Shoppers pulled back at the holidays

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Consumers pulled back on their spending in December despite the holiday shopping season, according to a government report released Thursday. The Commerce Department report showed that overall retail sales rose only 0.1% compared to November — falling short of forecasts of economists surveyed by Briefing.com, who […]

Zardari Leaves for Dubai!

Source: Express Tribune Reports suggest president has gone on a scheduled one-day trip. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari left for Dubai on a scheduled one-day trip on Thursday, local television stations reported, amid growing tension over a memo seeking US help in preventing a coup by the military.       The […]

Pyongyang to preserve Kim for posterity

Source: Asiatimes Kim Jong-il’s passing in December could be good news for Russia’s “Lenin laboratory” of embalmers, which has preserved dead communist leaders ranging from Joseph Stalin to Ho Chi Minh. Lacking work lately, the team would happily construct a glass coffin for the North Korean Dear Leader in Kumsusan […]

Kenya police, army abuse civilians: HRW

Courtesy Press TV: The Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Kenyan security forces are abusing civilians and Somali refugees in the northeastern part of Kenya that borders famine-hit Somalia. “The crackdown has largely targeted Somali refugees and Kenyan ethnic Somalis, but residents of other ethnic backgrounds in North Eastern province have […]