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Nov 26, 2024 اردو ► PRINT EDITION ► BR MARKETS ► Dollar to PKR ►
Print - 2009-11-01
Asian rice prices firm

Asian rice prices firm

Asian rice prices were firm on Wednesday, pushed up by demand from the Philippines and Japan, with renewed government intervention in Thailand lending additional support, exporters said. In Vietnam, the world's second-biggest rice exporter, export prices
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Asian physical rubber

Asian physical rubber

Asian physical rubber prices were broadly higher on Friday as sellers pushed up their prices on growing optimism about demand after strong US GDP data a day earlier, although buyers mostly stuck to the sidelines. The physical market has been supported by
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Copper closes with losses

Copper closes with losses

US copper futures ended sharply lower on Friday, under pressure from a sell-off on Wall Street and a recovery in the dollar after a mixed double-dose of data countered optimism from Thursday's GDP figures. Copper for December delivery plunged 7.40 cents,
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US gold ends down

US gold ends down

New York gold futures ended lower on Friday, but losses were limited on flight-to-quality buying on the back of a sharp equities sell-off, driven by renewed worries that the nascent economy recovery might not be sustainable. December gold settled down $6.
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
China buys 50,000 tonnes of rubber to boost reserves

China buys 50,000 tonnes of rubber to boost reserves

China has bought an additional 50,000 tonnes of rubber from the domestic market to boost reserves, industry sources said, bringing the total amount of state purchases to about 105,000 tonnes this year. The purchases late last month included rubber from th
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Asian sugar: Thai raws barely moved; Brazilians sold at discount

Asian sugar: Thai raws barely moved; Brazilians sold at discount

The discount for Thai raw sugar hardly moved despite a drop in New York futures, dealers said on Thursday, reflecting a slow trade in Asia and ample supplies in main consumer India. Thailand's high-quality or hi-pol raw sugar was offered at a discount of
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Thai 2009-10 sugar crushing set to start in November

Thai 2009-10 sugar crushing set to start in November

Thailand, the world's second biggest sugar exporter, is expected to start 2009/10 sugarcane crushing on November 20, slightly earlier than usual, millers and industry officials said on Thursday. The crushing season usually starts in early December. It is
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US soyabean declines

US soyabean declines

US soyabean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed lower on Friday, pressured by a rebound in the dollar and forecasts for better Midwest weather next week that should speed the harvest, traders said. Rainy weather soaked US Midwest in past day but
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
New York sugar settles steady

New York sugar settles steady

Raw sugar futures closed flat Friday as early pressure from investor sales inspired by a firm dollar were offset by late short-covering and suspected consumer buying in the market, analysts said. The March raw sugar contract finished at 22.81 cents per lb
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US rice futures rally

US rice futures rally

Rice futures rallied 2 percent at the Chicago Board of Trade on Friday, closing at their highest level in 9-1/2 months due to concerns about adequate world supplies amid crop woes in India. The November rice futures contract settled up 28 cents at $14.36
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Commodities mostly drop in choppy week

Commodities mostly drop in choppy week

Commodities mostly fell in volatile trade this week as investors tracked sharp swings in global equities and the US dollar and news that the United States has escaped from recession. Official data showed Thursday that the US economy emerged from a vicious
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Jankovic through to semis, Wozniacki survives

Jankovic through to semis, Wozniacki survives

Serbia's Jelena Jankovic crushed leg-weary Caroline Wozniacki to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Championships while American holder Venus Williams reached the last four on Friday without hitting a ball. On a day when calculators were needed to work out
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Hamilton on pole for first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Hamilton on pole for first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton put McLaren on pole position for the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday after a floodlit qualifying session at the glittering new Yas Marina circuit. The outgoing world champion grabbed the 17th pole of his 52-race Formula One career to
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Flame arrives in Canada for 2010 Winter Olympics

Flame arrives in Canada for 2010 Winter Olympics

The Olympic flame arrived in Canada on Friday, beginning a 45,000-km (28,000-mile) trek that will see it crisscross the country before it arrives at next year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The flame was handed to Canadian Olympic champions Catriona Le M
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Arsenal ease to 3-0 derby win over Spurs

Arsenal ease to 3-0 derby win over Spurs

A quickfire double set Arsenal on their way to a comfortable 3-0 Premier League victory over north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. A close first half was transformed minutes before the break when Robin van Persie met Bacary Sagna's low cross
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Beijing Guoan claim maiden China title

Beijing Guoan claim maiden China title

Beijing Guoan became China's champions for the first time on Saturday when a 4-0 victory over Hangzhou Greentown gave them the Chinese Super League title. Honduran Emil Martinez grabbed a hat-trick and defender Zhou Ting added a penalty in front of a 60,0
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Qualifier knocks Safin out of St Petersburg Open

Qualifier knocks Safin out of St Petersburg Open

Qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky sent Marat Safin to the brink of retirement when he beat the former world number one 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the St Petersburg Open semi-finals on Saturday. Safin, playing in his penultimate tournament before retiring, had a break point
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Simon through in Lyon as Tsonga goes out

Simon through in Lyon as Tsonga goes out

Second seed Gilles Simon kept alive his chances of reaching the World Tour Finals by beating fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-6 6-3 in Friday's Lyon Grand Prix quarter-finals. Top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, though, was knocked out 5-7 6-4 7-6 by wildcard
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Hill sees some progress on Silverstone talks

Hill sees some progress on Silverstone talks

Silverstone's owners are doing their best to keep the British Grand Prix on the Formula One calendar, former champion Damon Hill said on Saturday. "It's moving along, that's all I can say," the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) president told Reuters af
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Tamim, Ashraful guide Bangladesh to four-wicket win

Tamim, Ashraful guide Bangladesh to four-wicket win

Contrasting half-centuries from Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful guided Bangladesh to a four-wicket victory over Zimbabwe on Saturday for a 2-1 lead in the five-match one day series. Tamim blazed 80 off 72 balls, hitting 10 fours and two sixes, and Ashra
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Mancini resolves Inter deal, free to work again

Mancini resolves Inter deal, free to work again

Former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini has had his contract at the Italian champions resolved and is now available to take other jobs. Inter said in a statement on Saturday that a deal had been mutually agreed after over a year of talks. Mancini, who ha
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Spurs handed chance for League Cup revenge against United

Spurs handed chance for League Cup revenge against United

Tottenham Hotspur will have the chance to avenge last season's League Cup final defeat after being drawn away to holders Manchester United in the quarter-finals on Saturday. In an all-Premier League final eight, Blackburn Rovers will host Chelsea while Po
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Ford-UAW deal nears rejection, no new talks seen

Ford-UAW deal nears rejection, no new talks seen

Ford Motor Co's US factory workers moved a step closer late Friday to delivering a landslide rejection of proposed concessions while the United Auto Workers leadership said the union would not return to talks with the automaker until 2011.
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Iceland's central bank eases capital controls

Iceland's central bank eases capital controls

Iceland's central bank announced its first easing of strict capital controls put in place a year ago with a decision on Saturday to allow investors to move proceeds from investments made after November 1 overseas. The measures will allow a freer flow of m
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Bangladesh targets Japan for more textile exports

Bangladesh targets Japan for more textile exports

Bangladesh plans to raise the value of its textile exports to Japan to $1 billion over the next two years, a senior business leader said on Thursday. "Now we are fully prepared to attract more and more buyers from Japan which will help to grow our market
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Mexico Senate okays VAT tax hike as downgrade looms

Mexico Senate okays VAT tax hike as downgrade looms

Mexico's Senate approved a watered-down version on Friday of President Felipe Calderon's proposal to raise the value-added tax rate in order to reduce Mexico's dependence on its waning oil industry. The vote marks a partial victory for Calderon, whose ori
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
State Bank of India sees loan growth revival

State Bank of India sees loan growth revival

State Bank of India, the country's top lender, expects loan growth and margins to revive as corporate confidence in Asia's third largest economy boost credit demand. On Saturday, the state-run lender posted a 10.2 percent rise in September quarter net pro
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
China sees rocky export rebound, shrinking surplus

China sees rocky export rebound, shrinking surplus

China's exports face a "hard and tortuous" path to recovery as uncertainties dog the global economy's gradual return to health, with this year's trade surplus set to shrink from last year's record, the Commerce Ministry said. Commerce Minister Chen Deming
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Jamaica central bank head quits, successor named

Jamaica central bank head quits, successor named

Jamaica's central bank governor, Derick Latibeaudiere, who was leading negotiations with the IMF to obtain a $1.2 billion stand-by loan, has resigned, Finance Minister Audley Shaw said. Shaw said in a brief statement released late on Friday that Byron Wyn
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Panasonic to make Sanyo tender offer Thursday

Panasonic to make Sanyo tender offer Thursday

Panasonic Corp will make its tender offer for shares of smaller rival Sanyo Electric Co as early as Thursday, the Nikkei newspaper said, after the deal won approval from Chinese regulators. Panasonic's 400 billion yen ($4.44 billion) plan to take control
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Tanker spills oil in San Francisco Bay

Tanker spills oil in San Francisco Bay

A ruptured fuel line on a Panamanian-registered tanker released oil into San Francisco Bay before dawn on Friday, authorities said. The US Coast Guard said the source of the spill, from the tanker Dubai Star, was contained within hours and that a cleanup
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
India government to import 30,000 tonnes rice

India government to import 30,000 tonnes rice

India's government plans to import 30,000 tonnes of rice to offset an expected production shortfall following the worst monsoon in nearly four decades, a report said Saturday. The move comes as the US Department of Agriculture has forecast India's rice ou
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Obama assures economy moving in 'right direction'

Obama assures economy moving in 'right direction'

US President Barack Obama said Saturday the United States was recovering from deep recession and that "hundreds of thousands of jobs" had been created through massive investments. The president cited this week's report on gross domestic product, pointing
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Stimulus saved or created 640,239 jobs: White House

Stimulus saved or created 640,239 jobs: White House

The White House on Friday said the $787 billion economic stimulus plan approved early this year had saved or created 640,329 jobs so far. The stimulus package of spending and tax measures, pushed through the US Congress in February by President Barack Oba
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Airfares to rise as UK passenger duties go up

Airfares to rise as UK passenger duties go up

Flights from Britain are becoming more expenses as passenger taxes are hiked in the first part of a two-part increase. Taxes on short-haul fights in economy class will increase by only 1 pound ($1.65) but long-haul flights in business and first class cabi
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Lehman real estate partnerships sued over losses

Lehman real estate partnerships sued over losses

A group of investors sued several Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc real estate partnerships on Friday, saying they would not have invested had they known the partnerships were buying property from Lehman at far above fair value. The lawsuit was filed in Manha
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
CIT moves closer to pre-packaged bankruptcy approval

CIT moves closer to pre-packaged bankruptcy approval

CIT Group has met at least one of the hurdles necessary to file for a pre-packaged bankruptcy, sources said, bringing the commercial lender one step closer to the fast bankruptcy process it is seeking to lower its liabilities and get back to health. Holde
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US OKs eighth probe of China pricing in 2009

US OKs eighth probe of China pricing in 2009

A US trade panel on Friday approved the eighth government investigation this year into charges of unfair Chinese pricing practices in a case in which US companies want a nearly 100 percent duty or more on $382 million of imported steel pipes.
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
UK's RBS near deal on toxic assets scheme

UK's RBS near deal on toxic assets scheme

Royal Bank of Scotland is close to agreeing more flexible terms on a government insurance scheme for bad debts, in a deal that will include asset sales to appease EU antitrust concerns, sources close to the deal said. The so-called Asset Protection Scheme
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Postal workers strike again after talks fail

Postal workers strike again after talks fail

About 77,000 postal workers will go on strike on Saturday in the final part of a second wave of action after talks failed to end an escalating dispute over pay, jobs and modernisation. The Communication Workers Union said delivery and collection staff acr
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US Treasury Outlook: Fed meeting, employment data give investors plenty

US Treasury Outlook: Fed meeting, employment data give investors plenty

An already much discussed Federal Reserve meeting and a heap of new economic data, including monthly employment figures, will give US government securities investors plenty to trade on in the coming week. Monday brings reports on September construction sp
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US Treasury Outlook: Fed meeting, employment data give investors plenty

US Treasury Outlook: Fed meeting, employment data give investors plenty

An already much discussed Federal Reserve meeting and a heap of new economic data, including monthly employment figures, will give US government securities investors plenty to trade on in the coming week. Monday brings reports on September construction sp
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Chilean stocks dip

Chilean stocks dip

Chile's benchmark IPSA index plummeted 1.7 percent on Friday, in line with global markets on investor worries about the strength of an economic recovery in the United States. The IPSA closed at 3,314.45, while the all-market IGPA lost 1.4 percent to close
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Mexican stocks slide

Mexican stocks slide

Mexico's stocks fell on Friday after US consumer sentiment slipped this month, undermining confidence in the strength of the recovery in the United States, Mexico's top trading partner. The IPC stock index shed 2.92 percent to 28,397, putting the index on
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US corporate bond spreads widen

US corporate bond spreads widen

US corporate bond spreads widened on Friday as US Treasuries prices gained after a batch of mixed economic signals raised doubts about the strength of an economic recovery. Corporate bond cash spreads widened by as much as 5 basis points, traders said, wh
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US corporate bond spreads widen

US corporate bond spreads widen

US corporate bond spreads widened on Friday as US Treasuries prices gained after a batch of mixed economic signals raised doubts about the strength of an economic recovery. Corporate bond cash spreads widened by as much as 5 basis points, traders said, wh
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Turkish stocks jump

Turkish stocks jump

Turkish stocks and the lira rose on Friday, catching up with emerging markets gains on Thursday when local markets were closed for a holiday, and on hopes the government may still ink a deal with the IMF. The lira traded at 1.4895 against the dollar, off
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Emerging Markets: recovery view questioned

Emerging Markets: recovery view questioned

The see-saw trading environment tipped against emerging markets on Friday as asset prices fell in concert with the sharp decline in US stocks and commodities on economic growth concerns. Latin American currencies were sold off by investors who did not wan
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Emerging Markets: recovery view questioned

Emerging Markets: recovery view questioned

The see-saw trading environment tipped against emerging markets on Friday as asset prices fell in concert with the sharp decline in US stocks and commodities on economic growth concerns. Latin American currencies were sold off by investors who did not wan
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Canadian bonds gain

Canadian bonds gain

Canadian bond prices were higher on Friday across the curve following the Canadian GDP data, but lagged the rise in the bigger US Treasury market. The two-year bond rose 17 Canadian cents to C$99.72 to yield 1.387 percent, while the 10-year bond climbed 5
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Canadian bonds gain

Canadian bonds gain

Canadian bond prices were higher on Friday across the curve following the Canadian GDP data, but lagged the rise in the bigger US Treasury market. The two-year bond rose 17 Canadian cents to C$99.72 to yield 1.387 percent, while the 10-year bond climbed 5
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Treasuries higher

Treasuries higher

US Treasuries debt prices rose on Friday after a batch of mixed signals fanned skepticism about the strength of an economic recovery, rekindling a safety bid for bonds. Concerns that the world's biggest economy could contract again hammered Wall Street, a
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Treasuries higher

Treasuries higher

US Treasuries debt prices rose on Friday after a batch of mixed signals fanned skepticism about the strength of an economic recovery, rekindling a safety bid for bonds. Concerns that the world's biggest economy could contract again hammered Wall Street, a
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Brazil stocks down

Brazil stocks down

Brazilian stocks tumbled on Friday, as mixed economic data in the United States worried investors about the strength and breadth of a global economic recovery and scared them off riskier emerging market assets. Sao Paulo's Bovespa index sank 3.41 percent
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Toronto's main index posts sharp decline

Toronto's main index posts sharp decline

Toronto's main stock index broke its seven-month rally with its on Friday, as its two big resource sectors bore the brunt of the sharp decline. Losses were heavy in Suncor Energy, Barrick Gold and other commodity-based issues, which account for more than
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
IPO view: Hotel industry down but lodging stocks rising

IPO view: Hotel industry down but lodging stocks rising

A family feud, an unusual blueprint for corporate governance and a global downturn in the hotel industry may test investors' appetite for shares of Hyatt Hotels Corp when it goes public next week. The $931 million initial public offering for the hotel ope
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Dow industrials suffer worst slide

Dow industrials suffer worst slide

The Dow industrials suffered its worst slide since July on Friday on concerns that the economic recovery won't be robust enough to sustain the seven-month stock rally, while financials sank on renewed worries about Citigroup's balance sheet. Investors unl
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
IMM speculators trim short bets on US dollar CFTC

IMM speculators trim short bets on US dollar CFTC

Currency speculators trimmed bets against the US dollar in the latest week, according to Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released on Friday. The value of the dollar's net short position fell to $15.61 billion in the week ending October 27 from a
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
China's long-term loans to increase

China's long-term loans to increase

Longer-term lending will increase noticeably in China on demand from the property sector while short-term financing will fall, the central bank said in a report on Friday, showing that it intends to keep credit growth accommodative but more balanced in th
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Japan core CPI falls 2.3 percent

Japan core CPI falls 2.3 percent

Japanese core consumer prices fell 2.3 percent in September from a year earlier as the economy is mired in deflation due to weak final demand on top of slide in oil prices. While the retreat from last year's spike in energy costs has continued to weigh on
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Dollar and yen rally in New York

Dollar and yen rally in New York

The dollar and yen rallied on Friday as a sharp sell-off in the stock market and uncertainty about the economy boosted safe-haven demand for the US and Japanese currencies. The dollar headed for its first weekly gain in four and its biggest weekly advance
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
South Korea spotted buying dollar to curb won's gains

South Korea spotted buying dollar to curb won's gains

South Korea's foreign exchange authorities were spotted buying dollars to curb the won's strength on Friday, traders said. The authorities were seen buying dollars when the won was around 1,180 per dollar, they said. The won was quoted at 1,181.15/3.15 pe
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Vietnam halves interest rate for loan subsidy

Vietnam halves interest rate for loan subsidy

Vietnam said it would extend its interest rate subsidy scheme for businesses until the end of 2010 to sustain the country's economic recovery but it would halve the size of the subsidy. The scheme will now only cover 2 percentage points of the interest ra
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Swiss franc falls sharply

Swiss franc falls sharply

The Swiss franc fell against the euro and dollar on Friday, with market participants citing talk of possible intervention by the Swiss National Bank although traders said none had been seen. The jitters arose as the euro had fallen to around 1.5080 francs
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Canada breathes relief as Canadian dollar's rise pauses

Canada breathes relief as Canadian dollar's rise pauses

The Canadian government breathed a sigh of relief on Friday that the Canadian dollar had at least paused in its march towards parity with the US dollar. "Like the governor of the Bank of Canada, we are concerned with volatility in our currency. We are see
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US TV networks hold their own in new season

US TV networks hold their own in new season

Five weeks into the new 2009-10 television season, three of the four major US networks are seeing surprisingly bigger audiences than last year and fewer embarrassing flops. Networks are pulling in guest stars including Jimmy Fallon, Heather Locklear and M
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Japan preparing up to $5 billion in Afghan aid: paper

Japan preparing up to $5 billion in Afghan aid: paper

Japan is preparing new aid for Afghanistan of up to $5 billion to be used to help former Taliban fighters find jobs and build roads, a big increase from previous commitments, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is expected
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
UK drugs advisor sacking fuels science, politics row

UK drugs advisor sacking fuels science, politics row

The British government's sacking of its chief drugs adviser highlights the tense relationship between scientists who see evidence as objective data and politicians who want use it to woo voters. Britain's scientific community reacted with dismay to interi
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Afghan vote in the balance, Abdullah set to decide

Afghan vote in the balance, Abdullah set to decide

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's election rival Abdullah Abdullah will announce on Sunday whether he will take part in next week's disputed run-off vote, his campaign said after speculation mounted he will pull out. Abdullah cancelled a planned trip to Ind
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
India marks 25 years since Indira Gandhi assassination

India marks 25 years since Indira Gandhi assassination

India paid tribute to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on Saturday, the 25th anniversary of her assassination, with politicians and ordinary citizens marking the occasion. Premier Manmohan Singh and Gandhi's daughter-in-law Sonia, leader of the ruling
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Mexican farm leader killed with 14 others on ranch

Mexican farm leader killed with 14 others on ranch

Gunmen killed fifteen people on an isolated ranch in northern Mexico, including a prominent farmworker leader, in the latest grisly attack in an area overrun by drug gangs, local police said on Friday. Margarito Montes, a well-known organiser of agricultu
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Honduran rivals clinch deal to end crisis

Honduran rivals clinch deal to end crisis

Honduras is on the verge of ending a four-month political crisis after rival camps cut a deal that could return ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power and earn international support for a November 29 election. Buckling under pressure from US diplomats, n
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
North Korea seen slowly warming to talks again

North Korea seen slowly warming to talks again

North Korea appears to be more open to resuming six-nation talks on its nuclear program, US academics and former officials said on Friday after meeting Ri Gun, Pyongyang's second-ranking nuclear negotiator. No current State Department officials were at th
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Fourth typhoon in month lashes Philippines; seven killed

Fourth typhoon in month lashes Philippines; seven killed

A typhoon battered the Philippine capital and surrounding provinces still reeling from recent flooding, sending residents of one town clambering onto rooftops Saturday to escape rising waters. Seven people died and at least five were missing. Typhoon Miri
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Death toll from India oil blaze hits eight: official

Death toll from India oil blaze hits eight: official

Three more bodies were recovered from a huge oil depot blaze in western India, bringing the death toll to eight, an official said Saturday, as authorities waited for the fire to burn out. The fire, caused by a suspected oil pipeline leak, broke out Thursd
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Nine feared dead in US military air crash

Nine feared dead in US military air crash

Rescue teams searched the ocean off Southern California on Friday for nine people missing and feared dead after the mid-air crash between a US Coast Guard plane and a Marine Corps helicopter, officials said. The Coast Guard held out hopes for finding surv
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Zimbabwe Prime Minister 'dishonest': Mugabe

Zimbabwe Prime Minister 'dishonest': Mugabe

President Robert Mugabe called Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai "dishonest," state media said Saturday, casting doubt on whether a dispute threatening Zimbabwe's unity government can be resolved. "We must no longer trust those who pretend to be in the inc
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Mousavi hints at new opposition rally

Mousavi hints at new opposition rally

Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi appeared to urge his supporters on Saturday to take part in rallies on November 4 marking the 30th anniversary of the student seizure of the US embassy in Tehran. If they gather in the streets on Wednesday, the
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Senior Iran MPs oppose UN nuclear fuel plan

Senior Iran MPs oppose UN nuclear fuel plan

Senior Iranian lawmakers voiced firm opposition on Saturday to a UN-drafted nuclear fuel deal, casting further doubt on a proposal aimed at easing international tension over Tehran's atomic activities. Under the US-backed plan, Iran would send most of its
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Abbas urges settlement halt after fruitless Clinton meeting

Abbas urges settlement halt after fruitless Clinton meeting

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Saturday demanded a total Israeli freeze on new settlements after he held a fruitless meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Abu Dhabi. "Israel should honour its obligations especially with regards to t
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Russia to buy navy ship from France

Russia to buy navy ship from France

Moscow plans to buy a French amphibious assault ship, the first such purchase from a Nato country, as the Kremlin seeks to reaffirm Russia's global reach, a Russian news agency reported Saturday. The Defence Ministry also plans to license the production o
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Nicaragua police evacuate US ambassador to safety

Nicaragua police evacuate US ambassador to safety

The US ambassador to Nicaragua was evacuated by police Friday from a university in the capital city after demonstrators threw fireworks at him for raising questions about a Supreme Court decision that changed the constitution. The ambassador, Robert Calla
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Cheney harshly criticised CIA in Plame leak probe

Cheney harshly criticised CIA in Plame leak probe

Dick Cheney, then US vice president, had harsh words for the CIA sending a spy's husband to Africa to see if Iraq was seeking nuclear material, according to an interview with the FBI released on Friday. Cheney was interviewed in 2004 as part of a probe in
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
India in visa clampdown on foreign workers

India in visa clampdown on foreign workers

Thousands of foreign workers in India face a deadline Saturday to be out of the country in a visa clampdown aimed at cracking down on tax-dodging expats and unskilled labour. The changes will affect expatriates working in India on a business visa, which u
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Six held over UN attack

Six held over UN attack

Afghan authorities have arrested six people in connection with a deadly Taliban attack against a guesthouse for UN staff in the capital Kabul, the head of the national intelligence service said Saturday. "Six people have been arrested and we have handed t
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
We had advance intelligence on UN attack: Afghan official

We had advance intelligence on UN attack: Afghan official

Afghan intelligence had advance information that a Taliban attack was in the works in Kabul before a deadly assault on a UN guest house and ramped up security, but not during the pre-dawn hours when the militants struck, a top official said Saturday. Gunm
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
UN backs idea on global arms trade treaty

UN backs idea on global arms trade treaty

UN members on Friday overwhelmingly backed idea on a global treaty to regulate the world's $55 billion weapons trade, but two big arms suppliers, Russia and China, refused to support the measure. Most top arms suppliers - the United States, Britain, Franc
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
UK colonel warned of Afghan helicopter shortage: report

UK colonel warned of Afghan helicopter shortage: report

The most senior British officer killed in Afghanistan warned his bosses shortly before his death that a lack of helicopters was endangering British soldiers, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday. Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe's warning contradicts Pr
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Berlusconi says won't resign even if convicted

Berlusconi says won't resign even if convicted

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has no intention of resigning even if he were convicted in one of the trials against him, he said in an interview for a book to be published next week. The conservative leader faces two trials next month following
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Balloting for OPF housing scheme on November 7

Balloting for OPF housing scheme on November 7

The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis would hold balloting for Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) housing scheme for zone-V, phase II, here on November 7. Official sources told APP here on Saturday, that in the phase-II, the balloting would be held for 10
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Government urged to save value-added textile sector

Government urged to save value-added textile sector

The export of value-added knitted garments, sportswear, made ups and other products will be badly affected if unrestricted export of raw materials like cotton yarn and raw cotton is not checked by the government immediately. This was stated by Dr Khurram
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
UAF to launch degree programme in Agriculture Journalism

UAF to launch degree programme in Agriculture Journalism

University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) is planning to offer a degree programme in Agricultural Journalism in order to meet the emerging challenges in the field of agricultural extension. Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan revealed while ta
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
KLB enhanced partnership with Pakistan

KLB enhanced partnership with Pakistan

In the 1980s the US congress passed the Pakistan Aid Bill for US $3.2 billion over a period of five years. The bill required 10-12 Presidential Certifications (at different times) every year including on restoration of democracy, human rights protection,
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
India: a hegemonic fiend

India: a hegemonic fiend

Perhaps in the whole human history, no other nation or state has ever faced such a hegemonic enemy, the might and size of India, which Pakistan is facing since 1947. Perhaps Professor Samuel P. Huntington's world famous Clash of Civilisations hypothesis b
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Born in Israel but unwanted by the Jewish state

Born in Israel but unwanted by the Jewish state

Eight-year-old Stephanie is not afraid of deportation. Her teacher told her not to be. But like hundreds of Israeli-born children of illegal foreign workers, she faces the prospect of being expelled from the only home she's ever known. Some 1,200 Asian an
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Empowerment of women micro-entrepreneurs

Empowerment of women micro-entrepreneurs

Women Empowerment, women development, women emancipation, these are soothing but passionate buzzwords that have instilled hope in women all across the globe. These ideals have been promoted to demonstrate gender equality and protection of women from the b
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
Water distribution among co-sharer provinces

Water distribution among co-sharer provinces

Water Accord is a document signed in 1991 with consensus by all the provinces. In the light of the accepted water distributional principles the following apportionment was agreed to: Accord lays down the apportionment of water amongst the provinces and th
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
US-Taliban talks?

US-Taliban talks?

Although US President Barack Obama is yet to announce his new strategy for Afghanistan, its contours have started to emerge. According to a local media report, the US has decided to hold secret talks with the Afghan Taliban to engage them in the country's
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
The poverty spiral

The poverty spiral

The State Bank annual report - a fairly credible yardstick for gauging health of different sectors of the economy - says that the poverty ratio in Pakistan has witnessed a 2.3 percent rise in 2009, reaching 36.1 percent from 33.8 percent in FY08. In real
Published 01 Nov, 2009 12:00am
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