The UN refugees' agency UNHCR in collaboration with government of Pakistan has launched an ambitious project to survey the world's largest refugees' population. The programme's basic aims to capture extensive information on the challenges faced by the aro

This year, the American Business Council (ABC) is planning to start a signature event--'The American Business Council Economic Summit 2011'. The inaugural session is planned for Saturday, September 17, at Karachi.

The Tajer Dost Panel has announced names of their candidates for the election of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry for 2011-2012. According to the announcement of Tajer Dost Panel, they have selected six candidates for vacant positions of corporate

Lieutenant General Ali Kuli Khan Khattak (Retd) has been re-appointed as chairman of the board of directors of General Tyre and Rubber Co of Pakistan Ltd with effect from August 23. According to information reaching KSE here on Wednesday, Mohammad Shahid

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) will extend its facilitation services to bring innovation in the footwear industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This was stated by provincial chief, Smeda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Javed Iqbal Khattak, while

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Pakistan Dr Michael Koch on Wednesday called on Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and delivered an invitation letter to the Minister to attend the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Bo

The outgoing Ambassador of United Arab Emirates, Ali Saif Sultan Al-Awani called on Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar here on Wednesday. The Ambassador thanked the Foreign Minister for the assistance extended to him by the Minister and Government of Paki

British finance and mining trade mission on Wednesday expressed keenness to promote business and investment relations between Pakistan and United Kingdom by achieving the benchmark of £ 2.5 billion by 2015. The 20-member finance and mining sector trade mi

The resident of Chokara village, District Karak are deprived of drinking water facility due to non-completion of development scheme worth Rs 4.48 million for instillation of tube well and inordinate in investigation by anti-corruption department against t

Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia has appealed to the Pakistani community in Malaysia to come forward and be part of government efforts to provide relief to more than five million people rendered homeless by devastating floods in the Sindh province.

Ambassador of Poland Andrzej Ananicz called on Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday and discussed matters of mutual interest. Provincial Minister for Education Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Member Provincial Assembly Khawaja Salman Rafique an

Acting President, Farooq H Naek, has emphasised the need for relaxation of visa regime between Pakistan and India to enhance people-to-people contact through frequent exchange of delegations from both sides at different levels. The Acting President expres

Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) is interested in entering into oil and gas exploration and production activities in Iran. In response to the query of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), PPL said that it has evaluated a number of opportunities for investment in oil

Chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on Wednesday said the situation in Karachi and Balochistan was part of 'great conspiracy' to destabilise Pakistan. Addressing party workers here, the JUI-F chief also criticis

President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the greatest threat to democracy emanated from a militant mindset and called for defeating militancy and extremism and advance democratic values. This he said in a message on the eve of the International Democracy

"Rahman Malik says around 14,000 acres of land in Karachi has been retrieved from land mafia."

The classes at the Government College University Lahore will remain closed from September 15, 2011 to September 23, 2011 due the prevailing situation of dengue virus. However, the university teaching faculty and administrative staff will remain present on

The PIAF-Founders Alliance has decided to constitute an Advisory Board of traders that would work hand in hand with the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to remove complications in the Sales Tax Return form and implementation of business frie

Farmers have decided to roll their sleeves up against unaffordable agriculture business due to internal and external factors. Pakistan Muttaheda Kisan Mahaz and Water and Power Action Committee, two representative bodies of farmer community, have announce

British entrepreneurs are keen to bring investment to Pakistan as they feel a social responsibility to help Pakistan and also play a role in its economic development. These views were expressed by Sir Thomas Harris, Vice Chairman Pakistan Britain Trade In

Chairman Town Emergency Response Committee on Dengue Mian Marghoob Ahmad has said it is the duty of the citizens to help Punjab government in its efforts to overcome dengue virus by keeping their homes, offices, business places and surroundings clean.

The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed Secretary Health Punjab and the District Co-ordination Officer (DCO), Lahore to appear before the court on September 16th in a petition filed against government for not taking adequate steps to control the sprea

A woman was stabbed by her husband over a domestic dispute near Ahmadpur East, some 54 kilometres from here on Wednesday. According to police sources, Safdar had difference with his wife on a domestic problem, on this he stabbed her to death and ran away

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) authorities have announced to increase gas shedding schedule for 72 hours from 48 hours to industrial units of Faisalabad region, which will be started from September 18 and continue till September 21. The gas su

President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry on Wednesday said that the establishment of 'Sportswear Training Institute Sialkot', would play pivotal role in the promotion of sportswear and other textile industry as wel

Mobilink Foundation continued its support for the underprivileged and special children of Pakistan by reaching out to over 100 special children with gifts of stationary and other essential school items. A team of Mobilink Torchbearers distributed packs co

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Shahzad Ali Malik has said that Skill Development Council (SDC) needs to evolve a new methodology for promotion of entrepreneurship among the youth.

The Punjab government's officers will donate their one-day salary for the flood-affected people of Sindh. A meeting of the provincial administrative officers on Wednesday held at Civil Secretariat under the chair of Punjab Chief Secretary, reported a priv

Gold fell on Wednesday as top European policymakers offered plans to contain the region's debt crisis, and volatile prices hurt the precious metal's safe-haven appeal. Bullion dropped as US stocks zig-zagged in choppy trade after news of European Commissi

Copper fell to within 2 percent of its 2011 low on Wednesday, stung by a string of poor US data that compounded concerns about Western world growth prospects already muddied by Europe's escalating debt crisis. In New York, the key December COMEX contract

US wheat futures firmed in subdued trading on Wednesday on early short covering, but broader economic worries limited interest in follow-through buying. Corn futures were flat after shedding earlier gains that stemmed from light commercial buying and conc

Gold fell by nearly 1 percent on Wednesday after European leaders appeared to take a fresh step towards quelling the eurozone debt crisis, which dented other safe-haven assets, in spite of more data highlighting the fragility of the US economy.

Spot gold reversed early gains and lost half a percent on Wednesday following sagging equities, after rating agency Moody's downgraded two of France's top banks and fuelled fears of a full-blown banking crisis in the eurozone. Spot gold reversed early gai

Gold rose 1 percent on Tuesday as higher US crude prices and an equities rebound prompted short-covering, reversing some of the previous session's sharp drop driven by margin-call selling in outside markets. The recent lack of safe-haven bids combined wit

Wednesday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1600 GMT.

Wednesday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1600 GMT.

Brent crude rose Wednesday on hopes the eurozone's debt crisis would ease, while US oil futures fell following data showing a surprise increase in US product inventories. Brent crude for October delivery settled at $112.40 a barrel, gaining 51 cents, snap

Cocoa futures dropped to multimonth lows on Wednesday, falling through support levels and triggering automatic sell orders while manufacturers sat on the sidelines to see if the market would fall further. Raw sugar settled higher after a session focused o

US grain futures tumbled on Tuesday, with corn down 3 percent as worries about declining demand fuelled long liquidation and technical selling that accelerated the decline. Wheat fell 3-1/2 percent on pressure from ample global supplies, a tepid export ou

Malaysian palm oil futures reversed early losses on Wednesday, with investors citing an over-sold market and fluctuations in currencies, but gains were capped by a bigger-than-expected US soybean crop outlook. Benchmark November palm oil on the Bursa Mala

Key Tokyo rubber futures fell on Wednesday, erasing earlier gains as oil and equities dropped on concerns over the debt crisis in Europe and the global economic outlook. The benchmark rubber contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange for February delivery f

Copper slipped on Wednesday after a string of poor US data compounded concerns that global growth was slowing and after an Austrian parliamentary committee failed to approve changes to the eurozone's bailout fund. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exch

Copper prices fell on Wednesday, after the euro slipped as investors fretted about Europe's slow progress in tackling its sovereign debt woes, while fears grew of a new banking crisis following rating downgrades for two top French banks. The most-active N

Copper eked out a modest gain by the close on Tuesday, underpinned by weakness in the dollar but limited in its upside mobility by Europe's festering debt crisis and its negative implications for Western world demand prospects.

Cotton futures ended up for a third straight day on Wednesday, as short covering and merchant buying helped boost values closer to a critical line of technical resistance. With a lack of confidence surrounding macroeconomic prospects, cotton futures have

An early warning radar will be stationed in Turkey's south-east as part of Nato's missile defence system, the foreign ministry announced Wednesday. The deployment reflects improving relations with the United States, which were strained after the invasion

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns has affirmed his country's "firm and enduring commitment to Gulf security" during his visit to Saudi Arabia where he met King Abdullah Wednesday, the US consulate said. Burns "reaffirmed to Saudi leaders the Unit

A car bomb targeting a popular restaurant killed 15 people and wounded dozens more in the southern Iraqi town of al-Hamza on Wednesday, police and hospital sources said. Elsewhere, two Iraqi soldiers were killed and 10 others wounded when a bomb attached

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has visited Tunisia in the first trip by a high-level Saudi official to the country since Tunisians ousted their strongman leader in January. Former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia after the

The Brazilian scientist credited with inventing biodiesel has died at the age of 70 of an intestinal condition. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said in a statement Tuesday that Jose de Sa Parente had "created biodiesel, a source of pride for all Brazil

A French appeals court on Wednesday confirmed the acquittal of former prime minister Dominique de Villepin over a political scandal in which he was accused of smearing President Nicolas Sarkozy. The public prosecutor had called for the suave potential can

The 20-hour insurgent assault on the heavily guarded Afghan capital left 27 dead including police, civilians and insurgents when fighting finally ended Wednesday morning, officials said. The sophistication and vehemence of the attack, in which insurgents

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday won a confidence vote on a much-altered austerity plan aimed at stemming a debt crisis engulfing the eurozone's third largest economy. The vote on the 54-billion-euro ($73.8 billion) mix of tax hikes a

Azerbaijan will punish parents who defy a ban on girls wearing the Islamic hijab in schools in the mainly Muslim but officially secular state, the education ministry said on Wednesday. "We will take action against those parents who don't let their childre

The United States is "very close" to selling some 18 F16 fighter jets to Iraq, a top Pentagon official announced Wednesday. Iraq had frozen the $4.2 billion deal earlier this year amid the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings, but the prospects were "promi

The United States gave Libya's new rulers a very visible show of support on Wednesday when a senior envoy visited the capital and praised their efforts to assert control of armed groups three weeks after Muammar Qadhafi was overthrown. Washington has take

Dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers stormed towns and villages near Syria's north-west border with Turkey on Wednesday, stepping up President Bashar al-Assad's efforts to crush popular unrest and pursue army defectors, local activists said. Security

Iran's judiciary said on Wednesday that no decision has been taken on releasing two US hikers convicted of spying, a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted the duo would be released soon. "While denying release of two Americans accused of espion

The Dutch state is responsible for executions committed by colonial troops at an Indonesian village in 1947 and relatives of victims should be compensated, a Dutch court ruled Wednesday. "This court finds that the (Dutch) state acted wrongly through these

Republicans scored an upset victory in a congressional election on Tuesday in a Democratic stronghold of New York, trumpeting the win as a sign of voter discontent with US President Barack Obama. Less than a week after Obama delivered a $447 billion plan

Pakistan won the One day international series against Zimbabwe with a 3-0 whitewash by taking the closing match with 28 runs to spare at Harare Sports Club here Wednesday. Pakistan, having been put into bat by the hosts captain Brendan Taylor, set a targe

Anxiety and over-eagerness led to Usain Bolt's false start in the 100 metres final at the world championships last month, the world record holder said on Wednesday. The Olympic champion, set to run the 100 metres at the Diamond League final in Brussels on

Walter Bonatti, an Italian climber who won belated recognition for his contribution for the first ascent to the summit of K2, the world's second-highest peak, has died at age 81. His editor Baldini Castoldi Dalai said Bonatti, who was also a journalist, d

The senior member of the Board of Governors of Pakistan Cricket Board, Wazir Ali Khoja (Chairman and M.D NIT) has felicitated Aleem Dar for a singular honour bestowed upon him by the highest body of the cricket in the world (ICC) by awarding him consecuti

A late winner from midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake gave Cerezo Osaka a 4-3 win over South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors in the first leg of their Asian Champions League quarter final on Wednesday. The 21-year-old netted a brace as Cerezo, who stormed back to record

Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dashed off an ultimatum over Indo-Pak bilateral series, that Pakistan will visit India only if the latter participates in a league organised by PCB, even if at a neutral locale. But expressed his interest to see t

South Asia's fastest women Naseem Hameed Wednesday was presented documents of 240-yard plot by Sindh Chief Minister's Advisor on Sports Haleem Adil Shaikh on behalf of the Sindh government. The plot for Naseem Hameed was announced by Sindh Government for

Graeme Swann was Wednesday named captain of England's squad for two Twenty20 internationals against West Indies. With injured captain and vice-captain Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan currently unavailable, England had been hesitating over who would lead the

World number one Novak Djokovic's US Open triumph on Monday ran his Grand Slam total for the season to three and earned him a record amount of prize money. Djokovic posted his 64th win in 66 matches and pushed his 2011 earnings past $10.6 million to set a

A hugely proud Kumar Sangakkara hopes Sri Lanka will celebrate his 100th Test appearance with a series-levelling victory over Australia in the final match in Colombo from Friday. "It's a great honour to have represented my country for a period of time, an

A last ditch Thiago Silva header rescued a point for AC Milan who drew 2-2 against reigning Champions League winners Barcelona in their opening Group H encounter here Tuesday. With just 24 seconds on the clock Alexandre Pato exposed Barca's defensive frai

The yuan ended up slightly against the dollar on Wednesday as the People's Bank of China set a firmer mid-point after the US Dollar index retreated from its highest level in more than six months. Spot yuan finished at 6.3964 versus the dollar, stronger th

The Swiss franc was given some breathing space on Wednesday, a day ahead of the Swiss National Bank's quarterly policy review at which it will likely reiterate its commitment not to allow the franc to rise past 1.20 per euro. The franc was down 0.4 percen

Interbank buy/sell rates for the taka against the dollar on Wednesday. 74.65/74.75 (previous 74.35-74.60). Call Money Rates: 6.50-9.25 percent (previous 6.50-9.50 percent).

Fears Greece may be heading towards a messy default further squeezed eurozone banks' access to dollar funding, pushing two lenders to borrow greenbacks from the European Central Bank on Wednesday. The ECB lent only $575 million, which suggests the two ban

The dollar surged to its highest in more than six months against the Indonesian rupiah on Wednesday as dollar short-covering by hedge funds and real money outflows picked up steam. Emerging Asian currencies fell broadly as jitters over the eurozone's sove

The Indian rupee staged a recovery on Wednesday after hitting a two-year low as the euro climbed on hopes of issuance of joint euro bonds, and as domestic equities reversed intraday losses tracking global peers. The partially convertible rupee ended at 47

The Aussie and New Zealand dollars fell heavily on Wednesday after a downward adjustment to inflation added to the case against higher rates in Australia, while growing fears of a banking crisis in Europe weighed heavily on risk appetite. The Aussie sank

The euro edged higher from a seven-month trough against the dollar on Tuesday, helped by a rebound in equity prices, but the lower trend looked to remain as Europe's debt crisis worsened. The yen advanced against both the dollar and euro, keeping alive th

The euro climbed against the dollar on Wednesday, bolstered by comments from the European Commission about the possibility of joint euro area bonds that could help ease the region's debt crisis. Investors are now looking to a conference call later on Wedn

The euro rose against the dollar on Wednesday, turning positive in tandem with stocks after European Commission comments suggesting the possibility of joint euro area bonds, but remained vulnerable to a drop towards recent lows. Demand from real money and

The euro dropped on Wednesday, back towards a seven-month low plumbed this week, with risk sentiment that was shaky ahead of debt talks between Greece, France and Germany further knocked by Australian inflation data. Alarm over eurozone's debt has reached

Sterling fell to eight-month lows versus the dollar on Wednesday, hit by concerns over the impact of the eurozone's debt crisis on UK growth and British banks, which could force the Bank of England into more monetary stimulus. Mounting worries over the eu

Britain's leading shares closed higher on Wednesday after Europe's top bureaucrat said plans for a common euro bond, seen by many as a key tool to help end the regional debt crisis, would be presented shortly. A common bond would give the weaker periphera

Australian shares dropped 1.6 percent to a 5-week low on Wednesday, a sharp reversal of earlier gains, as a downgrade to the debt rating on two top French banks undermined confidence in Europe's efforts to resolve its debt crisis. Australian bank stocks,

Seoul shares extended falls and ended down 3.5 percent on Wednesday as investors grew increasingly sceptical the debt crisis in the eurozone could be resolved, with losses led by financial issues. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index ended down 3.52 perc

European shares rose on Wednesday on hopes a plan by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso for the introduction of common eurozone bonds would help ease the sovereign debt crisis. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares closed up

Hong Kong shares reversed early losses to snap a three-session losing streak on Wednesday, as gains in defensive sectors outweighed losses in insurance and casino stocks, with some funds seeking to lock gains in an increasingly bearish market.

Indian shares ended a three-day losing streak and gained 1.5 percent on Wednesday, led by export-driven technology stocks on hopes a weaker rupee would boost margins, and helped by expectations the central bank was near the end of its rate hike cycle.

Deutsche Boerse AG's acquisition of NYSE Euronext could be unfair because it would create a "silo" in which a single exchange would dominate all stages of the trading and clearing process, said the head of rival Nasdaq OMX Group. "The only time you can st

US Treasury prices fell on Tuesday as stock market gains damped demand for safe-haven US government debt. The more subdued demand for safety appeared to carry over into the US Treasury's $21 billion 10-year note auction had the highest level of indirect b

US Treasury prices fell on Tuesday as stock market gains damped demand for safe-haven US government debt. The more subdued demand for safety appeared to carry over into the US Treasury's $21 billion 10-year note auction had the highest level of indirect b

US stocks gained on Tuesday as investors bought shares beaten down in recent weeks and bet European leaders would take action soon to ease the Greek debt crisis. Worries the eurozone crisis could the global economy into another recession have pummelled st

US stocks rose in a zigzag session on Wednesday as gains in major tech shares helped offset worries whether eurozone leaders can make progress in easing the region's debt crisis. Comments about possible new eurozone bonds to help ease the region's debt cr

The Nikkei average skidded more than 1 percent on Wednesday to a fresh 2-1/2 year closing low, as persistent worries about the European debt crisis raised fears of more losses ahead and prompted investors to take profits on the previous session's gains.

Most Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Wednesday as mounting eurozone debt concerns eroded broad market sentiment, with banks under pressure from the global banking crisis. The outperforming region faced outflows of global capital on worries over euro

Kuwait's index hit a fresh six-week high on optimism about third-quarter results on Wednesday, while Egyptian stocks, hit this week by concerns over political stability and global markets, fell for a fourth session in lacklustre trading. "Investors are re

Faltering economic growth and the strong Swiss franc sent Swiss producer and import prices sharply lower in August, reinforcing the Swiss National Bank's view that the soaring currency is exacerbating downside price pressures. The Federal Statistics Offic

British retailer John Lewis reported an 18 percent drop in first-half profit, hit by discounting at its department stores and a step up in investment, and predicted tough trading conditions into 2012. "It may ease a bit early next year," Chairman Charlie

British retailer John Lewis reported an 18 percent drop in first-half profit, hit by discounting at its department stores and a step up in investment, and predicted tough trading conditions into 2012. "It may ease a bit early next year," Chairman Charlie