Gains in commodity stocks and banks pushed Britain's top share index into positive territory early on Friday, ending the month on a high note after two days of losses. By 0900 GMT the FTSE 100 was 28.75 points, or 0.6 percent higher, at 4,898.10 after it closed down 0.4 percent, or 21.23 points, on Thursday.

The Nikkei stock average edged up 0.6 percent on Friday in thin trade, with the market largely caught between investor reluctance to aggressively buy in the face of weak Shanghai shares and wariness about selling before Japan's August 30 election. An eight day rising streak for the Dow helped sentiment, and big gainers in Tokyo

A cooperation agreement between the Republic of Cyprus and the European Space Agency (ESA) was signed in Nicosia on Thursday. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Works Makis Constantinides and on behalf of the ESA by Director of Legal Affairs and

The Government's fiscal policy for the year 2010 will be aimed at maintaining the deficits on reasonable levels and supporting the real economy to the greatest possible extent. Minister of Finance Charilaos Stavrakis told a press conference on Thursday that the fiscal policy will be announced officially, along with the state's budget for 2010, in

British consumer sentiment was unchanged for a third successive month in August and showed continued caution about the economy, a survey by pollsters GfK NOP for the European Commission showed on Friday. Shoppers' assessment of the economic outlook and willingness to make big purchases worsened slightly, outweighing modest improvements in their view of the past

Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke was among hundreds of victims of an identity fraud ring that stole more than $2.1 million from consumers and financial institutions across the United States, Newsweek magazine reported on its website. The head of the U.S. central bank and his wife were swept up in a case against the ring

Japanese core consumer prices fell at the fastest annual pace on record in July, potentially putting pressure on a reluctant Bank of Japan to rein in deepening deflation. The politically sensitive jobless rate also hit a record high 5.7 percent ahead of Sunday's election, which the opposition Democratic Party looks set to win. Analysts don't

World stocks flirted with a year high on Friday and were on track to close with a seventh consecutive week of gains, as investors showed increasing confidence in global economic recovery. The dollar also rose against a basket of major currencies, recovering somewhat from overnight losses. MSCI's all-country world stock index gaining 1.2 percent. Earlier,

The U.S. economy shrank less than expected in the second quarter and fewer workers filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, supporting views the economy was starting to heal after a severe recession. Gross domestic product fell at a 1 percent annual rate according to a Commerce Department report on Thursday, unchanged from last