LOST IN THE DARK RIDE

NEW YORK — Wall Street headed for a sharply lower open Thursday as investors absorbed bad news from Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which signaled that even the stronger U.S. retailers are struggling. The nation’s largest retailer said sales in December at stores open for at least a year rose by 1.7 percent after stripping out fuel, worse than analysts’ estimates. Wal-Mart also slashed its forecast for fourth-quarter earnings, and its…

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Article by Yeshe Choesang, WN Correspondent Dharamshala:08 January 2009 - After inaugurating the six-day world religious symposium in Gujarat yesterday,Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the…

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Updated  | Comment  | Recommend | | | TOKYO (AP) — Japanese shares dropped nearly 4% Thursday, snapping a seven-day winning streak on fresh worries over the U.S. economy as jittery investors braced for dire U.S. unemployment data. The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average lost 362.82 points, or 3.9%, to close at 8,876.42. The broader Topix index declined 3.1% to 860.89. Worries over a further slump in the world’s largest economy intensified after the ADP National…

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web Photo: Life RAMALLAH, 8 January 2009 (IRIN) - Gaza’s children - some 56 percent of Gaza’s 1.5 million people - are struggling to survive the Israeli offensive which began on 27 December. Read more Gaza reports According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 660 Palestinians have been killed since 27 December, including 176 children and 86 women; 2,950 have been injured, of whom 40 percent are children and 18 percent women. When asked about the high number of child fatalities, Israeli Defence Ministry spokesman Maj Peter Lerner told IRIN: “Hamas is taking advantage of the civilian population, using them as shields.” A statement released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on 6 January said:…

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KUALA LUMPUR: Unicef wants all parties to the conflict in Gaza to abide by their international legal obligation to ensure that children are protected and receive essential humanitarian supplies and support. “Over half of Gaza’s 1.4 million residents are children and they are particularly vulnerable in situations of armed conflict,” it said in a statement Thursday. Quoting the Palestinian Centre for…

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IBRAHIM BARZAK and STEVE WEIZMAN The Associated Press JERUSALEM - Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into northern Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a second front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with its offensive in the Gaza Strip. Gaza militants fired a rocket barrage into southern Israel almost simultaneously. There were no serious injuries in either attack. But the rockets on Israel’s north raised the specter of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, just 2 1/2 years after Israel battled the guerrilla group to a 34-day stalemate. Hezbollah started the 2006 war as Israel was battling Palestinian militants in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly said it was prepared…

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BAGHDAD - The top American commander in the former insurgent stronghold of Anbar said yesterday the Shi’ite-led government should have poured reconstruction money into the Sunni region after Sunni fighters joined forces with US troops to chase Al Qaeda out of the western province. Marine Major General John F. Kelly told The Associated Press that his greatest “mission failure” was his inability to bring together the government in Baghdad and the Sunnis in Anbar to…

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President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush at the White House in Washington, with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, Jan. 7, 2009. There was a historic gathering at the White House of past, present and future U.S. presidents on Wednesday. It was a chance for…

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Distributed by Press Release EMAIL ARTICLE PRINT ARTICLE LAS VEGAS (Map) - Innovative Player Features BD Live and VIERA CAST(R) Internet Accessibility LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Panasonic, a major developer and contributor to the success of the Blu-ray format, introduced the world’s first portable Blu-ray Disc player at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show. The DMP-B15, designed to provide the ultimate high definition Blu-ray experience for those on the go, features a high quality 8.9-inch WSVGA LCD screen and includes the unique VIERA CAST(R) internet accessibility and BD Live functionality. The DMP-B15 will be available in May. Advertisement document.write(’ The DMP-B15…

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GAZA CITY: Hundreds of embattled Palestinians ventured outside to shop for food yesterday during a three-hour Gaza truce, a first step towards an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire under discussion by Israel and Hamas. “Food and milk - what else can we hope for in three hours,” said Ahmed Abu Kamel, a father of six who lives near the city of Gaza. “We want it all to end.” Violence resumed in the area soon after the 1pm-4pm truce expired, and Palestinians returned to the precarious safety of their home after stocking up on food and visiting family and friends. Israel said it would cease attacks in the Gaza Strip during those hours every day to ease the flow of aid to the Hamas-run territory’s 1.5…

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