Heavy rains have begun falling on Brazil's southern soyabean producing states and a new cold front will bring more moisture into parts of the center-west, meteorologist Somar said Thursday.
Elections in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh are often billed as all about caste politics, but this time they are also an important barometer of the fortunes of the country's two main political parties.
The Tamil Tigers shot dead four Sri Lankan farmers in the island's northeast on Thursday, the military said, but the rebels denied what was a third attack on civilians in a week. Troops also found and defused a powerful bomb north of the capital.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq on Thursday blamed the team's first-round exit from the World Cup on the poor performances of the senior players. Speaking in front of a committee appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board to evaluate the World Cup deb
Sri Lanka pulled off a dramatic two-run World Cup victory over England after young batsman Ravi Bopara was dismissed off the last ball having almost snatched the Super Eights game on Wednesday.
The government official responsible for public security in Rome said that police did not use excessive force to control crowd trouble at the Champions League match between AS Roma and Manchester United on Wednesday.
Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore threw his hat in the ring on Wednesday to succeed Greg Chappell as India coach. On the day Chappell handed in his resignation, two weeks after the team's first-round exit in the World Cup, Whatmore confirmed his interest in t
Venus Williams continued her quest back to the top of women's tennis on Wednesday, upsetting fourth seed Patty Schnyder to reach the third round of the Amelia Island championship. The 3-6 6-3 6-4 win improves Williams's record over the Swiss world number
Russia's Nikolay Davydenko will kick off the Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie against France with an opening singles match against Paul-Henri Mathieu on Friday.
The Indian rupee raced towards its highest level in nearly eight years in late trade on Thursday, as dealers built short positions in the dollar on expectations the central bank would not intervene to limit gains.
A sudden, late spurt in the South Korean won to an eight-week high energised what was otherwise a dull trading session in Asian currencies on Thursday. Trading was dulled by holidays in the Philippines and Taiwan and the upcoming Good Friday holiday globa
The dollar fell on Wednesday after data showing growth in the US service sector slid to a four-year low in March, reinforcing a view that the US economy is weakening. The dollar neared a two-year low against the euro after the Institute for Supply Managem
The dollar hovered below a five-week high against the yen on Thursday as investors shifted their focus to a monthly US payrolls report due the following session.
China's yuan edged up to a post-revaluation high against the US dollar on Thursday after the central bank announced a surprise hike in banks' reserve requirements. The yuan, which was at 7.7259 to the dollar just before the announcement, against Wednesday
The Swiss franc was hovering around 8-year lows against the euro on Thursday as the Swiss currency remained under pressure in thin volumes ahead of the Easter holiday weekend. The franc stood slightly firmer against the euro at 1.6305 per euro, up from 1.
Benchmark Japanese government bond futures bounced off a three-month low on Thursday as players covered short positions after US Treasuries rose the previous day and Tokyo share prices fell. In the absence of major data and with investors not rushing to b
Benchmark Japanese government bond futures bounced off a three-month low on Thursday as players covered short positions after US Treasuries rose the previous day and Tokyo share prices fell. In the absence of major data and with investors not rushing to b
The Nikkei slipped 0.30 percent on Thursday following a two-day rise, with Fast Retailing Co Ltd and other recent gainers dropping and lower oil prices weighing on energy stocks such as Nippon Oil Corp. Nintendo Co Ltd rose after it raised its sales and p
Singapore share prices closed at a fresh record high on Thursday supported by gains in technology and agricultural plantation stocks and a rise in Wall Street overnight, dealers said. However, profit-taking ahead of the long Easter weekend curbed the mark
Thai share prices closed 0.15 percent lower on Thursday, in line with regional stocks, on profit taking and selective buying of big-cap stocks, dealers said. They said foreign funds continued flowing into the Thai market while property stocks rose on stro
Indonesian share prices closed down 1.38 percent on Thursday after the central bank surprised the market by keeping its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 9.0 percent, dealers said. The Jakarta Stock Exchange composite index close down 26.440 points at
US Treasury debt prices firmed on Wednesday as surprisingly weak economic data bolstered the view the Federal Reserve may cut rates and spurred investors to cover short positions prior to Friday's payrolls report.
US Treasury debt prices firmed on Wednesday as surprisingly weak economic data bolstered the view the Federal Reserve may cut rates and spurred investors to cover short positions prior to Friday's payrolls report.
Indian share prices closed 0.54 percent higher on Thursday on fund buying in metal and banking stocks, dealers said. They said mid and small-cap stocks rose as the markets recovered for the third straight day after the Sensex posted the sharpest fall in n
US stocks edged up on Wednesday as Iran's plans to release captured British troops led to a decline in oil prices and positive brokerage comments boosted Microsoft Corp. Data pointing to services sector weakness and slower-than-expected growth in factory
China's benchmark stock index rose 0.84 percent on Thursday, setting a record-high close for a fourth straight day and reversing losses earlier in the session as investors continued to buy blue chips, betting on long-term market strength. The Shanghai Com
Malaysian share prices closed 0.49 percent higher on Thursday in a mixed session, with rotational interest in companies in water-related industries offsetting profit-taking, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index closed up 6.17 points at 1,277.48.
Seoul shares hit a second straight record high on Thursday led by techs such as LG.Philips LCD on expectations earnings are set to recover, but ran out of steam to close flat as investors locked in gains in banks and steel firms.
Twenty-eight special children along with two teachers of Anjuman-e-Behbood-e-Samat-e-Atfal (Absa) School and College visited Karachi Port Trust on Thursday. They were briefed at KPT Staff College after which they went around the port and had a harbour cru
China on Thursday kept up its relentless pace of monetary tightening by ordering banks for the sixth time since last June to tie up more of their deposits in reserve instead of lending them out.
Bangladesh plans to set up special economic zones (SEZs) across the country soon to spur economic growth in the impoverished nation, a minister said Thursday. The SEZs would be set up to boost industrial expansion, the country's interim minister for power
Turkey has suspended talks with Gaz de France over a major pipeline that would bring Caspian gas to Europe, in protest at a French bill on the mass killings of Armenians during Ottoman rule, senior Turkish energy officials told Reuters on Thursday.
India has ended a two-month freeze on approvals of special economic zones, breathing new life into plans for large tax-free enclaves that ran into trouble over controversial purchases of farm land.
Asean finance ministers on Thursday vowed to strengthen measures to head off any repeat of the 1997 economic crisis that traumatised the region for years afterwards.
World Trade Organisation members have voiced frustration at the slow pace of negotiations ahead of a ministerial meeting of key players in New Delhi next week, sources close to the talks said Thursday. The comments came after WTO director general Pascal L
New US jobless claims rose a larger-than-forecast 11,000 last week, government data on Thursday showed, in a report adding to the mixed economic picture painted by other recent US indicators.
The Bank of England kept interest rates steady at 5.25 percent on Thursday but financial markets are betting that borrowing costs will still rise in May. Most economists had predicted the decision to keep rates unchanged for a third month running, but wer
The Bank of England kept interest rates steady at 5.25 percent on Thursday but financial markets are betting that borrowing costs will still rise in May. Most economists had predicted the decision to keep rates unchanged for a third month running, but wer
The Bank of England kept interest rates steady at 5.25 percent on Thursday but financial markets are betting that borrowing costs will still rise in May. Most economists had predicted the decision to keep rates unchanged for a third month running, but wer
Google Inc paid its top three executives a token 2006 salary of $1 each for the third year running, and bonuses of $1,723 a piece, according to the company's annual proxy filed on Wednesday.
British factory output fell unexpectedly for a second month running in February and at its sharpest rate in nearly 1-1/2 years, raising doubts over the durability of manufacturing's recent recovery. The Office for National Statistics said manufacturing ou
AT&T says it is open to Italian partners in Telecom Italia as it and America Movil aim to buy a controlling interest in Italy's biggest telecoms operator, where investors are at loggerheads over the sacking of its chairman.
Airbus parent EADS named a new German co-chairman on Thursday, picking a discreet Daimler car executive who played a key role behind the scenes in the creation of Europe's aerospace giant in 2000. Ruediger Grube, 55, replaces Manfred Bischoff, who was nam
Malaysian crude palm oil futures closed 1.2 percent lower on Thursday as players booked profits after strong gains. The most active month hit new eight-year highs for the fourth time since on Friday in a day of volatile trade.
Tokyo rubber futures ended lower on Thursday, falling by 1.5 percent on a decline of oil prices. But prices were supported by short covering after the key contract broke briefly below the closely watched level of 280 yen, dealers said.
Rough rice futures at the Chicago Board of Trade closed higher on Wednesday on a technical bounce, supported by the strength in corn, traders said. May rough rice end 6 cents higher at $10.23 per hundredweight and July closed 5-1/2 up at $10.59.
Certificated cotton stocks deliverable against New York Board of Trade's (NYBOT) No 2 cotton futures contract as of April 3 totalled 649,492 (480-lb) bales, from 649,240 bales the previous session. There were 1,130 bales issued, 20,542 bales were awaiting
Soyabean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade closed lower on Wednesday in a volatile weather market, traders said. CBOT soya closed 1-1/2 to 4 cents per bushel lower, with May down 2-3/4 at $7.61 per bushel. New-crop November was down 2 at $8.05-1/4 per
Raw sugar futures settled lower on Wednesday on light speculative sales as most of the trade appear to be out ahead of the Easter break, brokers said. The sugar market will be shut on Friday for a holiday and trading resumes on Monday.
The Registrar Supreme Court was informed on Thursday by a lawyer of the referring authority Arif Chaudhry that in order to maintain good relations among the lawyers community and to avoid the recurrence of unpleasant incidents like the one under inquiry,
Indonesia signed an initial agreement with Vietnam to import up to 1 million tonnes of rice, a senior trade ministry official said on Thursday. Dinah Maulida, director general of foreign trade, said the agreement would help secure rice supplies from Vietn
The Registrar Supreme Court was informed on Thursday by a lawyer of the referring authority Arif Chaudhry that in order to maintain good relations among the lawyers community and to avoid the recurrence of unpleasant incidents like the one under inquiry,
Indian Soya futures were up on Thursday after officials estimated a fall in domestic oilseeds output from a year ago. Firm global prices due to tight supplies also hit sentiment. Sugar futures fell on abundant stocks. The April Soya futures on the Nationa
President General Pervez Musharraf has rejected 266 representations filed by the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) against the decisions of Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) upto March 28, 2007. According to latest data compiled by CBR Legal Wing on Thursday, the
China copper futures edged higher on Thursday, maintaining a weeklong upturned supported by perceptions of a looming supply pinch. Shanghai's most active June copper contract was up 1.2 percent at 66,400 yuan ($8,592) a tonne, after hitting the highest fo
President General Pervez Musharraf has rejected 266 representations filed by the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) against the decisions of Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) upto March 28, 2007. According to latest data compiled by CBR Legal Wing on Thursday, the
A leading cotton industry group said on Wednesday that the 2007/08 season will be the last for European cotton indices. "For the past four years, the substantive Cotlook A Index has been based on C/F offers to main Far Eastern ports, to reflect the massiv
President General Pervez Musharraf has rejected 266 representations filed by the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) against the decisions of Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) upto March 28, 2007. According to latest data compiled by CBR Legal Wing on Thursday, the
US crude oil prices steadied on Thursday, as traders awaited confirmation of Iran's move to free 15 British sailors, while a sharp drop in weekly US gasoline stocks supported the market. US light crude for May delivery was down 9 cents at $64.29 a barrel
Asian physical rubber prices were quoted lower on Thursday after futures contracts on Tokyo Commodity Exchange slid around 1 percent following a dip in crude oil prices. Trading was slim with many buyers expecting physical prices to drop further in line w
The Pakistan Peoples Party has reacted strongly to two government ministers alleging that the PPP has obtained relief by the closure of the Special Office of Prosecutions headed by Hasan Wasim Afzal of NAB.
Gold slipped but was within sight of its highest level in nearly five weeks on Thursday, as trading began to slow down in parts of Asia ahead of the Easter holiday. Spot gold hit an intrude high of $674.70 an ounce before easing to $672.40/672.90, versus
The United States would suffer losses if it attacked Iran but weight of numbers would ensure it eventually achieved air supremacy, Russian generals said on Thursday. "According to our estimates, Iran's air defence system is pretty strong," General Yuri So
Tokyo gold futures closed higher for the third consecutive day on Thursday, climbing about 1 percent to within sight of 2,600 yen as the contract tracked Comex gold's rise. Fund-related buying also drove prices up, players said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice does not rule out a bilateral meeting with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of an international conference on Iraq in early May, spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday.
US gold futures ended more than 1 percent higher in heavy trade on Wednesday on technical and options-related buying, but below their session high after Iran said it will free 15 British sailors, reducing the precious metal's appeal as a haven.
The British sailors seized by Iran in the Gulf were gathering intelligence on Iranian activities as part of their routine operations, one of them said in an interview before their capture but only broadcast Thursday.
US copper futures erased profit-taking losses to end sharply higher on Wednesday, extending a two-month rally and powering the red metal to a new five-month peak by the close, analysts said. "It is just a bull market that's running away with itself," said
The 15 British military personnel freed by Iran after a two-week diplomatic stand-off were reunited with their families in Britain on Thursday amid questions about the incident and its implications.
Indonesian palm oil prices were mostly higher on Thursday as sellers cashed in ahead of a long weekend and as good demand supported the market. The Indonesian palm oil market will be closed for Good on Friday.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana discussed prospects for negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme with Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani in a telephone call shortly before Iran freed 15 captured British navy personnel, an EU official said o
US cocoa futures settled up 1.9 percent on Wednesday, on speculative buying and options-related dealings that buoyed prices for the second straight day following on Monday's slide from nearly four-year-high levels, traders said.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue took serious note of the clearance letters issued to the brokers involved in the stock exchange scam of March 2005. Not satisfied with the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)
US arabica coffee futures inched to a lower close on Wednesday in the open-outcry pit on two-sided speculative participation amid quiet trading, traders said. "There was some consolidation of yesterday's gains. There wasn't a lot of activity," one trader
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue took serious note of the clearance letters issued to the brokers involved in the stock exchange scam of March 2005. Not satisfied with the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)
Hard red spring wheat futures on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange climbed more than 2 percent on Wednesday, following a surge in Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures, traders said. Worries about a frost threat to US winter wheat this weekend triggered specu
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue took serious note of the clearance letters issued to the brokers involved in the stock exchange scam of March 2005. Not satisfied with the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)
Cotton prices rose to record levels for this season (2006-07) when 4,000 bales of prime quality of lint from Rahimyar Khan in Punjab sold at Rs 2800 per maund (37.32 kgs) which is the highest price obtained by the ginners this year.
The power distribution companies (Discos) are to seek raise in tariff as they believe that the 10 percent increase is not enough to meet the financial shortfall, well-placed sources in the Ministry of Water and Power told Business Recorder.
Cotton prices rose to record levels for this season (2006-07) when 4,000 bales of prime quality of lint from Rahimyar Khan in Punjab sold at Rs 2800 per maund (37.32 kgs) which is the highest price obtained by the ginners this year.
The power distribution companies (Discos) are to seek raise in tariff as they believe that the 10 percent increase is not enough to meet the financial shortfall, well-placed sources in the Ministry of Water and Power told Business Recorder.
Cotton prices might depict further rise due to short supplies and sharp rise in the imported cotton rates, dealers said at the cotton market on Thursday.
The power distribution companies (Discos) are to seek raise in tariff as they believe that the 10 percent increase is not enough to meet the financial shortfall, well-placed sources in the Ministry of Water and Power told Business Recorder.
The May vaida was lower while the July vaida was unchanged on the forward cottonseed oilcake market on Thursday, dealers said. The May viada did not show any change at the beginning of session at Rs 672.00 and closing was seen at Rs 668.00 to show a loss
The State Bank of Pakistan has issued consolidated instructions on policy framework to facilitate banks and DFIs to ensure compliance of the regulatory requirements. Accordding to BSD Circular No 3, the Central Bank stated that good governance is essentia
The State Bank of Pakistan has issued consolidated instructions on policy framework to facilitate banks and DFIs to ensure compliance of the regulatory requirements. Accordding to BSD Circular No 3, the Central Bank stated that good governance is essentia
Taliban attacks into Afghanistan from Pakistan have virtually stopped since Pakistan imposed stringent controls on its border, a senior aide to President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday.
The commencement of site work of Faisalabad-Khanewal Motorway (M-4) under the National Trade Corridor Highway Investment Program (NTCHIP) Multitranche Financing Facility (MFF) is expected in early 2008, with an estimated completion date of late 2010.
Ijaz A. Khokhar, Chairman Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (Prgmea) has condemned the decision taken by the National Textile Strategy Committee (NTSC) on commerce headed by MNA Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan which has approved Tr
Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) has revised recruitment criteria for teachers working on contract basis in its educational institutions. OPF manager director Mushtaq Ahmed told APP here on Thursday that the revised criteria would be made public throu
A speeding tractor-trolley rammed into a roadside Masjid-Maktab school at village Thatha Panah, 27 kilometres from here, on Thursday, killing nine children and injuring 17 others, police said.