03 October 2004 Sunday 17 Shaban 1425 Molasses' export Registration, certification of sugar mills from Dec 1 KARACHI, Oct 2: Molasses exports from Pakistan could come to stand still if the supplying sugar mills do not register themselves by December 1, 2004, and thereafter get final certification of the plant in a year time ... Ishrat for steady increase in interest rates WASHINGTON, Oct 2: Pakistan's central bank on Friday said inflation pressures aren't sufficiently strong to warrant a more aggressive approach to monetary tightening. ... Powerful textile ministry in serious doubt KARACHI, Oct 2: The setting up of a full-fledged, effective, powerful and a vertically integrated federal textile ministry is in serious doubt because of the reluctance of the Commerce Ministry to give up its many functions particularly textile export ... Abu Dhabi Group, banks' consortium sign $47.5m deal LONDON, Oct 2: Abdu Dhabi Group led by UAE Education Minister Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan signed $47.5 Million agreement with consortium of 18 Pakistani Banks here on Saturday ... Rs21bn lent to private sector in two months KARACHI, Oct 2: Banks lent Rs21 billion to the private sector in first two months of this fiscal year, three times more than what they had lent to them in a year-ago period. ... $102.9m credit Pakistan, WB to sign deal next week ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: Pakistan will sign an agreement with the World Bank in Washington next week for getting a $102.9 million concessional IDA credit . ... Infrastructure cess waiver notified ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: The government of Sindh has notified the waiver of infrastructure cess levied on goods imported under the Afghan Transit Trade (ATT). ... SBP amends prudential regulation KARACHI, Oct 2: The State Bank has eased the prudential regulation that calls for minimum rating of foreign banks required for acceptance of their counter guarantee by banks in Pakistan. ... Cut in LPG prices notified ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources on Saturday notified that the LPG producers had decreased their base stock prices from Rs22,500 ton to Rs17,000 ton from September 27. ... A guided derivative market KARACHI, Oct 2: Financial derivatives are designed to manage overall risk profile and profitability of any business. But there are risks involved in the derivative products ... IMF, WB look to keep global recovery strong WASHINGTON, Oct 2: Facing a global economy on the mend but threatened by surging oil prices and other factors, IMF and World Bank policymakers opened two days of meetings on Saturday to discuss ways to keep the recovery on track. ... Microsoft appeals against EU order LUXEMBOURG, Oct 2: US software giant Microsoft said on Friday that it was confident that it would succeed in an appeal against a European Union (EU) ruling that it had abused its market dominance. ... WADrive against unregistered ghee units soon: CBR ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: The chairman, Central Board of Revenue (CBR), M. Abdullah Yousuf said on Saturday that tax authorities would soon start a drive across the country for bringing into tax net the unregistered ghee units to realize maximum revenue from the sector. ... Regulatory bodies ensuring fair return rate ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: All regulatory bodies in Pakistan are working freely to benefit the people and ensuring fair rate of return to attract investment. This was stated by Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh Federal Minister for Privatization and Investment ... Revenue collection up by 31pc ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: The revenue collection registered an unexpected growth of 31.1 per cent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year over the same period last year. ... Traders resent Oct 6 holiday KARACHI, Oct 2: Industrialists have reacted strongly over the city government's decision of declaring October 6 as a public holiday for a cricket match. ...

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