Firmer bank shares lifted Britain's FTSE 100 index on Monday, aided by bullish comment on the sector from both Barclays Capital and JPMorgan, while a UBS upgrade also helped Cairn Energy higher. By 0938 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 17.85 points, or 0.3%, at 5,918.61, having closed 0.3% higher on Friday to give a

Russian arms exports are expected to stay at record levels of about $10 billion a year until at least 2014 as top customer India continues to beef up its armaments, leading military think tank CAST said on Monday. Peddling missiles, submarines and fighter planes, Russia is feeding a hungry market of Asian countries warily eyeing

Oil was steady on Monday with Brent stabilising near $116 as investors looked to geopolitical factors to maintain near-record long speculative positions, while flaring unrest over the weekend was limited to minor crude exporters Syria and Yemen. Brent crude for May was unchanged at $115.59 a barrel by 0323 GMT, about $4 from a 2-1/2-year

The euro slipped on Monday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives were routed in elections in a key state, while Asian shares slipped as turmoil in the Middle East and Japan's nuclear crisis left investors with little appetite for riskier assets. "Clearly risks are rising, but not sufficient to tip the euro over the edge

The euro slipped on Monday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives were routed in elections in a key state, while Asian shares fell as turmoil in the Middle East and Japan's nuclear crisis left investors with little appetite for riskier assets. European shares also dipped in early trade, while U.S. stock index futures <SPc1> pared

Facebook, the social networking giant, is seeking to hire former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs for a senior post, The New York Times reported. The newspaper reported on its website late on Sunday that Facebook is looking at Gibbs, once one of President Barack Obama's closest aides, to help manage communications in advance of

March 28 (Reuters) – Following is a roundup of the impact of this month's devastating earthquake and tsunami on Japanese manufacturers of cars and electronics. Plant shutdowns in Japan threaten supplies to manufacturers across the globe of items from semiconductors to car parts. Japanese companies are not only reeling from damage to factories and suppliers

Unemployment in Cyprus reached 6.2% in 2010, compared to 5.3% in 2009, according to data released by the Statistical Service. According to the results of the Labour Force Survey, which is carried out in accordance with a European Union Regulation, for the 4th quarter of 2010 the number of employed persons amounted to 386.6 thousand,