AsiaPulse News back issues from August 2004:
AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 2, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, August 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Sydney security guard Karen Brown faces a murder charge. - Security guard Karen Brown's television interview with Seven's Today Tonight could be pulled before it is ...
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK ORDERED TO PAY IRISH COSTS.
Aug 02, 2004 ... MELBOURNE, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB) has been ordered to pay 64 million euro ($US77.6 million) in costs after a six-year investigation of its Irish subsidiary. The bank was found liable for tax evasion and overcharging of customers. ...
EDISON MISSION ENERGY TO SELL ASSETS TO JAPAN'S MITSUI.
Aug 02, 2004 ... MELBOURNE, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Us energy giant Edison Mission Energy is to sell its global assets to International Power Plc and Japan's Mitsui & Co Ltd of Japan. The moves means another US energy heavyweight is withdrawing from the Australian energy market. ...
S KOREA'S CONSUMER PRICES RISE 4.4PCT YEAR-ON-YEAR IN JULY.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer prices moved up 4.4 per cent year-on-year in July, a government report said Monday. The National Statistical Office (NSO) also said that prices of everyday goods and services increased 0.6 per cent last month compared to June, ...
KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 2, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN: - Justice Ministry Plans to Abolish Law Allowing Police, Prosecution to Arrest Criminal Suspects for 48 Hours Without Court Warrant KUKMIN DAILY: - Newspaper Firms ...
WTO ENDORSES NEW DRAFT AGRICULTURAL TRADE DEAL.
Aug 02, 2004 ... GENEVA, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Saturday put global trade talks back on track as they accepted a revised draft for a framework agreement for global trade liberalization. The agreement followed overnight negotiations by the WTO's 147 ...
S KOREAN H1 CONSTRUCTION ORDERS STAGE BIGGEST FALL IN 6YRS.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug. 2 Asia Pulse - Domestic construction orders in the first six months of the year fell by the largest amount since the 1997-98 foreign exchange crisis, signalling a serious setback to second-half economic growth, government data released on Sunday showed. The total ...
NANOTECH RESEARCH AGENCY STARTS UP IN SOUTH KOREA.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug. 2 Asia Pulse - A government-backed research group will begin operations on Tuesday aimed at promoting nanotechnology as one of the new industrial initiatives expected to lead South Korean economic growth in the future, the association said Sunday. The Nanotechnology ...
S KOREAN FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS SURGE H1 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug. 2 Asia Pulse - Foreign currency deposits at local commercial banks surged about 40 per cent on an annual basis during the first six months of this year, banking sources said Sunday. According to the sources, the foreign currency savings of the eight banks leapt to ...
TATA GROUP EYES $US2 BN INVESTMENT IN BANGLADESH.
Aug 02, 2004 ... DHAKA, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The Tata Group is looking for investments in Bangladesh's steel, power and fertiliser sectors worth $US2 billion, according to a media report. Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata is likely to visit the country in mid-August to discuss investment plans with ...
MICROSOFT SHIFTING MORE PROJECTS TO INDIA, US UNION CLAIMS.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SILICON VALLEY, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Microsoft is shifting more high-level work such as programming for the next version of its Windows Operating System to foreign contractors, including Indians, a Seattle-based labour union has claimed. The Washington Alliance of Technology ...
INDIA'S RANBAXY TO FILE ANTI RETRO VIRAL PRODUCTS WITH USFDA.
Aug 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Ranbaxy Laboratories (BSE:RANB) has initiated the process to file its Anti Retro Viral (ARV) products with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) with first filing likely before this year end. The filing would take place under the expedited ...
CALL FOR INDIA TO BE INCLUDED IN ASEAN-PLUS THREE DIALOGUE.
Aug 02, 2004 ... BANGKOK, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Favouring the creation of an Asian community, India has said it should be included in the ongoing dialogue ASEAN has been holding with some of the leading nations in Asia. ASEAN has been conducting summit-level meetings with China, Japan and South ...
INDIAN GOVT DETERMINED TO LIFT RURAL ECONOMY: FINANCE MINISTER.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SIVAGANGA, India, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The federal government is determined to improve the rural economy "which was ignored" by the previous regime, federal Finance Minister P Chidambaram said Friday. The government has decided to extend various concessions to farmers and ensure ...
NO CHANGE IN INDIAN INFLATION OUTLOOK FOR FY-05: RBI.
Aug 02, 2004 ... MUMBAI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Despite inflation hovering over the 6 per cent mark, Reserve Bank of India said it will not change the inflation outlook of around 5 per cent for the fiscal 2004-05 and expressed confidence on conducting Centre's borrowing programme without difficulty. ...
INDIAN OIL CORP TO BUY INTO OFFSHORE TAMIL NADU FIELDS.
Aug 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The Indian Oil Corporation, the country's largest refiner, will buy half of Hindustan Oil Exploration Co Ltd's stake in two oil and gas fields in offshore Tamil Nadu for $US104.15 million. The IOC Board had cleared plans to buy 50% equity in ...
CONCEPT PAPER ON INDIA'S COMPANIES ACT OVERHAUL THIS WEEK.
Aug 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - In a bid to attune the Companies Act to the liberalised Indian economy, the government would float this week a concept paper to take suggestions from the industry and other interested parties. "The existing Companies Act, drafted in 1956, is one of ...
'MOUNTAIN DEW' IS SAFE; MEETS ALL FOOD NORMS': PEPSICO INDIA.
Aug 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Stung by doubts raised over the safety of its fastest-growing brand in India, PepsiCo asserted that 'Mountain Dew' was a totally safe product complying with all food standards nationally and globally, and was the same that was being marketed in the US. ...
KOREAN PENSION FUNDS SECURITIES INVESTMENT UP US$1.28 BLN.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The amount of national pension funds invested into the country's stock market increased by 1.5 trillion won (US$1.28 billion) to reach a total of 8.6 trillion won as of late June, the government said Monday. The Ministry of Planning and Budget said that ...
INDIAN INFLATION REMAINS STATIC AT 6.52%.
Aug 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - After rising for three weeks, inflation remained static at 6.52 per cent for the week ended July 17, even as prices of essential primary articles and manufactured products rose while fuel became cheaper. The price level measured in terms of ...
INDIA TO STRENGTHEN LINKS WITH ASIAN BLOC BIMST-EC.
Aug 02, 2004 ... BANGKOK, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - India has announced a range of measures such as a ministerial conference on energy, sharing experience in remote sensing and a tourism Round Table to strengthen cooperation among the Bangladesh-India-Myanmar-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMST-EC) ...
BIMST-EC SUMMIT OPENS; INDIA FOR COMMON FRONT AGAINST TERROR.
Aug 02, 2004 ... BANGKOK, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The first ever BIMST-EC summit opened in Bangkok Saturday with India stressing the need to forge a common front against terrorism, gunrunning and narcotics trafficking. "The scourge of terrorism is unfortunately one with which we all must grapple -- ...
SMORGON STEEL RAISES FUNDS FROM US INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Australia's Smorgon Steel Group Ltd (SSX.AX) has raised $US80 million through the private placement of notes to US institutional investors. The placement was jointly led by the National Australia Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The ...
TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES' IPO OVER-SUBSCRIBED.
Aug 02, 2004 ... MUMBAI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Tata Consultancy Services' initial public offer has been over-subscribed by 1.08 times. The 100 per cent book-built issue received bids for 1.08 times the issue size, ...
INDIA'S FOREX EXCHANGE RESERVES TUMBLE BY US $1.5 BLN.
Aug 02, 2004 ... MUMBAI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Reversing the trend of net inflows seen over the past three weeks, India's foreign exchange reserves dropped by a whopping US $1.53 billion to US .57 billion for the week ended July 23. Revaluation of the US dollar against other international ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX OPENS LOWER - AUG 2, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market opened slightly lower today amid light trade on a New South Wales bank holiday. By 1015 AEST the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was 1.9 points lower at 3534.4 and the all ordinaries index fell 1.8 points to 3544.3. On the ...
STOCKS - TOKYO INDEX OPENS LOWER - AUG 2, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... TOKYO, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Tokyo shares opened lower Monday, with the Nikkei-225 index losing ...
CHINA DEPLOYS ROBOT TO OPERATE UNDER WATER.
Aug 02, 2004 ... BEIJING, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - China has successfully deployed a remote-controlled hi-tech robot, which can operate 3,500 metres under the water surface, to scoop out details of aquatic life. The robot started working for the first time on a ship in the eastern metropolis, Shanghai ...
DAEWOO ENGINEERING POSTS RECORD NET PROFIT H1 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug. 2 Asia Pulse - The Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co., (KSE:047040), South Korea's second-largest builder by capacity, said Monday that its net profit in the first half of this year gained 70.3 per cent year-on-year to 144.9 billion won (US$124.27 million), the largest level ...
S KOREAN ELECTRICITY DEMAND RISES SHARPLY SINCE 1991.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Electricity demand in South Korea has risen by about 2.5 million kilowatts every year since 1991 in pace with increased industrial consumption and the wide use of heat-beating devices, the Commerce Ministry said Monday. The ministry said the demand shot ...
STOCKS - SEOUL INDEX OPENS WEAKER - AUG 2, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks started weaker Monday morning on growing concerns of a possible slowdown in U.S. economic growth. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 7.37 points to 727.97 as at 9:10 a.m., with the tech-heavy KOSDAQ index ...
AUSTRALIAN RETAIL ACTIVITY PICKS UP IN JULY.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Almost one-in-three companies reported higher demand in July, reflecting improved retail activity arising from recent federal government tax cuts and family payments, an index reported today. The Australian Industry Group - PricewaterhouseCoopers ...
US TAXES SHRIMP IMPORTS FROM THAILAND, INDIA.
Aug 02, 2004 ... WASHINGTON, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - United States has imposed taxes ranging between 3.56 per cent and 27.49 per cent on shrimp imports from India in the second phase of a probe into the petition alleging "dumping" at low prices. Shrimp procured from Brazil, Ecuador and Thailand would ...
TAIWAN JOINS G8 COMPUTER CRIME NETWORK.
Aug 02, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Taiwan has been admitted to the 24/7 Computer Crime Network, an affiliate of the Group of Eight (G8) industrial countries dedicated to crackdown on computerized criminal activities, government sources said Sunday. The entry to the G8-affiliated ...
TAIWAN BECOMES A MEMBER OF PACIFIC ACCREDITATION COOPERATION.
Aug 02, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Taiwan has become a member of the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC), officials from the Standards, Metrology and Inspection Bureau (BSMI) said Saturday. Taiwan formally became a member when Taiwan Accreditation Foundation (TAF) Chairman Lin ...
S KOREA'S OVERSEAS CONSTRUCTION ORDERS REACH US$3.76 BLN IN JAN-JULY.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's overseas construction orders so far this year already exceeded last year's total, as local builders have won large-scale orders from the Middle East, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Monday. Orders for the January-July ...
INDIA'S BPCL OFFERS HPCL EQUAL STAKE IN BINA REFINERY PROJECT.
Aug 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - State-run Bharat Petroleum Corp (BSE:BPCL) has offered to take Hindustan Petroleum Corp (BSE:HPCL) as equal partner in the Rs 63.54 billion (US$1.37 billion) Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh. "We are willing to offer HPCL equal stake in Bina ...
GOVT OF ONTARIO FILES APPEAL ON 407 TOLL DECISION.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) TORONTO, July 31 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- The Ministry of Transportation, as previously indicated, today filed an appeal of the recent arbitrator's ruling regarding 407 ETR's ability to increase tolls without prior government ...
NEW WTO DRAFT PACKAGE BOOSTS TAIWAN SERVICE SECTOR: MOEA.
Aug 02, 2004 ... GENEVA, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - A new draft package of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will provide Taiwan with a sound foundation to promote its service industry, Economic Affairs Vice Minister Chen Ruey-lung said Friday. Chen made the remarks after the WTO, the world trade ...
FORMAL CONTRACT ON SALE OF S KOREA'S HANBO IRON INKED.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - A South Korean consortium signed a formal contract for the takeover of Hanbo Iron & Steel Co. on Saturday. The consortium of INI Steel Co. (KSE:004020) and Hyundai Hysco Co. (KSE:010520) said it will take over management of the steelmaker around late ...
SEOUL CONFIRMS RELEASE OF 2 S. KOREANS DETAINED IN INDIA.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday night that two of its nationals were freed in northern India after being detained by a group of villagers. "They were released at 8:00 p.m. Seoul time and are safe now," an official of the Ministry of ...
TAIWAN TO PROMOTE MOVIE INDUSTRY IN THREE STAGES.
Aug 02, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The Government Information Office (GIO) intends to spend 10 years promoting Taiwan's movie industry, in the hope that Taiwan can become an important exporter of Chinese-language movies, officials from the GIO said Friday at a conference on the cultural and ...
ANA PLACES FIFTH ORDER FOR BOMBARDIER Q400 AIRCRAFT.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 2004--Bombardier Aerospace announced today that ANA (All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd.) of Tokyo has placed its fifth order for the Bombardier Q400 high-speed turboprop airliner. ANA's additional order ...
S KOREA TO ISSUE CURRENCY BONDS WORTH US$1.7 BLN THIS MONTH.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government plans to issue 2 trillion won (US$1.71 billion) worth of bonds in August to help stabilize the foreign exchange market, officials said Saturday. The plan entails two separate issuances of 1 trillion won worth of currency ...
BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - JULY 30, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... A summary of news releases for July 30th, 2004, compiled by Business Wire, the global leader in news distribution. To view any of these news release on Business Wire's Web site, please go to www.businesswire.com. 1) Category Code: AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER ANA PLACES ...
HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 2, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... HONG KONG, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - The British Army's next generation of combat uniforms will be made on the mainland to save money. - The Zhuhai government directly received about $4 billion ...
ENERSYS ANNOUNCES INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) READING, Pa., July 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- EnerSys (NYSE: ENS) today announced the initial public offering of 12,500,000 shares of its common stock to the public at a price of $12.50 per share. EnerSys has also ...
STUDY CALLS FOR BOOSTING FOREIGN TOURISTS IN S KOREA'S ANCIENT CITY.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea must implement a range of measures to lure foreign tourists to the country's ancient city of Gyeongju, a government study said Saturday. According to the study released by the Korea Culture and Tourism Policy Institute, the city, which was ...
S KOREAN STOCKS LIKELY TO FURTHER WEAKEN ON SOARING OIL PRICES.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks are likely to slide further this week as investors' concerns about soaring oil prices become more pronounced, analysts said Saturday. "The share prices may move in a 720-740 range, but the possibility cannot be ruled out that the ...
TIGER TELEMATICS SECURES N AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS FOR GIZMONDO LAUNCH.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) LONDON, July 30, PR Newswire -- Gizmondo Europe Ltd, subsidiary of Jacksonville, Florida-based, Tiger Telematics Inc (TGTL: former symbol TIGR), announced today the signing of two Letters of Intent covering sales, ...
INDIA HAS STABLE, PRO-IT GOVT POLICIES: IT MINISTER.
Aug 02, 2004 ... HYDERABAD, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Stating that Information Technology was a part of the national agenda as it enabled entry of foreign direct investmnets (FDIs) in many supporting sectors, Indian Communication and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran Saturday said the government has been providing ...
REVERSE SPLIT FOR TIGER TELEMATICS INC.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 30 /PR Newswire-AsiaNet/ -- - Tiger Announces Successful 1 for 25 Reverse Split with New Symbol TGTL Tiger Telematics has taken a crucial step concerning its common stock (TIGR) ....
CHINA'S FOREIGN TRADE SET TO CROSS ALL-TIME RECORD IN 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... BEIJING, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Buoyed by the global economic growth, China's foreign trade value this year would increase by 20 per cent to set a new record of over US$1 trillion, a senior Chinese official said here today. Based on the development trend of domestic and ...
INDIAN COURT ISSUES NOTICES TO FED GOVT, HEALTH MINISTRY ON PATENTS.
Aug 02, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and federal Health Ministry on a petition challenging the Patent Amendment Act granting product patents and alleging that this would result in hike in the price of essential medicines. A Bench ...
ANANDTECH RECOGNIZES MICRON WITH EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 27, 2004--AnandTech (www.anandtech.com), the leading IT source for hardware analysis and industry news, recently awarded Micron Technology, Inc., and Micron's direct sales division, Crucial ...
FUTURESOFT'S SOLUTION ENABLES 1ST CELLULAR LAN PLATFORM FROM BELAIR NETWORKS.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 27, 2004--FutureSoft, the market leader in communication software solutions, announced today that its Intelligent Switch Solution (ISS), an Advanced Switching and Routing Software System, is ...
PLDT SLOWS DOWN LANDLINE INVESTMENTS IN MINDANAO.
Aug 02, 2004 ... DAVAO CITY, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - The Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) company is more conservative now in putting new investments for their landline phone market in Mindanao. Mario Encarnacion, PLDT Vice President for Mindanao, said the saturation of cellular phones in ...
WB UN PROCUREMENT - PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PETROLEUM.
Aug 02, 2004 ... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - JULY 2004 Country: Papua New Guinea Project: GAS DEVELOPMENT AND UTILISATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT Financing: World Bank ...
RENAULT SAMSUNG SALES DOWN 47.5 PCT IN JULY.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Renault Samsung Motor Co., South Korea's No. 5 carmaker, said Monday that its July sales fell 47.5 per cent from a year earlier to 7,024 units. Of the total, 6,609 units were sold in the domestic market, down 49.8 per cent from the same period last ...
IMPORTED TRUCKS WIN BIGGER SLICE OF S KOREA'S DOMESTIC MARKET.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - A total of 3,718 imported trucks were sold in South Korea last year, increasing their combined market share here to 23.7 per cent, industry sources said Monday. Scania led the list with 1,985, followed by Volvo with 1,035 and Man 190, the sources said. ...
MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 2, 2004.
Aug 02, 2004 ... KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR: - Sumatec Resources Bhd, a contractor for the oil and gas industry, has set in motion its vision for a recurring base of earnings. Hence its recent proposal to purchase a fleet of coastal ...
ADB OFFICIAL APPOINTED HEAD OF S. KOREAN FINANCIAL WATCHDOG.
Aug 02, 2004 ... SEOUL, Aug. 2 Asia Pulse - President Roh Moo-hyun today appointed Yoon Jeung-hyun, member of the Asia Development Bank board of ...
LEHMAN BROTHERS' LATEST 'DAMOCLES' INDEX.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) SINGAPORE, July 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Lehman Brothers, the global investment bank, issued a third quarterly update to its proprietary Damocles Early Warning System, which helps identify the risk of external financial ...
FANNIE MAE REDEMPTION.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) WASHINGTON, July 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) will redeem the principal amount indicated of the following securities issue on the redemption date indicated below at a redemption price equal to 100 percent of ...
MICROSOFT TITLE SPONSOR FOR 2004 TOPCODER OPEN TOURNAMENT.
Aug 02, 2004 ... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) GLASTONBURY, Conn., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- TopCoder, Inc., the leader in online programming competition, skills assessment and competitive software development, today announced Microsoft, (Nasdaq: MSFT), as the title ...