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Monday, March 2, 2009

In a recession, tech gadgets become a luxury

Matthew Baron is one of those gizmo guys, the kind who covets all toys new and shiny.But the Brooklyn, New York, attorney, like so many other American consumers who are watching their bank account balances, is reassessing his gadget habit. "If I'm going to buy something, I want it to count. I want it to last," said Baron, who incidentally goes by "OMG! Ponies!" when he posts comments on Gizmodo, a popular tech and gadget blog. So, even though he'd like to upgrade his 4½ -year-old HDTV, this cowboy's holding back the reins. And while the latest iPhone was a "must have" for Baron, he said he's "waiting to pull the trigger" on that camera he's been circling. "I just can't go out and spend $400 right now." Ignoring what you want. Recycling the old. Fixing what can be saved. Is this the new American way when it comes to tech toys and electronics -- an industry in which new gadgets can become outdated within months? Many consumers are hoping to make products last longer, which is keeping businesses that repair and refurbish computers and other gadgets and electronics as busy as ever.

Nokia confirms US phone problem

Nokia is investigating reports of problems with its touchscreen 5800 phone in the US, just days after the mobile was launched. The device has been removed from sale at two flagship stores in the US. The problem is with connections to US 3G networks, BBC News has learned. A spokeswoman for Nokia told BBC News: "A small number of devices are not connecting with 3G networks and we are looking through that right now." She said the phone continued to be sold in "certain network areas". At the New York and Chicago flagship stores only the European version of the Nokia 5800 is on sale. Sales agents at the New York store are telling customers the phone has a "little issue" and they are "not being sold at all while the problems are looked into".

Goodbye winter carnival begins in Russia

MOSCOW Russians start to enjoy a weeklong pancake fest, or Maslenitsa, which comes before Lent and marks the end of winter. Open air celebrations were launched all across the country on Monday.Moscow once again became the heart of the celebrations. A fair where everyone can taste pancakes, honey and hot drinks based on the traditional Russian recipes has opened in the city’s center, just meters away from the Red Square. Discotheques, Slavic folk games, various competitions will be organized in different parts of Moscow throughout the week. But the culmination of the festivities will be a huge pageant on March 1, which, the organizers say, can be compared to the Brazilian carnival. Maslenitsa, also known as Pancake Week, is a Russian religious and folk holiday, a centuries-old tradition with pagan and Orthodox Christian significance. In Slavic mythology it's the celebration of the coming end of winter.

Aussies win first Test in South Africa

South Africa, Johannesburg Man-of-the-match Mitchell Johnson delivered the final blow as Australia beat South Africa by 162 runs in the first Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Monday.Australian strike bowler Johnson claimed another four wickets in the second innings for 112 runs -- his match return was eight for 137 -- and he also contributed 96 not out with the bat. South Africa, faced with a formidable win target of 454, started the final day feeling reasonably confident of at least holding out for a draw in the first encounter of a three-Test series. The tourists, who lost a home series against the Proteas earlier in the season, had other ideas with Peter Siddle weighing in with three wickets as Australia triumphed just after tea as South Africa were all out 291. Hashim Amla (57) and Jacques Kallis (45) were the only batsmen to offer any real resistance after the hosts resumed at 178 for two. Amla reached his half-century in 103 balls, but he fell when attempting to flick Siddle through the leg side -- Phillip Hughes taking a straightforward catch at short square-leg. AB de Villiers was next to follow when Billy Bowden sent him on his way after being trapped leg before by Andrew McDonald for three while Johnson then wreaked havoc with the new ball. Kallis, attempting to drive, only succeeded in playing on as South Africa slumped to 247 for five at lunch. JP Duminy was first to go on the resumption when his attempts to fend off a Siddle bouncer saw him held at second slip for 29 before Morne Morkel was caught for two following and attempted pull off Johnson. Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (24) was clean bowled when a Ben Hilfenhaus ball cut back off the pitch and victory came eight deliveries after tea. Paul Harris was caught at short-leg by Simon Katich off Siddle for eight, before Johnson bowled Dale Steyn for six to seal the win. Siddle returned three for 46 in the second innings, while Hilfenhaus picked up two for 68. The next Test begins in Durban on Friday. 

Pakistan reaches 101-1 after Sri Lanka amassed 606

Pakistan, LAHORE Pakistan reached 110-1 in response to Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 606 at close on the second day of the second cricket test at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday. Earlier, Thilan Samaraweera scored his second double hundred in a row and Tillekaratne Dilshan stroked a fluent century.  Pakistan were 110 for one in reply at the close on Monday with Salman Butt run out in the final over of the day for 48. Fellow opener Khurrum Manzoor is unbeaten on 59.  Samaraweera scored a majestic 214 and Dilshan 145, overshadowing career-best test figures of six for 135 by Umar Gul. The 32-year-old Samaraweera, who scored 231 in the drawn first test in Karachi, batted for almost seven hours, facing 338 balls and hitting 32 fours. "I have changed my attitude towards batting and now I am more positive and play my shots," said Samaraweera. "Now I am more positive and I look to play my shots. I have also narrowed down my stance and increased my back lift which has made batting more comfortable for me in last four series." Samaraweera said a result was still possible in the test if the pace bowlers bowled in the right areas. "I think Gul today bowled the right length just short. If our bowlers can hit the areas we can get a result. The pitch should also develop cracks on the final day for our spinners." Samaraweera's long innings ended when was run out when he called for a sharp single to cover from where Shoaib Malik relayed the ball to the wicket keeper via Danish Kaneria with both batsmen stranded in the middle. His dismissal ended a record 207-run fifth wicket stand with Dilshan, the best for the wicket by Sri Lanka against Pakistan, surpassing the 143 between Russell Arnold and Romesh Kaluwitharana set at Lahore in 1999. 

Dow slides below 7,000; AIG takes $62B hit

Wall Street's benchmark Dow Jones index plunged below 7,000 points Monday -- a 12-year low -- after U.S. insurance giant AIG revealed monumental quarterly losses of $62 billion.AIG's results came hours after the U.S. government announced a $30 billion lifeline for the ailing company on top of $150 billion it has already received in bailout funding. The U.S. government, saying it needed to prevent broad damage to the financial system, announced Monday it was again restructuring the bailout of AIG. But the intervention did little to calm the nerves of U.S. investors, already reeling from bruising selloffs last week. By noon in New York, the Dow had slid about 3 percent to a 12-year low. The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 were also down. AIG dragged down other U.S. financial stocks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.

Shahbaz for reinstatement of ‘real judges’ to save country

Pakistan, BAHAWALPUR Former chief minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif Monday said ‘real judges’ will have to be reinstated in order to save the country. Addressing a public meeting here, he said calling the present judges as judges would be tantamount to insulting justice. “These are the same judges who are responsible for disfiguring the original shape of the Constitution,” Shahbaz Sharif critisized. He said President Asif Ali Zardari offered to keep the Assembly membership and the ministries intact in exchange for accepting the PCO judges. He said he rejected the offer out rightly.

Nationalists may lose power in Spain's Basque election

MADRID, Spain The incumbent Basque nationalists won the most seats in Basque regional parliamentary elections on Sunday, but they could lose a 29-year hold on power because three non-nationalist parties won a combined majority for the first time, according to official election results.The vote for the powerful 75-seat regional parliament and Basque president are seen as a bellwether of the region's sentiment on how to end decades of violence by the Basque separatist group ETA. The moderate Basque Nationalist Party won 30 seats, and its traditional smaller party allies won seven more. But the crucial 38-seat majority went to the Basque branches of Spain's ruling Socialist Party, with 24 seats; the conservative Popular Party, with 13 seats; and the new Progressive Union and Democracy party, with one seat, according to official results. The Socialist candidate, Patxi Lopez, told supporters the vote "legitimized" his bid to "lead the change." Negotiations with other parties to make Lopez the next Basque president were expected in the coming days. The non-nationalist parties have taken a forceful line on trying to end ETA's violence, blamed for nearly 800 deaths. ETA stands for Euskadi ta Askatasuna, or "Basque Homeland and Liberty" in the Basque language. The group wants an independent Basque homeland, but is classified as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States, because of car bombings and fatal shootings.

Second day’s play underway in Lahore Test

Pakistan, LAHORE The second day’s play in the second test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is underway at Gaddafi Stadium here.Touring Sri Lanka resumed its innings with 317-4 as Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera remained at the crease. Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera notched brilliant hundreds to help Sri Lanka recover from early wobbles on the opening day of their second Test against Pakistan here on Sunday. Samaraweera followed his 231 in the drawn first Test in Karachi with a superb unbeaten 133 while Sangakkara scored 104 as the tourists recovered from 35-2 to reach 317-4 after Pakistan won the toss and put their opponents in. Pakistan had exploited the early life from a green-looking Gaddafi Stadium pitch by removing openers Malinda Warnapura (eight) and Tharanga Paranavitana (21) and then had the prized scalp of skipper Mahela Jayawardene (30). But left-hander Sangakkara and Samaraweera settled down gradually and benefited from some sloppy work by Pakistan fielders who dropped two crucial catches - one off each batsman. For Pakistan, pace spearhead Umar Gul (3-67) provided breakthroughs but the Sangakkara-Samaraweera pairing foiled all the home team's attempts until their 204-run stand for the fourth wicket was broken with the second new ball. Sangakkara snicked to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal in Yasir Arafat's second over with the new ball. Sangakkara hit eight boundaries during his 334-minute stay.

Sangakkara said he was shocked at Pakistan's decision to field first.

"I was surprised to be put into bat," said the 31-year-old. "The pitch looks a good batting strip and once we lost three wickets it was a case of batting sensibly. We did that and now hope when Pakistan bats, the pitch turns more."

Ogilvy beats Casey to win Match Play

Australian Geoff Ogilvy won the 36-hole WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship for the second time in four years, defeating Paul Casey of England 4 and 3, at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana, Arizona.Ogilvy, the 2006 champion and 2007 runner-up, had a 4-up lead in the Sunday morning session after the first nine holes. In 33 holes he had 10 birdies and an eagle, securing the win. As the winner, he wins $1,350,000. Ogilvy earned a place in Sunday's final after beating American Stewart Cink, while Casey had won an all-English semifinal against Ross Fisher. Cink won the third-place consolation match against Fisher, who was making his Match Play debut, 1 up. The tournament had marked the return of world number one Tiger Woods, who crashed out in the second round Thursday to South African Tim Clark.

Manchester United beat Tottenham, win League Cup final

LONDON Ben Foster kept Manchester United's bid for an unprecedented five trophies on track with a man-of-the-match performance in a penalty shoot-out win over Tottenham in the League Cup final here on Sunday. The England goalkeeper produced two crucial saves to deny Tottenham victory in open play, where the teams finished locked at 0-0, before pulling off a superb stop to keep out Jamie O'Hara's opening penalty for the visitors. That handed United the edge and, after David Bentley had sent Spurs' third spot-kick wide, Brazilian midfielder Anderson coolly converted to ensure United won the shoot-out 4-1 and lifted the trophy for only the third time in the club's history. Having already bagged the World Club Championship in December, Sir Alex Ferguson's side now have a chance to emulate the great Celtic side of 1967 by completing a domestic treble as well as bringing home the European Cup. "They took their penalties very comfortably. Ben Foster's fantastic first save has given us a big lift there," said Ferguson. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said: "I thought we were terrific. It was a great performance and it comes down to a lottery in the end with penalties. "We weren't that confident with our penalty takers, really. That's how it goes but overall they couldn't beat us, not in 90 minutes plus extra time. I thought we didn't deserve to lose, I thought we were fantastic." It was a triumph that United probably just about deserved after coming agonisingly close to sealing victory in the third minute of injury time at the end of the first 90 minutes. Collecting Darron Gibson's pass on the right of the box, Cristiano Ronaldo cut inside and beat Heurelho Gomes at his near post with a shot that clattered off the inside of the upright at such pace that Nani was unable to direct the rebound on target. That capped a frustrating 90 minutes for the Portugal winger, who had earlier been booked for diving when he might easily have won his side a penalty. Tottenham, too, might have dispensed with the need for extra-time if Aaron Lennon had been able to beat Foster from ten yards out midway through the second half. Such an outcome would have been an unfair reflection of a contest in which United mostly held the upper hand, although United had reason to be grateful to Foster once more he thwarted Darren Bent with his legs, five minutes before the end of the second period of the time. The lure of making history did not prevent Ferguson from keeping faith with the homegrown talents -- Jonny Evans, Gibson and Danny Welbeck -- who had formed the spine of his side on the road to Wembley. The same principle was applied to the likes of Nani and Carlos Tevez, for whom the competition has offered respite from the frustration of bit-part roles on bigger stages.

Having lost Jonathan Woodgate to an Achilles problem on the morning of the match, Tottenham named their strongest available side. That was not sufficient however to prevent United from dominating the opening period courtesy of their sharper cutting edge, although neither side could boast any clear cut chances. Perhaps the best of United's opportunities fell to Welbeck, who was let down by a poor first touch after being sent beyond Tottenham's centre-backs by Paul Scholes' exquisitely-judged delivery. Gibson showed greater composure when a blocked Tevez shot rebounded into his path. A purely struck shot from all of 35 yards whizzed only inches above the angle of post and crossbar. Rio Ferdinand then found the roof of the net with a dipping volley before Tottenham belatedly began to apply some pressure of their own in the run-up to the interval. Luka Modric's inventive prompting and the penetration of Lennon down the right offered encouragement but Ferdinand and Evans repeatedly thwarted any attempt to translate promising build-up into genuine openings. Welbeck made way for Anderson as the hour mark approached, allowing Ronaldo and Nani to join Tevez in an attacking trident. Shortly afterwards, Tevez found the side netting as he tried to backheel a miscued shot from Evans back towards goal and United were left with justifiable cause for complaint when Ronaldo was booked for diving in the 67th minute.

Mugabe hosts lavish party despite national crisis

CHINHOYI, Zimbabwe  Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was celebrating his 85th birthday with a lavish all-day party Saturday despite the fact that the country is gripped by an economic and health crisis.Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said it raised at least $250,000 to hold the party in Mugabe's hometown of Chinhoyi, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) outside of the capital, Harare. Critics of the president say the country is desperate for that amount of money to be spent instead on its citizens, who are suffering from a cholera outbreak, food shortages, and spiraling hyperinflation. On Friday, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai visited a hospital's closed intensive care unit that he said needed $30,000 to resume operating. During the celebrations, Mugabe announced that his controversial land reform would not be reversed. The program is designed to have white-owned farms given to blacks, and there have been violent seizures of such farms since the program began in 2000.

U.N. opens prosecution over Hariri assassination

BEIRUT, Lebanon  The United Nations Sunday launched a special tribunal to prosecute the assassins of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.The tribunal convened at The Hague more than four years after Hariri was killed in a massive car bombing in Beirut on February 14, 2005. The bomb, detonated as Hariri's armored motorcade passed through Beirut's fashionable seaside Corniche district, contained hundreds of pounds of explosives. It left buildings shattered and streets littered with the mangled wreckage of vehicles. The blast also killed 22 other people. The Lebanese army was out in force on the streets of Beirut Sunday as people turned out to pay their respects to Hariri, who is buried downtown in the Lebanese capital. The U.N. tribunal will have 11 judges, whose identities are being kept secret for their safety. Four will be Lebanese. The prosecution could take as long as 10 years, sources close to the tribunal said. Four senior Lebanese generals are being held over the bombing, which also killed 22 other people. But many Lebanese -- as well as the United States and U.N. investigators -- believe Syria ordered the assassination. Syria denies it. The tribunal's prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, refused to commit when asked at a news conference Sunday if Syrians would be charged. He said the public would have to wait and see.

Militant sanctuaries pose biggest Afghanistan threat: Gates

USA, WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Robert Gates said his biggest concern in the war in Afghanistan is the threat posed by sanctuaries for Islamic militants near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. 
The threat is from “safe havens on the Pakistani side of the border, not just for al-Qaeda, but for the Taliban” and other groups “working together,” Gates said on a US news channel.  “After all, 20 years ago I was on the other side of that border as deputy director of the CIA, fighting the Soviets,” Gates said, referring to the Central Intelligence Agency. “And we had the safe haven in Pakistan, and let me tell you, it made a big difference.”  President Barack Obama in February ordered 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to battle the Taliban and allied Islamic militant groups. Obama’s administration has increased criticism of President Hamid Karzai’s government as the White House prepares an overhaul of policies toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in January that the Afghan government is “plagued by limited capacity and widespread corruption.”  Turning to Russia, Gates said it’s “not entirely clear” where its policy is headed.  “As I said in the last administration, for the first time in American history you had a secretary of state and secretary of defense both with doctorates in Russian history, and we didn’t have a clue what was going on,” said Gates, 65, referring to himself and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Asia markets plunge on Wall Street fears

Markets across Asia tumbled Monday as Wall Street teetered on the edge of 12-year lows.Japan's influential Nikkei average finished down 3.8 percent, while the All Ordinaries index in Australia closed down 2.8 percent. In Seoul, the KOSPI lost 4.2 percent and the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dipped 3.8 percent. The dismal trading comes as Wall Street sits on the precipice of nearly 12-year lows. The Dow Jones Industrials closed down 1.7 percent on Friday at 7,063, while the broader-based Standard and Poor's 500 lost 2.7 percent, to finish the week at 735. The tech-heavy NASDAQ lost about a percent and closed at 1,378.

All the pressure points for the economy and business are in play this week with reports or congressional hearings due on housing, consumer spending, government spending, bank rescue efforts, manufacturing and, perhaps most significantly, the labor market. How Wall Street reacts to the news will be key. Investors continue to look for signs that the market has factored in enough of the bad news to at least stabilize, if not move higher.

13 additional judges appointed in SHC

Pakistan, ISLAMABAD President Asif Ali Zardari has appointed thirteen additional judges in Sindh High Court (SHC). A notification for the appointment of 13 additional judges has been issued according to which these judges have been appointed for the term of one year. The newly appointed additional judges are Sofia Latif, Muhammad Iqbal Meher, Islam Talibuddin, Khadim Hussain Shaikh, Muhammad Ismail Bhutto, Amir Rizvi Naqvi and Muhammad Karim Agha. Deposed judge Arshad Siraj also included among the additional judges whereas additional judge SHC Khalid Ali has been made permanent by the president.