| World News  | Asian stock markets mixed
CNN
(CNN) -- The major Asian markets were mixed in afternoon trading Monday, with Tokyo moving lower while Hong Kong was on the upswing. Japan's Nikkei 225 was down about 1 percent, as was Australia's All Ordinaries index. But the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong had gained about 2 percent. Don't Miss In South Korea, Seoul's Kospi index was about 1.6 percent higher, while the Straits Times index in Singapore was down about 0.8 percent. And in Mumbai, the...
photo: AP / Katsumi Kasahara
|  | South Korean exports slump
The Star
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea's exports fell sharply in November, the government said Monday, while automakers took steps to cut production amid slumping demand for vehicles amid the weak global economy. Exports dropped 18.3 percent in November from the same month last year to $29.26 billion, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a statement. Imports fell 14.6 percent to $28.97 billion for a trade...
photo: AP / Ahn Young-joon
|  | Coup fear heightens in Thailand
Dawn
By Charlie McDonald-Gibson BANGKOK: Thailands government will struggle to survive protests crippling the country, with analysts saying it will have to walk a fine line to prevent either a coup or a bloody end to the turmoil. Last Sunday protesters called for a final battle to oust the government, but amid reports that the disruptive six-month-long movement was running out of money and losing support, few people expected the drama that...
photo: AP / David Longstreath
|  | Luxury hotels difficult to protect from terrorists
International Herald Tribune
: For decades, luxury hotels have been oases for travelers in developing countries, places to mingle with the local elite, enjoy a lavish meal or a dip in the pool and sleep in a clean, safe room. But last week's lethal attacks on two of India's most famous hotels — coming just two months after a huge truck bomb devastated the Marriott in Islamabad, Pakistan — have underlined the extent to which these hotels are...
photo: Creative Commons / Daniel di Palma
|  | Obama set to name Clinton as top diplomat
The Times of India
1 Dec 2008, 0903 hrs IST, AGENCIES Text: WASHINGTON: Barack Obama was set to formally nominate his ex-rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state on Monday and roll out the national security team he will charge with defusing multiple foreign crises. The president-elect was also expected to publicly say he has asked US President George W. Bush's Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stay on at...
photo: AP / Elise Amendola
|  | Zardari urges unity for progress
Dawn
By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: President of Pakistan and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari urged the nation on Sunday to forge unity in their ranks and transform the country into a modern, progressive, egalitarian and a genuinely democratic state. Let us resolve on this day to give the country a strong democratic foundation and...
photo: AP / K M Chaudhry
| Business News  | Cost of 12 days of Christmas rises to $86,609
MSNBC
PNC Wealth Management says amount up 10.9 percent over last year updated 12:07 a.m. ET Dec. 1, 2008 PITTSBURGH - Given the economic downturn, even the most romantic might balk at the $86,609 price tag for the items in the carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” That’s this year’s cost, according to the annual “Christmas Price Index” compiled by PNC Wealth Management, which tallies the single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming,...
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
|  | SKorean exports slump, automaker shuts down line
The Boston Globe
SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea's exports fell sharply in November, the government said Monday, while automakers took steps to cut production amid slumping demand for vehicles amid the weak global economy. Exports dropped 18.3 percent in November from the same month last year to $29.26 billion, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a statement. Imports fell 14.6 percent to $28.97...
photo: Creative Commons / Ra Boe
|  | 2008: A saga of bruises for Ratan Tata
The Times of India
1 Dec 2008, 0034 hrs IST, Madhu T & Reeba Zachariah, TNN Text: MUMBAI: It's been a rough year for Ratan Tata so far. For the industrialist, 2008 started off in a grand way, with the acquisition of the iconic British marquees Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR). Coming on the back of the Corus acquisition, the JLR deal gave the Tata group the necessary global credentials. But things started...
photo: AP / Gautam Singh
|  | Tori Stuart cooks up mainstream recipe for healthy living
Boston Herald
Tori Stuart planned her early career around the skills she’d need to start her own business, but it wasn’t until her mother pulled out a Baggie of homemade granola at a celebratory family brunch that she formulated the idea for Zoe Foods. Her epiphany: Her mom was a baby boomer who wasn’t particularly fond of cooking nor was she a health food fanatic, and yet she had concocted her own recipe to ward off hot flashes naturally...
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|  | Yule tree gets pricier
Boston Herald
Money doesn’t grow on trees - but Christmas trees still make money. Area Christmas tree growers and sellers are expecting sales to remain strong this year, despite the Wall Street meltdown and the subsequent economic downturn that’s led to thousands of layoffs in recent weeks. “We always sell out,” said Julie Gauld, co-owner of Evergreen Farms in Sterling and secretary of the...
photo: WN / james
| Entertainment News  | Sketchy Comedy
New Yorker
Upon winning the second of three Emmy Awards at this year’s ceremonies, in September, Tina Fey, the creator, star, and one of the executive producers and main writers of the sitcom “30 Rock”—and by then YouTubularly famous around the world for her impression of Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live”—said, “I want to thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate...
photo: GNU /
|  | Madonna tour grosses $91.5 million
MSNBC
550,000 tickets sold across 28 concert dates Slide show From singer to actress to mom, the many reincarnations of Madonna.updated 8:32 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2008 NASHVILLE - The 28 dates on Madonna's just-concluded North...
photo: AP Photo / Gautam Singh
|  | Sport and Olympics propel Seven to ratings win
Sydney Morning Herald
The Beijing Olympics and other big sporting events helped the Seven Network to top TV ratings for the second year running. Official ratings, out on Sunday, showed Seven had the highest overall audience share for the year ahead of rivals Nine, Ten and the ABC. In the 40-week survey period, which ended on Saturday, Seven won 28 weeks, Nine won 11 and tied on...
photo: AP / Robert F. Bukaty
|  | A GOOD EGG
Star Tribune
Buying eggs at the grocery store used to involve one step: Flip open a carton to check for cracks. Now there's a multitude of choices. There's "cage-free," "free-range" and "pastured." There's a range of prices, health claims and even shell colors. Labels can be confusing or nebulous: Does "organic" mean "free-range"? Why does any of this matter? Getting straight answers is about as easy as...
photo: WN / Rubielyn Bunag
|  | Bailout, Black Friday lift Wall Street for the week
Newsday
The bailout and Black Friday are lifting Wall Street's dark mood. Buoyed by prospects of a new stimulus package and a better-than-feared holiday shopping season, U.S. stocks staged a big rally last week, led by the S&P 500 index, which posted its best week in 34 years. Investors are examining the prospects for the holiday shopping period, which began in earnest Friday. Wall Street expects retailers will suffer as consumers,...
photo: AP/Stephan Savoia
|  | Airport picks could affect economy
Detroit news
Detroit Metropolitan Airport is a rare bright spot on the region's bleak economic landscape. But whether it stays that way could depend on three appointments expected to be made as soon as this week to a fairly obscure government board. Not so long ago, Metro was a cesspool of corruption and mismanagement. Near the end of their tenures, former Wayne County Executive Ed McNamara and Gov. John Engler decided to clean it up. They created an airport...
photo: AP Photo / Craig Ruttle
|  | Me, Irresponsible?
Canada Dot Com
Charming and brash, Michael Bublé has always been candid about his stardom, fame and good boy image. Fred Lee talked to the 33-year-old crooner about coming home, living single and sharing the holidays with family. Photograph by : Getty Images WHAT DO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS MEAN TO YOU? My favourite holiday. Absolutely! I do it up big. I love Christmas. Everything smells wonderful. I'm nicer. Everyone is. And Vancouver has a certain kind of...
photo: AP/Richard Drew
| Health News  | Brains of autistic slower to react to sounds: study
Canada Dot Com
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The brains of autistic children react to sounds a fraction of a second slower than those of normal children, which may help explain the communication problems associated with autism, researchers said on Monday. "What this does is it provides strong supporting evidence for the emerging theory that autism is a problem of connectivity in the brain," said Timothy Roberts, vice chairman of research in the Department of Radiology at...
photo: AP / Pavel Rahma
|  | Openly gay marchers debut at Haiti AIDS rally
The News & Observer
ST. MARC, Haiti - A dozen men in T-shirts declaring "I am gay" and "I am living with HIV/AIDS" marched with hundreds of other demonstrators through a Haitian city on Sunday in what organizers called the Caribbean nation's first openly gay march. The march, held a day ahead of World AIDS Day in the western city of St. Marc, called for better prevention and treatment in a country long plagued by the virus. Organizers said they hoped the...
photo: WN
|  | Breast milk bank to be set up to boost supplies for premature babies
The Daily Mail
National breast milk banks are to be set up to give thousands of premature babies the best start in life A national breast milk bank is to be set up to give thousands of babies the best start in life. The Department of Health has ordered its clinical watchdog NICE to draw up guidance on the safety and running of donor milk banks. When it reports next year it is expected to recommend that the new service be run according to strict safety...
photo: Creative commons
|  | Some doctors may give up vaccines because of cost
The News & Observer
ATLANTA - About one in 10 doctors who vaccinate privately insured children are considering dropping that service largely because they are losing money when they do it, according to a new survey. A second survey revealed startling differences between what doctors pay for vaccines and what private health insurers reimburse: For example, one in 10 doctors lost money on one recommended infant vaccine, but others made almost $40 per dose on the same...
photo: AP/Chris Gardner
|  | Study links asthma rate to birth month
The Boston Globe
Babies born four months before the peak of cold and flu season - in other words, roughly now - are 30 percent more likely to develop childhood asthma than children born at any other time of year, new research suggests. The findings speak to doctors' longstanding question of whether respiratory tract viral infections during infancy can cause asthma. This study indicates they do. Scientists at the Center for Asthma...
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
|  | Some US doctors may give up vaccines due to cost
The News & Observer
ATLANTA - About one in 10 U.S. doctors who vaccinate privately insured children are considering dropping that service largely because they are losing money when they do it, according to a new survey. A second survey revealed startling differences between what doctors pay for vaccines and what private health insurers reimburse: For example, one in 10 doctors lost money on one recommended infant vaccine, but others made almost $40 per dose on the...
photo: (AP Photo/Donovan Quintero)
|  | Strategies for parents to get kids to eat more healthfully
Kansas City Star
Preschoolers and parents, take note, you're getting your own food pyramid. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently unveiled MyPyramid for Preschoolers at the American Dietetic Association's Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Chicago. Brian Wansink, executive director of USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, introduced this new nutrition tool as part of an ongoing campaign called "Project M.O.M." that he has spearheaded...
photo: creative commons /
| Politics News  | Deshmukh, RR Patil in firing line
The Times of India
1 Dec 2008, 0433 hrs IST, TNN Text: NEW DELHI: This is the season of recriminations. Following a charged CWC meeting on Saturday night, the first head rolled on Sunday home minister Shivraj Patil's. Some more may roll, including Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh and his deputy R R Patil. Deshmukh's fate will be decided on Monday and a decision on his deputy will follow. In this...
photo: AP / Rajesh Nirgude
|  | India's anti-terror chief resigns
Ohio
MUMBAI, INDIA: The top domestic security official resigned in disgrace on Sunday for the failure to thwart or quickly contain the horrific terrorist attacks in Mumbai last week, as the government announced a raft of measures to bolster antiterrorism efforts and struggled to calibrate a response to what it views as Pakistani complicity. The Bush administration, hoping to help defuse the possibility of new hostilities, announced it was sending...
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
|  | PM targets education inequality with $1bn handout
The Australian
KEVIN Rudd will identify the nation's 1500 poorest-performing schools and flood them with $1.1 billion over the next five years in a front-on attack on inequality of access to education. The Prime Minister has also won agreement from the states to deliver the improvements by giving school principals greater power to hire and fire and to lift pay for their best teachers - smashing years of entrenched opposition from state governments and education...
photo: Creative common / Bapti
|  | PM to civil servants: Don't threaten complainants
The Star
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told off civil servants who issue threats against members of the public who complain about them. The Premier said because of these few people, the image of the entire civil service had been smeared. "There are contractors who complain about the delays involved in the review of the costs of the...
photo: Creative Commons
|  | God bless the new frugal America
The Examiner
Add a Comment by Arthur Bruzzone, S.F. Politics Examiner Three generations of Americans are coping well with the worst credit and economic downturn in 70 years. They’re becoming as frugal as they were extravagant in boom times. While the economy shows some resemblance to the economic ‘depression’ of the thirties, a psychological depression has yet to appear. Of the three generations, the millennium generation...
photo: WN / Renzelle Mae Abasolo
|  | Group seeks bypass for billboard-trees fight
The News & Observer
Maybe there's an alternative to the trees vs. billboards argument environmentalists and sign owners have every year. And maybe a group meeting under the auspices of the state Department of Transportation will find that Third Way. Over the past few years, environmental groups have successfully fought billboard owners' attempts to cut more trees around their signs so that people passing by have longer to read them. They were tough fights that...
photo: WN / Rubielyn Bunag
|  | North Korea squeezes South with border clampdown
The Times of India
1 Dec 2008, 1144 hrs IST, REUTERS Text: SOUTH KOREA: North Korea restricted entry to South Korean workers at a joint industrial enclave in the North on Monday in a border clampdown seen as a pressure tactic to change Seoul's tough policy towards its neighbour. The move comes just a week before destitute North Korea discusses a disarmament pact it reached with five regional powers that...
photo: AP /KOREA POOL
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