AsiaPulse News articles from April 2005

AsiaPulse News archives from April 2005

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR STARTS LOWER - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar started marginally lower this morning as the market remained largely unmoved by inflation related data in the United States overnight. At 0700 AEST the local unit was trading at...

STOCKS - BOMBAY STOCKS END HIGHER - MARCH 31, 2005.
April 1, 2005... MUMBAI, March 31 Asia Pulse - Led by IT sector, the sensex today spurted by 111 points to end at 6492.82 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on a fresh round of buying spree from domestic mutual funds as well as operators, extending the gains to...

FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS WEAKER AGAINST RUPEE - MARCH 31, 2005.
April 1, 2005... MUMBAI, March 31 Asia Pulse - The U.S. dollar ended sharply weaker against the rupee at Rs 43.75 per dollar and the pound sterling finished lower at Rs 82.33 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here today....

S KOREA'S CONSUMER PRICES RISE 3.1 PCT IN MARCH.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer prices rose 3.1 per cent year-on-year in March due to hikes in prices of agricultural products and service rates, the state statistics office said Friday. The consumer price index climbed...

FORMER HOLDEN EXEC NAMED PRESIDENT OF GM CHINA GROUP.
April 1, 2005... ADELAIDE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Australian-born former Holden executive Kevin Wale has been named the new president and managing director of the General Motors China Group. Mr Wale, who held positions in finance and marketing with Holden in...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Consumers may be charged higher prices for water as a result of government revenue during restrictions. - Up to 2000 jobs are under threat as the...

VANCO APPOINTS JOHN IMLE ITS NEW PRESIDENT.
April 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2005--Vanco Energy Company is pleased to announce the addition of staff: John F. Imle, Jr. has recently joined Vanco Energy Company as President with...

SIA CUTS FARES FOR MUMBAI FLIGHTS TO SINGAPORE, KL, PENANG.
April 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - In an aggressive pricing move, Singapore Airlines (SIA) Thursday launched a 'Sweet Deals' scheme offering a roundtrip fare of Rs 13,499 (US$307.85) for travellers from Mumbai to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and...

S KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: Vernacular dailies -- Nine of 10 legislators say constitutional amendment necessary (Kyunghyang Shinmun) -- Seoul-Tokyo diplomatic row deepening over Dokdo dispute...

AUSTRALIA'S SMORGAN ACQUIRES REMAINING STAKE IN ASIAN RECYCLING JV.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Steel manufacturer Smorgon Steel Group Ltd (ASX:SSX) has acquired the remaining 50 per cent of a recycling joint venture in Asia. Smorgon Steel has now bought the 50 per cent of the Smorgon Hartwell Recycling...

INDIA'S HINDUSTAN CONSTRUCTION TO RAISE US$29.6 MLN FROM FIIS.
April 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (NSI:HCNS) Thursday said it will raise Rs 1.3 billion (US$29.6 million) from Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs). The shareholders have approved allotment of 2,905,540...

INDIA'S RAYMOND LTD RAISES INVESTMENT IN ZAMBAITI JV.
April 1, 2005... MUMBAI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Bullish on the Indian textile sector and freeing of quota regime, apparel maker Raymond Ltd (BSE:500330) has increased its investment in the joint venture with Italy's Gruppo Zambaiti to Rs 2 billion (US$45.8...

INDIA'S PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK RETURNS 30 MLN SHARES TO GOVT.
April 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Punjab National Bank (NSI:PNBK) Thursday returned capital totalling Rs 11.53 billion (US$264 million) to government, two weeks after it mopped up Rs 31.20 billion through its second public offer of 80 million...

DONGWON FINANCIAL TO MERGE KOREA INVESTMENT, AFFILIATE ON JUNE 1.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Dongwon Financial Holdings Co. (KSE:071050), South Korea's fourth-largest financial group, said Friday it plans to merge newly-acquired Korea Investment & Securities Co. with its brokerage unit, Dongwon Securities...

STOCKS - TOKYO STOCKS OPEN LOWER - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... TOKYO, April 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday, with the Nikkei 225 index falling 107.32 points, or 0.92 per cent, to 11,561.63 during the first nine minutes of trade. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1013

STOCKS - S KOREAN STOCKS OPEN LOWER - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, with the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) falling 1.90 points to 963.78. (Yonhap) 01-04 1015

FOREX - US DOLLAR OPENS HIGHER AGAINST WON - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - The US dollar opened at 1,018.00 won Friday, up from 1,015.50 at Thursday's close. (Yonhap) 01-04 1017

STOCKS - KOSDAQ STARTS WEAKER - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - The KOSDAQ Friday started 1.68 points weaker at 453.35. (Yonhap) 01-04 1019

AUSTRALIA'S EXCEL COAL BOOSTS STAKE IN MILLENNIUM COAL.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - NSW-based coal miner Excel Coal Ltd (ASX:EXL) will acquire a further 7.4 per cent of Queensland's Millennium Coal Pty Ltd. Consideration for the shares is 2,160,900 new, fully-paid Excel shares plus 11.4 cents...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING GROWTH REMAINS SUBDUED IN MARCH.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Australian manufacturing growth remained subdued in March as export numbers and new orders continued to soften, the latest Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) showed. While the March PMI -...

SKILLED SHORTAGES IN AUSTRALIA TO WORSEN, SAYS TREASURER.
April 1, 2005... CANBERRA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Treasurer Peter Costello Thursday warned Australia's labour shortage crisis will get significantly worse in the decades ahead. Mr Costello also reiterated his support for an increase in skilled migration to...

EXEC OF AUSTRALIA'S VISY STOOD DOWN AMID PRICE-FIXING PROBE: REPORT.
April 1, 2005... MELBOURNE, April 1 Asia Pulse - A senior Visy executive has been stood down amid price-fixing investigations in the cardboard packaging industry, according to a newspaper report. Visy chief executive officer Harry Debney said yesterday the...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN STOCKS OPEN HIGHER - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket opened higher today, buoyed by stronger resources and banking stocks. At 1017 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up by 24 points at 4133.9 while the all ordinaries index added...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES RISE IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean share prices were higher in early trade Friday as oil shares rose on rising oil prices. Technology shares also led the gain. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock...

S KOREA, OECD AGREE TO BUILD SOCIAL AFFAIRS CENTER IN SEOUL.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea has agreed with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to set up a social affairs center in Seoul, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday. In a meeting held Thursday...

MCDATA CONTINUES TO TARGET Q2 2005 TO COMPLETE CNT ACQUISITION.
April 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) BROOMFIELD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2005--McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq: MCDTA) (Nasdaq: MCDT) a leading provider of data infrastructure solutions, announced on January 18, 2005, a...

S KOREA'S TRADE SURPLUS REACHES US$1.57 BLN IN MARCH.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's trade surplus fell in March from the previous month as the won's appreciation against the dollar and shrunken global demand crimped the country's exports, the government said Friday. March's trade...

US FUND FOR UNICEF SELECTS ARKADIN'S AUDIO AND DATA CONFERENCING SERVICES.
April 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) TINTON FALLS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2005--The United States Fund for UNICEF selected Arkadin to provide audio and data conferencing services to its US employees in an effort to...

HYUNDAI MOTOR TO HIKE PRICE OF NEW SONATA ON RISING STEEL COST.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Motor Co. (KSE:005380), South Korea's biggest automaker, said Friday it will increase the price of its new Sonata sedan by as much as 5.1 per cent due to rising steel cost. Hyundai Motor will raise the...

TAIWAN GOVT TO PROVIDE MORE INCENTIVES TO BOT PROJECTS: CEPD.
April 1, 2005... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - The government will provide more incentives for development projects under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model so as to help local governments lure more business opportunities, the nation's top economic policy...

TAIWAN'S MARCH CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX HITS SIX-MONTH LOW.
April 1, 2005... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's consumer confidence index dropped to a six-month low at 75.13 in March, according to the results of a survey released Thursday by the National Central University's Research for Taiwan Economic Development....

IMBALANCE IN TAIWAN'S TECHNOLOGY TRADE MUST BE ADDRESSED: PRESIDENT.
April 1, 2005... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - President Chen Shui-bian said Thursday that Taiwan's imbalance between technology imports and exports must be addressed if the country intends to maintain its international competitiveness. Quoting government...

TAIWAN'S SCIENCE COUNCIL TO INCREASE INT'L COOPERATION.
April 1, 2005... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - The National Science Council (NSC) will increase its international cooperation, focusing on more than 20 major programs that will link every corner of the world, the council's head said Thursday. NSC Chairman...

CHINA OFFENSIVE WILL CORNER TAIWAN AGRICULTURE: DPP LAWMAKERS.
April 1, 2005... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's agriculture will be backed into a corner by China now that Beijing has kicked off an offensive to deal with Taiwan with a two-pronged strategy, a group of ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawyers...

MILL SHUTDOWN TO AFFECT EBIT OF AUSTRALIA'S ZINIFEX.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Lead and zinc miner Zinifex Ltd (ASX:ZFX) estimates the impact from its recent shutdown of an ore grinding operation in Queensland will be $A14 million ($US10.78 million) in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT)....

PAKISTANI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 31, 2005.
April 1, 2005... KARACHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Major headlines of newspapers published in Pakistan on March 31, 2005: DAWN: - Israeli envoy to Ethiopia shoots himself - Iran takes journalists inside key nuclear plant - US may get access to...

STOCKS - KARACHI STOCKS CLOSE HIGHER - MARCH 31, 2005.
April 1, 2005... KARACHI, March 31 Asia Pulse - The market continued to remain positive on March 30 as the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE)-100 Index increased by 230 points to close at 8086 on moderately high turnover of 447 million shares. According to...

SMALL WORLD TOYS EXPANDS ASIAN MANUFACTURING PRESENCE IN HONG KONG.
April 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) CULVER CITY, Calif., April 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Chinese Manufacturing Industry Leader, Rickie Ching, to Lead Efforts Small World Kids, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SWKD), a leading...

HITE-LED GROUP MAKES HIGHEST BID FOR S KOREA'S JINRO: SOURCES.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - A consortium led by Hite Co. (KSE:000140), South Korea's largest beer maker, has offered the highest bidding price in a heated competition to buy Jinro Ltd., the country's largest maker of Korean distilled liquor...

SK TELECOM'S MOBILE PHONE SUBSCRIBERS RISE IN MARCH.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - SK Telecom Co. (KSE:017670), South Korea's biggest mobile phone operator, said Friday it added a net 72,360 cell phone customers last month, bringing the total to over 19 million. SK Telecom attracted 423,512...

CVRD SETTLES 2005 LUMP ORE PRICE WITH THYSSENKRUPP STAHL.
April 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) RIO DE JANEIRO, April 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO) (CVRD), the world's largest producer of iron ore and pellets, concluded the Carajas lump ore (CJL)...

KAZAKHSTAN'S GOLD PRODUCTION DROPS 11.3% ON-YEAR IN JAN-FEB.
April 1, 2005... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakhstan's gold production dropped 11.3 per cent year-on-year in January-February to 1.471 tons. Silver production, though, grew 17 per cent to 128.297 tons, the State Statistics Agency told Interfax. ...

PAKISTAN OFFERS US$5 MLN CREDIT FACILITY TO NEPAL.
April 1, 2005... ISLAMABAD, April 1 Asia Pulse - Pakistan on March 30 offered million credit facility to Nepal to be utilised for further promoting economic relations between the two countries. The offer was made at 5th session of Nepal-Pakistan Joint...

KYRGYZSTAN MINES 20 PCT MORE COAL IN JAN-FEB.
April 1, 2005... BISHKEK, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kyrgyzstan produced 53,400 tons of coal in the first two months of 2005, up 20 per cent year-on-year. Commercial production in the coal industry grew 24 per cent to 23 million som (US$557,000) in the two...

UZBEKISTAN TO OFFER 22 PCT OF STEEL MILL TO FOREIGN INVESTORS.
April 1, 2005... TASHKENT, April 1 Asia Pulse - Uzbekistan's State Property Committee has decided that only 22 per cent of Uzmetkombinat, the country's only steel mill, will be offered to foreign investors instead of an originally planned 33 per cent, a...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... BANGKOK, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - Statements by Commerce Minister Thanong Bidaya that Thailand would remove protection on hot-rolled steel have undermined the country's negotiating...

COCA-COLA JV RESUMES OPERATIONS IN UZBEKISTAN.
April 1, 2005... TASHKENT, April 1 Asia Pulse - Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan Ltd. has resumed operations in the Central Asian country after shutting down 18 months ago, a top official at the Uzpischeprom association, of which the joint venture is a member,...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SINGAPORE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES: - The months-long hearing into the Nicoll Highway collapse ended yesterday with counsel for the State recommending that five parties be charged for...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - It could get worse on the local stock market before it gets better, analysts and fund managers predicted. - Abrar Discounts Bhd managing...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's major newspapers: KOMPAS: - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who visited the quake hit island of Nias on Thursday regretted poor coordination that caused a delay in the...

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS RAISES PAY BY AVERAGE OF 46 PCT IN 2004.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Employees at Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:00593), Asia's most valuable company by stock market capitalization, got an average 45.5 per cent pay raise last year, according to data released Friday. In 2004,...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... HONG KONG, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STANDARD: - Cheung Kong (Holdings), Hong Kong's biggest property developer by sales, said net profit jumped 42 percent last year despite lower margins, as more home...

CHINA STARTS WORK ON KAZAKHSTAN-CHINA OIL PIPELINE.
April 1, 2005... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Construction has begun on the 240-kilometer Chinese section of the Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline in Jinghe county in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to sources with China National Petroleum Corp....

KAZAKHSTAN AIMING TO BE WORLD LEADER IN URANIUM PRODUCTION.
April 1, 2005... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakhstan has launched a program designed to make it the world leader in uranium production. The state-owned National Atomic Co., or Kazatomprom, has started a program to reduce the expected shortage of uranium...

AUSTRALIA'S SMORGON STEEL TO EXPAND IN ASIA.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Metal recycler Smorgon Steel (ASX:SSX) is looking to expand its presence in Asia now that it has taken full ownership of its joint venture with Hartwell Pacific. Smorgon today said it had acquired the remaining...

KAZAKHSTAN ENLARGES URANIUM PRODUCTION BY 11% IN 2004.
April 1, 2005... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakhstan enlarged its uranium production by 11.1 per cent to 3,719 tons in 2004, according to a report by the Kazatomprom National Atomic Company. Kazakhstan produced 3,346 tons of uranium in 2003. Last year,...

S. KOREA RECEIVES 8 OFFERS FOR INTERNET TELEPHONY LICENSES.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Eight telecommunication companies, including KT Corp. (KSE:030200) and Hanaro Telecom Inc. (Kosdaq:033630), on Friday bid for licenses to offer Internet-based telephony services, officials said. Dacom Corp....

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN STOCKS STRONGER AT NOON - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market remained stronger to noon as resources led the way following a rise in the price of crude oil. "It's all about oil at this point," said Macquarie Equities adviser Helen Spencer. ...

TURKMENISTAN OPENS US$240 MLN CARBAMIDE PLANT.
April 1, 2005... ASHGABAT, April 1 Asia Pulse - Turkmenistan has opened a US$240 million carbamide plant with capacity to produce 350,000 tons a year. Turkey's Gap Insaat Yatyrym ve Dys Tijaret Anonim Sirketi built the plant. The fully automated plant...

TELSTRA REJECTS US REPORT IT IS MISUSING MARKET DOMINANCE.
April 1, 2005... CANBERRA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Telstra (ASX:TLS) has rejected claims in a United States report that it is misusing its market dominance. A new report by the US Trade Department said the telecommunication giant was slow to open up access to...

UZBEKISTAN'S UZDAEWOOAUTO SEES PRODUCTION UP 85% IN JAN-FEB.
April 1, 2005... TASHKENT, April 1 Asia Pulse - UzDaewooAuto increased automobile production in January and February by 84.7 per cent to 15,700 vehicles, a company source told Interfax. The company produced 8,796 Nexia cars in the period (4,097 in the same...

INDONESIA'S BANK PANIN POSTS 105% RISE IN NET PROFIT.
April 1, 2005... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Publicly listed Bank Panin posted Rp877 billion (US$92.4 million) in net profit in 2004 or an increase of 105.4 per cent from the previous year. Bank Panin Vice President Roosniaty Salihin said net interest...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE SHARES FIRMER IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SINGAPORE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade Friday, with the Straits Times Index up 0.9 points at 2,142.3 at 10.30 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1235

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN SHARES HIGHER IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was up 0.37 per cent in early trade Friday, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index rising 3.23 points at 874.58 at 10.24 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1237

S. KOREAN FINANCE MINISTER CONFIDENT ABOUT ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Finance and Economy Minister Han Duck-soo Friday expressed confidence that South Korea's economy will improve this year, citing continuing signs of recovery in consumer spending. He also said that exports, the...

KOOKMIN TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE AMID HEATED COMPETITION: CEO.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - The head of Kookmin Bank (KSE:060000) said Friday South Korea's largest lender will bolster its customer service and improve customer satisfaction to better compete with its rivals in South Korea's banking industry....

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... TOKYO, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET: - Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers weakened in the three months to March for the second straight quarterly deterioration, the Bank of Japan...

ARROYO UNDAUNTED BY SURVEYS: PHILIPPINE SENATOR.
April 1, 2005... MANILA, April 1 Asia Pulse - The recent survey of Pulse Asia that showed a dip in the approval rating of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo showed the countrys chief executive is undaunted by surveys, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said. She...

INDONESIA FAILS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EU TRADE OFFER: ASSOCIATION.
April 1, 2005... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia will most likely fail in its attempts to obtain a larger quota and a cut in import duty for its canned tuna exports to the European Union. The reason was due to the country's failure to submit a...

AGRARIAN REFORM PROJECTS TO UNDERGO DESIGN CHANGE: ARROYO.
April 1, 2005... MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, April 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here today her government will soon initiate several "design changes" in the Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) projects to ensure that more people...

ARROYO ASKS CONGRESS TO PASS VAT, 4 OTHER BILLS DURING SESSION.
April 1, 2005... MANILA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Thursday urged Congress to pass four additional urgent bills aside from the restructuring of the Value-Added tax system, Speaker Jose de Venecia revealed. The...

TAJIKISTAN'S GDP GROWS 8.1 PCT IN JAN-FEB.
April 1, 2005... DUSHANBE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Tajikistan's gross domestic product expanded 8.1 per cent year-on-year to 733.2 million somoni (US$263 million) in current prices for the period January-February, the country's state statistics committee told...

DIARY - CHINA TO HOST INT'L CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EXPO IN JULY.
April 1, 2005... BEIJING, April 1 Asia Pulse - 2005 China International Consumer Electronics Expo will be held in Qingdao, a port city in east Chinas Shandong Province, from July 1 to 4. At a press briefing held here on April 30, Wang Ning, vice-president...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR WEAKER AT NOON - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar was marginally weaker at noon today, dipping slightly following the release of domestic building approvals data. At 1200 AEST the local unit was trading at $US0.7724/29, compared with...

SAMSUNG INVESTS US$60 MLN IN NEW OPTICAL COMMUNICATION FIRM.
April 1, 2005... HAIKOU, April 1 Asia Pulse - Samsung (Hainan) Optical Communication Technology Co. Ltd went into operation in the Haikou Bonded Area in south China's Hainan Province on March 30. Solely-funded by South Korea's Samsung Electronics...

S.KOREA'S ADVERTISERS OPTIMISTIC FOR 3RD MONTH IN ROW: SURVEY.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean advertisers forecast their business will show improvement in April due to expectations of an economic recovery, the third consecutive month of such optimism, an industry body said Friday. The...

STOCKS - HONG KONG STOCKS OPEN LOWER - APRIL 1, 2005.
April 1, 2005... HONG KONG, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Hong Kong stock market opened 0.16 per cent lower Friday with the Hang Seng Index dropping 21.22 points at 13,495.66 following a rise in crude oil prices, dealers said. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1300

CHINA EYES INVESTMENT IN PAKISTAN'S ENERGY, TELECOM SECTORS.
April 1, 2005... ISLAMABAD, April 1 Asia Pulse - Chinese investors have expressed keen interest to invest in the Pakistani energy, telecommunication and manufacturing sectors, an official statement said Wednesday. The discussions to this effect were held...

CHINA TO ENCOURAGE EXPORT OF CHINESE BRAND CARS.
April 1, 2005... BEIJING, April 1 Asia Pulse - China's Ministry of Commerce will adopt effective measures to encourage and support Chinese auto enterprises to export vehicles of Chinese independent intellectual property right (IPR) carmakers to explore...

DAEWOO HEAVY TO SET UP FORKLIFT PRODUCTION BASE IN TURKEY.
April 1, 2005... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Daewoo Heavy Industries & Machinery (DHI) (KSE:042670) said Friday it will set up a forklift production base in Turkey. The company and Sanko Holding Co., a Turkish construction machinery maker, concluded a...

CHINA STOPS EXPORT REBATES FOR PRIMARY STEEL PRODUCTS.
April 1, 2005... GUANGZHOU, April 1 Asia Pulse - As of April 1, 2005, China has stopped practicing export rebates policy for primary steel products such as steel billet, sources of Guangzhou City Bureau of Taxation disclosed. Experts take this as a signal...

CHINA'S LARGEST CAPACITOR PRODUCTION BASE LAUNCHED IN NINGGUO.
April 1, 2005... HEFEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Anhui Feida Group Industrial Park, Chinas largest capacitor production as well as R&D base, has recently been launched in Wangxi Town in Ningguo City of Anhui Province. Construction of Feida Industrial Park,...

JANPNESE GOVT'S UNLIMITED PROTECTION ON BANK DEPOSITS ENDS.
April 1, 2005... TOKYO, April 1 Asia Pulse - Full government protection of deposits at Japanese banks, prompted by the financial crisis of the mid-1990s, has been scrapped. Starting Friday, guarantees on all deposits are capped at 10 million yen...

CHINA APPROVES 5 MOBILE PHONE PRODUCERS.
April 1, 2005... BEIJING, April 1 Asia Pulse - China's State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) recently examined and approved mobile phone production applications submitted by five enterprises. The combined production capacity of mobile phones of the...