| * Brazil backs IMF aid for Greece and recalls representative * Libyan oil exports tumble on port closures * Robust renminbi turns profit for hedge funds * Asian mobile chat apps challenge western dominance * Thai tourists: luxury's new big spenders * Dubai Group offloads Bank Islam stake * Indian commodity exchange investigated * Chinese officials visit Sanofi offices amid wider probes * Uruguay votes to legalise marijuana Markets: mostly up Brazil backs IMF aid for Greece and recalls representative
Brazil reversed its hardline stance on Greece's bailout on Thursday, saying it had not authorised its representative to the International Monetary Fund to withhold support for the latest aid to Athens.
http://on.ft.com/13EBym4 Libyan oil exports tumble on port closures
Libyan oil exports have declined after protests and strikes shut down several of the country's export terminals, though it was unclear exactly how many of the country's terminals had been affected.
http://on.ft.com/15fxYp1 Robust renminbi turns profit for hedge funds
At a government sponsored forum in Shanghai a few weeks ago, a senior official at China's State Administration for Foreign Exchange was asked about the level of the renminbi.
http://on.ft.com/16a0163 Asian mobile chat apps challenge western dominance
Nguyen Tung Lam, a 16-year-old high school student in Hanoi, uses Japanese mobile messaging service Line to chat with his girlfriend because she "likes the cute icons such as the teddy bear and bunny". Doan Nguyen Trang, another Vietnamese teenager, prefers South Korea's KakaoTalk app because it is promoted by a wildly popular Korean boy band.
http://on.ft.com/14l0Ywo Thai tourists: luxury's new big spenders
When guessing the nationalities of which wealthy shoppers currently fuel the ongoing boom in global luxury sales, there can be little question as to which countries are leaders of the pack. But beyond the predictable spending power of Chinese, Russian and Japanese travellers – it seems that some rather unexpected contenders are snapping at their heels.
http://on.ft.com/1csyCkq Dubai Group offloads Bank Islam stake
Dubai Group's financial unit has sold its stake in Bank Islam of Malaysia to BIMB Holdings for $550m as the troubled investment arm owned by the emirate's ruler picks up the pace of asset sales. Dubai Financial Group acquired a 40 per cent stake in Southeast Asia's largest standalone sharia-compliant lender by assets in 2006 for $224m, but its shareholding was reduced to 30.5 per cent in 2009 when it did not participate in a capital increase.
http://on.ft.com/18VqRV5 Indian commodity exchange investigated
Shares in Financial Technologies, an Indian bourse operator, dropped by more than 60 per cent after its National Spot Exchange Limited commodity exchange suspended trading on most contracts following a government investigation.
http://on.ft.com/12IwpzD Chinese officials visit Sanofi offices amid wider probes
Chinese officials this week visited a regional office of Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical company, in the latest expansion of probes against western drugmakers.
http://on.ft.com/12I7Ti1 Uruguay votes to legalise marijuana
Uruguay's lower house of Congress has passed a groundbreaking bill to legalise marijuana, despite high public disapproval of the plan.
http://on.ft.com/1bMVFZv Emerging Markets
MSCI Emerging Market Index down -0.02% at 953.96 Americas
DJIA up +0.83% at 15,628
S&P 500 up +1.25% at 1,707
Bovespa up +1.88% at 49,141 Asia
Nikkei 225 up +1.69% at 14,242
Topix up +1.65% at 1,183
Hang Seng up +0.56% at 22,213
Shanghai Composite up +0.55% at 2,040
MSCI Asia ex-Japan up +0.24% at 520.47
CNX Nifty up +0.14% at 5,736 Currencies
€/$ 1.32 (1.32)
$/¥ 99.28 (99.53) Commodities
Brent Crude (ICE) up +0.47 at 110.01
Light Crude (Nymex) up +0.71 at 108.60
100 Oz Gold (Comex) down -5.30 at 1,306 | 
