Irish voters' approval of the European Union's Lisbon treaty has exposed divisions within Britain's opposition Conservative Party over how far to press their campaign against the treaty. Following are views on how the Conservatives could deal with the Lisbon question, if they win a national election likely to be held next May, and the EU's
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By Wayne Cole Australian employment surged past all expectations in September and the jobless rate dropped in what might be a surprisingly early turning point, adding to the case for more interest rates rises this year. The Australian dollar jumped over half a U.S. cent to a 14-month high and bill futures slid as the
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The Cyprus Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, have signed a research and educational collaboration agreement for the development of the Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CaSToRC) of the Cyprus Institute. The agreement formalises a collaborative engagement which started two years ago and already covers numerous research programs in visualisation, climate
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European shares moved higher in early trade on Thursday, with banks and commodity stocks the biggest gainers as investors awaited rate decisions by the Bank of England and European Central Bank. By 0709 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares was up 1.2 percent at 1,001.05 points. Market sentiment was also given a
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A stunning Safavid rug from late 16th or early 17th century Persia sold for GBP 2,729,250 Wednesday afternoon at Sotheby’s in London. The rug was purchased by an anonymous buyer after a prolonged contest in which at least five bidders vied for the piece. The price of the silk and metal-thread prayer rug was over
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Thursday's meeting between President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, in the framework of the second round of negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem, has been postponed. According to an official press release, the President is suffering from a wry neck and thus his appointments for the
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Gold hit a fresh record high on Thursday as the dollar struggled, while emerging market stocks climbed to their highest level this year. European shares opened more than 1 percent higher ahead of interest rate decisions from the Bank of England and European Central Bank. Neither was expected to change rates. Market sentiment was also
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Gold hit another record high on Wednesday before falling back a bit as the dollar stabilised and global stocks flat, weighed by losses Europe. Wall Street looked set to open higher. The dollar rose against a basket of major currencies, bucking its recent weak trend that has helped boost gold. Investors continued their scramble for
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Gold consumers across Asia greeted bullion's run to a record high cautiously on Wednesday, with a few moving to cash in gains but the majority opting to wait for the rest of a rally they believe has only just begun. In contrast to a second day of busy trade on global gold markets, the scene
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British corporate profitability fell to its lowest rate in 8 years in the second quarter of 2009, official data showed on Wednesday, driven by a steep fall in gas prices which hit energy producers. The Office for National Statistics said the net rate of return by private non-financial corporations was 11.6 percent in the second
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