Japan's Nikkei average fell 0.7 percent on Friday, as a higher-than-expected settlement for futures and options prices encouraged investors to take profits on a strong rally for the benchmark since the start of November. While sentiment for the Nikkei rem

US stocks rose on Friday following encouraging economic data on consumer sentiment and trade, while the S&P 500's break above key levels pointed to further gains. After rising above the key technical level around 1,228, the S&P 500 was trading just above

US stocks edged up on Thursday, with the benchmark S&P 500 closing at a two-year high, a trend investors expect to continue through the rest of the year. "A lot of traders thought the market would have a little bigger bump" after breaking a key technical

Taiwan stocks fell 0.4 percent on Friday as investors took profits from recent gains, while Asustek rose after it announced a plan to acquire an industrial PC maker and buy back some of its own shares. The main TAIEX share index closed down 35.01 points a

US Treasuries rose in price on Thursday, retracing a portion of a dramatic sell-off earlier this week, after an auction of 30-year bonds was met with strong demand. The sale of $13 billion of reopened 30-year bonds was done at a yield below the level trad

US Treasuries rose in price on Thursday, retracing a portion of a dramatic sell-off earlier this week, after an auction of 30-year bonds was met with strong demand. The sale of $13 billion of reopened 30-year bonds was done at a yield below the level trad

Most Southeast Asian stock markets closed lower on Friday on concerns over further policy tightening by China and persistent worries about Europe's debt crisis, but Indonesia and the Philippines continued to see significant inflows. Indonesia, the region'

Hong Kong and Shanghai shares ended the week mildly lower on Friday in thin volume as inflation data due over the weekend and talk of an interest rate increase in China sidelined investors. Concerns about further tightening in China have kept turnover mut

European shares edged up on Friday to end at their highest closing level since late September 2008, as upbeat US consumer sentiment data helped boost confidence over the prospects for economic recovery. Gains were kept in check, however, by fears about Ch

Australian stocks closed flat on Friday after investors dumped mining stocks as copper prices fell and bought into the big banks, although sentiment remained cautious ahead of key Chinese economic data. BHP Billiton closed flat after trading in negative t

Indian shares were trading higher on Friday after an early slide triggered bargain hunting, a day after the market had fallen 2.3 percent in its biggest drop in more than six months. Shares in energy major Reliance Industries led the gainers, while top le

Britain's top share index closed slightly higher on Friday, buoyed by firmer mining stocks with copper near record highs, and as encouraging US data bolstered investor sentiment. The FTSE 100 closed up 4.99 points, or 0.1 percent, at 5,812.95, in thin vol

European Union banking supervisors agreed on finalised mandatory guidelines for awarding bank bonuses on Friday, saying many could expect as little as 20 percent in cash although key requirements could be "neutralised" for less risky firms and staff.

Electronics majors Sony Corp and Sharp Corp on Friday launched rivalling tablet computer products for the Japanese home market in a bid to catch up to market leader Apple Inc's iPad. Sharp's Galapagos tablet allows users to read e-books and magazines, whi

The European Union and India resolved a dispute over generic drugs on Friday which should remove obstacles to Indian drugs manufacturers exporting products to the developing world, officials said. Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma told Re

Germany and France pledged on Friday to better align their tax and labour policies to foster convergence in the eurozone, but rejected calls for an increase in the bloc's rescue fund and joint sovereign bonds. Earlier on Friday, European central bankers h

Malaysia and South Korea agreed Friday to explore establishing a bilateral trade agreement, and aimed to double trade between the two countries in the next five years. Prime Minister Najib Razak said after talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak t

Ireland's minimum wage and the salary of Prime Minister Brian Cowen were amongst cuts voted through by parliament on Friday in an emergency law that forms part of the budget for the indebted eurozone state. The "financial emergency measures in the public

Federal regulators are extending, for four months, the curbs put in after the May 6 market plunge that briefly halt trading of some stocks that make big price swings. The Securities and Exchange Commission approved the request of major US exchanges to ext

China's cabinet has tightened rules to crack down on price manipulation and other violations, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. Under the revised rules announced by the State Council, firms and individuals found manipulating prices would be

China's central bank on Friday raised the amount of money the country's lenders must keep on reserve for the third time in a month, following a spate of robust data that strengthened the case for policy tightening. The latest step to raise the reserve req

"A rise in US consumer confidence to its highest level in six months and a much bigger-than-expected contraction in the country's trade deficit pointed to a firmer economic recovery on Friday. The boost in consumer confidence on the back of an improving j

Two of the world's most influential oil forecasters gave sharply different outlooks for 2011 on Friday, as the consumer's watchdog anticipated robust demand and producer group Opec said supply was plentiful. The Organisation's of the Petroleum Exporting C

Dr Salman Ahmad, Founder and President of Sadequain Foundation has urged the art students to do research on Sadequain who is a national treasure and whose work needs to be documented. He was delivering a lecture at the Punjab University College of Art & D

Lahore High Court (LHC) here on Friday directed the federal law secretary to submit detailed report till December 14 about an alleged bogus cheque of Rs 30 million which federal law minister Babar Awan had presented to District Bar Hafizabad.

Pakistan Rangers and Islamabad Police held a joint Flag March on the roads and streets of the federal capital giving a strong message to terrorists that they are not oblivious of the law and order situation in the capital during Muharram-ul-Haram. The Gov

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif has lauded the project of Punjab government of providing shelter to the poor and asked for implementing the project expeditiously. He said this during a meeting here on Friday regarding the low-cost housing

The Chief Minister, Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that they are expecting consensus with different political parties to settle the issue of Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) and said that PPP is trying its best to table the bill in National Assembly w

A full bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) here Friday dismissed scores of petitions filed by parliamentarians calling in question legality of local commissions appointed by Election Tribunals for recording statements of the parties in eligibility matter

Chief Justice Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry here on Friday directed federal government to make efforts for recovery and extradition of Pakistani citizens detained in Afghanistan at American Airbase in Bagram and submit report by Dece

People belonging to different walks of life, including women folk, have strongly condemned government for negating its commitment that domestic consumers would be exempted from load-shedding of Sui gas. Load-shedding of Sui gas is multiplying miseries of

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Friday rejected the invoice of Rs 5.5 million fee being given to the renowned lawyer Latif Khosa to defend Minister for Religious Affairs in Supreme Court against corruption charges during H

Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Amir Haider Khan Hoti has said that KP government has decided to embark upon a security plan for averting any possible acts of terrorism.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has opened the doors of its latest premium lounge in Manchester Airport's Terminal 1, as part of the airline's continued commitment to the UK market. Etihad Pearl Business class guests were

Thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of Bangkok on Friday demanding the release of their leaders, who were jailed following mass opposition demonstrations earlier this year. Police Major General Wichai Sangparpai estimated that more

General David Petraeus, the top US military commander in Afghanistan, has been named the "most fascinating person of 2010", beating the cast of MTV reality show "The Jersey Shore" and teen singer Justin Bieber. Veteran journalist Barbara Walters called Pe

Iran's neighbours are clearly concerned about Tehran's "aggressive behaviour" and support international sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday after a week of travel that included stops in two Gu

Israel should not apologise to Turkey for killing nine of its citizens aboard an aid ship that tried to breach the Gaza blockade, as this would invite international lawsuits, an Israeli official said on Friday. Speaking after the former allies sent envoys

The 2010 Nobel laureates in literature, economics, physics and chemistry received their prizes Friday from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf at a gala ceremony in Stockholm followed by the traditional Nobel banquet. This year's medicine laureate Robert Edwards

Former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, wanted in connection with an anti-corruption investigation, was arrested on a highway in Austria on Friday, the Austrian federal crime office said. Sanader left Croatia on Thursday shortly before parliament lift

An Indian court ordered state-run Air India on Friday to rehire an airline hostess that the carrier had sacked nearly a decade ago for being overweight. Dismissed overweight women have previously unsuccessfully challenged Air India's policy in Indian cour

The US Senate dealt a potentially deadly blow Thursday to efforts to repeal a ban on gays serving openly in the US military, in another setback to a "deeply disappointed" President Barack Obama. Lawmakers voted 57-40 - three votes short of the 60 needed -

On a main street in one of Stockholm's hippest areas, a snow-covered hill topped by a church conceals a nuclear-proof bunker, home to a futuristic data centre holding 8,000 servers - two of which belong to WikiLeaks. "All the global fuss is made by these

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was admitted to a Washington D.C. hospital Friday morning to undergo "a minor surgical procedure" to treat a kidney stone, his spokesman said on Friday. Geithner is expected to remain overnight at the George Washingt

Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was taken to the hospital Friday after feeling ill at work, the State Department said. "The ambassador is at the hospital at the present time. Beyond that we will let you know as we fin

Around 10,000 Jews and Arabs demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Friday in protest at a rising tide of extremist sentiment in Israel that they warn is posing a growing threat to democracy in the country. The march, which organisers said included almost 1,000 refu

An explosion rocked a small chemical plant in West Virginia's northern panhandle, killing two workers and injuring another, the plant's office manager said Thursday. Theresa D'Aurora, the office manager at the plant owned by AL Solutions Inc, confirmed th

When a US satirist joked that President Barack Obama will admit to Congress that he is Muslim in his latest compromise with Republicans, Saudi media took it seriously. On Friday the online version of Al-Hayat newspaper and the prominent news website Sabq.

US cotton futures closed higher on Friday on investor buying in moderate trade, with analysts saying a government crop report underlined tight supplies in the market. The benchmark March cotton contract on ICE Futures US rose 1.02 cents to finish at $1.36

Copper fell from a record high reached earlier on Thursday, as the dollar gained on the euro and investors decided to grab profits ahead of the launch of a new copper-backed exchange-traded fund, especially with year end approaching. In New York, copper f

London copper futures rallied back above $9,000 a tonne on Friday and Shanghai metal reversed a 1 percent loss after a near-30 percent surge in Chinese copper imports last month caught the market by surprise. China's imports of copper rose 28.5 percent to

Copper rose near record highs on Friday on concerns about tight supplies and after strong Chinese import data boosted the demand outlook, but the metal pared gains as a rising dollar deterred non-US buyers. Investors fretting about China's monetary policy

Oil fell on Friday in volatile trading as worries about China's moves to cool inflation and technical selling helped reverse crude from an earlier peak reached on news of surging Chinese imports. The dollar and euro seesawed, with the greenback's intraday

Tokyo rubber futures matched a 30-year high on Friday on tight physical supply but dealers avoided aggressive buying ahead of important economic data from top consumer China at the weekend, which could set the tone for the market. China's consumer inflati

Friday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1700 GMT.

Friday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1700 GMT.

Malaysian crude palm oil fell on Friday on a larger than expected drop in overseas demand although concerns that heavier rains will slash output kept the market on course for a second weekly gain. Exports of palm oil fell sharply in the first ten days of

Cocoa futures dipped to close lower on Thursday, as dealers locked in gains from this week's four-month highs while attention remained on potential supply risks due to a political impasse in top grower Ivory Coast. Sugar futures closed the day lower, pres

Soyabean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade fell more than 1 percent on Thursday on technical selling and rumours that China might defer some shipments of US soyabeans, traders said. Also bearish, Brazilian government agency Conab revised its 2010/11 s

Liffe March cocoa ended 93 pounds lower at 1,899 pounds a tonne on Friday. Prices fell back with a rally linked to supply risk in Ivory Coast following a disputed election seen overdone with ports still open and the flow of cocoa picking up. Liffe March r

US gold futures ended higher on Thursday, as US Treasury bond prices rose and the dollar fell against the yen. COMEX February gold futures rose $9.60 to settle at $1,392.80 an ounce on the COMEX division of the NYMEX. Ranged between $1,381.10 and $1,395.6

Gold held steady on Friday in choppy trade, as a dollar rally took a breather, and uncertainty over Europe's fiscal health continued to attract investors to bullion. Spot gold edged up 0.3 percent to $1,391.51 an ounce by 0706 GMT, heading for a 1.6 perce

Gold fell one percent on Friday after China raised bank reserve requirements and US data showed improvement in the world's top economy, which boosted the dollar and dulled the allure of precious metals. Spot gold was at $1,375.29 an ounce at 1527 GMT, fro

Cocoa extended losses on Friday after US data showed its trade deficit narrowed much more than expected and caused the dollar to rise, and as fears over supplies from Ivory Coast eased despite a disputed election. Sugar and arabica coffee futures reversed

Wheat, corn and soyabean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade fell Friday after the US Agriculture Department raised its estimates of US wheat and corn ending stocks in a monthly report. USDA cut its estimate of US 2010/11 soyabean stocks but was not as

Gold fell early on Friday after China raised bank reserve requirements and investors took profits in bullion US data showing rising consumer confidence and a shrinking trade gap. For the week, bullion fell more than 2 percent, its biggest weekly decline i

The Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CEED) traced 116 disappeared persons out of total 225 during the last eight months. The commission has deleted 86 cases of disappeared people, as it could not found their cases of 'enforced disappearan

Parliamentary procedures and political wrangling on non-issues in the parliament as well as the priorities of government are hampering the passage of Domestic Violence Bill (DVB). These views were expressed by speakers at a seminar "Facets of Violence, Co

Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Friday gave comprehensive briefing to a high level meeting presided over by Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida about the security arrangements made for forthcoming joint session of the Parliament to be addre

Over 70 percent of food stuff in the markets round the country is adulterated, of which 52 percent is contaminated mineral water, said a report presented in the NA Standing Committee on Human Rights on Friday. The NA committee met here in Parliament House

Federal government has decided not to allow private ambulances in the capital due to the risk of terrorist activities and directed private ambulances to get registered immediately with the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration.

The Supreme Court on Friday took suo-moto notice on allotment of a plot in Diplomatic Enclave to Hamid Yar Hiraj of PML-Q at throwaway price in 2007, allegedly violating laid down rules/ regulations. Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry issued notice

The government is considering to present the controversial General Sales Tax (GST) Bill 2010 as well as Finance Amendment Bill 2010 for approval in the National Assembly during its upcoming session starting from December 20. Informed sources told Busin