AsiaPulse News articles from January 2009

AsiaPulse News archives from January 2009

TRADE AGREEMENT MOST PRACTICAL DEAL FOR NOW: TAIWAN OFFICIAL.
January 1, 2009... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The deputy chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) , Kao Koong-lian, said Wednesday that it is better for Taiwan to sign a trade and investment framework agreement with China (TIFA) than a comprehensive...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN - John Howard thinks the Rudd government is facing years of budget deficits and Australia faces a lengthy economic downturn. - Thousands watched the...

BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - $ALL $BW $HLT.
January 1, 2009... OLDWICK, N.J.--DEC. 31, 2008 (BW)(NJ-A.M.-BEST) A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of CIGNA Life Insurance New Zealand Limited Business Editors OLDWICK, N.J.-- Dec. 31, 2008 -- A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating...

BANGLADESH GOVT TO SET UP CONSUMER RIGHTS PROTECTION DEPT.
January 1, 2009... DHAKA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A new department will be established under the Bangladesh Commerce Ministry entitled the Consumer Rights Protection Department, to enforce the newly enacted Consumer Rights Protection Law. The decision came from...

ADVISORY - AUSTRALIAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... Australia, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian markets are closed today for New Year's day. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1101

ADVISORY - JAPAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... TOKYO, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Japanese markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1104

BANGLADESH POTATO TARGET NOT LIKELY TO BE ACHIEVED IN NORTH.
January 1, 2009... RANGPUR, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Potato cultivation may not be achieved in 16 northern Bangladesh areas, including the Rangpur-Dinajpur region, due to abnormal price hikes of fertilizer and other agri-chemicals this season. Farmers said they...

14TH DHAKA INTL TRADE FAIR BEGINS THURSDAY IN BANGLADESH.
January 1, 2009... DHAKA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A month-long international trade fair begins in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Thursday to showcase and promote quality products from home and abroad. The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in cooperation with the Ministry of...

BANGLADESH TO LICENSE UNAUTHORIZED ISPS.
January 1, 2009... DHAKA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will soon start its drive against unauthorized internet service providers (ISPs) and cyber caf service providers (CCSPs). The decision was made by...

MEXICO WARNS SINGAPORE ON LIVE DOLPHIN IMPORTS.
January 1, 2009... HONIARA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore has been cautioned not to accept the bottlenose dolphins exported from the Solomon Islands. The warning has come from the chairman of Mexico's highest authority on environment and natural resources,...

PNG LANDOWNERS THREATEN TO DISRUPT LNG PROJECT.
January 1, 2009... PORT MORESBY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Landowner groups from Papua New Guinea's oil rich Southern Highlands have threatened to disrupt the multi-billion kina liquefied natural gas (LNG) project if they are not paid their memorandum of agreement (MoA)...

SAMOA TO HAVE THIRD COMMERCIAL TELEVISION CHANNEL IN 2009.
January 1, 2009... APIA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Samoan government has issued a third public broadcasting licence to a new commercial television channel, expected to go to air in February next year. Radio New Zealand International said Cook Islands media...

5PCT CUT IN EMISSIONS "UNLIKELY": AUSTRALIAN POLITICIAN.
January 1, 2009... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Australian climate change minister Penny Wong has conceded it is "unlikely" the world will agree to ambitious emissions cuts that will allow the government to meet a target of up to 15 per cent. Ms Wong declined...

VIETNAM'S TOURIST NUMBERS GREW TO 4 MLN IN 2008.
January 1, 2009... HANOI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - International arrivals into Vietnam increased 0.6 per cent year on year to 4.3 million in 2008, reported the General Statistics Department. The figure, however, represented the industry's failure to meet its...

UAE TELCO ANNOUNCES 64% DISCOUNT ON CALLS AND SMS TO PALESTINE.
January 1, 2009... ABU DHABI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - UAE telco Etisalat has announced up to 64 per cent reduction in rates for all calls and SMS to Palestine, starting January 1, 2009. The reduced rates will be effective round the clock throughout January 2009,...

UAE COUNCIL RATIFIES US$11.5 BLN 2009 FEDERAL DRAFT BUDGET.
January 1, 2009... ABU DHABI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The UAE Federal National Council (FNC) has approved the federal daft budget for 2009, the biggest in the history of the UAE. The FNC session chaired by Speaker Abdul Aziz Abdullah Ghurair was attended by...

UAE CO'S DONATE TO RED CRES IN SUPPORT OF GAZA RELIEF CAMPAIGN.
January 1, 2009... ABU DHABI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) announced yesterday that a number of companies had pledged Dh 3.36 million (US$914,783) in support of its sponsored humanitarian campaign to aid Palestinians affected by the...

N. KOREAN LEADER HOPES FOR CLOSER TIES WITH CHINA IN 2009.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has sent a New Year message to Chinese President Hu Jintao expressing hopes for closer ties between the traditional allies, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday. "2009, which...

S KOREA DURABLE GOODS SALES PLUNGE IN NOV AMID ECONOMIC DOWNTURN.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean households and companies are scaling down spending on durable goods as concerns are growing that the economy is slowing at a faster-than-expected pace, the government said Thursday. According to the...

TURKEY TO CIRCULATE NEW BANKNOTES IN NEW YEAR.
January 1, 2009... ANKARA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The head of Turkey's Central Bank said on Tuesday that citizens should be well informed on the security features of the new banknotes to be put into circulation as of January 1, 2009. Holding a news conference in...

TURKEY ANNOUNCES FOREIGN TRADE FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER 2008.
January 1, 2009... ANKARA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Turkey's export figures decreased by 17.5 per cent to US$9.3 billion in November 2008 when compared to the same month of 2007, officials said on Tuesday. According to the foreign trade figures announced by Turkish...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... SINGAPORE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Cosco Corporation (Singapore)'s warning of lower 2008 profits - which it issued on the penultimate day of a year in which Chinese shipbuilders have gone...

VANUATU AT RISK OF BECOMING PREY TO CASINO MAFIA: ACADEMIC.
January 1, 2009... PORT VILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - An academic says historical patterns indicate Vanuatu could become prey to more organised crime due to the opening of a large casino in its capital. A boutique style casino linked to the global Jupiters brand...

NEW TURKISH MINIMUM WAGE TO TAKE EFFECT JAN 1.
January 1, 2009... ANKARA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Turkey's new minimum wage will take effect on Thursday. Minimum wage has been set as 666 Turkish liras (TL) (US$432) gross (net 527.13 TL) for workers over the age of 16 for the first half of 2009. The...

ADVISORY - HONG KONG MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... HONG KONG, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Hong Kong markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1307

NEW BRIDGE CONSTRUCTED IN URUZGON AFGHANISTAN.
January 1, 2009... KABUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Afghan dignitaries and Gen. David McKiernan, Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan participated in a ceremony to open the recently completed Chutu bridge in Deh Rawod district, located in Uruzgon Province, just over 100...

PRT IMPROVES IRRIGATION IN KUNAR AFGHANISTAN.
January 1, 2009... KABUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team is working with Afghans in Manawara District to restore an irrigation system that fell into disrepair during decades of war in Afghanistan. The ancient Karez system consists...

FIRE GUTS NIGHTCLUB IN BANGKOK ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, 59 DEAD.
January 1, 2009... BANGKOK, Thailand, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A fire swept through a high-class nightclub packed with New Year's revellers early on Thursday, killing at least 59 people and injuring about 130, officials in Bangkok said. A number of foreigners were...

CHINA ECONOMY FACES RISK OF DEFLATION IN 2009.
January 1, 2009... Beijing, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's economy has demonstrated a downward turn, facing a risk of deflation, aid a research report issued by Guohai Securities published on December 31. According to the report, China would face a stern...

EXPORT REBATE RISES TO HELP EASE DIFFICULTIES OF CHINESE ENTERPRISES.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's recent rises of export rebates will help enterprises ease difficult operation of enterprises, said a research report issued by Guohai Securities published on December 31. China will increase the export...

CHINESE CURRENCY THE YUAN TO REMAIN STABLE.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Chinese government has called for stabilizing the Renminbi (RMB) exchange rate at a reasonable and balanced level, said Zhang Bin, associate research fellow of the World Economy Institution under the Chinese...

LG INVESTS US$146.6 MLN TO CHINA'S CELL PHONE MARKET IN 2009.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Korean-based LG Mobile announced Tuesday that it would invest 1 billion yuan (US$146.6 million) in China's cell phone market in 2009, which would be the largest yearly investment amount it injects in China, Beijing...

CHINA AUTO EXPORT IN SHARP DECLINE FOR FOUR CONSECUTIVE MONTHS.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's auto export witnessed a sharp decline for four straight months from August to November of 2008 amid the global financial crisis and economic downturn. Chinese automakers sold 613,000 vehicles on the...

CHINA'S 09 UNLOCKED NON-TRADE SHARES TO BE 4 TIMES HIGHER: DATA.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Data shows that the scale of China's unlocked non-tradable shares in 2009 will be four times larger than 2008, Jan 1 with 689.772 billion such shares to be unlocked in 2009. Rough estimations put the...

CHINA EVERBRIGHT BANK GRANTS US$47 MLN CREDIT TO GEELY.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China Everbright Bank provided on December 31 one billon yuan credit (US$147 million) loan to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to support the latter's development. According to an agreement, Geely will use 250...

S. KOREA'S INDUSTRIAL EXPORT SHIPMENTS PLUNGE IN NOV.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's industrial shipments for exports plunged in November as overseas demand was sharply dented amid deepening global recession woes, the government said Thursday. The National Statistical Office (NSO)...

CHINA CALLS FOR PURCHASE TAX CUT ON MOTORCYCLES TO UP SALES.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Many Chinese motorcycle manufacturers and industrial guilds have put forward suggestions for cut purchase tax on the motorcycle purchase tax for boosting market sales. They called for including the purchase tax...

CHINA'S MACROECONOMIC PRE-WARNING INDEX HITS 7Y LOW, NBS.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's macroeconomic pre-warning index reached 84.7 in November, the lowest since 2002 but still in the "green light" area, which means stable, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The index kept on...

N. KOREA VOWS TO DENUCLEARIZE PENINSULA, REBUILD ECONOMY IN 09.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan. 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea said Thursday that it will rebuild its ailing economy and aim for denuclearization in the New Year, in an apparent signal of its willingness to start afresh with the United States. In a joint...

DECREASE IN CHINA FOREX RESERVE NOT NECESSARILY A CHALLENGE.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China Jianyin Investment Securities published a research report on December 31, saying the decrease of China's forex reserve is not necessarily a challenge. Officials of the State Administration of Foreign...

CENTRAL PARITY RATE OF YUAN TO GBP LESS THAN 10 FOR 2 DAYS, WED.
January 1, 2009... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's Central parity rate of yuan against the Great British pound (GBP) is set at 9.8798 on Wednesday from 9.8975 on Tuesday, posting the exchange rate falling below the 10 mark for two trading days. The...

S KOREAN GOV'T TO SUPPORT OS MARKETING IN H1 TO BUOY EXPORTS.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan. 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government said Thursday it will spend 100 billion won (US$76.3 million) on overseas marketing support efforts until June to help boost South Korean exports. The amount represents more than 70 per...

SRI LANKANS SAFE TO DEAL WITH SEYLAN, REGULATED SECTOR: CB GOV.
January 1, 2009... COLOMBO, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - There is no danger in dealing with Sri Lanka's regulated financial sector and authorities have acted swiftly to build confidence in Seylan Bank by bringing it under a state-bank, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal...

SRI LANKA'S FOREIGN COMMERCIAL DEBT DOWN: CENTRAL BANK.
January 1, 2009... COLOMBO, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka's central bank has said the government's external commercial net debt liabilities stock has declined by about US$255 million during the year 2008 substantially reducing its exposure to foreign exchange...

S KOREAN GOV'T TO INJECT FUNDS INTO CORPORATE RELOCATION IN 09.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government said Thursday that it has set aside 87.0 billion won (US$66.4 million) this year to support balanced national growth by helping companies relocate their operations to rural areas. The...

ASIANET DAILY SUMMARY - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... AsiaNet Daily Summary - Press Releases for Wednesday Jan 1, 2009 SYDNEY, Jan 1 /AsiaNet/ -- FANNIE MAE... WASHINGTON, D.C.: Fannie Mae will redeem the principal amount of MTN securities issues amounting to a total of US$200 million...

BANK INDONESIA EXPECTS INFLATION TO DROP, CAN CUT RATE.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Bank Indonesia (BI) expects the country's inflation rate to drop so that the central bank will be able to cut its key rate. "We hope inflation can be controlled and drop but how low it will go, let us just wait...

INDONESIA'S CARRIER GARUDA TO OPEN 18 NEW ROUTES IN 2009.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is planning to open 18 new flight routes in 2009 after the arrival of 14 new Boeing 737 NGs it has purchsed, a spokesman said. Garuda Communications Chief Officer Purjobroto...

INDONESIA ACHIEVES RICE SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
January 1, 2009... MAKASSAR, S Sulawesi, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Indonesia would not import rice in 2009 because its rice production target has been achieved. "We will not import rice because we have a production surplus of two...

INDONESIA UPSET BY MALAYSIAN GOVT'S STANCE ON ILLEGAL LOGGING.
January 1, 2009... DEPOK, W Java, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's Forestry Minister, MS Kaban expressed disappointment over Malaysian officials' attitude on the practice of illegal logging in Indonesia. "Although they know that wood coming to Malaysia from...

ADVISORY - CHINESE MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... SHANGHAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Chinese stock markets are closed today for New Year's day. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1455

ADVISORY - HONG KONG MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... HONG KONG, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Hong Kong markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1455

ADVISORY - AUSTRALIAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... Australia, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian markets are closed today for New Year's day. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1456

ADVISORY - MALYSIAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1458

ADVISORY - INDONESIAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1500

ADVISORY - SOUTH KOREAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1502

ADVISORY - THAILAND MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... BANGKOK, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Thai markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1503

ADVISORY - SINGAPORE MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... SINGAPORE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Singapore markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1505

CORR: ADVISORY - MALAYSIAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1509

ADVISORY - PHILIPPINES MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippines markets are closed today for the New Year. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1511

ADVISORY - TAIWAN MARKETS CLOSED - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Taiwan markets are closed today for Founding of the Republic of China and New Year's Day. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1514

THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS ARRIVE IN BALI DURING YEAR-END HOLIDAYS.
January 1, 2009... KUTA, Bali, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - As many as 131,075 foreign tourists arrived at Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport by domestic and international flights since December 22 to 30, 2008. The number is higher than last year's record of...

INDONESIAN OIL LIFTED IN 2008 REACHES 931,000 BPD.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The lifting of crude oil and oil condensate ij Indonesia reached 931,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2008 or 4,000 barrels per day more than the 927,000 bpd set in the 2008 amended state budget, a minister said. ...

BR INDONESIA TARGETS 20% GROWTH IN CORPORATE CREDITS IN 2009.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) is targeting a 20 per cent growth in its corporate credits in 2009, the bank's corporate director, Sudaryanto Sudargo, said here Wednesday. "I am sure our corporate credits will grow...

INDONESIAN CARRIER GARUDA HOPES TO FLY EUROPE ROUTE AGAIN IN 2010.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is planning to open flight route to Europe through the Netherlands in 2010 if the European Commission lifts its ban on Indonesian airplanes from flying in its airspace next...

INDONESIAN GOVT TO UP CEILING PRICE OF DRIED UNHULLED RICE JAN 1.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government will raise the ceiling price of dried unhulled rice by 9.1 per cent from Rp2,240 (US$0.20) to Rp2,400 per kg as of January 1, 2009, an economic official said. The decision to raise the...

INDONESIA'S PERTAMINA EXPECTS $US4.65 BLN GROSS INCOME FOR 2008.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesian state-owned oil company PT Pertamina expects to earn a gross income of Rp 50 trillion (US$4.65 billion) for 2008, the company's chief, Ari Sumarno, said here Wednesday. The gross income would include...

SOUTH KOREAN EQUITY FUND INVESTMENTS UP IN NOV.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's outstanding equity fund investments grew at a faster pace in November than a month earlier as stock markets seemed to be gaining some stability, data showed Thursday. According to the data provided...

INDONESIA'S GOVT TO SET ECONOMIC PRIORITIES FOR 2009.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government plans to set seven priorities in 2009 to maintain the country's economic growth. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at a press conference after conducting a coordination meeting...

INDONESIA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2009 OVER 4.5%: PRES.
January 1, 2009... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the economic growth of Indonesia in 2009 would be over 4.5 per cent, a figure which was quite realistic to achieve. Speaking in a press conference after leading...

INDIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: ECONOMIC TIMES: - The troubled $2-billion Satyam Computer Services may have more worries on the legal front in 2009. A Texas court will hold a hearing on the legal tussle...

OCEAN TOMO ANNOUNCES AN OPEN CALL FOR TAIWANESE IP OWNERS.
January 1, 2009... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(IL-OCEAN-TOMO)(OTPAT.AMEX)(OTPATG.AMEX)(OTPATV.AMEX) Ocean Tomo Announces an Open Call for Taiwanese Intellectual Property Owners to Submit IP for Its First Live IP Auction in Asia in...

N. KOREA UPHOLDS MILITARY-FIRST POLICY, ECONOMY IN NEW YEAR.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea vowed on Monday to continue to uphold its military-first policy and rebuild its economy for a better standard of living for its citizens as it celebrated the New Year. In a joint newspaper editorial...

HYUNDAI HEAVY MISSES 2008 ORDER TARGET.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., (KSE:009540) the world's largest shipbuilder, said Wednesday that it failed to meet this year's order target due to the global economic slump. It received orders valued at a record...

INDIAN OIL CORP INSTALLS SMP SYSTEM OFF THE PARADIP COAST.
January 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - State-run Indian Oil Corp (BSE:530965) (IOC) on Tuesday announced the installation of a Single Point Mooring (SPM) system off the Paradip coast in Orrisa for unloading of crude oil by tankers. "The SPM system...

SOUTH KOREA TO SPEND US$5.4 BLN ON DEFENSE GOODS IN Q1 2009.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea will spend over 7 trillion won (US$5.4 billion) in the first half of next year on purchasing weapons and other defense articles as well as new apartments for military servicemembers to help boost the...

S KOREA'S PRES VOWS NON-POLITICAL APPROACH TO NORTH KOREA.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean president Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday pledged to take a long-term, non-political approach to strained relations with North Korea and map out fundamental strategies to promote peaceful coexistence and...

JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER TARO ASO TO VISIT SEOUL IN JAN.
January 1, 2009... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is to arrive in Seoul on January 11 for a summit with his South Korean counterpart, Seoul's foreign minister, Han Seung Soo. (Yonhap) 01-01 1659

BRIEFING - ASIA ECONOMIC NEWS - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... An executive briefing on the economies of Asia for Jan 1, 2009, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. HYUNDAI HEAVY MISSES...

BRIEFING - ASIA AGRIBUSINESS - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... An executive briefing on agribusiness for Jan 1, 2009, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. INDONESIA ACHIEVES RICE...

BRIEFING - ASIA AUTOMOTIVE - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... An executive briefing on the automotive industry for Jan 1, 2009, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. CHINA CALLS FOR...

BRIEFING - ASIA AVIATION - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... An executive briefing on aviation for Jan 1, 2009, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. INDONESIAN CARRIER GARUDA HOPES TO...

BRIEFING - ASIA ENERGY - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... An executive briefing on energy for Jan 1, 2009, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. INDONESIAN OIL LIFTED IN 2008...

BRIEFING - ASIA ENVIRONMENT - JAN 1, 2009.
January 1, 2009... An executive briefing on the Environment for Jan 1, 2009, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. 5PCT CUT IN EMISSIONS...