Shanghai copper climbed 2 percent on Friday, after a 1.8 percent rally in London copper on the back of a statement by the US Federal Reserve on interest rates. Shanghai Futures Exchange June copper rose 1,230 yuan to 62,240 yuan ($8,058) a tonne at the cl
The Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) said its eastern market indicator (EMI) rose 3 cents from to 943c a kg clean at sales on Thursday. AWEX said its northern indicator at sales in Sydney rose 4 cents to 977c/kg, the southern indicator at sales in Melbourn
Raw sugar futures rambled to a firm close on Thursday on buying by small speculators and spread business, with a dearth of news seen keeping the market range-bound for now, brokers said. The New York Board of Trade's May raw sugar contract rose 0.03 cent
Soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade rose on Thursday, led higher by the 2008 contracts, traders said. "It's interesting with what's happening with November '08. The deferred months are leading the rally as there's concern about getting enough ac
Chicago Board of Trade rough rice futures sank on Thursday on follow-through technical sales, with added pressure from reminders of a disappointing US export pace, traders said. May rice ended 9-1/2 cents per hundredweight lower at $10.13-1/2. The back mo
Tokyo rubber future ended lower on Friday as investors took profit ahead of the weekend, but prices were still supported by a rise in other commodities. The benchmark rubber contract on Tokyo Commodity Exchange for August delivery settled at 278.5 yen ($2
Malaysian crude palm oil futures rose 2 percent on Friday as soybean oil strengthened in the United States and there was strong buying, dealers said. The benchmark third-month June contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange finished up 39 ringgit
Canada should dismantle "significant" trade barriers it uses to protect its dairy and other agricultural producers, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said on Wednesday. In a review of Canadian trade policies, the WTO said Ottawa applies tariffs exceeding
General Electric Co said on Friday it would launch a $1.14 billion take-over bid for leasing firm Sanyo Electric Credit Co to further expand into Japan's $68 billion leasing market. The deal will also lead to a windfall gain for top shareholder Goldman Sa
French consumer spending on manufactured goods fell in February but analysts said the pullback was to be expected after a string of strong gains and posed no risk to the outlook for growth. Household spending, which has been the driving force behind econo
An $8.7 billion bid for Qantas Airways Ltd, the world's biggest airline take-over, was in disarray on Friday after a key shareholder said it would vote against the offer, forcing the buyout group to rethink its deal.
Thailand's army-backed government said Friday it might introduce new measures aimed at offsetting the economic impact of a rising baht, which is at nine-year highs against the dollar.
Increasing defaults on subprime loans in the United States could spread to other markets and sectors of the US economy, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Friday.
The pace of US existing home sales unexpectedly rose in February, increasing 3.9 percent to a 6.69 million-unit annual rate as mild weather spurred home buying, the National Association of Realtors said on Friday.
Some executives within Citigroup are pushing for the US banking giant to make a bid for ABN Amro, which is in discussions about a possible merger with Barclays, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Japan has no plans to divert its foreign currency reserves - the world's second largest - out of dollars and will not sell foreign assets to help redeem its government bonds, Finance Minister Koji Omi said on Friday.
BP's Russian venture unveiled a surprise bid on Friday for a $9 billion stake in state-controlled oil firm Rosneft, just as its top executives arrived in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin.
A Japanese court on Friday fined the disgraced Internet firm Livedoor Co 280 million yen (2.4 million dollars) for falsifying its earnings, a court official said. The Tokyo District Court's latest punishment follows the conviction of Livedoor founder Taka
A high-speed railway linking South Korea's main airport to the suburbs of Seoul opened Friday, amid hopes it will bolster the chances of Incheon becoming one of the world's top airports.
China is on course to overtake the United States this year as the world's biggest carbon emitter, estimates based on Chinese energy data show, potentially pressuring Beijing to take more action on climate change.
Taiwan stocks rose 0.46 percent on Friday to a 3-1/2-week closing high, led by shares such as Hon Hai, but Asustek dropped after a joint venture with smaller rival Gigabyte was called off. The main TAIEX share index gained 35.65 points to end at 7,859.32,
Singapore share prices closed 0.43 percent lower on Friday on a lack of fresh leads and as investors consolidated a series of strong gains made this week, dealers said. The Straits Times Index was down 13.69 points at 3,205.82. Volume was 1.33 billion sha
Hong Kong blue chips paused on Friday after gaining for four straight days, but China plays marked their seventh straight gaining session as investors bid up Sinopec Corp amid expectations of improving margins.
US stocks barely budged on Thursday as investors consolidated Wednesday's gains and re-evaluated expectations that the Federal Reserve's next policy move will be an interest rate cut. Motorola Inc added to the cautious mood on Wall Street after the mobile
US Treasury debt prices fell on Thursday, erasing the previous session's sharp gains, on doubts whether a softening of the Federal Reserve's tone on inflation would produce a rate cut soon. Perceived chances of a rate cut by the end of June, as shown by U
US Treasury debt prices fell on Thursday, erasing the previous session's sharp gains, on doubts whether a softening of the Federal Reserve's tone on inflation would produce a rate cut soon. Perceived chances of a rate cut by the end of June, as shown by U
Indian share prices closed down 0.17 percent on Friday, snapping four straight days of gains as investors took profits after a sharp rally led by global trends, dealers said. They said the markets may weaken next week on expectations of a local rate hike,
Philippines share prices closed 0.26 percent lower on Friday as a lack of leads resulted in mixed trade as some investors opted to take some profits ahead of the weekend, dealers said. Buying in select blue chips like Ayala Corp and SM Investments helped
Malaysian share prices closed 1.14 percent higher on Friday, extending gains to a seventh straight day after the government announced major incentives for the property sector, dealers said. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Thursday announced at a m
The Nikkei average rose 0.35 percent on Friday as investors picked up laggards like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and other bank shares, while a softer yen boosted auto shares such as Honda Motor Co Ltd Drug maker Eisai Co advanced 1.7 percent after it s
New Zealand share prices closed 0.29 percent lower on Friday, drifting downwards with a lack of direction, dealers said. The benchmark NZX-50 index closed 11.98 points down at 4,064.05 on turnover worth 118.05 million dollars (83.14 million US).
Thai share prices closed 0.44 percent higher on Friday, led by gains in energy stocks as oil prices climbed while the banks also attracted attention in an otherwise subdued market, dealers said. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index gained
Indonesian share prices closed 0.17 percent lower on Friday as investors took profits, dealers said. The Jakarta Stock Exchange composite index slipped 3.105 points at 1,805.961 on volume of 1.98 billion shares worth 2.4 trillion rupiah (263.59 million do
The Swiss franc was little changed against the euro, the dollar and the yen on Friday after the Swiss central bank warned that the franc could undergo an abrupt revaluation at some point in the future. A weak franc risked a violent correction if it fell o
The Indian rupee bounced back on Friday, as traders sold dollars to generate funds to overcome a slight cash squeeze in the money market. A severe cash shortage in the banking system earlier this week had prompted traders to dump dollars to meet their dai
The dollar steadied against the euro and yen on Friday, retaining gains made the previous session on views that the Federal Reserve may keep interest rates on hold for some time. The Fed left the funds rate unchanged at 5.25 percent on Wednesday but elimi
The dollar rose sharply on Thursday, recouping the prior session's losses on the view that the Federal Reserve may continue holding interest rates steady for some time to come. The Fed left borrowing costs at 5.25 percent on Wednesday but dropped language
China's yuan closed weaker against the dollar on Friday, as the central bank guided the yuan lower in response to the US currency's overnight strength on global markets, dealers said. The yuan finished at 7.7280 to the dollar, down from Thursday's close o
The Australian dollar held in a narrow range against the US currency on Friday after easing off a fresh 10-year high in offshore trade on profit-taking and a rethink on when the Federal Reserve might cut rates this year.
The Hong Kong dollar fell on Friday, erasing the previous session's gains, as the market re-assessed the Federal Reserve's stance on interest rates. The currency slipped as low as 7.8129 against the US dollar before trading back to 7.8117/19, down from 7.
Asian currencies fell on Friday, pulling back from Thursday's multi-month highs versus the dollar, on a growing view that US interest rates may be on hold for a while despite a softening in the Federal Reserve's stance.
Three-times champion Venus Williams recovered from losing the first four games to beat Ukraine's Yuliana Fedak 7-5 6-2 in the Sony Ericsson Open first round on Thursday. On the men's side, qualifier Guillermo Canas, who last week ended world number one Ro
A trust fund in memory of murdered Pakistan and former South African coach Bob Woolmer has been established in South Africa, it was announced on Friday. The Bob Woolmer Trust Fund will raise money for a number of projects, including a coaching academy, th
Pakistan's World Cup team have asked Jamaican police to allow them to leave the island as soon as possible after the announcement that coach Bob Woolmer was murdered, the team manager said on Friday.
Island state Tasmania won Australia's Sheffield Shield cricket title for the first time in their 30 years after thrashing New South Wales by 421 runs at Bellerive Oval here Friday. The Tasmanians, hosting the final for the first time, skittled NSW for 149
Lou Vincent found his form after two noughts with a hundred as New Zealand made it three World Cup wins out of three in Group C with a 114-run success against Canada at the Beausejour Cricket Ground here Thursday.
Jamaican police think it likely that Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was strangled by someone he knew after his team's defeat at cricket's World Cup showpiece, a senior officer told British radio Friday.
Jamaican police think it likely that Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was strangled by someone he knew after his team's defeat at cricket's World Cup showpiece, a senior officer told British radio Friday.
Pakistan said Friday it was rushing a senior diplomat from Washington to Jamaica after Caribbean police said national team cricket coach Bob Woolmer was strangled. "We do not have any diplomatic presence in Jamaica and we have decided to send a senior off
The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board has said that no Pakistani player is a suspect in the murder of coach Bob Woolmer. Dr Nasim Ashraf told Pakistani television channels that the Pakistan team members had been questioned by Jamaican police as part
Fighting between Democratic Republic of Congo troops and guards of opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba has killed at least seven people in the past two days, UN-sponsored Radio Okapi reported Friday.
An Eritrean-born man accused of masterminding four attempted bombings on July 21, 2005 in London denied on Friday that he had plotted them with the men who killed 52 people in suicide attacks two weeks earlier.
An update of Palestinian voter rolls will start next week after months of delay and resistance from Hamas that exposed the mistrust between the main factions now sharing a unity government.
Japan said Friday it would tighten its rules on the reporting of nuclear incidents after the recent revelation of a series of past near misses. Industry minister Akira Amari said power firms would be required to report all cases of dislodged nuclear contr
A construction team in southern China began beating villagers at a hotly disputed real estate project after a worker ran his truck into a local who later died from injuries, press reports said Friday.
A European border agency patrol vessel intercepted a boat carrying 300 illegal migrants from India and Pakistan off the coast of Senegal, officials said Friday. The boat, with a North Korean flag and named the "Happy Day," was discovered about 80 nautical
Nine navy officers were killed Friday when their helicopter crashed into a rice field and burst into flames in northeast Thailand, officials said. The Bell 214 helicopter was on a routine training flight when it crashed in Surin province, 455 kilometers (
The US military's top commander said here Friday that he did not believe China's armed forces were a threat and played down the prospects for hostilities in the Taiwan strait.
European Union president Germany will set the bloc a two-year deadline to modernise its institutions when leaders from 27 member states gather this weekend in Berlin to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary.
At least three people were killed Friday in a fiery multi-vehicle crash in a Melbourne tunnel that led to an explosion and forced hundreds of motorists to evacuate, rescue services said.
About 2,000 Thais held an anti-junta rally organised by members of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra's political party Friday, demanding an end to the military-installed government. "We are against the coup. The military government should leave now," sho
The chief executive of French oil giant Total returned to work on Friday after being questioned about alleged illegal payments to Iran, six months after being named in a separate kickbacks probe on Iraq.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was in Egypt Friday on the second leg of a Middle East tour amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the region aimed at re-energising the peace process. Ban, who arrived from Baghdad, was expected to meet Egyptian Foreign
Talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear threat that ground to a halt over a stalled bank payment may restart soon as negotiators seek to focus on disarmament, the chief US envoy said on Friday.
A plane carrying 11 people burst into flames and crashed in north Mogadishu on Friday during the third day of clashes between rebels and government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers, officials said.
A US plan to deploy an anti-missile defence system in eastern Europe against potential attacks from Iran threatens Russia and undermines co-operation in the United Nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
Sterling fell against the yen and the dollar on Friday as investors took profits on the pound after a week of strong gains. The pound's gains of around 1 percent this week on a trade-weighted basis were driven by increased confidence the Bank of England w
The yen rose across the board on Friday, reversing losses made earlier this week as investors bought back the Japanese currency they had previously sold to buy higher-yielding assets. The dollar steadied against other major currencies, having hit a two-ye
Credit default swaps on France's Valeo soared on Friday, after the car parts group confirmed it had received a bid approach, while carmaker DaimlerChrysler's CDSs tightened on hopes it is close to selling its Chrysler unit.
Credit default swaps on France's Valeo soared on Friday, after the car parts group confirmed it had received a bid approach, while carmaker DaimlerChrysler's CDSs tightened on hopes it is close to selling its Chrysler unit.
Chinese main stock index ended little changed on Friday after testing lower. Most shares rebounded in late trade but heavily weighted banks and property stocks were weak. "Today's correction was expected, before the index establishes itself firmly above 3
US stocks were little changed on Friday as a rise in oil prices triggered by Middle East tensions boosted energy stocks but weighed on the broad market. Gains on the Nasdaq market were stemmed by shares of Amgen Inc after the world's largest biotechnology
Seoul shares fell 0.1 percent on Friday as a surge in oil prices hit energy cost-sensitives firms such as KEPCO, while exporters retreated on worries the won currency would strengthen against the Japanese yen. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Ind
Britain's benchmark share index ended the week on a positive note, as oil stocks and M&A chatter helped European shares score their first five-day winning streak since recent slides in world equities. M&A talk lifted shares in Pearson to a five-year high.
Cotton futures settled mixed Friday in another quiet session as most players awaited next week's potential plantings report by the government, brokers said. New York Board of Trade's May cotton contract closed up 0.05 cent at 53.27 cents per lb after trad
Chinese traders' outlook for soyabean, soya products and corn remains bearish for next week while wheat has picked up, a survey by a Chinese think tank showed on Friday. The soyabean outlook turned bearish after week-high US soyabean prices slowed down pu
Investments in commodities have exploded over the past three years and while investors are feasting on a smorgasbord of funds and products, the sheer number of options in the market is giving many a bellyache.
Oil rose above $62 to a three-month high on Friday after Iran seized 15 British navy personnel, raising concerns about renewed tension between the oil producer and the West. US crude settled up 59 cents at $62.28 a barrel, adding to gains of more than $2
Good rainfall earlier in the season is contributing to record soyabean yields in western Bahia state, one of the frontier areas of Brazil's soy belt, producers and suppliers said. The greater humidity, however, also requires greater application of fungici
London cocoa futures hit a fresh 3-1/2 year peak on Friday before running into profit-taking and closing slightly lower, dealers said. "I think we went too fast, too soon," one dealer said, adding the market had become overbought following its recent adva
Nickel shed over seven percent on the London Metal Exchange on Friday as investors took profits ahead of what analysts said would be a more balanced market in the second half of 2007. But tin bucked the falling trend and hit a new high - it touched a peak
Gold fell 1.5 percent on Friday from its previous session's three-week high, as a rise in the dollar after better-than-expected US existing home sales prompted investors to take profits ahead of the weekend. But traders said the drop would be limited beca
Corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were mixed in choppy dealings on Friday as traders await the release next Friday of USDA's March planting intentions report.
Soft red winter wheat futures at the Chicago Board of Trade turned lower by midsession on Friday as bearish fundamentals, including good US crop weather, triggered light speculative selling, traders said.
Soyabean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were firm midday Friday, supported by the rally in soyabean oil to contract highs, traders said. Soyaoil was mimicking the strength in the crude oil, which climbed on Iran's seizure of British naval personnel
New York copper futures rallied overnight to levels last hit December 12, retreated briefly, then renewed their healthy gains Friday morning on a surprising jump in US home sales, traders said.
US gold futures dropped 1 percent Friday morning as investors locked in solid profits from the past several sessions, and higher crude oil prices and geopolitical tensions kept the precious metal from falling further.
Country's revered music composer Nisar Ahmed Bazmi was buried on Friday near his residence in North Karachi. He left a widow three sons and four daughters to mourn his death. He died late on Thursday night at Agha Khan University Hospital in Karachi after
Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Javed Iqbal has constituted six benches of the apex court for the next week starting from March 26 to hear hundreds of cases at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi Registries.
With a dazzling zest to affix their destiny with Pakistan, the Kashmiris dwelling on either side of the Line of Control celebrated the sanctified Pakistan Day on Friday in a befitting manner.
Young people from all provinces will assemble in Islamabad to participate in UNFPA conference on 'MDGs and Youth Empowerment' being held here at a local hotel on Tuesday. Pakistan currently has the largest cohort of young people in its history.
The newly appointed Chief Secretary of Azad Kashmir Major Javed Majeed (Retd) has said that the reconstruction of AJK cities destroyed in the October 2005 earthquake would be his first priority.
Wrapped in a black-and-white-chequered Arab headdress, the leader of a new Palestinian Islamist group Fatah al-Islam denied the group had links to al Qaeda or any other organisations and vowed that the group would defend itself.
The Punjab government has acquired as many as 500 acres of a suitable land near Sambrial along the main Sialkot-Sambrial-Wazirabad Road for establishment of an international standard engineering university.
The letter of Miss. Erum Qureshi on 'Insecure and faulty ATM Booths' published in your issue of 11 March 2007, truly speaks of the common problems being faced by many account holders at many ATM booths in daily routine without any remedial measures.