AsiaPulse News back issues from December 2004:
STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES END SHARPLY HIGHER - NOV 30, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MUMBAI, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - Bolstered by heavy FII inflows and the economic fundamentals, the market today soared to the all-time closing high of 6234.29 in fairly brisk activity. The BSE barometer had almost touched the historic intra-day high of 6249.60 hit on January nine, ...
FOREX - US$ CLOSES SHARPLY CHEAPER VS RUPEE - NOV 30, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MUMBAI, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - The US Dollar ended sharply cheaper against the Rupee at Rs 44.6450 per dollar but the Pound Sterling turned dearer at Rs 84.81 per pound ...
PAK TO GRANT INDIA MFN IF TARIFF, NON-TARIFF BARRIERS REMOVED.
Dec 01, 2004 ... ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Departing from its stand of linking improvement in trade ties to the resolution of Kashmir issue, Pakistan has said it could grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India if it ensured a level-playing field by removing tariff and non-tariff barriers on ...
WEST ASIAN OIL PRODUCERS TO TAKE PART IN INT'L CONFERENCE.
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Oil Ministers of major West Asian crude oil producers will attend an international conference in New Delhi on January 6 to discuss stability, security and sustainability of oil supplies with major consumer nations. "All West Asian oil producers have ...
MALAYSIAN AIRLINES TO LAUNCH NEW SERVICE FROM AHMEDABAD.
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Malaysian Airlines (MAS)has announced plans to launch a new service from Ahmedabad from December 16 and would start five additional flights from other Indian destinations to Kuala Lumpur from today under the 'Open Sky' policy. The Ahmedabad-Kuala ...
S.KOREA'S CONSUMER PRICE GROWTH SLOWS TO 3.3 PCT IN NOV.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer price growth slowed to 3.3 per cent year-on-year in November due to stabilizing oil and commodity prices, the state statistics office said Wednesday. The November consumer price growth decelerated from 3.8 percent in October and ...
INDIAN CONSULTANCY MA FOI TO OPEN 7 OVERSEAS OFFICES.
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Chennai-based Ma Foi Management Consultants said it would open seven new overseas subsidiaries by June next year as part of its expansion plans. "We have already done the ground work for the new offices and all of them will be operational between ...
TAIWAN'S ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST AT 5% FOR 2005: CEPD.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's economic growth rate and unemployment rate for 2005 have been forecast at 5 per cent and 4 percent, respectively, by the Cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD). The CEPD forecast that per-capita income will reach ...
TAIWAN TO PROMOTE FRUIT IN HONG KONG, JAPAN, MAINLAND CHINA.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Council of Agriculture (COA) will launch a series of activities next month to promote seasonal Taiwan fruit in Hong Kong, Japan and mainland China, officials said Tuesday. The first of these promotional activities will kick off Dec. 16 in 50 Hong ...
INDIA'S GOLDEN QUADRILATERAL HIGHWAY PROJECT IS 75 % COMPLETE.
Dec 01, 2004 ... BANGALORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Seventy five per cent of the work on the Rs 343 billion (US$7.7 billion) Golden Quadrilateral project, linking Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata, has been completed, a senior official of the National Highways Authority of India said Tuesday. The mega ...
S.KOREAN MANUFACTURERS HOLD NEGATIVE OUTLOOK FOR DEC.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Most manufacturers in South Korea are pessimistic about their business conditions in December because of currency concerns and sagging domestic demand, a central bank survey showed Wednesday. Manufacturers' confidence in performances in November also ...
MEET ON SERICULTURE HELD IN SIKKIM.
Dec 01, 2004 ... GANGTOK, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Experts discussed here the strength and weakness of sericulture industry in the north-eastern states as well as West Bengal. In his inaugural address Tuesday, Additional Chief Conservator of forest, Sikkim, T R Poudyal, emphasised the non-traditional ...
BEIJING USING ECONOMIC CLOUT TO MARGINALIZE TAIWAN SAYS MINISTRY.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Mainland China is stepping up its efforts to marginalize Taiwan by signing multilateral or bilateral free trade agreements with other countries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Michel Lu said Tuesday. Lu was commenting on Beijing's signing ...
2ND ROUND OF TAIWAN-NICARAGUA FTA TALKS OPEN IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Delegates from Taiwan and Nicaragua started a second round of free trade agreement (FTA) talks Monday in San Francisco. Officials of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said the negotiations are divided into five panels that will ...
LIN YUAN GROUP TAIWAN'S LARGEST BUSINESS IN 2003: SURVEY.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Lin Yuan Group was Taiwan's largest business in 2003, with assets value totaling NT$2.38 trillion (US$72 billion) , according to survey results made public Tuesday by the China Credit Information Service Ltd. (CCIS). The Mega Holdings Group and the ...
SPV FOR BANGALORE-ELECTRONIC CITY EXPRESSWAY PROJECT.
Dec 01, 2004 ... BANGALORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - A special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be floated for a proposed Rs 4.5 billion (US$101 million), nine km elevated expressway from here to Electronics City on the outskirts, a major hub of technology-related activities. Announcing this here Tuesday ...
TAIWAN SIGNS US$321.57 MLN DEAL TO DEVELOP TOURIST SITE.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Tourism authorities concluded a NT$10.34 billion (US$321.57 million) deal with an international investment company Tuesday to develop the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area in southern Taiwan, the country's largest tourism-oriented build-operate-transfer ...
INDIA'S CWC PROPOSES TO BUILD AN EXCLUSIVE PORT IN MUMBAI.
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) plans to develop an exclusive minor port in Mumbai in order to smoothen its core operations. The proposed port would help in decongesting load at the Mumbai port, Food Secretary and Chairman of the ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES BEGIN SOFTER - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market opened lower today on the back of a weaker US market. On the local bourse, major banks and resource stocks slipped while the telco's and market heavyweight News Corp climbed slightly. At 1016 AEDT, the benchmark ...
TAIWAN, PACIFIC DIPLOMATIC ALLIES TO INK HEALTH COMMUNIQUE.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan and five of its diplomatic partners from the Pacific will sign a communique in Taipei Wednesday to bolster bilateral health and medical cooperation and exchanges, a spokesman for the Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday. ...
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR GROWING AT MODERATE PACE.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Despite weaker exports, Australia's manufacturing sector continues to grow at a moderate pace, with strong activity recorded in November, an index has shown. The Australian Industry Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of ...
TAIWAN ECONOMICS MINISTER TO VISIT U.S. CAPITAL NEXT WEEK.
Dec 01, 2004 ... WASHINGTON, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. Dec. 8 to attend an international seminar and meet with U.S. trade and economics officials, business sources said Monday. Ho will attend a seminar to be ...
INDIAN STATES WANT 50% SHARE OF ST KITTY, CENTRE YET TO AGREE.
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - States have demanded that Centre should share with them the Service Tax mop up on a 50:50 basis but federal Finance Minister P Chidambaram said any decision on the issue would be taken by a "consensus". "A variety of views were expressed. We will ...
PNG NEEDS TO ADDRESS POOR GOVERNANCE TO IMPROVE ECONOMY: REPORT.
Dec 01, 2004 ... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Papua New Guinea (PNG) must seriously address problems of poor governance and law and order if its economic outlook is to improve, a new report says. A study of PNG by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Economic Analytical ...
INDIAN STATES READY FOR VAT, WHITE PAPER IN 15 DAYS: OFFICIAL.
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The decks have been cleared for the introduction of Value-added Tax (VAT) from April 2005, and a white paper on the new tax regime will be circulated among states in 15 days. "A draft white paper on Value-added Tax will be ready within 15 days and ...
FISCAL REFORMS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN PHILIPPINES ECONOMIC GROWTH.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Fiscal reforms would still be need to sustain the 6.3 percent economic growth achieved by the country in the third quarter, Congressmen said here Tuesday. Bulacan Rep. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado said fiscal reforms and new tax measures could ensure the ...
ARROYO PRESSES MYANMAR OVER AUNG SAN SUU KYI.
Dec 01, 2004 ... VIENTIANE, Laos, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has called on the leadership of Myanmar to allow the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy in Myanmar's national convention. The President conveyed her sentiments to Myanmar ...
IRAN, VENEZUELA SIGNS FIVE MOUS ON MUTUAL COOPERATION.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TEHRAN, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Iran and Venezuela have signed five memoranda of understanding (MoU) on expansion of economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries. According to IRNA, the MoUs were signed in the presence of the presidents of the two countries as well ...
AUSTRALIA KEEN TO SET UP COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS IN PAKISTAN.
Dec 01, 2004 ... KARACHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Australia has shown interest in putting up 1,000 MW power plants to be operated on Thar coal. "I have received a letter from Australian authorities showing interest in setting up two 1,000 MW coal-fired power plants in Thar," disclosed Sindh Minister ...
INVESTORS SHUN PHILIPPINES OVER POOR INFRASTRUCTURE: ECONOMIST.
Dec 01, 2004 ... CEBU CITY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Fewer investors are coming to the Philippines because the country has poor infrastructure facilities, said a respected economist and senior vice president of the University of Asia and the Pacific. Speaking before a group of businessmen at the Cebu ...
IRAN, KUWAIT SIGN MOU TO BOOST ECONOMIC TIES.
Dec 01, 2004 ... KUWAIT, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - An agreement between Iran and Kuwait to implement projects agreed upon during the recently concluded Iran-Kuwait Joint Economic Commission session was signed by the two sides. The agreement was signed by Iranian Commerce Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari ...
PHILIPPINES NOW HAS 219 GAS STATIONS OFFERING DIESEL DISCOUNTS.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The number of gasoline stations offering diesel discounts to public transport groups has reached a total of 219, the Department of Energy (DoE) today said. DoE Secretary Vincent Perez said oil companies have heeded the government's call to assist the ...
STOCKS - KOSDAQ OPENS HIGHER - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The KOSDAQ oped 0.50 points ...
2ND IRAN-ARMENIA ELECTRICITY LINE TO BE LAUNCHED TODAY.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TEHRAN, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - A second line of the Iran-Armenia electricity network with a capacity of 230 kw is due to be inaugurated today. Iranian Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf and his Armenian counterpart, Armen Movsisian, will be attending the inaugural ceremony. ...
STOCKS - S. KOREAN STOCKS OPEN LOWER - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened ...
FOREX - U.S. DOLLAR OPENS HIGHER AGAINST WON - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The U.S. dollar opened at 1,048.50 won ...
STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES BEGIN WEAKER - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... TOKYO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo share prices began 1.0 per cent weaker Wednesday, with the ...
S. KOREA MAY OPEN MARKET IF RICE TALKS FAIL: MINISTER.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's agriculture minister said Wednesday that if ongoing rice talks fall apart, the country may opt to open its market fully to imports. "If overtures being made by rice exporters are unacceptable to us, we have no choice but to accept a tariff ...
FARMERS FUEL PHILIPPINES' GDP GROWTH OF 6.5% JAN-SEPT.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine farmers have helped to fuel the country's 6.5 per cent growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the first nine months of this year. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri said in a radio interview that despite the 6 per cent ...
THREE COS SUBMIT BIDS TO DEVELOP GEOTHERMAL SITES IN PHILIPPINES.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Three local and international companies have submitted proposals to develop two geothermal sites in the country as the First Geothermal Bidding Round successfully closed Monday. Department of Energy (DoE) Secretary Vincent Perez said two firms ...
PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT SEEKS TO CURB ILLEGAL LOGGING.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine Vice President Noli +Kabayan, De Castro called for political will to stop illegal logging, which he says, is the culprit behind the deadly flashfloods and landslides in the countryside. During his visit to Nueva Ecija Tuesday to inspect the ...
THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... BANGKOK, Dev 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - Asean leaders wrapped up their meetings in Laos yesterday pronouncing success in the signing of an historic trade deal with China but Burma's reported extension of the house detention of ...
LG.PHILIPS LCD TO SPEND US$5 BLN ON FLAT SCREEN PLANT.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - LG.Philips LCD Co. (KSE:034220), the world's second-largest maker of liquid crystal displays, said Wednesday it plans to build a 5.3-trillion-won (US$5.06 billion) facility for producing a larger type of flat screen. The company started to construct the ...
STOCKS - SEOUL STOCKS OPEN WEAKER - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean share prices started lower Wednesday on slumping U.S. stocks and profit-taking. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.40 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 875.66. The tech-filled ...
S.KOREAN SHIPBUILDERS TO RECEIVE LARGE SHIP ORDERS NEXT YEAR.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea, the world's largest shipbuilding nation, will continue to receive a large amount of ship orders next year, helped by strong global demand for oil tankers, industry sources said Wednesday. However, shipbuilders may face increased costs owing ...
S. KOREA, TAIWAN RESUME REGULAR COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Regular commercial flights resumed Wednesday between South Korea and Taiwan after a 12-year hiatus. Regular flights between the two countries were suspended in 1992 when South Korea established diplomatic ties with China. But, Seoul and Taipei agreed in ...
FM HAPPY AS LONG AS SENSEX DRIVEN BY FUNDAMENTALS OF ECONOMY.
Dec 01, 2004 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Indian Federal Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he would be happy as long as the BSE Sensex, which touched 6,200 points today, was driven by the fundamentals of the economy. "I don't react (on the ups and downs of the market). As long as the ...
BHP BILLITON SUES ESSO OVER LONGFORD GAS EXPLOSION.
Dec 01, 2004 ... MELBOURNE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Global resources firm BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) is suing its joint-venture partner Esso for losses and damages arising from the explosion and fire at the Longford gas plant near Sale in south-eastern Victoria six years ago. The blast at the ...
DEMAND FROM CHINA BOOSTS AUSTRALIA'S TERMS OF TRADE.
Dec 01, 2004 ... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The emergence of China was one of the reasons for Australia's strong terms of trade, Treasurer Peter Costello said today. Mr Costello, speaking on the release of today's national accounts figures which showed the economy growing 0.3 per cent in the ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES SLIGHTLY LOWER AT NOON - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market was slightly lower at noon today, but was remaining relatively steady despite weaker overseas markets. "There are really no definitive leads from overseas, European and US markets were weaker, Tokyo opened weaker, but our ...
INVESTMENT CORP. OF PAKISTAN BOOKS US$6.5 MLN FY03/04 INCOME.
Dec 01, 2004 ... KARACHI, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - The Investment Corporation of Pakistan (ICP) has earned an income of Rs 388 million (US$6.5 million) during fiscal 2003-04. ICP booked capital gains of Rs 258 million, after capitalising on bullish market conditions, ICP managing director Abdul Latif Uqaili ...
PROSPECTS FOR AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY ARE GOOD SAYS TREASURER.
Dec 01, 2004 ... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The prospect for the Australian economy in future quarters was bright, Treasurer Peter Costello said today. He said while the September quarter was slower than expected, the prospects were good. "The prospects are quite good for the ...
SINGAPORE AIRLINES TO REDUCE AGENT COMMISSIONS IN AUSTRALIA.
Dec 01, 2004 ... BRISBANE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore Airlines (SIA) (SGX:SIAL) will reduce travel agent base commissions on international fares sold in Australia from nine to seven per cent next year. The move is in line with the global industry trend which has seen base commissions come down ...
S. KOREA'S TRADE SURPLUS RISES TO US$2.77 BLN IN NOV.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's trade surplus climbed to US$2.77 billion in November from a US$2.5 billion surplus a month earlier as exports hit a fresh record despite a strengthening won, the Commerce Ministry said Wednesday. The country's exports rose 27.8 per cent ...
FORD KOREA TO RECALL EXPLORER SUVS.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Ford Sales & Service Korea, the local distributor of Ford Motor Co., will recall over 300 Explorer sports utility vehicles for faulty rear windows, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Wednesday. The recall will affect 359 ...
MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR: - Malaysia's economy is on track to achieve the official target of 7% growth this year following good expansion in the third quarter ending September. - Antah Holdings Bhd plans ...
AUSTRALIAN TREASURER WOULD LIKE TO SEE RISE IN US DOLLAR.
Dec 01, 2004 ... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Australian Treasurer Peter Costello said today he would like to see the US dollar rise so it would take pressure off Australian exporters. However, he predicted the fall in the US dollar could continue and make it more difficult for Australian ...
SASKEN DEVELOPS REFERENCE FLOW BASED ON SYNOPSYS' GALAXY DESIGN PLATFORM.
Dec 01, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, California and BANGALORE, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Sasken Flow Delivers a Time to Market Advantage for Customers by Accelerating Design Convergence Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), the ...
PIONEERING FILM PRODUCER CHANGES NAME AFTER FAME.
Dec 01, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) TORONTO, Nov. 30 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- The recent in-flight BWIA magazine hailed India's Harbance (Mickey) Kumar as the pioneer and the most successful moviemaker in the West Indies. Professor Keith Q. Warner, of George ...
IDEMA GLOBALIZES TO IMPROVE SERVICES TO MEMBERS.
Dec 01, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire - AsiaNet/ -- Disk Drive Trade Organizations Combine and Establish a Global Board of Directors to Address Consumer, Industrial and Enterprise Storage Growth The ...
FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR FIRMER AT NOON - DEC 1, 2004.
Dec 01, 2004 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar firmed this morning to be stronger at noon after a report on local economic growth was not as weak as expected. At 1200 AEDT the local unit was trading at $US0.7771/76 compared to 0.7760/63 at yesterday's close. This ...
CHINA HOPES FOR FAIR TEXTILE COMPETITION WITH PAKISTAN.
Dec 01, 2004 ... BEIJING, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - China hopes for fair competition with Pakistan's textile sector after the elimination of the quota system from January 1, 2005. "We believe the competition will intensify after the quotas are eliminated, as textile producers in Pakistan will ...
AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION JOINS CHINA FOUNDATION IN GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP.
Dec 01, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- HIV Testing, Treatment and Training Efforts Will Target Yuncheng City Residents in Province Where Blood Selling of Villagers Led to Widespread HIV Infections ...
PALL ACQUIRES CHROMATOGRAPHY BUSINESS FROM CIPHERGEN.
Dec 01, 2004 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) EAST HILLS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 2004--Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of the BioSepra Process Division from Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIPH). The purchase ...
CHINA SHOULD WIDEN YUAN TRADING BANDS: AUSTRALIAN TREASURER.
Dec 01, 2004 ... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Chinese government should widen the trading band for the yuan to take pressure off other currencies, Treasurer Peter Costello said today. Mr Costello said the stronger Australian dollar was hurting the efforts of exporters. He said ...