Mixed trend at Asian stocks

Mixed trend was witnessed at the Asian stock markets on Friday. Bearish trend was seen at the Japanese and Hong Kong stock markets whereas Chinese stock markets recorded bulls.
Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific index shed 5 percent in Tokyo, while Japanese Nikkei index lost 1 percent and Topix index reduced by1.2 percent. Hang Seng of Hong Kong experienced a decrease of 4 percent. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in China soared by 6 percent to increase the Shanghai Composite Index by 4 percent.

China trade ties unaffected by Nobel prize: Norway

SHANGHAI: Trade and economic ties between China and Norway remain strong, with ongoing negotiations between the two countries for a free trade agreement on track, Norway’s Fisheries Minister said on Friday.

“In trade, and seafood everything is fine. We have a very good relationship between China and Norway both in shipping and in seafood and in many other trade areas,” Lisbeth Berg-Hansen, told Reuters in an interview at the Shanghai World Expo.

Beijing has cancelled several official meetings with Norway after the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. AGENCIES

Murray torches Tsonga to reach Shanghai semis

SHANGHAI: Britain’s Andy Murray brushed aside burly Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Friday.

The fourth-seeded Scot looked sharp after a recent illness, taking command early in the first set and was hardly troubled in the second as he advanced to last four in just 54 minutes.

The error-prone Tsonga was no match for the 23-year-old world number four, whose stinging backhand returns forced the 12th seed into submission.

World number two Novak Djokovic plays Guillermo Garcia-Lopez for a place in the semis, while Jurgen Melzer, who beat world number one Rafa Nadal in the third round, plays Argentina’s Juan Monaco.

Roger Federer plays Robin Soderling for the last semi-final spot. AGENCIES

Roddick eases through, China’s Bai scores shock upset

SHANGHAI: Andy Roddick reached the second round of the Shanghai Masters when his ailing opponent retired on Tuesday, while Chinese wildcard Bai Yan whipped the fans into a frenzy after beating a player ranked 435 places above him.

Roddick was leading 6-3 2-1 when unseeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber quit.

“We’ve all been on the bad side of having to pull out of a match. It’s not fun,” Roddick told reporters.

China’s Bai created the biggest upset of the day when he converted all four break points he earned to send world number 30 Radek Stepanek packing 6-3 6-4.

“It’s my first time in a top level tournament, so it’s really an unexpected performance for me,” said 21-year-old.

Fellow home-grown wildcard Zhang Ze gave Croatian Ivan Ljubicic a scare before the Croatian restored order with a 5-7 6-3 6-4 win.

Spain’s David Ferrer bounced

Djokovic wins rain-delayed China Open final

BEIJING: World number two Novak Djokovic demolished Spain’s David Ferrer 6-2 6-4 in the rain-delayed China Open final on Monday.

The 2009 champion took advantage of the 3-1 first set lead he had opened before torrential rain ended play on Sunday to extend his tenure on the title.

“China is definitely a special place for me,” the 23-year-old said as he received the gold China Open Cup.

After smog blighted much of the tournament and rain forced it into an extra day, the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist expressed his intent to end proceedings quickly and catch his rescheduled flight to the Shanghai Open as he roared his way through the rest of the first set, breaking a jaded Ferrer twice.

The eighth-seeded Spaniard staged a revival in the second set, sending the Serb scuttling across the baseline in vain to open a 4-2 lead, but any belief among

Armless pianist plays with toes to win "China’s Got Talent"

BEIJING: An armless pianist who plays with his toes has won the first series of China’s version of the internationally popular television talent show, “China’s Got Talent.”

Liu Wei, 23, who lost both his arms aged 10 when he was electrocuted during a game of hide-and-seek, defeated 7-year-old standup comedian Zhang Fengxi at the final on Sunday at the Shanghai Stadium, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The pianist, from Beijing, who taught himself to play the piano at age 18, impressed the audience with his performance of “You’re Beautiful,” singing and using his feet to play the piano.

He also reported won over the judges by commenting: “At least I have a pair of perfect legs.”

Cai Xiuqing, 23, a college student from Shantou in Guangdong province, won third place for singing “Boundless Oceans Vast Skies,” a hit for Hong Kong rock back Beyond.

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Asian stocks witness mixed trend

Asian stock markets turned in a mixed performance Thursday.
China and Korean markets remained up while bears ruled Hong Kong and Japan. Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific Index shed 0.9 percent; Nikkei Index lost 1.75 points. Topix Index shed 2.5 percent. On the contrary, Shanghai Composite Index added 1.42 percent.

Asian stocks witnesses mixed trend

Asian stock markets turned in a mixed performance Thursday.
China and Korean markets remained up while bears ruled Hong Kong and Japan. Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific Index shed 0.9 percent; Nikkei Index lost 1.75 points. Topix Index shed 2.5 percent. On the contrary, Shanghai Composite Index added 1.42 percent.

Dibakar Banerjee to make political thriller titled Shanghai starring Abhay Deol

Though Dibakar Banerjee’s next film is called Shanghai it won’t be shot in China. And though this political thriller has a wonderful role for the female protagonist it won’t star Katrina, as expected.

But Banerjee is sold on his old favourite Abhay Deol. What’s more, the uncompromising director has even modified the main character in the script of his next film Shanghai accordingly.

Dibakar now hopes that Abhay’s next two films, which are out-and-out commercial ventures, would work. “This would automatically help my project to acquire an enhanced commercial clout. Although let me add we’re making it on a tight budget of Rs. 12 crores with no frills. Shanghai is not an extravaganza. And it certainly won’t be shot in China!”

The film will be produced by PVR.

Thanks to the success of Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti, gritty political thrillers seem to have a life beyond the film festivals. Laughs Dibakar, “I told my writer, thanks to the success of Raajneeti we now know there’s a market for more than just teenybopper romances and farcical comedies. Shanghai, let me tell you, is not set in China. The title describes a mindset. Beyond that I wouldn’t like to reveal the plot.”

This is the same project that Dibakar wanted to make with Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif. “But Imran said no to Shanghai,” informed Dibakar. “That’s when me and writer Urmi Juvekar decided to change the character. With Imran out the script suddenly, it became more gritty. The protagonist’s character was naïve and innocent when Imran was to play him. Now he’s not that innocent.”

Dibakar hopes that Shanghai would take Abhay’s career to the next level of stardom. Says the director, “When an actor evolves the project too changes. When I did Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye with Abhay that was a different actor. Today after Dev D (for Abhay) and Love Sex Aur Dhokha (for Dibakar) we’re both in a different zone creatively.”

Dibakar recently returned from the Munich Film Festival which concluded on July 4. His Love Sex Aur Dhokha had four screenings in Munich.

Dibakar was overwhelmed by the response, “The Indian films in Munich were not your typical Bollywood films. Nor were they obscure offbeat kinds. They were successfully unconventional films like mine and Abhishek Choubey’s Ishqiya. One of my screenings was held on the day Germany was playing for the World Cup against Argentina. And we were still full!”

Dibakar feels the praise for LSD from abroad is a sign of the changing attitude of the West to our cinema. “What I liked was the fact that we were judged as world cinema, not ‘Bollywood’. 70 percent of the audience at each screening was German. I feel Indian cinema will take a while to not be seen as anything more than a diversion by international audiences. But we’re getting there.”

Back home, Dibakar continues to spend all his waking hours with his adopted daughter.

Says the proud father. “Ira now has two front teeth. Watching her become an integral part of my wife’s and my life is the greatest joy of I’ve experienced. I plan to return to direction next year.”

Gold falls slightly on low inflation outlook

SYDNEY: Gold staged a modest retreat early on Monday, after falling to its lowest in more than a week in the previous session, as low U.S. inflation expectations outweighed any upside sentiment from weaker equity markets.

Gold was down $1.05 to $1,192.05 at 0109 GMT versus Friday”s nominal close of $1,193.10.

Gold fell on Friday as weak U.S. inflation data and heavy inflows to government bonds from the equity market prompted funds to sell.

Data on Friday also showed consumer sentiment crumbled in early July to its lowest level in 11 months.

On Monday, the Shanghai composite index was down nearly 1 percent to 2,401.774 .SSEC in early trading, with Japan closed for a market holiday.

U.S. gold futures for August delivery GCQ0 climbed 0.4 percent to $1192.50 an ounce against Friday”s settlement price of $1,188.20.

Data supplied by the world”s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the SPDR Gold Trust, and last updated on Thursday showed holdings of 1,314.211 tonnes, a steady decline since a record high of 1,320.436 tonnes in late June.

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