AsiaPulse News back issues from May 2008:
WESTPAC POSTS 34PCT RISE IN NET PROFIT.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Westpac Banking Corporation Ltd (ASX:WBC) has shrugged off higher costs from the credit crunch to post a solid rise in first half profit, as demand for credit from business and retail customers remained buoyant. Australia's third largest bank reported ...
FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS STRONGER - MAY 1, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened stronger today, above $US0.9400, as a key US interest rate was cut again for the seventh time in a row. At 0700 AEST, the Australian dollar was trading at $US0.9434 38, up sharply from yesterday's close of 0.9358/61. ...
NEW REPORT RANKS EMERGING MARKET MOBILE PENETRATION RATES.
May 01, 2008 ... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) New Report Provides Ranking of the World's Top Emerging Markets for Mobile Services NEW YORK, April 30 PRNewswire-AsiaNet - China passes India in 2007 by adding the most new mobile subscribers in a single year, ...
FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS DEARER - APRIL 30, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The US Dollar ended sharply costlier against the rupee to Rs.40.52 per dollar, but the pound sterling ruled steady at Rs.79.67 per pound at the ...
STOCKS - BSE ENDS WEAKER - APRIL 30, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Wednesday pared its early gains and closed the day weak, even as all eyes are now on the US Fed meeting on interest rates. The 30-share ...
SEOUL GIVES UP BID TO PURCHASE U.S. SURVEILLANCE PLANES.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea may drop its plan to purchase high-tech U.S. surveillance planes because of budget constraints as the new Lee Myung-bak administration is focusing on cutting down government expenses, sources here said Wednesday. The move comes amid what the ...
AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET OPENS FIRMER - MAY 1, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market opened firmer today after the US Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate for the seventh time in seven months. But the accompanying monetary policy statement convinced the market the US Fed was not at the end of its rate cut ...
AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAY 1, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - A $13 billion cash bid to buy Origin Energy could see BG Group reshape eastern Australian gas markets. Sydney lawyer Paul Gregory will face tax evasion charges as part of ...
STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN LOWER - MAY 1, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo share prices opened lower today, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index ...
SPANISH COMPANY TO INVEST IN TOURISM SECTOR IN BALI.
May 01, 2008 ... DENPASAR, Bali, May 1 Asia Pulse - Jardines de Bali, a Spanish company, plans to develop villas on Bali Island with an initial investment of Rp362 billion (US$39.1 million). The villas would be intended to attract up-scale tourists coming to Bali, chief executive of Jardines de ...
INDONESIA'S FUEL OIL 28.7 PCT PRICE HIKE TOO HIGH: OBSERVER.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - An average increase of 28.7 per cent in fuel oil prices is too high and could cause panic among the people, economic observer Tony A Prasetyantono said here on Wednesday. He said he agreed with the government's intention to increase fuel oil prices ...
AUSTRALIA'S GLOUCESTER COAL MAKES NEW COKING DISCOVERY.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Shares in Gloucester Coal Ltd (ASX:GCL) jumped higher in early trading after the company announced it had made a major new coking coal discovery. The "significant' discovery was made in the Gloucester Basin in Newcastle, NSW, after drilling ...
INDONESIA'S GOVT STUDIES PROPOSAL TO RAISE FUEL OIL PRICES.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The government is still studying the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin)'s proposal to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for an increase in the prices of subsidized fuel oil, a minister said. "The issue of fuel oil price hike will ...
TAIWAN PRESIDENT-ELECT MEETS WITH JAPANESE BUSINESS LEADER.
May 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - President-elect Ma Ying-jeou met Wednesday with Hiroshi Mikitani, chairman and CEO of Rakuten Inc., one of the largest online shopping mall operators in Japan, to exchange ideas on the subject of electronic commerce. Mikitani met with Ma and ...
TAIWAN MAKES EFFORT TO STABILISE COMMODITY PRICES.
May 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The government has been making efforts to stabilize commodity prices, with special consideration for the disadvantaged, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung said Wednesday. Chang made the remarks at a ceremony held at the Council of Labor Affairs to commend ...
SOUTH KOREA TO CUT CORPORATE TAXES IN JUNE.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea plans to cut corporate tax next month to help spur economic growth, a senior government official said Thursday, as the global slowdown puts the brakes on Asia's fourth-largest economy. "Following oil tax cuts, the government plans to improve ...
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SUBDUED: SURVEY.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Weaker global growth, high interest rates and input costs kept Australian manufacturing activity subdued in April, a survey shows. The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of Manufacturing index (PMI), released today, ...
AUSTRALIA'S MACQUARIE AIRPORTS POSTS Q1 EARNINGS INCREASE.(Financial report)
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Macquarie Airports (ASX:MAP) today said earnings had increased across its core portfolio in the first quarter of fiscal 2008. MAp said Sydney Airport posted an increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 6.8 per ...
STATISTICS SHOW GROWTH IN TAIWAN'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY: DGBAS.
May 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The total production value of Taiwan companies rose by 47.8 per cent to NT$24.19 trillion (US$794.7 billion) in 2006 compared with 2001, but the growth of the average annual wage slowed to 7.1 per cent over the same period, the Directorate General of Budget, ...
TAIWAN AIMS TO TAKE LION'S SHARE OF GLOBAL HIGH-END BICYCLE MARKET.(Industry overview)
May 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan is projected to capture 60 per cent of the world's market for expensive bicycles by 2012, a 240 per cent expansion within a five-year period, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Wednesday. At present Taiwan possessed about 25 per cent ...
TAIWAN'S TAITUNG COUNTY SEES POOR PLUM HARVEST.
May 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Taitung County in eastern Taiwan saw only 20 per cent of its usual plum harvest this year, due to unusual and unstable climate conditions during the fruit's growth and ripening periods, a plum grower told the CNA Wednesday. According to Lee To-hai, who ...
THAILAND, BURMA SIGN GAS PRODUCTION, ANTI-DRUG AGREEMENTS.
May 01, 2008 ... BANGKOK, May 1 Asia Pulse - Thailand and its neighbour Myanmar Wednesday signed agreements on natural gas production in the Gulf of Mataban and on joint cooperation in drug suppression along their common border, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Wednesday. Both ...
ORGANDA REJECTS INDONESIAN GOVT'S PLAN TO RAISE FUEL OIL PRICES.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Organization of Land Transportation Operators (Organda) in Indonesia has rejected the government's plan to raise fuel oil prices by 28.7 per cent in June. "I absolutely reject the plan. Even now, transportation cost takes 30 per cent of our income ...
SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAY 1, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KOREAN-LANGUAGE DAILIES: - 'Sad May Day' for non-regular workers (Kyunghyang Shinmun) - Dual nationality to be partly allowed this year (Kookmin Daily) - North Korea remains on U.S ....
INDONESIA HOLDS TOURISM-CULTURE EXHIBITION IN JEDDAH MAY 1-2.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian consulate general in Jeddah, in cooperation with the Indonesian culture and tourism ministry, will organize an Indonesia Tourism and Culture Exhibition 2008 on May 1-2, 2008, at Aziz Mall, Jeddah. The exhibition would be an excellent ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX OPENS LOWER - MAY 1, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market has opened lower this morning, following uncertainty in the US overnight with an interest rate cut and the release of data reprting very low economic growth. Wall Street closed weaker after the Federal Reserve trimmed ...
BHP NODS US$1.9 BLN EXPANSION OF WEST AUSTRALIAN ALUMINA PROJECT.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) has approved US$1.9 billion (A$2.04 billion) of spending to expand the the Worsley Alumina project in Western Australia. BHP Billiton will provide 86 per cent of the funds to lift capacity of the Worsley refinery from 3.5 ...
INDIA'S DRL ACQUIRES US-BASED BASF'S CONTRACT MANUFACTURING BIZ.
May 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Home grown pharma major Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL) (BSE:500124) on Wednesday said it will acquire US-based BASF's pharmaceutical contract business and its manufacturing facility for an undisclosed amount. BASF's business which would be transferred to ...
INDIA, CHINA TO CLOCK OVER 8 PCT GROWTH IN NEXT TWO YRS: S&P.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW DELHI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The recent turmoil in the global financial markets notwithstanding, two of the largest Asian economies -- India and China will grow at eight per cent or above in the next two years, says global credit rating agency S&P in its latest report. ...
INDIA'S STRIDES TO BUY 55% OF AUSTRALIAN PHARMACO GENEPHARM.
May 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Pharmaceutical firm Strides Arcolab (BSE:532531) on Wednesday said it will acquire a majority stake of 55 per cent in ASX listed Genepharm Australasia (ASX:GAA) for A$61 million (US$57.6511 million) in an exchange for its Asian and Australian businesses. ...
SARIN, MITTAL LEAD PIO BRIGADE ON UK POWERFUL BIZ LEADERS LIST.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON, May 1 Asia Pulse - It's not only the rich lists where persons of Indian origin are making it big in the UK -- they have also emerged among the most powerful businessmen of their respective sectors, led by the likes of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal and telecom titan Arun Sarin. ...
INVESTORS EYE STAKE IN PHILIPPINES POWER CO RED VULCAN.
May 01, 2008 ... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Potential investors have already approached the First Philippine Holdings Corp. with its planned disposal of a portion of Red Vulcan Holdings Corp. Elpidio Ibanez, president and chief operating officer of FPHC, said they are looking at closing the sale ...
PHILIPPINES CENTRAL BANK SEES APRIL INFLATION AT 6.4% - 7%.
May 01, 2008 ... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Wednesday said continued increases of oil and non-oil commodity prices may result in 6.4 per cent to seven per cent average inflation in April. This, as March inflation zoomed to 6.4 per cent also because of ...
PHILIPPINES' LOPEZ NOT KEEN ON INCREASING ITS STAKE WITH MERALCO.
May 01, 2008 ... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Lopez Group has no plan to further increase its shares with the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) now more than 33 per cent. Oscar Lopez, chairman and chief executive officer of First Philippine Holdings Corp., stressed that their focus is really ...
KAZAKH URANIUM STRATEGY STUMBLES ALONG.
May 01, 2008 ... ALMATY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakh authorities have reiterated "plans" to become a world leader in uranium production. Kazakhstan, apart from sitting on the world's largest untapped oil deposit off the Caspian coast, is also immensely rich in non-ferrous metal ore, including ...
INDIAN DOCTOR BECOMES CEO OF AMERICAN INDIA FOUNDATION.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW YORK, Apr 30 Asia Pulse - An Indian-origin doctor has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the American India Foundation (AIF), which gives grants for education, public health and livelihood projects in India. Sanjay Sinho, presently Director of the health at CARE-USA, ...
AUSTRALIA'S ALLCO FINANCE PREDICTS BIG LOSS IN FY 08.(Financial report)
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Troubled Allco Finance Group Ltd (ASX:AFG) says it expects to post a significant loss in fiscal 2008, possibly more than $A1.5 billion ($US1.4 billion). Allco said that write-downs and impairments, together with anticipated restructuring costs and the ...
PAKISTAN ELICTRICITY COMPANY HIKES POWER TARIFF BY 15 PER CENT.
May 01, 2008 ... KARACHI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Pakistan Electricity Supply Company on Monday announced a 15 per cent hike in the electricity tariff, making the basic utility more expensive for ...
ECONOMIC ZONE CONSTRUCTION KICKS OFF IN CENTRAL VIETNAM.
May 01, 2008 ... HANOI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Work started on a 950 billion VND (US$59.27 million) economic zone in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Tri on April 30. The economic zone, the second largest project in Quang Tri province in terms of investment ...
VIETNAMESE CRAFT VILLAGE INFORMATION CENTRE NOW OPERATIONAL.
May 01, 2008 ... HANOI, May 1 Asia Pulse - A Craft Village Information Centre under the Vietnam Trade Village Association became operational in Hanoi on April 30. The centre will provide information on the states policies as well as legal documents relating to the planning and development of ...
HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAY 1, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... HONG KONG, May 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - China Mobile is preparing to give away up to 100,000 handsets to attract customers to its struggling 3G service, industry watchers said. - Wing Lung Bank (SEHK: ...
PHILIPPINES DOE PUSHES 5-POINT ENERGY SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM.
May 01, 2008 ... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said the government is now pushing for five-point energy strategy that would assure the Philippines' independence on imported fuel. Speaking before the delegates of the recently concluded 4th Lagos Economic Summit, Reyes ...
NO LIABILITY ON RCOM DUE TO INDIAN SC ORDER ON LIMITED MOBILITY.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW DELHI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Faced with a liability to pay about Rs 4 billion (US$98.91 million) levy to BSNL, India's Reliance Communications (BSE:532712) on Wednesday said it will not put any additional burden on the company as it has been taken care of in the previous years. ...
CHINESE AUTOMAKERS SET TO SPARK CHANGE IN GLOBAL MARKET.(Industry overview)
May 01, 2008 ... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(CA-FROST-&-SULLIVAN) Chinese Automakers Set to Spark Change in Global Market Automotive Writers PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) - May 01, 2008-- China's automakers hope to compete favorably in the ...
BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - APRIL 30, 2008.
May 01, 2008 ... A summary of news releases for April 30, 2008, compiled by Business Wire, the global leader in news distribution. To view any of these news release on Business Wire's website, please go to www.businesswire.com. 1) Category Code: Mining/Minerals HINDUSTAN ZINC ...
SOUTH KOREA'S EXPORT GROWTH REACHES NEARLY 4-YEAR HIGH IN APRIL.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's export growth reached a nearly 4-year high in April as global demand for oil products, ships and electronic goods remained strong, a government report showed Thursday. Exports reached US$38.02 billion last month, soaring 27 per cent from ...
PAKISTAN MA CONCERNED OVER BREACH OF ORGAN TRANSPLANT ORDINANCE.
May 01, 2008 ... KARACHI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Karachi Bioethics Group (KBG), a group of physicians from different medical institutions in the City, organised a joint session at PMA House the other day in which they expressed concerns over the growing violation of ...
OIL PRICE INCREASE IN INDONESIA UNFAIR TO SMALL PEOPLE: OBSERVER.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government's plan to raise fuel oil prices by an average 28.7 per cent next June is unfair to small people because it will be a hard financial blow to them, economic observer Ichsanuddin Noersy said. "This reflects the government's ...
SIX-PARTY TALKS LIKELY TO RESUME IN LATE MAY DESPITE OBSTACLES.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - Despite allegations that North Korea proliferated nuclear technology to Syria, multilateral efforts to end the North's nuclear weapons program are likely to proceed, with the six-party talks possibly resuming in late May. The upbeat mood came as the key ...
PAKISTANI CAPITAL REPORTS 70% DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATED.
May 01, 2008 ... ISLAMABAD, May 1 Asia Pulse - Sixteen per cent of the filtered water supplied to Pakistan's Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is infected with bacteria, revealed a recent survey conducted by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak EPA) over the filtration plants installed in ...
N KOREA'S FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS CHINA.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea's foreign minister Pak Ui-chun visited China for four days in late April and met with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Beijing on April 28. According to the (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pak and Yang informed each other of ...
SINGAPORE EXPLORING AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION WITH INDONESIA.
May 01, 2008 ... GORONTALO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Opportunities for Singapore and Indonesia's Gorontalo province to cooperate in the agricultural sector are wide open, the city state's envoy said here Wednesday. As a small state which had no farm land, Singapore's economy was dependent on the trade ...
PHILIPPINES NAPOCOR FAILS TO REPAIR UNIT 1 OF CALACA COAL PLANT.
May 01, 2008 ... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Failure of the state-run Philippines National Power Corporation (Napocor) to repair the unit 1 of the 600-megawatt Calaca coal-fired power facility is causing delays in settling the final payment of the $US787 million value of the plant. Suez ...
PARAMOUNT MOBILE, ARTIFICIAL LIFE TO CO-DISTRIBUTE MOBILE GAME.
May 01, 2008 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) Paramount Mobile Entertainment and Artificial Life to Co-Distribute Mobile Game Globally 'SHOOTER' the Mobile Game Released Today HONG KONG, April 30, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Hong Kong based Artificial ...
INDONESIAN GOVT LIKELY TO RAISE FUEL PRICES IN JUNE.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Amid the upward trend in crude prices in the world market which have reached US$120 per barrel, the Indonesian government is likely to raise domestic oil prices in June in an effort to reduce subsidy and alleviate the state budget's burden. "The ...
AWB SUPPORTS GOVT MOVE TO AMEND AUSTRALIAN WHEAT MARKETING.
May 01, 2008 ... CANBERRA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Australian wheat exporter AWB (ASX:AWB) has welcomed a proposal to amend draft marketing arrangements aimed at toughening up protections against regional monopolies dominating the industry. A Senate committee has given the go-ahead to Rudd government ...
PLN WANTS GUARANTEE THAT POWER PLANT LAND IS NOT PROTECTED.
May 01, 2008 ... PADANG, W Sumatra, May 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's State power company PT PLN oveerseeing West Sumatra wants assurances, before the signing of a cooperation agreement with the West Sumatra provincial administration on the construction of the coal-fired power plant PLTU Teluk Sirih in Bungus ...
PNB, ALLIED BANK BOARDS APPROVE MERGER.
May 01, 2008 ... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - A merger between the Lucio Tan-controlled Philippine National Bank (PNB) and Allied Banking Corporation (Allied Bank) was approved Wednesday by the respective Boards of Directors of both banks, with PNB as the final entity name. PNB chief executive ...
INDONESIA'S PRESIDENT ASKS FOR RESTRAINT ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1$ Asia Pulse - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked all government officials and the people to economize on their energy consumption in facing soaring world crude prices which burdens the state budget. "I order all government institutions to ...
INDONESIA TO HOST FIRST SE ASIA TOURIST GUIDES' CONGRESS.
May 01, 2008 ... PADANG, W Sumatra, May 1 Asia Pulse - All sides engaged in the Indonesian tourism sector in West Sumatra were expected to take part in the 1st South East Asia Tourist Guides Association Congress in Padang from May 30 to June 2, 2008, to promote the potential tourist attractions and ...
CONSULTANTS ASK JAKARTA TO TIGHTEN ISSUANCE OF BUILDING.
May 01, 2008 ... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian Consultants Association (Inkindo) has officially asked the Jakarta City Administration to tighten the issuance and use of building permits. "Building permits should be used by the Jakarta City Administration to evaluate and determine ...
EUROPEAN HUMANITARIAN AID AGENCY PLANS TO CLOSE PYONGYANG OFFICE.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - Amid warnings that North Korea is facing a food crisis this year, a European humanitarian aid agency plans to close its office in Pyongyang in mid-May, a Washington-based radio station said on April 29. Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted Simon Horner, ...
N KOREA CALLS FOR UN ACTION PLAN TO HELP DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea has called on the U.N. to act fast to achieve international goals for assisting developing economies, saying the goals face "a serious challenge" from a widening global economic divide, a report said on April 29. "Consistent efforts by ...
IRAN'S CASPIAN SEA SHIPPING CO TRANSPORTS 1.1M TONS OF GOODS.
May 01, 2008 ... BANDAR ANZALI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Over 1.1 million tons of commodities have been transferred by the the Caspian Sea Shipping Company during the last Iranian year which ended on March 20. Announcing this on Tuesday, the managing director of the company noted that the number of ...
PYONGYANG PLEDGES TO PROTECT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
May 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea pledged to protect intellectual property (IP) in line with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on the occasion of World IP day, which falls on April 26. The Minju Joson, organ of the North's Cabinet, said on that day, "The ...