Base metals witnessed correction during yesterday session where most of them fell by 3-4%. Weak housing numbers coupled with rising jobless claims raised concerns about demand for non ferrous metals.

Japan's output of rolled copper products fell by a record 60 percent from a year earlier in March, data showed on Friday, illustrating the sharp collapse in industrial demand from the world's fourth-biggest consumer. Japan's output of rolled copper products fell to 32,338 tonnes in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, down 60.2 percent from a year earlier, preliminary industry data from the Japan Copper and Brass Association showed.

London, Apr 24: Kate Middleton, touted as the royal bride-in-waiting, traces her lineage to the literary world, according to a new book.

Prince William’s famous girlfriend is not only a distant cousin of the late children’s author Beatrix Potter, but is also a long-lost relative of ‘Swallows And Amazons’ creator Arthur Ransome.

Claudia Joseph’s revealing new biography, ‘Princess In Waiting’, has claimed that Ransome’s sister Joyce was married to Hugo Lupton, the cousin of Kate’s great-grandmother Olive.

Gold inched up on Friday, keeping gains above $900 after rallying to a three-week high the previous day, while holdings of the world's biggest gold-backed exchange-traded fund dipped further away from a record high. Prices were supported as physical demand from India, the world's largest consumer, has picked up ahead of the Akshaya Tritya festival on April 27, an auspicious time for gold buying.

Holdings at the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the SPDR Gold Trust dropped to 1,104.45 tonnes as of April 23, down 1.53 tonnes or

Madrid - A Spanish judge has ordered an illiterate young thief to learn to read and write as punishment for his crimes, Spanish media reported Friday.

The 17-year-old, who lived in a village in the southern province of Granada, was convicted of stealing a dog, but returned it on request.

It was discovered during the trial that he was illiterate, despite having attended school until age 11.

Wellington, Apr 24: After Oprah Winfrey, the latest celebrity to join in the craze of microblogging on Twitter is New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Till date, the NZ premier has posted five links to speeches and press releases, talking of things like the Government''s Job Support Scheme and an address to Grey Power.

"We''re still in the set-up phase, but I already have over 600 "followers". I''ll get more involved in future," The Press quoted Key as saying.

Amman - Arab stock markets reflected mixed performance this week as investors remained under psychological pressures from global markets and the impact of first quarter results, financial analysts said Friday.

"Regional markets are relatively stable, but investors are still responsive to what takes place on Wall Street and other global bourses," Nizar Taher, head of brokerage at the Jordan Ahli Bank, told the German Press Agency dpa.