Faisal Shahzad apparently was “a lone wolf” who never had direct contact with militants in his homeland of Pakistan, Gen. David Petraeus told The Associated Press.

Petraeus, the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, said there was no indication that Shahzad worked with others in concocting the terror attack or the homemade bomb.

[read more]

The Dubai Hurricanes, an under-14s team from the United Arab Emirates, arrived on April 11 and planned to fly back from their Cardiff tour on Sunday.

But they are now left stranded and hoping to catch a flight home later this week.

Tour manager Simon Lewis said: “Fly Emirates, our flight operator, has been great in keeping us informed. It said it will get us home if and when it is possible to fly, which we hope will be Thursday.”

And Mr Lewis said his team, whose game against Rhiwbina Squirrels on Saturday was supposed to be the last of their tour, are learning all about Welsh hospitality in their time of crisis.

He said: “Everyone here has been fantastic. Our hotel said they can keep accommodating us and the parents at Rhiwbina Squirrels have offered to put up the lads if our tour money runs out.

“And A&B Travel has laid on free-of-charge coaches for us to get around. I guess we are experiencing the famous Welsh spirit in action.”

Kevin Wheadon, director of A&B Travel, said: “When we heard the team’s flight had been cancelled, we were happy to help them out with some complimentary journeys.

“They can’t just sit in the hotel all week, can they?” [Read More]

The new treatment, which has been launched by Dubai-based Jumeirah Group uses Garra Ruffa fish to remove dead skin cells which improves circulation.

Garra Fish, or Doctor Fish as they are most commonly known, originate in pools near two small Turkish towns Kangal and Sivas and have long been known for their ability to treat symptoms such as psoriasis and eczema.

FISHO is available at Dubai’s Wild Wadi waterpark. The treatment will cost you 55 dirhams ($15) for an adult and 40 dirhams ($11) for children. [Read More]

Concerns over Greece continue to weigh on overall sentiment, with the debt-ridden nation pressing European Union leaders to offer a detailed standby aid plan this week.

By 1145 GMT, the Stoxx Europe 600 index was down 1.1% at 257.4. London’s FTSE 100 index fell 0.9% to 5599.7, Frankfurt’s DAX index declined 0.9% to 5930.6, and the CAC-40 index in Paris was 1.1% lower at 3880.7.

The basic resources sector suffered some of the starkest losses Monday, largely due to concerns for demand following the Indian rate hike. The Stoxx 600 basic resources sub-sector was 1.7% lower at 509.6
[Read More]

At the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold for June month contract rose by Rs 36 or 0.21 per cent to Rs 16,835 per ten grams with an open interest of 3,382 lots.

The metal for delivery in April contract also gained Rs 31 or 0.19 per cent to Rs 16,749 per ten grams in a turnover of 14,768 lots.

Marketmen said fresh buying for the nine-day Navratra festival and reports of a firming global trend pushed up gold prices at the futures market. [Read More]

* Global stocks gain after Fed, BoJ spur risk appetite

* Dollar eases after Fed reiterates low-rate pledge

* Oil tops $82 as OPEC leaves output targets unchanged

* Long-dated Treasuries rise as U.S. producer prices fall (Updates with close of European markets)

By Herbert Lash

NEW YORK, March 17 (Reuters) – World stocks and commodity prices rose on Wednesday after a drop in one reading of U.S. inflation added weight to a Federal Reserve pledge to keep interest rates low for some time, boosting risk appetite.

The Dow industrials gained for a sixth straight session to hit an intraday 17-month high, while a major pan-European stock index surged to a 17-month closing high.

The U.S. dollar fell against higher-yielding currencies such as the Australian dollar, while the yen weakened as commitments by both the Fed and the Bank of Japan to low rates instilled confidence in investors to seek higher returns elsewhere. For details see:

Stressing the need for cooperation, Dominique Strauss-Kahn also noted China’s currency, the renminbi, was undervalued but said he expected it would appreciate as China starts to rely more on domestic demand, helping to rebalance global surpluses and deficits.

He told European lawmakers that he was worried that countries’ “receding” commitment to international efforts to overhaul the world economy and the financial system in the wake of a blistering financial crisis could trigger protectionism.

“We have a system with holes and go-it-alone national regulation,” he told members of national parliaments from across the EU.

“In the period we are in now, the risk will be … in many countries, under political pressure that governments will begin to implement various solutions,” he said, warning that national rules could be harmful to other parts of the world.

The United States recently criticized European moves to regulate hedge funds that they fear could block American funds from the EU. European Union officials also snipe that they must draft rules because U.S. financial oversight of the world’s biggest banks and funds is insufficient.

Both are supposed to stick to guidelines set out by the Group of 20 rich and emerging economies at summits last year that aimed to make deep changes to the way countries supervise financial actors and manage the global economy.

Strauss-Kahn called for a better balance of global demand, saying some countries’ massive build-up of reserves is straining the global monetary system.

The comment was aimed at China, which the U.S. and others have criticized for intervening keep its currency at a low level. This cuts the price of Chinese goods for Americans and Europeans, causing a huge trade flow of exports in one direction.[Read More]

Members of the Unite union have voted to strike for three days from Saturday and then for four more days from March 27, causing disruption to BA schedules, but the airline has said it hopes to operate 60 percent of long-haul services.

The industrial action is over planned changes to cabin crew conditions, which BA says will save the carrier more than £60 million (more than $90 million) a year. Unite says the plans call for working hours to be extended and crew levels to be cut, changes it says will damage customer service and the BA brand. [Read More]

The public may access a live webcast of the presentation and accompanying slides on the Investor Relations page of Coventry’s website at www.coventryhealthcare.com. A replay of the presentation will be available at the same website following the presentation until Tuesday, March 30, 2010. [Read More]

Speaking publicly for the first time on the topic, Calin Rovinescu said that such an entry by Emirates would eventually diminish direct flights to Canada and “have the effect of severely damaging our hubs in Canada and our network in Europe and elsewhere.”

“What Emirates wants to do is flood the Canadian market with capacity. Its strategy is to scoop up travelers going elsewhere in the world and funnel them through Dubai, further strengthening Dubai as a global flow hub,” he said.

The Campbell government and YVR have been in favour of Emirates’ lobbying effort, saying it’s in line with their desire for Ottawa to allow freer skies that would lead to greater travel and trade. Greater access by foreign airlines is a cornerstone of B.C.’s Asia-Pacific gateway strategy.

Two weeks ago, Emirates unveiled a study that predicted economic benefits to Canada if it is allowed to expand, including $480 million of new business and almost 3,000 jobs. Rovinescu, however, described these projections as “the stuff of fairy tales” and “subterfuge.” Further, he slammed attempts by Emirates to tie its campaign to “military bases necessary for our country’s operation in Afghanistan.”

“While its argument may be seductive, what Emirates’ strategy will do is constrain the growth of Canadian airports by turning them from hubs into stubs at the end of a spoke that leads only to Emirates’ hub in Dubai,” said Rovinescu. “Sure, you will still be able to get to anywhere from Vancouver. But you will have to get there through Dubai.”

Rovinescu told a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon that as Vancouver tries to build itself as an Asian hub, the arrival of Emirates could significantly hurt these plans. With the awarding of approved destination status to Canada from China and the growth of the intra-Asian airline market, Air Canada “will look to capture a greater share of the Asia to North America market,” he said. It plans to increase total capacity to Vancouver by 3.3 per cent in July, including a 26 per cent increase to countries in the Pacific Rim. For example, in June, it will start daily flights from Vancouver to Beijing and Shanghai, up from three weekly to Beijing and four to Shanghai.