AsiaPulse News articles from August 2007

AsiaPulse News archives from August 2007

CVRD PERFORMANCE IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2007.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) RIO DE JANEIRO, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - A Virtuous Circle of Growth Companhia Vale do Rio Doce's (CVRD) financial performance in the second quarter of 2007 (2Q07) continued...

PEPSICO SUPPORTS CALL TO ACTION ON MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) PURCHASE, New York, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- PepsiCo, one of the world's largest food and beverage companies operating in more than 200 countries, was among several businesses...

GPV ANNOUNCES NEW FIRE TRUCK AND RESCUE VEHICLE PRODUCT LINE-UP.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) NEW HAVEN, Michigan, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - General Purpose Vehicles, Inc. (GPV), A CMI-Schneible Group Company, headquartered in New Haven, Michigan announced today the...

SYCHIP INTRODUCES SYMAX FAMILY WITH WIMAX CHIP SCALE MODULE.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) PLANO, Texas, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Product Line Enables Next Generation of Mobile Broadband SyChip, Inc., a leader in Radio Frequency Chip Scale Modules (CSM) and a...

SOLO DIRECT CONNECT BRINGS WIMAX TO EASTERN IOWA.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) RICHARDSON, Texas, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Quad Cities to enjoy one of the first Mobile WiMAX(TM) networks in the United States Solo Direct Connect today announced it has...

BRAZILIAN MOBILE CARRIER OI DEPLOYS DITECH NETWORKS SOLUTION.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Oi relies on Ditech's VQA solution to enhance mobile service under challenging conditions during the popular event Ditech...

CELLPORT LICENSES U.S. TELEMATICS PATENTS TO POINT TO POINT TECH.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) BOULDER, Colorodo, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Patented Handset Connectivity and Mobile Technology Portfolios Will Be Used in Products throughout North America Cellport Systems,...

TRAVELCLICK SELECTED BY VOYAGES HOTELS & RESORTS.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) CHICAGO, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Australian Hotel Company Implements iHotelier CRS, ChannelDirect at Select Properties TravelCLICK, Inc., the leading provider of emarketing...

OTIS PRODUCTS SELECTED FOR LANDMARK 'GREEN' TOWER IN BRISBANE.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) FARMINGTON, Connecticut, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Otis Elevator Company, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), was awarded a contract to supply and install 17 elevators and...

IMPORTED PASTRIES CONTAIN MORE TRANS FAT THAN S.KOREAN PRODUCTS.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, August 1 Asia Pulse - Imported baking mixtures and half-made pastries contain 10 times more trans fat on average than those made with local ingredients, a South Korean government report said Tuesday. The findings based on the...

SEOUL HOSTS 1ST ACADEMIC CONFERENCE ON INTL'Y ADOPTED KOREANS.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, August 1 Asia Pulse - About 700 internationally adopted Koreans gathered Tuesday for an academic conference aimed at discussing legal, social and cultural matters and other various personal issues facing many adoptees. The First...

SOUTH KOREA'S OVERSEAS DIRECT INVESTMENT SOARS IN FIRST HALF.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, August 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's overseas direct investment surged to US$10.3 billion in the first half of the year, mainly due to government deregulation, a report showed Tuesday. The total represents a year-on-year gain of 44...

E.LAND MANAGEMENT, UNIONIZED WORKERS FAIL TO REACH COMPROMISE.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, August 1 Asia Pulse - Talks between E.Land group's management and its labour union failed to reach a settlement that could end the current strike, company officials said Tuesday. The three-hour meeting between executives and unions...

SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUGUST 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, August 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: Vernacular dailies: - Taliban threaten to kill more hostages (KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN) - Gov't weakness raises questions over its abilities in diplomacy and negotiations...

INDIA RANKS 17 AMONG 23 IN ECONOMIC WELL-BEING: ADB.
August 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, August 1 Asia pulse - Nine per cent gross domestic product (GDP) growth may not mean much for the masses, going by an Asian Development Bank (ADB) study which says India is ranked 17 among 23 when economies are compared based on a...

STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES CLOSE SHARPLY HIGHER - JULY 31, 2007.
August 1, 2007... MUMBAI, July 31 Asia Pulse - The Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex index climbed more than 290 points on Tuesday on buying by funds in heavy-weight stocks, particularly in capital goods, metal and banking sectors. Firming global...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS WEAKER - AUGUST 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, August 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar has opened weaker after tumbling yet again on risk aversion after news of more trouble in the US mortgage market. At 0700 AEST, the Australian dollar was trading at US$0.8514 19, down...

NSW GOV'T TO ANNOUNCE SHIFT AWAY FROM COAL AS POWER SOURCE.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, August 1 Asia Pulse - Gas has reportedly replaced coal as the preferred energy source for New South Wales' (NSW) future major power stations. The NSW Government will announce the shift today, Fairfax reports, as the state responds...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT TO CONSIDER URANIUM SALES TO INDIA 'FAIRLY SOON'.
August 1, 2007... CANBERRA, August 1 Asia Pulse - Australia is vowing to strengthen its ties with India as federal cabinet prepares to consider selling uranium to the sub-continent "fairly soon". India has wanted to buy Australian uranium for more than a...

VICTORIAN DAMS ON THE RISE, BUT MORE RAIN NEEDED.
August 1, 2007... MELBOURNE, August 1 Asia Pulse - More water has poured into Melbourne's parched reservoirs in the past five weeks than in any similar period since 1992, the city's water authority says. The winter reservoir boost, sparked by a deluge in the...

AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET BEGINS FIRMER - AUGUST 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, August 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market opened firmer as a second bout of US equity market falls sparked another flight to safe-haven investments. At 0900 AEST, the yield on the Commonwealth Government February 2017 bond...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR ACTIVITY RISES FOR 14TH MONTH.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, August 1 Asia Pulse - Manufacturing activity accelerated in July as stronger domestic demand fuelled higher production and employment, new figures show. The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUGUST 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, August 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - Prime Minister John Howard has slammed the Australian Labor Party's plan to give more power to the states, accusing Opposition Leader...

ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION BY CHINA'S INDUSTRIAL SECTOR RISES IN H1.
August 1, 2007... BEIJING, August 1 Asia Pulse - Electricity consumption by China's industrial sector reached 1152.055 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) in the first half of this year, according to the China Federation of Electric Power Enterprises. Electric...

BEIJING TO ELIMINATE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES IN INFERIOR POSITION.
August 1, 2007... BEIJING, August 1 Asia Pulse - Beijing has decided to eliminate 21 industrial enterprises in 14 industries of inferior position, according to Li Ping, head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau for Industrial Promotion. The 14 sectors in...

BUSH, BROWN RENEW COMMITMENT TO WAR ON TERROR.
August 1, 2007... WASHINGTON, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Washington and London have renewed their resolve to jointly battle the scourge of terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and wage a struggle for freedom and justice around the globe. This reiteration of the vow to...

NO ADJUSTMENT IN OIL PRICES UNTIL AUG 14: TAIWAN MINISTER.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Steve R. L. Chen announced Tuesday that his ministry has decided to tentatively freeze adjustments to domestic oil prices until August 14. Chen also said the ministry will...

SINOCHEM CORP PROFITS SURGE IN FIRST HALF.(Financial report)
August 1, 2007... BEIJING, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Sinochem Corporation, one of the biggest oil companies in China, reported sound performance in the first half of this year. According to announcement made by Sinochem on July 30, it fulfilled 56 per cent of the...

YOUTH BUSINESS START-UP LOANS TO CREATE 5,900 JOBS IN TAIWAN.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - This year's Business Start-up Loan for Young Entrepreneurs supported by the Sino-American Fund for Economic and Social Development and various banks will create 5,900 jobs, a Council for Economic Planning and...

INDIA POSITIVE ON BUILDING BIRGUNJ-KATHMANDU RAILWAY TRACK.
August 1, 2007... KATYHMANDU, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - India has taken Nepal's request positively to provide assistance to connect Kathamandu with southern town Birgunj through a railway network. Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee on Monday said...

TAIWAN'S FOOD PRICE INDEX FALLS IN FIRST HALF.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's food price index did not raise noticeably in the first half of the year in comparison with price indexes in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and the United States, according to a report released Monday by the...

SATYAM SIGNS TWO MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACTS WITH FIFA.
August 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Major IT solutions provider Satyam Computer Services (BSE:500376) has signed two multi-million dollar contracts to support FIFA, the international governing body of football, and its major forthcoming events. As...

TAIWAN'S SMALL AND MEDIUM BIZ HAVE DIFFICULTIES LANDING WORKERS.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Compared with high technology counterparts around Taiwan, small and medium-sized business sectors are having difficulties landing workers, Eagle Eyes Co. (EEC) Vice Chairman Hsu-Hung-min said Tuesday. The...

RECKITT INDIA SEES DETTOL BECOMING MAJOR BRAND BY 2010.
August 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia pulse - FMCG major Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd, known for popular brands like Dettol and Cherry Blossom, expects to more than double revenues in three years to Rs 250 million (US$6.2 million) and sees the country's top...

TAIWAN PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - President Chen Shui-bian is scheduled to head for Honduras August 20 to attend a presidential summit meeting between Taiwan and its diplomatic allies in Central America, an official with the Ministry of Foreign...

INDIAN TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS PAKISTAN'S COMPLAINTS ON EXPORTS.
August 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - India on Tuesday said it has set up a task force to address Pakistan's complaint that rules such as quality standards act as barriers for export of its goods like cement to the country. At the secretary-level...

AUSTRALIA RECORD JUMP IN PERSONAL LENDING IN JUNE.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Australia recorded its biggest-ever monthly jump in personal lending during June, as borrowers pumped the cash into their superannuation funds ahead of a tax-free deadline. Personal loans surged 3.6 per cent...

S.KOREA'S AGRICULTURE DEFICIT COULD HIT US$10 BLN THIS YR: GOV'T.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's agriculture-sector deficit could hit a record US$10 billion this year fueled by a rise in international grain prices and high domestic demand, the government said Wednesday. The Ministry of...

FOREX - US DOLLAR OPENS FIRMER AGAINST WON - AUG 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The U.S. dollar on Wednesday opened at 921.0 won, up from 919.3 at the close on Tuesday. (Yonhap) 01-08 1039

U.S. URGED TO OFFER VISA-FREE PRIVILEGES TO TAIWAN CITIZENS.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed the hope Tuesday that a new U.S. measure to expand visa-free privilege to nationals of foreign countries for a maximum stay of 90 days will be...

OVER ONE MLN TAIWAN TOURISTS VISIT HONG KONG IN FIRST HALF.
August 1, 2007... HONG KONG, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - More than 1 million Taiwanese tourists visited Hong Kong during the first six months of this year, marking a 2.5 per cent year-on-year increase and making Taiwan the second largest source of tourists to Hong Kong...

INDIA'S VINATI ORGANICS INKS SUPPLY CONTRACT WITH BASF CORP.
August 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Aug 1 Asia pulse - Organic intermediates maker Vinati Organics Ltd (BSE:524200) on Tuesday said it has entered into a multi-year agreement with US-based BASF Corporation for supply of Isobutyl benzene (IBB). The contract is...

AERCAP HOLDINGS ANNOUNCES PRICING OF SECONDARY PUBLIC OFFERING.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR27051 AerCap Holdings N.V. Announces the Pricing of Secondary Public Offering of Its Ordinary Shares at $25.90 Per Share NEW YORK, July 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- ...

4.5 MLN PEOPLE IN TAIWAN DO NOT READ BOOKS: SURVEY.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Around 4.5 million people in Taiwan do not read books, with television and the Internet replacing them, according to a survey conducted by the magazine Global View. The survey conducted by the prestigious monthly...

TAIWAN ECONOMIC PLANNER APPROVES TWO BIOTECH DEVELOPMENT PLANS.
August 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Council of Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) has approved two Department of Health (DOH) construction projects to further development of the country's biotech industries, CEPD officials said Tuesday. ...

PYEONGHWA MOTORS, CHINA'S BRILLIANCE IN TALKS TO PRODUCE TRUCKS.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Pyeonghwa Motors Corp., a South Korean automaker with exclusive rights to produce cars for the North Korean market, said Wednesday it has been in talks with Chinese automaker Brilliance Automotive Holdings Ltd. to...

FDA COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF TYSABRI TO TREAT CROHN'S DISEASE.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(MD-ELAN-CORPORATION)(ELN)(BIIB) Joint FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Approval of TYSABRI(R) for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Crohn's Disease GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS...

BERGER PAINTS INDIA TO COMMISSION PUNE PLANT IN THE NEXT YEAR.
August 1, 2007... KOLKATA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Berger Paints India Ltd (BSE:509480), a leading player in the decorative and protective coatings segments, would commission its Pune plant in the coming year, a company official said on Tuesday. The Pune plant,...

INDONESIAN SHOE INDUSTRY STILL ATTRACTING INVESTORS: BKPM CHIEF.
August 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Investors' interest in Indonesia's shoe industry is still high despite the fact that many shoe companies have closed their businesses, the country's top investment official said. "The number of new companies...

AMHATCH WINS 2007 BE AWARD.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ( BW)(PA-BENTLEY-SYSTEMS) AAMHatch Wins 2007 BE Award With the Help of MicroStation VBA Macros and GEOPAK, AAMHatch Generated in Minutes What Would Have Taken 400 Hours Using Manual...

APEC TO WORK FOR CONTINUED ECONOMIC GROWTH: AUSTRALIAN TREASURER.
August 1, 2007... COOLUM, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Australian Treasurer Peter Costello says it is vitally important this week's APEC Finance Ministers Meeting promotes continued economic growth, development and stability within the Asia Pacific region. Mr...

BABCOCK & BROWN CAPITAL ACQUIRES ISRAELI GOLDEN PAGES.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Babcock & Brown Capital Ltd (ASX:BCM) has acquired the Israeli Golden Pages from Markstone Capital Partners and other Israeli institutional shareholders. BCM said the Golden Pages had an outstanding portfolio of...

AUSTRALIA'S WORK-LIFE BALANCE HEADING THE WRONG WAY: UNIONS.
August 1, 2007... ADELAIDE, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's work-life balance is tilting in the wrong direction under the federal government's new industrial laws, a South Australian (SA) parliamentary inquiry has been told. In a submission to the inquiry,...

MACQUARIE BANK SAYS TWO FUNDS HIT BY US SUB-PRIME LOAN CRISIS.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Macquarie Bank (ASX:MBL) has warned two of its investment funds could lose up to 25 per cent, or $A300 million ($US254.74 million), of their value as the fall-out from the United States' sub-prime loan crisis hits...

GT SOLAR TO EQUIP ONE OF LARGEST SOLAR WAFER FACTORIES IN WORLD.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(NH-GT-SOLAR) GT Solar to Equip One of Largest Solar Wafer Factories in World Glory Silicon Energy Purchases DSS450 Furnaces -- $171 Million Order MERRIMACK, N.H.--(BUSINESS...

MOMENTIVE PERFORMANCE MATERIALS AND ZHEJIANG XIN'AN CHEMICAL FORM JV.(Company overview)
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ( BW)(CT-MOMENTIVE-PERFORMANCE) Momentive Performance Materials and Zhejiang Xin'an Chemical form a joint venture New Company will produce siloxane to meet the growing demands of the...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHAREMARKET OPENS LOWER - AUG 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket has opened in the red this morning, despite yesterday's brief recovery, after US equities ended lower with investors remaining sensitive to news of worsening lending conditions. At 1015...

IBM BOARD APPROVES REGULAR QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(NY-IBM)(IBM) IBM Board Approves Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend Business Editors ARMONK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2007--The IBM (NYSE: IBM) board of directors today...

CHINA'S URBAN SEWAGE DISPOSAL RATE TO REACH 70 PCT BY 2010.
August 1, 2007... BEIJING, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - China's urban sewage disposal rate will reach not less than 70 per cent by 2010, said Qiu Baoxing, vice-minister of construction. According to a working target of reducing pollutant discharge drafted by the...

OXIGENE APPOINTS PATRICIA WALICKE AS CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(MA-OXIGENE)(OXGN)(OXGN.ST) OXiGENE Appoints Patricia Walicke, M.D., Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer Drug Development Veteran to Oversee Clinical Development Health Editors ...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES START SOFTER - AUG 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... TOKYO, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo shares started 0.72 per cent softer Wednesday, with the Nikkei-225 index dropping 123.48 points to 17,125.41 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 01-08 1105

STEWART TITLE LTD. OPENS NEW ZEALAND BRANCH.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(STEWART-TITLE)(STC) Stewart Title Ltd. Opens New Zealand Branch LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2007--Stewart Title Ltd., the primary underwriter for the Australian and European...

CNPC TO BUILD LARGE OIL REFINERY IN SOUTH CHINA.
August 1, 2007... NANNING, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has decided to build a large oil refinery in the Beibu Gulf area, south China, said Wu Enlai, general manager of the PetroChina Company Limited Guangxi subsidiary. ...

SOUTH KOREA LIKELY TO CHURN OUT HYBRID CARS IN 2011: THINK TANK.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea is expected to start mass production of hybrid-engine cars in 2011, a state-run think tank said Wednesday. The date is slightly later than estimates released by local car manufacturers that mass...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... HONG KONG, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - Seng Bank (SEHK: 0011) shares surged to a record high yesterday, leading a rally in the city's financial stocks, after the lender's...

RELIANCE ENERGY SET TO WIN CONTRACT FOR DVC POWER PROJECT.
August 1, 2007... KOLKATA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - A day after winning the Sasan ultra mega power project, Reliance Energy Ltd (BSE:500390) Tuesday emerged as the front runner to bag a contract valued at nearly Rs 40 billion (US$988.3 million) to set up a power plant...

CHINA'S SMALL VEHICLE SALES SHRINK IN FIRST HALF.
August 1, 2007... SHANGHAI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - China sold 2.29 million sedans in the first half of 2007, a year-on-year increase of 25.92 per cent. However, the sales of small-displacement vehicles (less than one litre) shrank 28.87 per cent to 134,300. ...

SOUTH KOREAN EXPORTS SURGE 20 PCT ON-YEAR IN JULY.
August 1, 2007... SEOUL, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean exports grew 20 per cent year-on-year to over US$30.9 billion in July, fueled by strong overseas demand for autos and mobile communication equipment, a government report said Wednesday. Imports...

POSCO BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF COLD-ROLLED STEEL PLANT IN VIETNAM.
August 1, 2007... HANOI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - POSCO Co. (KSE:005490), South Korea's biggest steelmaker, began building a US$490 million factory in Vietnam as part of its US$1.12 billion project to meet growing steel demand in this emerging Asian country. The...

INDONESIA'S BANK DANAMON SIGNS MoU WITH 15 PROPERTY DEVELOPERS.
August 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk. (JSX:BDNM) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 15 leading property developer groups to provide residential property financing for a total of 53 property developments...

INDIAN CENTRAL BANK CAUTIONS AGAINST HIGH INFLATION.
August 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The Reserve Bank on Tuesday cautioned that rising prices of crude oil and commodities as well as volatility in financial markets may push up inflation again. "Inflation outlook remains a matter of concern on...

TIE-UPS BETWEEN BIG, SMALL FIRMS CAN REDUCE POVERTY; STUDY.
August 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Commercially-driven linkages between large and small enterprises can lift millions of people in developing countries out of poverty, a joint study by UNIDO and Harvard University has said. The study by United...

BALI BOOKS SURPLUS IN TRADE WITH SINGAPORE IN JAN-MAY.
August 1, 2007... DENPASAR, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - In its non-oil trade with Singapore in the first five months of 2007, Bali province enjoyed a surplus of US$8 million, the provincial branch of Bank Indonesia (BI) reported on Tuesday. Bali's non-oil exports to...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... TOKYO, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET: - Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TSE:9501) on Tuesday sharply lowered its earnings forecast for fiscal year 2007 due to costs associated with the suspension of a...

FOREX - RINGGIT CLOSES STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR - JULY 31, 2007.
August 1, 2007... KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 Asia Pulse - The ringgit ended at 3.4520/4570 against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, stronger than 3.4610/4650 at the close on Monday. ASIA PULSE 01-08 1156

MACQUARIE BANK SHARES PLUMMET AS US MORTGAGE CRISIS HITS FUNDS.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Shares in Macquarie Bank Ltd (ASX:MBL) have fallen over seven per cent after it revealed last night that two of its funds faced losses related to the US subprime mortgage crisis of up to 25 per cent. At 1040...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... MANILA, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: MANILA TIMES: - Consumers should brace for higher electricity bills in the coming months, as the price of energy sold at the country's spot market has been shooting up in...

WORLD WATCHING AUSTRALIA'S GEOTHERMAL INDUSTRY: GOVT.
August 1, 2007... ADELAIDE, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The world is watching Australia's geothermal industry as an exciting form of renewable energy, federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane says. Mr Macfarlane told the hot rocks energy conference in Adelaide the...

RUGBY WORLD CUP PLUS GOES LIVE WITH OFFICIAL ON DEMAND SERVICE.
August 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Rugby World Cup Plus Goes Live With Official and Exclusive Worldwide Video On Demand Service Official Online Service From RWC and MediaZone Offers Only Destination for Global Video On...

INDONESIAN GOVT TO KEEP CPO EXPORT TAX RATE AT 6.5 PCT.
August 1, 2007... MEDAN, N Sumatra, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - The government will maintain the crude palm oil (CPO) export tax at the average rate of 6.5 per cent as it is considered ideal, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said. "The rate of CPO export tax is already...

AUSTRALIA'S COMMONWEALTH BANK TO BUY BROKERAGE IWL LTD.
August 1, 2007... MELBOURNE, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Commonwealth Bank of Australia Ltd (ASX:CBA) has agreed to buy listed brokerage IWL Ltd (ASX:IWL) for $A373 million ($US316.73 million). The agreement represents $6.57 per share less any dividend paid by IWL...

AUSTRALIA'S DOWNER EDI ENTERS TRADING HALT.
August 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Downer EDI Ltd (ASX:DOW) shares have entered a trading halt pending the release of an announcement by the company. The shares will not be traded until either normal trading begins on August 3 or when an...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... SINGAPORE, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES: - The Government's assurances on Monday that it is not inclined to cool the property sector for now has gone some way to soothe market jitters. -...

NISSAN TESTING TRAFFIC-SAVVY CAR NAVIGATION SYSTEM IN BEIJING.
August 1, 2007... BEIJING, Aug 1 Asia Pulse - Nissan Motor Co. (TSE:7201) announced Tuesday that it has started testing with the city of Beijing a new car navigation system that assesses traffic conditions to route drivers to their destinations. Identifying...