Burke, the AP Player of the Year, matched his entire output from Saturday night's semifinal in a mere 164 seconds. But he also drew his second foul with 11:09 left and was lifted from the game by coach John Beilein.

Albrecht, meanwhile, made all three of his 3-point attempts to improve to 8-for-8 from long range thus far in the tournament.

Wayne Blackshear had five points for Louisville, as the teams got off to a fast-paced and sizzling start. They combined to make 14 of their first 25 shots.

Watching from the stands were all five members of the Fab Five, the brash group of sophomores who led Michigan to the final in 1993 the program's last appearance at the Final Four.

That included Chris Webber, who infamously called a timeout the Wolverines didn't have at the end of Michigan's 77-71 loss to North Carolina in the 1993 final. He has had very little to do with his alma mater in recent years, but was seen getting out of his car and heading into the Georgia Dome shortly before tip-off.

Top-seeded Louisville (34-5) is trying to bring its first title back to the state of Kentucky's "other" school since 1986. Sitting on the bench with the Cardinals is sophomore guard Kevin Ware, the team's inspiration since snapping his tibia in the regional final last weekend.

Cardinals coach Rick Pitino is working the sideline hours after being named to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Pitino is trying to become the first coach to lead two programs to national championships. He took Kentucky to the title in 1996.

Russ Smith, the Louisville team leader who Pitino has nicknamed "Russdiculous" for some of his wild and wildly effective antics on the court, scores 18.9 points a game for the Cardinals during the season but has picked up the scoring in the tournament, averaging 25 in the five Louisville wins.

The Cardinals are playing without their main reserve, Ware, who broke his leg in the regional final against Duke. Needing a pickup without Ware, reserve swingman Luke Hancock scored 20 points in the 72-68 win over Wichita State. And rarely used walk-on Tim Henderson made two key 3-pointers during the comeback.

"The other night, we were not going to play in the championship game unless a walk-on steps up and makes a play to give us momentum," Pitino said in a pregame interview.

Michigan topped Syracuse 61-56 on Saturday despite an off night from Burke, who finished with only seven points on 1-for-8 shooting.

Burke, a sophomore, seriously considered leaving for the NBA after last season but decided he had unfinished business left in Ann Arbor. He picked up the AP Player of the Year award, among others, and is now one victory away from the ultimate prize in college hoops.

Before leaving the locker room, Beilein gave his team a pep talk: "You play with poise, play with confidence, you do all those things today and we're going to have one heck of a celebration," he said.

Monday night's game is the final act in what has been an ugly season overall in college hoops, with scoring at its lowest (67.49 points per team) since 1951-52 and shooting at its worst (43.3 percent) since 1964-65. The 131.2-points-per-game average during March Madness is the lowest since the 3-point line was brought to the game in 1987, though the teams were on pace to easily surpass that midway through the first half.

So before deploying to Afghanistan last year for her second war tour, she legally changed her name to Naida Christian Nova.

This did not solve her problems.

Instead, matters escalated. Nova complained to her superiors about constant anti-Muslim slurs and jokes. She says they responded with a series of reprisals intended to drive her out of the Army, leading her to consider suicide.

"My complaints fell on deaf ears every time," said Nova, 41, a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, N.C. "Any time I would say something about it I was treated like I didn't know what I was talking about or that I'm an idiot or that I was a Muslim sympathizer. It was just a very lonely feeling."

Determined to remain in the service for at least eight years, until she is eligible for retirement, Nova recently re-enlisted. But she agreed to tell her story to The Associated Press because "I don't want this to happen to anyone else if I can help it. It's a horrible to feel like people are against you when you are supposed to be on the same team."

Fort Bragg spokeswoman Sheri L. Crowe said the Army would not comment on the case, and referred questions to the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, assigned to defend the Army, also declined comment.

But her account is supported by an affidavit filed by an old friend, Sharon Deborah Sheetz, who said that Nova had confided in her about the harassment she had suffered, telling Sheetz that she was so unhappy that she no longer wanted to live.

A Farsi linguist who works in military intelligence, Nova's multicultural background exemplifies the kind of soldier Army recruiters prize U.S. citizens with ethnic ties to a part of the world many Americans can't find on a map.

Nova's father, Roy Hosein, was born into a Muslim family on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, where his parents had emigrated from India. He converted to Christianity after meeting Nova's mother, a Catholic from the Philippines, and became a U.S. citizen shortly after his daughter was born in New York. He changed the spelling of his family name to Hosan in the hope his children would avoid discrimination.

"He Americanized it," his daughter explained. "He got Hosan from Hosanna. He kept hearing it in church."

She reported for basic training two months after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Before 9-11, my last name never raised an eyebrow," she said. "But after 9-11, I felt compelled to tell people I am a Christian and felt I had to prove I was loyal to the United States."

Her first deployment was to Iraq in 2005. She said other soldiers, including her supervisors, mocked her family name and made crude jokes.

"I was called Sgt. Hussein, as in Saddam Hussein," she said. "Even when I would correct them on the pronunciation of my name, I was still called Sgt. Hussein. I was asked what God I pray to. And there were a lot of references to hajjis, used as a derogatory term."

Hajiis, in fact, are Muslims who have made the pilgrimage to the Saudi Arabian birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. But Nova said she regularly heard U.S. troops use the word as racist slang for enemy, terrorist or suicide bomber.

"My uncle is a hajji, because he made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 2005," Nova said. "I would stand up for what I thought was right and say, 'Not all terrorists are Muslims and not all Muslims are terrorists.' That just opened the door for more harassment."

Mikey Weinstein, a former U.S. Air Force officer who founded Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said Nova's experience is not uncommon. Military personnel who are Muslim or perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent are often targets for discrimination, he said.

"When a Muslim soldier, sailor or airman stands up for themselves, they are the subject of vicious reprisal and retribution," said Weinstein, who is Jewish. "What (Sgt. Nova) has gone through is horrible, but it is typical."

In 2007, while serving in Harrogate, England, Nova said co-worker told her and others a racist joke about Muslims. When she objected, Nova said, a supervisor warned her to stop making trouble. Instead, she filed a formal complaint with the Army's Equal Opportunity Branch, the program charged with ensuring the military provides an environment "free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behaviour."

Within days, Nova said she was removed from her job and ordered to take a "command directed" mental health evaluation.

"In writing, the referral said my values were not in line with mission," she said. "They considered me a 'Muslim sympathizer,' that I was too loyal to Muslims."

Rather than address her complaint, Nova said, the Army transferred her to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg. Though she hoped to make a fresh start with her new unit, word of her complaint followed her to North Carolina.

That treatment worsened after a November 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas. Maj. Nidal Hasan, a Muslim, is charged with killing 13 people. His name sounded a lot like hers.

Nova changed her name shortly before deploying to Afghanistan last year. She arrived just after worn copies of the Quran were found to have been burned with trash from a U.S.-run prison outside the capital of Kabul, a widely reported incident that triggered violent protests.

The Army responded by initiating a new training program on the proper handling and disposal of Islamic materials. But Nova said she discovered that her unit trashed and burned documents collected through intelligence gathering that contained what could be considered sacred writings.

Nova conferred with an on-base military chaplain, and suggested designating a special box for Islamic materials so they could be disposed of in a more appropriate manner.

"When I brought this up, I was told 'Sgt. Nova, you can't bring your religion to work ...,'" she recalled. "I changed my name, but that didn't change other people's ignorance."

After just two months in Afghanistan, she said her commanders removed her from her job and ordered her back to Fort Bragg.

With the help of a Fayetteville lawyer, Mark Waple, she filed a formal complaint with the Army's Inspector General in October seeking a voluntary discharge due to being subjected to "adverse treatment and negative, prejudicial remarks ... concerning the Muslim faith."

Nova said she grew so depressed that she considered suicide. She checked herself into an on-base hospital for treatment, staying for about a week before returning to duty.

After learning of her IG complaint and hospitalization, Nova's commanders at Fort Bragg responded by filing paperwork to involuntarily end her military career and bar her from reenlistment for "ineffective leadership."

Nova's Army performance review from a few months earlier, a copy of which she provided to AP, shows her as meeting expectations in all categories, with her senior commander rating her potential for promotion and increased responsibility as "superior."

The forced discharge could have imperiled Nova's ability to get a civilian job, denied her Veterans Affairs medical care and educational benefits.

After exhausting her administrative options for fighting her case, Waple helped Nova file a complaint in federal court alleging discriminatory treatment and asking a judge to prevent her discharge.

Rather than fight the case in court, the Army retreated. Shortly before a key hearing before the judge, Waple says he got a call from Army lawyers informing him that the disciplinary action against Nova was "completely off the table." She, in turn, agreed to drop the lawsuit.

Nova re-enlisted in the Army on April 8. She recently married, and is preparing to ship out next month to attend a senior leadership course and then report to a new assignment in Germany.

"I want to put all this behind me. I want to move on to my next duty assignment ...," said Nova. "My beliefs aren't any different from what the Army states as its beliefs and values. I would like to be treated fairly."

___

Follow Associated Press writer Michael Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck

The singer will accept the Top Touring Artist award at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 19th for the tour that grossed more than $305 million from 88 sold-out shows and attracted an audience of 2.2 million people.

"A cultural icon, Madonna is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time and was recently named Billboard's Top Money Maker of 2012," Billboard said in a statement.

The chart-topping singer holds numerous other Billboard awards, including the record for the most top 10 singles (38).

In addition to her music, Madonna is also an avid art collector. On Tuesday she sold a 1921 painting by the French artist Fernand Leger, "Trois Femmes a la Table Rouge," for $7.16 million to raise money for the non-profit Ray of Light Foundation, to fund girls' education in poor countries.

The mother of four, including two adopted children from Malawi, is planning to build 10 schools in the African nation.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Vicki Allen)

But a small  presented at this weeks meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests that diet may matter more than we might have thought. The study, which included 120 patients, was led by reproductive endocrinologist Jeffrey B. Russell, M.D., at the Delaware Institute for Reproductive Medicine, in Newark, and showed that a diet richer in protein seems to improve fertility in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Specifically, patients whose daily protein intake was 25 percent or more of their diet, and whose carbohydrate intake was 40 percent or less of their diet, had a four-fold higher pregnancy rate compared to patients who ate less protein and more carbs daily before and during an IVF cycle.

[More from BGR: ]

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 70-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton from the Gobi Desert that was smuggled to the United States in pieces and auctioned for more than $1 million was returned on Monday by the U.S. government to Mongolia.

The huge Tyrannosaurus bataar's skull was on display at a repatriation ceremony near the United Nations in New York, where officials of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan and the U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) formally turned over the nearly complete skeleton to Mongolian officials.

Mongolia demanded the return of the 8-foot-tall (2.4 meter), 24-foot-long (7.3 meter), mostly reconstructed cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex last year after commercial paleontologist Eric Prokopi sold it at a Manhattan auction last spring for $1.05 million.

Prokopi, based in Gainesville, Florida, bought and sold whole and partial fossilized dinosaur skeletons.

U.S. authorities filed charges against Prokopi in October and seized the skeleton, which is comprised of fossilized bones welded to a metal frame.

"This is one of the most important repatriations of fossils in recent years," ICE Director John Morton said in a statement. "We cannot allow the greed of a few looters and schemers to trump the cultural interests of an entire nation."

Morton said the repatriation would "undo a great wrong by returning this priceless dinosaur skeleton to the people of Mongolia."

Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj thanked U.S. prosecutors, judges, investigators and paleontologists in a statement: "Our two countries are separated by many miles, but share a passion for justice and a commitment to putting an end to illegal smuggling."

In addition to the skeleton, the United States is also helping to return more fossils to Mongolia, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

The Tyrannosaurus bataar lived some 70 million years ago in what is now Mongolia, and its skeleton was discovered in 1946 in a joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition to the Gobi Desert, according to court and federal documents.

It was imported to the United States in 2010 from Great Britain, with customs documents that falsely claimed it originated in Great Britain and was valued at $15,000, far below its auction price.

(Reporting by Deborah Zabarenko; editing by Ros Krasny and Cynthia Osterman)

Its starting to become routine for Paul, points out The State Column, an online source of state political news:

Paul has consistently demonstrated his ability to rally his supporters to straw polls throughout the nation. Paul took second place in the Ames Straw Poll in August, finishing just 1 percentage point behind Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Paul won a Values Voter Summit straw poll in October and a California Republican Party straw poll in September. On Saturday, October 22, Paul garnered 53 percent of the votes to win an Ohio GOP poll. Last weekend, Paul won an Iowa straw poll at the National Federation of Republican Assemblies in Des Moines, Iowa with 82 percent of the votes.

Election 101:

In Illinois Saturday, Paul won 52 percent of the vote more than neck-and-neck frontrunners Mitt Romney and Herman Cain.

How does Paul do it winning state after state in these kinds of contests while generally being relegated to second-tier or also ran status by most pundits and pollsters?

Pundits have a hard time categorizing Paul, the Texas congressman whos as much (maybe more) libertarian as he is Republican.

As was pointed out in this space last month, try to imagine a Republican presidential candidate these days who would not support a constitutional ban on abortion, who would cut defense spending by nearly a billion dollars, or who would end all US aid to Israel. Hard, isnt it?

MONITOR QUIZ:

Paul has said he will not run for re-election to his congressional seat next year, raising questions about the possibility of running for president as an independent or third-party candidate.

On Fox News Sunday, he ruled that out. But confirming his status as something of a GOP outlier, he also said he wouldnt necessarily support the Republican presidential candidate once the primaries and caucuses are over.

If they believe in expanding the wars, if they dont believe in looking at the Federal Reserve, if they dont believe in real cuts, if they dont believe in deregulation and a better tax system, it would defy everything I believe in, he told Chris Wallace. And so therefore I would be reluctant to jump on board and tell all of the supporters that have given me trust and money All we have done is for naught and lets support anybody at all even if they disagree with everything we do.

But back to all those straw polls that Paul keeps winning or at least doing well in.

Theyre typically not scientific, and they cant be compared to nationwide polls.

In the most recent ABC News/Washington Post, Rasmussen Reports, and Quinnipiac polls, Paul remains in single digits behind Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Perry among those likely to vote in the Republican primaries or caucuses. And like Michele Bachmann, hes dropped several percentage points since October, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.

But Paul continues to do well in the straw polls because of the way theyre designed and because its easier for his enthusiastic and very loyal supporters to take part.

At the Values Voter Summit last month, young Paul supporters showed up by the busload to vote for him in that straw poll. The result? He won 37 percent of the vote, much more than Herman Cain (23 percent).

In Illinois over the weekend, Pauls 52 percent win over his GOP rivals comes with interesting caveats.

Voters in the straw poll (who had to contribute $5 to the Illinois Republican Party for the privilege) could participate either in person or online.

Paul won 66.5 percent of the votes cast over the Internet but just 8 percent of those cast in person (the way actual elections happen), suggesting a heavy online turnout by his supporters. Romney, on the other hand, took 35 percent of the in-person vote and Cain won 29 percent of that vote.

Paul supporters continue to claim media bias against their man.

If the advocates of Ron Paul often seem like they're paranoid about the way he's overlooked in the mainstream media, there's good reason for it, columnist Paul Mulshine writes in the Star Ledger in New Jersey.

As evidence, he points to a Sunday New York Times Magazine piece by political analyst Nate Silver headlined What Are the Chances for Republicans? Silvers piece virtually ignores Ron Paul.

The candidate who has been running third in many polls is conspicuously absent from the article, writes Mulshine, who also notes that in the Real Clear Politics polling average only Romney does better than Paul in mock head-to-head elections against Barack Obama.

Election 101:

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LOS ANGELES, May 2 (Reuters) - After enduring a roller-coaster season described by Hall of Famer Earvin 'Magic' Johnson as "one of the worst" in franchise history, Los Angeles Lakers fans are scratching their heads over what may happen next.

Widely tipped as National Basketball Association (NBA) championship contenders after assembling a star-studded lineup for their 2012-13 campaign, the injury-hit Lakers were swept out of the playoffs in the opening round by the San Antonio Spurs.

It was the first time in 46 years they had been knocked out of the post-season in four games, a humiliating exit for a team many had predicted would challenge the record 72 games won by the Chicago Bulls during their landmark 1995-96 regular season.

Despite boasting a potent starting five including All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, Los Angeles limped to an underwhelming 45-37 record as their ageing lineup succumbed to a spate of injuries.

Though they ended the regular season on a 28-12 run to book their place in the playoffs as the seventh-seeded team, that achievement came at a price with the inspirational Bryant ruled out of the post-season due to an Achilles tendon injury.

The Lakers were totally outplayed by the second-seeded Spurs in their first-round series, routed 103-82 in Game Four after center Howard was ejected following a second technical foul early in the third quarter.

"Dwight Howard that was a big No, No. Your teammates and the fans were counting on you," Johnson tweeted, before adding: "Dwight, I've been swept before but I never let my team down by getting kicked out of the game."

Johnson, who with fellow Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spearheaded the Lakers in the fabled "Showtime" era from 1979-1989, was not finished.

"I'm sooooooooooo happy the season is over. With the talent on this team this could go down as one of the worst seasons in Lakers' history!"

Johnson, along with many others, had expected much of the men in purple-and-gold after the off-season acquisitions of Howard and Nash beefed up a roster already bristling with quality and experience in Bryant and Gasol.

However Nash ended up missing 24 games because of a fracture in his left leg while Howard never appeared to recover fully from back surgery in mid 2012 while battling a shoulder injury and perceived tension between himself and team leader Bryant.

Forwards Gasol and Metta World Peace, along with backup guards Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks, were sidelined because of assorted ailments during a tumultuous season as the team failed to gel until the pressure was on to make the playoffs.

SHIFTED ROLES

Head coach Mike D'Antoni was widely criticised for an apparent inability to adjust his offense-minded style to fit a mainly old and slow roster, gifted Spaniard Gasol suffering the most as he was repeatedly shifted between multiple roles.

"It was a bit of a roller-coaster, obviously," D'Antoni said of his first season in charge of the Lakers.

"A lot of disappointment at the end. Due to a lot of circumstances, we started off slow and got us in a hole.

"The last 40 games, we played well. Disappointed we couldn't do anything in the playoffs - a lot of it due to injuries. We had ourselves set up to make a run, but we didn't do it."

The biggest question mark facing the Lakers ahead of next season is whether they can retain both big men, Howard and Gasol, as the team's luxury taxes will soar from $30 million to $85 million if they again have a $100-million payroll.

Howard, 27, will test free agency and is noncommittal about his plans. He can either re-sign with Los Angeles for five years and $118 million or opt for a four-year, $88-million deal with another team.

Gasol, 32, has been a frequent subject of trade rumors and, with a guarantee on his contract of $19.3 million for next season, said earlier this week that he understood the "business side" of the Lakers.

"There's a possibility I could be gone," he told reporters. There's a possibility I could stay. I'm prepared either way.

"I understand the challenges the franchise is facing and the decision they have to make in order to keep the team in the direction they want looking at the present and the future."

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, fervently hopes the Lakers can go into next season with both Howard and Gasol.

"I want him here," Bryant said of Gasol. "He gives us the best chance to win titles. You bring Dwight back, then we're off and running. You saw how well they played together (at the end of the season). That puzzle finally got solved."

Bryant, who averaged 27.3 points and 6.0 assists during the regular season before he tore his Achilles tendon on April 12, felt the Lakers never had the chance to gel because of their alarming injury rate.

"It was crazy," he said.

"It was a constant process for us, but we finally figured it out. It will be great to bring the group back because we know what to do, and we know how lethal we can be." (Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Chevron expected to post weaker sales and profits Friday due to slowing production and lower energy prices.

Chevron has been the most profitable of the energy majors in recent years because a big part of its production mix is oil, which has been fetching high prices. Rivals, like Exxon Mobil, produce more natural gas in the U.S, and domestic gas prices are still cheap.

But crude prices fell across the globe in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period last year. Chevron said this month that production had lagged slightly because of maintenance at U.S. production platforms and weather-related disruptions abroad.

The company earned $6 less per barrel of oil sold abroad, and $8 less per barrel sold in the U.S. through the first two months of this year, compared with the full first quarter of 2012. Production of oil and other liquid hydrocarbons was 2 percent below last year, the company said.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Investors will want to hear if Chevron has made any progress restoring oil production, especially in Brazil's offshore Frade field. Chevron was forced to halt production there in March 2012 after a pair of small spills. Brazil gave Chevron permission to restart production just this month.

WHY IT MATTERS: Chevron is the nation's second largest oil and gas company and among the 10 largest investor-owned companies of any kind in the world by market capitalization. As a member of the Dow Jones industrial average and a major component of the S&P 500 index, Chevron's stock is widely held by private investors through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Also, Chevron's fuel sales around the world may provide a glimpse into the state of the global economy. Economies typically consume more energy during periods of growth, or in this case, recovery.

WHAT'S EXPECTED: Analysts expect Chevron to report earnings of $3.10 per share on revenue of $56.5 billion for the first quarter, according to FactSet.

LAST YEAR'S QUARTER: Chevron Corp. earned $3.27 per share on revenue of $60.7 billion in the first quarter of 2012.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar eased on Wednesday as investors warily awaited the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting later in the day, while expectations for the European Central Bank to cut interest rates on Thursday capped the euro.

Financial bookmakers were predicting London's FTSE 100 would open nearly flat, with most other European markets shut for the Labour Day holiday.

U.S. stock futures were also little changed -- hinting at a subdued Wall Street open after the Standard & Poor's 500 Index settled at an all-time high on Tuesday.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan inched down 0.1 percent, retreating from Tuesday's seven-week high, and dragged down by a 0.3 percent fall in Australian shares which reached their highest in nearly five years in the previous session. Most Asian bourses were closed.

The highlight of the session was China's official purchasing managers' index (PMI) for April. Growth in China's manufacturing sector unexpectedly slowed in April to 50.6 from an 11-month high of 50.9 in March as new export orders fell, raising fresh doubts about the strength of the economy after a disappointing first quarter.

The Australian dollar hit a session low of $1.0364, but reaction was generally muted.

"It looks like China is in a situation where sluggish growth is going to continue for longer, which is not great from a commodities point-of-view," said Damien Boey, an equity strategist at Credit Suisse in Sydney. Australian markets are sensitive to data from China, its biggest trading partner.

London copper dropped 0.5 percent to $7,020 a tonne as the weak data from top consumer China fuelled demand concerns.

"PMIs do tend to come off in April and May, so there is a seasonal aspect, but it's still pretty negative and our Chinese economists are quite bearish right now so that's not great for metals," said Natalie Rampono, analyst at ANZ Bank in Melbourne.

U.S. crude futures fell 0.5 percent to $93 a barrel and Brent slid 0.9 percent to $101.47.

Japan's Nikkei stock average eased 0.3 percent on some disappointing earnings guidance. The Nikkei posted its best April in 20 years, reflecting a sharp improvement in investor sentiment as Japan adopts aggressive policies to end its stubborn deflation and bolster growth.

DOLLAR CONFIDENCE FALTERING

The dollar was vulnerable, staying near lows against a basket of six major currencies which hit its lowest since the end of February at 81.598 on Tuesday.

The dollar edged down 0.1 percent against the yen to 97.27, losing the momentum it needs to challenge the symbolic 100 yen after touching a four-year high of 99.95 yen last month.

The dollar has come under pressure recently after a mixture of weak manufacturing, jobs and growth data for the first three months of 2013 and more positive reports for the housing market.

Optimism over the U.S. recovery was the main driver behind this year's rallies in riskier investments, especially U.S. stocks, overshadowing weak spots emerging in China and the euro zone's deteriorating economy.

"The recent weak data has cast doubt over upbeat economic views forecast at the start of the year which had led to speculation about the Fed tapering its aggressive stimulus later this year," said Takao Hattori, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

"Investors are now concerned that data for the current quarter may be weaker than previously thought, and are starting to push back the timing of a shift in the Fed's stance. This is prompting dollar selling."

In this light, the U.S. non-farm payrolls report for April due on Friday is key in gauging the economic trend for the second quarter, Hattori said. March's number came in well below expectations, at 88,000, triggering a sell-off in riskier assets.

In April consumer confidence rebounded while the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago business barometer unexpectedly contracted to its lowest level since September 2009.

Spot gold edged down 0.1 percent to $1,474.55 an ounce on a lack of physical buying and before the Fed's decision.

While accommodative policies are generally seen as supportive for gold, the metal has not necessarily moved in tandem, noted Edward Meir, a metals analyst at futures brokerage INTL FCStone.

"Instead, it seems to pick up steam either as a result of turmoil in the financial markets or on the back of higher inflation readings, neither of which seem to be prevalent at this particular time."

The euro held steady around $1.3168 against the dollar but eased 0.1 percent against the yen at 128.07 yen

"We think meaningful EUR moves will be driven by three fairly unrelated factors, none of which relates to monetary policy in the eurozone," Barclays Capital said in a research note, referring to the effect of a weak yen on Germany's growth, the likely impact from Italy's new coalition government's austerity policies, and a recovery in the U.S. economy.

(Additional reporting by Maggie Lu Yueyang and Michael Sin in Sydney, Melanie Burton and Lewa Pardomuan in Singapore; Editing by Eric Meijer)