AsiaPulse News articles from December 2003

AsiaPulse News archives from December 2003

FOREX - US DOLLAR CHEAPER AGAINST RUPEE - DECEMBER 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... MUMBAI, Dec 01 Asia Pulse - The U.S. Dollar turned sharply cheaper against the Rupee at Rs 45.7350 per dollar and the Pound Sterling ended lower at Rs 78.74 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here today. ...

STOCKS - BSE CLOSES UP - DECEMBER 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... MUMBAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Sensex rallied by a whopping 116.03 points and closed at a new 47-month high of 5160.85 points on the Bombay Stock Exchange today due to frenzied buying by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) and domestic funds....

NEW ORDERS PUMP UP AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR.
December 1, 2003... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Australian manufacturing activity was strengthened in November by a number of new orders, according to an industry survey. The latest Australian Industry Group (AIG)/PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Australian...

PEPTECH ENTERS INTO JV TO DEVELOP BIOTECH PRODUCTS.
December 1, 2003... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Four new products are to be developed by biotech Peptech Ltd (ASX:PTD), in a new joint venture with fellow biotech Biosceptre International Ltd. Peptech said four distinct products had been identified for...

KOREA'S OIL REFINERS RAISE PETROLEUM PRICES.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's two oil refiners -- SK Corp. (KSE:003600) and Hyundai Oil Bank -- announced Friday a scheduled raise in the prices of their refined oil products by 3-30 won (US$0.0024-0.0249) per liter as of Dec. 1. ...

KOREA EXCHANGE BANK MERGES WITH CREDIT CARD ARM.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Liquidity-troubled Korea Exchange Bank Credit Service Co. (KEB Card) (KSE:038400) has merged with its parent company, the Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) (KSE:004940), the board of the bank said Friday. The stock...

NO TAX BREAKS FOR FUEL ADDITIVE 'CENOX': KOREAN FINANCE MINISTRY.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The finance ministry dismissed Friday claims by the manufacturer of a controversial fuel additive, "Cenox," that the product should be exempt from paying traffic tax because it is a fuel additive. It also said the...

LUFTHANSA STARTS DAILY FLIGHTS TO FRANKFURT FROM CHENNAI.
December 1, 2003... CHENNAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Lufthansa planned to operate daily flghts (Boeing 747-400) between Chennai and Frankfurt from December 1, a top executive of the German airline said here on Friday. After the planned flights start, Lufthansa...

RENAULT EYES BUYING KOREA'S SSANGYONG MOTORS.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - France's Renault SA has jumped into the bidding race for financially-troubled Ssangyong Motor Co. (KSE:003620), industry sources said Sunday. More than eight auto companies, including Renault, have offered bids...

SOUTH KOREANS RUN HIGH RISK OF CONTRACTING HIV: POLL.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Koreans run a high risk of being exposed to HIV because the majority fail to use protection when engaging in sexual intercourse, a poll by a local health organization said Sunday. The survey conducted by the...

MOSAIC OIL RAISES FUNDS ON NEW GAS PROJECT.
December 1, 2003... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Mosaic Oil Ltd (ASX:MOS) is set to benefit from a $A6 million ($US4.33 million) cash injection after a new gas project showed promising yields. Institutional investors on Friday took a placement with the company...

INDIA IS THE NEW INVESTMENT DESTINATION: MINISTER.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Asking European businessmen to shed their old image of country, India's External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Friday said things have changed here and it is "now a happening place" opening bright prospects...

INDIA'S INFLATION BREACHES 5% FOR WEEK ENDING NOV 15.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Soaring prices of vegetables and fruits, eggs, food products, edible oils, textiles and electricity pushed up India's inflation to 5.12 per cent for the week ended November 15, substantially higher than 3.39 per...

INDONESIA'S RIAU AIRLINES TO LEASE BOEING 737 JETS.
December 1, 2003... PEKANBARU, Riau, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Riau Airlines (RAL), a carrier belonging to the Riau provincial government, is planning to buy Boeing-737-200 aircraft for use on its medium routes, a spokesman said. "RAL's fleet so far consists of two...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... JAKARTA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights from today's newspaper: KOMPAS - Tens of political parties will fail in their bid to take part in the coming general election based on verification submitted to the Election Commission by 16 of 30...

MATRIX LABS TO SET UP 2 JV COMPANIES, 1 IN INDIA.
December 1, 2003... MUMBAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Matrix Laboratories Ltd is to set up two joint venture companies, one each in India and Ireland, at a total cost of 3.9 million Euros (US$4.68 million) for development of finished dosage form and formulation dossiers....

FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF SOUTH KOREAN BANKS ESTIMATED AT 26%: REPORT.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Foreign ownership of the country's commercial banks, including portfolio investments, reached 26.3 per cent on average as of end-June, a financial institute report showed. The report compiled by the Korean...

INDIA SHOULD RECORD 14% EXPORT GROWTH FOR 8% GDP: PLANNERS.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Planning Commission of India said exports should grow by 14 per cent if an over 8.0 per cent GDP growth rate is to be achieved, and asked the industry to shun all bias against liberalisation of imports and...

INDONESIA HOSTS 2.6 MLN TOURISTS IN JAN-OCT, BELOW TARGET.
December 1, 2003... DENPASAR, Bali, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia from January to October this year reached 2.6 million people, foreign cooperation spokesman at the Ministry of Cultural and Tourism, Thamrin Bachri said...

ETHICAL MANAGEMENT IN VOGUE IN SOUTH KOREA: SURVEY.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's listed companies are increasingly adopting codes of ethical management amid growing social concerns about corrupt relationships between business and political circles, according to a survey. The...

HOUSING DEMAND REQUIRES 20 CITIES TO BE BUILT IN KOREA BY 2012.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea needs more than 20 new towns across the country over the next decade to meet the rising demand for new apartments and other homes, a state-run think tank forecast. The Korea Research Institute for Human...

FOREIGN TOURISTS VISITING BALI UP 20.14% IN OCT YEAR-ON-YEAR.
December 1, 2003... DENPASAR, Bali, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia's popular resort island of Bali last October was recorded at 97,435, an increase of 20.14 per cent compared to the same month last year, an official said. ...

FOREIGNERS REDUCE CREDIT CARD SPENDING IN KOREA THIS YEAR.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Foreigners have charged less to South Korean credit cards this year as the number of foreign tourists fell due to the North Korean nuclear standoff and the outbreak of SARS, a lending industry group said Sunday. ...

INDONESIA SHOWS TRADE DEFICIT WITH THAILAND IN JAN-OCT.
December 1, 2003... JAKARTA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The trade balance between Indonesia and Thailand during the January-August 2003 period showed a deficit of US$355.6 million in favour of Thailand. Report from Trade and Industry Ministry Attache in Bangkok on...

KOREA'S MANUFACTURING BUSINESS TO WORSEN IN Q1 OF 2004: SURVEY.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The business sentiment in South Korea's manufacturing sector is forecast to further deteriorate in the first quarter of next year, the fifth straight quarter-to-quarter contraction, a leading business survey indicated....

ZEE NETWORK (UK) WINS BEST PRACTICE AWARD.
December 1, 2003... LONDON, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Zee network (UK) has won the Leadership in Best Practice Award at the first ever Multicultural Awards of Competitiveness and Enterprise 2003. The awards are sponsored by the UK Trade and Investment in...

KOREA'S SEMICONDUCTOR TRADE DEFICIT SWELLS TO LARGEST EVER.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean trade of semiconductors suffered its largest-ever deficit from January to October, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said today. The data suggested that the Korean chip-making business...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN WEAKER - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market was weaker at the open, with investors focused on economic fundamentals and on the prospect of a rate rise by the Reserve Bank of Australia this week. The central bank could increase...

INDIA SAYS IGNORING THIRD WORLD CONCERNS COULD BE DISASTROUS.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Ahead of the WTO General Council, India on Saturday warned that ignorance of developmental concerns of poorer countries could lead to disastrous consequences of future discussions on the international trading...

SURGING CREDIT DELINQUENCY POSES SOCIOECONOMIC DILEMMA IN KOREA.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - According to the Korea Federation of Banks, the number of individual credit delinquents hit 3,596,168 in October, up 2.69 per cent from a month ago. The figure means that 15.5 out of every 100 of the nation's 23.2...

PIAGGIO TO ROLL OUT 4-WHEELER, PUMP IN US$21 MLN IN INDIA.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Italian automaker Piaggio would launch four vehicles, including a 4-wheeler in India by 2004 and source auto components worth 120 million euro (US$144 million), a top company official said on Friday. The...

REGULAR AIRLINE SERVICE BETWEEN SEOUL, JAPAN'S HANEDA OPENS.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Regular airline service between Gimpo International Airport in Seoul and Haneda International Airport in Tokyo opened Sunday as part of the outcome of agreements from a June 7 Korea-Japan summit in Tokyo. The...

INDIA TARGETS $3.5 BLN IN EXPORTS TO LATIN AMERICA: OFFICIAL.
December 1, 2003... MUMBAI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - India has targeted to more than double its exports to Latin American countries at $3.5 billion in the next three years, a senior External Affairs Ministry (MEA) official said on Friday. "Latin Amrican nations are...

227,000 CHAEBOL JOBS SLASHED SINCE ASIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Ministry of Labor said Sunday that 227,000 jobs were slashed from South Korean chaebol companies since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. It said the findings reflect the level of restructuring instigated by...

KOREAN GOLD IMPORTS SURGE.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's gold imports registered US$1.82 billion based on Friday's won-dollar exchange rate during the first 10 months of this year, the Bank of Korea said. The imports for the 10 months exceeded the $1.63...

INDIA'S KERALA STATE GOVT TO SEEK MORE ADB LOANS.
December 1, 2003... THRISSUR, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Kerala government would seek more loans from Asian Development Bank for development of the state despite opposition from various quarters, state Finance Minister K Sankaranarayanan said on Friday. He said the...

INDIA'S SOFTWARE EXPORTS TO HIT $11 BLN THIS YEAR: MINISTER.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Lauding the role of Infotech professionals in changing world's perception about the country, India's IT and Communications Minister Arun Shourie on Friday said software exports were expected to touch US$11 billion...

KOREAN STOCKS EXPECTED TO EASE THIS WEEK: ANALYSTS.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's main stock market is expected to retreat a little this week because of a lack of momentum, analysts said. Foreign and retail investors are hesitating more and more to buy shares and program selling...

OIL PRICES MIXED LEADING UP TO OPEC GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Global oil prices were mixed as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) prepared to hold a general assembly to debate production output and prices, the Korea National Oil Corp. said Saturday. The...

S. KOREA, U.S., JAPAN TO HOLD STRATEGY MEETING THIS WEEK.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Washington this week to discuss joint strategies ahead of soon-to-be-held multilateral talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program,...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... HONG KONG, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STANDARD: - The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has been conducting regular inspections of fund managers and has not taken disciplinary action this year. ...

INDIA'S GOLD OUTPUT UP 193% IN APR-OCT 2003.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - India's gold production increased 193 per cent to 4941.37 kg during April-October 2003 as against 1687.5 kg produced during the same period last year. The production target for the 7-month review period stood...

LNM GROUP BIDS FOR PRIVATISED ASSETS OF POLISH STEEL PLANT.
December 1, 2003... LONDON, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Non-Resident Indian steel baron L N Mittal's LNM group has submitted an offer for the privatisation of selected production assets of Poland's leading steel company Huta Czestochowa. Huta Czestochowa (HCz) is...

TAIWAN, PHILIPPINES TO STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC COOPERATION.
December 1, 2003... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan and the Philippines will further strengthen cooperation in the fields of trade and economics, Taiwan Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-hsiang said Saturday at the end of an annual ministerial-level...

INDIAN PM CONDEMNS OPPOSITION TO BPO IN EU, US.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - India on Saturday came out heavily against opposition to business process outsourcing in EU and US and said in the absence of a liberal regime for free movement of professionals, such outsourcing was inevitable....

FORUM ON TAIWAN-MACAU TIES OPENS IN MACAU.
December 1, 2003... MACAU, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - A forum on Taiwan-Macau relations opened in Macau Sunday with the participation of scholars and experts from Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The agenda of the two-day conference focuses on exploring...

TATA CONSULTANCY SVCS EXPANDS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE IN CHINA.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - India's largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services will expand its 1-year old China software development centre in a big way over the next couple of years. "We have at present about 130 people in...

NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO AID TAIWAN'S TAOYUAN.
December 1, 2003... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said Sunday that people in Taoyuan will benefit greatly from the proposed 10 new major construction projects. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)...

WEEKLY BSE REVIEW - WEEK ENDING NOV 29, 2003.
December 1, 2003... MUMBAI, Nov 29 Asia Pulse - A strong stocks rally lifted the sensex to near 5060-resistance, netting a sharp upswing by 4.26% over the week on the Bombay Stock Exchange on hectic buying prompted by increased participation of retail investors as...

NEARLY 90% OF TAIWAN COS PLAN TO RECRUIT MORE STAFF: SURVEY.
December 1, 2003... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - With the economy turning around, some 87 per cent of enterprises in Taiwan are planning to hire more staff, according to the results of a survey released Saturday. The survey, conducted by the online human...

TAIWAN GOV'T TO PUSH TELECOM INDUSTRY VIA NEW PROGRAM.
December 1, 2003... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Under the government's "Challenge 2008" program, the telecommunications industry is expected to become the country's third industry to reach production value of over a trillion new Taiwan dollars (US$29.4 billion),...

OVER-SHIPMENTS LEAD TO EU EMBARGO ON PAKISTAN YARN EXPORTS.
December 1, 2003... KARACHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The European Union (EU) has placed an embargo on the import of yarn (category 1) due to shipments made in excess in the quota ceiling, the exporters said. According to the shipment figure in cat-1 shown on the EU...

TAIWAN SEEKING TO SIGN FTAS WITH TRADING PARTNERS: OFFICIAL.
December 1, 2003... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan will continue to do its utmost in seeking to sign free trade agreements with its trading partners, a trade official said Saturday. Liang Kuo-hsin, deputy director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade...

TAIWAN ECONOMICS MINISTER MEETS PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE MINISTER.
December 1, 2003... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Yi-fu held talks with Philippine Minister of Agriculture Luis Lorenzo Friday in Manila, exchanging views on the cooperation in agriculture and fishery between the two countries....

INDIA'S CRUDE OIL IMPORTS JUMP 5.3% TO 51.9 MT IN APR-OCT.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - India's crude oil imports have jumped 5.3 per cent to 51.928 million tonnes in the first 7 months of the current fiscal as against 49.289 million tonnes in the same period last fiscal. Crude imports by public...

TAIWAN'S ANNUAL INFLATION RATE 3.6 PCT AS OF NOV: NSO.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's annual inflation rate as of November was 3.6 per cent, the National Statistical Office (NSO) said today. The NSO also reported that consumer prices edged down 0.2 per cent last month because...

KOREA'S KOOKMIN BANK TO MERGE LUXEMBOURG, LONDON OFFICES.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Kookmin Bank (KSE:60000), the nation's largest lender, will merge and downgrade its affiliates in Luxembourg and London into one branch as part of efforts to streamline its overseas operations, the head of the bank...

LG ELECTRONICS, HYUNDAI MOTOR AGREE ON TECHNICAL TIE-UP.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - LG Electronics Inc. (KSE:66570) and the Hyundai Motor Group have agreed on a technical association in the car multimedia field, industry sources said Monday. They said the two recently signed a memorandum of...

INDIAN PM CAUTIONS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AGAINST NON-TARIFF BARRIERS.
December 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Cautioning developed countries against imposing non-tariff barriers, India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday said popular support for economic liberalisation will collapse if the developmental...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... SINGAPORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES - The Government yesterday hardened its stand on Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilots, saying it will tighten the law to remove union members' right to have...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... BANGKOK, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE BANGKOK POST: - Exports hit an all-time high of US$7.3 billion in October, pointing to steady growth in consumption and the economy, according to the Bank of Thailand....

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... TOKYO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET - Microsoft Co., the Japanese arm of U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp., will collaborate with Nihon Unisys Ltd. (8056) to construct banking systems based entirely...

FIRST PAKISTAN-BUILT SUBMARINE TO BE INDUCTED INTO NAVY TODAY.
December 1, 2003... KARACHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The first Pakistan-manufactured submarine, the 'Sa'ad', will be supplied to the Pakistan Navy today. Pakistan stepped into submarine manufacturing after the transfer of the French technology. Under an agreement...

KOREAN COMPANIES REELING FROM AMBUSH ATTACKS IN IRAQ.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The shooting deaths of two Korean workers and the wounding of two others in Iraq Monday sent major Korean companies scrambling to take measures to strengthen the safety of their own workers in the war-ravaged country....

HYUNDAI CORP. TO SUPPLY ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS TO THAILAND.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Corporation will supply electronic products bearing its trademark to Thailand's market, the company said Monday. According to the firm, Hyundai will provide products such as PDP TVs, DVD players and mobile...

NICKEL AUSTRALIA CLOSES INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING.
December 1, 2003... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The A$12 million (US$8.6 million) initial public offer (IPO) of shares in Perth-based Nickel Australia Ltd (ASX:NKL) has closed oversubscribed by 120 per cent, the company said today. Nickel Australia said it had...

FOREX - US DOLLAR BEGINS STRONGER VS KOREAN WON - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The US dollar opened at 1,206.00 won, up from 1,202.10 won. (Yonhap) 01-12 1232

LG ELECTRONICS TO MOVE DIGITAL DISPLAY MEDIA CENTER TO GUMI.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - LG Electronics Inc. (KSE:66570) said today it will move its digital display media center to Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province from Pyongtaek, Gyeonggi Province around mid-December. "Since production in Pyongtaek has...

LG TELECOM PLANS TO OFFER WALKIE-TALKIE SERVICE NEXT YEAR.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Hoping to find new customers in South Korea's hyper-competitive wireless market, LG Telecom Co. (KOSDAQ:32640), the smallest mobile phone operator, is moving ahead with the introduction of a walkie-talkie service by...

SMALL TRADERS CONDEMN DISPOSAL OF PAKISTANI PUBLIC UNITS.
December 1, 2003... KARACHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Pakistan Small Traders and Investors Association has strongly condemned the disposal of public sector organisations, which it said were being sold at throwaway prices. A delegation of small traders, which...

PAKISTAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - NOV 28, 2003.
December 1, 2003... KARACHI, Nov 28 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: DAWN - Peace push should lead to talks: Musharraf - Ceasefire will lead to talks, hopes Rashid - Proposals to cut power tariff - Vajpayee hopes to meet Jamali...

BIDDING FOR STAKE IN KOREA'S KOOKMIN BANK TO TAKE PLACE DEC. 12.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The government will offer a tender for its stake in Kookmin Bank, the nation's largest lender, on Dec. 12, the Ministry of Finance and Economy announced Monday. The bidding will take place between 10:00 a.m. and 6...

AUSTRALIA'S NOVOGEN GAINS US HEALTH SUPPLEMENT PATENT.
December 1, 2003... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Pharmaceutical company Novogen Ltd (ASX:NRT) said today it had gained a United States health supplement patent. Novogen said it had been granted the US patent covering health supplements based on the use of soy...

AUSTRALIAN BUILDING CONFIDENCE ON THE DECLINE: SURVEY.
December 1, 2003... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Building sector confidence in the next six months is on the slide, a survey by the Master Builders Association has found. A survey of its members found business conditions improved during the December quarter,...

INDONESIA SECURES US$6.1 BLN TRADE SURPLUS WITH JAPAN JAN-AUG.
December 1, 2003... JAKARTA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's exports to Japan in the January-August 2003 period totalled US$10.91 billion, while its imports from that country in the same period were recorded at US$4.6 billion, or a surplus of US$6.1 billion in...

SEA SAND EXPORTERS URGE INDONESIAN GOV'T TO RESUME TRADE.
December 1, 2003... JAKATA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Sea sand exporters have urged the Indonesian government to issue a decision on the export of the commodity soon, as the delay has adversely affected their business. "We already have a sea sand export licence...

WEST SUMATRA EARNS US$598,000 FROM FISH EXPORTS JAN-AUG.
December 1, 2003... PADANG, W Sumatra, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Fishery exports during the period January-August 2003 contributed US$598,500 to West Sumatra province's foreign exchange income, the provincial foreign trade office reported. According to the office in...

TAIWAN FRUIT PROMOTION KICKS OFF IN MALAYSIA, US, CANADA.
December 1, 2003... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Council of Agriculture (COA) launched a series of Taiwan fruit tasting activities in Malaysia, Canada and the United States on Saturday to promote exports of locally grown fruits. The tastings are being held...

CANADIAN NICKEL CO BASED IN INDONESIA SAYS OUTLOOK PROMISING.
December 1, 2003... MAKASSAR, S Sulawesi, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Canadian nickel mining company PT INCO will meet its production target of 143 million pounds of nickel this year, the company's spokesman said. "We are optimistic that we will reach our production...

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN STOCKS UP IN EARLY TRADE - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was up 0.51 per cent in early trade due to bargain hunting in selected bluechips. At 10:07 a.m., the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index rose 3.96 points at 783.24. ...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE STOCKS UP IN EARLY TRADE - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... SINGAPORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade, with the Straits Times Index up 5.27 points at 1719.27 at 10:03 a.m. The market rose due to bargain hunting in selected bluechips, including OUE, DBS, F&N and OCBC....

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX WEAKER TO NOON - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... BRISBANE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market remained in negative territory at noon, dragged down by the banking sector in otherwise directionless trading. The banks were pulled down by a widespread belief the Reserve Bank of...

SUGAR, RICE SMUGGLING ACTIVITY REPORTED IN NORTH SUMATRA.
December 1, 2003... MEDAN, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Some vessels, allegedly used to smuggle tons of sugar and rice from Port Klang in Malaysia into Indonesia, were reported to have entered Tanjung Balai waters in Asahan district, North Sumatra. Information obtained...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR STRONGER TO NOON - DEC 1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar was stronger at noon but still lagged behind the surging euro as the market awaited the outcome of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) board meeting, a strategist said. At 1200 AEDT the...