Tokyo  - Honda Motor Co lowered its net profit projection for the full year through March 31 due to a stronger yen and decline in sales, the company said Tuesday.

Japan's second-largest car maker by sales revised downward its net profit projection to 485 billion yen (5.1 billion dollars) from an initial figure of 490 billion yen because of the rising yen value and slow sales in North America.

Honda reduced its forecast for operating profit to 550 billion yen from an earlier projection of 630 billion yen.

The company expected sales to drop to 11.6 trillion yen from 12.13 trillion yen it estimated in July, it said.

Jakarta, Oct 28 : The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) is planning to report to the police a rich Muslim cleric in Semarang, Central Java, who married a 
12-year-old girl, accusing him of having illegal sex with a minor.

KPAI secretary Hadi Supeno said on Sunday that the commission’s fact-finding team sent to Semarang at the weekend found that cleric Pujiono Cahyo Widianto, 43, owner and head of an Islamic boarding school there, had married and very likely slept with 12-year-old Lutfiana Ulfa. 

“According to the girl’s parents and some witnesses, the marriage between Pujiono and Lutfiana is valid according to religion (kawin siri), but it is not registered with the state,” The Jakarta Post quoted Hadi, as saying. 

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong stocks staged an astonishing recovery Tuesday, rebounding by 13 per cent just a day after seeing their worst one-day fall for 11 years.

Stockholm  - Nordic telecommunications group Telia Sonera on Tuesday posted higher pre-tax income for third-quarter 2008, citing strong sales for its mobile and broadband operations.

The group said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was 8.94 billion kronor (1.03 billion dollars), up 3 per cent on the corresponding business period 2007.

Sales in the quarter increased 4 per cent to 25.81 billion kronor.

Commenting on the impact of the global financial turmoil, chief executive Lars Nyberg said that the group "has a strong balance sheet and operates in a relatively non-cyclical industry."

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks rebounded Tuesday from a 26-year low as the yen fell against the dollar and euro, investors hunted for bargains and the government instituted new restrictions on short selling.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average soared 459.02 points, or 6.41 per cent, to close at 7,621.92, nearly erasing all of its 486.18-point loss from Monday.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues also was up 37.57 points, or 5.03 per cent, at 784.03.

The gains ended a four-day losing streak, which wiped out nearly a quarter of the Nikkei's value.

The day began on a sour note, as the Nikkei briefly dropped below 7,000, but investors returned to the market to buy up stocks trading at historic lows.

Washington, Oct 28 : New evidence has emerged after an excavation in Jordan that gives scientific credence to certain Biblical events and characters.

Led by Thomas Levy of UC San Diego and Mohammad Najjar of Jordan’s Friends of Archaeology, an international team of archaeologists has excavated an ancient copper-production center at Khirbat en-Nahas down to virgin soil, through more than 20 feet of industrial smelting debris, or slag.

The 2006 dig has brought up new artifacts and with them a new suite of radiocarbon dates placing the bulk of industrial-scale production at Khirbat en-Nahas in the 10th century BCE – in line with biblical narrative on the legendary rule of David and Solomon.