News Headlines - 18 November 2013

▽Dow Jones industrial average crosses 16,000 for first time | theguardian.com

US stock market indexes briefly broke through major round-number milestones in early trading Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average crossed 16,000 for the first time and the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose past 1,800 shortly after the market opened. Within the next half-hour, though, both indexes had slipped below those levels.

▽BBC News - Toronto mayor Rob Ford loses more powers

The Toronto city council has voted to strip Mayor Rob Ford of most of his authority, as the embattled city leader resisted growing pressure to step down.

▽Nursing leaders divided over minimum staffing levels | Health Service Journal

Three of the NHS’s most senior nurses have spoken out against the introduction of minimum staffing levels as the profession becomes increasingly divided over the issue ahead of the government’s response to the Francis report.

▽BBC News - Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant begins fuel rod removal

Workers at Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have begun removing fuel rods from a storage pond at the Unit 4 reactor building.

▽Stunning Comet ISON Photos Captured by Amateur Astronomer (Images) | Space.com

A spectacular set of photos taken by an amateur astrophotographer chronicles the evolution of Comet ISON over the last few months, which has seen the much-hyped icy wanderer brighten so much that it's now visible to the naked eye.