Revenue generation: Tax likely on oil shipments to Afghanistan via Pakistan

Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain has said that the government has decided to slap taxes on oil imports which are made to be shipped to Afghanistan through Pakistan in an attempt to check smuggling and revenue loss. more... (ET)

US and WB likely to provide $300m for 50MW solar projects

At a time when the government is struggling to overcome the energy crisis, World Bank and the United States are likely to help out by providing $300 million for 50-megawatt pilot solar projects in Sindh and Punjab. more... (ET)

SBP to buy govt paper

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said it will buy back government paper from commercial banks on Friday in seven-day reverse repo contracts to inject liquidity in the money market. more... (BR)

THE RUPEE: gains recorded versus dollar

Corrective measures helped the rupee to recover some gains against dollar, whereas it losses in terms of euro during the week ended on October 29, 2011. In interbank dealings, the rupee was up by 12 paisa in relation to dollar for buying at 86.58 and 13 paisa for selling at 86.62. more... (BR)

Motorcycles: Local market leader, Atlas Honda looks to exports

Having established an undisputed dominance of the Pakistani motorcycle market, Atlas Honda is now looking at foreign markets as its next phase of growth, with exports to Bangladesh and Afghanistan expanding rapidly. more... (ET)

Energy crisis: Govt to launch Rs300b fund to end circular debt

In what appears to be a major breakthrough, the government plans on issuing up to Rs300 billion worth of bonds in order to clear up the existing inter-corporate circular debt that has financially crippled the energy sector, even as it contemplates reforms to ensure that the problem never arises again. more... (ET)

Subsidising agriculture: For most farmers, support price mechanism fails to deliver

For Kamran Wazir Memon, who grows sugarcane, rice, cotton and wheat on his 250 acres of farmland in Darro, Thatta, the agriculture support price mechanism has practically ceased to exist. more... (ET)

Debris of a crisis: Three years on, Bank of Punjab still a market pariah

In boardrooms up and down Karachi’s I.I. Chundrigar Road, Bank of Punjab is a four-letter word. Hardly anybody wants to talk about it and almost nobody wants to do business with it. Yet curiously enough, even though most people believe its liabilities far exceed its assets, nobody actually thinks it will go bankrupt or shut down. more... (ET)

Imran's Lahore rally stuns opponents

Imran Khan surprised his detractors on Sunday by holding a massive public meeting, described by political observers as one of the biggest rallies held in Lahore over the past two decades. And in a hard-hitting speech he asked the rulers to declare their assets and threatened a civil disobedience movement and a countrywide blockade if they did not do so. more... (D)

MQM stages massive show in support of Zardari

MQM chief Altaf Hussain has advised the Pakistan Muslim League-N to wait for the next election and avoid what he called undemocratic tactics, dictatorial attitude and use of derogatory language against President Asif Ali Zardari. more... (D)

Australia invites Pakistan for meaningful dialogue in all sectors

Australia on Sunday invited Pakistan for a meaningful dialogue to deepen economic ties, enhance cooperation in agriculture and undertake joint investment ventures to strengthen bilateral relations. more... (BR)

Zardari's visit to Turkey to promote bilateral relations

Pakistan and Turkey are expected to sign a currency swap agreement during the visit of President Asif Ali Zardari to Istanbul. more... (BR)

Oil deal with Turkey

Iran has signed new agreements with Turkey to increase oil exports to the country, announced director general for international affairs of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). more... (Zawya)

Regulators will have to disclose financial stake

A new decree on corporate governance aiming for the independent regulation of companies will ensure that regulators are not wearing multiple corporate hats — a move to avoid any corruption issues, business leaders said. more... (Zawya)

26 nations oppose EU carbon tariff

Twenty-six nations are expected to lodge a formal protest on Wednesday against a European Union law to make airlines pay for carbon emissions — adding to transatlantic tension on an issue that has triggered a tit-for-tat bill in the US Congress. more... (Gulf News)

Inflation rate up 4.5% in September 2011, says report

Kuwait's inflation rate edged up to 4.5 percent in September this year, compared to the same month of 2010, whereas it increased 1.1 percent compared to August of 2011, a specialized report cited Sunday. more... (Gulf Base)