France bans face-covering Islamic veil

PARIS — France’s new ban on Islamic face veils was met with a burst of defiance Monday, as several women appeared veiled in front of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.

Drivers start to cut back on gas as prices rise

NEW YORK — With the price of gas above $3.50 a gallon in all but one state, there are signs that Americans are cutting back on driving, reversing a steady increase in demand for fuel as the economy improves.

Steve Jobs authorized biography coming in 2012

NEW YORK — Apple CEO Steve Jobs has finally agreed to participate in a book about his life. Simon & Schuster announced Sunday that Walter Isaacson’s “iSteve: The Book of Jobs” will be published in early 2012.

Future farm: a sunless, rainless room indoors

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands — Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant and where the climate is always right.