AsiaPulse News articles from February 2006

AsiaPulse News archives from February 2006

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS STRONGER - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar surged about three quarters of a US cent overnight as the US dollar was sold off in the lead up to the US Federal Reserve interest rate decision. At 0815 AEDT the currency was trading at...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - The Nationals will forge a more aggressive and independent stance inside the coalition government to arrest their declining electoral...

STOCKS - BOMBAY STOCKS END HIGHER - JAN 31, 2006.
February 1, 2006... MUMBAI, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - Bombay stocks closed 0.72 per cent higher today, pushed by a strong rally in shares from capital goods, metals and auto sectors. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) sensex closed up 70.86 points at 9,919.89. ...

FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS WEAKER AGAINST RUPEE - JAN 31, 2006.
February 1, 2006... MUMBAI, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - The US dollar ended slightly weaker against the rupee at Rs 44.12 per dollar but the pound sterling was firmer at Rs 78.21 per pound at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here on Tuesday. The euro...

S KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: Vernacular dailies -- Foreign funds indicted for rigging stock prices, British fund Hermes faces 7.3 billion won in fines (Kyunghyang Shinmun) -- Weather to be cold again...

S KOREA'S RAILROAD CHIEF POSTPONES N KOREA VISIT.
February 1, 2006... DAEJEON, South Korea, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's state-run railroad operator said Tuesday that its president has postponed a visit to North Korea that was scheduled for early February. Lee Chul, head of the Korea National Railroad...

S KOREAN TAX WATCHDOG PROBES FOREIGN-BASED FINANCIAL FIRMS.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's tax watchdog is conducting tax investigations of overseas-based financial firms, a tax source said Tuesday. A number of companies, which include Citibank Korea, Deutsche Bank, UBS, BNP Paribas and...

SAMSUNG SUED BY MATSUSHITA OVER ALLEGED PATENT INFRINGEMENT.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. filed a legal suit against South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:005930) on Monday over alleged patent infringement, according to Samsung Tuesday. ...

KITA OPENS WASHINGTON OFFICE AHEAD OF S KOREA-US FTA TALKS.
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) opened its Washington office Tuesday as South Korea and the United States prepare to start negotiations on a free-trade agreement. The KITA Washington Center,...

AUSTRALIA'S MACQUARIE BANK UPGRADES YEAR PROFIT FORECAST.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's largest investment bank Macquarie Bank Ltd (ASX:MBL) has upgraded its guidance for the full year, now expecting to beat its record A$823 million (US$623.18 million) profit booked in 2004/05. Macquarie...

AUSTRALIA'S SMORGON STEEL ACQUIRES US ASSETS.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Steel maker and metals recycler Smorgon Steel Group Ltd (ASX:SSX) has acquired the operating assets of US metal recycler ITI Inc and Steelport of Florida Inc. The price of the acquisition was not disclosed. ...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT SET TO RELAX DONOR IDENTITY DISCLOSURE LAWS.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The federal government is reported to have targeted 1,000 leading company directors in a donations drive, indicating it will relax donor identity disclosure laws. The business leaders have been asked to help the...

AUSTRALIAN ENVOY TO US LOBBIED CONGRESS TO STOP AWB PROBE.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's ambassador to the United States reportedly lobbied Congress to drop a probe into allegations that the AWB (ASX:AWB) paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING CONDITIONS STEADY IN JAN.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Conditions in Australia's manufacturing industry steadied last month as supplier deliveries strengthened while inventories declined. The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) performance of...

AUSTRALIA'S MACQUARIE TO FLOAT NEW FUNDS IN MARCH-JUNE.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Macquarie Bank Ltd (ASX:MBL) chief executive Allan Moss said there were a number of sets of assets that the investment bank expected to float in new funds between March and June this year. However Macquarie's...

TELECOM NZ EXPECTED TO INCREASE EFFORTS TO SELL AAPT.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Telecom New Zealand (ASX:TEL) is expected to ramp up attempts to sell off its ailing Australian operation AAPT when it reports its first half results this week. Telecom earlier this year told the market it would...

S. KOREAN INFLATION RATE ACCELERATES IN JANUARY.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in eight months in January, mainly due to a rise in prices of agricultural products and public services ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, a government report...

UK'S AVIVA LIFE INSURANCE TIES UP WITH CENTURION BANK OF PUNJAB.
February 1, 2006... LONDON, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Aviva Life Insurance, Britain's largest insurance group, has tied up with Centurion Bank of Punjab (BSE:532273) as bancassurance partners. Aviva has now extended its leadership position in the bancassurance...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN STOCKS OPEN HIGHER - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market has opened stronger despite a weak overnight lead from Wall Street. At 1015 AEDT the benchmark S&P/ASX200 was 24.2 points stronger at 4953.8, while the all ordinaries was up 22.2 points...

ORIGIN BUYS STAKE IN QUEENSLAND COAL SEAM GAS PROJECT.
February 1, 2006... MELBOURNE, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Gas and electricity retailer and producer Origin Energy Ltd (ASX:ORG) has bought into the Argyle coal seam gas project in south west Queensland for $A70 million ($US53.0 million). Origin has purchased a 40.625...

RELIANCE CONSORTIUM EMERGES AS HIGHEST BIDDER FOR DELHI AIRPORT.
February 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Reliance (BSE:500325)-ASA, Mexico consortium on Tuesday emerged as the highest financial bidder for the Delhi airport modernisation project, offering 46 per cent of revenue share to government for the work. ...

UNWIRED EXPANDS WIRELESS BROADBAND NETWORK TO MELBOURNE.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Unwired Australia (ASX:UNW) has begun work on a wireless broadband network in Melbourne. Unwired, which already operates a network in Sydney, said it had commenced its network build in parts of Melbourne today....

AUSTRALIA'S MILTON CORP EXPECTS HIGHER INVESTMENT REVENUE IN H2.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Milton Corporation Ltd (ASX:MLT) says its investments are likely to generate increasing investment revenue over the next six months. The listed investment company today posted a 20.8 per cent increase in first...

INDIA'S GMR SET TO WIN DELHI AIRPORT CONTRACT, GVK TO GET MUMBAI.
February 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Two South India-based industrial groups GMR (BSE:500162) and Reddy's GVK are all set to get the contracts for modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports respectively. Even though GMR-Fraport was the second...

RELIANCE SAYS CHANGES IN INDIAN AIRPORT BIDS 'UNTENABLE'.
February 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Losing Delhi airport project to rival GMR-Fraport consortium despite emerging as the top financial bidder, Anil Ambani's Reliance Airport Developers on Tuesday lashed out at the bid process, saying changes in...

UK SEEKS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC EXCHANGES WITH INDIA.
February 1, 2006... CHENNAI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The United Kingdom would initiate a programme to support educational interaction between centres of excellence in India and Britain, intending to improve academic exchanges between the two countries with an intended...

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA TO RELEASE SECURITISATION GUIDELINES.
February 1, 2006... MUMBAI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said that the final guidelines for securitisation of standard assets will be released on Thursday. "The final guidelines on securitisation will be released by RBI on...

SEPATON'S VTL DOMINATES VIRTUAL TAPE LIBRARY APPLIANCE MARKET.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006--SEPATON, Inc., the leader in high-performance data protection solutions, today announced it has achieved significant strides in...

BOEING TO SELECT INDIAN SITE FOR MRO BY JUNE.
February 1, 2006... MUMBAI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Boeing on Tuesday said it would finalise by June the location for its US$100 million maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in India. The aircraft giant has shortlisted sites from six states for its MRO...

A.M. BEST AFFIRMS RATING OF AIOI INSURANCE COMPANY LTD.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006--A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and assigned an issuer credit rating of "a" to Aioi Insurance...

OIL INDIA LTD COMMISSIONS DEEPEST HORIZONTAL OIL WELL.
February 1, 2006... GUWAHATI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Oil India Limited (OIL) has successfully ventured into horizontal oil well drilling for optimising the production of hydrocarbons through state of the art technology. The OIL has successfully completed the...

SUCAMPO OBTAINS FDA APPROVAL FOR AMITIZA(TM) CAPSULES.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the new drug application for...

IBM BOARD APPROVES REGULAR QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) ARMONK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006--The IBM board of directors today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $.20 per common share, payable March 10, 2006 to...

FORSTER'S CONFIRMS EARNINGS FORECAST FOR 2005/06 FY.
February 1, 2006... MELBOURNE, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Global beverages firm Foster's Group Ltd (ASX:FGL) today confirmed its earnings guidance for the 2005/06 financial year. "Foster's has previously indicated 2006 year normalised earnings per share growth would...

BABCOCK & BROWN INFRASTRUCTURE TO RAISE EQUITY CAPITAL.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Babcock & Brown Infrastructure (BBI) plans to undertake a $A700 million ($US530.04 million) capital raising to raise funds for the purchase of PD Ports Plc and other investment opportunities. BBI made an $A805...

KIA MOTORS TO OPEN SALES UNIT IN AUSTRALIA IN MARCH.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Kia Motors Corp. (KSE:000270), South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Wednesday it will set up a sales unit in Australia next month to boost sales. Kia Motors aims to sell 30,000 cars in Australia this year,...

NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK COMPLETES BNZ INVESTMENT SALE.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's biggest bank National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) has completed the sale of BNZ Investment Management Ltd to Assure New Zealand Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of insurer AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd. ...

INDIA'S CREST ANIMATION TO RAISE US$12 MLN OVERSEAS.
February 1, 2006... MUMBAI, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Crest Animation Studios Ltd (BSE:526785) on Tuesday said it will raise US$12 million through issue of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCB) in the overseas markets. The board of directors of the company has...

FOREX - KOSDAQ OPENS LOWER - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The KOSDAQ opened at 684.44 points Wednesday, down 5.80 points. (Yonhap) 01-02 1134

FOREX - US DOLLAR OPENS LOWER AGAINST WON - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The US dollar opened at 963.10 won Wednesday, down from 964.60 won. (Yonhap) 01-02 1135

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - The Johor state investment arm, Johor Corp (JCorp), yesterday signed a collaboration agreement with Siraj Capital Ltd, a subsidiary of Ghassan Al...

AUSTRALIA'S SANTOS STARTS CASINO GAS PROJECT.
February 1, 2006... PERTH, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Santos (ASX:STO) has opened its million ($US151.44 million) Casino gas project, offshore Victoria, and says the operation will be a major supplier to the domestic market when it reaches full production later this...

SHARES IN AUSTRALIA'S MACQUARIE FALL AFTER PROFIT FORECAST.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Shares in Macquarie Bank Ltd (ASX:MBL) sank as much as seven per cent after it failed to meet market expectations for its full year guidance. Australia's biggest investment bank today forecast that its net profit...

AUSTRALIA'S SKILLED VACANCIES INDEX FALLS IN JAN.
February 1, 2006... CANBERRA, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The Federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations' skilled vacancies index fell by 2.9 per cent in January. The index released today showed vacancies for professionals were down two per cent, fell...

AUSTRALIA'S ALUMINA LTD POSTS SLIGHTLY LOWER YR NET PROFIT.
February 1, 2006... MELBOURNE, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Alumina Ltd says the outlook for alumina prices and production is favourable for 2006. The bauxite miner and aluminium smelter today posted an annual net profit of A$315.6 million (US$238.97 million), slightly...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES OPEN LOWER - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as an overnight drop on Wall Street set a negative tone for the local market. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price (KOSPI) lost 5.51 points, or 0.39 per cent, to...

STOCKS - TOKYO STOCKS OPEN WEAKER - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... TOKYO, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo stocks started weaker Wednesday, with the Nikkei-225 index dropping 49.13 points or 0.30 per cent to 16,600.69 in the first minutes of trading. ASIA PULSE 01-02 1149

AT&T UPDATES OUTLOOK ON MERGER SYNERGIES.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of this release can be found at http://www.businesswire.com) NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006-- Industry's Premier Assets and Largest Synergy Opportunities Expected to Drive Double-Digit Adjusted EPS Growth in Each...

BRISBANE AIRPORT CORP TAKES RUNWAY PLAN TO THE COMMUNITY.
February 1, 2006... BRISBANE, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has begun informally consulting the community about its planned A$500 million (US$378.6 million) parallel runway. The project involves building a 3,600m runway two...

S. KOREANS ACCOUNT FOR MAJORITY OF CHINA'S TOURISTS IN 2005.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean visitors to China jumped nearly 25 per cent from a year earlier in 2005, overtaking the number of Japanese travelers to the world's most populous country, a trade body said Wednesday. According to the...

BANCO ITAU HOLDING FINANCEIRA S.A. ANNOUNCEMENT TO MARKET.(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) SAO PAULO, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- 1. Banco Itau Holding Financeira S.A. (NYSE: ITU) (Itau) and XL Capital Ltd. (NYSE: XL) (XL), through its subsidiary XL Insurance...

SEOUL MOVES TO CUT TAX BENEFITS FOR WELFARE SPENDING.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea is accelerating its efforts to cut a variety of tax incentives in a bid to help fund increasing spending on social welfare policies. On Tuesday, the government announced a plan to cut down on tax...

MAKOTO MEGURO NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR STERLING STAMOS CAPITAL.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) NEW YORK, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Makoto Meguro has joined private investment firm Sterling Stamos Capital Management, L.P. ("Sterling Stamos") as a Managing Director on...

VANCOUVER TO HOST ALCAN PRIZE FOR SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) MONTREAL, Jan. 31 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- Alcan Inc. (NYSE, TSX: AL) announced today that it will host the first ever Alcan Prize for Sustainability Conference in Vancouver, British...

SHAW NAMES JEAN DESEILLIGNY AS PRESIDENT OF PROCESS GROUP.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) BATON ROUGE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006--The Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE:SGR) today announced that Jean Deseilligny has joined Shaw's Energy & Chemicals Division as President,...

BUSINESS WIRE DAILY BRIEFING - JAN 28-30, 2006.(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... A summary of news releases for Jan. 28-30, 2006, 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:...

SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS TO BUY BAE SYSTEMS AEROSTRUCTURES.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) WICHITA, Kan., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement with BAE Systems to acquire the Aerostructures business...

AUSTRALIAN RETIREES STRUGGLING ON AN AVERAGE US$16,640 A YEAR.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Australian retirees are living on an average of only A$22,000 (US$16,640) per year, pushing some to gamble or even consider breaking the law to fatten their wallets, new research shows. Citibank's latest...

BOMBARDIER ANNOUNCES CSERIES DECISION.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006--Bombardier announced today that present market conditions do not justify the launch of the CSeries program at this time. The Corporation...

COHDA WIRELESS OBTAINS $1.8M IN SERIES A FUNDING.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) ADELAIDE, Australia & ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006--Cohda Wireless Pty. Ltd., an innovative developer of municipal and public safety wireless technologies, announced...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... BANGKOK, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - Norahuch Ployyai, an executive vice-president at Thai Airways International (THAI), is tipped as the front-runner among the four candidates shortlisted to...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... HONG KONG, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - A centralised surveillance scheme is being introduced to track the spread of a drug-resistant superbug. - The five veto powers on the UN...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SINGAPORE, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES: - For the first time, the Housing Board is putting up five-room and executive flats for rent through a private company. - In a sign of growing...

S. KOREAN WON FALLS FOR A SECOND DAY ON CAPITAL INFLOWS.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's currency fell for a second consecutive day on Wednesday on continued inflows of foreign capital and an improving economy. The Korean won, which opened at 963.10 won against the U.S. dollar, was...

SSANGYONG MOTOR SACKS 8 EXECS AMID GRIM EARNINGS FORECASTS.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Ssangyong Motor Co. (KSE:003620), controlled by Chinese automaker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., said Wednesday it has sacked eight executives in the company's second senior-level cutback in two months. The...

AT&T TO WEBCAST NEW YORK ANALYST CONFERENCE TODAY AT 12:30 EST.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) NEW YORK, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) will webcast its Analyst Day Conference to be held here today from 12:30 to 5 p.m. EST. The conference will include...

PROTEMIX NAMES JEAN-PIERRE MILLON CHAIRMAN.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) SAN DIEGO & AUCKLAND, New Zealand--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2006--Protemix Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease,...

VILLAGE ROADSHOW'S HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION GRP GETS CASH INJECTION.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Entertainment group Village Roadshow Ltd's (ASX:VRL) Hollywood film production group Village Roadshow Pictures Group (VRPG) has received a $US500 million cash injection. Village Roadshow Tuesday announced that...

AUSTRALIA'S ORIGIN WARNS OF DELAYS TO ITS KUPE GAS PROJECT.
February 1, 2006... PERTH, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Energy company Origin Energy Resources Ltd (ASX:ORG) Tuesday warned of possible delays to its developing Kupe gas project, offshore New Zealand. The company, which owns half of the project, said the decision to...

S. KOREAN WON GAINS FOR SECOND DAY ON CAPITAL INFLOWS.
February 1, 2006... SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's currency rose against the U.S. dollar for a second consecutive day on Wednesday on continued inflows of foreign capital and an improving economy. The Korean won, which opened at 963.10 won against the...

GROUP OF EIGHT FINANCE MINISTERS MEETING IN MOSCOW.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MOSCOW, Jan 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - The meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Eight leading industrial nations (G8) which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia,...

DOW AGROSCIENCES, FIRST REGISTRATION FOR PLANT-MADE VACCINES.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, (NYSE: DOW), announced today that it has received the...

KILL KILL KILL - S. KOREAN WON FALLS FOR A SECOND DAY...
February 1, 2006... The following story is killed. This kill is mandatory and no further use of the material is allowed. SEOUL, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's currency fell for a second consecutive day on Wednesday on continued inflows of foreign capital...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE SHARES HIGHER IN EARLY TRADE - FEB 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... SINGAPORE, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade Wednesday, with the Straits Times Index up 13.7 points at 2,425.8 at 10.15 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-02 1323

AIR NEW ZEALAND TO LAUNCH DAILY SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE IN JUNE.
February 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ) is to increase its San Francisco route to a daily service from June this year. First introduced with a frequency of three non-stop services a week between Auckland and San Francisco in...

GROUND BROKEN FOR WATERVIEW TOWER & SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, CHICAGO.
February 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) CHICAGO, Ill., Jan 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Waterview LLC has broken ground at the site of Waterview Tower & Shangri-La Hotel, Chicago, a 90-story, mixed-use high rise in downtown Chicago...

AUSTRALIA'S COOPER ENERGY SAYS IT IS AHEAD OF PRODUCTION TARGETS.
February 1, 2006... PERTH, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Cooper Energy (ASX:COE) posted its best quarterly production on record in the final quarter of 2005 and said it was ahead of production targets for the year-to-date. Cooper produced 94,334 barrels of oil in the...

HONDA TO CUT MINIVAN, SUV OUTPUT IN US AS DEMAND DROPS.
February 1, 2006... TOKYO, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Japan's Honda Motor Co. (TSE:7267) said Tuesday that it intends to reduce production from April to December at its minivan and sport utility vehicle factory in Alabama due to falling demand caused by rising gasoline...

TOKIO MARINE OBTAINS ISLAMIC INSURANCE LICENSE IN MALAYSIA.
February 1, 2006... TOKYO, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. said Tuesday that it has obtained a license to operate Takaful, the Islamic insurance system, in Malaysia. Because selling insurance to Muslims is banned, the Millea...

TSE PROPOSES SCREENING SYSTEM THAT REJECTS IRREGULAR ORDERS.
February 1, 2006... TOKYO, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - The Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to adopt a new order-processing system under which a large transaction equivalent to 20-30 per cent of a firm's outstanding stock would be automatically rejected, according to the...

JAPAN'S KAJIMA ACQUIRES U.S. INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING BUSINESS.
February 1, 2006... TOKYO, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Kajima Corp. (TSE:1812) announced Tuesday that it has purchased the U.S. operations of American industrial engineering firm The Austin Company through its subsidiary Kajima USA Inc. Founded in 1878, The Austin...

JAPAN'S PIONEER LOGS 170% JUMP IN OCT-DEC OPERATING PROFIT.
February 1, 2006... TOKYO, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Pioneer Corp. (TSE:6773) reported Tuesday a group operating profit of 5 billion yen (US$42.5 million) for October-December quarter, up roughly 170 per cent on the year. But the uncertain business outlook prompted it to...

CANON WINS IN HIGH COURT OVER RECYCLED INK CARTRIDGE PATENTS.
February 1, 2006... TOKYO, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Reversing a lower court decision, the Intellectual Property High Court acknowledged Tuesday that a recycled-goods importer infringed on Japan-based Canon Inc.'s (TSE:7751) patents by importing and selling refilled...

SANYO TO EXIT OEL PANEL BUSINESS, SELL STAFFING SERVICE UNIT.
February 1, 2006... OSAKA, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Sanyo Electric Co. (TSE:6764) announced Tuesday that it will withdraw from the OEL (organic electroluminescent) panel business and sell off its staffing agency subsidiary as a part of business restructuring aimed at...