AsiaPulse News articles from July 2003

AsiaPulse News archives from July 2003

FOREX - US DOLLAR CHEAPER AGAINST RUPEE - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... MUMBAI, Jul 01 Asia Pulse - The U.S. Dollar ended slightly cheaper against the Rupee at Rs 46.4550 per dollar but the Pound Sterling turned sharply dearer at Rs 77.07 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) Market here...

STOCKS - DSE TRADELESS - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, Jul 1 Asia Pulse - The Delhi Stock Exchange remained tradeless today as most of the market players executed transactions on other bourses for their better market depth. The DSE authorities decided not to issue the index following...

STOCKS - BSE CLOSES LOW - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... MUMBAI, Jul 1 Asia Pulse - The market snapped 4-session winning streak and ended in the negative territory as equities met with strong resistance with many of them giving up part of their overnight gains in irregular movements on Bombay Stock...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN - Prosecutors push for death penalty for alleged Bali bomber. Businessman John Elliott banned by court from holding company directorships for four years....

INDIAN, ITALIAN INVESTORS TO SIGN MOUS.
July 1, 2003... KOLKATA, July 1 Asia Pulse - As a follow up to West Bengal chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee's recent visit to Italy to woo investors, four MoUs will be signed between Indian and Italian corporates here next month. The MoUs will be...

BANGLADESH READY TO DISCUSS FREE TRADE WITH INDIA.
July 1, 2003... DHAKA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Encouraged by the positive outcome of free trade between India and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh is considering entering into a similar trade agreement with the Indian Government. Dhaka has informed New Delhi that it was...

SAP INDIA TO DOUBLE WORKFORCE TO 2,000 IN 3 YEARS.
July 1, 2003... BANGALORE, July 1 Asia Pulse - German-based IT product major SAP said it planned to double its workforce in India to 2,000 in the next 3 years and move a part of its BPO operations to the country. "As part of our strategy, we are aiming to...

INDIAN COURT ALLOWS TELECAST OF TV SERIAL AFTER JULY 7.
July 1, 2003... KOLKATA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Sahara Entertainment's controversial mega-serial 'Karishma - A miracle of destiny' was today given the go ahead for telecast after July 7 by the Calcutta High Court, vacating its earlier stay order granted on the...

INDIA'S STEEL PRODUCTION UP 8.25% IN APRIL-MAY 2003.
July 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Steel production in India rose by 8.25 per cent to 5,525,000 tonnes during April-May 2003 as against 5,104,000 tonees during the corresponding period last year. Production of pig iron registered a rise of...

INDIA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH SLIPS TO 4.3% IN 2002-03.
July 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Hit hard by dismal show in the farm sector, India's economic growth slowed down to 4.3 per cent during 2002-03 as against 5.6 per cent in the previous fiscal year. The decline was mainly because of poor...

INDIA'S SUBEX BAGS SOFTWARE ORDER FROM ROMANIAN GSM OPERATOR.
July 1, 2003... BANGALORE, July 1 Asia Pulse - Subex Systems (BSE:SUBX), the Bangalore-based telecom software products company, said today it has won a major order from Connex, the leading GSM operator in Romania, to deploy its revenue assurance solution,...

NUMBER OF PASSENGERS AT TAIPEI'S CKS AIRPORT BREAKS 30,000-MARK.
July 1, 2003... TAIPEI, July 1 Asia Pulse - The number of inbound and outbound passengers at Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) International Airport broke the 30,000-mark Sunday for the first time since late March when severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) became...

CROSS-STRAIT TRADE CONTINUES TO INCREASE IN 1ST FOUR MONTHS.
July 1, 2003... TAIPEI, July 1 Asia Pulse - The two-way trade between Taiwan and mainland China amounted to US$13.74 billion in the first four months of this year, an increase of 29.5 per cent over the same period of 2002, according to statistics compiled by...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR SOARS OVERNIGHT - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar soared nearly three-quarters of a US cent overnight to touch fresh four-year highs. Investors hungry for higher yields were spurred on by the growing expectation that domestic interest rates...

INDIA'S RANBAXY GETS USFDA APPROVAL FOR GANCICLOVAR DRUG.
July 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Ranbaxy Laboratories (BSE:RANB) said Monday it has received US Food and Drug Administration approval to manufacture and market Ganciclovir capsules in 250 mg and 500mg strength, generic version of Roche's...

CISCO APPOINTS NEW MARKETING VICE PRESIDENT FOR INDIA, SAARC.
July 1, 2003... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Networking company Cisco Systems has appointed Ranajoy Punja as the vice-president for marketing operations in India and the rest of the SAARC region. Punja has been responsible for development and...

STILL HOPE FOR 3% ECONOMIC GROWTH: TAIWAN VICE PREMIER.
July 1, 2003... TAIPEI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i said Monday that if economic growth in the third and fourth quarters can be maintained at more than 4 per cent, then there is still hope for 3 per cent economic growth for the whole of this...

TAIWAN SEEKS LANDING VISA PRIVILEGES FROM INDONESIA.
July 1, 2003... TAIPEI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan is negotiating with Indonesia in the hope that the Southeast Asian country will resume issuing landing visas to visitors from Taiwan, a Foreign Ministry official said Monday. The anonymous official denied...

WHO PROMISES TO POST HEALTH EXPERTS IN TAIWAN: CDC CHIEF.
July 1, 2003... TAIPEI, July 1 Asia Pulse - The World Health Organization (WHO) has promised to post permanent staff members in Taiwan to help with epidemic control and public health promotion, a senior official said Monday. Su Ih-jen, director of the...

IFC SANCTIONS $17.5 MLN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIA'S ALOK.
July 1, 2003... MUMBAI, July 1 Asia Pulse - International Finance Corporation (IFC), Washington, has sanctioned financial assistance aggregating $17.5 million to textile maker Alok Industries Ltd (BSE:ALOK). The company would use these funds for retiring...

IRAN, BRITAIN TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COOPERATION.
July 1, 2003... TEHRAN, July 1 Asia Pulse - Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Tahmasb Mazaheri is scheduled to discuss expansion of Tehran-London economic and trade cooperation with the British Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt and Chancellor...

IRAN'S POPULATION TOPS 66 MLN, GDP, TRADE SURPLUS UP LAST YEAR.
July 1, 2003... TEHRAN, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) in a report released here Sunday said the country's population reached 66 million in the last Iranian year (ended March 20). It put the population growth rate at 1.7 per cent,...

IRAN-AZERBAIJAN TRADE PUT AT US$300 MILLION.
July 1, 2003... SEMNAN, July 1 Asia Pulse - Azerbaijan Ambassador to than Abbasali Karam Oglu Hassanov said here Sunday that the Tehran-Baku trade has topped US$300 million. Speaking at a meeting with Semnan Governor General Mohammad Ali...

TAIWAN'S MAC URGES LOCALS TO AVOID IMMEDIATE TRAVEL TO MAINLAND.
July 1, 2003... TAIPEI, July 1 Asia Pulse - The nation's top mainland China policy planner urged local people Monday to avoid immediate travel to the mainland upon the July 4 lifting of a 10-day severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) home quarantine...

MALAYSIA AND IRAN DISCUSS THE USE OF GOLD DINAR.
July 1, 2003... KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian government is discussing with Iran the possibility of having "bilateral payment arrangements" to enable Malaysia to use the dinar to settle payments. Deputy Finance Minister Dr Shafie Mohd...

TAIWAN PREMIER EXPECTS ETF TO ADD VITALITY TO BOURSE.
July 1, 2003... TAIPEI, July 1 - Premier Yu Shyi-kun said Monday that he expects that the issuance of the Taiwan 50 ETF (exchange traded fund) and index futures will add vitality to Taiwan's monetary market and boost Taiwan's visibility in the international...

MASHHAD EARNS RLS 22.4 BLN FROM PETROCHEMICAL EXPORTS.
July 1, 2003... MASHHAD, Khorasan Prov, July 1 Asia Pulse - Some 26,772 tons of petrochemical products worth 22.4 billion rials were exported through Mashhad customs in the past three months, Mashhad Customs Office Superintendent Naser Kavianinia said Monday....

PROGAS PAKISTAN SIGNS US$38 MLN CONTRACT FOR LPG PROJECT.
July 1, 2003... KARACHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Progas Pakistan has awarded a US$38 million Engineering Procurement Construction Contract (EPCC) for its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) project at Port Qasim to a Canadian and a Chinese firm for the second phase of...

PAKISTAN GRANTS EXPLORATION LICENCES TO PAKISTAN OILFIELDS LTD.
July 1, 2003... ISLAMABAD, July 1 Asia Pulse - The federal government on Saturday granted two licences to Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL) to explore petroleum resources in Block No. 3272-11 (Chakwal) in Zone-I in Chakwal district of Punjab and Block No....

PAKISTAN TELECOM TO HIRE FOREIGN FIRM TO FILTER NET CONTENT.
July 1, 2003... KARACHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Pakistan Telecommunication (PTCL) has decided to hire a foreign firm for content filtering to materialise its plan of blocking pornography and indecent material available on the Internet. Several firms have so...

NIGERIA CAN BE BRIDGE BETWEEN PAKISTANI EXPORTERS, AFRICA: ENVOY.
July 1, 2003... ISLAMABAD, July 1 Asia Pulse - Ambassador A D Idris Waziri has said Nigeria can play role of a bridge between Pakistan exporters and African continent to serve the cause of the two sides. He said his vision was to introduce small and medium...

KOREA'S SARS-RAVAGED TRAVEL AGENCIES COMING BACK TO LIFE.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's tourism industry is expanding rapidly after a months-long knockout caused by the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In recent months, some travel agencies had to tide themselves over...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES BEGIN MIXED - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's main bourse started weaker Tuesday on program selling, while the over-the-counter KOSDAQ opened stronger. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, the barometer of the Korea Stock Exchange, opened...

KAOHSIUNG MAYOR LEAVES FOR NEW YORK, BALTIMORE.
July 1, 2003... KAOHSIUNG, July 1 Asia Pulse - Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh was scheduled to leave for New York and Baltimore Monday afternoon for a brief visit. An official of his city government said Hsieh would study the city development projects of the...

ING BARINGS DROPS PLAN FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN KOOKMIN BANK.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Dutch financial group ING Barings has reportedly shelved its plan to make an additional capital investment in Kookmin Bank (KSE:23130), South Korea's largest commercial bank. Banking sources said Tuesday ING...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN MARKET OPENS LOWER - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market began the new financial year on a negative note today, with falls among the major banks and News Corp. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was two points lower at 3024.9 by 1015 AEDT...

LAHORE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SIGNS MOU WITH CHINESE FIRM.
July 1, 2003... LAHORE, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with a Chinese company, Uromqi Foreign Economic and Trade Fair Xinkyong on Saturday. The MoU was signed by...

KOREAN RAILWAY UNION LIKELY TO END STRIKE.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Railway workers will likely end a four-day strike Tuesday as union leaders are leaning toward seeking dialogue with the government rather than continuing the walkout. The Korean National Railroad union will vote...

CEO OF AUSTRALIAN AIRLINE REGIONAL EXPRESS STANDS DOWN.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian airline Regional Express (Rex) said its inaugural chief executive Michael Jones had stood down from the position. Rex spokesman Peter Leate said Monday evening executive general manager network...

AUSTRALIA'S NEW COMPETITION WATCHDOG CHIEF STARTS TODAY.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The new head of Australia's competition watchdog Graeme Samuel today said he would not be a soft-touch when it came to dealing with businesses in his new role as chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer...

STATE BANK OF PAKISTAN RESTORES TRADE WITH SERBIA.
July 1, 2003... KARACHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has restored export and import business with Serbia and Montenegro with immediate effect. The SBP had imposed an embargo on trade with Serbia and Montenegro on June 25, 1992...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING FIGURE ADDS SUPPORT FOR RATE CUT.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian manufacturing activity inched up in June, adding support to the case for a rate cut, a report showed. The Australian Industry Group/PricewaterhouseCoopers Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) for...

FOREX - WON OPENS HIGHER AGAINST DOLLAR -JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean won started higher against the dollar Tuesday on the yen's strength against the greenback. The local currency opened at 1,191.50 won to the dollar, up 1.50 won from Monday. The won usually moves...

PAKISTAN'S GAS OUTPUT RISES TO 2,648 MMCFD IN 1ST 9 MONTHS.
July 1, 2003... KARACHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - The average gas production in the country during first nine months of the current fiscal year has increased by five per cent to 2,648 mmcfd from 2,526 mmcfd where power sector is the largest consumer of natural gas...

FORD AUSTRALIA POSTS US$13.8 MLN PROFIT AFTER 2 YEARS IN THE RED.
July 1, 2003... ADELAIDE, July 1 Asia Pulse - Ford Australia has posted a .6 million ($US13.84 million) after-tax profit for the 2002 calendar year, ending two years in the red. The result compared to a A$16.1 million loss in 2000 and a A$5.5 million loss...

PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS APPROVE ARMED INTERVENTION IN SOLOMONS.
July 1, 2003... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australia is set to lead the biggest armed expedition in the South Pacific since World War II after the island nations of the region yesterday approved the historic intervention in the lawless and bankrupt country....

AUSTRALIAN HOTELS TROUNCE LONDON ON AFFORDABILITY: SURVEY.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Hotel accommodation in London costs 100 times the price of a Big Mac, but it only costs 45 times a local burger to stay in a Sydney hotel, a survey has found. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels' inaugural Hotel...

EXXONMOBIL TO SELL STAKES IN 2 WEST AUSTRALIAN OILFIELDS.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Oil giant ExxonMobil has put its stakes in two West Australian oilfields on the market, saying they no longer fitted as part of its portfolio of Australian holdings. ExxonMobil announced today it would sell its...

DEVOLUTION MAY TAKE 15 YEARS TO REPLACE PAKISTAN SYSTEM: WB.
July 1, 2003... ISLAMABAD, July 1 Asia Pulse - Recruitment, supervision, transfers and discipline of civil servants would become eventually a local government matter and the new model of devolved authority would take 15 years to replace the 150-year-old...

CHINESE FIRM SET TO OPEN QADIRPUR RIG IN PAKISTAN TODAY.
July 1, 2003... ISLAMABAD, July 1 Asia Pulse - Chinese company Sichuan Petroleum is likely to inaugurate its rig at Qadirpur gas field in Sukkur today. A high-powered delegation of Sichuan Petroleum, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation,...

PROFILE - JAPAN'S RETAIL INDUSTRY (JULY 2003).
July 1, 2003... ************************************************** A PROFILE OF JAPAN'S RETAIL INDUSTRY PREPARED BY ASIA PULSE ANALYSTS (UPDATED JULY 2003) ************************************************** OVERVIEW: Japanese consumers...

ANZ BANK ON TRACK FOR HIGHER EARNINGS: CEO.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - ANZ Banking Group Ltd (ASX:ANZ) chief executive John McFarlane today said the bank was on track to lift its earnings in 2003 and 2004 as well as its dividend payouts. In a letter to shareholders, Mr McFarlane...

PAKISTAN INVESTMENT BOARD ORGANISING INVESTMENT MOOT IN FRANCE.
July 1, 2003... ISLAMABAD, July 1 Asia Pulse - On the eve of President Musharraf's visit, the Board of Investment is organising an investment conference in France from July 1 to 4. The sole objective of organising the conference is to apprise French investors...

NEW CEO OF AUSTRALIA'S CLOUGH NEEDS TIME TO TURN COMPANY AROUND.
July 1, 2003... PERTH, July 1 Asia Pulse - Clough Ltd's (ASX:CLO) new boss David Singleton said he would need time to turn around the poorly performing engineering and construction company. The 43-year-old former head of strategy and mergers and...

KOREA EXPORTED 4,018 DIFFERENT ITEMS IN 2001: KITA.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea exported 4,018 different items which were each worth more than US$50,000 in 2001, with a presence in 80.9 per cent of the world's markets, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said Tuesday. ...

AUSTRALIA'S WIZARD EYES EQUITY FINANCING FOR HOME LOANS.
July 1, 2003... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The cost of buying a home could be slashed by a third as financial institutions push ahead with plans to offer equity financing, The Sydney Morning Herald reported today. An equity financing loan plan is being...

JAPAN'S VENTURE LINK LIKELY FACING US$4.17 MLN LOSS FOR FY02.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Venture Link Co. (TSE:9609) is expected to report a group pretax loss of around 500 million yen (US$4.17 milllion) for the fiscal year ended May 31, down from the prior year's profit of 10 billion yen. In...

JAPAN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SALES DIP IN MAY.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - May shipments of consumer electronics equipment fell 5.2 per cent from the same month a year earlier to 147.3 billion yen, according to figures released Monday by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... SINGAPORE, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES - Listed companies with March as their financial year-end made less money than they did a year ago. - Econ International, which recently won the...

JAPANESE AUTOPARTS MAKERS BOOST PRODUCTION IN U.S.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Some Japanese autoparts manufacturers are expanding production in the U.S. following the May start-up of Nissan Motor Co.'s (TSE:7201) new minivan plant in Canton, Ohio. Calsonic Kansei Corp. (7248) is increasing...

JAPANESE MORNING NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of the morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) today: - Tokyo Gas, Shell To Cooperate In Power Generation - BOT-M'Bishi To Buy Accounts Receivable From Smaller Firms - 72...

JAPAN RECYCLING FIRM TO BUY USED COMPUTERS FROM INDIVIDUALS.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Digital Reuse Inc., a recycler of personal computers that is affiliated with Mitsubishi Corp. (TSE:8058), will team up with Yamato Transport Co. (TSE:9064) to begin buying used PCs from individuals. The companies...

TOSHIBA BOOSTS SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE ACTIVITIES.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Toshiba Corp. (TSE:6502) is bolstering its socially responsible operations, given that such activities are part of investment criteria in the U.S. and Europe. As of July 1, a corporate social responsibility (CSR)...

JAPAN'S SAGAWA ANNOUNCES EARNINGS RESULTS FOR FIRST TIME.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Sagawa Express Co., an unlisted company that boasts the second-largest market share in parcel delivery, announced its earnings results for the first time ever Monday. By showing that the company has wiped out the...

NEC, OTHERS GAINING GROUND IN LEADING COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Major Japanese personal computer manufacturers are starting to retake ground in the area of nanotechnology and mechatronics technology. NEC Corp. (TSE:6701) said Monday that it will begin marketing in 2005...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... MANILA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: MANILA TIMES - The government cut plans for debt sales to fund this years budget by as much as $780 million and may instead sell a bond to rescue a state utility. -...

NISSHO IWAI-NICHIMEN TO CONSOLIDATE ADMINISTRATIVE FIRMS.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Nissho Iwai-Nichimen Holdings Corp. (TSE:2768) will consolidate into a single firm on July 1 four administrative subsidiaries that Nichimen Corp. and Nissho Iwai Corp. own separately. The consolidation will allow...

KOREAN COMPANIES MOVE OVERSEAS FOR BETTER BUSINESS CONDITIONS.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Overseas relocation of domestic companies is gaining momentum with a series of strikes and myriad government regulations chipping away at corporate competitiveness, according to industry sources Tuesday. Domestic...

PRODUCTION OF RENAULT-SAMSUNG'S SM5 SEDAN EXCEEDS 300,000 UNITS.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Renault Samsung Motors said Tuesday the production of its mid-sized SM5 sedan has surpassed the 300,000 mark. The mark was achieved five years and four months after the carmaker began churning out the model in...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... BANGKOK, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - The future of CDMA network expansion project of the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) remains uncertain as the agency prepares to negotiate a new...

YOUNG TRAVELLERS DEFIANT IN FACE OF INTERNATIONAL RISKS: SURVEY.
July 1, 2003... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) AUCKLAND, June 30 /MediaNet International-AsiaNet/ - Young Kiwis have never been more fearful of travelling overseas or more committed to it, according to an extensive national survey...

NEC, HITACHI TO OFFER ITANIUM 2 PC SERVERS.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - A number of Japanese firms, including NEC Corp. (TSE:6701) and Hitachi Ltd. (TSE:6501), will offer on Tuesday personal computer servers powered by Intel Corp.'s new Itanium 2 processor. Mitsubishi Electric Corp....

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2003.
July 1, 2003... JAKARTA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE JAKARTA POST - Former State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chairman Rizal Ramli and businessman Setiawan Jody walked out on Monday of a hearing on the controversial purchase...

JAPAN'S MIDSIZE SHIPBUILDERS EXPECTING DIFFERENT PRETAX RESULTS.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Two of Japan's four midsize shipbuilders are expecting consolidated pretax profit growth in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2004, but the other two firms are forecasting either a profit decline or a pretax loss on a...

TOSHIBA, PIONEER MOVING DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SITES TO CHINA.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Toshiba Corp. (TSE:6502) and Pioneer Corp. (TSE:6773) will begin development in China of digital electronics, such as DVD recorders, for sale in markets worldwide. The companies aim to cut development costs and...

BRAZIL'S CVRD OPENS FERRO ALLOY PLANT IN NORWAY.
July 1, 2003... RIO DE JANEIRO, July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall-AsiaNet/ - Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO) (CVRD) informs that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Rio Doce Manganese Norway (RDMN), located in Mo I Rana, Norway, started its operations today. ...

JAPAN DATABASES TO HELP PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS DEVELOP DRUGS FAST.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Biotechnology start-up PharmaDesign Inc. will on Tuesday begin marketing databases of special proteins that cause and aggravate illnesses. Working with the Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research, the firm has...

KOREAN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT PLUNGES IN FIRST 5 MONTHS OF 2003.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - The nation's balance of direct investment has been getting worse as foreign direct investment (FDI) has been decreasing this year, with local firms transferring their production facilities overseas, according to the...

JAPAN'S TOHOKU PIONEER DEVELOPS THINNEST MAGNESIUM DIAPHRAGM.
July 1, 2003... YAMAGATA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Tohoku Pioneer Corp. (TSE:6827), working with a metals processor in Niigata Prefecture, has developed an ultrathin magnesium diaphragm for use in speakers. Magnesium 0.2mm to 0.5mm thick has already been...

NIPPON SOFTWARE DEVELOPS SHOPPING SYSTEM FOR CABLE TV.
July 1, 2003... OTSU, July 1 Asia Pulse - Nippon Software Knowledge Corp., an information-processing services firm in Shiga Prefecture, has developed a system that will allow cable television viewers to reserve orders for products or services while watching...

PEACE ADVOCATE PREM RAWAT SPEAKS AT SPANISH PEACE CONFERENCE.
July 1, 2003... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) SALAMANCA, July 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/- Speaking at the University of Salamanca's first "Conference on Peace," Prem Rawat, an internationally known voice for peace, said, "Peace within is...

KOREAN CARD FIRMS INCREASE CAPITAL BY US$193 BLN IN 1ST HALF.
July 1, 2003... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Seven South Korean credit card companies increased their capital by 2.3 trillion won (US$1.93 billion), 120 billion larger than their original plans, in the first half, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said...

EXXONMOBIL INDONESIA DISMISSES 1,000 CONTRACT WORKERS.
July 1, 2003... LHOK SUKON, Aceh, July 1 Asia Pulse - American oil company in Indonesia PT ExxonMobil Indonesia dismissed at least, 1,000 contract workers on Monday. The dismissal however drew protest from the company's contract workers who later staged a...

NHK SPRING BOOSTING STABILIZER OUTPUT IN U.S.
July 1, 2003... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - NHK Spring Co. (TSE:5991) is increasing U.S. production of automobile stabilizers. The firm is expanding production sites in the states of Ohio and Kentucky in response to growing local production of popular sport...