The Express Tribune Newsletter: May 02, 2012

Today's Headlines

Analysis: May Day, May Day!

M Ziauddin

Hopefully, in keeping with the event's first ignominious anniversary, the Abbottabad Commission would finalise and submit its report to the authorities by the end of this week.

Labour of love: PM unveils Labour Day surprise for workers

Our Correspondents

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani unveiled a Labour Day surprise for workers on Tuesday by increasing the minimum wage from Rs7,000 to Rs8,000 and revising pensions by up to 20%.

PM's conviction: 3 judges excuse themselves from appeal bench

Shehzad Baloch

An appeal to the conviction, if filed by the premier, will meet an incomplete bench.

We will continue to carry out attacks such as Bannu: TTP

Nasruminallah

"We will continue to carry out attacks such as the one in Bannu," said Asim Mehsud, a spokesperson for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while also denying reports that escaped prisoners were handed over under any truce with the government.


Business

Strategic retreat: Tax collection target revised downwards

Our Correspondents

The government has revised the tax target to Rs1.929 trillion, Rs23 billion less than budgetary projections after Federal Board of Revenue failed to hit monthly goalposts for consecutive two months.

Federal treasury: State Bank's 'hidden liabilities' swell to $2.1b

Shahbaz Rana

The hidden liabilities of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) due to massive exposure to forward contracts have swelled to $2.1 billion that will have to be paid within a year and may bring down the foreign exchange reserves, putting the rupee under pressure.

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Sports

Cricket: Snubbed Mohsin offers a helping hand

Fawad Hussain

Former coach Mohsin Khan has offered a helping hand to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in its bid to revive top-flight international cricket in the country.

I've given up on my Olympics dream: Aqeel

Our Correspondents

The London Olympics may be drawing closer by the day but Pakistan's hopes of representation dims by the second.

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Life & Style

There's no business like the fashion business

Hani Taha

Of the brands that made a splash at the recently held Fashion Pakistan Week 3 were the British retail brands Next, Monsoon and Accessorize, making a mark for actually encapsulating the event's central theme of 'high street fashion'.

Summer make-up tips: Beauty journal

Momina Sibtain

Make-up to a woman is as indispensible as oxygen is to life. Regardless of how simple one's look may be, make-up acts as an enhancing element and it is important to know how to apply it correctly. This can only happen when you know what complements your face.
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Opinion

Brennan's legal realpolitik!

Ejaz Haider

From among our many wounds

Shehzad Chaudhry

After Osama bin Laden

Taha Siddiqui

Stalemate is not an option!

Tariq Fatemi

Freedom and sovereignty

Khaled Ahmed

Blogs

A year after Bin Laden: Could it happen again?

Michael Kugelman

Let's hope your heart keeps going on and on

Meiryum Ali

Indian 'nationalism': Why Kashmir won't move on

Jehangir Ali

The life of a business reporter

Kazim Alam

Poll

Will Nawaz Sharif's protest movement against Gilani result in the PM stepping down?

No (81%, 443 Votes)

Yes (19%, 106 Votes)

Total Voters: 549

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Bolivia nationalizes electrical grid

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>President Evo Morales announced Tuesday that his government is completing the nationalization of Bolivia&nbsp;s electricity sector by seizing control of its main power grid from a Spanish-owned company.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Morales took advantage of the symbolism of May Day, the international day of the worker, to order troops to occupy installations of the company, a subsidiary of Red Electrica Corporacion S.A.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;We are nationalizing the Transportadora de Electricidad in the name of the Bolivian people as a fitting homage to the workers who fought for the recovery of our natural resources and basic services,&quot; Morales said during a ceremony at the presidential palace.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Morales&nbsp; fully placing another of what he deems basic services under state control comes as neighboring Argentina moves to seize seizing control of the country&nbsp;s oil company, YPF, from Spain&nbsp;s Repsol, SA, which had held a majority interest.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The policy has discouraged foreign investment, and Spain&nbsp;s ambassador to Bolivia, Ramon Santos, told reporters on Tuesday measure such as the electrical grid takeover &quot;generate legal insecurity.&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Morales did not say how much Red Electric would be compensated for the seized grid, but the nationalization decree says the state will negotiate an indemnization fee.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Morales said only $81 million had been invested in the grid after it was privatized in 1997. Meanwhile, he said, the government &quot;invested $220 million in generation and others profited. For that reason, brothers and sisters, we have decided to nationalize electricity transmission,&quot; he said.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><br />Bolivian soldiers peacefully took over the company&nbsp;s offices in the central city of Cochabamba on Tuesday, hanging Bolivia&nbsp;s flag across its entry.<br />Red Electrica owned 74 percent of Bolivia&nbsp;s electrical transmission network, or 1,720 miles (2,772 kilometers) of high voltage lines.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Two years ago on May Day, the Morales government assumed control over most of Bolivia&nbsp;s electrical generation, nationalizing its main hydroelectric plants. Under Morales, Bolivia&nbsp;s first indigenous president, the government has moved to place energy, water and telecommunications under state control.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In the case of electricity, the government is returning to the public domain a sector privatized over a decade ago. &quot;Just to make it clear to national and international public opinion, we are nationalizing a company that previously was ours,&quot; Morales said.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The 20 percent of the industry the government does not own is in the hands of small companies serving cities in the eastern lowlands that are not connected to the national grid. In his first year in office in 2006, Morales announced he was &quot;nationalizing&quot; the oil and gas sector. He began extracting concessions from multinational energy companies, renegotiating contracts to give Bolivians greater control of and a bigger share of profits from the gas industry, the country&nbsp;s biggest ahead of mining.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In 2008, he used May Day to announce the completion of the nationalization of Bolivia&nbsp;s leading telecommunications company, Entel, from Telecom Italia SpA. However, his government has not been able to complete negotiations to set a price for indemnization for the power plant takeovers with GDF Suez of France and Rurelec PLC of Britain.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>And the nationalizations have alone have not saved Morales from widespread criticism by Bolivians upset over rising consumer prices, lower domestic oil production and general discontent with his government. His approval rating is down to about 40 percent from 69 percent when he began his second term in January 2010.<br />&nbsp;</p>


6.3-magnitude quake shakes Mexico

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 2243 GMT at a depth of 44 kilometers (27 miles) was located 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Tapichula in Mexico&nbsp;s Chiapas state, and 265 kilometers from Guatemala City, the USGS said.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>An 4.6-magnitude aftershock occurred less than 15 minutes later. A quake with a magnitude of 4.5 struck the same spot earlier in the day.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also on Tuesday, a 5.7-magnitude quake struck farther north off Mexico&nbsp;s Pacific coast, about 200 kilometers southwest of the capital Mexico City. There were no reports or casualties or major damage.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>That was the fourth quake felt in the capital in little more than a month, since a major March 20 tremor that left two dead and about a dozen injured.<br /><br />&nbsp;</p>


Sons killed father for inheritance in Phalia

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>As per details, Bagh Ali, resident of Phalia, was living in Rawalpindi. About five months ago, Bagh Ali went missing. A case regarding his missing was registered in Tunch police station on the complaint of Saif Ullah.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A few days ago, the complaint of the case visited Bagh Ali&rsquo;s native town. Saif felt stench from the house and reported to the police.<br />Police recovered body from the house.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Saif alleged that Bagh Ali&rsquo; sons killed their father to get property. <br />&nbsp;</p>


Explosion heard in Kabul, US embassy rings alarm

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>A large explosion was heard in the Afghan capital Kabul Wednesday shortly after US President Barack Obama paid a surprise brief visit to the country.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The US embassy, which neighbours the AFP bureau in Kabul, immediately sounded alarms, warning staff to &quot;take cover, move away from the windows&quot;.<br /><br />&nbsp;</p>


Militants attack police post in Peshawar

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>According to reports, militants targeted the post with heavy weapons but the retaliation by security forces stopped them from moving forward. The militants managed to flee from the scene.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>On the other hand, security forces have cordoned off the area and launched search operation. <br />&nbsp;</p>


Blasts in different cities of Sindh

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>Unknown miscreants targeted ATM machines in different cities of Sindh.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In Hyderabad, at least four ATM machines have been damaged due to the blasts while an ATM machine of the National Bank of Pakistan has also been destroyed by a blast in Nawabshah.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>According to police, miscreants have also blown ATM machines up in Larkana and Kotri.<br />&nbsp;</p>


Clinton arrives in Beijing

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Chinese leaders that risk being overshadowed by the case of an activist said to be under US protection.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Her visit comes at a highly sensitive time for US-China relations, with the US embassy in Beijing said to be protecting the blind rights campaigner Chen Guangcheng, who fled house arrest last week.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Clinton has repeatedly criticised China&nbsp;s treatment of Chen, who escaped from his heavily guarded home on April 22 with the help of supporters and subsequently recorded a video alleging abuses against him and his family.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Chen, a 40-year-old self-taught lawyer, has said his house arrest was punishment for defiantly continuing to speak out about official abuses, and that he and his family had suffered beatings and other brutal treatment.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>US officials have kept an unusually solid wall of secrecy over his case in an indication of the sensitivity of the issue. Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had long planned to go to Beijing for the annual two-day meeting between the world&nbsp;s two largest economies. Before the Chen case, Washington had hoped to showcase small signs of progress in relations with China at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which takes place Thursday and Friday.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Largely in response to inflationary pressure, China has let its yuan appreciate. Currency levels have been a long source of friction, with US lawmakers charging that Beijing keeps the value of the yuan artificially low to flood the world with cheap exports.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>On other sore points, China has in recent weeks reduced imports of oil from Iran, spoken out -- albeit cautiously -- against a rocket launch by North Korea and supported a peace plan for Syria after joining Russia in vetoing two UN resolutions.<br />&nbsp;</p>


Safe heavens for terrorists in Pakistan: Dempsey

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The war in Afghanistan has dragged on for nearly a decade in large part because Washington has employed a strategy that necessitated a &quot;hard slog,&quot; said US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;It&nbsp;s taking so long because we&nbsp;re trying to do it right,&quot; Dempsey told a forum in Washington.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Dempsey&nbsp;s description of &quot;doing it right&quot; means U.S. officials have insisted on building government institutions and security forces that can make Afghanistan a self-sufficient nation after U.S. and NATO forces leave in 2014.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The other option when U.S. forces were first deployed there in late 2001 was to go after Taliban and al Qaeda forces with so much indiscriminate force that the nation would have been leveled.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;The mission in Afghanistan faces long-term challenges. The insurgency draws strength from safe haven and support from within Pakistan and garners popular support by exploiting areas where the Afghan government has failed to provide sufficient governance, rule of law, and economic opportunities,&quot; the Pentagon report states. &quot;Afghan government progress toward key governance and development initiatives remains critical for the sustainability of security gains.&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Dempsey called the U.S.-Pakistani relationship among the most complicated of Washington&nbsp;s many global partnerships, saying he is concerned about &quot;a lot of misunderstandings and mistrust.&quot; The U.S. officials have been &quot;up front&quot; with their Pakistani counterparts about the ongoing ability of Taliban, al Qaeda and other groups to set up shop in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border. From there, they are able to plan and train for operations to thwart Washington&nbsp;s efforts in Afghanistan.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The commanders have made clear they want Pakistan to do more to take out these anti-Western elements, and that a major campaign against them will unfold over the next few months in eastern Afghanistan. &quot;As a result of insurgent safe havens within Pakistan as well as financial and operational support from various outside sources,&quot; states the Pentagon report, &quot;the security situation in eastern Afghanistan remains volatile.&quot;<br />&nbsp;</p>


US death row inmate executed in shooting death

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>A man convicted of murdering a convenience store manager almost 37 years ago was executed by lethal injection Tuesday.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Michael Bascum Selsor, 57, was pronounced dead at 6:06 p.m. Tuesday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Selsor&nbsp;s execution ends more than three decades of legal proceedings in which Selsor was twice convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to die for the Sept. 15, 1975, shooting death of Clayton Chandler.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The 55-year-old Chandler was shot eight times during an armed robbery in which the thieves got away with a little more than $500. Selsor and Richard Dodson, were arrested a week after Chandler&nbsp;s death in Santa Barbara, California, where their car with Oklahoma tags had been spotted.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Selsor was originally convicted and sentenced to death following a 1976 trial, in which Dodson was a co-defendant. Later that year, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated Oklahoma&nbsp;s mandatory death penalty statute. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals modified Selsor&nbsp;s sentence to life in prison without parole.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Selsor initiated a new round of appeals challenging his conviction and in April 1996, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out Selsor&nbsp;s murder conviction, as well as two related convictions. In 1998, Selsor was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death following a retrial. The same jury recommended Selsor serve a life term as an accessory to Dodson&nbsp;s shooting of Chandler&nbsp;s co-worker, Ina Louise Morris, who survived multiple gunshot wounds. The jury also imposed a 20-year term for armed robbery.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>On April 16, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 4-1 against commuting Selsor&nbsp;s death penalty to life in prison without parole. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request for a stay of execution Friday. Defense attorneys had argued that executing Selsor after he has been in prison for almost two generations lacked any deterrent value and would &quot;amount to cruel and unusual punishment&quot; in violation of his constitutional rights under the Eighth Amendment.<br />&nbsp;</p>


Time of war is done, now time of renewal: Obama

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>President Barack Obama said Wednesday a &quot;time of war&quot; was ending in a moment of American renewal, on a secret trip to Afghanistan a year after ordering the death of Osama bin Laden.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In a highly political election-year address from outside Kabul, Obama showcased his record as a commander-in-chief who ended two long wars, and conjured up a new dawn for a nation exhausted by conflict and recession.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;This time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end,&quot; Obama said, recalling a &quot;decade under the dark cloud of war,&quot; after US troops were drawn into the Afghan quagmire after the September 11 attacks in 2001.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;Yet here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon,&quot; said Obama, seeking to use political capital earned by bringing troops home to validate his request for a second White House term.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Obama earlier dropped from night skies into Kabul amid secrecy and tight security and signed a deal with President Hamid Karzai, cementing 10 years of US aid for Afghanistan after NATO combat troops leave in 2014.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;Neither Americans nor the Afghan people asked for this war, yet for a decade we&nbsp;ve stood together,&quot; Obama said at the signing ceremony. &quot;We look forward to a future of peace. We&nbsp;re agreeing to be long-term partners,&quot; said Obama who was due to make a high-security departure from Kabul later on Wednesday.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The pact, agreed last month, sees the possibility of American forces staying behind to train Afghan forces and pursue the remnants of Al-Qaeda for 10 years, but does not commit Washington to specific troop or funding levels for Afghanistan. It is meant to send a signal to US foes that despite ending the longest war in US history, Washington intends to ensure Afghanistan does not revert to a haven for terror groups like Al-Qaeda. But after a war that has cost the lives of nearly 3,000 US and allied troops, maimed tens of thousands more, saw thousands of Afghans killed and cost hundreds of billions of dollars, the future is deeply uncertain.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>After nearly a week of hardball politics, Obama has been accused by angry Republicans of exploiting the heroism of Navy SEAL special forces who conducted the raid to kill bin Laden deep in Pakistan exactly a year ago. But he clearly sought to use the trip to Afghanistan to bolster his credentials as a ruthless leader who had kept his promise to voters to turn from painful wars abroad to rebuilding at home ahead of November&nbsp;s election.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;The Iraq War is over. The number of our troops in harm&nbsp;s way has been cut in half, and more will be coming home soon. We have a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to Al-Qaeda,&quot; he said. &quot;As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it is time to renew America,&quot; Obama said against a backdrop of military vehicles in their sandy desert liveries.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;A united America of grit and resilience, where sunlight glistens off soaring new towers in downtown Manhattan, and we build our future as one people, as one nation,&quot; Obama said. Yet though he sought to put a capstone on the war, Obama&nbsp;s statement effectively meant that US troops could be fighting for two more years, and some could remain in danger for a decade more. And Obama bluntly told American troops there was more suffering to come.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Obama also addressed soldiers at Bagram air force base. &quot;It&nbsp;s still tough, the battle is not yet over. Some of your buddies are going to get injured, some of your buddies may get killed,&quot; Obama said. &quot;There is going to be heartbreak and pain and difficulty ahead, but there is a light on the horizon because of the sacrifices you have made.&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A senior US official said the post-war partnership deal signed after months of wrangling would make &quot;clear to the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other international terrorist groups that they cannot wait us out.&quot; The deal states that the United States does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan and was concluded just over two weeks before a NATO summit in Chicago.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The trip underlined the symbolic power of the presidency at a time when Obama is locked in a fierce row with his Republican election foe Mitt Romney over claims he is hyping the bin Laden death anniversary for political gain. On Monday, Obama had publicly questioned whether Romney would have taken the same decision as he did to launch an elite Navy SEALs raid deep into Pakistan to kill bin Laden in his lair in Abbottabad.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Romney accused Obama of inappropriately exploiting a moment of great national unity for political gain. &quot;Of course, I would have taken out Osama bin Laden, but what&nbsp;s the right course for the economy?&quot; Romney said on CBS &quot;This Morning.&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;These are important issues people care about. The president&nbsp;s not talking about them. My campaign is.&quot;<br />&nbsp;</p>


Android, Samsung hold off Apple in US mobile space

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>Google&nbsp;s Android system has grabbed more than 50 percent of the US smartphone market, while Samsung cemented its leadership as the top device maker, a survey showed Tuesday.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Even though Apple&nbsp;s hot iPhone is surging, it has not dented the lead of the Android system and the South Korean manufacturer, according to a quarterly survey from research firm comScore.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Android system snagged 51 percent of the operating system market in the three months ending in March, up from 47.3 percent in the prior quarter, comScore said.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Apple&nbsp;s operating system had 30.7 percent of the market, up from 29.6 percent.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The biggest loser was BlackBerry, which saw its platform share fall to 12.3 percent from 16 percent. Microsoft&nbsp;s share also slipped to 3.9 percent from 4.7 percent and Symbian held steady at 1.4 percent.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The survey found more than 106 million people in the US owned smartphones during the three months ending in March, up nine percent from December.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Samsung remained the top maker of mobile devices including smartphones, with 26 percent of the US market, from 25.3 percent three months earlier. Second was fellow Korean LG with 19.3 percent, down 0.7 points, and Apple was third with 14.6 percent, up from 12.4 percent and overtaking Motorola.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A separate report earlier this year concluded worldwide shipments of smartphones soared 54.7 percent in the final three months of 2011 from the same period a year earlier, with Apple leading the space.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>An IDC report found smartphone makers shipped 157.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Apple had a 23.5 percent share of the global smartphone market, followed by Samsung and Nokia with 22.8 percent and 12.4 percent respectively.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Android and iPhone smartphones accounted for slightly more than 90 percent of US smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2011, industry-tracker NPD Group reported earlier this year.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>


Girl punished over love marriage

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>According to details, Sobia of Makhdoom Rasheed area of Multan contracted love marriage to a youth of Karachi and after two months she came back for reconciliation with her parents.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sobia&rsquo;s uncle along with his sons and wife attacked her home and blackened the faces of the girl, her sisters, mother and grandfather.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Police registered a case on the complaint of Sobia while the accused fled after locking their house. <br />&nbsp;</p>


US manufacturing grows at fastest pace since June

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>U.S. manufacturing grew last month at the fastest pace in 10 months. New orders, production and a measure of hiring all rose.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The strength at U.S. factories suggests the economy is healthier than recent data had indicated. That&nbsp;s a hopeful sign ahead of Friday&nbsp;s report on hiring in April.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Tuesday that its index of manufacturing activity reached 54.8 in April. That&nbsp;s the highest level since June and up from 53.4 the previous month. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The report, which exceeded analysts&nbsp; expectations, led investors to shift money out of bonds and into stocks. The flurry of stock buying put the Dow Jones industrial average on track for its highest close in more than four years.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The manufacturing index for April is closely watched in part because it&nbsp;s the first major economic report for the month. The big gain followed a series of weaker data in recent weeks that had pointed to slower hiring, increased applications for unemployment benefits and lower factory output.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;This survey will ease concerns that the softer tone of the incoming news in recent months marked the start of a renewed slowdown in growth,&quot; Paul Dales, an economist at Capital Economics, said in a note to clients. &quot;We think the latest recovery is made of sterner stuff, although we doubt it will set the world alight.&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A measure of employment in the ISM&nbsp;s survey rose to a 10-month high. This showed that factories are still hiring at a solid pace.<br />A gauge of new orders jumped to its highest level in a year. That could signal faster production in the coming months. Export orders also rose, which could offset worries that weaker economies in Europe and China could drag on U.S. exports.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A separate report showed that construction spending eked out a gain in March after declining the two previous months. The Commerce Department said construction spending edged up 0.1 percent.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Spending on single-family home construction rose, as did commercial projects. Those gains offset steep cutbacks in state and local government building. Even so, economists noted that the pace of private construction in recent months remains weak.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Factories have been a key source of hiring and growth since the recession ended nearly three years ago. The sector has expanded for 33 straight months, according to the ISM&nbsp;s index.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Factories account for only about 9 percent of total payrolls but added 13 percent of the new jobs last year. Manufacturers have added 120,000 jobs in the past three months, about one-fifth of all net gains.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Previous reports on manufacturing have been negative. Factory output fell in March, the Federal Reserve said last week. Companies made fewer electronic products and cut back on steel and other metals. That decline came after three months of strong gains. But economists said the slight downturn wasn&nbsp;t enough to suggest a major slowdown.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Still, consumers cut back last month on purchases of big-ticket items such as automobiles and appliances. And while the job market is improving, incomes are barely growing. That could weigh on consumer spending in the coming months.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Business investment is also slowing. Companies increased their spending on equipment and software at the slowest pace in nearly three years in the January-March quarter, the government said last week.<br />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Economists nevertheless expect most of the challenges to be temporary. Companies may be ordering less heavy equipment because an investment tax credit expired at the start of the year. Orders are likely to rebound later this year, economists say.<br />&nbsp;</p>


FIFA hits 6 players with global ban in fixing case

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>FIFA has extended the two-year suspensions for six players implicated in fixing matches in Finland to apply worldwide.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>FIFA says the players were initially banned from &quot;taking part in any football-related activity&quot; through to April 5, 2013, by the Finland Football Federation last month.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>They are: Godfrey Chibanga, Chileshe Chibwe, Steven Kunda, Christopher Musonda, Chanda Mwaba and Nchimunya Mweetwa.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Zambian players with the RoPS team from Rovaniemi were implicated in a match-fixing scandal that led to a criminal trial last year.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Several players received suspended prison sentences for accepting up to $40,000 in bribes to manipulate the outcome of matches.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Singapore businessman Wilson Raj Perumal received a two-year prison sentence.<br />&nbsp;</p>


Palestinian president cancels trip to Libya

Posted:

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Palestinian president called off a planned trip to Libya Tuesday after a militia group surrounded the headquarters of the caretaker Libyan government, an official said.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The official said Mahmoud Abbas, who has been in Tunisia this week, was expected to go to Libya but canceled because of security concerns. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Early Tuesday, a militia surrounded the building of the National Transitional Council in Tripoli. Abbas was supposed to meet NTC head Mustafa Abdul-Jalil there.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Libyan government has failed to impose its authority on the country since the overthrow of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi last year. Militias control large parts of the country and the capital.<br />&nbsp;</p>


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