1.   She swallowed and took a step back, but the breakfast-bar, immovable and robust, halted her retreat.

2.   BELGIAN stocks closed little changed as Kredietbank NV halted a retreat that began last week, amid reports linking the bank to an investigation for tax evasion.

3.   Only now has that retreat been halted.

4.   Some Iraqi Republican Guard units halted their retreat from the Kuwait border Thursday, senior US military officials said.