AsiaPulse News articles from January 2004

AsiaPulse News archives from January 2004

STOCKS - BSE CLOSES UP - DECEMBER 31, 2003.
January 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Dec 31 Asia Pulse - Discounting the overnight brief downward correction, share values once again turned buoyant on a fresh round of selective buying, breached the 5800-mark and ended the year at the Stock Exchange today with a smart...

INDIA'S SUJANA METAL TO RAISE $US20MLN VIA GDR OFFER.
January 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Steel re-rolling company Sujana Metal Products Ltd is planning to raise up to $US20 million by issuing Global Depository Receipts (GDRs). The board of the Hyderabad-based company approved a proposal to issue...

CHINA'S BROADENGATE SYSTEMS TO SEEK RELISTING.
January 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) SHENZHEN, China, Jan 1 XFNHK-AsiaNet - BroadenGate Systems, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BROG), China's fastest growing software outsourcing company, today announced that the company...

ST ASSEMBLY TEST SERVICES APPOINTS NEW EXEC.
January 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) SINGAPORE and MILPITAS, Calif., Dec. 31 /XFNHK-AsiaNet/ ST Assembly Test Services Ltd. ("STATS") (NNM: STTS and SGX: ST Assembly), a leading independent semiconductor test and advanced...

HYUNDAI INCREASES OFFSHORE PRODUCTION.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday that it sold 1.98 million cars in 2003, with combined sales reaching 27.8 trillion won (US$23.2 billion). South Korea's largest automaker then said it sold more than $10...

KOREAN FAIR TRADE HEAD SAYS 2004 WILL HERALD MARKET REFORM.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Fair Trade Commission Chairman Kang Chul-kyu has predicted that 2004 will be important as the first year to push forth a three-year road map on market reforms. In a statement outlining the goals for the commission...

KOREAN GOV'T TO ISSUE TREASURY BONDS IN JANUARY.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government will issue 2.9 trillion won (US$2.43 billion) worth of treasury bonds in January, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Wednesday. The bonds will be sold in three parcels, with the...

INDO-GERMAN TRADE SET TO RISE TO $US5.6MLN IN 2003.
January 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Indo-German trade is forecast to rise to Rs 260,000 million ($US5,698 million) in 2003, according to an expert, Director Indo-German Export Promotion Council D Kebschull said. Revaluation of the euro had...

INDIA'S ECONOMY POSTS 8.4% GROWTH IN 2003.
January 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Indian economic growth shot up to a record 8.4% during the 2nd quarter of 2003-04, after years of sluggish growth, thanks to bumper agriculture production, coupled with impressive performance by industry. The...

NORTH KOREA PLEDGES PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF NUCLEAR ISSUE.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan. 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea said Thursday that despite Washington's "hostile" policy, there was no change in its policy to resolve its nuclear crisis through peaceful means. The North confirmed its policy in its New Year's...

LOY YANG POWER SALE DEAL EXTENDED IN AUSTRALIA.
January 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Under an extension granted yesterday, the Australian Gas Light Company (ASX:AGL) consortium will have until February 4 to complete its proposed .5 ($US2.61) billion Loy Yang Power sale deal. Under an...

SAARC SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN ISLAMABAD JAN 2.
January 1, 2004... FAISALABAD, Pakistan, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Tomorrow's South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit will not only play an instrumental role for cooperation between India and Pakistan, but also create new opportunities of...

IRAN, SUDAN DISCUSS EXPANSION OF TRADE TIES.
January 1, 2004... TEHRAN,Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Sudanese Minister of External Trade, Abd al-Hameed Musa Kasha, has called for the expansion of bilateral trade ties with Iran. In a meeting with Secretary-General of Central Cooperatives Chamber of Iran...

IRAN-KHODRO INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX TO STEP UP OFFSHORE PRESENCE.
January 1, 2004... TEHRAN, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Iran's deputy foreign minister for Asia-Pacific affairs said during a visit to Iran-Khodro Industrial complex that the government is ready to promote the firm in international markets. Mohsen Aminzadeh said that...

GAIL READIES LNG PIPELINE TO TRANSPORT GAS TO DELHI CONSUMERS.
January 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Gas Authority of India (GAIL), the gas transmission utility, has said it is ready to transport gas from a green field facility at Dahej to consumers in Delhi and northern India. The company said in a...

INDIAN TV OWNERSHIP DISPUTE SPARKS CALL FOR REVIEW.
January 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Television Eighteen (TV18) and CNBC Asia Pacific have announced they call for a review of a decision by the government rejecting the former's application to offer a 15 per cent stake in its uplinking subsidiary to...

MOTOROLA/SIEMENS TO SUPPLY OLYMPICS RADIO SYSTEM.
January 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Motorola and Siemens have been selected to provide two-way radio communications systems to be used by public safety agencies during the 2004 Olympic games in Athens. Motorola says its Commercial, Government and...

INDIA MAY APPOINT ADVISORS FOR ONGC, GAIL PUBLIC OFFERINGS.
January 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Indian Government has fast-tracked disinvestment of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission and the Gas Authority of India and is likely to appoint in a day or two as many as five advisors for the public offer of...

PAKISTAN GOVT SELLS OFF HABIB BANK FOR $US391MLN.
January 1, 2004... ISLAMABAD, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Pakistan government has sold a controlling stake in the country's second-largest commercial bank - Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) for Rs22.409 billion ($US391.4...

US-SINGAPORE FREE TRADE PACT TAKES EFFECT JAN 1.
January 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A free-trade agreement between Singapore and the United States is set to come into effect Thursday, according to the Singaporean Ministry of Trade. The agreement, the United States' first with an Asian state,...

TURNOVER ON TAIWAN'S STOCK MARKET FALLS IN 2003.
January 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Turnover on Taiwan's stock market fell by 6.6 per cent in 2003 from the previous-year level, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TAIEX). A total of 968.55 billion shares...

IRAN TO CUT DEVELOPMENT BUDGET TO ADDRESS DEFICIT.
January 1, 2004... TEHRAN, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - An Iranian official has said the government faces a Rls 20 trillion ($US2.409 billion) deficit in the current Iranian year, which started on March 20). Head of Management and Plan Organization`s (MPO) Economic...

ANALYSIS - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR MAY CLIMB TO 80 US CENTS.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Analysts have forecast that the Australian dollar's meteoric rise should peak in 2004, and that it may climb as high as 80 US cents. The same factors that pushed the currency a whopping 33 per cent higher in 2003...

NEW JAPANESE-AUSTRALIAN JV RISES FROM ASHES OF MIM.
January 1, 2004... BRISBANE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A new Japanese-Australian mining joint venture has risen from the ashes of Queensland miner MIM Holdings Ltd. The new mining player is determined to capitalise on the experience gained from the drawn-out...

NIQUEST LAST FLOAT IN AUSTRALIA FOR 2003.
January 1, 2004... PERTH, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Shares in junior explorer NiQuest Ltd (ASX:NIQ) hit the boards at a premium last night in the last float for 2003 on the Australian Stock Exchange amid a 14-year high for nickel prices. The Perth-based company...

AUSTRALIAN INDEX GAINS 10PCT IN 2003.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Despite a shaky start to 2003, the Australian share market has gaining nearly ten per cent in 2003. The index has put the bear market behind it heading into the new year, after gaining nearly 10 per cent in 2003,...

TARAGON PROPERTY FUND TO BUY SYDNEY CBD REAL ESTATE.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's Taragon Property Fund (ASX:TPG) has announced it will buy P&O House and its adjoining property in central Sydney for $A52.38 million ($US39.13 million). Settlement is to take place in June 2004. ...

AUSTRALIAN IPO OFFERINGS MORE THAN DOUBLE IN 2003.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A 2003 Australian equity survey has found that the amount of money raised in initial public offerings on the Australian Stock Exchange more than doubled in 2003 to $A7.8 billion ($US5.83 billion). The survey by...

AUSTRALIAN BOURSE TO CONTINUE LISTINGS GROWTH IN 2004.
January 1, 2004... BRISBANE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A higher number of companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2003, over 2002, and the trend is set to continue into 2004. A total of 124 companies joined the ASX in 2003, based on provisional...

CALENDAR 2003 AN OUTSTANDING YEAR FOR AUSTRALIAN BONDS.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Calendar 2003 has been dubbed an outstanding year for Australian corporate bonds, with attractive spreads, underpinned by ongoing investor demand, boosting issuance. The Commonwealth bond market survived a...

ADVISORY - JAPANESE MARKETS CLOSED TILL JAN 5 - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... TOKYO, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Japan's financial markets are closed for the New Year holidays. The Tokyo Stock Exchange and currency markets in Japan will reopen on Monday, January 5. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1228

AUSTRALIAN DEBT MARKET RAISES HIGHER FUNDS IN 2003.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Thomson Financial's Australian Debt League Table Rankings for 2003, released today, found that Australian corporate debt raised totalled $US81.25 billion in 2003, up almost 50 per cent from 2002. "This represents...

SPOT GOLD PRICES TRADE ABOVE $US400.
January 1, 2004... PERTH, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Spot gold prices are continuing to trade well above $US400 an ounce heading into 2004. Continued US dollar weakness is the underlying factor, but analysts say it will need to conquer an eight-year peak to have a...

AUSTRALIAN HOME LENDING HITS NEW HIGHS IN NOVEMBER.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Australian home lending hit record levels in November and looks to be buoyant into 2004. Data from the Reserve Bank of Australia shows that housing credit grew at an annual rate of 23.3 per cent in the month of...

TASMANIA'S HELLYER METALS PROJECT SOLD OFF.
January 1, 2004... PERTH, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The failed lead, zinc and copper Hellyer Metals Project in Tasmania has been sold off for $A1.6 million ($US1.2 million). The receivers and managers of parent group Western Metals have sold the project. ...

IRAN, PAKISTAN HOLD TALKS ON GAS PIPELINE.
January 1, 2004... ISLAMABAD, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A two-day meeting of Iranian and Pakistani experts on a proposed gas pipeline project was concluded here last Tuesday. The multi-billion project is to extend from Iran to Pakistan. Iranian Deputy Oil...

ADVISORY - ASIAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Please note the majority of stock markets in Asia will be closed today for New Year's day. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1312

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES - Singapore's economy grew by 0.8 per cent in 2003, within the 0.5 to 1 per cent range forecast by the Government. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... TOKYO, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET - Only a decade after embracing the Internet, Japanese people today rely heavily on information technology to communicate and maintain close relationships with...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... HONG KONG, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST - Pro-democracy groups on Wednesday called on the Hong Kong public to attend a New Years Day rally in the that hope another show of people power...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR - Despite some late attempts at window-dressing, the KLSE Composite Index (CI) ended 2003 a few points shy of the psychologically significant 800-point mark....

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... BANGKOK, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE NATION - Expatriates will be charged Bt2 million next year for a Thailand Elite privilege card. - Six years after the economic crisis, a number of tycoons who faced...

IRANIAN BANKS TO PROVIDE US$82.5 MLN IN CREDIT TO BAM RESIDENTS.
January 1, 2004... TEHRAN, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Mehdi Karbasian said on Tuesday that the banking system would contribute rls 660 billion (US$82.5 million) in credit to build 10,000 houses and farms in the quake-hit city of...

IRAN CABINET EARMARKS FUNDS FOR BAM RESIDENTS.
January 1, 2004... TEHRAN, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Cabinet ministers earmarked rls 3,410 billion (US$425 million) to rehabilitate the tragedy-hit city of Bam. The Management and Planning Organization (MPO) said on Tuesday that the cabinet held an emergency meeting...

S. KOREA'S EXPORTS HIT ALL-TIME HIGH LAST YEAR.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea set a new record in exports with US$194.33 billion last year, up 19.6 per cent on-year, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Thursday in a provisional tally. The nation's imports also...

PAKISTAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 31, 2003.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Dec 31 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: DAWN - Indian flights to resume on 9th January - Delhi reduces troop presence in Kashmir - 5.4pc GDP growth likely: SBP - Raise in NFC share pledged THE...

PAKISTAN MAY EXCEED GDP TARGET.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has projected that the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) target will be exceeded. In its latest quarterly report, the SBP has said: "Current projections by SBP's staff...

PAKISTAN'S SBP ADVISES MOF ON FUNDING.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has advised the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to incorporate or include development spending, independent of anti-poverty expenditure. While issuing a special report on Fiscal...

US$ PURCHASES BY STATE BANK PAKISTAN DROPS BY US$751 MLN IN Q1.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The purchase of US dollars from the open currency market by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has dropped by a record Rs43.4 billion (US$751 million) during the first quarter of current financial year. According...

PAKISTAN MULLS MEASURES TO FACILITATE AFGHAN IMPORTERS.
January 1, 2004... ISLAMABAD, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The government is considering various measures including the removal of more items from the negative list and the opening up of new routes to help Afghan importers. An official source told that these measures...

STRUGGLING INDUSTRIAL UNITS RECEIVE HELP FROM PAKISTAN'S SBP.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has granted another relief package to sick industrial units by exempting them from maintaining mandatory financial exposure, as required under Prudential Regulation (PR) number-5. ...

Q1 REVENUE COLLECTION REACHES US$1.6 BLN IN PAKISTAN.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Tax collected by the Central Board of Revenue in the first quarter of FY2004 stood at Rs94.1 billion (US$1.6 billion), slightly above the quarterly target of Rs92.2 billion but only 18.4 per cent of the total FY04...

TETLEY TEA TO ENTER PAKISTAN MARKET IN FIRST QUARTER OF '04.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Tetley Clover Private Limited (TCPL) is now planning to introduce Tetley tea in Pakistan in the first quarter of 2004, hoping to capture six to eight per cent share in a market dominated by Unilever and Tapal Tea....

PAKISTAN'S CENTRAL BANK ABSORBS US$305 MLN FROM BANK SECTOR.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - After scrapping 96 per cent bids for treasury bills last week to avoid fuelling expectations of an interest rate spike, the State Bank mopped up Rs17.5 billion (US$305 million) from the banking system for one week....

OMAN'S POPULATION TOPS 2.331 MLN.
January 1, 2004... MUSCAT, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Ahmed bin Abdul-Nabi Macki, Minister of National Economy and Deputy Chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council and general supervisor of the general Census of Population, houses and establishments...

NEW RAILWAY STATION BUILT IN SEOUL FOR BULLET TRAIN SERVICE.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - With its first bullet train ready to roll four months later, South Korea dedicated a new railway station in Seoul Thursday to serve as its starting point. Prime Minister Koh Gun cut the ribbon to open the new...

Q3 SURPLUS IN MALAYSIA'S OVERALL BALANCE OF PAYMENTS RISES 67%.
January 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The surplus in the overall balance of payments (BOP) for the third quarter of 2003 increased by 67.5 per cent (+RM5.6 billion, US$1.4 billion) to RM13.9 billion from that of RM8.3 billion in the second...

BRIEFING - ASIA AUTOMOTIVE - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... An executive briefing on the automotive industry for Jan 1, 2004, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. HYUNDAI INCREASES...

BRIEFING - ASIA INFRASTRUCTURE - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... An executive briefing on infrastructure for Jan 1, 2004, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. IRAN CABINET EARMARKS...

SOUTH KOREA'S 2003 EXPORTS HIT ALL-TIME HIGH.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan. 1 Asia Pulse - Helped by shipments of cars, petrochemicals and electronic products, South Korea exported a record US$194.33 billion worth of goods last year, officials said Thursday. Provisional figures compiled by the Ministry...

PROFILE - CHINA'S BEER INDUSTRY (JAN 2004).
January 1, 2004... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The following is a profile of China's beer industry, updated January 2004, with statistics for the first ten months of 2003: OVERVIEW * Despite such unfavorable factors as the outbreak of the SARS epidemic...

SINGAPORE APPOINTS NEW APEC REPRESENTATIVE.
January 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore has appointed a new representative to the APEC Business Advisory Council. Ms Chong Siak Ching, the CEO of Ascendas Pte Ltd, has been appointed Singapore's representative to the APEC Business Advisory...

TAIWAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The lead stories in major Taiwan dailies on Thursday are as follows: THE CHINA TIMES - Liver transplant recipient donates heart and kidneys to save three lives after she dies by accident. THE UNITED...

BRIEFING - ASIA ENERGY - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... An executive briefing on energy for Jan 1, 2004, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. LOY YANG POWER SALE DEAL EXTENDED IN...

BRIEFING - ASIA JOINT VENTURES - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... An executive briefing on joint ventures for Jan 1, 2004, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. NEW JAPANESE-AUSTRALIAN JV...

N. KOREA VOWS TO REBUILD SHATTERED ECONOMY AMID NUCLEAR CRISIS.
January 1, 2004... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea urged its people Thursday to unite around its communist leadership to rebuild the country's shattered economy but gave no fresh indications how it would achieve the goal. Describing its past 10 years...

BUSINESS IN ASIA TODAY - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... Business in Asia on Jan 1, 2004. A summary prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, market intelligence and business opportunities: SOUTH KOREA'S 2003 EXPORTS HIT ALL-TIME HIGH...

PHILIPPINES TO ASSUME SEAT ON UN SECURITY COUNCIL.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippines opens a new era in its engagement in global diplomacy when it formally assumes its seat in the 15-member United Nations Security Council later today. Ambassador Lauro Baja, Jr., the Philippines'...

PETRON TO SPEND US$94 MLN ON REFINERY UPGRADE IN PHILIPPINES.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The continued improvement of the country's economy under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has encouraged Petron Corporation, one of the three big players in the oil industry, to earmark P5.11 billion, or US$94.4...

PHILIPPINE INDUSTRIES WANT RETURN OF CAPITAL EQUIPMENT TAX PERK.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Domestic industries have urged Congress to restore the tax credit incentive for registered enterprises which source their machinery, equipment and spare parts from domestic manufacturers. This was the position...

CEBU LOOKS FOR EDGE IN GLOBAL FURNITURE MARKET.
January 1, 2004... CEBU CITY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The stiff competition in the global furniture market has prompted the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. to look for a system that will help its members increase the quantity and quality of their products....

MORE IT WORKERS NEEDED IN CEBU.
January 1, 2004... CEBU CITY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Cebu needs to produce more information technology professionals as demand has outstripped the manpower supply, according to Cyber-promdi past president Vince Rallon. Large software companies such as NEC...

PHILIPPINE GOVT PROVIDES US$9.5 MLN FOR HOUSING PROGRAM, JAN-OCT.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The year 2003 saw the Macapagal-Arroyo administration achieving significant milestones in its mass housing program. Under the stewardship of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, during the10-month period covering...

STOCKS - BSE OPENS UP - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Share prices commenced the new year with a big bang and the sensex once again crossed 5900-mark on the Bombay stock exchange in early trading today on all-round buying by foreign funds and operators. The BSE-30...

INDIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers are: THE ECONOMIC TIMES - The good news keeps piling in. India's economy opened the year with the mother of all bangs. GDP soared by a record 8.4 per cent in the second...

PROFILE - JAPAN'S RETAIL INDUSTRY (JAN 2004).
January 1, 2004... ************************************************** A PROFILE OF JAPAN'S RETAIL INDUSTRY PREPARED BY ASIA PULSE ANALYSTS (JANUARY 2004) ************************************************** OVERVIEW: In the first half of...

PROFILE - CHINA'S TEXTILE INDUSTRY (JAN 2004).
January 1, 2004... ************************************************* A PROFILE OF CHINA'S TEXTILE INDUSTRY PREPARED BY ASIA PULSE ANALYSTS (JAN 2004) ************************************************* OVERVIEW * China's textile industry...

INVESTMENT CORP PAKISTAN BOOKS 197% ON-YR SURGE IN INCOME.
January 1, 2004... KARACHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Investment Corporation of Pakistan (ICP) has reported income of Rs1,458.8 million (US$24.4 million) in 2002-03, up 197 per cent year on year, according to a company press release. These results were released...

S KOREA DONATES US$20,000 FOR PHILIPPINE LANDSLIDE VICTIMS.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Donations from the international community continue to pour for the victims of the Leyte and Surigao landslides, with Korea extending P1.1 million or US$20,000 in humanitarian aid. The donation was given by the...

KEY PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SELECTS RUNNING PARTNER.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Movie actor turned-presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. today picked Senator Loren Legarda as his vice presidential running mate for the May 2004 national elections. According to former Press Secretary Rod...

PHILIPPINE GOV'T ENCOURAGES USE OF HYBRID RICE VARIETIES.
January 1, 2004... TACLOBAN CITY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Department of Agriculture has encouraged lowland and upland rice farmers the use of hybrid rice varieties including RC 7, RC 9, and RC 88. Mrs. Fe G. Hipe, senior agriculturist of the Eastern Visayas...

NEW MEMBER APPOINTED TO PHILIPPINES' MONETARY BOARD.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Monetary Board, the policy making body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, recently lost one of its members to the ongoing electoral contest set for May next year but promptly obtained a replacement. The...

KEY PHILIPPINE SECURITY ADVISER RESIGNS, SEEKS CONGRESS SEAT.
January 1, 2004... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said Thursday he is resigning from his post to seek a congressional seat in Paranaque City in the coming May 2004 synchronized national elections. Golez said his resignation...

BRIEFING - ASIA ECONOMIC NEWS - JAN 1, 2004.
January 1, 2004... An executive briefing on the economies of Asia for Jan 1, 2004, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. NEW MEMBER APPOINTED...