DAWN - Business; January 30, 2007

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January 30, 2007	Tuesday	Muharram 10, 1428

Regional trade role suggested for KPT KARACHI, Jan 29: International experts maintain that Karachi harbour cannot handle mother ships, therefore, the focus should be on exploiting Karachi’s role as the hub of a regional trans-shipment trade....		China tightens control over state asset sales SHANGHAI, Jan 29: China announced on Monday new rules aimed at guaranteeing that state assets identified as key to the nation''s economic security are not sold too cheaply to foreigners....
Global tourism hits record high MADRID, Jan 29: Global tourism hit a record high last year and China could soon surpass Spain as the world''s second most popular destination, after France, the UN World Tourism Organisation said on Monday....		IMF asks China to cut reliance on exports TOKYO, Jan 29: An International Monetary Fund official on Monday urged China to shift its focus to stimulating domestic demand, in part by providing more social welfare, to cut its reliance on exports....

Indonesia’s palm oil industry opposes curbs JAKARTA, Jan 29: Indonesian palm oil producers are urging the government not to raise export taxes or apply export quotas to secure supplies for domestic refiners, saying such moves would hurt overseas demand, an industry official said on Monday....		Oil prices near $55 on cold weather LONDON, Jan 29: World oil prices eased on Monday but held close to $55 per barrel as traders eyed cold weather in the United States and geopolitical developments in crude producing nations Iran and Nigeria....

MoU on Islamic bond market LONDON, Jan 29: A memorandum of understanding to develop best practice for the rapidly burgeoning Islamic bond market will be signed in London on Tuesday, banking sources said on Monday....		Singapore draws record investments SINGAPORE, Jan 29: Investments in Singapore last year are expected to contribute a record value-added 13.4 billion Singapore dollars ($8.8 billion) to the economy and create 26,800 jobs on completion, the government said on Monday....

Thai Bank eases capital controls BANGKOK, Jan 29: The Bank of Thailand (BoT) took another step on Monday to ease its controversial capital controls that sent stocks plummeting last month, by exempting more foreign investments flowing into Thailand....		Arab states to set up securities authority RIYADH Jan 29: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, has announced plans to invest five billion Saudi riyals ($1.4bn) in the Saudi stock market so as to help restore confidence in it and prevent further fall....

Russian power group to buy shares in Europe MOSCOW, Jan 29: The export unit of Russian electricity group SEU is considering share acquisitions in China and Europe in order to become a major world player in the sector in...		Polish economy WARSAW, Jan 29: The Polish economy grew by 5.8 per cent in 2006, beating official forecasts, provisional figures issued on Monday by the national statistics bureau showed....

Dollar peaks against yen LONDON, Jan 29: The dollar breached 122 yen for the first time in more than four years on Monday on expectations that Japan would keep its super-low interest rates, dealers said....		Iran signs LNG pact with Repsol, Shell TEHRAN, Jan 29: Iran has signed a preliminary agreement with Spain''s Repsol and Royal Dutch Shell to produce liquefied natural gas from its South Pars gas field, the student news agency ISNA reported....

China’s oil reserve BEIJING, Jan 29: China started filling its first strategic oil reserve on Monday, state media said, citing the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planning agency....		German Telekom loses 2.3m users BERLIN, Jan 29: Germany''s Deutsche Telekom, the biggest telecoms company in Europe, lowered its 2007 earnings forecast after revealing it lost 2.3 million fixed-line customers last year....

Asian stocks close mixed HONG KONG, Jan 29: Asian stocks closed mixed on Monday with investors focussing on domestic issues after a lacklustre performance by Wall Street at the end of last week left the region bereft of a solid lead....		India to cut fuel supply to Nepal NEW DELHI, Jan 29: State-run Indian Oil Corp has threatened to cut fuel supplies to landlocked Nepal by 30 per cent if its national oil company fails to pay overdue bills as promised, a report said on Monday....

7bn euros damage claims HANNOVER (Germany), Jan 29: Winter storm Kyrill, which swept over large parts of Europe on Jan 18-19, could lead to damage claims of four-to-seven billion euros for the insurance industry, reinsurance giant Hannover Re estimated on Monday....		Iraqi inflation hits 70pc BAGHDAD, Jan 29: Iraqi inflation hit an average of 70 per cent last year, largely due to soaring fuel prices, a central bank source told AFP....