LONDON: World oil prices rose slightly on Thursday, buoyed by a lower-than-expected gain in US crude stockpiles and hopes of an interest rate cut by the European Central Bank (ECB), analysts said.Brent North Sea crude for delivery in June added two cents to $101.75 a barrel in London early ...

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt was on edge Monday after a night of sporadic violence outside Cairo’s main cathedral following the death of seven people in clashes between Christians and Muslims.Islamist President Mohamed Mursi has promised to launch an immediate investigation into the bloodshed.Calm was ...

DHAKA  - A spirited Bangladesh led by all-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah edged out the West Indies in the fifth and final one-day by two wickets in Dhaka on Saturday, taking the series 3-2.Mahmudullah took 2-38 to help the home team bowl the tourists for 217 in 48 overs and then scored a ...

BRUSSELS/ISLAMABAD  - Nato and the US stressed Monday the importance of their ties with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism as the western military allies prepare the way for their 2014 withdrawal from Afghanistan.Pakistan’s Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in his address to ...

M K BHADRAKUMARThe killing in Kabul on Saturday of two high-ranking American military officials - a colonel and a major - serving with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) will prompt a paradigm shift in regional security. Afghanistan surges as still America's number one "hot spot", ...

PARIS - Manchester United squeezed through to the Europa League last 16 on Thursday despite losing 2-1 to Ajax at Old Trafford while former champions Atletico Madrid became Spain's third team in the next stage. Sir Alex Ferguson's United went through 3-2 on aggregate and will face Athletic Bilbao ...

NEW YORK - President Barack Obama holds a significant lead over each of his potential Republican opponents, including Romney,  in the November general election, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released Tuesday.Consecutive months of job growth, the bullish stock market and improving ...

Police in Birmingham were struggling to contain swelling anger within the Asian community after a hit-and-run by suspected rioters killed three Pakistani young men, two of them brothers. Despite appeals for calm from senior officers, young Asian men vowed to defend their streets once more following ...

ATHENS (AFP) - Greece's runaway debt is on a "knife's edge", the IMF's mission chief to Athens said in an interview on Sunday as he called for an "invigoration" of structural reforms in the vast Greek public sector. "The Greek debt is sustainable but it is, as we say, on a knife's edge," Poul ...

AUGSBURG (AFP) - The 1995 champions Norway survived a battle with debutantes Equatorial Guinea in Group D action at the Women's World Cup here on Wednesday, winning 1-0 thanks to Emelie Haavi's late goal. The back-and-forth encounter saw Norway hit the woodwork on three occasions before Haavi's ...

KARACHI - Contrary to an existing trend of witnessing heavy loan losses in the domestic banking industry, the MCB Bank reduced its volume of non-performing loans by Rs246 million to Rs23.9 billion in the third quarter (July-September) of current calendar year from a reversal of Rs1 billion on the ...

WASHINGTON - Republican Nikki Haley, an American of Indian origin, won the governorship of the US state of South Carolina, defeating the candidate of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party in the nationwide mid-term elections on Tuesday. Born as Nimrata Randhawa to Sikh parents who migrated ...

MILAN (Italy) (AFP) Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti became the oldest ever Champions League scorer as the reigning champions edged out 10-man Tottenham 4-3 in a thriller at the San Siro on Wednesday. This really was a tale of two halves as Inter romped to a 4-0 lead before the break while ...

ESFAHAN (Iran) (AFP) Iranian league leaders Zobahans bid to emulate city rivals Sepahans achievement three years ago in reaching the Asian Champions League final moved a step closer on Wednesday as they beat Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. A 57th minute ...

RIYADH (AFP) Saudi side Al Shabab mounted a thrilling late comeback to secure a 4-3 victory over Korean outfit Seongnam Ilhwa in the first leg of their Asian Champions League semi-final here on Tuesday. The home side trailed 3-2 with 10 minutes to play, but Uruguayan striker Juan Manuel Olivera ...

HONG KONG (AFP) - Asia-Pacific stocks mostly edged higher on Thursday, relieved by a rise in the dollar in New York following some positive US economic data. Tokyos Nikkei index ended the day up 1.73 percent, or 164.58 points, at 9,653.92, after plunging 2.11pc the previous day. Sydney rose 0.54pc, ...

KARACHI - Deficit-driven Punjab governments budgetary financing availed from the banking system swelled by Rs7 billion during July-3rd April FY10. The government of Punjab, as of April 03, 2010, borrowed Rs17.981 billion from the SBP and scheduled banks to meet its hefty budgetary expenses mainly ...

VANCOUVER (Canada) (AFP) Canadian wheelchair curling skip Jim Armstrong led his team to a gold medal win Saturday in the final match of the Paralympic Winter Games, narrowly beating Korea 8-7. The Canadians reached their final score midway through the game in the fourth end. Tension rose in the ...

PARIS (AFP) Former French giants St Etienne dealt Monacos hopes of a late run at the title perhaps a fatal blow on Sunday as they beat them 3-0 to end their seven match unbeaten run. Victory for 'Les Verts also saw them grab three vital points in their bid to retain their elite status as they ...

Hamid Karzai and his main rival Abdullah Abdullah entered the last day of campaigning for the Afghan presidency on Monday with the outcome hanging on the threat of violence and the clout of old militia chiefs. A former Uzbek militia leader, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, jetted back to the country ...

DURBAN (AFP) - Phil Hughes played a thrilling innings as he and fellow opener Simon Katich hit centuries for Australia on the first day of the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead here Friday. Australia were in a strong position at 303 for four at the close although South Africa fought ...

LONDON (AFP) - Oil prices crept higher on Monday after OPEC member Algeria hinted that the cartel could cut output next month. Brent North Sea crude for April delivery added 37 cents to 42.26 dollars per barrel. New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, added 25 ...

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari was given briefing on JF-17 Thunder Project by Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on Wednesday at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Federal Defence Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, Prime Minister's Finance Advisor Shaukat Tarin and senior ...

CHITTAGONG (AFP) - Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took a maiden five-wicket haul to help Bangladesh gain an upper hand over New Zealand on the second day of the opening Test here. The 21-year-old turned his left arm with magical effect to take 6-31, leaving the tourists reeling at 155-9 after ...

Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets to win their Toronto Twenty/20 clash with just one ball to spare on Saturday. Pakistan made 141-7 with man of the match Shoaib Malik making an unbeaten 42 after Sri Lanka, who rested skipper Mahela Jayawardene and spin wizard Ajantha Mendis, had hit ...

Germany edged out Austria with a Michael Ballack freekick on Monday in their Euro 2008 Group B meeting to propel the three-times champions into a quarter-final meeting with Portugal. Ballack scored four minutes after the break to secure a 1-0 win that brought runners-up spot behind Croatia.  

PARIS (AFP) - Rafael Nadal demolished Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) on Friday to move just one victory away from joining Bjorn Borg as the only man to win four successive French Open titles. Borg, who completed his sequence from 1978-1981 and picked up six Roland Garros singles titles, was ...