WASHINGTON - PUBLIC opinion in Pakistan has turned sharply against the Taleban and other Islamist militants but Pakistanis still do not trust the United States and President Barack Obama, a poll showed on Wednesday.

The WorldPublicOpinion.org poll, conducted last month as Pakistan's army fought the Taleban in the Swat Valley, found that most Pakistanis see the Pakistani Taleban and al Qaeda as a critical threat to the nuclear-armed country.

NEW YORK - US private sector job cuts fell in June to their lowest in eight months, but they still came in more than expected and the economy may be on track to lose another one million workers by year-end.

Private employers cut 473,000 jobs in June, down from 485,000 in May, according to a report by ADP Employer Services published on Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected 393,000 private-sector job cuts in June.

WASHINGTON - THE United States is losing its battle against bulging waistlines, with two-thirds of Americans now overweight or obese, according to an annual report released on Wednesday.

In the past year, nearly half of the 50 US states saw obesity rates rise and no state saw a fall in the number of people who were obese, according to the sixth annual 'F as in Fat' report by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

HEARTLAND stores, which are struggling to stay afloat amidst competition from major supermarket and convenience store chains as well as franchised outlets, are getting a helping hand.

The retailers will be given lessons on better sales practices, how to spruce up their displays, and how to keep up with latest retail trends.