AsiaPulse News articles from April 2008

AsiaPulse News archives from April 2008

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS LOWER - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Aussie dollar has opened weaker, dragged lower by drooping commodity prices overnight. At 0700 AEDT, the Australian dollar was trading at $US0.9138 41, down from yesterday's close of $US0.9163/67. ...

AUSTRALIAN BONDS OPEN FIRMER - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Australian bonds opened marginally firmer as US treasuries rallied overnight, with local eyes waiting for the central bank's announcement on interest rates this afternoon. At 0830 AEDT, the yield on the...

WEST AUSTRALIAN WHEATGROWERS SAY SCRAP SINGLE DESK SYSTEM.
April 1, 2008... desk wheat marketing system, in stark contrast to eastern states growers. The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Standing Committee is examining draft government legislation which would abolish the single desk wheat marketing...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - Regulators are investigating allegations of fraud by Opes Prime chief executive Laurie Emini after a court heard claims he told his staff...

KOREA'S DEBT GROWS DUE TO SPENDING ON CURRENCY STABILIZATION.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's national debt grew over 16 trillion won (US$16.1 billion) in 2007 as the government raised more funds to stabilize the local currency market, government officials said Tuesday. According to the...

KOREA'S KOPEC SIGNS REACTOR ENGINEERING DEAL WITH WESTINGHOUSE.
April 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Korea Power Engineering Co. (KOPEC) said Monday it signed an agreement with Westinghouse Electric to participate in the U.S. firm's reactor engineering project. The deal, signed in Pittsburgh,...

AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERING CO WORLEY PARSONS BUYS US CO INTEC.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 AAP - Australia's biggest engineering company, WorleyParsons Ltd (ASX:WOR) bought US-based deepwater oil and gas engineering specialist INTEC for $US108.5 million ($A118.49 million) to take advantage of the growth in offshore...

INDIA INFOLINE PARTNERS WITH US BROKERAGE AUERBACK GRAYSON.
April 1, 2008... MUMBAI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Domestic brokerage firm India Infoline (BSE:532636) on Monday announced a partnership with US-based Auerbach Grayson, under which the American investors would be able to invest in the Indian capital market. ...

AUSTRALIAN ORE MINER MIDWEST BLAMES MURCHISON FOR 2007 LOSS.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Iron ore junior Midwest Corporation Ltd (ASX:MIS) has blamed an unsuccessful attempted takeover by Murchison Metals (ASX:MMX) for an operating loss in the 2007 financial year. And there is more to come, warned...

MICHELIN TO SUPPLY TYRES FOR HONDA CIVIC IN INDIA.
April 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - French tyre major Michelin on Monday said it will start original equipment supplies to Honda's sedan Civic in India. The company's Indian subsidiary Michelin India Tyres will supply its premium Energy MXV8...

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP TO OPEN 20 HOTELS IN INDIA.
April 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) on Monday said it plans to open 20 hotels in India with over 5,000 rooms under its different brands, including the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, as a...

AUSTRALIAN MINER STRIKE RESOURCES OFFLOADS PERU ORE ASSETS.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Junior explorer Strike Resources Ltd (ASX:SRK) is in talks with a group led by a major international mining company to sell its Peruvian iron ore assets for $US450 million ($A493.26 million). The company is...

AUSTRALIA'S BANKSA HIKES INTEREST RATES.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - BankSA (ASX:BSA) has lifted interest rates by 0.10 percentage points, blaming the higher costs of wholesale funding. The change takes BankSA's standard variable home loan rate to 9.47 per cent from Thursday for...

THOMAS COOK UK ACQUIRES 54 PCT STAKE IN THOMAS COOK INDIA.
April 1, 2008... MUMBAI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Travel services firm Thomas Cook India (BSE:500413) on Monday said two of its promoters, Dubai Financial Group and TCIM, have exited its board and a 54.42 per cent stake has been acquired in the company by its new...

AUSTRALIA'S HIGH RATES SUBDUE MANUFACTURING: PWC SURVEY.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - High interest rates continued to keep Australian manufacturing activity subdued in March, a survey says. The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers (ASX:PWC) Australian Performance of Manufacturing...

INDIA'S SUVEN GETS PRODUCT PATENTS IN KOREA, MEXICO.
April 1, 2008... MUMBAI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Pharmaceutical company Suven Life Sciences (BSE:530239) on Monday said it has received product patents in Mexico and Korea for two of their new chemical entities for the treatment of disorders associated with...

FOREX- RINGGIT CLOSES STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR - MARCH 31.
April 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 Asia Pulse - The ringgit ended at 3.1935/1965 against the U.S. dollar on Monday, stronger than 3.1950/2000 at the close on Friday. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1116

JAPAN PROVIDES SOFT LOANS FOR VIETNAM INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
April 1, 2008... TOKYO, April 1 Asia Pulse - Japan has pledged to provide preferential loans of up to US$945 million to Vietnam's infrastructure development projects in the 2007 fiscal year. Japanese official development assistance (ODA) loan agreements...

MYOB SELLS BRITISH AND IRISH ASSET.
April 1, 2008... MELBOURNE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Listed business software firm MYOB Ltd (ASX:MYO) will sell its United Kingdom and Ireland accountancy division to Wolters Kluwer for $A77.2 million (GBP 35.5 million) cash. MYOB said the sale would position...

EX-YAMAHA INDIA CEO TOMOTAKA ISHIKAWA JOINS BAJAJ AUTO.
April 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Bajaj Auto Ltd (BSE:500034), the country's leading two-wheeler manufacturer, on Monday announced it has appointed Tomotaka Ishikawa as adviser on a full time basis with effect from April 1, 2008. "Given...

CHINA TO INVEST IN REGIONAL SPECIAL IRON, STEEL FIRMS: CISA.
April 1, 2008... BEIJING, April 1 Asia Pulse - China is inclined to develop regional special iron and steel enterprises especially large iron and steel corporation, said Chi Jingdong, vice secretary-general of China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), ...

GLOBAL FOODGRAINS OUTPUT MAY RISE MARGINALLY IN 2008-09: IGC.
April 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - London-based International Grains Council has raised the projection of world's foodgrains production by 1.25 per cent to 1,694 million tons in 2008-09, saying despite very high prices, the total area under...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN LOWER - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket opened firmer but then slipped into the red, pulled back by the energy sector after oil prices fell overnight by more than $US4 a barrel. At 1015 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index...

CORR - STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN FIRMER - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket opened firmer but then slipped into the red, pulled back by the energy sector after oil prices fell overnight by more than a barrel. At 1015 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index...

OMAN GOVT TO INVITE OIL FIRMS TO DEVELOP 5 NEW BLOCKS.
April 1, 2008... MUSCAT, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Sultanate of Oman plans to invite international firms to develop five more onshore and offshore oil blocks in the country on production sharing basis. "There are few more oil blocks identified for...

AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER WATCHDOG CHECKS OUT CHECKOUTS.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - A public inquiry into whether shoppers are being price-gouged at the checkout begins in Sydney today. The inquiry by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) will review all aspects of the...

VIETNAM GOVT LAUNCHES FOREIGN INVESTMENT WEBSITE.(Website overview)
April 1, 2008... HANOI, April 1 Asia Pulse - A website on foreign investment in Vietnam was launched by the Ministry of Planning and Investments Foreign Investment Agency on March 31. The website http://fia.mpi.gov.vn is available in three languages --...

AUSTRALIANS STILL SCEPTICAL OF SHOPPING ONLINE: REPORT.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Australians are shunning shopping online over worries about retailers' return policies and the perceived difficulties in posting items back once they are received. New research by consultancy firm Leading Edge...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN HIGHER - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... TOKYO, April 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo share prices opened higher today, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index rising 59.35 points or 0.47 per cent to 12,584.89 in the first minutes of trading. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1133

AUSTRALIA OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTS SUBSIDIES FOR RENEWABLES: POLL.
April 1, 2008... CANBERRA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Three-quarters of Australians would prefer the federal government to subsidise renewable energy instead of fossil fuels, an opinion poll has found. The Galaxy Research poll conducted for independent political...

INDONESIAN PROVINCE AIMS TO PRODUCE 1.2 MLN TONS OF MAIZE IN '08.
April 1, 2008... MAKASSAR, S Sulawesi, April 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's South Sulawesi province has set itself the target of producing 1.2 million tons of maize on a plantation area of 0.31 million hectares this year, a local official said. "The 1.2...

INDONESIAN CACAO BODY ASKS GOVT TO PUT US$50 TAX ON SEED EXPORTS.
April 1, 2008... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's Cacao Industries Association (AIKI) has asked the government to impose a US$50 tax on every ton of cacao seeds to be exported in an effort to increase the competitive edge of Indonesia's processed cocoa...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... HONG KONG, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - Mainland stocks yesterday completed their worst quarter since 1992 while Hong Kong equities posted the most losses since 2001 as fears of a...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES OPEN LOWER - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks opened in negative territory Tuesday as institutions sold steel, auto and other blue-chip issues, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 8.16 points, or...

TAIWAN MOEA SAYS CPC OIL RESERVES CAN LAST ANOTHER TWO MONTHS.
April 1, 2008... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Following recent assurances by CPC Corp., Taiwan (CPC) that its oil reserves were sufficient to meet the surging demand, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reiterated Monday that the state-run refinery can...

AZERCELL SIGNS ROAMING AGREEMENT WITH SLOVAKIA'S O2 TELEFONICA.
April 1, 2008... BAKU, April 1 Asia Pulse - Azerbaijani mobile operator Azercell Telecom has signed a roaming agreement with Slovakia's O2 Telefonica, increasing the number of its international MMS roaming partners to 22. To date, Azercell has concluded...

VIETNAMESE PM DISCUSSES ECONOMIC COOPERATION IN GREATER MEKONG.
April 1, 2008... VIENTIANE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged Greater Mekong Sub-region countries to strengthen cooperation and turn transport corridors into economic ones to aid economic growth and fight poverty. The...

SOUTH KOREAN BUILDERS' OVERSEAS ORDERS JUMP IN Q1.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean builders' overseas orders grew more than 50 per cent in the first quarter of this year thanks to increased demand from the Middle East and Asian markets, a government report showed today. According...

CHINA'S PAINT INDUSTRY BECOMES WORLD'S 2ND LARGEST.
April 1, 2008... BEIJING, April 1 Asia Pulse - China has become the second largest paint producer and consumer in the world propelled by booming real estate, auto and shipping building sectors. Global paint manufacturers have moved their production...

CHINA STICKS TO TIGHT MONETARY POLICY DESPITE SUB-PRIME CRISIS.
April 1, 2008... BEIJING, April 21 Asia Pulse - China's central bank will continue its tight monetary policy despite external impact from sub-prime crisis, said Yi Gang, vice-governor of China's central bank Monday. Yi said that the central bank would make...

S KOREAN CORP TO BUILD TEXTILE MATERIAL PLANT IN VIETNAM.
April 1, 2008... BINH DUONG, March 31 Asia Pulse - Kyungbang Corporation from the Republic of Korea (RoK) will build a plant in southern Binh Duong province to produce thread and textile material. The corporation on March 31 signed a contract with...

CHINA DRAFTING BANKRUPTCY PROCEDURE FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.
April 1, 2008... BEIJING, April 1 Asia Pulse - With the new Bankruptcy Law taking effect in 2007, China's bankruptcy procedure for financial institutions is now being drafted, said Wang Xinxin, a professor of the People's University of China and a member of the...

PENALTIES FOR VIETNAMESE FIRMS THAT ISSUE UNREGISTERED SHARES.
April 1, 2008... HANOI, April 1 Asia Pulse - The State Securities Commission will crack down on companies that issue shares without registering as of April 1. In a note sent to relevant ministries and agencies on Friday, the commission said that many...

CHINA EXPORTS RAILWAY COACHES WORTH US$568 MLN TO MIDDLE EAST.
April 1, 2008... BEIJING, April 1 Asia Pulse - China Northern Locomotive Rolling Stock Industry (Group) Corporation (CNR) has signed a contract to export 455 metro cars and 160 double-deck coaches valued at 360 million euros (US$568 million) to the Middle East....

PHILIPPINES' EXTERNAL DEBT RISES TO US$54.9 BLN.
April 1, 2008... MANILA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Each of the about 85 million Filipinos now have higher debt after the country's end-December 2007 external debt totaled to US$54.9 billion, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported Monday. The latest...

STOCKS - VIETNAMESE SHARES CONTINUE TO CLIMB - MARCH 31, 2008.
April 1, 2008... HANOI, March 31 Asia Pulse - Both vietnamese bourses continued to see most stocks rise to the ceiling prices on March 31, a trend that started when the new trading bands of 1 per cent and 2 per cent were applied, respectively, in Ho Chi Minh...

SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KOREAN-LANGUAGE DAILIES: - Presidential secretary expresses concerns over professors' opposition to waterway project (Kyunghyang Shinmun) - Private equity funds, pension...

NO SHORTAGE OF FUEL SUPPLY SO FAR: TAIWAN'S CPC.
April 1, 2008... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - CPC Corp., Taiwan (CPC) assured the public Sunday that it will maintain an adequate supply of fuel, as consumers turn to the state-run oil company following an increase by its competitor in the price of gasoline and...

VINACHEM TO BUILD FERTILISER PLANT IN NINH BINH.
April 1, 2008... NINH BINH, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Vietnam National Chemical Corporation (Vinachem) plans to kick-off construction of a coal-fuelled nitrogenous fertiliser plant in the northern province of Ninh Binh in April. The plant will produce...

AUSTRALIA'S NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE TO TAKE OFF.
April 1, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR29751 Australia's New International Airline to Take Off with Flights From Hollywood to Sydney's Famous Harbour BRISBANE, March 31/Medianet International-AsiaNet/ -- ...

VIETNAMESE GOVT MOVES TO MANAGE UNMANNED AEROPLANES.
April 1, 2008... HANOI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnamese domestic and foreign organisations and individuals are permitted to manufacture and trade unmanned aircraft and super-light aeroplanes in line with a recent Government decree. The decree, enacted by...

ARROYO SAYS FILIPINOS WORKING ABROAD NOT SIGN OF WEAK ECONOMY.
April 1, 2008... HONG KONG, April 1 Asia Pulse - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Monday stressed that Filipinos working abroad is not a sign of a weak economy. In the question-and-answer portion that followed her keynote speech before the 11th Credit...

LAOS-VIETNAM INSURANCE JOINT VENTURE SET UP.
April 1, 2008... VIENTIANE, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) announced on March 31 its establishment of the Laos-Vietnam Insurance Joint Venture (LVI) with Lao partners. A contract to this effect was signed...

INDONESIAN, TAIWAN VESSELS INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL FISH EXPORT: MIN.
April 1, 2008... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Fish exports by way of transhipment in the waters of Timika, Papua, involving 24 Taiwanese and Indonesian vessels constituted a premeditated criminal offence. "The vessels belonged to eight companies, but how...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) will buy as many as 55 Boeing 737-800 aircraft for US$4.2 billion (RM13.4 billion) to replace older planes and...

BANK INDONESIA GOV'S POST MAY BE VACANT FOR SOME TIME: KUSUMA.
April 1, 2008... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - If the government does not forward its new candidate for Bank Indonesia (BI) governor to the House of Representatives (DPR) soon, the post may become vacant for some time, a legislator said. "There is a real...

S. KOREA POSTS TRADE DEFICIT FOR 4TH STRAIGHT MONTH.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea posted a trade deficit for the fourth consecutive month in March due mainly to a surge in crude oil imports, a government report said Tuesday. The country's trade deficit stood at US$670 million last...

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK BOOKS 83 PCT JUMP IN YR NET INCOME.
April 1, 2008... MANILA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine National Bank's (PNB) (PSE:PNB) audited net income jumped 83 per cent to P1.5 billion (US$35.9 million) in 2007 due to the 10 per cent increase in net interest income. In a statement, PNB said its...

TAIWAN'S ICDF TO SPONSOR 11 SEMINARS FOR DIPLOMATIC ALLIES.
April 1, 2008... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - The International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host 11 seminars this year to share Taiwan's experience in economic development with friendly countries, ICDF...

FOREIGN FUND MANAGERS BEING WOOED TO MALAYSIAN ISLAMIC FUND MARKET.
April 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Securities Commission (SC) is in talks with a few fund managers from the United States, Europe and the Gulf countries on establishing their operations in the Islamic fund management market in Malaysia. ...

TAIWAN BANKS WARN AGAINST CONSULTING WITH AGENTS ON PAYING DEBT.
April 1, 2008... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Bankers Association of the Republic of China (BAROC) suggested Monday that with the implementation of new regulations to allow for easier debt repayment deals, debtors who seek to negotiate with banks on their...

S KOREA TO EASE BANK OWNERSHIP RULES FOR STRATEGIC PRIVATE FUNDS.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea plans to ease regulations strictly for "strategic" private equity funds seeking to invest in local private banks, the financial watchdog said Tuesday. On Monday, the Financial Services Commission...

COVANTA ENERGY NAMES NEW PRESIDENT OF COVANTA ASIA PACIFIC.
April 1, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR29750 Covanta Energy Names Allard M. Nooy President Covanta Asia Pacific SHANGHAI, April 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Covanta Holding Corporation (NYSE: CVA), a world...

MALAYSIAN SUPERMARKET CHAIN TO BOYCOTT DUTCH PRODUCTS.
April 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - Mydin's chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets has decided to boycott Dutch products in response to the anti-Islam film "Fitna" produced by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders. Mydin Mohamed Holdings Sdn Bhd...

BANK NEGARA INDONESIA'S PROFIT DOWN 53 PCT IN 2007.
April 1, 2008... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - State-owned Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) said Monday its profit after tax last year fell 53.24 per cent to Rp898 billion (US$97.9 million) from Rp1.93 trillion the year before. The drop was the result of the...

KADIN'S VIEW OF INDONESIAN BUSINESS CLIMATE "TERRIFYING": PRES.
April 1, 2008... JAKARTA, March 31 Asia Pulse - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said comments on the business climate in Indonesia made by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) sounded "quite terrifying" but the government would take them...

CHINA: NO SIGN OF EASING LOANS FOR 2ND SUITE OF HOUSES PURCHASES.
April 1, 2008... SHANGHAI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Shanghai Banking Regulatory Bureau on March 30 published a notice, claiming that it has examined and concluded that there are no signs of Chinese commercial banks in Shanghai having relaxed their granting of loans...

UAE ACCOUNTS FOR 37% OF GULF PROJECTS' VALUE: MEED.
April 1, 2008... DUBAI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Out of the total a staggering US$2 trillion worth of projects in the Gulf, the UAE remains the biggest projects market in the Gulf, accounting for 37 per cent of the total project value, accordinmg to Meed Projects....

BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - March 29, 30, and 31, 2007.
April 1, 2008... A summary of news releases for March 29, 30, and 31, 2007, 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...

PHILLIPINES DOH WARNS HOSPITALS TO HEED 10% LIMIT ON TRANSPLANTS.
April 1, 2008... MANILA, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) has warned hospitals to strictly follow the existing rules that limit to 10 per cent the number of foreign transplant patients pending the implementation of the new...

INDONESIA'S BNI TO LEND US$654 MLN FOR INFRA DEVELOPMENT THIS YR.
April 1, 2008... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's state-owned PT Bank BNI (JSX:BBNI) plans to extend Rp6 trillion (US$654 million) in credits for infrastructure development this year, BBNI president director Gatot M Suwondo said. "BBNI has a...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES LOWER TO NOON - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket was lower at noon as investors were unwilling to buy stocks because of concerns about losses related to credit markets and margin loans. At 1200 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index...

BIG S KOREAN COS MAY EXPAND INVESTMENT ON DEREGULATION: SURVEY.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Nearly three-quarters of South Korea's largest companies said Tuesday they would consider expanding local investment if the government of President Lee Myung-bak eases anti-trust rules on family-run business...

USAID SUPPORTS TAJIK EDUCATION CAMPAIGN ON PREVENTING TB.
April 1, 2008... DUSHANBE, April 1 - Asia Pulse The TB Information Education/Communication (IEC) campaign under the motto `I can stop TB!' was held on March 28 in the Jomi Concert Hall in Dushanbe by the National TB Center and USAIDs Project HOPE under the...

INDONESIA'S NORTH SULAWESI EXPORTS CPO TO SEVEN COUNTRIES.
April 1, 2008... MANADO, N Sulawesi, April 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's North Sulawesi province exported 85,374.65 tons of crude palm oil (CPO) worth US$53.82 million to seven countries in 2007. "The seven countries which became the destinations of North...

SOUTH KOREA'S OVERSEAS PLANT ORDERS SURGE 48% IN Q1.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Overseas industrial plant construction orders won by South Korean companies rose sharply in the first quarter, fueled by strong demand for offshore oil rigs and processing facilities, the government said Tuesday. ...

VIETNAMESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... HANOI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: ALL DAILIES: - Prime Ministers from the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) nations on March 31 concluded their summit in Vientiane and issued a Joint Summit Declaration on...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... MANILA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: MANILA BULLETIN: - Major oil importer Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI) has sealed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with local firm Basic Energy Corporation for its ethanol...

BRIEFING - ASIA AVIATION - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... An executive briefing on aviation for April 1, 2008, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. VIETNAMESE GOVT MOVES TO MANAGE...

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN SHARES HIGHER IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was up 0.26 per cent in early trade Tuesday, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index rising 3.25 points to 1,250.77 at 10:04 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1323

VIETNAM, SECOND LARGEST FOOTWEAR EXPORTER TO SPAIN.
April 1, 2008... HANOI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Last year, Vietnam earned 220.3 million euros (US$347.76 million) from footwear exports to Spain, a year-on-year increase of 10.68 per cent, and continued to be the second largest footwear exporter to the European...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE SHARES UP IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... SINGAPORE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade Tuesday, with the Straits Times Index up 33.80 points to 3,041.16 at 10:20 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-04 1325

BRIEFING - ASIA ENERGY - APRIL 1, 2008.
April 1, 2008... An executive briefing on energy for April 1, 2008, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. VINACHEM TO BUILD FERTILISER PLANT...

S KOREA PAYING 'CLOSE ATTENTION' TO CURRENCY MARKET: OFFICIAL.
April 1, 2008... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government doesn't want the local currency market to suffer sharp fluctuations so it is paying "close attention" to the won's movement against the United States greenback, a senior financial official...