Taiwan's tech giant Foxconn will hire 5,000 technicians locally this year, many of them to work on factory robots to build its gadgets, officials said Monday, in a sign the firm is refocusing operations to its home island. The announcement -- one of the group's largest talent recruitment drives in Taiwan in recent years -- comes as the conglomerate is slowing new hiring at its sprawling factories in China. Foxconn said the move was due to increasing automation of manufacturing and assembly lines in China, where rising labour costs have squeezed profit margins.

President Hamid Karzai has accused the United States of colluding with the Taliban to justify its presence in Afghanistan, dumbfounding US officials during a problematic visit by the new Pentagon chief. A joint news conference by Karzai and US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was cancelled Sunday, as the Afghan leader's allegations compounded the troubled nature of the visit after a security scare from twin bomb attacks on Saturday.

* FTSEurofirst down 0.2 percent * Italian banks fall after Fitch cuts Italy rating * DNB down after insurers asked to raise provisions * Sage top faller after BofA ML downgrade By David Brett LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - European shares paused early on Monday as Italy's credit rating downgrade hit domestic banks, taking the shine off an equity rally which remains supported by unprecedented stimulus from governments and central banks.

LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Ladbrokes, Britain's second-largest bookmaker, is betting on a tie-up with gaming software developer Playtech to rack up earnings from growing demand for online gambling. Playtech has finalised an agreement to advise and assist Ladbrokes with its digital services for an initial period of five years, the companies announced on Monday. Ladbrokes, a familiar sight on Britain's high streets with 2,200 retail outlets, has struggled to keep up with the online offering of UK market leader William Hill.