05 February 2004 Thursday 13 Zilhaj 1424 EC imposes 13.1pc duty on Pakistani bedlinen: Effective from March 18 KARACHI, Feb 4: The European Commission (EC) has imposed 13.1 per cent anti-dumping duty on bedlinen imports from Pakistan in final voting held on Monday. ... NFC formula may have multiple indicators: Resource distribution LAHORE, Feb 4: In what is being seen as a move to appease the smaller provinces, the federal government is believed to have indicated to them that it intends to change resource distribution formula of the NFC ... SECP-registered companies number rises to 1,553 ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: The number of new companies registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) increased by 31.28 per cent, rising to 1,553 during the year 2003-04. ... Unisame offered SMEs body membership KARACHI, Feb 4: The World Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME) has offered its membership to the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame). ... Afghanistan streamlines import tariffs KABUL, Feb 4: Afghanistan's cash-strapped government said Wednesday it has streamlined import tariffs to drum up revenues, stifle corruption and revive its historic role as a Central Asian trade hub. ... US to face pressure on $, deficit at G7 meet WASHINGTON, Feb 4: The United States will be pressured by the Europeans and Japanese at the upcoming Group of Seven meeting to get its "twin deficits" under control as part of an effort to stabilize the flagging dollar, analysts say. ... EU stability pact too rigid, says Solbes FRANKFURT, Feb 4: The European Stability and Growth Pact, a tight set of budget rules for eurozone countries, can appear "too restrictive" during times of weak economic growth ... Iraq creditors divided on writeoffs LONDON, Feb 4: Iraq's creditors are still divided over whether the country needs a huge debt writeoff or a repayment rescheduling which would give it a breathing space until it starts pumping more oil, a creditor source told Reuters. ... BoE likely to raise rates LONDON, Feb 4: The Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates this week for the second time within three months to try to deflate a consumer debt bubble and cool sizzling house prices, analysts said. ... Malaysian palm oil prices up KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4: Malaysian palm oil was up on Wednesday on the strength of rival soyaoil but weak export estimates for January caused the benchmark contract to slip below the 1,800-ringgit-a-ton barrier broken in the morning. ...

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