SAfrica: Mandela responds positively to treatment

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela was back in the hospital for the third time in four months Thursday, and the 94-year-old former South African president was reported to be responding well to treatment for a chronic lung infection.

South Africa's presidency said that doctors were acting with extreme caution because of the advanced age of the anti-apartheid leader, who has become increasingly frail in recent years.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was admitted just before midnight to a hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital. He has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment for fighting white racist rule in his country.

"The doctors advise that former President Nelson Mandela is responding positively to the treatment he is undergoing for a recurring lung infection," the presidency said in a statement. "He remains under treatment and observation in hospital."

Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, is a revered figure in his homeland, which has named buildings and other places after him and uses his image on national bank notes.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sad," Obed Mokwana, a Johannesburg resident, said after hearing that Mandela was back in the hospital. "I just try to pray all the time. He must come very strong again."

In December, Mandela spent three weeks in a hospital in Pretoria, where he was treated for a lung infection and had a procedure to remove gallstones.

Earlier this month, he was hospitalized overnight for what authorities said was a successful scheduled medical test.

Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj, referring to Mandela by his clan name "Madiba," said the latest stay was not for previously planned treatment.

"No, this wasn't scheduled. As you will appreciate the doctors do work with a great sense of caution when they are treating Madiba and take into account his age," he said. "And so when they found that this lung infection had reoccurred, they decided to have him immediately hospitalized so that he can receive the best treatment."

He said there had been a global outpouring of messages expressing concern for Mandela's health.

President Jacob Zuma wished Mandela a speedy recovery.

"We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts. We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery," his office quoted him as saying.

In February 2012, Mandela spent a night in a hospital for minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint. In January 2011, he was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but turned out to be an acute respiratory infection. He was discharged days later.

He also had surgery for an enlarged prostate gland in 1985.

The apartheid government released Mandela in 1990. Four years later, he became the nation's first democratically elected president under the banner of the African National Congress, helping to negotiate a relatively peaceful end to apartheid despite fears of much greater bloodshed. He served one five-year term as president before retiring.

Perceived successes during Mandela's tenure include the introduction of a constitution with robust protections for individual rights and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a panel that heard testimony about apartheid-era violations of human rights as a kind of national therapy session.

Mandela last made a public appearance on a major stage when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

Until his latest string of health problems, Mandela had spent more time in the rural village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province, where he grew up. He was visited there in August by then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Doctors said in December that he should remain at his home in Johannesburg to be close to medical facilities that can provide the care he needs.

___

AP Senior Producer Ed Brown contributed to this report from Durban, South Africa.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/safrica-mandela-responds-positively-treatment-151601463.html

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New details: Giffords gunman was polite, cooperative

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? As authorities investigated the rampage that killed six people and wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, they compiled nearly 3,000 pages of documents that include everything from interviews with survivors and victims to police reports filed from the crime scene. The documents, released Wednesday, provide new insight into how the shooting occurred and the motivations behind gunman Jared Loughner. One of the main themes to emerge was his increasingly erratic behavior, perhaps summed up best by his father as he told investigators: He "just doesn't seem right lately."

A look at some of the major findings:

LOUGHNER

The gunman was polite and cooperative with authorities who were holding him the afternoon following his morning shooting rampage. The conversation as Loughner sat in restraints in an interview room was mainly small talk. Little was said over the four hours. Loughner asks at one point if he can please use the restroom and says "Thank you" when allowed. At another point he complained that "I'm about ready to fall over."

GUNMAN'S MOTHER

Loughner's mother, Amy, described his run-ins with authorities, his use of marijuana and cocaine, his journals and his increasingly erratic behavior. She also says the parents took a shotgun away from Loughner after he was kicked out of a community college and tested him for drugs because his behavior was so strange.

GUNMAN'S FATHER

Randy Loughner said his son became increasingly difficult, and it was a challenge to have a rational conversation with him. "I tried to talk to him. But you can't, he wouldn't let you," he said "Lost, lost, and just didn't want to communicate with me no more."

MENTAL ILLNESS

Despite their son's increasingly bizarre behavior, Loughner's parents never got him help. Randy Loughner said his son had never been diagnosed with a mental illness. Had he seen a doctor, the detective asked. "No," replied the father. The parents were also asked about any journals or writings that Loughner kept. The father said they were written in an indecipherable script.

GOING TO THE SCENE

Loughner went to a convenience store immediately before the shooting and had the clerk call a cab for him. As he waited for the car, he was pacing inside and outside the store and went to the bathroom three or four times. The employee said that as Loughner was waiting for the cab, he looked up at a clock and said, "nine twenty-five, I still got time."

TRAFFIC STOP

A wildlife agent pulled Loughner over earlier in the day for a traffic violation. He cried and said, "I've just had a rough time," and then composed himself, thanked the agent and shook his hand after he was let go with a warning. The agent asked Loughner again if he was OK, and Loughner said he was going home.

THE SCENE

Giffords intern Daniel Hernandez helped tend to his boss after she was shot in the head. In an interview, he described the chaos: "She couldn't open her eyes. I tried to get any responses for her. Um, it looked like her left side was the only side that was still mobile. Um, she couldn't speak. It was mumbled. She was squeezing my hand.

"I did some training as a Certified Nursing Assistant and as a phlebotomist, um, when I was in high school. So I knew that we need to see if she's got a pulse. She was still breathing. Her breathing was getting shallower. Uh, I then lifted her up so that she wasn't flat on the ground against the wall," he said.

BIZARRE VOICEMAIL

On the day of the shooting, Loughner friend Bryce Tierney told investigators that Loughner had called him early in the morning and left a cryptic voicemail that he believed was suicidal. "He just said, 'Hey, this is Jared. Um, we had some good times together. Uh, see you later.' And that's it." He tried to call back, but it was a restricted number that didn't register on his phone.

EDDIE BAUER

Loughner's father considered his son's firing as a salesman at an Eddie Bauer store to be a turning point. Asked about how the firing affected his son, Randy Loughner said: "He just wasn't the same. He just, nothing, nothing worked, seem to go right for him."

GUNS

Loughner bought a 12-gauge shotgun in 2008, but his parents took it away from him after he was expelled from college and administrators recommended that any firearms be taken away. The shotgun was the only gun his parents knew Loughner owned.

CARING FOR GIFFORDS

A firefighter described how he cared for Giffords after arriving at the scene. "You'd ask her to grab your hand and she would grab your hand," he said. He and paramedics rushed her to the hospital in an ambulance, giving her oxygen and an IV.

THE ENCOUNTER

Hernandez described how constituents and other people were lining up to see Giffords, and he was helping people sign in. He recalled handing Loughner a clipboard. "The next thing I hear is someone yell, 'gun,'" he said.

LOUGHNER FRIEND

One-time Loughner friend Zachary Osler was an employee at a store where Loughner later bought a Glock handgun before the shooting. Osler was questioned about seeing Loughner shopping inside, sometime before Thanksgiving. He describes an awkward encounter with his former friend. "His response is nothing. Just a mute facial expression. And just like he, he didn't care." Osler told investigators he had grown uncomfortable with Loughner's personality, "He would say he could dream and then control what he was doing while he was dreaming." Osler says Loughner never mentioned Giffords to him.

REACTION

Osler said when he learned that Loughner was the suspect in the shooting, "my jaw just dropped. And I was like I know this person. Why he would do it? What would his motive be? If he had people help him? I do not know."

UNUSUAL ENCOUNTER

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 file photo, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords smiles as she raises a fist pump to the crowd as she, husband Mark Kelly, and a number of other Tucson mass ... more? FILE - In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 file photo, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords smiles as she raises a fist pump to the crowd as she, husband Mark Kelly, and a number of other Tucson mass shooting victims returned to the site of the shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that left her critically wounded to urge key senators to support expanded background checks for gun purchases. Giffords has been named this year's recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award. The JFK Library and Museum announced Friday that the Arizona Democrat is being honored for the "political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence." (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) less? A few weeks before the shooting, Loughner showed up at the apartment of boyhood friend Anthony Kuck with a 9 mm pistol in his waistband. Loughner said he bought the gun for Christmas. He insisted it was for "home protection," Kuck's roommate, Derek Andrew Heintz, told a Pima County Sheriff's detective and FBI agent who interviewed him the evening after the shooting. Loughner left Heintz with a souvenir: A bullet.

POSSESSIONS

Police reports show what authorities found in Loughner's possession after the shooting. In Loughner's left front pocket were two magazines for a Glock, both fully loaded. In his other front pocket was a foldable knife with about a 4-inch blade. In his back right pocket, he had a baggie with some money, a Visa credit card and his Arizona driver's license. He was wearing a black beanie, a black hoodie-type sweatshirt, khaki pants and Skechers shoes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/major-findings-records-giffords-shooting-155158671.html

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Even LinkedIn Can Be Beautiful

I believe that what makes LinkedIn special is the actual content. I would like to propose a more "content driven" LinkedIn where users feel that it's more engaging and relevant towards their own interests. Business sites do not need to be "stale", and it could be a layout that is both professional and attractive. More »

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Canada vows balanced budget in 2015 without "slash and burn"

By Louise Egan

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's Conservative government pledged on Thursday to close tax loopholes and curb spending to erase its budget deficit in time for the 2015 election, even as it committed funds to infrastructure, manufacturing and job training.

The projected deficit in the fiscal year ending March 31 is roughly in line with Ottawa's previous forecast in November, at C$25.9 billion ($25.4 billion). The deficit would be about 1.4 percent of the size of the economy, compared with about 5.6 percent for the U.S. deficit.

But a big hit to revenues as the economy slows has forced Ottawa to project a bigger-than-expected shortfall in 2013/14, at C$18.7 billion, or about 1 percent of gross domestic product, compared with a previous estimate of C$16.5 billion. The deficit will shrink to a third of that the following year before returning to a surplus of C$800 million in 2015/16.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he could have cut spending more drastically but opted for "moderate choices" so he could stimulate growth and jobs.

"I want our country to be in a very solid fiscal position in case in the future we have another crisis," Flaherty told reporters.

"History tells us that crises - economic crises, credit crises - are inevitable from time to time. So the best thing we can do for Canada, it seems to me, is to make sure we have a solid foundation," he said. "We do not need to slash and burn, we can be sensible over time."

Moody's Investors Service confirmed Canada's triple-A bond rating after seeing the budget.

But the political opposition was not impressed, accusing Flaherty of shrinking government at the expense of growth, and of failing to deliver any new spending programs to help the unemployed.

"What we have here is an austerity budget ... You cannot austere your way out of a crisis," said Thomas Mulcair, leader of the main opposition New Democratic Party.

Bob Rae of the third-place Liberals called the budget document "an exercise in rhetoric and propaganda."

The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper oversaw the country's slide into deep deficits at the height of the global financial crisis after an 11-year string of surpluses, most of them racked up by the previous Liberal administration.

It is now staking its reputation on balancing the books in time for an October 2015 election campaign, when it could offer new tax breaks it conditionally promised in the 2011 election.

WARNINGS ON AUSTERITY

The budget showed federal government revenues in the coming year would be C$3.4 billion lower than anticipated just four months ago, reflecting the weakest two quarters of economic growth since the 2008-09 recession and a steep discount on Western Canadian oil prices.

Bank economists saw the plan as feasible, but warned against more extreme austerity of the kind that hammered growth in the United Kingdom and elsewhere if the economy worsens.

"If the revenue side materializes as it is projected today, then we're fine ... Obviously, if we need another round of cuts in a year or two from now, that could be quite different. As we know in Europe, too much austerity can be quite damaging to an economy," said Sebastien Lavoie, assistant chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities.

To offset the impact of lower revenues, Flaherty promised to decrease discretionary spending over the next five years to 5.5 percent of GDP from 6.7 percent and raise an additional C$6.8 billion in tax revenue without actually hiking tax rates.

At the same time, he managed to fund key priorities. The budget extends by two years a write-off of investments in machinery, as requested by the manufacturing sector.

It also provides C$47 billion for infrastructure projects over 10 years, but critics said that represented a cut in near-term funding with the big amounts postponed until 2020.

The budget even includes a populist measure designed to please a hockey-crazed country - reduced tariffs on hockey gear.

Flaherty also plans several regulatory measures targeting banks. These include curbing banks' use of government-backed mortgage insurance, imposing higher capital requirements on systemically important domestic banks and reviewing the regulatory framework to allow smaller banks to enter the domestic market.

Total spending restraint will save C$617 million over five years, which is negligible compared with spending cuts made in 2012.

FAVORABLE LIGHT

The bulk of the measures were on the revenue side, boosting federal intake by C$7.9 billion over five years. This will be done by tightening a myriad of tax loopholes and improving auditing by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Ottawa will also raise tariffs on imports from 72 developing nations like China, South Korea and Brazil, effectively ending their inclusion in Canada's General Preferential Tariff regime.

The ratio of debt to gross domestic product is set to decline to 28.1 percent in 2017/18 from 33.8 percent, which is the lowest in the Group of Seven advanced economies.

"For the most part, very little surprises from a market perspective. If anything, it's going to continue to show Canada in a pretty favorable light," said Derek Burleton, deputy chief economist at TD Bank.

Emboldened by the country's triple-A rating and popularity with foreign investors, the federal government is looking at offering a 40-year bond for the first time.

Flaherty stressed that jobs were his priority for the economy, a top concern of businesses that have complained they cannot find enough skilled workers, particularly in the resources sector in Western Canada.

The budget proposes renegotiating Ottawa's agreement with provincial governments on how to spend money for training by creating a job grant to better match unemployed workers to skills training, as well as support for apprenticeships.

There has been much speculation that Flaherty, who suffers from a rare skin condition, might step down after this budget.

Asked whether this was his last budget, Flaherty said he'd like to stay on until balancing the budget. "I'd like to finish what I started."

(Additional reporting by Randall Palmer, David Ljunggren and Alex Paterson; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson and Dan Grebler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-vows-balance-budget-2015-without-slash-burn-200553497--business.html

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LG LS720 hits the FCC, hints at a mid-tier Sprint or Virgin phone with Jelly Bean

LG isn't done creating intrigue at the FCC just because the E980 has made the rounds. A second device, the LS720, has popped up at the agency. Don't expect the same kind of telltale clues that might have given away its AT&T cousin, however -- we mostly know that it's a phone with Sprint-friendly LTE bands, and browser strings suggest that it could ship with Jelly Bean. Is it a sequel to the Optimus Slider (LS700) for Virgin Mobile? A spiritual successor to the Viper 4G LTE? It's difficult to tell at this stage, although the numbering scheme points to something below LG's 800- and 900-series devices like the Mach (LS860) and Optimus G (LS970). We'll keep our eyes peeled.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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Source: FCC

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FJkz0evNO0U/

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Canon announces PowerShot SX280 HS with WiFi, ISO 6400 and 20x lens, we go hands-on

How do you justify splurging for a pricey point-and-shoot when your smartphone takes "good enough" pictures on its own? A 20x lens, for starters. Canon's new PowerShot SX280 HS is small enough to tuck away in a pocket, yet it packs a 25-500mm f/3.5-6.8 lens. That's old news for SX260 owners, though -- last year's model offered an identical range. There's plenty of new features, however, including a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, built-in WiFi, a DIGIC 6 processor, 1080/30p and 60p video capture, a sensitivity range of ISO 80-6400 with significantly improved image quality in low light, a 14 fps Burst HQ mode and a 260-shot battery rating in Eco Mode (compared to 210 shots under normal conditions). Those features are joined by a 3-inch 461k-dot LCD and GPS, both of which shipped on the SX260.

During our hands-on, we quickly noticed the SX280 HS' significant speed boost -- it's 50 percent faster than its predecessor when it comes to focusing and shutter lag, and it definitely shows. The Burst HQ mode was also quite impressive, though you're unfortunately limited to just seven consecutive shots. The camera has a solid feel, though it's not terribly heavy. A very slim pop-up flash on the top, compact dedicated mode dial on the rear and a slightly extended front grip help to distinguish this model from lesser-equipped point-and-shoots, though both the red and black matte finishes convey a premium look on their own. You can catch both colors in person when the camera hits stores in April with a $330 MSRP, or you can sneak a peek right now in our hands-on gallery attached to this post.

Gallery: Canon PowerShot SX280 HS hands-on

Filed under: Cameras, Canon

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/aOksnf2ePpY/

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Canada factory sales raise concerns about January growth

By Louise Egan

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's hard-hit manufacturers failed to bounce back in January after a dismal year-end performance, an early sign that the economy may continue to stumble in early 2013, partially offset by more upbeat wholesale activity in the month.

Factory sales slipped 0.2 percent in the month due to weak production in the volatile aerospace industry as well as in the auto and energy industries, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday.

Market players had expected a 0.9 percent gain after a 3.3 percent tumble in December - the worst performance since May 2009 during the Great Recession.

"The rebound expected in manufacturing in January did not materialize," said Jimmy Jean, economic strategist at Desjardins Capital Markets.

"Instead, the report points to continued weakness in autos, which combined with a sharp payback in aerospace to drive manufacturing sales in Ontario and Quebec markedly down," he wrote in a note to clients.

The Canadian dollar weakened to a session low versus its U.S. counterpart immediately after the data. At 9:50 a.m. (9.50 a.m. ET) the Canadian dollar was trading at C$1.0252 to the greenback, or 97.54 U.S. cents, compared with C$1.0223, or 97.82 U.S. cents, at Monday's North American close.

Manufacturers have yet to fully recover from the 2008-09 recession even though Canada's overall economy has long since recouped all the output and jobs lost during the crisis.

Business leaders are hoping the federal government's budget, to be unveiled on Thursday, will extend a temporary measure that allows them to write-down investments in machinery and equipment more quickly, generating a bigger cash flow.

The sales volume of factory sales fell 0.4 percent in January from December.

But some details of the report suggested the news might not be as bad as it appeared on the surface. New orders rose 5.1 percent, unfilled orders jumped 5.8 percent and inventories grew 1.7 percent, Statscan said.

The report also showed the aerospace sector, which typically involves large orders resulting in large monthly changes, influenced much of the manufacturing data for January.

The 19.7 percent drop in production in aerospace products and parts pushed down sales in the transportation equipment sector by 3.8 percent in January.

The motor vehicle assembly industry slumped 3.7 percent. Excluding autos, factory sales inched 0.1 percent higher in the month.

Sales in the petroleum and coal product sector decreased 1.8 percent, mostly reflecting lower volumes.

WHOLESALE DATA UPBEAT

A surge in demand for computers and electronics drove up wholesale trade activity in January by 0.3 percent from December, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday.

In volume terms, wholesale trade grew 0.5 percent.

"The 0.5 percent gain in volumes goes some way to offset declines on the factory side that month, suggesting GDP likely increased in January, although we still await data from the retailing sector to confirm that view," said Emanuella Enenajor, economist at CIBC World Markets.

January retail sales data will be released on Thursday.

An 8 percent jump in sales of computer and communications equipment and supplies led to a 3.2 percent rise overall in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector.

Four of the seven subsectors, representing about two-thirds of wholesale trade, reported gains in the month. The second-largest increase was in personal and household goods, which rose 1.0 percent.

(Reporting by Louise Egan; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-factory-sales-raise-concerns-january-growth-143019374--finance.html

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