International Headlines

Date: Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 8:02 PM
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 04 April, 2010

> ANGLICAN LEADER: CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS 'LOST CREDIBILITY'
The Irish Catholic Church has lost "all credibility" following
the abuse scandal, the head of the Anglican Church says in an
interview to be broadcast Monday.

> DIEHARDS LINE UP FOR FIRST APPLE IPADS
Thousands of people lined up outside stores across the United
States on Saturday to be among the first to buy the iPad, a
tabletlike computer that's Apple's most-awaited gadget since the
first iPhone launched three years ago.

> PAKISTAN GUNBATTLE LEAVES 36 DEAD
Thirty militants and six Pakistani soldiers died Saturday during
a gunbattle in the country's tribal region, Pakistani military
officials said.

> GUNMEN KILL 25 IN ATTACK ON IRAQI VILLAGE
Gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed houses and killed 25
people, including five women, in a Sunni village south of
Baghdad, officials said Saturday.

> AFGHAN SOLDIERS KILLED BY MISTAKE
International forces mistakenly killed six Afghan soldiers in
northern Kunduz province, Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said.

> RESCUERS ENTER FLOODED MINE IN CHINA
Rescuers have heard sounds, including what seemed to be voices,
from a flooded coal mine in China where 153 people have been
trapped for days, state-run media reported Friday.

> 'RED SHIRTS' PROTEST IN BANGKOK
Thousands of people hit the streets of Bangkok Saturday,
extending the weeks-long anti-government protests, police said.

> ALLEGED 'JIHAD JANE' ACCOMPLICE INDICTED
A Colorado woman who was arrested in Ireland reportedly as part
of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit murder has been
indicted on terror charges in the United States, prosecutors
said Friday.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> INVESTORS EXCITED OVER APPLE'S IPAD
At least 200,000 US residents will get their hands on Apple's
new iPad on Saturday, convinced that, without ever having held
one, the mouseless computer is right for them.

> DAIMLER FINED $185M FOR BRIBERY
German carmaker Daimler AG and three of its subsidiaries pleaded
guilty to bribing government officials with tens of millions of
dollars in Russia, China and 20 other countries, the U.S.
Justice Department announced.

> U.S. ECONOMY ADDS 162,000 JOBS
The U.S. economy created 162,000 jobs last month the government
said on Friday, bolstering hopes that the economic recovery is
gathering steam.

International Headlines

4/02/2010
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 03 April, 2010

> IRAN MAY SEND WEAPONS TO TALIBAN, U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS
New U.S. military intelligence suggests Iran plans to smuggle
weapons into Afghanistan in the coming weeks, a senior U.S.
Defense Department official said Friday.

> TEEN ID'D AS MOSCOW SUBWAY BOMBER
Investigators identify one of the female suicide bombers in
Monday's deadly metro attacks in Moscow as teenager Dzhennet
Abdullayeva from Dagestan.

> 'CHARLIE'S ANGELS' FORSYTHE DIES
Actor John Forsythe has died at the age of 92, his publicist
said Friday.

> SINGER CITED FOR NAKED STROLL
Erykah Badu's naked stroll through downtown Dallas, Texas, for a
music video has earned her a disorderly conduct citation.

> FLIGHTS TO U.S. FACE TIGHTER SECURITY
The U.S. is to announce tougher airport checks Friday for people
entering the country as a result of a review ordered after the
failed December 25 attack over Detroit.

> PREACHER: ABUSE FURY 'LIKE ANTISEMITISM'
Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher on Friday compared the
fury aimed at the Catholic leadership because of sexual abuse
within the Church to aspects of antisemitism.

> GAMERS PLEAD GUILTY TO BABY'S DEATH
A South Korean couple whose three-month-old daughter died of
malnutrition while they raised a virtual child in an online game
has pleaded guilty to negligent homicide.

> HITLER'S STUDENT SKETCHES UP FOR SALE
A British auction house plans to sell off newly discovered
sketches done by Adolf Hitler when he was a struggling student
trying desperately to get into art school.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> DAIMLER FINED $185M FOR BRIBERY
German carmaker Daimler AG and three of its subsidiaries pleaded
guilty to bribing government officials with tens of millions of
dollars in Russia, China and 20 other countries, the U.S.
Justice Department announced.

> U.S. ECONOMY ADDS 162,000 JOBS
The U.S. economy created 162,000 jobs last month the government
said on Friday, bolstering hopes that the economic recovery is
gathering steam.

> U.S. MANUFACTURING ON THE INCREASE
Manufacturing activity grew for the eighth straight month in
March, at the fastest rates since July 2004, according to a new
report.

Breaking News

Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 09:59:04 -0400

Investigators identify a 17-year-old girl as one of the suicide
bombers from Monday's Moscow metro attack.

Employers added 162,000 jobs in March, though 48,000 of those are census hires, government says. Jobeless rate firm at 9.7%.

Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:46:52 -0400

Employers added 162,000 jobs in March, though 48,000 of those are
census hires, government says. Jobeless rate firm at 9.7%.

International Headlines

Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 20:02:03 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 02 April, 2010

> EXECUTION OF 'SORCERER' PUT ON HOLD
A Lebanese man condemned to death by a court in Saudi Arabia for
offering predictions on a Lebanese TV network won't face
beheading Friday, his lawyer has said.

> VATICAN SLAMS NY TIMES ABUSE COVERAGE
A top Vatican official harshly criticizes The New York Times'
coverage of the Catholic sexual abuse crisis in a lengthy
article posted on the Vatican Web site.

> ARMY SEIZES PM IN GUINEA-BISSAU
Army officers in Guinea-Bissau, the small West African nation,
briefly seized the prime minister and arrested the nation's army
chief on Thursday, and media reports quote another army officer
as saying he is in control of the country.

> HU TO ATTEND OBAMA'S NUCLEAR SUMMIT
Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend next month's nuclear
summit in Washington amid U.S. hopes Beijing can be persuaded to
back tougher sanctions against Iran.

> PIRATES NABBED AFTER RAIDING NAVY SHIP
A group of suspected pirates was captured Thursday after
attacking a U.S. Navy frigate in the Indian Ocean, according to
a statement released by the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

> MEDVEDEV IN DAGESTAN FOR SECURITY TALKS
A car exploded in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan late
Wednesday, killing two men and wounding another, Russian
state-run news agency Itar-Tass reported.

> AL-SADR FLEXES POLITICAL MUSCLES IN IRAQ
Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric with a loyal following
among the Shiite population in Iraq, could play a major role in
the formation of a new national government.

> GAMERS FACE TRIAL OVER BABY'S DEATH
The trial of a South Korean couple whose 3-month-old baby
allegedly died of malnutrition while they nurtured an animated
child during marathon sessions playing an online game begins
Friday in Suwon, a satellite city south of Seoul.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> CHINESE FACTORIES HUM AT RECORD PACE
Chinese manufacturing activity expanded at a record pace in the
first quarter of this year in another sign of the country's
strong recovery.

> SURVEY: JAPAN'S BUSINESS MOOD IMPROVES
Pessimism among companies in the world's second-biggest economy has
declined during the first three months of this year, a
survey by Japan's central bank showed.

> U.S. EXTENDS TANKER BID DEADLINE
The Pentagon is extending its deadline for bids on a projected
$35 billion-plus contract to build the Air Force's new air
refueling tanker to allow Europe's Airbus to submit a proposal.

Markets, Thursday, 04/1/2010

Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:34:45 -0400

|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dow : 10,834.41 down 1.74 | S & P : 1,165.16 down 2.56 |
| NASDAQ: 2,397.40 down 1.36 | Bond (10Y): 3.90% up 0.072
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|

MARKETS:
Dow, S&P 500 at new 18-month highs
Stock advance recharges at the end of a choppy session ahead of a long
holiday weekend. Investors welcome improved readings on economy, but
show caution.

U.S. stocks advance on hope for global rebound

Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:01:15 -0400

U.S. STOCKS ADVANCE ON HOPE FOR GLOBAL REBOUND
U.S. stocks climb broadly on Thursday after reports that jobless
claims fell in the U.S. and international manufacturing expanded both
in Asia and Europe.

JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL 6,000 IN LATEST WEEK
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits falls 6,000 in
the week ended March 27 to a seasonally adjusted 439,000, the Labor
Department reports.

U.S. ISM MANUFACTURING INDEX RISES TO 6-YEAR HIGH
The U.S. manufacturing sector expands for an eighth straight month in
March, boosted by stronger orders and production, the Institute for
Supply Management reports.

DOLLAR RISES TO SEVEN-MONTH HIGH VERSUS YEN
The U.S. dollar rises to a seven-month high versus the Japanese yen,
though it fell against other currencies, as investors sorted through
global economic data that signaled the recovery was picking up pace.

RIM SHARES FALL ON WORRIES ABOUT REVENUE, OUTLOOK
Research In Motion Ltd. saw its shares fall Thursday morning after the
wireless device maker reported disappointing revenue and unit
shipments for the fourth fiscal quarter.

Manufacturing activity grows in March to the fastest pace since July 2004, purchasing managers say.

Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:22 AM

Manufacturing activity grows in March to the fastest pace since July
2004, purchasing managers say.

Stocks pop in the first moments of trading on signs of a stabilizing employment picture. Dow adds 77 points.

Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:00 AM

Stocks pop in the first moments of trading on signs of a stabilizing
employment picture. Dow adds 77 points.

Initial claims for unemployment fall in latest week to 439,000 - matching lowest level since August 2008, Labor Department says.

Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 9:58 AM

Initial claims for unemployment fall in latest week to 439,000 -
matching lowest level since August 2008, Labor Department says.

International Headlines

Date: Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 8:02 PM
TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 01 April, 2010

> INTERNATIONAL DONORS PLEDGE ALMOST $10 BILLION FOR HAITI
A broad array of international donors pledge nearly $10 billion
in long-term assistance to Haiti's earthquake recovery efforts
during a daylong U.N. conference.

> CHECHEN REBEL CLAIMS MOSCOW ATTACK
Chechen rebel leader Dokku Umarov claims he personally ordered
attacks on Moscow's subway system, killing 39 people, according
to a Chechen rebel Web site

> DEATH DATE SET IN SAUDI 'SORCERY' CASE
A Lebanese television presenter sentenced to death for sorcery
in Saudi Arabia is set to be beheaded on Friday, the man's
lawyer said Wednesday.

> OBAMA ENERGY PLAN TO EXPAND DRILLING
President Obama today announced plans to open large parts of
U.S. coastal waters in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to
oil and natural gas drilling.

> SERB LAWMAKERS CONDEMN MASSACRE
Serb lawmakers have voted to officially condemn the 1995
massacre by Bosnian Serb forces of thousands of Muslim men and
boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.

> JUDGE OKS PROBE OF KENYA VIOLENCE
Pretrial judges at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday
authorized a prosecutor to investigate Kenya's post-election
violence, a move that could lead to key leaders facing charges
at The Hague.

> UK PANEL CLEARS 'CLIMATEGATE' SCIENTIST
The UK scientist at the center of the "Climategate" controversy
over leaked e-mails has been cleared of hiding or manipulating
data by a parliamentary committee.

> SOUTH KOREAN SAILOR SEARCH SUSPENDED
The South Korean military suspended its search for missing
sailors Wednesday because of high winds spawned by stormy
weather, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> THE RISE OF CHINESE LUXURY BRANDS
Shop at any of the high end stores in Hong Kong and it's easy to
see why luxury brands love Chinese shoppers.

> EMI SCRAPS TALKS TO SELL AMERICAS RIGHTS
EMI has abandoned talks about a rescue deal to sell off its
distribution rights in the Americas due to concerns about price,
timing and whether the sale could be blocked by Citigroup,
holder of all of the music group's £3.2 billion ($4.8B) debts.

> BSKYB ORDERED TO SELL SPORT TO RIVALS
Ofcom ruled on Wednesday that British Sky Broadcasting must sell
Premier League football and other premium programming to rivals.

Markets, Wednesday, 03/31/2010

Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:37:26 -0400

|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dow : 10,834.41 down 1.74 | S & P : 1,165.16 down 2.56 |
| NASDAQ: 2,397.40 down 1.36 | Bond (10Y): 3.90% up 0.072
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|

MARKETS:
Stocks: Strong quarter ends with a loss
Disappointing payroll and manufacturing data weigh on Wednesday
markets. Despite drop, Dow finishes quarter with a 4.1% gain.

Breaking News: More blame Obama for poor economy, unemployment

Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:55:28 -0600

Americans anxious about unemployment and the economy increasingly
blame President Obama for hard times, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds,
amid signs of turbulence in November's midterm elections. His standing
on four personal qualities has sagged, and 50% of those surveyed say
he doesn't deserve re-election.

Stocks close out a strong quarter despite Wednesday decline. Dow dips 49 points, but still finishes up 4.1% for the first quarter.

Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:21:27 -0400

Stocks close out a strong quarter despite Wednesday decline. Dow dips
49 points, but still finishes up 4.1% for the first quarter.

Stocks tilt mainly lower after ADP disappoints

Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:01:01 -0400

STOCKS TILT MAINLY LOWER AFTER ADP DISAPPOINTS
U.S. stocks waver on the last trading day of the quarter after
private-sector jobs drop more than expected.

YUAN'S FAIR VALUE DEBATED INSIDE AND OUTSIDE CHINA
As Beijing offers contradictory views this week on whether to allow
its currency to appreciate, analysts also appear at odds over whether
the Chinese unit should move higher, with some saying the yuan might
even be undervalued.

CHINA'S PBOC MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE EXPANDS
China's Cabinet appoints three economists to the People's Bank of
China monetary policy committee, raising the number of academics on
the committee as the country faces tough decisions concerning the
yuan's exchange rate and interest rates.

CHINA STOCK FUTURES TO GARNER GRADUAL INTEREST
The pending launch of stock-index futures in China next month will
enable mainland investors to make bigger bets on the direction of the
equity market, though the uptake is expected to be slow in the early
stages.

Private-sector payrolls fell by 23,000 in March, payroll company ADP reports. Economists expected an increase. Stock futures fall.

Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:02:38 -0400

Private-sector payrolls fell by 23,000 in March, payroll company ADP
reports. Economists expected ( for a 40,000 rise) an increase. Stock
futures fall.

Stocks fall in early trading after private sector employment figures were surprisingly weak. Dow sheds 27 points.

Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:39:29 -0400

Stocks fall in early trading after private sector employment figures
were surprisingly weak. Dow sheds 27 points.

Breaking news: Obama to allow oil drilling off Va. coast

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:26:33 -0600

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a reversal of a long-standing ban on most
offshore drilling, President Obama is allowing oil drilling 50 miles
off Virginia's shorelines. At the same time, he is rejecting some new
drilling sites that had been planned in Alaska.

International Headlines

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:02:04 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 31 March, 2010

> COLOMBIAN SOLDIER HELD 12 YEARS IS FREED BY REBELS
A Colombian soldier, held by Colombian FARC rebels as a hostage
for more than 12 years, has been released and handed over to the
Red Cross, the Red Cross has said.

> MOSCOW BOMB SUSPECTS' PHOTOS SHOWN
Russian police release images of two women suspected of being
the suicide bombers who killed at least 39 people on the Moscow
metro on Monday.

> SREBRENICA WOMEN 'CANNOT SUE U.N.'
The Court of Appeal at The Hague rules that a group of women
cannot sue the U.N. for failing to prevent the 1995 massacre of
7,000 men and boys in Srebrenica, Bosnia.

> DIVER KILLED IN S. KOREAN SHIP SEARCH
An experienced diver and master sergeant in the South Korean
navy died Tuesday while conducting rescue efforts for 46 seamen
who were aboard a patrol ship when it sank, a military official
said.

> GIANT ATOM SMASHER IN BREAKTHROUGH
Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider manage to collide two
proton beams at high energy, marking "new territory" for physics
in their hunt for the so-called "God particle."

> MISSING SHEIKH FOUND DEAD AFTER CRASH
The body of the managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment
Fund has been found four days after a plane crash in Morocco,
the official United Arab Emirates news agency reported Tuesday.

> HOSPITAL RAPPED OVER DISCARDED FETUSES
Staffers at an eastern Chinese hospital have been disciplined
after the bodies of 21 fetuses and infants were found improperly
discarded near a river, according to officials and media
reports.

> FRENCH BANK ROBBED THROUGH BASEMENT
Robbers broke into the basement of a French bank over the
weekend and made off with an unknown amount of money from the vault, a
spokesman for the bank said Tuesday.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~
> BAILED-OUT RBS FINED $43M
The Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed to pay a fine of £28.6
million ($43 million) after admitting breaches of competition
law, Britain's Office of Fair Trading announced Tuesday.

> SPONSORS FLOCK TO SPAIN'S SOCCER TEAM
Spain is a perennial underachiever at the World Cup. It's been
in the competition 12 times before yet never finished higher
than fourth place, and that was in 1950.

> IRELAND TO LAUNCH 'BAD LOAN' BANK
Ireland will on Tuesday begin operating a new "bad bank" to
house €81 billion ($109 billion) in bad property loans left
over from the financial crisis and set out new capital
requirements that are expected to see the further
nationalization of its banking sector.

Market, Tuesday, 03/30/2010

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:53:08 -0400
|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dow : 10,834.41 down 1.74 | S & P : 1,165.16 down 2.56 |
| NASDAQ: 2,397.40 down 1.36 | Bond (10Y): 3.90% up 0.072
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|

MARKETS:
Dow carves out new 18-month high
Blue-chip indicator manages to claw out record on strength in select
issues. Investors consider improved consumer confidence reading,
weakness in housing.

Dow finishes at an 18-month high, but overall markets end mixed on higher consumer confidence and lower housing prices.

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:07:59 -0400

Dow finishes at an 18-month high, but overall markets end mixed on
higher consumer confidence and lower housing prices.

Case-Shiller index shows 0.4% January dip in U.S. home prices

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:15:17 -0400

Case-Shiller index shows 0.4% January dip in U.S. home prices
03/30/2010 09:13:04 AM EDT

Apple gains, rivals hurt on iPhone speculation

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:01:06 -0400

APPLE GAINS, RIVALS HURT ON iPHONE SPECULATION
Apple shares jump Tuesday morning on a report that it may begin making
its popular iPhone available for use on the Verizon Wireless network.

ORACLE AND SAP RIVALRY INTENSIFIES
Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison seems to enjoy kicking sand in
the face of his smaller rival SAP AG, writes Therese Poletti.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REBOUNDS IN MARCH
U.S. consumer confidence rebounds in March after falling sharply the
prior month, the Conference Board says, but consumers are still
worried about current business and labor market conditions.

BRITISH AIRWAYS, UNITE SPAR ON STRIKE COST
British Airways and the union representing its cabin crew spar over
the financial impact of strikes that have dogged the airline's
operations over the past weekends.

JAN. CASE-SHILLER HOME PRICES DOWN 0.4%
Home prices in 20 major U.S. cities fall a not-seasonally adjusted
0.4% in January compared with December, according to the Case-Shiller
home-price index released Tuesday by Standard & Poor's.

U.S. stocks move modestly upward; Dow industrials gain 10 points in opening quarter-hour

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:49:29 -0400

U.S. stocks move modestly upward; Dow industrials gain 10 points in
opening quarter-hour
03/30/2010 09:46:44 AM EDT

Internzational Headlines

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:02:08 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 30 March, 2010

> RUSSIAN INVESTIGATORS DIG FOR ANSWERS IN SUBWAY BOMBINGS Russian investigators combing two subway stations attacked by female suicide bombers think Chechen rebels may have been behind the strike that killed 38 people.

> HOPES FADE FOR SOUTH KOREAN SAILORS
Divers have been hammering on the hulls of the front and rear
sections of a sunken South Korean navy ship, but no signs of
life have been detected, military officials said Monday.

> SUU KYI'S PARTY TO SKIP MYANMAR VOTE
The political party of democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi has
decided not to participate in elections this year in Myanmar,
which is formerly known as Burma.

> PRISON FOR FOUR RIO TINTO EXECS IN CHINA
A Shanghai court has sentenced an Australian mining executive to
seven years on charges of bribery and five years for stealing
commercial secrets in the Rio Tinto case.

> SOMALIA MILITANTS FACE PROTESTS
Hundreds of Somalis marched through the streets of Mogadishu,
Somalia, on Monday, protesting against Al-Shabaab militants.

> FALKLANDS BLOW FOR UK OIL COMPANY
The value of shares in a British company drilling for oil off
the Falkand islands halved Monday, after it revealed the
existing supply may not be commercially viable.

> PAKISTAN CLASHES CLAIM 26 MILITANTS
Violence ripped through Pakistan's tribal region Monday, with 26
militants killed in fighting and a pro-government militia leader
killed by a bomb, officials said.

> CLINTON TO CANADA FOR G-8 PREPARATIONS
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will head to Canada on Monday
to meet with other G-8 leaders, to prepare for the Group of
Eight summit in Canada in June, officials said.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> GOOGLE-CHINA FLAP DéJà VU FOR MICROSOFT
A fight between a technology titan and the world's
fastest-growing economy as trade war tensions escalate. No, it's
not the current battle between Google and China -- but the fight
between Microsoft and Beijing in March 1994.

> BRITISH GOVERNMENT WANT FAN POWER
British football fans could have a greater say in the way their
club is run after the national government confirmed they are
investigating a raft of radical measures to reform the game.

> UNCERTAIN DEBUT IN THE CARDS FOR IPAD
The Apple iPad is likely to mark the birth of a significant
category in computing, one lodged in size and capability between
a conventional PC and a smartphone. But its success is far from
certain.

Markets, Monday, 03/29/2010

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:44:56 -0400

|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dow : 10,834.41 down 1.74 | S & P : 1,165.16 down 2.56 |
| NASDAQ: 2,397.40 down 1.36 | Bond (10Y): 3.90% up 0.072
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|

MARKETS:
Dow at new 18-month highs
Stock advance pushed the blue-chip index to its highest level in a
year-and-a-half, as a rise in consumer spending adds to bets that the
economy is recovering.

U.S. stocks advance on economic views

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:00:58 -0400

U.S. STOCKS ADVANCE ON ECONOMIC VIEWS
U.S. stocks consolidate Monday's early gains, led by the material and
energy sectors within the S&P 500 index, following a government report
of a small increase in personal spending last month that also show
benign inflation.

RISKS FROM GOV'T-HELD FINANCIALS SHOWN IN IRELAND
The rally in government-held financials makes some sense, but the
downturn on Monday in Irish financials shows the risks as well.

TREASURY PLANS TO SELL 7.7 BLN CITI SHARES IN 2010
DC- The Treasury Department plans to sell 7.7 billion shares of
Citigroup Inc. common stock throughout 2010 based on a "pre-arranged"
plan, according to a statement from the agency Monday.

FINANCIAL SHARES UP; TREASURY TO SELL CITI SHARES
Financial stocks were mostly in the positive territory Monday,
unperturbed by news that the Treasury Department will begin to unwind
its sizeable stake in Citigroup this year. See full story.

Consumer spending rises 0.3% in February, while income is unchanged, the Commerce Department says.

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:52:00 -0400

Consumer spending rises 0.3% in February, while income is unchanged,
the Commerce Department says.

Energy: Two suicide bombings kill dozens in Moscow metro

Date: 29 MAR 2010 08:21:04 GMT

At least 35 people are reportedly killed early Monday after two
suicide bombers blew themselves up on Moscow's subway, one of the
world's busiest.

U.S. consumer spending edges up, with incomes flat; dollar, Treasurys under pressure

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:42:15 -0400

U.S. consumer spending edges up, with incomes flat; dollar, Treasurys
under pressure
03/29/2010 08:39:43 AM EDT

Energy: Material, energy stocks lead U.S. markets higher

Date: 29 MAR 2010 13:47:01 GMT

U.S. stocks opened higher Monday, led by the material and energy
sectors following the report of a small increase in personal spending
and benign inflation.

U.S. stocks rise with hopes for global economy; Dow industrials up as much as 50 points

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:43:11 -0400

U.S. stocks rise with hopes for global economy; Dow industrials up as
much as 50 points
03/29/2010 09:41:10 AM EDT

International Headlines

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:02:04 -0400
TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 29 March, 2010

> OBAMA: WE'RE GOING TO KEEP TALIBAN ON THE RUN
U.S. President Barack Obama has rallied U.S. troops and pledged
continued partnership with Afghanistan during an unannounced
trip to the country on Sunday.

> REBELS FREE SOLDIER HELD 11 MONTHS
A Colombian soldier held by Colombian rebels for more than 11
months was released Sunday.

> THAI PM MEETS WITH PROTESTERS
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will hold
face-to-face talks with protest leaders demand his removal.

> SUNKEN S. KOREAN WARSHIP 'SPLIT IN HALF'
Strong winds and rough waves Sunday dimmed hopes of rescuing 46 South
Korean sailors after the sinking of their navy ship off
the North Korean coast.

> ISRAELI FORCES SEAL OFF WEST BANK
Israeli security forces will restrict access to the West Bank
region from midnight Sunday to Tuesday, April 6. The closure
comes ahead of the Jewish Passover holiday.

> CHINESE AUTOMAKER SNAPS UP VOLVO
Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has purchased
Volvo cars from U.S. auto giant Ford, the Swedish carmaker
announced Sunday.

> ARMED ROBBERS RAID SWISS CASINO
About 10 men armed with pistols and small machine guns raided a
casino in Switzerland and made off into France with several
hundred thousand Swiss francs in the early hours of Sunday
morning, police said.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> WHY CHINA COULD BOOST YOUR CAREER
With China's increasing importance in global business,
experience of working in the world's fastest-growing economy
could add gloss to your resume, say experts.

> ABU DHABI FUND MANAGER MISSING
The managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Fund is
missing after his glider plane crashed into a lake in Morocco,
the state news agency of the United Arab Emirates reported
Friday.

Breaking news: Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:25:49 -0600

President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday for a
firsthand look at the 8-year-old war he inherited and dramatically
escalated.