New York - US retail giant Wal-Mart reported Thursday that its surplus in the third quarter gained nearly 10 per cent, but that the company is now more cautious about its full-year prospects amid the economic downturn.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said its surplus came to 3.14 billion dollars in the quarter, on sales of 98.64 billion dollars, up 7 per cent from the same period of
2007.
The world's largest retailer said that while it is "optimistic" about the upcoming Christmas shopping season, it was scaling back its projections for the full business year ending next January 31.
Shanghai - ATP executive candidate Brad Drewitt on Thursday defended the decision to increase the 2009 player workload in exchange for more prize money after Andy Roddick charged that an over-heated schedule is leading to injuries on court.
Roddick withdrew with some frustration on Wednesday after rolling his ankle in training and handing a spot in the eight-man Masters Cup wrap-up event to alternate Radek Stepanek.
Belgrade - The Serbian government postponed its regular meeting Thursday, amid tensions in the volatile ruling coalition over excessive spending plans made before the financial crisis exploded.
Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic's cabinet was expected Thursday to launch an arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but was apparently unable to agree on where to make spending cuts.
Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy convinced Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin not to attack the Georgian capital Tbilisi and overthrow Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili this summer, the weekly Le Nouvel Observateur reported on Thursday.
Citing Sarkozy's foreign policy advisor, Jean-David Levitte, the magazine said that the incident occurred at the Kremlin on August 12, when Sarkozy - as president of the European Union - was trying to negotiate an end to the Russia-Georgia conflict.
Taipei - Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian has gone on a hunger strike to protest against his detention over a corruption probe, as Taiwan's High Court upheld a seven-year prison sentence against his son-in-law, officials said Thursday.
"The ex-president has stopped eating since he was placed under custody at the Taipei Penitentiary Wednesday to show his protest against the authorities for political persecution," said his lawyer Cheng Wen-lung.
He said Chen did drink water and his health condition was fine so far.
New York - US retail giant Wal-Mart reported Thursday that its surplus in the third quarter gained nearly 10 per cent, but that the company is now more cautious about its full-year prospects amid the economic downturn. 
Shanghai - ATP executive candidate Brad Drewitt on Thursday defended the decision to increase the 2009 player workload in exchange for more prize money after Andy Roddick charged that an over-heated schedule is leading to injuries on court.
Belgrade - The Serbian government postponed its regular meeting Thursday, amid tensions in the volatile ruling coalition over excessive spending plans made before the financial crisis exploded.
Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy convinced Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin not to attack the Georgian capital Tbilisi and overthrow Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili this summer, the weekly Le Nouvel Observateur reported on Thursday.
Taipei - Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian has gone on a hunger strike to protest against his detention over a corruption probe, as Taiwan's High Court upheld a seven-year prison sentence against his son-in-law, officials said Thursday.
