AsiaPulse News articles from August 2005

AsiaPulse News archives from August 2005

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS SOFTER - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened softer today following strong economic data in the US late last week. At 0700 AEST the local unit was trading at $US0.7558/62, weaker than Friday's close of 0.7615/20. During...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Incoming NSW Premier Morris Iemma, who is understood to have taken more sick days and leave than any other MP during his 14 years in parliament, has...

HYUNDAI HEAVY WINS US$400MLN OIL RIG ORDER FROM FRENCH FIRM.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's largest shipbuilder, said Sunday it had received a US$400 million order to build an offshore oil rig from a French oil company. Under the deal, Hyundai Heavy will construct...

KOREAN CONSUMER PRICES RISE 0.4PCT IN JULY.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug. 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean consumer prices increased in July at the fastest pace in four months, mainly due to a rise in oil costs and prices of agricultural products, a government report said Monday. The consumer price index...

TWO KOREAS TO FORMALLY OPEN ROAD, RAILWAY LINKS IN OCTOBER.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South and North Korea have agreed to formally open rail and road links around late October, according to a joint statement signed at the weekend. Wrapping up a three-day working-level contact in the North Korean...

S. KOREAN OIL FIRM TO SIGN TECHNOLOGY MOU WITH IRAQI MINISTRY.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The state-run Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC) said Sunday it will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Iraqi government on support of technology for oil development. The corporation will ink the agreement...

LG. PHILIPS' Q2 LARGE LCD OUTPUT TOPS 10 MLN UNITS.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - LG.Philips LCD Co. produced more than 10 million liquid crystal display (LCD) panels of 10 inches or larger in the second quarter for the first time in the world, a U.S.-based market researcher said Sunday. In the...

S. KOREA'S EXPORTS OF ELECTRONIC GOODS FALL 1.2 PCT IN FIRST HALF.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean exports of electronic goods such as semiconductors slipped in the first half of the year, mainly because of a slump in the global IT industry and harsh challenges from rivals such as China, the country's...

SOUTH KOREAN AGENCY TO SELL $US195MLN IN ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - A South Korean state agency said Sunday it plans to sell 200 billion won (US$195 million) in asset-backed securities (ABS) next month to fund capital spending by smaller companies. The securities will be backed by...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY FLAT IN JULY.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Australian manufacturing activity remained flat in July as underlying weakness in the sector surfaced in the new financial year, an index has found. The Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) - jointly released...

GOLD AURA FINDS EVIDENCE OF COPPER IN NW CHINA.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Explorer Gold Aura Ltd (ASX:GOA) has found encouraging signs of high grade copper during field work in North West China. Grades of up to four per cent were found at the Saiyikale Joint Venture in the Xinjiang...

NEWS CORP DEPUTY LACHLAN MURDOCH QUITS.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - News Corporation chairman and chief executive officer Rupert Murdoch has announced that deputy chief operating officer, Lachlan Murdoch, has decided to resign from his executive roles with the Company. He will...

SOARING COAL PRICES BOOST COAL AND ALLIED PROFIT.
August 1, 2005... MELBOURNE, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Soaring coal prices have helped Coal and Allied (ASX:CNA) achieve a record half year net profit. The Rio Tinto subsidiary has reported a net profit for the half year ending June 30 2005 of $A126.4 million...

TROUBLED SMART CARD CO ERG SET TO POST LOSSES.
August 1, 2005... PERTH, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Troubled smart card group ERG Group Ltd (ASX:ERG) expects to post an annual net loss of between $A10 million ($US7.55 million) and $12 million after cost blowouts on major projects. The cost of completing major...

SK TELECOM DECIDES TO PAY INTERIM DIVIDEND.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. said Friday that its board decided to pay shareholders an interim dividend of 1,000 won (US$0.97) a share. "The dividend will be paid out by Aug. 18," the company...

WOOLWORTHS ANNUAL SALES RISE IN AUSTRALIA.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Supermarket chain Woolworths Ltd (ASX:WOW) lifted sales in 2004/05 following a strong performance in its food and liquor division. But the market for discretionary goods, such as children's clothing and bedding...

INDIA'S BANK OF BARODA TO SET UP SHOP IN TRINIDAD.
August 1, 2005... PORT OF SPAIN, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - As part of its worldwide expansion plans, Bank of Baroda (BSE:532134) will soon set up a branch in this Caribbean nation. The bank will set up a branch in this island nation as soon as the necessary legal...

INDIAN POWER MINISTRY PITCHES FOR 100% FDI IN TRADING.
August 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Power Ministry has recommended 100 per cent foreign direct investment in trading of electricity through the automatic approval route. "It has been recommended to Department of Industrial Policy and...

INDIA'S RELIANCE CAPITAL TO ACQUIRE AMP SANMAR LIFE INSURANCE.
August 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Capital (BSE:500111) is all set to acquire AMP Sanmar, making it the first Indian private corporate entity to go solo in life insurance business without any foreign partner. ...

INDIAN INFLATION RISES FURTHER TO 4.18 PCT.
August 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - An all round rise in the prices of primary, fuels and manufactured products pushed inflation up to 4.18 per cent in the week ended July 16, indicating the increasing impact of last month's hike in petrol and diesel...

STALEMATE IN WTO TALKS A WAKE-UP CALL: INDIAN COMMERCE MINISTER.
August 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - India Friday said the current stalemate in the ongoing WTO trade talks was a wake-up call and emphasised that multilateral trading system should be fair and equitable to poor and developing countries to move...

CLINICAL TRIALS EMERGING BUSINESS FOR INDIAN PHARMA INDUSTRY.
August 1, 2005... HYDERABAD, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - India is set to emerge as a major player in the global market for third party clinical trials and a host of pharma companies are increasingly engaging themselves in clinical trials of different magnitudes. ...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN HIGHER - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... TOKYO, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo shares opened higher today, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index rising 28.22 points or 0.24 per cent to 11,927.92 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 01-08 1025

PAKISTAN SLAPS QUARANTINE RESTRICTIONS ON INDIAN POTATOES.
August 1, 2005... ISLAMABAD, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Pakistan has slapped quarantine restrictions on the import of potatoes from India, saying they could be infected with a virus. "We have reports that the Indian potato crop is infected and therefore the...

S. KOREAN MP3 FIRM SCAM CO. TO LIST SHARES ON NASDAQ.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - SCAM Co., a South Korean MP3 player maker, said Saturday it plans to list its shares on the Nasdaq stock market, becoming the first MP3 producer to do so. Under the plan, the company will be renamed Sorrell for the...

INDIA SEEKS CHANGES IN TRIPS AGREEMENT IN WTO.
August 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - India has sought changes in the TRIPs (Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights) agreement in the WTO to protect traditional knowledge and bio-diversity and suggested working towards a Ministerial Declaration on...

SAMSUNG TO BAN USE OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN PRODUCTS.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:005930) said Sunday it will prohibit the use of hazardous substances in its products from August in an effort to stick to environmental regulations by the...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX OPENS WEAKER - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket opened weaker in early trading after a poor lead from US markets on Friday. At 1015 AEST the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had dropped 12.3 points to 4276.5 while the All Ordinaries lost...

PROXILLIANT SYSTEMS OPENS ASIA PACIFIC SALES OFFICE IN AUSTRALIA.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) NACKA STRAND, Sweden, MELBOURNE, Australia, BALA CYNWYD, Pa., and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 29, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Proxilliant Systems Corp., a leading supplier of systems and technologies...

FOREX - DOLLAR OPENS HIGHER AGAINST WON - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The dollar opened at 1028.00 won this morning, up from 1026.80 won. (Yonhap) 01-08 1041

RESTAURANT SECTOR POPULAR AMONG FEMALE BUSINESS STARTERS: POLL.
August 1, 2005... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - While the number of female business starters is increasing in Taiwan, 50 per cent of these women favor the restaurant and food services industry, according to the results of a survey released Friday by the 104 Job...

TAIWAN JAN-JUNE TOURIST ARRIVALS RISE 18.1% YEAR-ON-YEAR.
August 1, 2005... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Tourist arrivals totalled 1.646 million during the first half of 2005, up 18.1 per cent over the same period last year, according to tallies released Friday by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and...

SOUTH KOREA TO INTRODUCE AGRI-PRODUCT TRACKING SYSTEM IN 2006.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug. 1 Asia Pulse - The government said Monday it plans to introduce a tracking system for agricultural goods next year that will monitor all produce from production through distribution to give consumers a better picture of the food...

STOCKS - KOSDAQ OPENS HIGHER - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Kosdaq opened at 548.73 points this morning. up 2.05 points. (Yonhap) 01-08 1046

TAIWAN MOTORCYCLE SECTOR TO SEND SALES TEAM TO INDIA.
August 1, 2005... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will lead a group of local motorcycle manufacturers to India in November to promote sales, TAITRA officials said Saturday. The mission is expected to meet...

S KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: Vernacular dailies -- 'More tapes of eavesdropped conversations likely exist' (Kyunghyang Shinmun) -- South, North Korea fail to agree on light-water reactors (Kukmin...

NISSAN 1ST JAPAN CARMAKER TO EXPORT US-BUILT VEHICLES TO CHINA.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2005--Trekking across the Mississippi Delta by rail, the cadre of China-bound Quests roll past the tall magnolias one last time as they head west,...

S KOREAN DEPT STORE SALES RISE IN H1.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Sales at South Korea's major department stores in the first half of the year swung to an upturn for the first time in three years thanks to a steady recovery in private spending, a government agency said Sunday. ...

SMALLER KOREAN FIRMS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT AUGUST OUTLOOK: SURVEY.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's small and medium-sized businesses are pessimistic about their business outlook for August due to still-sluggish private spending and higher oil prices, a survey showed Sunday. The small business...

SOUTH KOREAN SHARES TO RISE THIS WEEK: ANALYSTS.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stock prices are likely to continue their upward march this week, helped by ample liquidity and a series of better-than-expected corporate earnings announcements, analysts said Saturday. On Friday,...

N KOREA ADOPTS COMPUTERIZED MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRIC POWER: REPORT.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea is working to implement computerized management of its scarce electric power to prevent blackouts, a senior researcher at the North's Kim Chaek University of Technology said Saturday. The official said...

IMPACT OF FTAS ON S KOREAN EXPORTS SMALL: REPORT.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean goods and services that received favorable duties and other benefits under free trade agreements (FTAs) only accounted for a small percentage of the country's overall exports in 2004, a report by a...

SURABAYA CONTAINER TERMINAL OFFERED TAX DEBT DEAL.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The taxation directorate general said it would allow the Surabaya Container Terminal (TPS) to pay its value added tax (VAT) obligations by installments. VAT Director Syarifuddin Alsyah said his office is awaiting...

INDONESIA'S BANK NISP POSTS LOWER H1 NET PROFIT.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The net profit of Bank NISP (JSX:NISP) declined to Rp94.4 billion in the first half of this year from Rp124.36 billion (US$12.6 million) in the same period last year despite aggressive credit expansion. The...

BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - JULY 29, 2005.
August 1, 2005... A summary of news releases for July 29, 2005, 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:...

STOCKS - SEOUL STOCKS FALL IN EARLY TRADE - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's stock market fell slightly in early trading on Monday, after a crude oil prices rose. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) declined 1.58 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 1,109.74 in the...

WB UN PROCUREMENT - INDIA, FOREST MANAGEMENT.
August 1, 2005... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - JULY 2005 Country: India Project: ANDHRA PRADESH COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECT Financing: World Bank Abstract:...

LAZARD HIRES JONATHAN SHI TO EXPAND CHINA ADVISORY BUSINESS.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2005--Lazard Ltd (NYSE: LAZ) today announced that Jonathan Shi (Shi Jin Jing) has been hired as a Managing Director-Asia to expand its China advisory...

INDONESIA'S BUMI RESOURCE BOOKS 179% JUMP IN H1 NET PROFIT.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Holding company PT Bumi Resource reported Rp1 trillion (US$105 million) in net profit in the first six months of this year, or an increase of 179 per cent from the same period last year. The surge in net profit...

INDIA CALLS FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION TO PROMOTE REGIONAL TOURISM.
August 1, 2005... COLOMBO, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - India's Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhury called for collective action by South Asian nations to attract more tourists to the region and said New Delhi would develop a web portal to showcase the varity of tourist...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Telekom Malaysia Bhd's overseas investments, as they mature, will give a significant boost to Telekoms total assets and strengthen its position as a...

BANK INT'L INDONESIA POSTS 3% RISE IN H1 NET PROFIT.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) reported a slight increase of 3 per cent on-year in net profit to Rp397 billion (US$41.7 million) in the first semester of this year. Its President Henry Ho said its outstanding...

WB UN PROCUREMENT - VIETNAM, SANITATION.
August 1, 2005... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - JULY 2005 Country: Viet Nam Project: THREE CITIES SANITATION PROJECT Financing: World Bank Abstract: QUANG NINH SUB-PROJECT -...

INDIA'S ITC LAUNCHES PREMIUM PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS.
August 1, 2005... KOLKATA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - ITC Ltd (NSI:ITC), India's largest tobacco company which has diversified into areas ranging from garments to tourism, has launched its imported personal care products for the premium segment. "More products...

WB UN PROCUREMENT - PHILIPPINES, HEALTH.
August 1, 2005... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - JULY 2005 Country: Philippines Project: SECOND WOMEN'S HEALTH AND SAFE MOTHERHOOD PROJECT Financing: World Bank Abstract:...

FITCH UPGRADES CITIBANK KOREA'S INDIVIDUAL RATING TO 'B/C'.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings on Monday upgraded Citibank Korea Inc.'s ("CBK") individual rating to "B/C" from "C," citing its improved capital position and robust operating performance. Fitch also...

WB UN PROCUREMENT - INDIA, ROAD.
August 1, 2005... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - JULY 2005 Country: India Project: ASSAM STATE ROAD PROJECT Financing: World Bank Abstract: GENERAL PROCUREMENT NOTICE Sector:...

TOP RANKING INDONESIAN POLICE FOUND WITH BULGING BANK ACCOUNTS.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Transaction and Analysis Reporting Center (PPTAK) has reported to the police chief its finding that a number of high ranking police officers have extraordinarily large balances in their bank accounts. PPTAK...

BRITISH OUTSOURCING FIRM CAPITA TO EXPAND INDIAN OPERATIONS.
August 1, 2005... LONDON, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Capita, a leading Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company in the UK that also does work for some government departments, today announced plans to double its workforce in Mumbai to 300 by the end of this year as...

PAY HIKE PLAN FOR TOP INDONESIAN OFFICIALS DRAWS ANGRY RESPONSE.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - A plan to raise the salaries of high ranking officials has been branded as immoral following reports of starvation in some parts of the country. Economic observers Bankit Hendri Saparini said it is not right to...

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TO SUPPORT BLU-RAY DISC FORMAT.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 2005--Twentieth Century Fox, a member of the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association since October 2004, announced today that it...

INDIAN OUTSOURCING INDUSTRY IN FOR MAJOR CONSOLIDATION: STUDY.
August 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Indian outsourcing industry is expected to witness an increase in merger and acquisitions and IPO activities, with the total value of deals estimated to be as high as 3-US$5 billion during 2006-10, according to...

INDIAN COS MUST BE STRONGER FOR INDIA TO BECOME 3RD POWER.
August 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - India Inc will play a major role in making the country the third largest economic power after US and China by 2050, economic think-tank ICRIER director Arvind Virmani said Saturday. Addresing Chief Executive...

IMPORT DUTIES, EXCISE REAP US$2.51 BLN FOR INDONESIA TO JULY 15.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Customs and Excise Director General Eddy Abdurrachman said state revenues from import duties and excises rose reaching Rp23.91 trillion (US$2.51 billion) by July 15 or 51.88 per cent of the whole year's target. ...

AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS FACING TOUGHER TIMES: WOOLWORTHS CEO.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Woolworths Ltd (ASX:WOW) chief executive Roger Corbett said retailers were experiencing a slight tightening but it was too early to tell what direction the sector would take in 2005/06. Mr Corbett said there was...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... HONG KONG, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STANDARD: - China State Construction and rival Gammon are among the few contenders for the biggest piece of infrastructure work to be awarded in recent years, the...

BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES LIVE-EVENTS LINEUP FOR WEEK OF AUG 1.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) NEW YORK, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Bloomberg, the leading global provider of data, news and analytics, today unveiled its lineup of live events and selected interviews available on...

PALL WINS CONTRACT FROM GREEN CROSS FOR LEUKOREDUCTION FILTERS IN KOREA.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) EAST HILLS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 2005--Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL) announced today a long-term agreement with the Green Cross Corporation (KSE: 006280) to exclusively purchase its...

RELEASE OF S KOREA'S NEW ANTI-IMPOTENCE DRUG LIKELY TO BE DELAYED.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The release of a new anti-impotence drug by South Korea's largest drug company is likely to be delayed as the nation's food and drug watchdog plans to further examine whether the product contains cancer-causing...

RECENT SMALL COMPANY LISTINGS ON ASX NOT PERFORMING: PWC.
August 1, 2005... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Investors in new small capitalised stock listings on the Australian Stock Exchange have suffered a string of poor returns in first half of 2005, an financial services firm says. PricewaterhouseCoopers says just...

FICOSA ACQUIRES A3 SHARES FROM FRACTUS.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) BARCELONA, July 26 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Fractal Antenna Technology Key Innovation for the Vehicle of Tomorrow Ficosa International, a multinational automotive systems and...

S. KOREA'S TRADE SURPLUS REACHES US$1.9 BLN IN JULY.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's trade surplus reached US$1.9 billion in July, down from $2.6 billion for the same month in 2004, a preliminary report by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Monday. Customs-cleared...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2005.
August 1, 2005... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE JAKARTA POST - The Indonesian Consumers Foundation is urging the public to file a class action against the government's plan to raise toll road fees by an average of 15%...

SK TELECOM TO BEGIN INT'L CELL-PHONE ROAMING IN VIETNAM.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - SK Telecom Co. (KSE:017670), South Korea's top mobile phone operator, said Monday it will start an international roaming service Tuesday allowing its mobile phone subscribers to share cell-phone networks in 29...

PAKISTAN EYES US$2 BLN IN FDI BY YEAR-END: MINISTER.
August 1, 2005... ISLAMABAD, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Due to robust economic growth, the government is expecting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to touch $2 billion by the end of the year, but infrastructure development remains a challenge. The State Minister for...

POLAND SEEKS CLOSER ECONOMIC TIES WITH PAKISTAN.
August 1, 2005... QUETTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Poland wants to enhance its cooperation with Pakistan in the field of alternative energy technology and the development of small and medium enterprises and industries in Balochistan. This was stated by Ireneusz...

BRITAIN TO INCREASE INVESTMENT IN PAKISTAN.
August 1, 2005... LAHORE, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - British Deputy High Commissioner Simon Butt said that Britain would continue to seek more trade with Pakistan. Butt was talking to the LCCI Acting President Sohail Lashari. British Deputy High Commissioner...

CHINESE ELECTRONICS GIANT TO SELL NOTEBOOK COMPUTERS IN KOREA.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - China's largest home appliance maker, Haier Group Co., plans to sell its notebook computers in South Korea from September to boost its presence in the local electronics market, industry sources said Monday. The...

IBM JAPAN EXPANDS BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION OUTSOURCING NETWORK.
August 1, 2005... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) TOKYO, Aug. 1 MediaNet International-AsiaNet - New center to transform and operate sales and marketing related processes based on IBM Japans web and telephony sales model IBM Japan,...

MARKET CAPITALISATION OF SOUTH KOREAN FIRMS RISES.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug. 1 Asia Pulse - The number of South Korea's listed companies with market capitalization of 10 trillion won (US$9.73 billion) or more came to 10 this year from one in 1994, stock market sources said Monday. Korea Electric Power...

DAEWOO SHIPBUILDING TO BUILD FIVE LNG TANKERS FOR QATARI FIRM.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug. 1 Asia Pulse - The Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., the world's second-largest shipbuilder, said Monday it had received an order to build five large liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers valued at US$1.20 billion from a...

MALAYSIA'S UEM WORLD TO LAUNCH MANDATORY OFFER FOR PHARMANIAGA.
August 1, 2005... KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Pharmaniaga Berhad (KLSE:(7081) on Friday said that it has received a notice of mandatory offer from UEM World Berhad (KLSE:1775). The mandatory offer made by UEM World's wholly-owned subsidiary, Trinity...

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS UNVEILS NEW HANDSET WITH JAPANESE ROAMING.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:05930), the world's third-largest mobile phone maker, said Monday it will begin selling a new high-speed handset designed to automatically work on cell-phone networks in South Korea and...

TAIWAN TO OFFER TRAINING TO LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMIC OFFICIALS.
August 1, 2005... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - A group of approximately 30 senior economic officials from eight of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Central and South America will visit Taiwan in August for a training program on economic planning, officials said...