Singapore - Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) and Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate for the benefit of the financial services industries in Singapore and Pakistan, officials said Thursday.

The MOU aims to foster a closer relationship between the two exchanges.

The pact, which was signed in Singapore on Wednesday, includes sharing best practices regarding each exchange's products as well as the operation and governance of their respective markets.

"This MoU fosters a closer relationship between the two exchanges. We look forward to working with KSE to help develop our respective financial markets," said SGX chief executive officer Hsieh Fu Hua.

Beijing - Major Asian economies Japan, China and India must play a full role in overcoming the global financial crisis, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Thursday.

"We need to take the lessons of the crisis for reform of the global financial system," Barroso told reporters ahead of a summit of Asian and European leaders.

"We need Asia on board," he said, adding that the participation of China, India and Japan was vital for a global solution to the crisis.

"Apart from the financial dimensions of the crisis, there are major imbalances in global trade," Barroso said.

Singapore - Singapore shares came under another round of selling pressure Thursday, mostly in line with the downward trend among other Asian bourses.

The Straits Times Index (STI) fell by 75.46 points, or 4.14 per cent to close at 1745.67, with 341 counters reporting losses and 149 gains.

The STI was down by over 68 points at mid-day, with early morning trade nose-diving. However, trading was more somber from late morning through to the rest of the day.

Thursday's selling was in line with what has been happening at the regional bourses and the continuing reaction of the global financial and economic crisis, said Nancy Wei, head of research at brokerage UOB Kay Hian Pte Ltd.

Baghdad - Iraq's Babel province Thursday took over its own, Iraqi-led security duties from the Multi-National Forces (MNF).

"Taking responsibility for Babel province shows that the Iraqi forces are capable of taking control of their own security and fighting terrorism," National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said during the handover ceremony.

US soldiers were present at the ceremony along with high-ranking Iraqi officials and clan chiefs. No other nationalities were present. The mostly Shiite province is the 12th to receive its security file.

Washington, Oct 23: A new research has uncovered how some people are good at generalizing from past experience, while others are not.

The study has revealed how the brain can connect discrete but overlapping experiences to provide a rich integrated history that extends far beyond individually experienced events and may help to direct future choices.

Usually, decisions are guided by drawing on past experiences, perhaps by generalizing across discrete events that overlap in content.

But, how such experiences are integrated into a unified representation was unclear, until now.

Washington, Oct 23: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has reportedly described (her party) Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin as a “fantastic person”, but fell short to fully endorse her candidature for the second most powerful post in the country.

She also said that Hillary Clinton too was a terrific personality.