Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares dropped by more than 5 per cent Thursday an investors dumped stocks following overnight losses on Wall Street and deepening gloom over the economy.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index fell 717.74 points, or 5.15 per cent, to 13,221.35 points. Turnover was 51.7 billion Hong Kong dollars
(6.67 billion US dollars.)

The closing figures, which took the index to a two-week low, represented a marginal improvement on earlier in the day, when shares plunged by more than 6 per cent in the first minutes of trading.

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) fell to 49.94 dollars Wednesday, reaching yet another record low for this year.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC crude was priced 2.30 dollars lower than on Tuesday, the Vienna-based cartel said Thursday.

Oil prices fell as markets reacted to plans in the United States to shift some of its economic rescue package to consumer debts, away from buying up bad mortgage assets from finance firms, analysts at JBC Energy said in Vienna.

Kuwait - The oil-rich Gulf state of Kuwait halted its share trading by a court order on Thursday after significant losses on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), Kuwait news agency KUNA reported.

The court decision came to prevent further losses among traders, after the KSE price index fell to 8,691 points on Thursday, a drop of 160.1 points.

Director of KSE Saleh al-Falah was informed of the court's decision early Thursday, he said that the suspension will continue until November 17, KUNA reported.

London, Nov. 13: The Kashmir National Party has strongly condemned the human rights abuse in Kashmir, and said that it is ready to work with like minded people to promote a united and independent Kashmir.

KNP leaders attending an executive council meeting here, said: "Jammu and Kashmir State is one political entity and must remain so whatever the future outcome of the State. The dispute is a political in nature and those who are trying to communalise it are making its resolution more difficult, and they are paving the way for division on religious line."

London, Nov 13: Two Muslim twin sisters, who won 10 million pound pay-off from London’s top securities firm, have planned to make sensational claims about a culture of drugs, hookers, porn and strip clubs.

Samira and Hanan Fariad, 31, had made more than 200 sensational claims like top brokers used cocaine, and subjected them to unbearable levels of race and religious discrimination. They are also set to say that staff regularly took clients to a lap-dance club

They alleged that former bosses at Tradition Securities and Futures turned a blind eye to the deplorable behaviour, The Sun reported.

The twins agreed the payout with Tradition Securities and Futures this week in Britain’s biggest job compensation deal.

Stockholm - Come Christmas Day, Swedes are more likely to receive a gift certificate for some kind of event or service than a book, electronic device or physical gift, reported a Swedish institute Thursday.

It was the first time the Swedish Research Institute of Trade listed a voucher for a service as the likely top-selling Christmas gift, said the group, which tracks retail and wholesale sales in Sweden.

"Giving an experience is a way to be together with someone," the institute said, noting that giving an experiences "truly reflects the times we live in, when consumers to a greater extent seek products that help them enrich their leisure time."