November 29, 2013.

Black Friday Bargains Lure Shoppers to Stores, Online

A thrush had alighted on a bough not five metres away, almost at the level of their faces. Perhaps it had not seen them. It was in the sun, they in the shade. It spread out its wings, fitted them carefully into place again, ducked its head for a moment, as though making a sort of obeisance to the sun, and then began to pour forth a torrent of song. In the afternoon hush the volume of sound was startling. Winston and Julia clung together, fascinated. The music went on and on, minute after minute, with astonishing variations, never once repeating itself, almost as though the bird were deliberately showing off its virtuosity. Sometimes it stopped for a few seconds, spread out and resettled its wings, then swelled its speckled breast and again burst into song. Winston watched it with a sort of vague reverence. For whom, for what, was that bird singing? No mate, no rival was watching it. What made it sit at the edge of the lonely wood and pour its music into nothingness? He wondered whether after all there was a microphone hidden somewhere near. He and Julia had spoken only in low whispers, and it would not pick up what they had said, but it would pick up the thrush. Perhaps at the other end of the instrument some small, beetle-like man was listening intently----listening to that. But by degrees the flood of music drove all speculations out of his mind. It was as though it were a kind of liquid stuff that poured all over him and got mixed up with the sunlight that filtered through the leaves. He stopped thinking and merely felt. The girl's waist in the bend of his arm was soft and warm. He pulled her round so that they were breast to breast; her body seemed to melt into his. Wherever his hands moved it was all as yielding as water. Their mouths clung together; it was quite different from the hard kisses they had exchanged earlier. When they moved their faces apart again both of them sighed deeply. The bird took fright and fled with a clatter of wings.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT +0.31%  and Target Corp. TGT +0.85%  reported strong Thanksgiving Day traffic in stores and online, adding that shoppers were focused on big-ticket electronic products.

Winston put his lips against her ear. "Now," he whispered.

The retailers didn't provide specific sales figures but tried to suggest that their decisions to open earlier on the holiday were successful. Wal-Mart and Target were among a number of retailers that opened on Thanksgiving Day, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively, in an effort to boost struggling sales in a tight economy and keep up with online retailers.

"Not here," she whispered back. "Come back to the hide-out. It's safer."

Wal-Mart said it recorded more than 10 million register transactions between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday in its stores and nearly 400 million page views that day on walmart.com. Target said sales were among the highest it had seen in a single day online and it booked twice as many orders on its website as last year in the early hours when door-busters became available.

November 28, 2013.

South Korea, Japan Send Planes Into China's New Defense Zone

"The Golden Country?"

SEOUL----South Korea and Japan said they have sent military planes into China's new air-defense zone without notifying Beijing and would send others, stepping up opposition to China's moves to assert control of regional airspace.

"It's nothing, really. A landscape I've seen sometimes in a dream."

South Korea also asked China at a meeting on Thursday to change the boundaries of the new Air Defense Identification Zone to eliminate overlap with South Korea's own ADIZ, a request China rejected. Seoul then said it may expand its own zone into areas claimed by China.

"Look!" whispered Julia.

The moves come after the U.S. flew two B-52 bombers uncontested through Beijing's newly proclaimed air-defense zone Monday.

November 27, 2013.

New German Coalition Pledges Billions in New Spending

"Isn't there a stream somewhere near here?" he whispered.

BERLIN----Germany's two dominant political blocs pledged billions in fresh spending on pensions, education and infrastructure as part of a coalition deal reached in the early hours of Wednesday, but offered little detail on how they would fund the new programs without raising taxes.

"That's right, there is a stream. It's at the edge of the next field, actually. There are fish in it, great big ones. You can watch them lying in the pools under the willow trees, waving their tails."

After 17 hours of negotiations, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union, its Bavarian Christian Social Union sister party and the Social Democrats agreed to introduce a national minimum wage, toughen labor-market rules and allow dual citizenship for the German-born children of immigrants.

"It's the Golden Country----almost," he murmured.

But more suspense is to come. First, the coalition agreement will have to withstand an unusual mail-in referendum that gives the 470,000 members of the left-leaning Social Democrats, or SPD, an up-or-down vote on whether to approve the coalition agreement. Then, the government will have to ascertain that it can afford around €20 billion ($27 billion) in new spending given its pledge not to raise taxes and the German law limiting new government borrowing.

November 26, 2013.

White House Launches Push to Sell It's Iran Nuclear Deal

Them, it appeared, meant the Party, and above all the Inner Party, about whom she talked with an open jeering hatred which made Winston feel uneasy, although he knew that they were safe here if they could be safe anywhere. A thing that astonished him about her was the coarseness of her language. Party members were supposed to not to swear, and Winston himself very seldom did swear, aloud, at any rate. Julia, however, seemed unable to mention the Party, and especially the Inner Party, without using the kind of words that you saw chalked up in dripping alleyways. He did not dislike it. It was merely one symptom of her revolt against the Party and all its ways, and somehow it seemed natural and healthy, like the sneeze of a horse that smells bad hay. They had left the clearing and were wandering again through the checkered shade, with their arms round each other's waists whenever it was wide enough to walk two abreast. He noticed how much softer her waist seemed to feel now that sash was gone. They did not speak above a whisper. Outside the clearing, Julia said, it was better to go quietly. Presently they had reached the edge of the little wood. She stopped him.

WASHINGTON----The Obama administration is mounting an aggressive campaign to head off new congressional sanctions against Iran, arguing they would jeopardize the high-stakes deal sealed this past weekend to curb Tehran's nuclear program.

"Don't go out into the open. There might be someone watching. We're all right if we keep behind the boughs."

After arguing for weeks that sanctions would hurt the prospects of reaching a deal, senior administration officials are now asking lawmakers to hold off for another six months while negotiators try to achieve a long-term accord.

They were standing in the shade of hazel bushes. The sunlight, filtering through innumerable leaves, was still hot on their faces. Winston looked out into the field beyond, and underwent a curious, slow shock of recognition. He knew it by sight. An old, close-bitten pasture, with a footpath wandering across it and a molehill here and there. In the ragged hedge on the opposite side the boughs of the elm trees swayed just perceptibly in the breeze, and their leaves stirred faintly in dense masses like women's hair. Surely somewhere near by, but out of sight, there must be a stream with green pools where dace were swimming.

The administration is taking steps to burnish the agreement, casting it as an alternative to Mideast conflict. And enforcement officials, seeking to counter arguments that the interim deal signed Sunday in Geneva would erode punitive economic sanctions, publicly warned any business, bank or broker against trying to do prohibited business with Iran.

November 25, 2013.

Doug McMillon to Become Wal-Mart CEO, Succeeding Mike Duke

The first fragment of chocolate had melted on Winston's tongue. The taste was delightful. But there was still that memory moving round the edges of his consciousness, something strongly felt but not reducible to definite shape, like an object seen out of the corner of one's eye. He pushed it away from him, aware only that it was the memory of some action which he would have liked to undo but could not.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT -0.74% said Chief Executive Mike Duke will retire early next year and be succeeded by Doug McMillon, the head of its international operations.

"You are very young," he said. "You are ten or fifteen years younger than I am. What could you see to attract you in a man like me?"

Mr. McMillon, who is 47 years old and president and CEO of Wal-Mart International, was named to the board effective immediately and will become CEO on Feb. 1. The Arkansas native had been viewed by some company insiders as a likely successor to Mr. Duke.

"It was something in your face. I thought I'd take a chance. I'm good at spotting people who don't belong. As soon as I saw you I knew you were against them."

Mr. McMillon will take the helm at a challenging time for the company and the retail industry as a whole. Consumer spending has been lackluster heading into the holiday season and, earlier this month, Wal-Mart said its same-store sales fell for the third straight quarter, as the big-box retailer's core customer struggles with high unemployment, economic uncertainty and hits to their paychecks.

November 24, 2013.

Major Powers Reach Deal With Iran To Freeze Nuclear Program

"It's this bloody thing that does it," she said, ripping off the scarlet sash of the Junior Anti-Sex League and flinging it onto a bough, Then, as though touching her waist had reminded her of something, she felt tin the pocket of her overalls and produced a small slab of chocolate. She broke it in half and gave one of the pieces to Winston. Even before he had taken it he knew by the smell that it was very unusual chocolate. It was dark and shiny, and was wrapped in silver paper. Chocolate normally was dull-brown crumbly stuff that tasted, as nearly as one could describe it, like the smoke of a rubbish fire. But at some time or another he had tasted chocolate like the piece she had given him. The first whiff of its scent had stirred up some memory which he could not pin, but which was powerful and troubling.

GENEVA----The U.S. and five other world powers struck a historic accord with Iran on Sunday, agreeing to ease part of an economic stranglehold in exchange for steps to cap Tehran's nuclear program and ensure the Islamist government doesn't rush to develop atomic weapons.

"Where did you get this stuff" he said.

The agreement calls for Iran to stop its production of near-weapons grade nuclear fuel----which is uranium enriched to 20% purity----and for the removal of Tehran's stockpile of the fissile material, which is estimated to be nearly enough to produce one nuclear bomb.

"Black market," she said indifferently. "Actually I am that sort of girl, to look at. I'm good at games. I was a troop leader in the Spies. I do voluntary work three evenings a week for the Junior Anti-Sex League. Hours and hours I've spent pasting their bloody rot all over London. I always carry one end of a banner in the processions. I always look cheerful and I never shirk anything. Always yell with the crowd, that's what I say. It's the only way to be safe."

Iran, in return, will gain relief from Western economic sanctions that U.S. officials believe will provide between $6 billion and $7 billion in badly needed foreign exchange for Tehran over the next half-year.

November 23, 2013.

Negotiators Warn Gaps Remain to Seal Iran Nuclear Deal

"Well, perhaps not exactly that. But from your general appearance----merely because you're young and fresh and healthy, you understand----I thought that probably----"

GENEVA----Iran and world powers neared a crucial compromise on a late roadblock to a deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program but U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague warned Saturday "difficult" issues remain unresolved.

"You thought I was a good Party member. Pure in word and deed. Banners, processions, slogans, games, community hikes all that stuff. And you thought that if I had a quarter of a chance I'd denounce you as a thought-criminal and get you killed off?"

A compromise on Iran's demand that it be explicitly allowed to keep some domestic uranium enrichment capacity would represent a significant step toward an initial confidence-building agreement, offering at least a temporary reprieve from a decadelong standoff over Tehran's program, according to Iranian and western officials.

"Yes, something of that kind. A great many young girls are like that, you know."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva Saturday morning and rushed into a series of bilateral meetings as he tries to secure a confidence-building deal with Tehran that sees Iran curtail its nuclear program in exchange for some easing of sanctions.