AsiaPulse News back issues from December 2008:
(DIP) TURKISH PREMIER CONDUCTS TELEPHONE DIPLOMACY OVER INDIA-PAKISTAN TENSION AFTER MUMBAI ATTACKS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
(DIP) TURKS STRANDED IN THAILAND.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
(ECO) TURKEY SEARCHING FOR NEW MARKETS TO BRACE SHRINK IN EUROPE, FOREIGN TRADE MINISTER SAYS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
(GEN) SECURITY FORCES IMPOUND 100 KG OF HEROIN IN VAN.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
(CUL) FIRST ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL IN ISTANBUL.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
(GEN) TURKISH PRESIDENT RETURNS FROM TURKMENISTAN.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
(CUL) TURKISH FILM AWARDED IN EGYPT.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
(DIP) TURKEY'S CULTURE AND TOURISM MINISTER TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN.
Dec 01, 2008 ... (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) ...
AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET OPENS WEAKER - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market opened weaker after the strongest weekly rally on Wall Street since 1974 dampened demand for debt assets. Local bonds are expected to trade within a tight range on Monday as investors await the Reserve Bank of Australia's ...
FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS WEAKER - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened weaker as the biggest drop in European inflation on record boosted the US currency. At 0700 AEDT, the Australian dollar was trading at .6531/38, down from Friday's close of $US0.6561/65. During the weekend ...
INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP INCREASES STAKE IN MALAYSIAN JV.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX:IAG) has expanded its footprint in Asia, increasing its interest in its joint venture with Malaysian insurer AmAssurance to 49 per cent. IAG, which had held a 30 per cent interest in AmAssurance, said the increase ...
SOUTH KOREAN PARLIAMENT INCREASES 2009 BUDGET.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Next year's national budget has been increased by roughly 10 trillion won (US$6.8 billion) by parliamentary committees amid calls by both the ruling and opposition parties for sound fiscal spending, legislative sources said Sunday. The tally is from 13 ...
SOUTH KOREA'S ADVERTISING MARKET FORECAST TO DELINE.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's advertising market is expected to shrink this year as companies cut back on promoting their products amid the economic slump, an industry association said Sunday. The country's advertising market is expected to reach 7.78 trillion won ...
SOUTH KOREAN EXPORTS SET TO GAIN OVER 10PCT IN 2009.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's exports are expected to grow 10.3 per cent in 2009, largely due to a steady increase in shipments of machinery and steel products, a report showed Sunday. According to a report by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or KOTRA, the ...
SOUTH KOREA SET TO TRIPLE AID TO DEVELOPING NATIONS BY 2015.
Dec 01, 2008 ... DOHA/KUWAIT CITY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said Saturday that his government planned to triple its official development assistance, or ODA, designed to promote the socioeconomic advancement of developing nations, by 2015. In an address at a ...
SOUTH KOREAN CONGLOMERATES SUSTAIN HUGE FOREX LOSSES.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's top 30 business conglomerates have suffered over 10 trillion won (US$6.8 billion) in foreign currency-related losses in the first three quarters of the year, while their deficits are only expected to grow due to the weakening Korean won, an ...
ECONOMISTS WARN KOREAN ECONOMY FACES RECESSION.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's economy is feared to be heading for its first recession in a decade next year as domestic and overseas sales are set to face further declines, experts said Sunday. The South Korean economy grew 0.6 per cent on-quarter in the July-September ...
SOUTH KOREA, CHINA, JAPAN TO DISCUSS GREEN COOPERATION.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Environmental ministers from South Korea, Japan and China will meet this week for their annual talks aimed at increasing cooperation on environmental issues, the Ministry of Environment said Sunday. The three-way meeting, known as the Tripartite ...
SOUTH KOREA TO SPEED UP CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's financial regulator said Saturday it plans to speed up efforts to restructure troubled companies as the nation's economy is widely expected to head toward its first recession in a decade. "There is a limit to the government's ability to ...
SOUTH KOREA, EU TO HOLD FRESH ROUND OF TRADE TALKS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Trade negotiators from South Korea and the European Union plan to hold a new round of talks next month, with the aim of forging a free trade agreement, a Seoul official said Saturday. The two sides launched the talks in May last year and had hoped to ...
U.S. BEEF SALES IN SOUTH KOREA TOP 200 TONS IN 4 DAYS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Cuts of imported U.S. beef have been selling like hotcakes since hitting shelves at major South Korean discount outlets, with sales reaching over 200 tons in just four days, industry sources said Sunday. The country's top three retailers -- E-Mart, ...
AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN - Danish architect Joern Utzon dies. Kevin Rudd will identify the nation's poorest-performing schools and flood them with $1.1 billion over the next five years. Pakistan is withdrawing troops ...
INDIA'S RELIANCE INDUSTRIES SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH 3 POWER COS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... JAIPUR, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries (RIL) (BSE:500325) has entered into an agreement to sell solar energy to three three power companies of Rajasthan - Jaipur Discom, Ajmer Discom and Jodhpur Discom. RIL is setting up a 5 MW solar power generation ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN LOWER - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket has opened one per cent lower despite a rally on Wall Street and expectations the Reserve Bank of Australia will cut interest rates this week. At 1015 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 43 points, or 1.15 per cent, ...
MUMBAI TERROR ATTACK IMPACT: BANKERS SEEK BEEFED UP SECURITY.
Dec 01, 2008 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - In the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Mumbai the financial capital of India banks feel that security needs to be beefed up at select branches to deal with any emergency. "We will beef up security in our branches besides installing CCTV in ...
FOREX - RINGGIT CLOSES WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR - NOV 28, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 Asia Pulse - The ringgit ended at 3.6210 6260 against the U.S. dollar ...
OVER US$815 MLN LOSS INCURRED DURING MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The 60-hour terror ordeal that struck Mumbai on Wednesday night caused a blow of nearly Rs 4,000 crore (US$815 million) to the financial capital of the country, industry experts said on Saturday. "It is an overall loss of the economy as hotels, shops ...
AUSTRALIA'S FUTURIS CORP DOWNGRADES PROFIT GUIDANCE.(Financial report)
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Agribusiness Futuris Corp Ltd (ASX:FCL) has downgraded its profit guidance as it anticipates tough market conditions for the rest of fiscal 2009. Futuris says underlying profit after tax in fiscal 2009 now is forecast to be about $A60 million ($US39.2 ...
SOUTH KOREA NEEDS TO MAINTAIN LOW INTEREST RATES: REGULATOR.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's financial regulator said Saturday the country needs to maintain low interest rates to help local companies withstand the global financial crisis. "It's important to let interest rates remain low to prevent the financial crisis from ...
TAIWAN'S TOP FINANCIAL REGULATOR RESIGNS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The country's top financial regulator has resigned over what he called his inability to properly respond to the global financial crisis, with Sean Chen, the chairman of SinoPac Financial Holdings (TAIEX:2890), who is to take over the post, the Executive Yuan ...
FOREX - US DOLLAR OPENS FIRMER AGAINST WON - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The U.S. dollar on Monday opened at 1,470.0 won, up ...
LESS THAN 1,000 S KOREANS ALLOWED TO STAY IN KAESONG COMPLEX.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Pyongyang has decided to allow fewer than 1,000 South Koreans to work at a joint industrial enclave in North Korea starting Monday, sources said, far below the level wanted by Seoul. The North informed the South's private Kaesong Industrial District ...
STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN LOWER - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... TOKYO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Japan's Nikkei stock index opened 0.56 per cent lower on Monday, with the ...
VIETNAMESE FISH EXPORTER, MOSCOW SIGN FOOD SUPPLY ACCORD.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HCM CITY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Nam Viet Corporation (Navico) and the Moscow City Food Resources Department signed a memorandum of understanding regarding food and foodstuff supply in Ho Chi Minh City on November 28. Under the terms of the document, the two sides will cooperate ...
HYDRO-POWER PROJECT KICKS OFF IN CENTRAL VIETNAMESE PROVINCE.
Dec 01, 2008 ... QUANG NAM, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Vietnam Urban and Industrial Zone Investment and Development Corporation (IDICO) started construction of the Dak Mi 4C hydro-electric power plant in central Quang Nam province's Phuoc Son district on November 28. The 18MW hydro-electric power ...
PETROVIETNAM, CA MAU POWER PLANTS INK SERVICES CONTRACT.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HANOI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - A maintenance contract worth over 10.4 trillion VND (US$613.6 million) for Ca Mau power plants I and II was signed by the Ca Mau PetroVietnam Power Company and the PetroVietnam Power Services Company in Hanoi on November 28. The contract will cover the ...
VIETNAM'S HAI PHONG KICK-STARTS INTL TRADING CENTRE.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HAI PHONG, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Construction of an international trading centre, with first phase investment totalling US$26 million, began in the northern port city of Hai Phong on November 28. The 120,000 sq.m centre, hosted by the Dongshing-Vietnam international one-member ...
WTO IMPACTS ON VIETNAM'S WOOD, FISHERY INDUSTRIES EXAMINED.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HCM CITY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The effects of its two-year WTO membership on the Vietnamese wooden products, handicraft and fishery industries were the major topics of a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 28. Participants presented in-depth analyses of both the ...
SOUTH KOREA MULLS EXTENDING SHORT SELLING BAN.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's financial watchdog is considering banning short stock selling longer than expected as the local market remains volatile despite stabilization measures, officials said Sunday. In September, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said it ...
TAIWAN LAWMAKERS CRITICIZE UNPROFITABLE STATE COS OVER BONUSES.
Dec 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties on Friday criticized unprofitable state-run companies for planning to give handsome year-end bonuses to their employees -- an issue they said has upset the public. Speaking at a news conference held ...
SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse Highlights of today's newspapers: KOREAN-LANGUAGE DAILIES: - Colleges get more autonomy in selecting students (Kyunghyang Shinmun) - Parliament puts public life on back burner (Kookmin Daily) - Universities defy state ...
INDIA'S APOLLO TO SPEND US$285 MLN ON HOSPITAL, CLINIC GROWTH.
Dec 01, 2008 ... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Indian medical care provider Apollo Health and Lifestyle plans to invest around Rs 1,400 crore (US$285 million) in the next three to four years on expanding its presence across the country with its different formats. The company will spend Rs 600 ...
68% OF TAIWAN'S FIRMS INTERESTED IN JOB CREATION PROGRAM: SURVEY.
Dec 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Sixty-eight per cent of businesses are interested in joining the government's "get to work" job creation program, according to the results of a survey released Saturday by an online employment broker. This group of businesses includes 39.39 per cent ...
INDIAN ECONOMY TO GROW CLOSE TO 8% BY 2008-09 END: CHADHA.
Dec 01, 2008 ... CHANDIGARH, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - India would achieve close to 8 per cent growth by the end of the current fiscal despite the global downturn adversely impacting certain sectors of the domestic industry, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council Member G K Chadha on Saturday said. ...
AUSTRALIA'S MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY FALLS FOR 6TH MONTH IN A ROW.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Australian manufacturing activity declined for a sixth straight month in November, as firms scaled back activity in response to weakening consumer and business confidence, a survey shows. The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian ...
SRI LANKA FIRM WANTS TO BE SPECIALIST BRAND BUILDER.
Dec 01, 2008 ... COLOMBO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - A new advertising firm, which wants to specialize in brand building, will start in January 2009 targeting companies in Sri Lanka and Dubai, its promoters said. The agency named '4word' will be an outsourced partner to corporate marketing teams and ...
AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE CO MYOB IN TAKEOVER TALKS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Accounting software company MYOB Ltd (ASX:MYO) says it is in discussions with "a range of parties" about possible takeover bids, as it urges shareholders to reject a takeover bid from Manhattan Software Bidco as undervaluing the company. "Manhattan is ...
DIALOG PAY TV WINS SRI LANKAN MARKETING AWARDS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... COLOMBO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Dialog TV, a pay tv unit of the celco Dialog Telekom said it had received medals at a marketing award scheme organized by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing. It had won silver medals for 'Turnaround Brand Of The Year' and 'New Entrant Brand Of The ...
HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HONG KONG, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - Private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts planned to invest about US$300 million in a greenfield dairy business on the mainland, market sources said, as the industry tries ...
VALUE OF VIETNAM'S EXPORTS ON THE SLIDE AS GLOBAL PRICES FALL.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HANOI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Fallout from the global financial crisis and the knock-on effect of recession affecting many countries has had a negative impact on Vietnamese exports, with export values continually declining since September. This fall goes against the trend ...
STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES OPEN LOWER - DEC 1, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec. 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks opened lower Monday as institutions dumped steel, tech and other large caps, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slumped 10.74 points, or 1 per cent, to 1,065.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading ....
COA PROMOTES TAIWAN ORANGES IN DONGSHAN, TAINAN COUNTY.
Dec 01, 2008 ... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) held an activity at the Dongshan Farmers' Association in Tainan County Saturday to promote Taiwan oranges, with Vice President Vincent Siew's wife, Susan Chu, taking part in the event. Chu praised Taiwan oranges ...
DISTILLERIES BOOSTS SRI LANKA'S SHARE TRADING VOLUMES.
Dec 01, 2008 ... COLOMBO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lankan share prices ended slightly firmer Friday, with volumes pushed higher by large trades in Distilleries Company but concerns over company earnings still weighing on the market, brokers said. The All Share Price Index rose 0.86 per cent (14.06 ...
OSTRICH FARMING GROWING RAPIDLY IN VIETNAM.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HCM CITY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Ostrich farming is developing rapidly in Vietnam, the Department of Animal Husbandry has said. There are 12,000 breeding ostriches on 56 farms situated in 40 provinces and cities. In the central region alone, there are 16 farms that are ...
SRI LANKAN COURT REMOVES PETROLEUM MINISTER OVER HEDGING DEALS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... COLOMBO Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka's Supreme Court removed the island's petroleum minister and suspended payments - which the court said could amount to US$700 million over nine months - to four banks on hedging deals with a state-run oil firm. The Supreme Court also removed ...
INDIAN FIRMS RESCHEDULE MEETINGS, ISSUES DUE TO MUMBAI ATTACK.
Dec 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - As corporate India picks up threads to resume business in the country's financial capital which is nursing its wounds from the terror attack, several corporates were forced to postpone their board meetings, conferences and extend time for closure of the share ...
VIETNAM'S FIRST REFINERY GETS CRUDE FOR TEST RUN.
Dec 01, 2008 ... QUANG NGAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Dung Quat oil refinery in Vietnam's central Quang Ngai province on November 30 received the first 80,000 MT of crude oil that will service its test-runs. Present at the event, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Huynh Ngoc Son expressed his ...
SRI LANKAN TELECOM PROFITS FALL 31-PCT IN SEPT QUARTER.(Financial report)
Dec 01, 2008 ... COLOMBO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Profits of Sri Lankan Telecom (SLT) group, the island's largest fixed access carrier, fell 31 per cent to 1,235 million rupees (US$11.4 million) with revenues growing 4 per cent to 11,691 million in the quarter ended September 2008. The stand alone ...
CENTRAL VIETNAMESE REGION TO LURE 100,000 THAI, LAO VISITORS.
Dec 01, 2008 ... DA NANG, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnam's central region is expected to receive about 100,000 visitors from Thailand and Laos this year. This target is feasible thanks to a direct air route Da Nang city to Bangkok and a land route along the East-West economic corridor. ...
INDIAN CORPORATES CALL FOR TOUGH ACTION AGAINST TERRORISM.
Dec 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Indian corporates on Saturday exuded confidence that business will be back to normal from Monday and heaved a sigh of relief as the 60-hour terror horror got over Saturday morning. While urging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for tougher laws against ...
VIETNAM'S AN GIANG PROVINCE PRODUCES JAPANESE RICE.
Dec 01, 2008 ... AN GIANG, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Farmers in Vietnam's southern An Giang province have signed contracts with the Angimex-Kitoku Joint Venture Company for sale of all rice on 1,300 ha grown with Japanese rice varieties in this winter-spring crop. The Japanese rice has been grown not ...
SRI LANKA'S NDB NET PROFITS UP 18 PCT IN SEPT QUARTER.(Financial report)
Dec 01, 2008 ... COLOMBO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka's National Development Bank's net profits for the September 2008 quarter rose 18 per cent to 351 million rupees (US$3.3 million), interim accounts showed, while revenues climbed 20 per cent to 3,169 million rupees. Interest expense rose ...
S. KOREA'S LEE VOWS ALL-OUT EFFORT TO EASE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT.
Dec 01, 2008 ... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that his government will send upwards of 160,000 young South Koreans abroad for occupational training and volunteer services over the next five years as part of his effort to ease unemployment among the nation's youth. ...
VIETNAM TO INVEST IN CLIMATE CHANGE-PROOF IRRIGATION.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HANOI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has estimated a budget of 1 trillion VND (US$59 million) up to 2010 to develop an irrigation system adaptable to global climate change. MARD said from now to 2015, almost one-third of ...
HO CHI MINH CITY TESTS NEW WIMAX HIGH-SPEED INTERNET NETWORK.
Dec 01, 2008 ... HO CHI MINH CITY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Motorola has deployed a WiMAX trial network for the Vietnam Datacommunications Company (VDC), the largest internet service provider (ISP) in Vietnam. WiMAX allows more people faster access to internet connections and other advanced telecom ...