Western brands eye Chinese women

The opening of clothing retailer H&M’s first store in China’s capital was marked by the sight of hundreds of umbrellas clustered around its front doors. These were fearless shoppers, determined to get fist dibs on the new merchandise. It was a cold and rainy morning as salespeople opened dozens of new branded umbrellas and passed them out for free

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Russia Rearms

Russia’s leaders are getting used to cutting budgets this year. As the country sinks deeper into recession — unemployment, according to some estimates, is as high as 12% and the economy is predicted to shrink by about 4.5% in 2009 — the government is slashing spending at most of its ministries. The Energy Ministry’s budget is down by 33%, and that of the Transport Ministry by 30%

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Paying for College: What to Do When Your 529 Is Tanking

Buoyed by a run of good news in the stock market, I recently decided to check the balance in my son’s 529 college savings account for the first time in many months. To my dismay, the account was still down some 40% from a year ago, far below the amount my husband and I had originally invested. Given the extent of the losses, I couldn’t help but wonder: would it make sense to just ditch this thing?

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Japan to Immigrants: Thanks, But You Can Go Home Now

When union leader Francisco Freitas has something to say, Japan’s Brazilian community listens. The 49-year old director of the Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers called up the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo April 14, fuming over a form being passed out at employment offices in Hamamatsu City, southwest of Tokyo

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Mortgage Fraud Crackdown Is Gathering Steam in Florida

Florida’s Gulf Coast was crawling with shady real estate investors like Neil Husani during this decade’s housing boom. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Tampa, Husani and three co-conspirators working with his Sarasota-based Capital Force, Inc., bilked seven area banks out of $83 million in a mortgage fraud scheme.

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Review: ‘State of Play’ may be last of its kind

These are not good times to be a newsprint journalist. But let’s not worry about that problem. Let’s worry about this one: What is Hollywood going to do without the cynical yet incorruptible investigative reporter, his seen-it-all-before editor, the banter of the newsroom and the built-in suspense of the deadline Try to imagine “His Girl Friday,” “Ace in the Hole” or “All the President’s Men” with Perez Hilton (or his avatar) in the lead

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