France's Bardot threatens exile over elephants

PARIS (AP) — Sex symbol-turned-animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot is threatening to join actor Gerard Depardieu in Russian exile unless France halts the scheduled euthanasia of two sick circus elephants.The 1960s screen diva says authorities have ignored her "numerous proposals" to save Baby and Nepal, a pair of 42-year-old elephants dying of tuberculosis at a Lyon zoo.In a statement on her foundation's...

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Macy's key revenue figure rises in December

 Macy's said Thursday that revenue in stores open at least one year rose 4.1 in December, edging past Wall Street estimates.But the figure grew less than the company expected during the combined two-month November and December period, the key holiday shopping months, and Macy's lowered its fourth-quarter guidance.The department store chain also said it will close six underperforming stores.Analysts...

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Stocks sink as Congress heads for another showdown

 The stock market pulled back slightly Thursday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average posted its strongest gain in more than a year.Retailers reported mixed sales and the prospect of a new budget battle in Congress helped nudge stocks lower.The Dow Jones industrial average was down 25 points to 13,387 an hour after the opening bell. UnitedHealth Group led the Dow lower, sinking $1.65...

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Stocks pause on Wall Street after a two-day rally

Stocks are little changed on Wall Street as the market pauses following a huge two-day rally.The Dow Jones industrial average was off four points at 13,408 at midday Thursday. UnitedHealth Group led the Dow lower after analysts at Deutsche Bank and other firms cut their ratings on the insurer's stock.The Standard & Poor's 500 index edged up a point to 1,463 and the Nasdaq composite rose three...

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World stocks put relief rally on pause

 Enthusiasm faded on Wall Street and in European markets Thursday over U.S. legislators' deal to stave off the so-called fiscal cliff, a series of automatic tax increases and spending cuts that could have hurt the world's largest economy.While the deal passed by Congress this week avoids the near-term risk of a major blow to businesses and households, it left unsolved several budget measures,...

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Stocks tread water as next fiscal showdown looms

The stock market crept higher in midday trading Thursday, one day after the Dow Jones industrial average posted its biggest gain in more than a year.Retailers reported mixed sales and the prospect of a new budget battle in Congress loomed.The Standard & Poor's 500 index inched up one point to 1,463 and the Nasdaq composite rose four points to 3,116.UnitedHealth Group held back the Dow, sinking...

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In South Korea, Kim Jong-un's New Year speech generates surprise - and doubt

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un signaled his desire for improved relations with South Korea in a New Year’s Day address that South Korean officials see as an unsatisfying attempt to appear conciliatory.A day after Kim Jong-un stressed the need for resolving North-South confrontation, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan responded Wednesday by calling for North Korea to make “wise and right...

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Mandela's recovery "on track" at home: South African government

 Former South African President Nelson Mandela's recovery is 'on track' at his home in Johannesburg, the government said on Wednesday in its first statement since the anti-apartheid hero was released from hospital a week ago.Mandela, 94, who has been in frail health for several years, spent nearly three weeks in a Pretoria hospital in December for treatment of a lung infection and surgery to...

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Italy's Monti fires opening salvo of second-term campaign

 Italy's outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti pledged to cut labor taxes to fuel growth on Wednesday as he shed his neutral technocrat stance and fired the opening salvo of his campaign for a second term.The former European Commissioner was appointed in November 2011 to lead an unelected right-left government of experts to save Italy from financial crisis after Silvio Berlusconi quit amid a sex...

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After 'peaceful' 2012, Kashmiris urge end to war-time measures

Government tallies in Kashmir find that 2012 was the most peaceful year since an armed rebellion began in the disputed region in 1989. Despite that, no measures have been taken to demilitarize the region or to revoke the draconian laws that provide impunity to paramilitary forces here.A report released by the Jammu and Kashmir state last week put hard numbers on the widely-observed notion that armed...

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