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AP Interview: Hamas No. 2 rejects Gaza arms halt

By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH and SARAH EL DEEBAssociated Press CAIRO (AP) - Gaza's ruling Hamas will not stop arming itself because only a strong arsenal, not negotiations, can extract concessions from Israel, the No. 2 in the Islamic militant group told The Associated Press in an interview

US says no conference on nuke-free Mideast for now

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. says a proposed conference on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East cannot be convened at this point because of current conditions in the region. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement released Friday that the U.S. will continue to work to

Protests greet shoppers at Wal-Marts nationwide

By SARAH SKIDMOREAP Business Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Wal-Mart workers and supporters marched in protest at stores nationwide Thursday and Friday, blasting the wages, benefits and treatment of employees at the world's largest retailer. The efforts seemed to do little to keep shoppers

Facebook and volatile market still chill IPOs

By STEVE ROTHWELLAP Business Writer Making a killing on initial public offerings used to be easy. At the peak of the technology boom, little more than a decade ago, a plentiful supply of companies vied to sell stock on the exchanges, and investors were assured mouthwatering returns. These days