Hurmat Rasool (PBUH) Committee of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) held a protest at GPO Chowk at the Mall by chanting slogans against the federal government and the Punjab governor for allegedly trying to protect the 'blasphemers' and to ame

"Nawaz Sharif has accepted a dinner invitation from President Zardari."

Four people were killed and 17 wounded by a suicide bomber who blew himself up near a group of Shia pilgrims in a town north-east of Iraq's capital on Monday. The bomber detonated his explosive vest after a policeman stopped him from approaching the pilgr

A South Korean fishing boat sank in the Antarctic Ocean's frigid waters Monday, with 22 sailors feared killed in the open sea where vessels trawl for deep-water fish. Five sailors were confirmed dead and 20 survivors were rescued shortly after the 614-ton

Rain and sandstorms that battered Egypt at the weekend killed at least 31 people, officials said Monday, adding the toll could rise as rescue workers were still sifting through two collapsed buildings. The bodies of six workers were pulled out Monday of t

Sri Lanka has scrapped its national anthem's minority Tamil language version, a move that may add to the country's ethnic tensions after a bloody decades-long civil war. Public Administration Minister John Seneviratne said Monday the Cabinet decided only

Iran's army has finished a large military exercise by ground forces near the Iraqi border, the state news agency reported Monday. But unlike previous war games in which Iran boasted of weapons advances, the latest manoeuvres were largely held under wraps.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Monday urged the European Union to move towards recognition of a Palestinian state, in a call to the bloc's top diplomat. "(Catherine) Ashton spoke today with president Abbas who called on the EU to take a step toward

The European Union imposed sanctions on Ivory Coast incumbent Laurent Gbagbo on Monday and his army surrounded his rival's headquarters in a tense stand-off. Gbagbo is in a power struggle with Alassane Ouattara, with both claiming victory in a November 28

Germany, France and Poland are calling for increased co-operation between the European Union and Nato on security and defence issues. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press and signed by the three nations' foreign and defence ministers, they call fo

Germany aims to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2011, a decade after the start of the war, a government report showed on Monday. Nato leaders agreed at a summit in Lisbon last month to begin transferring security responsibility in

About 100 Afghan members of parliament demanded on Monday that President Hamid Karzai inaugurate the assembly by December 19, almost three weeks after final results of a fraud-marred election were declared. Afghanistan's political crisis has been simmerin

Kosovo faced political gridlock on Monday with both the main parties claiming victory in the territory's first election since its declaration of independence in 2008. Exit polls by two independent non-governmental organisations put Prime Minister Hashim T

Portugal's largest private bank offered to inform the United States about Iranian financial activities in exchange for being allowed to do business inIran, according to diplomat cables published Monday. Representatives of the Millennium BCP bank visited T

The former deputy to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is vowing to launch a rival site soon that he says will be more transparent than the original. Dubbed "Openleaks" (www.openleaks.org) and run by Assange's former number two at WikiLeaks Daniel Domschei

Britain's national security adviser has warned that government websites are at risk of cyber attack from pro-WikiLeaks hackers, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said Monday. Ministries have been told they could be targeted by online "hacktivists," fo

A Middle East-born man killed in a blast in Stockholm wore an explosives belt and was geared up to attack a crowded train station or department store when the device went off prematurely, an official said on Monday. Police were all but certain the attacke

US cotton futures ended Monday up the daily limit at a one-month top on speculative buying, but dealings were light as most players seemed content to sit on the sidelines for the moment, brokers said. Cotton is the best performing commodity in the Reuters

Malaysian palm oil futures hit a 30-month high on Monday, bolstered by concerns over supply tightness during the monsoon season and a firmer Chinese soyaoil market. "Production is going to fall in December, as output has been sizing down due to heavy rai

Oil rose on Monday as strong Chinese economic data lifted commodities even as the country's soaring inflation did not lead to an interest rate hike to cool the economy. Europe's cold snap and a cold front moving across the US Midwest into the heating oil-

The most active rubber contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange surged to a record on Monday on fund buying driven by tight supply in producing countries and rising imports from top consumer China. TOCOM's May rubber contract hit a high at 396.4 yen a kg

Liffe March white sugar ended $32.70 higher at $755.20 per tonne on Monday. Market boosted by a weaker dollar and uncertainty about the outlook for Indian production and exports. Liffe March robusta coffee ended $26 higher at $1,934 per tonne. Market drag

Copper prices rose almost 2 percent in Shanghai on Monday, dragging London to a record high, on positive technical signals and strong data from China over the weekend. Shanghai copper closed 1,160 yuan higher at 68,480 yuan. Shanghai copper was expected t

Copper hit successive record highs on Monday, boosted by economic prospects for top consumer China, and supply concerns that could propel prices even higher. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange finished at $9,220, from $8,980 at the close on Fri

Monday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1700 GMT.

Monday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1700 GMT.

Spot gold edged higher on Monday as healthy physical demand helped buoy prices, while China's move to further tighten its monetary policy and upbeat US economic data weighed on sentiment. China raised cash reserve requirements for banks on Friday, as the

Gold extended gains above $1,390 an ounce in Europe on Monday as the dollar surrendered early gains against the euro, and as last week's price dip of more than 2 percent brought physical buyers back to the market. Concern over the outlook for the eurozone

ICE arabica coffee and sugar futures surged on Monday as the dollar surrendered early gains against the euro, while cocoa rose in cautious, choppy trade with a focus on supply risks from Ivory Coast. The euro rose against the dollar on Monday, boosted by

Soyabeans, corn and wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade were higher near midday, bolstered by the lower US dollar, which fell following China's decision to keep its interest rates unchanged, traders said. CBOT trends at 11:49 am CST (1749 GMT) on

Gold rose toward $1,400 an ounce on Monday after a 2 percent decline last week, with investors buying bullion as the dollar weakened, China kept interest rates steady and a US tax cut extension loomed. "Gold is getting a lift from the lack of action by th

Pakistan Muslim League-Q will never tolerate injustice with the teachers or students and will raise the issue of torture at every forum including the parliament. Pakistan Muslim League-Q President, Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said this while talking

The Ambassador of Finland, Osmo Lipponen along with Ms Katja Kalamaki, Deputy Head of Mission Second Secretary and Mr Ahmad Mahmud, Honorary Consul General of Finland, Karachi visited the office of Transparency International Pakistan Office on Monday Dece

The Supreme Court on Monday directed all the parties to submit relevant record regarding allotment of land in Diplomatic Enclave allegedly to Hamid Yar Hiraj, chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) in violation of rules by

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Sumsam Ali Shah Bukhari on Monday inaugurated 'National Rabta Information Portal' (www.pakistan.pk), a single source web portal developed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), providing one-win

The United States Government Monday launched a project to help small farmers in Sindh province cultivate sunflowers by providing seed, fertiliser and technical assistance. USAID Economic Growth Officer Sarah Parvez, who represented the US at a launching c

Having learnt about the lukewarm response of the police against the accused of the drag race that killed five and injured two persons, the Supreme Court on Monday directed Punjab police chief to arrest all the four, who managed the event and report to the

Allied Bank has been ranked fourth in the category of volume of donations made during the year 2009 among all Public Listed Companies (PLCs) of the Country, according to the "Survey of Public Listed Companies 2009" conducted by Pakistan Centre for Philant

In the wake of upcoming visit of Chinese Prime Minister, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Liu Jian held a meeting with Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik to review security measures and other arrangements for the visit. They discussed security arran

Pakistan Railways administration has changed the schedule of 173 Up/ 174 Dn Multan Express, running between Multan and Faisalabad to facilitate the passengers. According to a press release issued on Monday, 173 Up train will now leave Multan at 4:00 pm an

The young doctors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has warned the provincial government for immediate release of the already sanctioned funds for FCPS-II training and in case of failure in acceptance their demands they would take streets to express their protest. Th

A general increase in prices is attributed to two factors: in anticipation of the approval of Sales Tax and Finance Bill 2010 by parliament with an additional 700 items under the sales tax regimen, and the poor business environment due to continuing energ

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to extend its advanced technological infrastructure for maximum outreach to citizens of Punjab. The PTCL Senior

The United States Embassy in Pakistan strongly condemns Monday's attack on a school bus in the Bana Mhari area of Peshawar. At least two people, including one child, were killed and several others were injured during an explosion near the bus. The deliber

In line with its efforts to promote greater reliability, efficiency and transparency in the capital market operations, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has approved the project of 'Automation of Securities Settlement,' at the Cent

Recently the FBR had notified that the government has also allowed 80% percent rebate in the tax liability of pharmaceutical distributors, distributors of fast moving consumer goods and distributors of fertilisers and 80% tax rebate would be available onl

I am totally shocked to learn about the demise of M. A. Zuberi. He was a great scholar, who championed the cause of economic and financial journalism in Pakistan. He contributed in an enriched manner in accelerating the pace of increasing knowledge across

The following is the text of SBP governor Shahid H Kardar's speech that he delivered at Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry's function on Monday, 13th December, 2010: The debate on the role of monetary policy in ensuring macroe

What is wrong with children flocking to their mother with their hopes, their worries, their complaints (for example about siblings' bad behaviour), their aspirations, seeking guidance, looking for solace and comfort, hoping to find a solution for their pr

There is growing consensus that governance has been bad the world over - not just by the state but by every institution. The ignored reality that surfaced regularly - bad governance-driven recessions - while population kept rising is now manifested boldly

Amidst much fanfare, an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) and Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) was signed in Ashgabat on December 11 as planned. Turkmenistan, the host country, as well as Pakistan

Bringing to an end a life-long inning of a journalistic career, greatly inspired and shaped by the ideals of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of the Business Recorder Group and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Business Recorder, M A Zuberi pa

While terming the discrimination in gas supply to the industry in Punjab a conspiracy against government, the business community has urged the government to withdraw gas suspension orders immediately.

Pakistan Textile Exporters Association have strongly protested against the 90pc low pressure in gas supply to Faisalabad industry and termed it a deliberate attempt to shatter the export oriented textile industry. This low-pressure tactics would inflict a

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry Monday urged the government to immediately stop discrimination in gas supply to industry in Punjab, as suspension of gas supply has forced closure of over 1300 industrial units, rendering thousands of workers un

Jamaat-e-Islami Deputy Secretary General, Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha, has condemned the stoppage of gas supply to the Punjab industries besides unannounced loadshedding of gas and electricity to different cities in the province. He said not only the industrie

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has strongly criticised the government's decision suspending gas supply to the Punjab industry for indefinite period and said the move would destabilise the Punjab economy.

A high-level Sri Lankan Coast Guard delegation headed by its Director General, Rear Admiral L.D. Dharamprya, visited Headquarters Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (MSA) on Monday. An MSA statement said the dignitary was received by Rear Admiral Zafar Mah

The environment friendly packaging and decorative products made of the recycled paper can emerge as a specialised industry for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) Chief Executive Officer Anwar A.

Karachi Electricity Supply Company (KESC) has started organising Energy Conservation activities in the city to educate people regarding energy consumption and saving issues. Amir Abbasi, General Manager Media and Public Relations, KESC told Business Re