The candidate for Japans opposition party on Sunday appeared headed for defeat in a key local poll, dealing a fresh blow to the partys scandal-hit leader ahead of general elections, local media said.
Afghanistans Supreme Court has ruled that President Hamid Karzai should stay in power beyond the constitutional end of his term in May and until the next election, state television said late Sunday. The decision ends weeks of uncertainty about a potential
Montenegrins voted Sunday in snap general elections, with veteran Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic vowing to guide the country through an economic crisis and to closer ties with the EU and Nato.
Iraqi forces clashed with anti-al Qaeda militants in Baghdad for a second straight day on Sunday, as American troops backing them ordered fighters to hand over their weapons or face reprisals. Automatic weapons fire crackled intermittently in the central
Israel has begun to impose stricter conditions on Hamas prisoners in its jails, the head of the prisons authority told the government on Sunday. Prison officials "have begun applying some of the findings of a commission" established to study how Israel co
Snow storms closing in on North Dakota threatened more misery for residents sheltered behind miles of levees Sunday, as officials warned that strained defences will likely fail under the pressure of record flood waters.
At least five people were killed on Sunday as Turks voted in local elections likely to give the ruling AK Party a new mandate to press on with key reforms in the European Union candidate country.
Two Chinese police officers were injured when a police station was attacked Sunday in the countrys north-west near Tibetan-populated areas, state media reported. The incident, reported by Xinhua news agency, comes amid a heavy security crackdown in Tibet
Britain suffered its first failed government bond auction since 2002 on Wednesday after bids fell more than 100 million pounds short of the 1.75 billion pounds ($2.55 billion) the government was trying to raise.
Britain suffered its first failed government bond auction since 2002 on Wednesday after bids fell more than 100 million pounds short of the 1.75 billion pounds ($2.55 billion) the government was trying to raise.
Finlands state pension fund is ready to lift its underweight equity allocations and buy more corporate bonds when the global economic outlook steadies after doubling its credit exposure since mid-2008, an official says.
Finlands state pension fund is ready to lift its underweight equity allocations and buy more corporate bonds when the global economic outlook steadies after doubling its credit exposure since mid-2008, an official says.
British structural steel company Severfield Rowen Plc expects its margins to reduce by another couple of percentage points in 2009 mainly due to a fall in demand in the UK, its Chief Executive said. "Analysts have predicted that in 2009 margins will reduc
British structural steel company Severfield Rowen Plc expects its margins to reduce by another couple of percentage points in 2009 mainly due to a fall in demand in the UK, its Chief Executive said. "Analysts have predicted that in 2009 margins will reduc
The British government has agreed to announce a new policy on the right of Gurkhas to settle in the country within a month, after being forced to review the issue by protesting veterans, a spokesman said Thursday.
Demand for chemical companies could recover soon as Asian and Middle Eastern companies take aim at targets in the industrialised world, a chemical industry consultant at Pricewater-houseCoopers (PwC) said.
European governments should introduce curbs on management rewards or run the risk of mounting public anger that could threaten social cohesion, the head of Europes umbrella body for trade unions said on Friday.
Mexican cement maker Cemex, dealing with massive debt and the weak US economy, could run out of cash by summer if it fails to renegotiate millions of dollars in maturing debt, analysts warned. "We are renegotiating and when we have something we will let y
Human resources software provider OneClickHR is close to announcing deals with up to seven bluechip clients for its software HR.net, Chief Executive Frank Beechinor told Reuters on Friday.
Cairo-based private equity firm Citadel Capital said on Friday it sees opportunities to invest in Iraqs oil and gas sector and in the mining, agriculture and retail sectors in select areas of Africa. Ahmed Heikal, chairman of the firm he co-founded in 200
Cairo-based private equity firm Citadel Capital said on Friday it sees opportunities to invest in Iraqs oil and gas sector and in the mining, agriculture and retail sectors in select areas of Africa. Ahmed Heikal, chairman of the firm he co-founded in 200
The US banking system showed some signs of thawing this week, but it may prove to be a false spring. The US government offered a plan to help banks sell toxic loans and securities and President Barack Obama launched a charm offensive to try to win back le
Dutch asset manager Robeco is looking at buying European equity asset managers, fund of hedge funds and private equity firms to enlarge its portfolios, but will be very selective, its chief executive said on Friday.
Dutch asset manager Robeco is looking at buying European equity asset managers, fund of hedge funds and private equity firms to enlarge its portfolios, but will be very selective, its chief executive said on Friday.
Private equity continues to show signs of life in emerging markets despite drying up in the west, the manager of an emerging fund of funds said, but even in frontier African markets firms and funds are feeling the pinch.
Private equity continues to show signs of life in emerging markets despite drying up in the west, the manager of an emerging fund of funds said, but even in frontier African markets firms and funds are feeling the pinch.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) said on March 23 it plans further expansion in Asia, possibly via acquisitions, and is positive on the outlook for Indonesia, India, China and Vietnam. ANZ has been the most aggressive of the Australian lender
ING has shelved plans to apply for a banking licence in China for now and plans to exit one of its two insurance joint ventures there, as it looks to shore up its capital needs, a top executive said on March 26.
Two of Chinas largest banks reported soaring profits for 2008, defying the global financial storm, but warned that this year could be much more difficult. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the nations largest bank, said on March 25 it saw net p
A long-time partner of Softbank China & India Holdings, a venture capital fund backed by Japans Softbank Corp, said on March 25 he will quit his full time role and return to a firm he founded. Jay Chen will end his at the end of March, he said, confirming
A long-time partner of Softbank China & India Holdings, a venture capital fund backed by Japans Softbank Corp, said on March 25 he will quit his full time role and return to a firm he founded. Jay Chen will end his at the end of March, he said, confirming
South African leasing and capital equipment firm Eqstra Holdings plans to cut 7 percent of its workforce as it freezes expansion plans owing to weak demand for its products and services, it chief said. "We will be reducing our headcount by about 7 percent
Best Buy Co posted a 23 percent drop in quarterly profit on March 26, but its adjusted results topped Wall Street estimates as the retailer said it got a boost from stronger-than-expected consumer demand. While the top US specialty consumer electronics re
Best Buy Co posted a 23 percent drop in quarterly profit on March 26, but its adjusted results topped Wall Street estimates as the retailer said it got a boost from stronger-than-expected consumer demand. While the top US specialty consumer electronics re
Dubais port operator DP World announced on March 25 a 48-percent growth in profits in 2008, despite declining business in the final quarter due to the global financial crisis. Net profits surged 48 percent to 621 million dollars last year, compared to 420
Dubais port operator DP World announced on March 25 a 48-percent growth in profits in 2008, despite declining business in the final quarter due to the global financial crisis. Net profits surged 48 percent to 621 million dollars last year, compared to 420
IBM expects its China business consulting unit to almost double in size within a year to cater for increasing demands from local firms despite the economic slowdown, a senior executive said. In order to be close to clients the number of offices of the IBM
The British division of HSBC PLC said on March 25 that it may lay off as many as 1,200 staff following a review of operations, although the Unite union claimed that 2,900 staff would be affected. HSBC UK said the 1,200 cuts represent about 2 percent of it
The British division of HSBC PLC said on March 25 that it may lay off as many as 1,200 staff following a review of operations, although the Unite union claimed that 2,900 staff would be affected. HSBC UK said the 1,200 cuts represent about 2 percent of it
With their parent company in bankruptcy, the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune have announced plans to combine their foreign reporting operations. The editors of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, which are owned by the Chicago-b
New Yorks bustling Broadway? Try muddy cart road. A rare photo dating from 1848 goes on auction at Sothebys on Monday showing a Manhattan no New Yorker would recognise. Instead of apartment towers, neon signs and seas of yellow cabs, the road that became
Mizuho Financial Group will avoid issuing dilutive common shares or taking public money if it needs to raise more funds, the incoming president of Japans second-largest bank said in an interview.
Brazils government said on Thursday it would increase its support for small- and medium-sized banks in its latest bid to boost lending in local markets squeezed by the global credit crunch. The national monetary council agreed to offer guarantees of up to
The European Central Bank will probably make its last interest rate cut for a long time in April, leaving the main refi rate at 1.0 percent until the end of 2010 to support a struggling economy, a Reuters poll found.
Apples new browser promises to be significantly faster than its predecessors. According to Apple, Safari 4 will be able to run JavaScript, a feature of many websites, faster than Safari 3. Indeed, the company says the speed will increase by 4.2 times.
Bulgarias Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said his Socialist party, trailing in the polls, must win parliamentary elections this summer to stop the opposition from implementing what he sees as "dangerous" economic plans. Stanishev, 42, told Reuters in an
DVD writers boasting high speeds sound good, but their error rates are high, also too. A total of 48 different recordable DVD blanks were recently put to the test by Computer Bild magazine. For the DVD+R format, the Platinum DVD+R 16x proved top of the cl
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in its meeting here on Monday will consider 26 development projects worth billions of rupees. The meeting is expected to discuss overall economic situation of the country. Official sources t
Apple Inc has scheduled its annual developers conference for the second week in June, with plenty of buzz surrounding its product plans. The company on Thursday announced the Apple World-wide Developers Conference would be held from June 8 to 12 in San Fr
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in its meeting here on Monday will consider 26 development projects worth billions of rupees. The meeting is expected to discuss overall economic situation of the country. Official sources t
Italian defence firm Finmeccanica said on Tuesday it had won a radar contract from the air force that will allow for cutting-edge WiMAX Internet technology in Italy. The new radars will use band D radio frequency - freeing up frequencies used by the defen
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in its meeting here on Monday will consider 26 development projects worth billions of rupees. The meeting is expected to discuss overall economic situation of the country. Official sources t
Google Docs, which has so far been an online-only service for creating documents and preparing presentations, can now be used offline, company officials reported. The offline mode can be accessed at docs.google.com. When first activating the service, user
The banking system went into overdrive on Sunday to help the government reduce its direct borrowing from the banking system by Rs 55 billion cash, the target given by International Monetary Fund (IMF) for availing the second tranche.
Netflix has linked to Facebook, and Blockbuster is making films available on-demand to users of TiVo digital recorder devices as the US DVD rental giants continue an Internet-age duel. Netflix members that belong to Facebook can connect to the online DVD
President Asif Ali Zardari signed the summary with regard to lifting of governor rule in Punjab, Aaj TV reported late Sunday night. Quoting the sources, the channel claimed that the president has signed the summary for lifting of governor rule in Punjab w
Google on Tuesday modified its globally popular Internet search service to understand relationships between words, as the company bids to better grasp what Web users are looking for. Along with taking into account intended meanings of search terms, Google
President Asif Ali Zardari signed the summary with regard to lifting of governor rule in Punjab, Aaj TV reported late Sunday night. Quoting the sources, the channel claimed that the president has signed the summary for lifting of governor rule in Punjab w
Google got its game on late on Wednesday, launching videogame-themed wallpaper for customised home pages and providing a glimpse at online play making its way to the website. The California Internet titan arranged for scenes from an array of blockbuster v
The banking system went into overdrive on Sunday to help the government reduce its direct borrowing from the banking system by Rs 55 billion cash, the target given by International Monetary Fund (IMF) for availing the second tranche.
Computer users and homeowners have plenty in common as they themselves usually want to decide who is allowed into their domain. Some house owners keep a watchdog for this purpose. In terms of computers, that function is handled by anti-virus software whic
The banking system went into overdrive on Sunday to help the government reduce its direct borrowing from the banking system by Rs 55 billion cash, the target given by International Monetary Fund (IMF) for availing the second tranche.
Broadband-service providers will see their revenue from mobile services jump to 137 billion dollars world-wide by 2014, up 450 percent from 2008, a report said on Thursday.
The banking system went into overdrive on Sunday to help the government reduce its direct borrowing from the banking system by Rs 55 billion cash, the target given by International Monetary Fund (IMF) for availing the second tranche.
Internet usage in the Philippines is on the increase but rarely for doing business online - most people are using the web for social networking or to play games, according to a survey on Thursday. It is the first time such a survey has been conducted in t
Saudi Arabia has not made any proposal to help the IMF fight the financial crisis by increasing its contribution, Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf told Reuters on Sunday ahead of a G20 summit later this week.
Social network MySpace and British telecoms provider BT will be among the first companies to offer a new type of Web domain for their users to manage their contact details live online.
At least eight people were killed in bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital and around the country on Sunday, security officials said. Five civilians and a security guard were killed and seven others wounded when a bomb targeting oil installation guards explod
Denmark boasts the worlds most networked economy, putting it and its Nordic neighbours in a good position to rebound from the current global downturn, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said on Thursday.
President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to respect Pakistans sovereignty and ruled out the possibility of US troops crossing into Pakistani territory from Afghanistan in pursuit of al Qaeda militants. The US President said his administrations main thrust
Over 90 percent of Apple Incs British iPhone users accessed mobile media in January including Web sites, e-mails, social networks and games, far higher than users of other mobile phones, research showed.
President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to respect Pakistans sovereignty and ruled out the possibility of US troops crossing into Pakistani territory from Afghanistan in pursuit of al Qaeda militants. The US President said his administrations main thrust
Web entrepreneurs are increasingly embracing new technologies from "cloud" computing to new computer languages to try and slash costs as investors disappear because of the recession.
Dubai residential prices are likely to fall a further 20 percent before hitting a bottom as supply outstrips demand, while prices in Abu Dhabi are seen falling by up to 15 percent in 2009, EFG-Hermes said.
Faced with a torrent of complaints over its latest redesign, the social networking hub Facebook has vowed a series of "improvements" to eliminate clutter and make the website more user friendly.
The net profit of corporate sector companies declined by 62 percent to Rs 17.9 billion ($223mn) in the 4th quarter of 2008 as compared to Rs 47.7 billion ($782mn) earned in the corresponding quarter of 2007.
Man Group, the worlds largest listed hedge fund firm, reported an 11 percent fall in assets and said it would cut jobs, but the shares rose as the figures beat market expectations of larger outflows.
The net profit of corporate sector companies declined by 62 percent to Rs 17.9 billion ($223mn) in the 4th quarter of 2008 as compared to Rs 47.7 billion ($782mn) earned in the corresponding quarter of 2007.
Man Group, the worlds largest listed hedge fund firm, reported an 11 percent fall in assets and said it would cut jobs, but the shares rose as the figures beat market expectations of larger outflows.
The net profit of corporate sector companies declined by 62 percent to Rs 17.9 billion ($223mn) in the 4th quarter of 2008 as compared to Rs 47.7 billion ($782mn) earned in the corresponding quarter of 2007.
President Nicolas Sarkozy lashed out at executive bonuses Tuesday in a speech defending his handling of the economic crisis, just days after a million French took to the streets to contest it.
A gunman Sunday shot dead six people and injured three others, including a police officer, in a shooting spree at a nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina, local media reported, citing police. The shooter was injured in the attack and taken with other v
Germany has approved 400 million euros ($539.9 million) of funding to help build a ground surveillance system that Nato partners hope to operate from 2012, a German official told Reuters on Wednesday.
A gunman Sunday shot dead six people and injured three others, including a police officer, in a shooting spree at a nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina, local media reported, citing police. The shooter was injured in the attack and taken with other v
The sharp downturn of the Swiss economy is gathering further pace as a slump in exports spreads to domestic sectors, an unexpectedly steep fall of the KOF growth barometer for March showed on Friday. The widely watched Swiss Economic Institute (KOF) indic
The United States on Sunday vowed to work towards building trust and wide-ranging partnership with Pakistan, with its top diplomat and military commander for the region saying the US focus under the new strategy is to help Pakistani institutions develop n
Indonesia plans to sell up to 7.5 trillion rupiah ($650 million) of Islamic bonds before June, its first global sukuk issue, but analysts said market conditions are expected to remain tough due to the global crisis.
Dubai residential prices are likely to fall a further 20 percent before hitting a bottom as supply outstrips demand, while prices in Abu Dhabi are seen falling by up to 15 percent in 2009, EFG-Hermes said.
Indonesia plans to sell up to 7.5 trillion rupiah ($650 million) of Islamic bonds before June, its first global sukuk issue, but analysts said market conditions are expected to remain tough due to the global crisis.
The government has not approved the draft of National Highways Authority (NHA) policy regarding leasing land along the roads, expressing fear that the proposed policy, in its present form, would lead to corruption and wrongdoing in the valuation process,
Nissan Motor Co and Renault hope to secure five deals for European electric car projects this year, after signing a deal with Monaco on Thursday, a senior executive said.
The government has not approved the draft of National Highways Authority (NHA) policy regarding leasing land along the roads, expressing fear that the proposed policy, in its present form, would lead to corruption and wrongdoing in the valuation process,
The US Environmental Protection Agency found that climate-warming greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, pose a danger to human health and welfare, a White House website showed on March 23. EPAs proposed "endangerment finding," sent to the Obama admi
The outflow of foreign portfolio investment continued and the offshore investors withdrew $9.639 million from the countrys equity market during the week ended on March 28, 2009. According to National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) data, the
Offering yet more reason to get regular exercise, a new study shows that running and other aerobic activities improve nervous-system control of the heart in young men.
The outflow of foreign portfolio investment continued and the offshore investors withdrew $9.639 million from the countrys equity market during the week ended on March 28, 2009. According to National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) data, the
While sun exposure has long been linked to skin cancer, a new Swedish study shows it also dramatically reduces the risk of suffering blood clots, one of the authors of the report said.
The outflow of foreign portfolio investment continued and the offshore investors withdrew $9.639 million from the countrys equity market during the week ended on March 28, 2009. According to National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) data, the
Japans celebrated cherry blossom, which for millions heralds the start of spring, is under threat from climate change, according to experts, who say warmer weather is causing early flowering. Cherry blossom season officially began in Tokyo this year on Ma
The outflow of foreign portfolio investment continued and the offshore investors withdrew $9.639 million from the countrys equity market during the week ended on March 28, 2009. According to National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) data, the