Trade / foreign investment Commercial Consular of FranceFrancis Widmer has said that France would like to expand itstrade and economic relations with Pakistan.

Energy India's Videocon Industries(BSE:511389) and Bharat Petroleum (BSE:500547) have taken a 10per cent stake each in an offshore oil exploration block inMozambique.

Financial Markets Taiwan share prices ended down0.67 per cent Thursday, as investors took profits from recentgains led by the electronics sector, traders said.

Tourism / leisure The top executive of a SouthKorean company operating a tour project in North Korea resignedon Thursday as the two Koreas continued to dispute which sideis more to blame for the shooting death of a South Korean womanat the North's mountain resort last month.

Consultancy Work A plan by Infosys(BSE:500209) to acquire UK-based Axon Group plc wouldsignificantly enhance the Bangalore headquartered company'shigh-end business consulting and global delivery capability andbring missing industry verticals to its fold, said an industryexpert.

Machinery / engineering Engineering, procurement andconstruction company Punj Lloyd (BSE: 532693) plans to bid forSingapore's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal, for which ithas tied-up with an Italian company.

Petroleum Global lubricant industryleader Shell Lubricants said it has topped the list of world'sleading lubricant suppliers, citing a research by Kline & Company.

Statistics South Korea's transportationindustry posted a 13.1 per cent increase in sales last year,mainly thanks to robust exports and a weak dollar, whichencouraged overseas travel, a government report showedThursday.

Tourism / leisure

Tourism / leisure International hotel chainMicrotel is set to open on Monday week its 10th and biggestproperty in the Philippines, in Lapu-Lapu City on MactanIsland.

Sri Lanka A legal co-operation dealsigned by south Asian leaders at a summit in Sri Lanka earlierthis month will help combat terrorist financing andcross-border crime, the foreign affairs ministry saidWednesday.

Infrastructure Tenders for the long-delayedfirst container terminal in the planned new Colombo south portwill be called in the next 2-3 weeks, a senior Sri Lanka PortsAuthority engineer said.

Trade / foreign investment Exports of cloves from SriLanka are seen hitting a record 5,000 tonnes this year withearnings exceeding three billion rupees (US & #36;27.9 million), atrade body said.

Transport Airline Tonga, one of twoairlines offering domestic services in the kingdom, says ithopes to resume all its flights by Wednesday local time, RadioNew Zealand International reports.

Food Egypt has so far this yeardisbursed US & #36;30 million to import seafood from Vietnam and thefigure is forecast to sharply increase in the coming time.

Transport Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. (KSE:003480), South Korea's seventh-largestshipbuilder, said today that it has won a 108 billion won(US & #36;99.9 million) order to build a bulk carrier.

Infrastructure The Peoples Committee of theMekong Delta province of Kien Giang has licensed Holcim VietnamLtd. to build its second clinker production line at the HonChong cement plant.

Food The Thai CharoenPokphand group's CP Vietnam Livestock Company will investbetween & #36;US6 million to & #36;US9 million in building a white-legshrimp breeding farm in Phong Dien district, central ThuaThien-Hue province.

Petroleum At least 20 new oil and gasbasins have been found in Indonesia, mostly in the eastern partof the country.

Transport A Boeing 747-400 cargo plane fromSouth Korea's main flag carrier Korean Air arrived in Navoiairport on Wednesday, 27 August.