Vienna - Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided Friday in Vienna to cut their total production by 1.5 million barrels per day, in reaction to falling prices and slowing demand.

"There is an oversupply, and the stocks are very high," said OPEC President and Algerian Energy Minsiter Chakib Khelil, explaining the decision.

The cut, down from the current quota of 28.8 million barrels per day, would be effective from the start of November, OPEC said in a statement. One barrel equals 159 litres.

Khelil denied that the cartel's move would have any impact on inflation or global economic growth.

London, Oct 24 : Doctors often get confused when it comes to deciding whether a particular woman in labour should undergo caesarean or not. But now, a computer can easily take this decision.

Jose Príncipe and colleagues at the University of Florida in Gainesville say that wireless sensors could monitor the progress of labour, and warn doctors when a Caesarean is necessary.

In the new method, software could monitor the progress of a woman''s labour, reports New Scientist magazine.

Usually, a Caesarean is needed in case of an abnormally slow birth. However, deciding what is abnormally slow is what poses the biggest problem for doctors,

Frankfurt - Global shares are ending the week on a grim note, with a new wave of selling hitting European stocks Friday as concerns grew about the outlook for corporate profits.

Picking up on steep falls on Asian markets and volatile trading on Wall Street, Europe's blue-chip Stoxx 50 plunged more than 6 per cent in early trading Friday with a steady stream of weak third-quarter earnings reports fuelling worries about a looming recession.

The Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has wound up his Two day long Japan visit. 

Before flying to China he desribed his visit to the island nation as "very productive and fruitful".

This was his second visit to Japan in less than two years. "This in itself reflects the great importance that India attaches to its relationship with Japan," Dr. Singh said 

PM is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing.

In the concluding hours of his visit PM met with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso on Wednesday.

New York  - Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to slash its workforce by about 10 per cent - or about 3,300 jobs - as a consequence of the financial crisis, reported the Wall Street Journal in its Thursday edition.

Such a move would mean that the financial crisis has hit an institution that has weathered the troubles relatively well so far. As other banks have had to accept buyouts or go under, Goldman Sachs has continued to book profits.

London, October 23 :