23 February 2004 Monday 02 Muharram 1425 Cementing bonds with global markets As money is the life-blood of any economy, the first priority of policy makers has been financial "reforms", specially in the face of looming debt crises in late 1990s. ... Creating multipolar world The declining fortunes of the dollar are becoming a matter of global concern. America is earning less from exports than she needs to pay for her imports. ... Why is Pakistan still crawling? : China galloping, India shining The impressive growth performance of Asian economies in the last three decades, despite external shocks, including the increasing onslaught of globalisation in recent years ... PTCL sale: problems galore Is it better for the country and the Pakistan Telecommunications Limited to split the telephone and telegraph conglomerate into three units before its privatization instead of keeping it as a single unit as proposed hitherto? ... Farm subsidies: US outsmarts EU The United States, in an attempt to revive stalled trade talks and complete Doha round of WTO negotiations by its scheduled date of January 2005 ... Failure to counter rumours about poultry A few weeks back, the federal government had announced the launching of media campaign to allay the apprehensions of the public about the consumption of poultry and poultry products so that the impression that they are harmful to human health is dispelled. ... Economic empowerment of women The third meeting of the Regional Steering Committee for the Advancement of Rural and Island Women of the Asia-Pacific (RSC-AP) was inaugurated in Islamabad on February 10, 2004 with Mrs. ... Exports: effects of EU enlargement From 1st May 2004, the EU membership will go up from 15 to 25 states. The 10 new members are essentially different from the present members- both ethno-culturally as well as in the level of economic development. ... Euro-bonds - a costly bargain The Government of Pakistan has since successfully floated the Euro-bonds. There has been heavy over-subscription to the extent of four times the amount offered. The interest rate is 6.75 per cent per annum. ... Govts-NGOs working together as partners Public-private partnership is gaining popularity in the development sector throughout the world, especially in the resource-starved countries; and such a partnership is being seen as the ultimate solution of the development problems. ... WTO: sanitary and phytosanitary measures Now the international trade is governed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) which is the only global body dealing with the trade among nations. ... Pitcher irrigation: a water saving technique Buried clay pot irrigation (pitcher irrigation) has been used to grow a wide range of annual and perennial plants in China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Mexico, and Brazil. ... Failure of Bt cotton crop Like many other countries of the world, in Pakistan too, genetically engineered [GE] plants have become subject of a rancorous debate. Its supporters see agricultural biotechnology as a tool to solve problems of hunger and excessive pesticide use. ... Impact of price increase on wheat production Wheat is an annual cereal crop of Pakistan and being a staple food crop, it covers the largest cropped area during the Rabi season. It is grown in irrigated as well as rain-fed areas ... Sustainability fears keep bourses on hold The KSE 100-share index failed to sustain the crucial level of 4,900 points despite a couple of abortive efforts in the preceding week. ... SBP sells Rs1.45bn short of targeted Rs41bn T-bills On February 18, the State Bank of Pakistan sold Rs39.55 billion three-month and one year Treasury bills against the target of Rs41 billion. ...

© The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2004