Futures Climb Ahead of Retail Sales

Wall Street JournalU.S. stock futures tracked overseas gains Friday ahead of key retail-sales data, as investors took heart from a strong report on China’s output.Less than two hours before the start of trading, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 46 points higher at 10448. The S&P 500 futures advanced 5.8 points to 1103 and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 7.5 points to 1805.5. Changes in… Read more

State officials unveil Health Improvement Plan

ForbesOKLAHOMA CITY — Improving children’s health and reducing obesity and tobacco use are the focus of a plan released Thursday for improving the health outcomes of Oklahoma residents, who officials said have higher rates of disease and mortality than almost every other state.Oklahoma ranks 49th in the nation in the health outcomes of its citizens – ahead of only Mississippi – and 5,320 lives… Read more

Variety to start charging for website access

Los Angeles TimesIn a move that will be watched carefully by newspapers struggling to find a viable financial model in the digital age, entertainment industry publication Variety today will begin charging readers for access to the news and information on its website.The return to erecting a “pay wall,” though anticipated, nonetheless could be risky because several online competitors — including… Read more

Australian, New Zealand Dollars Strengthen on Job Gains, Outlook for Rates

BloombergDec. 10 (Bloomberg) — Australia’s dollar gained for a second day after a report showed employers added more than six times the number of jobs forecast by economists. New Zealand’s currency advanced on prospects for higher interest rates.The so-called Aussie rose after the statistics bureau said employers increased jobs for the third month in November, unexpectedly pushing down the… Read more

Divergent strategies for Brown, Coakley

BostonHOLYOKE – From the opening moments yesterday of their special election battle for US Senate, the contrasts between Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley were clear.Brown, a state senator from Wrentham, signaled he would go after the attorney general with everything he had. She indicated she would do all she could to ignore him.He kicked off his six-week push with a press… Read more

Wildcats edge UConn to stay perfect

BostonHeraldFreshman John Wall scored a season-high 25 points, including 12 of Kentucky’s last 15 in the game, and the fourth-ranked Wildcats beat No. 14 Connecticut, 64-61, last night in the SEC/Big East Invitational.Wall lived up to his billing in his first appearance at Madison Square Garden, overcoming first-half foul trouble to dominate over the final 7 minutes for the Wildcats… Read more

Israel: 10000 West Bank Settlers Protest

New York TimesAbout 10,000 West Bank settlers and their backers demonstrated in downtown Jerusalem on Wednesday, pledging to defy a temporary building ban imposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The relatively large turnout reflected support for increasingly fierce settler resistance to the government ban. Settlers held signs and banners that read ‘We will continue to build’ and… Read more

Iran police out in force to head off protests

CNNTehran, Iran (CNN) — Iranian authorities maintained a heavy police presence on college campuses Monday to ward off possible protests as the country marked Students Day, a key national anniversary.The day commemorates three university students killed in 1953 by security forces of the Western-backed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, or the shah of Iran.Two decades later, the shah was removed from power… Read more

Fla. House set to vote on rail bill

MiamiHeraldTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House is set to vote on a bill that would clear the way for the proposed SunRail commuter system in central Florida.The chamber Monday is expected to pass the legislation. It’ll then go to the Senate, where the outcome remains in doubt. Lawmakers there have twice before defeated similar measures.Supporters say SunRail will create thousands of… Read more

China To Boost Domestic Consumption 2010 – Xinhua

Wall Street JournalBEIJING (Dow Jones)–China’s leadership committed to boosting domestic consumption and pushing urbanization next year while maintaining supportive economic policies, as they seek to transform the country’s development pattern following the global financial crisis, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.Policy makers reiterated they would continue with a moderately… Read more

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