AsiaPulse News back issues from February 2004:
AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER PRICES RISE SLIGHTLY IN JAN.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Australian prices for consumer goods and services rose 0.4 per cent in January, a report said. The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute Experimental Monthly Inflation Gauge said the firmer figure followed a flat result in December, to be 2.3 per cent ...
US SENATE LAW WILL NOT AFFECT INDIA'S NIIT: SENIOR OFFICIAL.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - NIIT (BSE:NIIT) said Friday it was not affected by the passage of law by US senate banning sub-contracting of government contracts to outside US companies. "The ban targets certain segments and we do not see any impact of that on our business. Our ...
J C PENNEY LIKELY TO SOURCE US$2 BLN WORTH OF APPAREL FROM INDIA.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - US retail chain major J C Penney plans to make India a major sourcing hub for its apparel and high level discussions were on to increase its offtake to US$2 billion within a year's time. Senior officials of J C Penney including its Vice President ...
INDIAN INFLATION FALLS MARGINALLY TO 6.13%.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - After nine weeks of continuous rise, inflation fell marginally to 6.13 per cent for the week ended January 17, but public continued to pay higher prices for essential commodities with primary articles like fruits and vegetables, milk and many ...
MONGOLIAN TRADE DELEGATION VISITS TAIWANESE CITY.
Feb 02, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - A Mongolian trade delegation visited the southern city of Kaohsiung Friday to promote bilateral trade, cultural and tourism exchanges. The 43-member delegation, which arrived Monday at the invitation of the Taiwan Mongolian Exchange Association (TMEA), ...
TAIWAN'S ECONOMY HEATS UP IN DECEMBER.
Feb 02, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's economy heated up in December, with the composite index of its economic situation registering 33 points, giving it a yellow-red light rating for the first time in four years, according to a government report published Friday. The report, ...
INDIA TO EXPORT SURPLUS DIESEL TO MYANMAR.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - India will export surplus diesel to Myanmar as New Delhi explores the possibility of building a pipeline to import gas from offshore Myanmar. "Numaligarh Refinery Ltd is to begin exporting diesel by road to Myanmar likely by July," India's Petroleum ...
RELIANCE INDUSTRIES NET PROFIT UP 27% IN THIRD QUARTER.
Feb 02, 2004 ... MUMBAI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Reliance Industries Ltd (BSE:RELI) has posted a 27 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 13,740 million (US$303.24 million) in the third quarter ended December 31, 2003 on a turnover of Rs 18,8640 million, up 21 per cent from that posted during the same period of the ...
ONGC FILES DRAFT PROSPECTUS FOR PUBLIC ISSUE.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - India's state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (BSE:ONGC) on Wednesday filed with Securities and Exchange Board of India the draft propectus for the public issue the Government of India's 10 per cent stake. The 142 million equity shares will be ...
INDIA UNVEILS MINI EXIM POLICY; DIGITAL SIGNATURE FOR EXPORTERS.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - In a bid to provide fresh impetus to exports, the Indian goverment on Wednesday fine-tuned its Exim Policy, allowing free import of gold, silver and power, and extended the duty-free import scheme to heritage and small hotels and restaurants to encourage ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN HIGHER - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market jumped higher at the open as the market's focus was again drawn to the National Australia Bank. NAB bolted higher after its chief executive Frank Cicutto resigned this morning in the wake of the $360 million foreign exchange ...
TAIWAN'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE TO DROP TO 4% IN 2004: PRESIDENT.
Feb 02, 2004 ... CHANGHUA, Taiwan, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - President Chen Shui-bian said Sunday Taiwan's unemployment rate will drop to 4 per cent this year as the local economy has fully recovered from its year-long recession. Addressing a rally in Changhua County's Yuanlin township in central ...
BOEING MARKETS LATEST 7E7 JET IN INDIA.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - US aircraft maker Boeing will soon start talks with Indian carriers to market its latest aircraft, the '7E7', which is due for launch in 2008, as it strives to cash in on the fast-growing Asian aviation market. Unveiling the company's strategy for ...
TAIWAN LAUNCHES CENTER TO COMBAT INSURANCE FRAUD.
Feb 02, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - A crime prevention center aimed at stamping out insurance fraud was formally established Friday. The Ministry of Finance (MOF), one of the guiding forces behind the setting up of the center, said that insurance and police administrations will join ...
INDIA'S CSO ESTIMATES 2002-03 GDP GROWTH AT 4%.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Raising the prospects of higher GDP growth this fiscal year, the Central Statistical Organisation has pegged downwards the economic growth at 4% for 2002-03. The quick estimates released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation put ...
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR STARTS 2004 ON STRONG NOTE.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Strong domestic demand has enabled Australia's manufacturing industry to begin 2004 on a good note but there has been a slowing in housing and vehicle-related activity, an index has found. The seasonally adjusted Australian Performance of Manufacturing ...
NIIT'S SOFTWARE BUSINESS SPIN-OFF BY JUNE-END: CEO.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - NIIT (BSE:NIIT) has said its software business would be spun off by the third week of June and the whole exercise is on course as per its plans. "The scheme of arrangement is current with stock exchanges. After that it would go to the courts. As of ...
QUEENSLAND BIOTECH INDUSTRY SET TO GROW: PREMIER.
Feb 02, 2004 ... BRISBANE, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Queensland's biotechnology industry was going through a boom growth period, Premier Peter Beattie said Sunday. Mr Beattie said a Queensland Biotechnology Report compiled by Ernst&Young and commissioned by the government had forecast a rise in ...
INDIA'S EXPORTS SURGE 42.68% IN DECEMBER.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - After record 8.2 per cent GDP growth in the second quarter, exports grew by a whopping 42.68 per cent at US$5.489 billion in December 2003, signalling the upturn in the economy. The overall export growth in first 9 months of 2003-04 registerd 13.48 ...
L&T INFOTECH TO DEVELOP APPLICATIONS FOR ROMANIA'S CONNEX.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Larsen and Toubro Infotech Ltd has announced it has started working for Romanian mobile operator - Connex - to develop business critical application for it. The project would be executed at Navi Mumbai offshore development centre of L&T Infotech, ...
AUSTRALIA'S CRANE GROUP POSTS 14% FALL IN PROFITS FOR H1.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Crane Group (ASX:CRG) said today it expected a weaker second half 2003/04 after posting a fall of 14 per cent to A$22.218 million (US$17 million) in net profit for the first half. The company said ...
PACIFIC INTERNET DEPLOYS REGIONAL VPN FOR ASIA CITY PUBLISHING GROUP.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) SINGAPORE, Jan. 30 /XFNHK-AsiaNet/ -- Secured and Integrated Network to Enhance Communications Between Asia City Publishing Regional Operations Pacific Internet Limited or PacNet (Nasdaq: PCNTF - ...
THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... BANGKOK, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE BANGKOK POST: - General Motors Corp, the world's number one automaker, plans to manufacture the Korean brand Daewoo in Thailand in order to expand its product portfolio and fully utilise its ...
DABUR INDIA Q3 NET UP 47.4%.
Feb 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Pharmaceuticals company Dabur India (BSE:DABU) on Wednesday reported a jump of 47.4 per cent in net profit to Rs 298.1 million (US$6.58 million) in the third quarter ending December 31, 2003 from Rs 202.3 million in the corresponding period the previous year. ...
CUMMINS INDIA Q3 NET UP 10%.
Feb 02, 2004 ... MUMBAI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Diesel engine manufacturer Cummins India Ltd (CIL) (BSE:CUMM) has posted a 10 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 269.4 million (US$5.94 million) during the third quarter ended December 31, 2003, compared with Rs 244.9 million posted during the same period of ...
KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN: - Possible human-to-human transmission of bird flue detected in Vietnam: WHO. KUKMIN DAILY: - President Roh Moo-hyun's close aide received illegal political funds, ...
STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN HIGHER - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... TOKYO, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Share prices in Tokyo opened higher Monday, with the Nikkei-225 ...
FOREIGNERS BUY RECORD AMOUNT OF S KOREAN SECURITIES LAST YEAR.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Jan 30 Asia Pulse - Foreign investors bought US$13.52 billion worth of South Korean securities last year, the largest amount since the capital market opened in 1992, the Bank of Korea said today. Foreigners bought securities worth US$81.42 billion, while they sold ...
S KOREAN GOVT PLANS TO MAKE KIC'S ASSETS HIGHLY LIQUID.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government will make the assets of an envisioned state investment agency readily convertible into cash to ensure a cushion against crisis, government officials said today. In an effort to turn the country into a regional financial hub, ...
INTENTIA INTERNATIONAL'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS SET TO CHANGE.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) STOCKHOLM, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Intentia International AB (publ) (XSSE: INT B) announces that Symphony Technology Group has proposed three candidates for positions as new members of the board of directors of Intentia ...
MARTEK FILES PATENT INFRINGEMENT ACTION AGAINST NUTRINOVA.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) COLUMBIA, Md., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK) today announced that it has filed a patent infringement suit in Germany against Nutrinova Nutrition Specialties & Food Ingredients ...
SUN LIFE FINANCIAL POSTS US$1.5 BLN EARNINGS FOR 2003.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of this release can be found at http://www.asianet.com.au) TORONTO, Jan. 29 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE/TSX: SLF) today announced record operating earnings for 2003 of more than US$1.5 billion before a US$211 million after-tax provision taken to ...
FANNIE MAE REDEMPTION.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Fannie Mae is a New York Stock Exchange company and the largest non-bank financial services company in the world. It operates pursuant to a federal charter and is the nation's ...
CORR: SUN LIFE FINANCIAL POSTS US$1.5 BLN EARNINGS FOR 2003.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Corrects AsiaNet Web site address) (Full text of this release can be found at www.asianetnews.net) TORONTO, Jan. 29 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE/TSX: SLF) today announced record operating earnings for 2003 of more than US$1.5 billion before a US$211 ...
TOP US AGRICULTURAL OFFICIALS JOIN TRADE TALKS WITH AUSTRALIA.
Feb 02, 2004 ... CANBERRA, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The Bush administration's top two agricultural officials were hauled into free trade talks with Australia on Sunday. Agriculture Secretary Ann Venemann and her influential under-secretary, JB Penn, spent more than two-and-a-half hours locked in ...
Higher exports boost Taiwan economy in December.
Feb 02, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Feb 2 Asia in Focus - Increasing exports and growing industrial production have boosted the Taiwanese economy. Taiwan's economy heated up in December, with the most positive results for four years. * A yellow-red light rating, meaning that the economy is heating up, was ...
INPHOMATCH, TELECOM NEW ZEALAND TEAM UP FOR INTERNATIONAL SMS.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) CHANTILLY, Va., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- InphoMatch, Inc. today announced an agreement to help expand the reach of Telecom New Zealand's text messaging network. The agreement provides Telecom with the ability to ...
INTENTIA: ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2003 ACCOUNTS.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- In a difficult market, license orders received increased while cash flow after investments improved to SEK 41 million during the fourth quarter - Net revenue totaled ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX HIGHER TO NOON - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket lifted at noon, pulled up by gains in National Australia Bank after the resignation of chief executive Frank Cicutto. Mr Cicutto's resignation was announced before the market opened this morning and comes in the wake of the ...
TREND MICRO ANNOUNCES REVISION OF Q4 FORECAST.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) TOKYO, Jan. 30 /XFNHK-AsiaNet/ -- Trend Micro (TSE: 4704; Nasdaq: TMIC), a leader in network antivirus and Internet content security software and services, today announced that the forecast of financial results (U.S. GAAP) for ...
BANK OF KOREA TO TACKLE INFLATIONARY PRESSURE PREEMPTIVELY.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The Bank of Korea (BOK) will take preemptive measures to keep possible inflationary pressures in check, South Korea's top central banker said Monday. "The central bank will carry out its monetary policy this year so that any buildup in inflationary ...
FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR STRONGER TO NOON - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar was stronger at noon on a lacklustre day of trading, ahead of the upcoming Group of Seven meeting of industrial nations. At 1200 AEDT the local unit was trading at $US0.7645/50 compared with Friday's close of 0.7601/06. ...
FOREIGN SECURITIES FIRMS SWAY 15 PCT OF STOCKS TRADING IN S KOREA.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Foreign securities firms were responsible for 15 per cent of stock trading in South Korea in January, the Korea Stock Exchange (KSE) said Monday. According to the KSE, the turnover of 13 foreign securities firms last month was 15.09 trillion won ...
S KOREAN GOVT PERMITS MORE LAND FOR CONSTRUCTION IN 2003.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The amount of land permitted for construction in South Korea increased 2.4 per cent annually to 142.1 million square meters last year, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Friday. The figure broke down into 71.89 million square meters in ...
MULTIMEDIACARD ASSOCIATION NAMES 2004 BOARD.
Feb 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) HSIN TIEN, Feb. 2 /XFNHK-AsiaNet/ -- The Board of Directors of the MultiMediaCard Association (MMCA) recently welcomed Power Digital Card, Co. Ltd. (PDC) as its newest member for 2004. PDC joins a distinguished list of existing ...
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR IS NEW HEAD OF KOREA EXCHANGE BANK.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) (KSE:004940) said Thursday it appointed Columbia University business professor Robert Fallon as its new head, a move the bank's labor union considers invalid. The decision came during a board of directors meeting that ...
S KOREA'S INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX OPERATION RATE UP IN DEC.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The average operation rate of South Korea's national industrial complexes increased 0.2 percentage point on-year to 85.6 percent in December last year, a state-run industrial complex company said Friday. According to the Korea Industrial Complex Corp., ...
S KOREA TO SET UP SYSTEM AGAINST HUMAN BIRD FLU INFECTIONS.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea Friday decided to establish an emergency health care system to prepare for possible human infections of bird flu. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that the contingency system is in line with warnings by the World Health Organization ...
SK CORP UNVEILS ROAD MAP FOR GOVERNANCE REFORMS.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - SK Corp. (KSE:003600), struggling with management challenges from foreign shareholders, said Friday it will fill half of its board seats with outside directors starting this year as part of its corporate governance reforms. Unveiling a blueprint for ...
LG ELECTRONICS, SONY LOOK INTO S KOREAN CELL PHONE EXPLOSION.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - LG Electronics Inc. (KSE:066570), South Korea's top electronic appliance maker, and Sony Corp., the Japanese consumer electronics giant, are investigating the cause of a cell phone battery explosion last week. "The investigation is under way with ...
SSANGYONG MOTOR SALE LIKELY TO BE DELAYED BY UNIONIST PROTESTS.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Procedures for a takeover of South Korea's Ssangyong Motor Co. (KSE:003620) by a Chinese petrochemical producer are being delayed by opposition from the carmaker's unionists. According to Ssangyong creditors Monday, they recently agreed with China's ...
SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SINGAPORE, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES - The deadly bird flu outbreak spread to five more areas in China yesterday, even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the deaths of two sisters in Vietnam could have been ...
KOREAN AIR'S BID FOR KAI FACES ROUGH SAILING.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Korean Air's (KSE:003490) attempt to take over Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the nation's sole aircraft producer, hit a snag due to difficulties in negotiations with one of KAI's top shareholders, industry insiders said Monday. The national flag ...
SK TELECOM PRESSURED TO OUST SK GRP OWNER, CHAIRMAN FROM BOARD.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - An influential South Korean shareholder rights group submitted a proposal Friday to SK Telecom Co. (KSE:17670), the country's largest cell phone operator, calling for the unseating of both its chairman and SK Group's owner from its board. The People's ...
KOREAN FINANCE MINISTER SAYS TAX BREAKS WILL CREATE JOBS.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Finance and Economy Minister Kim Jin-pyo said Friday that tax breaks will create jobs by making it easier for businesses to hire new workers. Speaking on a radio talk show on KBS, the official said that he expected the latest measures to act as a ...
MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR: - With the current favourable market conditions coupled with ample liquidity in the financial system, many unit trust management companies (UTMCs) are enlarging their fund sizes and rolling ...
KOREA CONTINUES FTA TALKS WITH SINGAPORE.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea and Singapore have made significant progress in their initial round of talks on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA), paving the way for a possible signing by the end of this year, according to a top South Korean negotiator Friday. "I think ...
S KOREA'S WOORI SEEKS FOREIGN INVESTORS FOR SONGDO PROJECT.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Financial advisors for a government plan to turn part of a western South Korean port city abutting Seoul into an international business center have mapped out a blueprint to lure foreign investment for the realization of the plan, financial industry sources said ...
S. KOREA AIMS TO CREATE 10,000 TECH JOBS BY 2007.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government unveiled Friday a four-year plan to create 10,000 jobs in the technology sector by requiring state-run corporations to hire more college engineering graduates. The plan also calls for government-affiliated research institutes ...
S. KOREA'S PANTECH POSTS NET LOSS IN 2003.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Pantech Co. (KSE:25930), South Korea's third-largest handset maker with its sister company Pantech & Curitel Communications Inc., said it went into the red last year because of price competition with Chinese rivals and weak demand in the wake of the SARS outbreak ....
S KOREAN CONSUMER PRICES UP 0.6% IN JAN.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Consumer prices in South Korea rose in January largely on sharp increases in the prices of agricultural and seafood products, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said today. Overall, commodity prices in January were up 0.6 per cent from the previous ...
VIETNAMESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... HANOI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NHAN DAN: - Vietnam's first liver transplant has been declared a success. The 19 hours of surgery was only the beginning of the total transplant and the final result would not be known for three months, ...
S KOREAN THINK TANK HEAD OPPOSES FOREIGN EXCHANGE INTERVENTION.
Feb 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Feb 2, Asia Pulse - The head of the Korea Institute of International Economic Policy (KIEP) said today that the government should keep foreign exchange in the hands of the market. KIEP President Ahn Choong-yong said during a radio program that "as the dollar has weakened ...
VIETNAM'S INDUSTRIAL SECTOR SPRINGS INTO NEW YEAR.
Feb 02, 2004 ... HANOI, Feb 2 Asia Pulse - Some of the country's industrial enterprises shortened their Tet holidays this week, hoping to get a jump on their lunar new year goals. The chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Association, Le Quoc An, said companies in his sector restarted ...
ADVISORY - FEDERAL TERRITORY DAY, MALAYSIA - FEB 2, 2004.
Feb 02, 2004 ... public holiday in Malaysia, there will be no ...