AsiaPulse News articles from December 2004

AsiaPulse News archives from December 2004

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS LOWER - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar continued its journey down towards the 77 US cent level, as weak local data and a US dollar resurgence halted the recent local currency strength. At 0700 AEDT the local unit was trading at...

TELSTRA MAKES NO COMMENT ABOUT CEO RESIGNATION RUMORS.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Telstra Corp Ltd (ASX:TLS) today refused to comment on speculation that chief executive Ziggy Switkowski was set to step down. "Telstra doesn't comment on speculation," Telstra spokesman Michael Grealy said. ...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN: - Australia takes a step towards strengthening economic ties with Asia by agreeing to negotiate a trade pact with the 10-member ASEAN bloc; the Australian...

S.KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN: - Confusion Expected due to Delay of College Entrance Exam Results KUKMIN DAILY: - Organized Exam Cheating Detected in Other Areas DONG-A...

S.KOREA NEEDS WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION SAYS TOP ADVISER.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea needs to go forward with the redistribution of wealth in economic policy to narrow the widening gap between rich and poor, but should pay more attention to growth, a top policy adviser to President Roh...

STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES END SHARPLY HIGHER - NOV 30, 2004.
December 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - Bolstered by heavy FII inflows and the economic fundamentals, the market today soared to the all-time closing high of 6234.29 in fairly brisk activity. The BSE barometer had almost touched the historic intra-day...

FOREX - US$ CLOSES SHARPLY CHEAPER VS RUPEE - NOV 30, 2004.
December 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - The US Dollar ended sharply cheaper against the Rupee at Rs 44.6450 per dollar but the Pound Sterling turned dearer at Rs 84.81 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) here today. The...

PAK TO GRANT INDIA MFN IF TARIFF, NON-TARIFF BARRIERS REMOVED.
December 1, 2004... ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Departing from its stand of linking improvement in trade ties to the resolution of Kashmir issue, Pakistan has said it could grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India if it ensured a level-playing field by...

WEST ASIAN OIL PRODUCERS TO TAKE PART IN INT'L CONFERENCE.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Oil Ministers of major West Asian crude oil producers will attend an international conference in New Delhi on January 6 to discuss stability, security and sustainability of oil supplies with major consumer nations....

MALAYSIAN AIRLINES TO LAUNCH NEW SERVICE FROM AHMEDABAD.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Malaysian Airlines (MAS)has announced plans to launch a new service from Ahmedabad from December 16 and would start five additional flights from other Indian destinations to Kuala Lumpur from today under the 'Open...

S.KOREA'S CONSUMER PRICE GROWTH SLOWS TO 3.3 PCT IN NOV.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer price growth slowed to 3.3 per cent year-on-year in November due to stabilizing oil and commodity prices, the state statistics office said Wednesday. The November consumer price growth...

INDIAN CONSULTANCY MA FOI TO OPEN 7 OVERSEAS OFFICES.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Chennai-based Ma Foi Management Consultants said it would open seven new overseas subsidiaries by June next year as part of its expansion plans. "We have already done the ground work for the new offices and...

TAIWAN'S ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST AT 5% FOR 2005: CEPD.
December 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's economic growth rate and unemployment rate for 2005 have been forecast at 5 per cent and 4 percent, respectively, by the Cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD). The CEPD...

TAIWAN TO PROMOTE FRUIT IN HONG KONG, JAPAN, MAINLAND CHINA.
December 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Council of Agriculture (COA) will launch a series of activities next month to promote seasonal Taiwan fruit in Hong Kong, Japan and mainland China, officials said Tuesday. The first of these promotional...

INDIA'S GOLDEN QUADRILATERAL HIGHWAY PROJECT IS 75 % COMPLETE.
December 1, 2004... BANGALORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Seventy five per cent of the work on the Rs 343 billion (US$7.7 billion) Golden Quadrilateral project, linking Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata, has been completed, a senior official of the National Highways Authority...

S.KOREAN MANUFACTURERS HOLD NEGATIVE OUTLOOK FOR DEC.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Most manufacturers in South Korea are pessimistic about their business conditions in December because of currency concerns and sagging domestic demand, a central bank survey showed Wednesday. Manufacturers'...

MEET ON SERICULTURE HELD IN SIKKIM.
December 1, 2004... GANGTOK, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Experts discussed here the strength and weakness of sericulture industry in the north-eastern states as well as West Bengal. In his inaugural address Tuesday, Additional Chief Conservator of forest, Sikkim, T R...

BEIJING USING ECONOMIC CLOUT TO MARGINALIZE TAIWAN SAYS MINISTRY.
December 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Mainland China is stepping up its efforts to marginalize Taiwan by signing multilateral or bilateral free trade agreements with other countries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Michel Lu said Tuesday. ...

2ND ROUND OF TAIWAN-NICARAGUA FTA TALKS OPEN IN SAN FRANCISCO.
December 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Delegates from Taiwan and Nicaragua started a second round of free trade agreement (FTA) talks Monday in San Francisco. Officials of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said the negotiations are...

LIN YUAN GROUP TAIWAN'S LARGEST BUSINESS IN 2003: SURVEY.
December 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Lin Yuan Group was Taiwan's largest business in 2003, with assets value totaling NT$2.38 trillion (US$72 billion) , according to survey results made public Tuesday by the China Credit Information Service Ltd....

SPV FOR BANGALORE-ELECTRONIC CITY EXPRESSWAY PROJECT.
December 1, 2004... BANGALORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - A special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be floated for a proposed Rs 4.5 billion (US$101 million), nine km elevated expressway from here to Electronics City on the outskirts, a major hub of technology-related...

TAIWAN SIGNS US$321.57 MLN DEAL TO DEVELOP TOURIST SITE.
December 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Tourism authorities concluded a NT$10.34 billion (US$321.57 million) deal with an international investment company Tuesday to develop the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area in southern Taiwan, the country's...

INDIA'S CWC PROPOSES TO BUILD AN EXCLUSIVE PORT IN MUMBAI.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) plans to develop an exclusive minor port in Mumbai in order to smoothen its core operations. The proposed port would help in decongesting load at the Mumbai port, Food...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES BEGIN SOFTER - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market opened lower today on the back of a weaker US market. On the local bourse, major banks and resource stocks slipped while the telco's and market heavyweight News Corp climbed slightly....

TAIWAN, PACIFIC DIPLOMATIC ALLIES TO INK HEALTH COMMUNIQUE.
December 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan and five of its diplomatic partners from the Pacific will sign a communique in Taipei Wednesday to bolster bilateral health and medical cooperation and exchanges, a spokesman for the Cabinet-level Department of...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR GROWING AT MODERATE PACE.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Despite weaker exports, Australia's manufacturing sector continues to grow at a moderate pace, with strong activity recorded in November, an index has shown. The Australian Industry Group and...

TAIWAN ECONOMICS MINISTER TO VISIT U.S. CAPITAL NEXT WEEK.
December 1, 2004... WASHINGTON, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. Dec. 8 to attend an international seminar and meet with U.S. trade and economics officials, business sources said Monday....

INDIAN STATES WANT 50% SHARE OF ST KITTY, CENTRE YET TO AGREE.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - States have demanded that Centre should share with them the Service Tax mop up on a 50:50 basis but federal Finance Minister P Chidambaram said any decision on the issue would be taken by a "consensus". "A...

PNG NEEDS TO ADDRESS POOR GOVERNANCE TO IMPROVE ECONOMY: REPORT.
December 1, 2004... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Papua New Guinea (PNG) must seriously address problems of poor governance and law and order if its economic outlook is to improve, a new report says. A study of PNG by the Australian Department of Foreign...

INDIAN STATES READY FOR VAT, WHITE PAPER IN 15 DAYS: OFFICIAL.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The decks have been cleared for the introduction of Value-added Tax (VAT) from April 2005, and a white paper on the new tax regime will be circulated among states in 15 days. "A draft white paper on Value-added...

FISCAL REFORMS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN PHILIPPINES ECONOMIC GROWTH.
December 1, 2004... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Fiscal reforms would still be need to sustain the 6.3 percent economic growth achieved by the country in the third quarter, Congressmen said here Tuesday. Bulacan Rep. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado said fiscal reforms...

ARROYO PRESSES MYANMAR OVER AUNG SAN SUU KYI.
December 1, 2004... VIENTIANE, Laos, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has called on the leadership of Myanmar to allow the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy in Myanmar's national convention. The...

IRAN, VENEZUELA SIGNS FIVE MOUS ON MUTUAL COOPERATION.
December 1, 2004... TEHRAN, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Iran and Venezuela have signed five memoranda of understanding (MoU) on expansion of economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries. According to IRNA, the MoUs were signed in the presence of the...

AUSTRALIA KEEN TO SET UP COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS IN PAKISTAN.
December 1, 2004... KARACHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Australia has shown interest in putting up 1,000 MW power plants to be operated on Thar coal. "I have received a letter from Australian authorities showing interest in setting up two 1,000 MW coal-fired power...

INVESTORS SHUN PHILIPPINES OVER POOR INFRASTRUCTURE: ECONOMIST.
December 1, 2004... CEBU CITY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Fewer investors are coming to the Philippines because the country has poor infrastructure facilities, said a respected economist and senior vice president of the University of Asia and the Pacific. Speaking...

IRAN, KUWAIT SIGN MOU TO BOOST ECONOMIC TIES.
December 1, 2004... KUWAIT, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - An agreement between Iran and Kuwait to implement projects agreed upon during the recently concluded Iran-Kuwait Joint Economic Commission session was signed by the two sides. The agreement was signed by Iranian...

PHILIPPINES NOW HAS 219 GAS STATIONS OFFERING DIESEL DISCOUNTS.
December 1, 2004... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The number of gasoline stations offering diesel discounts to public transport groups has reached a total of 219, the Department of Energy (DoE) today said. DoE Secretary Vincent Perez said oil companies have...

STOCKS - KOSDAQ OPENS HIGHER - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The KOSDAQ oped 0.50 points higher Wednesday at 373.93. (Yonhap) 01-12 1126

2ND IRAN-ARMENIA ELECTRICITY LINE TO BE LAUNCHED TODAY.
December 1, 2004... TEHRAN, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - A second line of the Iran-Armenia electricity network with a capacity of 230 kw is due to be inaugurated today. Iranian Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf and his Armenian counterpart, Armen Movsisian, will be...

STOCKS - S. KOREAN STOCKS OPEN LOWER - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened 3.59 points lower Wednesday at 874.47. (Yonhap) 01-12 1128

FOREX - U.S. DOLLAR OPENS HIGHER AGAINST WON - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The U.S. dollar opened at 1,048.50 won Wednesday, up 0.3 from 1,048.20 won. (Yonhap) 01-12 1132

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES BEGIN WEAKER - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... TOKYO, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo share prices began 1.0 per cent weaker Wednesday, with the Nikkei-225 index tumbling 108.80 points to 10,790.45 in early trading. ASIA PULSE 01-12 1133

S. KOREA MAY OPEN MARKET IF RICE TALKS FAIL: MINISTER.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's agriculture minister said Wednesday that if ongoing rice talks fall apart, the country may opt to open its market fully to imports. "If overtures being made by rice exporters are unacceptable to us,...

FARMERS FUEL PHILIPPINES' GDP GROWTH OF 6.5% JAN-SEPT.
December 1, 2004... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine farmers have helped to fuel the country's 6.5 per cent growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the first nine months of this year. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri said in a radio...

THREE COS SUBMIT BIDS TO DEVELOP GEOTHERMAL SITES IN PHILIPPINES.
December 1, 2004... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Three local and international companies have submitted proposals to develop two geothermal sites in the country as the First Geothermal Bidding Round successfully closed Monday. Department of Energy (DoE)...

PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT SEEKS TO CURB ILLEGAL LOGGING.
December 1, 2004... MANILA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine Vice President Noli +Kabayan, De Castro called for political will to stop illegal logging, which he says, is the culprit behind the deadly flashfloods and landslides in the countryside. During his...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... BANGKOK, Dev 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - Asean leaders wrapped up their meetings in Laos yesterday pronouncing success in the signing of an historic trade deal with China but Burma's reported...

LG.PHILIPS LCD TO SPEND US$5 BLN ON FLAT SCREEN PLANT.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - LG.Philips LCD Co. (KSE:034220), the world's second-largest maker of liquid crystal displays, said Wednesday it plans to build a 5.3-trillion-won (US$5.06 billion) facility for producing a larger type of flat screen....

STOCKS - SEOUL STOCKS OPEN WEAKER - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean share prices started lower Wednesday on slumping U.S. stocks and profit-taking. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.40 points, or 0.27 per...

S.KOREAN SHIPBUILDERS TO RECEIVE LARGE SHIP ORDERS NEXT YEAR.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea, the world's largest shipbuilding nation, will continue to receive a large amount of ship orders next year, helped by strong global demand for oil tankers, industry sources said Wednesday. However,...

S. KOREA, TAIWAN RESUME REGULAR COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Regular commercial flights resumed Wednesday between South Korea and Taiwan after a 12-year hiatus. Regular flights between the two countries were suspended in 1992 when South Korea established diplomatic ties with...

FM HAPPY AS LONG AS SENSEX DRIVEN BY FUNDAMENTALS OF ECONOMY.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Indian Federal Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he would be happy as long as the BSE Sensex, which touched 6,200 points today, was driven by the fundamentals of the economy. "I don't react (on the ups and...

BHP BILLITON SUES ESSO OVER LONGFORD GAS EXPLOSION.
December 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Global resources firm BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) is suing its joint-venture partner Esso for losses and damages arising from the explosion and fire at the Longford gas plant near Sale in south-eastern Victoria six...

DEMAND FROM CHINA BOOSTS AUSTRALIA'S TERMS OF TRADE.
December 1, 2004... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The emergence of China was one of the reasons for Australia's strong terms of trade, Treasurer Peter Costello said today. Mr Costello, speaking on the release of today's national accounts figures which showed...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES SLIGHTLY LOWER AT NOON - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market was slightly lower at noon today, but was remaining relatively steady despite weaker overseas markets. "There are really no definitive leads from overseas, European and US markets were...

INVESTMENT CORP. OF PAKISTAN BOOKS US$6.5 MLN FY03/04 INCOME.
December 1, 2004... KARACHI, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - The Investment Corporation of Pakistan (ICP) has earned an income of Rs 388 million (US$6.5 million) during fiscal 2003-04. ICP booked capital gains of Rs 258 million, after capitalising on bullish market...

PROSPECTS FOR AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY ARE GOOD SAYS TREASURER.
December 1, 2004... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The prospect for the Australian economy in future quarters was bright, Treasurer Peter Costello said today. He said while the September quarter was slower than expected, the prospects were good. "The...

SINGAPORE AIRLINES TO REDUCE AGENT COMMISSIONS IN AUSTRALIA.
December 1, 2004... BRISBANE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore Airlines (SIA) (SGX:SIAL) will reduce travel agent base commissions on international fares sold in Australia from nine to seven per cent next year. The move is in line with the global industry trend...

S. KOREA'S TRADE SURPLUS RISES TO US$2.77 BLN IN NOV.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's trade surplus climbed to US$2.77 billion in November from a US$2.5 billion surplus a month earlier as exports hit a fresh record despite a strengthening won, the Commerce Ministry said Wednesday. The...

FORD KOREA TO RECALL EXPLORER SUVS.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Ford Sales & Service Korea, the local distributor of Ford Motor Co., will recall over 300 Explorer sports utility vehicles for faulty rear windows, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Wednesday. ...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR: - Malaysia's economy is on track to achieve the official target of 7% growth this year following good expansion in the third quarter ending September. -...

AUSTRALIAN TREASURER WOULD LIKE TO SEE RISE IN US DOLLAR.
December 1, 2004... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Australian Treasurer Peter Costello said today he would like to see the US dollar rise so it would take pressure off Australian exporters. However, he predicted the fall in the US dollar could continue and make...

SASKEN DEVELOPS REFERENCE FLOW BASED ON SYNOPSYS' GALAXY DESIGN PLATFORM.
December 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, California and BANGALORE, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Sasken Flow Delivers a Time to Market Advantage for Customers by Accelerating Design Convergence Synopsys,...

PIONEERING FILM PRODUCER CHANGES NAME AFTER FAME.
December 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) TORONTO, Nov. 30 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- The recent in-flight BWIA magazine hailed India's Harbance (Mickey) Kumar as the pioneer and the most successful moviemaker in the West Indies....

IDEMA GLOBALIZES TO IMPROVE SERVICES TO MEMBERS.
December 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire - AsiaNet/ -- Disk Drive Trade Organizations Combine and Establish a Global Board of Directors to Address Consumer, Industrial and Enterprise...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR FIRMER AT NOON - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar firmed this morning to be stronger at noon after a report on local economic growth was not as weak as expected. At 1200 AEDT the local unit was trading at $US0.7771/76 compared to 0.7760/63...

CHINA HOPES FOR FAIR TEXTILE COMPETITION WITH PAKISTAN.
December 1, 2004... BEIJING, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - China hopes for fair competition with Pakistan's textile sector after the elimination of the quota system from January 1, 2005. "We believe the competition will intensify after the quotas are eliminated, as...

AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION JOINS CHINA FOUNDATION IN GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP.
December 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- HIV Testing, Treatment and Training Efforts Will Target Yuncheng City Residents in Province Where Blood Selling of Villagers Led to Widespread...

PALL ACQUIRES CHROMATOGRAPHY BUSINESS FROM CIPHERGEN.
December 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) EAST HILLS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 2004--Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of the BioSepra Process Division from Ciphergen...

CHINA SHOULD WIDEN YUAN TRADING BANDS: AUSTRALIAN TREASURER.
December 1, 2004... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Chinese government should widen the trading band for the yuan to take pressure off other currencies, Treasurer Peter Costello said today. Mr Costello said the stronger Australian dollar was hurting the...

TELSTRA'S CEO TO STEP DOWN BY JULY 2005.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Telstra Corp (ASX:TLS) chief executive Ziggy Switkowski will step down by July next year, just as the federal government gears up for the full sale of the telco. Dr Switkowski has agreed with the Telstra board...

S KOREAN CONGLOMERATES PETITION FOR REVISION OF CLASS ACTION LAW.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Lobbyists for South Korea's family-owned conglomerates, or chaebol, submitted a petition to the National Assembly Wednesday to revise a securities class action law that will take effect next year. The law would...

AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC OUTLOOK REMAINS FAVOURABLE: TREASURER.
December 1, 2004... CANBERRA, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Domestic demand was growing at a solid pace and the prospects for the Australian economy remained favourable, Treasurer Peter Costello said today. The economy grew 0.3 per cent in the September quarter, giving...

AUSTRALIAN TOLL ROAD PROJECT TO BE 100% MARKET FUNDED.
December 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Lane Cove Tunnel Finance Company Ltd today launched the fourth and final tranche of its A$1.1 billion (US$854.2 million) funding program for the Lane Cove Tunnel road project. The issue is made up of A$451.2...

INDIA'S DOT RULES OUT CANCELLING RELIANCE'S ILD LICENCE.
December 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Department of Telecom Tuesday ruled out cancellation of international long-distance (ILD) licence of Reliance Infocomm and said the proposal to impose Rs 1.5 billion (US$33.7 million) penalty for violation of...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... HONG KONG, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - The ICAC has arrested the chairman, three board members and financial controller of television maker Skyworth Digital for alleged corruption...

SAIF-ZONE OFFERS INCENTIVES TO PAKISTANI INVESTORS.
December 1, 2004... LAHORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF-Zone) has offered special incentives to Pakistani investors and businessmen at a seminar on 'Investment Opportunities in SAIF-Zone, Sharjah' held here on Monday. ...

PAKISTAN'S OGDCL TO INVEST IN DHUDIAL, RACHNA BLOCKS.
December 1, 2004... LAHORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) is set to invest over US$2 million in Dhudial and Rachna blocks next year by making a contingent investment of over $4.5 million in the two blocks. OGDCL sources said...

SCANDENT GROUP COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CAMBRIDGE INTEGRATED SERVICES GROUP.
December 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) GREENWICH, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 2004-- Expanded, independently owned Cambridge Integrated Services Group brings global best practices in business process management to firms...

STOCKS - HONG KONG STOCKS OPEN WEAKER - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... HONG KONG, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Hong Kong stocks started weaker Wednesday, with the Hang Seng Index falling 54.14 points, or 0.39 per cent, to 14,005.91. ASIA PULSE 0 01-12 1325

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN STOCKS DOWN IN EARLY TRADE - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was down in early trade, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index falling 4.08 points at 913.11 at 10.20 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-12 1328

STOCKS - SINGAPORE STOCKS UP IN EARLY TRADE - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade, with the Straits Times Index up 4.95 points at 2032.61 at 10.25 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-12 1330

KDB ARRANGES US$680 MLN DEAL FOR S KOREAN AUTO SHIPPING FIRM.
December 1, 2004... SEOUL, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - State-run Korea Development Bank said Wednesday that it has arranged a US$680 million debt deal for EUKOR Car Carriers Inc., a joint venture that took over Hyundai Merchant Marine's (HMM) (KSE:011200) auto-shipping...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 1, 2004.
December 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES - PSA International snapped up a majority stake in Hong Kong's Asia Container Terminals (ACT) yesterday to gain a foothold in the much sought after...