The euro eased against the dollar in Asia on Thursday as mixed Australian jobs data rekindled risk aversion despite hopes the IMF would raise more money to help fight the European debt crisis. The euro edged down to $1.2849 and 98.59 yen in Tokyo morning trade from $1.2862 and 98.78 yen in New York late Wednesday. The dollar traded at 76.73 yen, hardly changed from New York. The euro soared overnight after the International Monetary Fund said …

Oil prices slid in Asian trade Wednesday as traders took profit from recent gains, with weak US energy demand dampening the market's mood despite concerns over tension in Iran and Nigeria, analysts said. New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for delivery in February, was down 54 cents to $101.70 in morning trade. Brent North Sea crude for February delivery shed 39 cents to $112.89. "Oil prices have dropped... as we see …

Ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria claimed 16 more victims Tuesday, with gunmen killing eight in the north and a mob torching an Islamic school in the south, as a fuel strike added to the deadly tension. Amid the sectarian and social turmoil, Nobel literature prize laureate Wole Soyinka, one of the country's most respected voices, warned that the continent's most populous nation was heading toward civil war. A two-day old general strike has …

The rupee fell sharply on Monday to hit a record low of 91.28 to the dollar, but recovered most of the losses before close on suspected central bank intervention, dealers said. The rupee ended at 90.75/80 to the dollar, down from Friday's close of 90.60/68. This is the rupee's weakest ever closing, though it was still higher than Monday's intra-day low. Dealers said Monday's sharp fall in the rupee was driven by higher dollar demand from importers …

Japan has been developing a virus that could track down the source of a cyber attack and neutralise its programme, the daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday. The weapon is the culmination of a 179 million yen ($2.3 million) three-year project entrusted by the government to technology maker Fujitsu Ltd to develop a virus and equipment to monitor and analyse attacks, the daily said. The United States and China are reported to have put so-called cyber …

Japan has been developing a virus that could track down the source of a cyber attack and neutralise its programme, the daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday. The weapon is the culmination of a 179 million yen ($2.3 million) three-year project entrusted by the government to technology maker Fujitsu Ltd to develop a virus and equipment to monitor and analyse attacks, the daily said. The United States and China are reported to have put so-called cyber …

Tablet computers and electronic readers promise to close the book on the ink-and-paper era as they transform the way people browse magazines, check news or lose themselves in novels. Online retail giant Amazon has made electronic readers mainstream with Kindle devices, and Apple ignited insatiable demand for tablets ideal for devouring online content ranging from films to magazines and books. In 2011, digital books earned about $3.2 billion in …

The euro fell sharply against major currencies in thin Asian trade Thursday after it hit a 10-year low against the Japanese unit in New York. The euro fell to $1.2903 and 100.49 yen in early Tokyo trade, down from $1.2912 and 100.80 yen late Wednesday in New York. The dollar stood at 77.86 yen, barely changed from 77.90 in New York. A senior dealer at a major bank in Tokyo said the overall selling volume was not large, meaning the impact of euro …

Don 2 – The King is Back” has earned Rs.15.3 crore on the opening day, which is the highest first day collection on a non-holiday Friday. The film is a sequel to Farhan Akhtar’s 2006 “Don”, which was a remake of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan starrer of the same name. In overseas markets, “Don-2..” broke the record for the highest single day gross for a Hindi film in Australia with estimated earnings of US$82,000 Friday. The earlier record was Reliance …

The White House Wednesday asked Congress to pass a temporary spending measure to head off the prospect of a government shutdown as a bitter pre-Christmas standoff escalated with Republicans. The vast functions of the US government will creak to a halt unless a new one-trillion-dollar spending plan to fund operations through fiscal 2012 is agreed by Friday, but the bill has fallen foul of more angry partisan gridlock. The late night maneuvering …