Culture Headlines From dubstep to Dickens and Mozart to Middle Earth, here's a year's worth of Arts & Leisure articles. Look back on 2012 and read them all. Opinion Opinion Without Babies, Can Japan Survive? By ALEXANDRA HARNEY Faced with an increasingly aging population, Japan must take steps to raise its alarmingly low birthrate.

WORLD An Afghan Mystery: Why Are Large Shipments of Gold Leaving the Country? By MATTHEW ROSENBERG Officials have said the "obvious suspicion" is that at least some of the apparent growth in gold shipments to Dubai is tied to illicit activities that have come to define Afghanistan's economy. Foreign Minister Blames Sanctions for Syria's Troubles By ANNE BARNARD and C. J. CHIVERS Walid al-Moallem called on the United Nations to push for lifting the measure as government forces continued air and artillery strikes in the Damascus suburbs. Brazil Expands Mines to Drive Future, but Cost Is a Treasured Link to Its Past By SIMON ROMERO A mining company is proceeding with a project that could help revive Brazil's economy, but it would also destroy caves treasured by scholars of Amazonian prehistoric human history. More World News » BUSINESS Quiet Doctor, Lavish Insider: A Parallel Life By NATHANIEL POPPER and BILL VLASIC While he appeared a grandfatherly academic, Dr. Sidney Gilman advised a network of Wall Street traders through SAC Capital and eventually crossed the line into criminal behavior.  Graphic: A Stock's Rise and Fall How to Attack the Gender Wage Gap? Speak Up By JESSICA BENNETT When it comes to negotiating for better pay, women often hesitate, studies show. But new programs around the United States are aiming to eliminate those fears. Fundamentally The Economy and Stocks: A Big Disconnect By PAUL J. LIM Although economic growth has been subpar this year, stock returns have been healthy. It's another sign of how the economy can have nothing to do with market performance. More Business News » TECHNOLOGY At Activision, a Hero and Villain, Zapped Into One By AMY CHOZICK Activision Blizzard, which sells must-have video games like those in the Call of Duty series, may be admired by Wall Street, but players often lash out at the chief executive, Bobby Kotick. Bits This Is Your Life, as Recalled by an App By JENNA WORTHAM Social media emphasize the here and now. But some new services comb through your digital history to send daily reminders of your previous postings - happy or otherwise. On Facebook, Bad With the Good By CHRISTINA VALHOULI Some say that breaking bad news on Facebook helps both sufferers and their friends, while others find it an inappropriate way to reveal events like divorces. More Technology News » SPORTS Winter Roundup American Skier Takes Home an Improbable Victory By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The American Steven Nyman took advantage of changing conditions for an unlikely win in a shortened World Cup downhill in Val Gardena, Italy, because of heavy snowfall. Soccer Roundup In England, United and City Keep Pace By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Manchester United stayed in control of the Premier League by beating Sunderland, 3-1, keeping Manchester City at arm's length after City won at Newcastle by the same score. U.S. Women Beat China By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Abby Wambach scored twice to help the United States close out the season with a 4-1 exhibition victory over China in Boca Raton, Fla. More Sports News » U.S. NEWS Justice Dept. Shelved Ideas to Improve Gun Background Checks By CHARLIE SAVAGE In 2011, the Justice Department proposed an expansion of the background-check system, but it remains unclear whether the Obama administration will take on the powerful gun-rights lobby. Debate on Gun Control Is Revived, Amid a Trend Toward Fewer Restrictions City Room: Shooting Is Felt at Brooklyn Gun Buyback Soured History Hampers Talks Between Obama and Boehner By JACKIE CALMES and JONATHAN WEISMAN President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner have little regard for each other's bargaining skills, with a relationship damaged by their failure to reach a budget deal 18 months ago. Clinton Is Recovering From a Concussion By MARK MAZZETTI and MICHAEL R. GORDON Because of a stomach virus, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suffered a concussion early last week after fainting and striking her head, the State Department said. More U.S. News » OPINION Editorial Sending Natural Gas Abroad The United States can make money and help the planet by lifting export restrictions. Opinion The Power of Concentration By MARIA KONNIKOVA We can learn a lot from the way Sherlock Holmes trains his mind. Gray Matter The Anxiety of Group Survival By MICHAEL J. A. WOHL Millions of us worry that the clans we belong to will one day disappear. More Opinion »