North Korea fired a flurry of missiles into the sea today in what was widely seen as a bid to pressure Washington into addressing demands for economic aid and other concessions amid a long-running nuclear stand-off.

The world erupted in outrage today over a series of North Korean missile tests, with wary nations denouncing the launches as provocative, threatening sanctions and vowing to seek UN Security Council action.

US President George Bush, spending his Independence Day holiday with American fighting forces, said US troops will overcome persistent violence in Iraq and a rekindled insurgency in Afghanistan because the enemy is vulnerable.

The FTSE 100 Index held firm today in a lacklustre session for shares in London as markets in the United States closed for the Independence Day holiday.

Brent crude continued to trade close to the April highs yesterday in spite of low volume in the run up to the Independence Day holiday in the US today.

Fresh questions about the strength of the economic recovery sent stocks lower today as a disappointing report on job creation weighed heavily on investor confidence. All three major indexes lost ground for the week.

The FTSE 100 index drifted back closer to the 4000 barrier today amid a lack of activity on both sides of the Atlantic.

The FTSE 100 Index managed to end the day above the 4000 mark today, shaking off downward momentum from across the Atlantic.

Share prices ended the morning weaker on balance following overnight falls on Wall Street, where investor confidence has been knocked by news of accounting irregularities at US companies, dealers said.