NEW YORK CITY (AP) -- Wal-Mart ireports a 10-percent increase in its third-quarter profit. The world's largest retailer's renewed focus on low prices is attracting financially squeezed shoppers around the world. The company, however, is reducing its profit outlook amid a weak economy.
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Officials say foreclosure filings in Arkansas were up 27 percent last month, compared with a year ago. RealtyTrac says 1,895 houses were in Arkansas in some stage of foreclosure last month - or one foreclosure for every 672 houses in the state. That ratio puts Arkansas 19th among states with the highest foreclosure rates.
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JOPLIN, Mo. -- St. John's Regional Medical Center is cutting 160 fulltime positions. The layoffs are part of an overall plan to save $30 million in expenses.

The medical center is closing its primary care clinics in Grove, Okla., and Girard, Kan. Changes to operations in Neosho are pending.

St. John's Regional Medical Center is not the same company as St. John's Hospital and Clinics in Springfield.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The FBI is looking into alleged "corporate misconduct" by a preneed funeral company that guaranteed hundreds of millions of dollars of services to families before becoming insolvent.

he FBI recently sent a letter to funeral directors informing them of the probe into National Prearranged Services and its subsidiaries. The letter asks funeral directors to fill out a questionnaire about their contracts with the company and any promises that it made.

The St. Louis-based company and its Texas-based insurance affiliates were placed under receivership in Texas and are being liquidated. The person appointed to administer the companies after their failure said Wednesday that she is aware of the FBI investigation but hadn't seen the letter.

National Prearranged Services did business in 43 states and the District of Columbia.
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Afghan officials now say at least eight civilians and an American soldier were killed Thursday when a suicide car bomber struck a U.S. military convoy in eastern Afghanistan. Earlier, U.S. officials placed the death toll at 21.

Afghan police say the explosion near a crowded livestock market outside Jalalabad also wounded 74 people.
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TULSA, Okla. -- A man from Tulsa, Okla., is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for killing a man from Kimberling City, Mo., and another man from Texas. Investigators believe Andrew Mathis was angry after seeing his ex-girlfriend with a group of men on Nov. 1.

Police think Mathis knocked Dennis Cox, 38, of Kimberling City unconscious in a parking lot in Tulsa. A 30-year-old man from Texas was also killed when he apparently tried to help Cox.

Mathis also faces five assault charges for driving into a crowd of people after the deadly brawl.
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HALLTOWN, Mo. -- A man from Mount Vernon died in a crash on Interstate 44 in western Greene County. Jan Shuster's SUV ran off the highway and flipped late Wednesday night.

The 57-year-old man died at the scene. The accident shut down the westbound lanes near the 61 mile marker for about five hours.
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