The Londoner

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Tajikistan , Zubaydov Zubaydullo Najotovich on Thursday said that his country is in a dire need of access to the world through Gwadar port of Pakistan. The ambassador expressed these views during a meeting with the Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo here today. During discussion he also pointed out that Pakistan was also looking to import Tajik power to its Northern Areas as Tajikistan has the huge hydropower potentials and cheapest electricity in the world. Easy and smooth of energy supply has become mantra of every government around the globe. The ministers of four countries, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan signed a resolution to proceed further with the Central Asia/South Asia Regional Electricity Market (Casarem) project envisaging transmission of 1300MW from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan; but further commitment to the project will be linked to the availability of financing. A

ISLAMABAD: The government plans to link the Gwadar seaport with the rest of the country through rail and road networks, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday. Responding to a suggestion of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) parliamentarian Ghous Buksh Mehar during the debate on the 2009-10 budget in the National Assembly, he said the government would develop the infrastructure in Balochistan and link Gwadar to other parts of the country. He said the Gwadar port was being used to import wheat and fertilizer, adding it would be transformed into a business and economic hub that would generate employment opportunities for the local population. Read the full story here .

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani has suggested construction of another deep-sea port and a shipbuilding yard at Makran coast. Speaking to the editors and senior journalists at the Chief Minister House on Tuesday he said that the site for the new port would be decided after the proposal is finalised. However, the shipbuilding yard could be set up at Ormara. He said that he was also making efforts to set up Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in different areas of the province that would help in providing resources for resolving the long time financial crisis of the province. The chief minister pointed out that possibly, these ROZs would be established in Quetta, Khanozai, Makran, Nasirabad, Khuzdar and some other areas, where industries would be set up with the US financial assistance. To read the full story click here .

QUETTA: The Balochistan government is likely to declare Gwadar as the winter capital of the province. 'A decision has been taken in principle and the plan is likely to be approved with the next provincial budget,’ sources told Dawn, adding that officials concerned were working on details of the proposal. ‘The decision will have a far-reaching impact on the economy of Balochistan, particularly of Makran,’ the sources said. Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani confirmed that the proposal was being actively considered. ‘If the government takes a final decision to make Gwadar the winter capital of the province, economic activities in the port city will get a big boost,’ he said. Read the full story here .

Understanding Financial Statements Companies do many things : build cars, process data, provide services, even launch satellites. But the underlying purpose of all for-profit companies is to make money. As a for-profit manager, your job is to help the company make money—preferably, more money each year. Even if you work in the nonprofit or government sectors, where net income is neither the only nor the most important bottom line, it is still vital that you carefully monitor how much money comes in and where it gets spent. You can help your company make money by reducing costs, increasing revenues, or both. The best managers don’t just mind the budget—they look for the right combination of controlling costs and improving sales. How’s your company’s financial health? Where does its revenue come from, and where does it spend its money? How much profit is it making? Companies provide answers to such questions in three documents, called financial statements: the income statement, the balan

 thanks to Ft.com By Tony Barber in Brussels Published: January 22 2008 20:33 | Last updated: January 22 2008 20:33 European policymakers on Tuesday blamed the turmoil in global equity markets on US economic and fiscal policy and said Europe’s economy was resilient enough to emerge without great damage. “The main reason [for the turbulence] is the risk of a recession in the US,” said Joaquín Almunia, the European Union’s monetary affairs commissioner. “It’s not about a global recession. It’s about a recession in the US, because big imbalances have built up over the years in the US economy – a big current account deficit, a big fiscal deficit and a lack of savings.” EDITOR’S CHOICE Pressure on ECB to soften tough line - Jan-22Trichet discounts productivity gain - Jan-17Eurozone warned of excessive wage deals - Jan-10UK Daily View: BoE and ECB hold rates - Jan-10ECB leaves rates unchanged - Jan-10Bank holds rates as mortgage data emerge - Jan-11He was speaking in Brussels as t

 with thanks to FT.com By Chris Giles in Davos, Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt and Paul J Davies in London Published: January 23 2008 19:39 | Last updated: January 23 2008 20:40 European financial markets , business leaders and economists on Wednesday took a pessimistic view of the likely effect of the dramatic US interest rate cut. There was also a growing sense of a split between the continent’s central banks and the US Federal Reserve as Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, made clear to the European Parliament in Brussels that it would not bow easily to pressure for eurozone interest rate cuts. On Tuesday night Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England , had talked down expectations of substantial rate cuts in the UK. EDITOR’S CHOICE Overview: Fed’s cut fails to reassure nervous investors - Jan-23Short View: Bear market? - Jan-23Lex: Global interest rates - Jan-23Video interview: JPMorgan’s Jing Ulrich on the Fed rate cut’s effect on China - Jan-23W

Jan 18: The Business Show Ian Cowie talks about New Star's profits plunge.

by Jeremy Kourdi Profile Books © 2003 288 pages Recommendation In this book, Jeremy Kourdi and the Economist survey the material you might cover in an M.B.A. course on corporate strategy. The book’s 13 chapters are grouped into two parts. The fi rst section, “The forces at work,” illustrates the factors working on your business that affect its ability to function, grow and compete. The second part, “Making it happen: concepts and tools for strategic decision-making,” shows you how to use various analytical tools to help your company. The range of topics is broad, so the text is concise of necessity. The downside is that the treatment of each topic is not particularly deep, though it is solid. If this alerts you to a subject of particular interest, you may have to seek greater depth and innovation elsewhere. Still, the information here will help you think about your processes and methods. getAbstract says you can rely on this accurate and well-organized com