Hong Kong stocks closed at their lowest level this month on Tuesday, down 1.6 percent, with bellwether stock Hutchison sliding on growing perception the firm would post weak earnings later this week.
US stocks rose slightly on Monday as take-over moves in the oil and health-care industries more than offset a slight gain in oil prices and a drop in Merck & Co Inc after the drug maker lost a key court case over its product Vioxx.
Thai share prices made marginal losses on Tuesday on last-minute profit-taking, dealers said. They said investors made speculative purchases and there was an effort to take profits throughout the day.
`US Treasury debt prices barely budged on Monday as a dearth of new economic data left investors with little to gamble on. Trading was choppy and volume was light, with bonds erasing early losses after the stock market shed some gains. Benchmark 10-year n
`US Treasury debt prices barely budged on Monday as a dearth of new economic data left investors with little to gamble on. Trading was choppy and volume was light, with bonds erasing early losses after the stock market shed some gains. Benchmark 10-year n
Malaysian share prices closed flat on Tuesday, or 0.02 percent lower in range-bound trade Tuesday in the absence of fresh leads ahead of the release of second-quarter economic data Wednesday, dealers said.
Philippines share prices closed 1.0 percent lower on Tuesday amid renewed concern over the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Arroyo, dealers said. They said this was compounded by worries about the consequences of higher oil prices on the eco
Singapore share prices closed lower for the first time in four days on Tuesday on profit-taking with investors looking for leads as the current corporate earnings season draws to a close, dealers said. The Straits Times Index fell 11.29 points, or 0.49 pe
Tokyo's Nikkei share average finished just below 12,500 on Tuesday, booking its highest close in four years after more buying by foreign investors buoyed non-bank financial firms and lifted the benchmark 0.16 percent.
Indonesian share prices closed 0.95 percent on Tuesday, the eighth straight day it has weakened amid mounting concern over the rupiah's extended fall and the government's seeming inaction, dealers said.
China's yuan strengthened against the US dollar on Tuesday to close at 8.1012, with dealers saying the central bank was less involved in directing trade compared with the past few sessions. The yuan - which was revalued by 2.1 percent on July 21 to 8.11 p
The rupee extended the day's losses on Tuesday to touch its lowest since early June, driven down by dollar demand from companies and oil firms for month-end payments and from foreign fund sales of Indian stocks.
The dollar ticked up on Tuesday as a spate of yen-buying inspired by a rise in Japanese stock prices lost steam and as the euro slipped ahead of key data on German business sentiment.
The dollar fell on Monday, with a broadly stronger Japanese yen spilling over into other currencies and prompting dealers to sell the greenback across the board to lock in profits from last week's steep gains. With no major US economic data on Monday, the
Interbank buy/sell rates for the taka against the dollar on Tuesday. 65.08/65.75 (previous 65.08/65.75). Call Money Rates: 5.0-16.5 percent (previous 5.0-12.0 percent).
The Hong Kong dollar fell to a two-and-a-half week low on Tuesday, undermined by weakness in the local equity market and speculation on a link between the local currency and the Chinese yuan at some point in the future.
Most Asian currencies fell on Tuesday - the Indonesian rupiah and Korean won being the biggest losers - weighed down by high oil prices, falling stock markets and the Japanese yen's failure to extend its rally.
Indonesia's press hailed on Tuesday the country's victories at the World Badminton Championships as a much-needed moral boost after two years of sagging performances.
US teen Scoville Jenkins captured his first ATP victory here on Monday, defeating Finlands Jarkko Nieminen 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 at a 675,000-dollar tournament, the final tune-up for the US Open. The 18-year-old American blasted 17 aces and overcame a shaky start
Pakistan launched a new Super League hockey tournament on Tuesday, hoping to ride on the national team's success in winning its first major trophy in 11 years. One team from each of six Pakistani regions - including an invited Indian player on each team -
Australia batsman Justin Langer has said Michael Kasprowicz, rather than Shaun Tait, should join Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee in the tourists' attack for the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.
A powerful India, a proven New Zealand and a topsy-turvy Zimbabwe begin a triangular one-day international series with two matches here and five more in Harare over the next two weeks.
According to the 'King' of golf, Arnold Palmer, professional golfers drive for show and putt for dough - unless you're Tiger Woods that is. Woods, 29, made a mockery of golf's most famous edict when he won the 7.5 million dollar WGC-NEC Invitational on Su
Meghann Shaughnessy thanked a radical change in tactics for a dramatic victory over France's Nathalie Dechy here on Monday to reach the second round of a 600,000-dollar WTA tournament.
Libya expects the United States to remove it from Washington's list of sponsors of terrorism this year to seal their rapprochement after Tripoli abandoned a programme of prohibited weapons, the Libyan leader's son said.
One of Algeria's most influential former Islamist militants endorsed on Tuesday a partial amnesty for rebels that the government hopes will end more than a decade of civil strife. But Madani Mezrag, former leader of the now-dissolved AIS movement, said a
A Japanese court Tuesday rejected claims that a notorious contest by imperial troops to behead Chinese soldiers was a journalist's fabrication, giving critics of Japan's wartime past a rare legal victory.
Chinese destroyers, submarines and fighter planes were co-ordinating Tuesday with a Russian missile destroyer and anti-submarine vessels in ongoing war games simulating a naval blockade, state media said.
A British woman who can only move her head, eyes and mouth sailed across the English Channel and into the record books Tuesday on board a modified boat she controlled by sucking or blowing into straws.
The US negotiator in talks on dismantling North Korea's suspected atomic arms programme predicted on Tuesday the sides can overcome a key difference over Pyongyang's right to develop peaceful nuclear power.
A light plane crashed near the Simplon mountain pass in south-central Switzerland on Tuesday, killing all four people on board, Swiss police said. "I can confirm four people died. There were no survivors," Vincent Favre, police spokesman in the canton (st
A US-European satellite launched nearly 10 years ago has helped astronomers to spot 1,000 comets, nearly half of all officially recorded comets in history, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Tuesday.
At least 11 people were killed and some others believed to be trapped under rubble after a four-storey building in India's flood-hit city of Mumbai collapsed Tuesday, police said.
A suicide bomber killed a US soldier, an American contractor and four Iraqi security guards at a joint co-ordination centre in a town north of Baghdad on Tuesday, the US military said in a statement. The attack in Baquba also wounded nine US soldiers, fou
Iraq's Shia-led government on Tuesday ruled out any major change to a draft constitution that parliament looks set to pass this week in the teeth of minority Sunni objections that it could ignite civil war.
US President George W. Bush on Tuesday praised Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank and said the Palestinians must now form an effective government.
Israel completed a withdrawal of 15,000 Jewish settlers and supporters from occupied land on Tuesday after police ejected ultranationalist protesters making last stands in two West Bank enclaves.
An Iranian man freed from Guantanamo Bay prison developed mental disorders as a result of his treatment there, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the released man Mohammad Anuarkord required medical c
President George W. Bush on Tuesday painted anti-war protestors seeking a speedy US withdrawal from Iraq as urging a full retreat from the Middle East and said that would weaken the United States.
While parched Portugal and Spain battled dozens of wildfires, emergency services elsewhere in Europe struggled to contain floods brought on by heavy rains in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany and Switzerland.
Ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has sacked his entire foreign defence team and will in future deal only with his Iraqi lawyer, the special tribunal trying him confirmed Tuesday. "The head of the investigative judges team questioned Saddam... on wheth
Syrian militants linked to al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, were behind last week's rocket attack on US warships in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, Jordanian security officials said on Tuesday.
Australian former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib said on Tuesday he had been attacked and stabbed near his Sydney home, despite being under almost constant surveillance from Australian security agencies.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived Tuesday in Niger to assess the impact of devastating famine in one of the world's poorest countries, and discuss measures on tackling it. Annan began his two-day visit by flying to Niger's second city, Zinder, in th
European powers have called off August 31 talks with Iran over its nuclear programme, France said on Tuesday, marking a breakdown in two years of negotiations with Tehran to halt its sensitive atomic work.
Sterling held steady below recent seven-week highs versus the euro on Tuesday and ticked down against the firmer dollar in a quiet session. Investors are awaiting this week's British data to see if it reinforces the view that Bank of England interest rate
The euro got a brief push higher from strong German investor confidence data on Tuesday but quickly gave up gains as markets remained uncertain about Europe's economic prospects. However, the euro traded up from the previous session's seven-week low again
Mildly positive sentiment suffused a soporific European corporate bond market on Tuesday as investors scavenged for bargains, while prices were generally little changed. Longer-dated telecoms paper edged higher, as investors looked to increase risk exposu
Mildly positive sentiment suffused a soporific European corporate bond market on Tuesday as investors scavenged for bargains, while prices were generally little changed. Longer-dated telecoms paper edged higher, as investors looked to increase risk exposu
Hong Kong stocks closed at their lowest level this month on Tuesday, down 1.6 percent, with bellwether stock Hutchison sliding on growing perception the firm would post weak earnings later this week.
US stocks declined on Tuesday after a report showed existing home sales fell more than expected, hinting at weaker consumer spending, and oil held above $65 a barrel, raising concern that energy costs may cut into corporate profits.
Seoul shares ended little changed on Tuesday, with insurers gaining on an improving earnings outlook, but LG Electronics and LG Corp fell after Sovereign Asset Management said it sold its entire stake in the firms.
Blue-chip British shares closed lower on Tuesday with services company Rentokil a major faller as investors had second thoughts about Monday's bid potential, while British Airways also lost ground. The airline closed 1.6 percent down at 285 pence on uncer
The highly contagious soyabean rust disease was found in a sixth Alabama county and could soon spread to other fields in the state, the US Agriculture Department said on Tuesday. The fungus was found in a soyabean sentinel plot in Autauga County.
Exporters in West Africa are up in arms about a pending change in shipping methods to Europe which they say could have an impact on the quality of cocoa arriving in European ports.
Oil inched higher on Tuesday after a power failure that halted exports out of Iraq's Basra terminal reminded traders about the vulnerability of crude production. US light crude settled at $65.71 a barrel, up six cents, after falling as low as $64.65. Lond
German oilseeds newsletter Oil World said it has raised it forecast of this summer's European Union rapeseed crop to 14.75 million tonnes against its previous estimate of 14.6 million tonnes.
Cotton futures ended near their session highs Tuesday on a late round of speculative buying, though dealers said the market seemed poised to hold its recent range in the days ahead, analysts said.
Benchmark London white sugar futures settled mixed on Tuesday amid trade buying and arbitrage selling as the market anticipated firm physical demand, traders said. Front-month October concluded up 90 cents at $287.3 per tonne in volume of 2,098 lots, afte
London Metal Exchange (LME) copper futures ended trading little changed on Tuesday as the market consolidated after recent volatility, dealers said. The three-months price closed at $3,618 a tonne from $3,622 at Monday's kerb close. Prices have swung abou
Gold edged higher in Europe on Tuesday, flirting with $440.00 an ounce in technically-driven trade, although sentiment was tempered by the implications of current major speculative longs.
US benchmark arabica coffee futures rose 2 percent to end at an 11-day high on Tuesday, boosted by fund buying amid a tighter spread in the two front-month contracts, traders said. The New York Board of Trade's most-active arabica contract for December de
US cocoa futures finished in negative territory Tuesday, succumbing to speculative selling when the benchmark contract failed to get above a key technical level, traders said.
New York raw sugar prices slipped on Tuesday, languishing within the range from the previous session, when the benchmark contract plumbed the lowest level in a month. The New York Board of Trade's October raws contract ended down 0.02 cent at 9.58 cents a
Corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade turned down early on Tuesday with fading gains in soy futures triggering some quiet and light selling in corn, traders said. The market may have found a bit of underpinning early from a sag rather than an increas
Wheat futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were lower early on Tuesday, backing off of early strength as follow-through buying failed to materialise, traders said. "It's just a lack of interest right now," one floor source said, noting the slow pace of a
New York copper futures fell early on Tuesday in light trade, but traders said the bulk of the business was mostly given to rollovers. Noting that the session range was narrow and prices still in the vicinity of all-time highs, traders said the selling wa
Soyabean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were holding firm early on Tuesday amid a rumour China had bought US soya and on technical short-covering, traders said. Support also stemmed from a less-than-expected improvement in crop condition ratings, t
Gold futures in New York rose on trade buying early on Tuesday, as an absence of speculative selling, coupled with a steady euro and higher crude oil, drew investors to the precious commodity, traders said.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Import Valuation Sub-committee Chairman Amir Abdullah Zaki said that prices of cloth will go down by almost 18 percent due to reduction in textile sector's production cost.
On the directive of Advisor to chief minister on Excise and Taxation (E&T) M A Jalil, rupees two million have been earmarked for training of E&T staff whose performance has remained not up to the mark due to lack of training.
Traffic police arrested 123 drivers and conductors during a special campaign launched in the city. According to police sources here on Tuesday, the drive which continued from August 1 to 15, police also challaned to 3079 for violation of travelling in lad
Sindh Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman has exhorted the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) authorities to hold a presentation on the evolutionary matters of Faizi Rehamn Art Gallery and its reactivation so that meaningful action could be taken for promo
Secretary General-designate of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi has commended Pakistan's economic revival and growth. He praised Pakistani leadership for bringing about macroeconomic stability and st
All boards will conduct combined examination of Secondary School Certificate (SSC-I & II) from next year, said Federal Minister for Education Javed Ashraf Qazi here on Tuesday.
Heavy rain lashed the industrial city on Sunday causing widespread flooding and three persons including a Rickshaw Driver were killed in accidents caused by the thunderstorm, when heavy publicity sign boards collapsed and electric poll lines broken.
The travel advisory for Pakistan has neither deterred businessmen nor travellers to visit the country as it is open for investment with its investor-friendly environment, said Islamabad's envoy to Britain Dr Maleeha Lodhi.
Women working on Wall Street say numerous factors, from sexual discrimination to a lack of interest from graduates, have kept their numbers low, leaving one of the industry's best assets just partly tapped. Half of the students at law and medical schools
This week the attention of world's media turned to Gaza to follow the melodramatic scenes of the Israeli withdrawal which was more akin to a Hollywood epic than a news report.
What price Europe's health? The question lies at the heart of a debate over a draft chemicals law that detractors say could cost Europe its dominance of the lucrative sector. The law, known as REACH, would require the testing and licensing of thousands of
The Federal Minister for Commerce has recently expressed hope that exports for FY 2005-06 would reach $20 billion mark. This indeed is laudable but, seen in the context of the country's actual and present potential of $35 billion, seems to be very low in
Speaking, as chief guest, at the inaugural session of the second seminar on 'Urban and Regional Planning', in Karachi, the other day, the State Bank of Pakistan Governor, Dr Ishrat Hussain, rightly urged the universities and the institutions of higher lea
Although the World Bank President is not expected to be very forthright in publicly discussing sensitive issues in the relations with a member country on its own soil for obvious reasons, he, nonetheless, seems to have been able to convey a meaningful mes
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Tuesday decided to carry out a survey of encroachments in Islamabad's rural areas in preparation for a drive to demolish illegal structures.
The government has raised allocation for the education in its revised medium-term development framework (MTDF) by pledging rupees five billion more to the sector. The allocation was increased to Rs 119.7 billion from the previous of Rs 114.78 billion.
In a bid to prevent fatal accidents in future, Automatic Train Protection System (ATPS) would be installed preliminary at four stations within three months. "On experimental basis the ATPS would be installed at four stations within three months," Director
Work on the proposed cause list for the Supreme Court for the first working week after the summer vacation has started and it is to be posted in a day or two. The apex court is to re-assemble here on September 12.
President Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and discussed with him first phase of local bodies (LB) elections and organisational matters.
The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has developed workbooks to guide the taxpayers for proper filing of income tax returns for tax year 2005. The 'Facilitation and Taxpayer Education (FATE) Wing' of CBR has developed 'workbooks' with in-built calculations
The Sudan Embassy in Islamabad on Tuesday contacted human and civil rights lawyer, Ansar Burney and assured him its all out support and co-operation for the early release of 60 Pakistanis from the private jail of Sudan.
The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has planned to generate almost 10 percent share in the country's electrical power requirements through alternative sources by 2015. This was stated by Air Marshal Shahid Hamid (Retd), Chairman, AEDB, at a se
The combined opposition in Senate on Tuesday filed two adjournment motions with Senate Secretariat regarding the centrifuge parts issue and World Bank's wish to be consulted on appointment of senior bureaucrats. In the first motion, senators from democrat
Opposition parties in Rawalpindi have demanded judicial inquiry of Dhok Khaba firing and asked the government to stop the victimisation of the workers during LB polls process.
The Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran will arrive here on August 31 on a three-day official visit. Saran will meet his counterpart in Pakistan and review the progress on the ongoing composite dialogue.
The Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Ishrat Hussain, on Tuesday said that the government was formulating a new fund to provide risk cover to banks in the SME sector. Talking to a private TV, he said that government would formulate the fund in co