Sea container traffic through Hong Kong, the world's busiest container port, rose a meagre 1.4 percent in the first quarter, as gains in its main facilities at Kwai Chung offset falls at mid-stream and river trade terminals. Hong Kong handled a total of 5

The lineup of vessels to load sugar in Brazilian ports rose to 40 from 39 a week ago, shipping agent Williams said Thursday. In a weekly report, Williams said 16 vessels were lined up in the southern port of Santos, down from 19 last week. In the north-ea

Asian shipping rates were supported this week by tightness in demand for large capsize vessels, which ship iron ore and coal, but the market lacked energy amid a lack of big orders from Japan and China. Freight rates were generally supported as it is the

The Karachi Port handled 64,591 tonnes of cargo including 40,919 tonnes import and 23,672 tonnes export cargo inclusive of 3,798 containers, during last 24 hours ending at 0700 hours on Saturday. The cargo comprised of 60,942 tonnes dry cargo including 45

After decades of riding global car makers' coat-tails and churning out clunky cars few wanted, upstart Chinese firms are flexing their muscles, designing sedans that threaten to engulf world markets. Now, the likes of General Motors Corp and Toyota Motor

A 19-year-old Los Angeles woman has sued AOL saying that a former monitor of its "kids only" chat room seduced her online when she was a lonely teenager, persuading her to send him nude photos of herself and to engage in phone sex. The lawsuit, filed in L

Europe's main democracy and rights watchdog, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, is close to solving a budget crisis that has paralysed it for months, its chairman said on Saturday. But the European Union, which pays 70 percent of th

Opec is likely to postpone a further production increase for the time being if prices continue to retreat, a spokesman for the oil producers' cartel was quoted on Saturday as saying. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in March agreed to

Strong household spending should help cut Sweden's stubbornly high unemployment, the government's main headache ahead of general elections next year, Prime Minister Goran Persson said in a newspaper interview on Saturday. Despite firm growth Sweden's jobl

Germany's opposition said on Saturday it would not support a government proposal to cut basic corporation tax to 19 percent from 25 percent unless Finance Minister Hans Eichel came up with fresh ideas for funding it. "We won't accept any company tax cuts

Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven economic powers on Saturday vowed to fix global economic imbalances with "vigorous" actions, from deficit reduction to reform, and guard world growth from perils like higher oil. At the close of their meeting in Wash

Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, which aims to cut its workforce by 30 percent by 2007, is to shed 1,100 jobs more than originally stated, according to the chief employees' representative. Karl-Heinz Schmidt told the Welt am Sonntag to be published

General Motors Corp will next week post its steepest quarterly loss since 1992, when the industrial icon tipped close to bankruptcy, with its core automotive unit expected to lose more than $1 billion, analysts said. The Detroit automaker shocked the mark

General Motors Corp will next week post its steepest quarterly loss since 1992, when the industrial icon tipped close to bankruptcy, with its core automotive unit expected to lose more than $1 billion, analysts said. The Detroit automaker shocked the mark

HVB Group, Germany's second-largest bank, may buy savings banks at some point, a manager was quoted as saying on Saturday. "We will take a look at acquiring client portfolios or regional savings banks if an opportunity comes up," Christine Licci, the boar

A Brazilian judge on Friday gave the formal go-ahead for Citigroup Inc to win back control of Brasil Telecom (BT), the country's third-largest telephone operator, court officials said. On Tuesday, the official National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) r

Strong search advertising revenues are expected to drive profits at Google Inc and Yahoo Inc when they report earnings next week. Some financial analysts and research firms flagged a decline in "keyword" pricing during the holiday hangover months of Janua

US President George W. Bush on Saturday deplored high fuel prices in the United States and called on Congress to pass an energy bill he had proposed four years ago. "American families and small businesses across the country are feeling the pinch from risi

Indian bullion futures contracts fell on Friday tracking world markets, while soyaoil and sugar slipped because of comfortable stocks and as the settlement date neared, brokers said. April gold at the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) wa

The Chicago Board of Trade soyabean market closed lower on Friday as nearly ideal weather for planting and ample global supplies of oilseeds weighed, traders said. Even though Midwest farmers have not started planting soyabeans, recent light rains have re

Australian government intervention in a wheat sales dispute with Iraq appears to have settled price issues and made clear that Australia rejects claims supplies were contaminated, according to export company AWB Ltd and the government. A spokesman for Tra

Tin closed flat in Malaysian trade on Friday, leaving a gain of $25 on the week despite fresh losses in London. The spot price on the Kuala Lumpur Tin Market ended at $8,090 a tonne, unchanged from Thursday. Turnover rose one tonne to 54 tonnes. "I guess

The Australian wool market fell slightly this week despite a wide selection of quality wools on offer, analysts said on Friday. The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) fell six cents to end the week at 730 cents a kg clean, based on falls of five cents in

Ukraine, among the world's major sunflower oil producers and exporters, produced 112,000 tonnes of crude sunflower oil in March, up from 97,900 in February, the State Statistics Committee said on Friday. The committee said Ukraine had produced 323,000 ton

Rough rice futures at the Chicago Board of Trade closed firm on Friday on follow-through buying from Thursday tied to hopes of fresh export business with Iraq, traders said. The highs were made in the session and met by commercial hedge pressure. By the c

US copper futures held most of their gains into the close on Friday, reversing a three-day rout that took red metal prices down to two-month lows, and some traders said they thought enough long positions had been shaken out to keep buyers in the market. B

US gold futures climbed from two-month lows to finish higher on Friday, after a mixed bag of US data fanned worries about the economy and pressured the dollar following its previous surge against the euro. June delivery gold on the New York Mercantile Exc

Raw sugar futures closed softer on Friday on another round of speculative sales, but trade buying pared the losses and the market could be pinned in a band going into next week, dealers said. The New York Board of Trade's May raw sugar contract fell 0.07

Oil prices slumped last week after an unexpected sharp rise in US crude inventories and the likely prospect of a production hike by Opec helped to assuaged fears about possible shortages. Cocoa, coffee and sugar futures hit multi-month low points on selli

Wheat futures at the Chicago Board of Trade closed at two-month lows on Friday amid nearly ideal crop weather in the US winter wheat belt and neutral export sales, traders said. CBOT wheat closed 1-1/2 to 4-1/2 cents per bushel lower. May was down 3-3/4 a

Higher trend was seen on the forward cottonseed oilcake market on Friday as most of the buyers were trying to make forward deals on fears of rising trend in the prices, dealers said. The May vaida opened with 50 paisa gain at Rs 440.30 and that proved to

Sluggish business was again witnessed on the cotton market at the weekend as the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) issued tenders, brokers said on Saturday. The official spot rates remained unchanged at Rs 2200, without upcountry expenses. The cotton

00:00 Silver Screen EP 3 (R), 00:30 Aaj Islam (Rabi-ul-Awwal) EP 6 (R), 00:55 News at 9:00 PM (R), 01:40 Tele Film Uncle Joker (R), 03:00 Aaj Ent. Tonight EP 5 (R), 03:30 Aaj Music, 03:40 Sultanat EP 6 (R), 04:00 Sultanat EP 7 (R), 04:30 Sultanat EP 8 (R)

Steadier trend was again seen on the weekend session of the local grain market as several commodities maintained their overnight levels in process of trading, dealers said. On the seed side, cottonseed oilcake with bag gained rupees five to Rs 455-465 ami

The trading on milk powder sector moved both ways here on Saturday on Jodia Bazar. The following changes were seen in the dairy crest down Rs 300 to Rs 4700, Olden burger down Rs 125 to Rs 4675, Pcomileh Holland down Rs 75 to Rs 4675, Seven star up Rs 200

President Robert Mugabe new cabinet faces an uphill task reviving Zimbabwe's economy, with analysts saying any recovery will be hard and slow due to Western sanctions imposed over his controversial rule. In a reshuffle announced late on Friday following l

Lower-than-expected inflation in the first quarter has lessened the prospects of a central bank interest rate rise at the end of the month, economists said on Friday. Consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in the quarter ending in March, below market and centra

The dollar slumped broadly on Friday as soft US consumer sentiment and weak manufacturing data overshadowed a report showing hefty inflows to US assets that were sufficient to cover February's trade deficit. By late afternoon in New York, the euro was tra

Political jitters and softer commodity prices knocked the Canadian dollar down for an eighth straight session to finish at a six-week low on Friday. Canadian bond prices soared because of sliding stocks and diminished expectations of interest rate hikes i

Speculators in IMM yen futures extended a net short position during the trading week ending April 12, data released on Friday showed. Speculators increased the net short yen position to 44,196 contracts - the biggest net short yen position since early 200

The Sri Lanka rupee ended flat on Friday in minimal trade as most importers and exporters took another day off after the two-day Sinhalese and Tamil New Year holiday, dealers said. The rupee closed at 99.63 against the US dollar, unchanged from the previo

India's foreign exchange reserves rose to $141.46 billion on April 8 from $141.20 billion a week, the Reserve Bank of India said in its weekly statistical supplement on Saturday. The central bank said foreign currency assets expressed in US dollar terms i

Mattel Inc's disappointing first-quarter earnings report on Friday shows it is a tough time to be a toy maker, and traders think the company's difficulties may continue. Mattel, the world's largest toy maker, on Friday said first-quarter net earnings fell

Mattel Inc's disappointing first-quarter earnings report on Friday shows it is a tough time to be a toy maker, and traders think the company's difficulties may continue. Mattel, the world's largest toy maker, on Friday said first-quarter net earnings fell

The Canadian bonds rose sharply on Friday, underpinned by sharply lower stock markets and Canadian and US interest rate speculation. Prices have risen steadily over the past three weeks, as the market has priced out previous expectations that the Bank of

The Canadian bonds rose sharply on Friday, underpinned by sharply lower stock markets and Canadian and US interest rate speculation. Prices have risen steadily over the past three weeks, as the market has priced out previous expectations that the Bank of

Chile stocks fell for a third consecutive day on Friday as profit-taking and the end of dividend eligibility hit many shares, particularly power companies Enersis and Endesa. The IPSA blue chip index slipped 0.65 percent to 1,963.66 points while the broad

Heavy selling battered General Motors Corp's bonds on Friday as investors braced for a hefty loss when the automaker reports first-quarter earnings next week. A combination of rumours about a bankruptcy filing by GM and worries that the automaker is locke

Heavy selling battered General Motors Corp's bonds on Friday as investors braced for a hefty loss when the automaker reports first-quarter earnings next week. A combination of rumours about a bankruptcy filing by GM and worries that the automaker is locke

Toronto stocks endured a third day of steep losses on Friday, shedding more than 100 points on weak economic data and soft commodity prices. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index dropped 132.49 points, or 1.4 percent, to end at 9,277.12, it

Reports from Nokia and Ericsson are a big focus next week, but by no means hog the spotlight as investors digest a flood of company results and eye oil prices for further falls. Technology stocks have taken a beating this week as companies including Samsu

The second quarter is off to a slow start for US initial public offerings, with five deals raising just $480 million so far. That is a fraction of the $1.225 billion raised in the same period a year ago, when there were six IPOs in the same period, accord

The Brazil stocks fell modestly on Friday after plunging more than 4 percent the previous day. The Bovespa index of the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange fell 1.31 percent to 24,655 points. At the stock market, some analysts said the Bovespa index may continue to

Argentine stocks tumbled to a four-month low on Friday on a widening rift between the government and the IMF over how to deal with bondholders who opted out of the country's massive debt swap. The MerVal index of the 11 leading stocks slid for the sixth s

US Treasury debt yields slid to near two-month lows on Friday as more bad news on the economy bolstered hopes the Federal Reserve might eventually take a break from raising interest rates. On Wall Street, a battered Dow Jones industrial average ended down

US Treasury debt yields slid to near two-month lows on Friday as more bad news on the economy bolstered hopes the Federal Reserve might eventually take a break from raising interest rates. On Wall Street, a battered Dow Jones industrial average ended down

Emerging sovereign debt prices slid on Friday amid worries of a softening US economy, with Ecuador bonds hit hard by an increasingly unstable political environment. Overall emerging sovereign debt spreads widened sharply as investors took their money away

Emerging sovereign debt prices slid on Friday amid worries of a softening US economy, with Ecuador bonds hit hard by an increasingly unstable political environment. Overall emerging sovereign debt spreads widened sharply as investors took their money away

US stocks finished at 5 1/2-month lows on Friday - in the third straight day of steep declines - as disappointing results from IBM increased investor concerns about an economic slowdown and made Wall Street skittish about the coming flood of earnings. The

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Saturday renewed his demand for the return of disputed islands from Russia as the two countries commemorated the 150th anniversary of bilateral relations. A ceremony was held in Shimoda, some 132 kilometres (81

Roman Catholic cardinals destroyed the late Pope John Paul's ring and seal on Saturday in a symbolic end to his authority before secluding themselves from the world to elect his successor. The cardinals will begin their conclave on Monday, and the Vatican

A leader of Afghanistan's ousted Taleban movement has rejected as baseless reports that he held reconciliation talks with President Hamid Karzai's government. Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, thought now to be number two in the Taleban hierarchy after its fugitive le

The Taliban and al Qaeda will likely stage high-profile attacks in Afghanistan as the country approaches its first post-Taleban parliamentary election, the top commander of US forces in the country said Saturday. Lieutenant General David Barno said milita

Shouting "Japanese invaders must die", thousands protested in eastern China against Japan's wartime past on Saturday, hurling rocks and bottles at Tokyo's consulate in Shanghai and burning Japanese flags. But with thousands of paramilitary police on the s

The European Union is planning to host an international conference on Iraq in Brussels at the start of June, if Baghdad agrees, the bloc's presidency said Saturday. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, whose country currently holds the EU reins, re

At least one person died when protesters from Iran's Arab minority fought security forces in the oil-rich south-west, officials said on Saturday. Arabs rampaged through the streets of the city of Ahvaz in the province of Khuzestan on Friday night, smashin

Indonesia and Aceh rebels made progress on political and economic disputes in talks that ended on Saturday, but both sides said security issues were the biggest obstacle to a lasting peace. "We have come up with a joint statement on the points of common u

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's allies worked behind the scenes on Saturday to keep his four-year government from self-destructing after the pullout of a coalition partner raised the threat of snap elections. Berlusconi sent Italy's president t

Peaceful efforts to secure the release of up to 60 Shia hostages being threatened with death in a town near Baghdad have failed and Iraqi authorities are considering military action, officials said on Saturday. "Attempts to win their freedom through negot

Iraqi authorities said on Saturday efforts were under way to secure the release of up to 60 Shia hostages threatened with death in a town near Baghdad, where sectarian tensions threaten to provoke armed conflict. Sunni insurgents have vowed to kill the ho

At least 17 people were killed, including two US soldiers and a Turkish trucker, in attacks around Iraq late Friday and Saturday, while two Filipinos were wounded as they headed to work at Baghdad airport, police said. In the ethnically mixed town of Baqu

Turkish Cypriots may feel jaded by the prospect of yet another vote, but for 25-year-old Mehmet, sipping a beer in the warm spring sun, Sunday's presidential election means the start of a new era. "An era is drawing to a close in the TRNC (Turkish Republi

A Bangladesh court has sentenced 22 people to death and six others to life in jail for killing an opposition lawmaker last year, officials said. The lawmaker, Ahsanullah Master, a senior member of Bangladesh's main opposition Awami League, and a young man

A large number of messages of support and hopes for successful talks with Indian leaders have been sent to President Pervez Musharraf by his admirers and supporters. In their messages, well-wishers have prayed that the round of talks that President Pervez

Ministry of Women Development's women empowerment projects and Women Police Stations consequently failed to deliver properly due to lack of authority, political will and seriousness in tackling the women issues. These were the finding of a report "Pakista

Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage Mohammed Nawaz Memon has said that there was no danger of deluge in Sindh and the water flow in Indus river which was expected to rise between 400,000 to 500,000 cusecs will pass smoothly through all barrages. He was addressi

The District Development Working Party (DDWP) of City District Government Karachi has given approval to new development schemes costing Rs 640 million while schemes worth Rs 130 million were deferred till next week meeting on account of technical grounds.

Pakistan has stressed that the summit of world leaders in New York in September this year should have its primary focus on development. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, Pakistan's permanent representative Munir Akram strongly un

NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani in a high-level meeting at Chief Minister's Secretariat, here on Thursday morning, agreed to provide one time grant for operationalising all drinking water tube-wells throughout the province. The provincial governmen

Schola Nova once again shine at the inter school debate competition held at NIC building Islamabad. The event was arranged by Resource Academia and all the schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad participated in the competition. Schola Nova got the winners tr

The monitoring committee of Sindh Planning and Development Department has advised to expedite the development works under Governor's package for Hyderabad City, Latifabad and Qasimabad. The two-member monitoring committee held meeting here with District C

Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani has said Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir and said he is duty bound to identify the shift, if any, in the traditional stand of Pakistan. He was addressing people at Masjid Baitul Mukarram in Bar

Pakistan Council for Research in Water resources is holding a workshop on National Arsenic Plan for safe drinking water from April 18-19. Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Nouraiz Shakoor will be a chief guest. In Pakistan, arsenic cont

The Higher Secondary School Certificate Annual Examination, 2005 of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad is scheduled to commence on 26th April. A press release states the Roll Number Slips of the candidates appearing in th

The Patient Welfare Programme at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) provided over Rs 160 million in financial assistance to needy patients during 2004, representing a 9.5 percent increase in disbursement over the corresponding 12-month period in 2003. Mo

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present President Pervez Musharraf his birth certificate as a special gift during their meeting here. "A baby boy born on July 22, 1945, to Musharraf, son of Saifuddin" - says the certificate, obtained after hours

We are all aware of the importance of the electronic media. No doubt a vital role is being played by the agency in our modern society. Any commercial on TV is believed to be successful if a girl demonstrates in it. Upto some extent it can be accepted but

Pakistan's diplomat Malik Mohammad Javed is reportedly kidnapped in Baghdad by a terrorist organisation while he went out of his house to offer prayers in a nearby mosque.

For the mountainous southern African kingdom of Lesotho, the sparkle of a remote diamond mine provides rare good news as textile factories leave, unemployment rises and the AIDS pandemic ravages the country. Buried deep in the central highlands, surrounde

Planes take off almost every day over Thailand's dried-out rice paddies with a chemical cocktail that scientists - guided by Thailand's king - hope will wring the clouds dry and ease a drought that has scorched southeast Asia. The propeller planes are pac

The Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan recommended the implementation of an alternate mode of dispute resolution. The Government of Pakistan, in the year 2002, amended the Civil Procedure Code, 1908. Section 89 gives powers to the civil courts to adop

It was gratifying to learn from a Business Recorder report from Islamabad earlier this month that the technical committee of Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had decided to distribute water for the Kharif season 2005, commencing April 1, in acco

The ruling party legislator, M.P. Bhandara's remark that the National Assembly has become a rubber stamp assembly, of course, reflected his own frustration at not being given the opportunity to express his views on the two Bills that were steam-rollered t

Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has announced that the city would face water shortage on Saturday and Sunday due to the interruption in electricity supply to one of its pumping stations. According to a KWSB statement issued here on Saturday, a fau

The Employees Old-age Benefit Institution (EOBI) Officers' Association of Pakistan has protested against the posting of an outsider of BS-20 as Director General (Operations) in EOBI on deputation basis for three years. Association's Secretary General Agha

The arrival of two-member monitoring team to review progress of development schemes estimated to cost Rs 500 million under the Sindh governor's special grant for improvement of entire water and sewerage system of Hyderabad has exposed ineptness of the Hyd

Federal Communication Minister Shamim Siddiqui said here on Saturday that Lyari Expressway project is expected to be completed by June next year, and added that efforts were being made to speed up the work to accomplish the target in time. Addressing a pr

The National Investment Trust (NIT), during the first nine months of the current fiscal year, showed a remarkable performance and its profit recorded a growth of 21 percent mainly because of the repositioning of its portfolio and gains made through tradin

The National Investment Trust (NIT), during the first nine months of the current fiscal year, showed a remarkable performance and its profit recorded a growth of 21 percent mainly because of the repositioning of its portfolio and gains made through tradin

The government of Sindh is going to launch a drive this month to enforce regulations pertaining to the wearing of helmet by motorcyclists and road safety measures for pedestrians. According to an official hand out, a complete detail of both schemes were c