AsiaPulse News articles from July 2009

AsiaPulse News archives from July 2009

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July 1, 2009... intelligence, news, tenders and expert commentary on the economics of Asia provided by Asia Pulse Pte Ltd (Asia Pulse). Asia Pulse reserves all rights including copyright in relation to services provided by it, except where otherwise...

FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS CHEAPER AGAINST RUPEE - JUNE 30, 2009.
July 1, 2009... MUMBAI, June 30 Asia Pulse - The US Dollar ended sharply cheaper against the Rupee at Rs 47.91 per dollar and the Pound Sterling also finished lower at Rs 79.49 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market on Tuesday....

STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES CLOSE LOWER - JUNE 30, 2009.
July 1, 2009... MUMBAI, June 30 Asia Pulse - In choppy trade, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Tuesday tumbled nearly two per cent on profit-booking by investors ahead of the general Budget amid a weak opening at European markets. The Sensex,...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS WEAKER - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened weaker on Wednesday, as poor confidence data in the US dented hopes of a recovery in the world's largest economy. At 0700 AEST, the local currency was trading at US$0.8061 66, down...

SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KOREAN-LANGUAGE DAILIES: - Head of national human rights commission quits his post (Kyunghyang Shinmun) - Non-regular workers' law fails to be revised (Kookmin Daily) ...

SOUTH KOREA, THAILAND AGREE TO LAUNCH JOINT WORLD EXPO NEXT YEAR.
July 1, 2009... BANGKOK, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea and Thailand agreed Tuesday to launch a 50-day joint world culture expo in Bangkok next year to promote bilateral friendship and cooperation and publicize the historic cultures of the two nations. ...

KAESONG INDUSTRIAL PARK CAN BE VEHICLE FOR OPENING NORTH KOREA.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - A joint industrial complex could serve as a viable vehicle to open up North Korea as South Korea and the international community try to change its aggressive behavior, a Chinese scholar suggested Tuesday. "Why...

FITCH TEAM TO VISIT S KOREA FOR ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT NEXT WEEK.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings said Wednesday that it will send a delegation for its annual visit to South Korea to assess the nation's economic conditions. The delegation including two members of its...

VIETNAM STILL DRAWING INVESTORS: R & M.
July 1, 2009... HANOI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnam is still an attractive investment opportunity despite the current global recession, confirms website Research and Markets (R&M), the world's leading source for international market research and market data....

HO CHI MINH CITY PRAISED AS RELIABLE DESTINATION FOR FDI.
July 1, 2009... HCM CITY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has praised, Ho Chi Minh City's efforts to become a reliable destination for foreign investors, the nation's leading foreign investment attraction locality and one...

AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET OPENS WEAKER - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market opened slightly weaker on Wednesday, following a soft lead from US Treasuries. At 0830 AEST, the yield on the Commonwealth Government March 2019 bond was 5.545 per cent, up from...

INDIA'S DHANALAKSHMI BANK REDUCES DEPOSIT RATES.
July 1, 2009... MUMBAI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Indian private sector lender Dhanalakshmi Bank (BSE:532180) on Tuesday said it has reduced interest on its deposits by up to 1 per cent across various slabs. For deposits with a tenour of 91 days to 179 days, the...

SHAW WALLACE TO SELL ENTIRE STAKE IN INDIA'S UNITED SPIRITS.
July 1, 2009... MUMBAI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Vijay Mallya-led United Spirits (BSE:532432) on Tuesday said Shaw Wallace (BSE:501379) will sell its entire 10.27 per cent stake in the company to retire a part of debt. United Spirits Ltd (USL) in a filing to...

RAIN DELAY MAY FORCE INDIAN FARMERS SHIFT TO SHORT-CYCLE CROPS.
July 1, 2009... MUMBAI, July 1 Asia Pulse - A delay in rainfall is likely to impact crop size and farmers may shift to short-cycle crops like cotton and castor seeds, an Indian industry official said. "The delay in monsoon has raised concern for several...

INDIAN GOVT RELEASES ABOUT 15 MLN TONNES NON-LEVY SUGAR FOR JULY.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Indian government has released 15 million of sugar to be sold in the open market in July, while dispensing with the quarterly release order system until December. "The Central Government has decided to...

INDIAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT HAS IMPROVED IN 3 YEARS: WB/IFC.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - It is easier to start and operate business in India than it was three years ago in many large cities of the country, a report by IFC and World bank says. "The report finds it is easiest to start and operate a...

PROMOTER OF INDIA'S SHYAM GROUP ELECTED TO SISTEMA BOARD.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Rajiv Mehrotra, the founder of Indian telecom firm Shyam Group, has been elected to the Board of the diversified Russian group Sistema. Russian conglomerate Sistema has formed a joint venture with Shyam...

INDIA'S MMTC TO SELL 10,600 TIONMNES OF IMPORTED YELLOW PEAS.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - India's state-run MMTC (BSE:513377) has invited bids for sale of 10,600 tonnes of imported yellow peas on the domestic market. Bids will close on July 6 and the decision on the tender will be taken on July 8,...

INDIAN INDUSTRY LIKELY TO SHOW BETTER RESULTS FOR MAY: DIPP.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - India's industrial production is expected to have done better in May as domestic demand-driven industries are doing well, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Ajay Shankar said. "In May,...

INDIA'S CORE INDUSTRIES EXPAND BY 2.8 % IN MAY.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, June 30 Asia Pulse - The six core industries in India grew by 2.8 per cent in May 2009 against 3.1 per cent in the same month last year on improved production in cement, coal and electricity. The growth rate of six core...

INDIAN RAILWAYS DEVELOP NEW FREIGHT WAGONS TO TRANSPORT CARS.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - India's Railways have developed new freight wagons which can transport cars efficiently and is planning to run them in routes with a good business potential. At present, bulk of cars rolling out of factories...

INDIA'S MOTHERSON SUMI TO BUY OUT GERMAN PARTNERS' STAKE IN JV.
July 1, 2009... MUMBAI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Indian auto component maker Motherson Sumi Systems (BSE:517334) on Tuesday said it will acquire the stake of its partner Wilhelm Pudenz and Wickmann Werke in the joint venture firm Motherson Pudenz Wickmann Ltd. ...

SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR PEOPLE-FRIENDLY POLICY.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called on his ministers Tuesday to better look out for ordinary citizens, noting the success or failure of a government policy may well depend on public sentiment. "The people...

INDONESIAN GOVT PREDICTS ECONOMY TO GROW 4.3% THIS YEAR.
July 1, 2009... JAKARTA, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government has predicted the country`s economic growth this year may reach 4.3 per cent amidst the minus 1.3 per cent global economic growth. "The economic growth in the first semester of 2009 may...

INDONESIAN ECONOMY MAY GROW ABOVE 4%: BANK INDONESIA.
July 1, 2009... JAKARTA, July 1 Asia pulse - Bank Indonesia (BI) Deputy Governor Hartadi A Sarwono said it was possible for the Indonesian economy to grow above 4.0 per cent if the US and Europe recovered. "It is not impossible for it to happen. It depends...

FOREX - U.S. DOLLAR OPENS STRONGER AGAINST WON - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - The U.S. dollar on Wednesday opened at 1,275.0 won, up from 1,273.8 at the close on Tuesday. (Yonhap)maz 01-07 1006

PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S CLIMATE CHANGE OFFICE DIRECTOR SUSPENDED.
July 1, 2009... PORT MORESBY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Papua New Guinea's Office of Climate Change (OCC) director Dr Theo Yasause has been suspended while an internal investigation of the office is carried out. PNG's cabinet decided last Friday to sideline...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN LOWER - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo shares tumbled 0.67 per cent lower Wednesday. The benchmark Nikkei-225 index shed 66.65 points to 9,891.79 in the first minutes of trading. ASIA PULSE maz 01-07 1011

TREMOR CAUSED ROCKFALL AT BHP'S WEST AUSTRALIAN NICKEL MINE.
July 1, 2009... PERTH, July 1 Asia Pulse - BHP Billiton's (ASX:BHP) Perseverance nickel mine could be closed by the West Australian government after a second rockfall at the site. West Australian Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore has sought urgent...

CHANGES TO AUSTRALIA'S JOB SERVICES TO PUSH UP UNEMPLOYMENT: OPP.
July 1, 2009... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Unemployment will rise because of changes to the job services network, the Australian opposition says. More than 250,000 unemployed people will register with new employment providers from Wednesday, following...

AUSTRALIAN EDUCATOR OPPOSES RESUMPTION OF SYDNEY METRO PROJECT.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Private educator Navitas Ltd (ASX:NVT) says it's opposing a move by the New South Wales (NSW) government to resume its premises in Wynyard, in Sydney's CBD, for use with its Metro transport project. Navitas said...

AUSTRALIAN TREASURER CALLS FOR UNION RESTRAINT UNDER NEW IR LAWS.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan has urged unions not to make extraordinary wage demands now that the new workplace relations system has come into effect, following reports that one union may soon push for six per...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES INCH UP AFTER WEAK START.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks started weaker Wednesday, but gained ground as investors picked up tech and financial shares, shrugging off overnight falls in U.S. markets, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock...

AUSTRALIAN INSURER SUNCORP-METWAY NAMES SNOWBALL AS NEW CEO.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian banker and insurer Suncorp-Metway Ltd (ASX:SUN) has announced financial services executive Patrick Snowball as its new chief executive officer. Mr Snowball was chairman and deputy chairman with the...

S. KOREA POSTS 2ND-HIGHEST FOOD PRICE GROWTH AMONG OECD MEMBERS.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Food prices in South Korea were the second-highest among major countries in May, a report showed Wednesday, indicating that the current economic crisis is heavily weighing on the livelihood of ordinary people here....

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN LOWER - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market opened lower following falls on Wall Street sparked by surprisingly weak consumer sentiment. At 1015 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 was down 61.7 points, or 1.56 per cent, at 3,893.2,...

S. KOREA'S MAJOR SHIPYARDS SUFFER SEVERE SLUMP IN NEW ORDERS.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's leading shipbuilder, and its local rivals saw a major drop in orders in the first half of the year due to a protracted global economic slump, industry sources said...

AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GRP WARNS UNIONS AGAINST PATTERN BARGAINING.
July 1, 2009... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Trade unions will be penalised if they insist on industry-wide pattern bargaining under Labor's new workplace relations system, a leading Australian industry group says. Hundreds of thousands of businesses will...

CROWN EXPANDS PRESENCE IN VIETNAM.
July 1, 2009... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR35255 Crown Expands Presence In Vietnam PHILADELPHIA, July 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) (Crown), a leading supplier of packaging...

INDIA'S HCL INKS FIVE-YEAR DEAL WITH DR PEPPER SNAPPLE GROUP.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - India's HCL Technologies (BSE:532281) on Tuesday said it has bagged a five-year deal from US-based flavoured beverage producer Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Under the agreement, HCL would provide IT application and...

AUSTRALIAN RETAILER CLIVE PEETERS ABANDONS STRATEGIC REVIEW.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian discount appliance retailer Clive Peeters (ASX:CPR) says it has abandoned a strategic review of the company after failing to find "an acceptable outcome". At the same time, the company has forecast an...

INDIA'S GMR INFRA WITHDRAWS US$500 MLN QIP ISSUE.
July 1, 2009... MUMBAI, July 1 Asia Pulse - India's GMR Infrastructure (BSE:532754) on Tuesday withdrew a proposed US$500-million qualified institutional placement issue due to unfavourable market conditions. "The management committee of the board of...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR CONTINUES SLIDE IN JUNE.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Activity in the Australian manufacturing sector continued to decline in June, although the pace of easing slowed, a survey showed. The Australian Industry Group/PricewaterhouseCoopers Performance of...

NEW DELHI, PATNA BEST CITIES IN INDIA TO START BUSINESS: WB.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Patna is ahead of Mumbai but second only to New Delhi in terms of ease of starting a business in India, according to a World Bank ranking announced on Tuesday. Of the 17 cities figured in the World Bank and...

CABCHARGE AUSTRALIA DEFENDS LATE RESPONSE TO ACCC QUERY.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Taxi fare payment company Cabcharge Australia Ltd (ASX:CAB) says it did not know it had been served with legal proceedings by the competition watchdog because it didn't open an envelope delivered by a courier for...

GLOBAL INVESTOR CONFIDENCE IMPROVES IN JUNE: STATE STREET.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse- A private sector measure of global investor confidence rose 6.5 per cent in June, indicating a greater willingness to buy shares. The State Street investor confidence index rose by seven index points to 115.5,...

COAL INDIA TO BECOME "PUBLIC LTD" COMPANY PRIOR TO DIVESTMENT.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - Paving the way for its disinvestment, India's largest coal miner, Coal India, will soon become a "Public Limited" company from a private one at present. "For disinvestment and coming out with public offer,...

UNIONS EXPECTED TO CALL FOR HIGHER WAGES: AUSTRALIAN DPM.
July 1, 2009... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard says "of course" unions will make wage claims under the new industrial relations system, but that doesn't mean they'll be successful....

CERTARA EXPANDS PRESENCE IN DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEV'T MARKE.
July 1, 2009... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(MO-CERTARA) Certara Expands Presence in Drug Discovery and Development Markets in China and Taiwan Tri-I Biotech, Inc. Named Area Distributor/Representative for Mainland Chinese...

HOCKEY DEMOLISHES HOWARD GOVT'S ECONOMIC RECORD: AUSTRALIAN TRES.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - An attack by Australian shadow treasurer Joe Hockey on the former Howard government's tax policy is "extraordinary" and "pretty sloppy", Treasurer Wayne Swan says. Mr Hockey called into question aspects of the...

SKYCROSS EXPANDS ITS GLOBAL REACH BY ACQUIRING SHANGHAI UNIVERSE.
July 1, 2009... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(FL-SKYCROSS) SkyCross Expands Its Global Reach by Acquiring Shanghai Universe Wireless Consumer Electronics Companies Will Benefit from Expanded Antenna Design and Manufacturing...

WE WON'T REVERT TO PATTERN BARGAINING: AUSTRALIAN TRADE UNIONS.
July 1, 2009... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian trade unions deny they are pushing for centralised pay rises despite an industry-wide bid for wage increases in the manufacturing sector. Hundreds of thousands of businesses will come under new...

EX-FAIRFAX BOSS NAMED AS CHAIRMAN OF AUSTRALIAN CINEMA GRP HOYTS.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Former chief executive of Australia's Fairfax Media Ltd (ASX:FXJ) David Kirk has been appointed chairman of the board of the Hoyts theatre group. Hoyts director David Grayce on Wednesday welcomed Mr Kirk to the...

STOCKS - SRI LANKAN SHARES BECALMED - JUNE 30, 2009.
July 1, 2009... COLOMBO, June 30 Asia Pulse - Sri Lankan stocks closed almost flat Tuesday as retail investors took defensive positions on mid cap shares and some selected blue chip counters, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index closed...

JUNE CONSUMER PRICE INFLATION AT 0.9 PCT.
July 1, 2009... COLOMBO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Consumer prices in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo rose 0.9 per cent in June from a year earlier, down from 3.3 in May, while prices during the month moved up 1.3 per cent, the government's statistics office said. ...

S. KOREA'S TRADE SURPLUS SURGES TO RECORD US$7.4 BLN IN JUNE.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's trade surplus reached a record US$7.4 billion in June, due mainly to a sharp drop in imports caused by the domestic economic slump, a government report showed Wednesday. The country's exports came...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... HONG KONG, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - Aluminum Corp of China (SEHK: 2600) (Chalco), the country's biggest producer of the metal, plans to raise as much as 10 billion yuan...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - Australian investment banks have emerged strong from the global financial crisis on an equity-raising revenue goldmine and the expected...

N-TRIG, FUJITSU PARTNER TO HELP MAKE HANDS-ON COMPUTING FASTER.(Company overview)
July 1, 2009... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(N-TRIG-LTD) N-trig and Fujitsu Partner to Help Make Hands-On Computing Faster and More Fun Technology Partnership Demonstrates Strong Technological Development to Stimulate...

SRI LANKA'S HAYLEYS GETS NEW CHAIRMAN.
July 1, 2009... COLOMBO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Mohan Pandithage, the present head of Sri Lanka's Hayleys group transportation business, will become chairman and chief executive of the conglomerate from today, July 1. Hayleys said in a statement that...

SRI LANKA CREATES ECONOMIC ZONE FOR CHINESE INVESTORS.
July 1, 2009... COLOMBO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka's investment promotion agency, the Board of Investment, said it signed a deal with China's Huichen Investment to manage a special economic zone dedicated to Chinese investors. Huichen will invest...

JACK B. ALLEN TO HEAD NEWLY FORMED WESTINGHOUSE JAPAN.(Company overview)
July 1, 2009... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR35256 Jack B. Allen to Head Newly Formed Westinghouse Japan PITTSBURGH and TOKYO, July 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- -New company to serve as single focal point for...

SRI LANKA SHELL GAS PRICE DOWN, LAUGFS UP.
July 1, 2009... COLOMBO, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Sri Lankan unit of multinational Shell has reduced the price of its liquid petroleum gas while local group Laugfs has hiked its prices, the consumer affairs authority said. The price of a 12.5 kilo Shell gas...

MINISTER INVITES INDONESIAN COMPANIES TO INVEST IN TURKEY.
July 1, 2009... JAKARTA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Turkish State Minister Zafer Caglayan informed on Tuesday Indonesian Industry Minister Fahmi Idris about Turkey's attractive investment climate and incentives given to investors. Having arrived in Jakarta with...

FOREX - RINGGIT OPENS LOWER AGAINST U.S. DOLLAR - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 Asia Pulse - The ringgit opened at 3.5200/5230 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, weaker than 3.5170/5200 at the close on Tuesday. ASIA PULSE lm 01-07 1141

STRUGGLING AUSTRALIAN DRILLING CO BOART SELLS SOME AFRICAN OPS.
July 1, 2009... MELBOURNE, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's debt-laden drilling services provider Boart Longyear (ASX:BLY) says it has sold some of its Sub-Saharan African operations to Tranter Energy and Mining Services Ltd. Boart Longyear, which has seen...

AUSTRALIAN SKILLED JOB VACANCIES EDGE 3.7% LOWER IN JUNE.
July 1, 2009... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Skilled job vacancies in Australia fell again in June, dropping 3.7 per cent from May, new data shows. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) skilled vacancies index in June was...

AUSTRALIAN RETAIL TRADE CLIMBS 1% HIGHER IN MAY TO US$15.7 BLN.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian retail trade at current prices rose 1.0 per cent in May to a seasonally adjusted A$19.550 billion (US$15.784 billion), from A$19.351 billion in April, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)...

AUSTRALIAN BUILDING APPROVALS PLUNGE 12.5% IN MAY.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian building approvals fell 12.5 per cent to 9,953 units in May, seasonally adjusted, from a downwardly revised 11,374 units in April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said on Wednesday. In the...

AUSTRALIA'S NEW INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LAWS COME INTO FORCE.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's new industrial relations laws have officially come into force, with Fair Work Australia replacing the Howard government's Work Choices regime. Addressing the opening session of the Australian...

DATA SHOWS AUSTRALIANS CONTINUE TO SPEND GOVT CASH PAYMENTS.
July 1, 2009... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - There are new signs the Australian government's economic stimulus measures are helping to prop up consumer spending. Official data released on Wednesday showed shoppers spent a record A$19.6 billion (US$15.825...

AUSTRALIAN GOVTS MEETING TO DISCUSS SAFTEY OF INTL STUDENTS.
July 1, 2009... CANBERRA, July 1 Asia Pulse - The nation's leaders will use a meeting in Darwin on Thursday to discuss the safety of foreign students in Australia. The discussions will aim to send a message, to India especially, that Australia is...

SOUTH KOREAN PARLIAMENT FAILS TO AGREE ON REVISED WORKERS' BILL.
July 1, 2009... SEOUL, July 1 Asia Pulse - Talks between South Korea's ruling and opposition parties passed their deadline Wednesday without an agreement on a bill that decides the fate of tens of thousands of temporary workers. Officials from the two...

INDONESIAN TAX RECEIPTS MAY FALL SHORT OF TARGET: MINISTER.
July 1, 2009... JAKARTA, July 1 Asia pulse - Indonesia`s tax receipts may fall short of the government-set target this year due to the economic downturn, a minister said. "Tax receipts in 2009 are projected at Rp577.6 trillion (US$56.604 billion) or 98.3...

CORR - S KOREA, THAILAND TO LAUNCH JOINT WORLD EXPO NEXT YEAR.
July 1, 2009... (Corrects spelling of South Korean governor's name in paragraph 2) BANGKOK, July 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea and Thailand agreed Tuesday to launch a 50-day joint world culture expo in Bangkok next year to promote bilateral friendship and...

INDIA'S UB GROUP TO RAISE US$300 MLN THROUGH STAKE SALE.
July 1, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 1 Asia Pulse - India's UB Group is looking at raising up to US$300 million through stake sale in its subsidiary United Spirits Ltd (USL) (BSE:532432) in the current fiscal for repaying part of a US$625 million loan. "We are...

ASIANET DAILY SUMMARY - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... AsiaNet Daily Summary - Press Releases for Wednesday July 1, 2009 SYDNEY, July 1 /AsiaNet/ -- TETCO-VOXPILOT LAUNCHES... COURBEVOIE - Already present in the VoiceXML platform market with Open Media Platform, Tetco-Voxpilot, is...

CHINESE STEEL MILLS WANT TO KEEP CONTINUE IRON ORE PRICES TALKS.
July 1, 2009... MELBOURNE, July 1 Asia Pulse - Chinese steel makers appear to want iron ore price talks with Australian miners to continue, despite Tuesday's negotiating deadline passing without a result. Arrangements for iron ore deliveries are in...

AUSTRALIAN BUILDING, RETAIL DATA SENDS MIXED MESSAGES: ECONOMIST.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's building approvals and retail trade figures released on Wednesday typify the mixed messages economists have been receiving recently from economic surveys. Consumer spending turned out stronger than...

GREATER TOKYO CONDO PRICES FALL 0.2% IN MAY.
July 1, 2009... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - The average price of existing condominiums in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area dipped 0.2 per cent from April to 27.49 million yen per 70 sq . meters in May, the fourth straight monthly decline, according to real...

JAPANESE CO TEIJIN PHARMA'S GOUT DRUG GETS NOD IN S KOREA.
July 1, 2009... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - Japanese drug company Teijin Pharma Ltd. said Tuesday that a South Korean licensee of a drug for gout and hyperuricemia has obtained local marketing approval. In 2004, the Teijin Ltd. (TSE:3401) subsidiary...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES LOWER AT NOON - JULY 1, 2009.
July 1, 2009... SYDNEY, July 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market remained in the red at noon with losses in both the resources and financial sectors. At 1200 AEST, the S&P/ASX200 index was down 80.1 points, or 2.03 per cent, at 3,874.8 points, while...

OBESITY DRUG MKT IN JAPAN SEEN TO EXPAND 10% BY 2012.
July 1, 2009... TOKYO, July 1 Asia Pulse - The market for obesity drugs in Japan is expected to expand 10 per cent from 2008 to reach a value of 12.6 billion yen (US$131 million) in 2012, according to a forecast by market research company Fuji Keizai Co. ...

RETAIL DATA ENCOURAGING: AUSTRALIAN TREASURER.
July 1, 2009... BRISBANE, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan says stronger than expected retail sales figures released on Wednesday are very encouraging, but the economy is not out the woods yet. "I think what that indicates is economic...