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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Consumer spending rises, driven by utility costs

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer spending unexpectedly rose in March, temporarily boosted by demand for utilities due to colder weather, according to data on Monday that did little to alter a picture of a cooling in the economy.

The Commerce Department said consumer spending advanced 0.2 percent last month after a 0.7 percent rise in February.

The increase, which beat economists expectations for a flat reading, was driven by higher spending on services as outlays on utilities posted a second straight month of hefty gains. Spending on goods, a key measure of underlying demand, fell.

"Utilities made up a pretty decent chunk of spending," said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania. "When you extract from that, spending was less than impressive in March. The economy is slowing."

The economy's weakness was underscored by a sharp cooling in inflation, with a price index for consumer spending falling for the first time since November. A core reading that strips out food and energy costs was flat.

The combination of soft demand and benign inflation should allow the Federal Reserve to continue on its ultra-easy monetary path when it meets on Tuesday and Wednesday. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to keep purchasing bonds at a pace of $85 billion a month.

"The case for tapering the size of the Fed's monthly asset purchases is further reduced," said Michelle Girard, chief economist at RBS in Stamford, Connecticut. "However, we think the hurdle for the Fed boosting the monthly purchase pace is high."

Accounting for the drop in prices, inflation-adjusted spending grew 0.3 percent in March, matching February's increase. Spending on utilities on an inflation-adjusted basis recorded the largest increase since October 2001.

"Much of the upside in March was in a second straight enormous gain in utilities consumption, which appears likely to see a substantial reversal in coming months," said Ted Wieseman, an economist at Morgan Stanley in New York.

HOUSING REMAINS ECONOMIC BRIGHT SPOT

A private-sector report on Monday showed signed contracts to buy previously owned homes rose 1.5 percent last month to the highest level since April 2010, showing underlying strength in the housing recovery even though the pace of sales growth has cooled in recent months.

Prices for longer-dated U.S. government bonds rose on the inflation reading, while the dollar fell against a basket of currencies. Stocks on Wall street rose as investors also focused on the upbeat housing data.

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.5 percent rate in the first quarter, accelerating from a 0.4 percent rate in the last three months of 2012. But a range of data from retail sales to factory activity weakened in March, and growth estimates for the second quarter are currently in a range of 1.0 percent to 1.5 percent.

Some economists, however, said the better-than-expected reading on consumer spending in March, and the cooling in inflation, could mean those forecasts are understated.

"This makes it much more likely than we thought for real consumer spending to post a solid gain in the second quarter and increases the chances that real GDP growth in the second quarter will come in above 2 percent," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.

FALLING PRICES LEND A HAND

The data on spending showed that consumer prices rose just 1.0 percent over the last 12 months, the smallest gain in nearly 3-1/2 years and down from a 1.3 percent rise in February.

The deceleration extended to core prices, which were up 1.1 percent from a year ago after advancing 1.3 percent the prior month. The March increase was the smallest in two years and well below the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target.

The lack of inflation is helping to support the purchasing power of U.S. households. Income at the disposal of households after inflation and taxes increased 0.3 percent last month after a 0.7 percent gain in the prior month.

With income growth matching spending, the saving rate - the percentage of disposable income households are socking away - was unchanged at 2.7 percent.

(Additional reporting by Margaret Chadbourn; editing by Andrea Ricci, Tim Ahmann and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-spending-inflation-pressures-muted-124605766.html

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Mississippi man makes court appearance in ricin case

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) ? A Mississippi man appeared briefly in court Monday on a charge that he made a deadly poison that was sent in letters to President Barack Obama, a senator and a judge.

James Everett Dutschke was brought to federal court in Oxford wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands shackled. The 41-year-old suspect said little during the brief hearing other than to answer the judge's questions about whether he understood the charges against him. He said he did.

Dutschke's arrest early Saturday on a charge of making and possessing ricin capped a week in which investigators initially zeroed in on a rival of Dutschke's, then decided they had the wrong man. Dutschke has denied involvement in the mailing of the letters, saying he's a patriot with no grudges against anyone.

The judge ordered Dutschke to remain jailed until a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. More details are likely to emerge at that hearing, when prosecutors have to show they have enough evidence to hold him.

An attorney from the public defender's office appointed to represent Dutschke declined to comment after Monday's hearing. Another attorney who had been representing Dutschke, Lori Nail Basham, no longer is.

Dutschke's house, business and vehicles in Tupelo, Miss., were searched last week, often by crews in hazardous materials suits, and he had been under surveillance.

He faces up to life in prison if convicted. A news release from federal authorities said Dutschke (pronounced DUHS'-kee) was charged with "knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon, to wit: ricin."

He already had legal problems. Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty in state court to two child molestation charges involving three girls younger than 16. He also was appealing a conviction on a different charge of indecent exposure. He told The Associated Press last week that his lawyer told him not to comment on those cases.

The letters, which tests showed were tainted with ricin, were sent April 8 to Obama, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Mississippi judge Sadie Holland.

The first suspect accused by the FBI was Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, an Elvis impersonator. He was arrested on April 17 at his Corinth, Miss., home, but the charges were dropped six days later and Curtis, who says he was framed, was released from jail.

The focus then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect and the judge. Earlier in the week, as investigators searched his primary residence in Tupelo, Dutschke told the AP, "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"I'm a patriotic American. I don't have any grudges against anybody. ... I did not send the letters," Dutschke said.

Curtis' attorney, Christi McCoy, said Saturday: "We are relieved but also saddened. This crime is nothing short of diabolical. I have seen a lot of meanness in the past two decades, but this stops me in my tracks."

Some of the language in the letters was similar to posts on Curtis' Facebook page and they were signed, "I am KC and I approve this message." Curtis often used a similar online signoff.

Dutschke and Curtis were acquainted. Curtis said they had talked about possibly publishing a book on a conspiracy that Curtis insists he has uncovered to sell body parts on a black market. But he said they later had a feud.

Curtis' attorneys have said they believe their client was set up. An FBI agent testified that no evidence of ricin was found in searches of Curtis' home. Curtis attorney Hal Neilson said the defense gave authorities a list of people who may have had a reason to hurt Curtis and Dutschke's came up.

Judge Holland also is a common link between the two men, and both know Wicker.

Holland was the presiding judge in a 2004 case in which Curtis was accused of assaulting a Tupelo attorney a year earlier. Holland sentenced him to six months in the county jail. He served only part of the sentence, according to his brother.

Holland's family has had political skirmishes with Dutschke. Her son, Steve Holland, a Democratic state representative, said he thinks his mother's only encounter with Dutschke was at a rally in the town of Verona in 2007, when Dutschke ran as a Republican against Steve Holland.

Holland said his mother confronted Dutschke after he made a derogatory speech about the Holland family. She demanded that he apologize, which Holland says he did.

Dutschke said Steve Holland exaggerated the incident, and that he has no problem with Sadie Holland. "Everybody loves Sadie, including me," he said.

___

Follow Mohr at http://twitter.com/holbrookmohr.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brief-hearing-held-suspicious-letters-case-150754186.html

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Awesome Leh Ladakh Tour And Travel Packages - ArticleSnatch.com

Leh Ladakh is a stunning place in India. It is the largest province having the best scenery. It has green fertile fields backed by jagged mountains, rivers and shimmering streams. An ideal topography place is Leh Ladakh that expedition to this place is not very easy, especially owing to its inclement weather conditions and remote location.

Leh Ladakh travel packages include a great tourist destination offering the warmth of Ladakhi people. Its dry hilly landscape offers unmatched beauty. Ladakh is between the Himalayas and the Karakoram mountain ranges. Ladakh comprises of Leh and Kargil districts. This is an impressive range and also a storehouse of adventure sports that includes jeep safari, mountaineering river rafting, trekking and cycling.

Leh Ladakh tour packages include the Ladakh main regions, current towns namely, Leh, Shey, Tingmosgang and Basgo, as they are near to the Indus River. There are no major peaks or ridges in the Ladakh range. The scenic landscape includes numerous attractions and the tourist places are Kargil, Leh, Surn Valley, Zangla, Padum, Shyok Valley, Zangskar, Salt Valley, Rangdum and many popular trek routes.

Ladakh also has many alluring monasteries and villages and some of the attractions are Leh Palace, the nine storey, the palace museum of Phyang, Thiksey, Stok, Spituk, Lamayuru and villages namely, Nimoo, Basgo, Sankar, etc.

Leh is a beautiful destination with atmospheric towns and Ladakh reveals strong Tibetan culture that it is referred to as Little Tibet. Leh Buddhists Gompas offer the religious faith in Buddhism and the annual festivals are more fun.

Trekkers can enjoy at Ladakh and Zanskar valleys, while Ladakh is an isolated tourist spot with distinct climatic conditions. Hotels in Leh Ladakh offer all the convenience and people are welcomed as gods.

There are best accommodations and includes deluxe and comfortable hotels. These hotels offer a memorable stay. You can book one of your choices suitable to your convenience and budget. Most hotels feature modern facilities. There are premium hotels, budget hotels, luxurious hotels, average hotels and mid range hotels suitable to meet the requirements of every Ladakh visitor.

The luxurious hotels, like any other place, provides best amenities and facilities, besides the posh hotels organize Zen and Dragon shows, Dance shows and local songs as guests entertainment. Visitors wishing to visit this charming city need to book their tour packages at the earliest, as the rush is non ending. It is also prudent to book in advance the Ladakh hotels to avoid last minute hassle.

About the Author:
For More Information about Leh Ladakh tours, Leh Ladakh Tourist Attractions, Budget hotels in leh ladakh please visit our website at www.theleh-ladakh.com

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Awesome-Leh-Ladakh-Tour-And-Travel-Packages/4580792

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Syrian premier escapes bomb attack in Damascus

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian fire fighters extinguishing burning cars after a car bomb exploded in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, April. 29, 2013. State-run Syrian TV says the country's prime minister has escaped an assassination attempt when a bomb went off near his convoy. The TV says Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was unhurt in the attack in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh. (AP Photo/SANA)

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian fire fighters extinguishing burning cars after a car bomb exploded in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, April. 29, 2013. State-run Syrian TV says the country's prime minister has escaped an assassination attempt when a bomb went off near his convoy. Syrian TV says Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was unhurt in the attack in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh. (AP Photo/SANA)

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a Syrian man reacts after a car bomb exploded in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, April. 29, 2013. State-run Syrian TV says the country's prime minister has escaped an assassination attempt when a bomb went off near his convoy. Syrian TV says Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was unhurt in the attack. (AP Photo/SANA)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT -- This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrians carrying a charred body after a car bomb exploded in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, April. 29, 2013. State-run Syrian TV says Prime Minister Wael al-Halqir has escaped unhurt in an assassination attempt when a bomb went off near his convoy. (AP Photo/SANA)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? Syria's prime minister escaped an assassination attempt Monday when a bomb exploded near his convoy in Damascus, state media reported, in the latest attack to target a top government official.

Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was not hurt in the explosion in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh, state TV said. The TV showed video of heavily damaged cars and debris in the area as firefighters fought to extinguish a large blaze set off by the blast.

A government official said two people were killed and 11 wounded, while the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group said the explosion killed at least five, including two of al-Halqi's bodyguards and one of the drivers in his convoy.

The government official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements to reporters.

As evidence that the prime minister was unhurt, the state-run Al-Ikhbariya station said al-Halqi went into a regular weekly meeting with an economic committee just after the bombing. The station broadcast video of the prime minister sitting around a table in a room with several other officials.

But in the recorded comments after the meeting, al-Halqi made no reference to the bombing, nor was he asked about it by reporters, leaving doubt as to whether the video was shot before or after the bombing.

The state news agency quoted al-Halqi as saying that the assassination attempt exposed how armed groups "are bankrupt" after the latest advances made by Syrian troops around the country.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's suicide attack. Such bombings have been a trademark of Islamic extremists fighting in the rebel ranks, raising concerns about their role in Syria's civil war.

Syria's conflict started with largely peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011 but eventually turned into a civil war that has so far killed more than 70,000 people, according to the United Nations.

State TV quoted Syria's Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi as saying that targeting al-Halqi, who is in charge of carrying out the political program to end Syria's crisis, shows that some in the opposition "reject a political solution."

In January, al-Halqi formed a ministerial committee for dialogue with opposition groups. The dialogue is part of a peace plan, including a national reconciliation conference, that Assad outlined in a speech that month.

The opposition insists it will not accept anything less than Assad's departure, and no progress has been reported from the dialogue since it was announced.

A Syrian government official told The Associated Press that an improvised explosive device was placed under a car that was parked in the area and was detonated as al-Halqi's convoy passed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The attack in the highly secure Mazzeh neighborhood took place only about 100 meters (yards) from the Swiss ambassador's residence. The posh area also is home to a major military air base. Security forces sealed off the area, allowing only pedestrians to get near the scene of the bombing.

Damaged cars, their seats soaked with blood, were surrounded by debris. A blackened shell of a school bus was left standing. A man told state TV that none of the students on board were hurt because the explosion went off shortly after they had left the bus and entered the school.

Later Monday, the Observatory reported that nine people, including four fighters and three civilians, were killed in government airstrikes on al-Halqi's home village of Jassem in the southern province of Daraa.

The attack was just the latest targeting a senior official in the Syrian capital during the past year.

On July 18, a blast at Syria's national security building in Damascus during a meeting of Cabinet ministers killed top four officials, including the defense minister and his deputy, who was Assad's brother-in-law. That attack also wounded the interior minister.

In December, a car bomb targeted the Interior Ministry in Damascus, killing several people and wounding more than 20, including Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar. Initially, Syrian state media said al-Shaar was not hurt in the Dec. 12 blast. News of his wounds emerged a week later, after he was taken to neighboring Lebanon to be treated for a serious back injury.

This month, Ali Ballan, head of public relations at the Ministry of Social Affairs and a member of Syria's relief agency, was shot dead while dining in a restaurant in Mazzeh.

Al-Halqi, a senior member of Assad's ruling Baath party, took office last year after his predecessor, Riad Hijab, defected to Jordan. Al-Halqi was Syria's health minister before taking the post.

Elsewhere in Syria, the Observatory reported fighting Monday near the Damascus International Airport south of the capital. The group said there were also clashes in the northern neighborhood of Barzeh and shelling of the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, south of Damascus.

The Observatory and another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, reported clashes and air raids around the military helicopter base of Mannagh near the border with Turkey in the northern province of Aleppo.

Also Monday, a new jihadi group calling itself the "Ahrar al-Bekaa Brigades" announced its establishment and warned the pro-Syrian Lebanese militant Hezbollah group to stop intervening in the Syrian civil war or face attacks in Lebanon.

According to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks Islamist extremist messages, the statement was distributed on pro-Syrian revolution Facebook pages Sunday.

In the statement, the previously unheard of group claimed that Hezbollah is acting on Iran's orders to "slaughter" the Syrian people. It pledged to prevent Hezbollah's intervention "with all means and ways, even if we have to move the fight to the inside of the Lebanese territory."

The Shiite Muslim Hezbollah is known to be backing regime fighters in Shiite villages near the Lebanon border against the mostly Sunni rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad. The Syrian opposition accuses Hezbollah of taking part in the Syrian military crackdown.

___

Associated Press writers Barbara Surk and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-29-Syria/id-708cbb13e1734d96bc0763d2ca201ece

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Monday, April 29, 2013

T-Mobile Galaxy S4 now available online

Galaxy S4 on T-Mobile

$149.99 up-front, then $20 per month on 24-month not-a-contract

Following AT&T and Sprint's launch last week, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available from T-Mobile USA. Right now the device is only available online -- brick-and-mortar stores won't begin stocking the T-Mobile Galaxy S4 until May 8.

T-Mo's GS4, which comes with 16GB of storage in "white frost" and "black mist" color options, will run you $149.99 up-front, followed by installments of $20 for the next two years. That's a total of $629.99, and under the carrier's new pricing arrangements, you'll need to add a service plan on top of that.

Naturally, the Galaxy S4 also includes support for T-Mo's burgeoning 4G LTE network in addition to its more widespread 42Mbps DC-HSDPA.

For more on the Galaxy S4, be sure to read our full review. And if you're ordering a T-Mobile Galaxy S4 today, shout out and make yourself known in the comments.

Source: T-Mobile

More: Samsung Galaxy S4 review

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/c-UJDP2TP7k/story01.htm

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Gigabit Internet In Vermont Is Cheaper Than Google Fiber

There have been vague rumblings about ISPs stepping up to match Google Fiber's gigabit internet offering, especially since Google announced that the next Fiber city would be Austin. Now 600 residents of Vermont are actually getting those speeds at half the Fiber price. What gives?

Honda recalls almost 46,000 Fit cars in U.S., Canada

(Reuters) - Honda Motor Co Ltd is recalling almost 46,000 Fit small cars in the United States and Canada to fix a problem with the electronic stability control system software.

The recall affects 2012 and 2013 model year Fit Sport cars. The cars may tilt too far during sharp turns, possibly leading to loss of tire traction and increasing the risk of a crash, according to documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

About 2,000 cars are affected by the recall in Canada and another 43,782 in the United States, Honda said.

To address the issue, which was discovered by NHTSA, Honda will update the stability control software. The Japanese automaker said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue.

Owners will be notified by mail starting in May, Honda said.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/honda-recalls-almost-46-000-fit-cars-u-120745774.html

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