New York - Major US stock indices plunged Thursday as monthly housing sales dropped to their lowest level in 10 years and a major investor predicted a 
1-trillion-dollar loss for the financial industry before the end of the mortgage crisis.

Sales of previously owned homes dropped 2.6 per cent from May to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 4.86 million units in June, more than 15 per cent below June 
2007, the National Association of Realtors said.

New Delhi, July 24 : Inflation rate dipped to 11.89-per cent for the week ended July 12. The inflation has softened somewhat with prices of many essential items either declining or remaining static.

The figure for the week ended July 12 is quite in line with the rate of inflation for the week ended July 5, that stood at 11.91 per cent, very marginally higher than the rate of
11.89 per cent reported a fortnight ago.

The 30-share index, BSE Sensex fell further into the pessimistic zone on the back of continued buying activity witnessed in IT, Metal, FMCG and Banking sectors, where Realty, Auto and Oil & Gas climbed up.

It also touched an intraday low of 14,728.02. BSE Midcap fell 0.43%, while Smallcap surged 0.23%.

At 1:05 p.m., Sensex lost 152.99 points at 14,789.29, whereas the broad-based NSE Nifty stood at 4,444.75, down 32.05 points.

The market breadth was negative as it saw 1225 declinations as compared to 1225 advancements.

Seoul - Shares surged 2.2 per cent Thursday on

The BSE Sensex marked its closure on a strong note on Wednesday (July 23), as the political doubt over N-deal came to an end after the UPA government won the trust vote of confidence on Tuesday (July 22).

Heavy buying action was seen in banking, capital goods, realty, and power stocks.

The Sensex closed the day on a firm note at 14,942.28, up 838.08 points. It also touched a high of 14,979.90 and a low of 14,568.22 during the day.

Washington - Salim Hamdan was so close to Osama bin Laden that the terrorist ringleader threw a feast to celebrate the former driver's wedding, an FBI witness who interviewed Hamdan testified in court on Wednesday, according to a report by USA Today.

Bin Laden "definitely trusts him with his life," Ali Soufan told the court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the first US military tribunal since World War II got underway this week.