AsiaPulse News articles from June 2008

AsiaPulse News archives from June 2008

FOREX - INDONESIAN RUPIAH CLOSES HIGHER - MAY 30, 2008.
June 2, 2008... JAKARTA, May 30 Asia Pulse - The rupiah rose 10 points to Rp9,300/9,310 per dollar in the Jakarta interbank spot market on Friday evening following Bank Indonesia (the central bank BI)'s intervention in the money market, a money market observer...

AUSTRALIAN GOLD PRODUCTION DROPS TO 19 YEAR LOW.
June 2, 2008... PERTH, June 2 Asia Pulse - Australian gold production is losing its shine, having dropped sharply in the first three months of calendar 2008 to its lowest level in 19 years, a report finds. While wet weather and mine closures caused some of...

ANALYSTS PREDICT VOLATILITY ON SEOUL BOURSE THIS WEEK.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - The South Korean stock market is likely to be volatile this week without clear upward momentum as concerns over oil prices and the health of the United States economy will likely weigh on the market, analysts said...

SOUTH KOREAN ECONOMY GROWS 0.8 PCT IN Q1.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - The South Korean economy expanded a revised 0.8 per cent in the first quarter from three months earlier, the slowest quarterly growth since the fourth quarter of 2006, as facility investment dipped amid slowing...

AMAZON.COM TOPS BUSINESSWEEK'S 10TH ANNUAL INFOTECH 100.
June 2, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below. MEDIA RELEASE PR30474 Amazon.com Tops BusinessWeek's 10th Annual InfoTech 100 NEW YORK, June 2/ PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Number of U.S. Companies on the List Falls to 33, From 75 a...

US PREDICTS BIG INCREASE IN AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS TO S KOREA.
June 2, 2008... WASHINGTON, June 1 Asia Pulse - United States agricultural exports to South Korea are expected to reach US$4.4 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2008, up 38.5 per cent from the previous year, according to the latest estimate released on Sunday by...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS SLIGHTLY LOWER - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar has opened slightly weaker after an up-and-down weekend session. At 0700 AEST, the Australian dollar was trading at $US0.9543 48, down from Friday's close of 0.9556/59. During the...

AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET OPENS WEAKER - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market has opened weaker, underperforming US Treasuries, ahead of a busy week for local data and economic events. At 0830 AEST, the yield on the Commonwealth Government February 2017 bond was...

AUSTRALIA'S ORIGIN ALWAYS FOR SALE BUT AT RIGHT PRICE SAYS MD.
June 2, 2008... MELBOURNE, June 2 Asia Pulse - Power generator and retailer Origin Energy Ltd (ASX:ORG) says the Australian company is always for sale at the right price, but the price will have to be a lot more than A$15.50 (US$14.79) per share. Origin...

AUSTRALIA'S MACMAHON PLANS AFRICA FORAY WITH OR WITHOUT AUSDRILL.
June 2, 2008... MELBOURNE, June 2 Asia Pulse - Australian mining and construction contractor Macmahon Holdings Ltd (ASX:MAH) says it will move into the market in Africa whether or not it takes over Ausdrill Ltd (ASX:ASL). Macmahon last week launched a...

MIXED RESPONSE TO OIL DRILLING PLANS OFF AUSTRALIAN COAST.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - A plan to drill for oil and gas off the New South Wales coast has been praised as a possible solution to escalating petrol prices, but also slammed for putting Australia's environment at risk. In a statement...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - The federal government's review of the tax system is to rethink the entire fuel tax regime. - NSW Treasurer Michael Costa will boost...

SOUTH KOREA'S CRUDE IMPORTS TO RISE 3.1 PCT THIS YEAR: REPORT.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's imports of crude oil are expected to increase slightly over 3 per cent this year amid soaring prices, becoming a big burden to the non-oil producing economy, a report showed Sunday. The Korea...

S KOREAN COMPETITIVENESS SLIPS TO 31ST PLACE: INT'L REPORT.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's global competitiveness ranking slipped two notches to 31st due to poor labor-management relations and high living expenses, an international report revealed Sunday. The latest ranking published in...

US BEEF SET TO HIT S KOREAN MARKET NEXT WEEK.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - Beef imported from the United States is likely to hit the South Korean market as early as next week as the government is determined to resume quarantine inspections of the product, officials said Sunday. Defying...

HIGH OIL PRICES PROMPT SEOUL PLAN FOR MORE NUCLEAR REACTORS.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea is weighing a plan to construct more than nine new nuclear power reactors to generate electricity as part of efforts to cope with skyrocketing oil prices, the government said Sunday. By doing so, the...

ANTI-US BEEF PROTESTS CONTINUE IN SEOUL DESPITE CRACKDOWN.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - Thousands of South Koreans again took to the streets Sunday to protest the impending resumption of United States beef imports, a day after police fired water cannons and used other forceful means to crack down on...

ENGLISH ABILITY A CONCERN FOR MOST TAIWAN OFFICE WORKERS: POLL.
June 2, 2008... TAIPEI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Seventy-five per cent of local office workers in Taiwan believe their English ability is poor and nearly half of them have failed to improve it, according to the results of a poll released by a local online human...

TAIWAN'S CPC TO BID ON POTENTIAL OIL FIELDS IN NORTHERN PERU.
June 2, 2008... PANAMA CITY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The state-owned oil refiner CPC Corp., Taiwan is planning to bid on 17 blocks of land in northern Peru thought to have extensive oil reserves, according to Taiwan's representative to Peru Huang Lien-sheng. ...

CROSS-STRAIT AIR LINKS SEEN RESHAPING HUMAN RESOURCE MAPS.
June 2, 2008... TAIPEI, June 2 Asia Pulse - The opening of direct air links across the Taiwan Strait may reshape human resource maps in Taiwan and China, an online employment service provider predicted Sunday. If direct cross-strait air links are launched,...

RESTRAINT ON PETROL SALES MAY PUSH UP COSTS FOR AUSTRALIAN STATE.
June 2, 2008... BRISBANE, June 2 Asia Pulse - A new scheme to ensure only Queenslanders benefit from the Australian state government's fuel subsidy could push up the price of food and other goods, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) says. Under the proposal...

TAIWAN PORK PRICES WILL REMAIN HIGH OVER COMING MONTHS: OFFICIAL.
June 2, 2008... TAIPEI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Domestic pork prices will remain high until year's end because a large number of hog farmers have abandoned their business due to ever rising corn feed prices, a Council of Agriculture (COA) official said Sunday. ...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT SCHEME TO FIX MAJOR RIVER TOO SMALL, TOO CHEAP.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian federal government's A$12.9 billion (US$12.3 billion) rescue plan for the Murray-Darling Basin could take 47 years to complete without destroying the existing water market, an independent report says....

KOREA'S H2 DOMESTIC CAR SALES EXPECTED TO RISE 6.8 PCT.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - Domestic sales by South Korean carmakers are expected to increase nearly 7 per cent in the second half despite unfavorable conditions such as sky-high oil prices, a private think tank said Sunday. Total sales by...

KOSCOM ROUTING NETWORK AVAILABLE VIA TRADEWEB ROUTING NETWORK.
June 2, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR30497 Koscom Routing Network Now Available via the Tradeweb Routing Network JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, June 2 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Institutions on the Tradeweb...

UNITED INDIA INSURANCE INKS PACT WITH HONDA MOTORCYLE INDIA.
June 2, 2008... CHENNAI, June 2 Asia Pulse - The United India Insurance Company has signed a pact with Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Company for the provision of insurance for new vehicles. The MoU would provide insurance for new vehicles at...

INDIAN OIL FIRMS RAISE JET FUEL PRICES BY 18.5 PCT.
June 2, 2008... NEW DELHI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Indian state-run oil firms on Saturday hiked jet fuel (aviation turbine fuel) prices by 18.5 per cent in step with rising international oil prices. The ATF price charged from airplanes has been raised to Rs...

INDIA'S STERLITE TO ACQUIRE US-BASED ASARCO FOR US$2.6 BLN.
June 2, 2008... MUMBAI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Metal major Sterlite Industries (India) (BSE:500900) on Saturday inked a definitive agreement to acquire US-based Asarco LLC for US$2.6 billion in cash, which would be the largest buyout abroad by an Indian company...

S KOREAN CONGLOMERATES VYING TO TAP BROKERAGE SECTOR.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean conglomerates that don't own brokerage houses are rushing to tap the securities sector in a bid to raise funds more easily, find new revenue sources, and manage their affiliates' assets more effectively,...

INDIA CUTS ITS CENTRAL SALES TAX TO 2%.
June 2, 2008... NEW DELHI, May 31 Asia Pulse - India's Central Sales Tax (CST), a levy on inter-state sale of goods, will be reduced to 2 per cent from 3 per cent from midnight on Saturday. Department of Revenue has issued a notification to bring into...

INDIA'S SATYAM LEASES 400,000 SQ FT OF OFFICE SPACE IN CHENNAI.
June 2, 2008... CHENNAI, June 2 Asia Pulse - As part of expanding its services, Information Technology service provider Satyam Computer Services Ltd (BSE:500376) on Saturday said it has leased 400,000 sq ft of office space in Shriram- The Gateway, the special...

S KOREAN CONGLOMERATES EXPAND BUSINESS LINES THROUGH M&AS.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean business groups, which have spun off or sold off non-core businesses in the wake of the financial meltdown that hit the nation in late 1997, have increased their assets through mergers and acquisitions, a...

NANDAN BIOMATRIX LAUNCHES NATURAL PRODUCT BIO-RHYTHM.
June 2, 2008... HYDERABAD, May 31 Asia Pulse - Nandan Biomatrix, an integrated company in the field of Nutraceuticals and biofuels, on Saturday launched 'Bio-Rhythm' a natural product that fills the gap in the management of male sexual dysfunctions. ...

INDIA DEFERS OIL PRICE HIKE AGAIN.
June 2, 2008... NEW DELHI, May 31 Asia Pulse - A decision on raising prices of petrol, diesel and domestic LPG has been put off at least until next week after the UPA government leadership failed to give a clear signal on the issue. Prime Minister...

INDIA, AFGHANISTAN DISCUSS FIRMING UP BILATERAL TIES.
June 2, 2008... NEW DELHI, May 31 Asia Pulse - India and Afghanistan on Saturday held discussions on firming up bilateral cooperation and the situation in the war-torn country and its neighbourhood. Chairman of the Upper House of Afghan Parliament Hazarat...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... HONG KONG, June 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - Shanxi-based private steelmaker Haixin Iron and Steel Group, which plans to invest 15 billion yuan (HK$16.89 billion) over the next three...

SEOUL SHARES INCH UP ON RETAIL BUYING.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse -- South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Monday as retail and foreign investors picked up steelmakers and shipbuilders, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged up 0.29...

INDIAN GOVT TO LOOK INTO BANNING IRON ORE EXPORTS.
June 2, 2008... JAMSHEDPUR, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Indian government is "looking into" the issue of banning iron ore exports as demanded by the steel makers, Steel Secretary R S Pandey said on Saturday. "The issue was being looked into by the...

FOREX - RINGGIT CLOSES FIRMER AGAINST US DOLLAR - MAY 30, 2008.
June 2, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 Asia Pulse - The ringgit ended at 3.2370/2410 against the U.S. dollar on Friday, stronger than 3.2500/2550 at the close on Thursday. ASIA PULSE 02-06 1108

INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO HELP FARMERS REDUCE FERTILIZER USE.
June 2, 2008... TAIPEI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Amid rampant complaints among farmers about inadequate fertilizer supplies, the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) has set up an ad hoc unit to help farmers reduce their heavy use of fertilizers. The ad...

SOUTH KOREAN ECONOMY GROWS 0.8 PCT IN Q1.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - The South Korean economy expanded a revised 0.8 per cent in the first quarter from three months earlier, the slowest quarterly growth since the fourth quarter of 2006, as facility investment dipped amid slowing...

TAIWAN'S WRA TO REVIEW ISLE'S REQUEST TO BUY WATER FROM CHINA.
June 2, 2008... KINMEN, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Water Resources Agency (WRA) will form a special task force to study the feasibility of allowing the outlying island of Kinmen to purchase water from China, an official said Sunday. Chen Shen-hsien, head of...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN FIRMER - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market has opened the week slightly firmer, supported by the energy and mining sectors as oil prices recovered and industrial metals strengthened. At 1020 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index...

SEOUL, TOKYO AGREE TO BOOST THREE-WAY MILITARY TIES WITH U.S.
June 2, 2008... SINGAPORE, June 2 Asia Pulse - The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan agreed Saturday to work together to revive a suspended three-way military dialogue with the United States as soon as possible, South Korean officials said. South...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN FLAT - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... TOKYO, June 2 Asia Pulse - Tokyo stocks opened flat Monday, climbing just 0.03 per cent as the Nikkei-225 index gained 4.42 points to 14,342.96 points in early deals. ASIA PULSE 02-06 1115

S KOREAN MINISTER CALLS FOR INT'L EFFORTS ON TERRORISM, N KOREA.
June 2, 2008... SINGAPORE, June 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's defense minister on Saturday called on the international community to join efforts to fight what he called non-traditional security threats in Northeast Asia, such as terrorism and North Korea's...

PHILIPPINE SHIPBUILDERS NEED FOREIGN INVESTORS: AUTHORITY.
June 2, 2008... CEBU CITY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is trying to attract foreign investors who would collaborate with Filipino shipyard owners in building new ships to address the lack of vessels in the country. Marina...

AUSTRALIA'S LION NATHAN BUYS US WINE IMPORTER CUMULUS.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Lion Nathan Ltd (ASX:LNN) has bought US wine importer Cumulus Wine Inc (CWI), setting up a channel to sell premium Australian and New Zealand wines into the United States. Lion Nathan will establish a new wine...

AUSTRALIAN INFLATION RISING AT RECORD RATE, SURVEY FINDS.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Inflation is rising at its swiftest pace on record, a private sector survey released on the eve of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) next interest rate meeting shows. The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute...

SHIP EXPORTS HELP S. KOREA POST US$1 BLN TRADE SURPLUS IN MAY.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - A record surge in exports of ships in May helped South Korea post its first monthly trade surplus in six months, a government report showed Monday. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said exports rose 27.2 per cent...

AUSTRALIA'S CENTRO PROPERTIES WINS FINANCING EXTENSION.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Troubled property group Centro Properties Group (Centro) (ASX:CNP) has been granted an extension of its financing arrangements from its lenders to December 15. Centro said obligations of $A2.3 billion ($US2.19...

AUSTRALIAN RETAILER JUST GROUP REJECTS LEW TAKEOVER BID.
June 2, 2008... MELBOURNE, June 2 Asia Pulse - Fashion retailer Just Group Ltd (ASX:JST) today issued an emphatic rejection of retail mogul Solomon Lew's $837 million takeover bid, describing it as unfair and unreasonable. Premier Investments Ltd...

SUPERMICRO LAUNCHES DESKTOP PLATFORMS BASED ON INTEL G45 AND G43.
June 2, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR30509 Supermicro Launches Desktop Platforms based on Intel G45 and G43 (Eaglelake) Express Chipsets TAIPEI, June 2 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Workstation Performance on...

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL MAKES A TIE WITH AUSTRALIAN ENERGY CO ARROW.
June 2, 2008... MELBOURNE, June 2 Asia Pulse - Royal Dutch Shell plc, Europe's largest oil company, has formed a $A776 million ($US740.46 million) alliance with coal seam gas producer and liquefied natural gas (LNG) hopeful, Arrow Energy Ltd (ASX:AOE) The...

VIETNAM'S FOOTWEAR EXPORTS RAKE IN US$1.74 BLN THIS YEAR.
June 2, 2008... HANOI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Vietnam has so far this year earned US$1.74 billion from footwear exports, a year-on-year increase of 12.9 per cent, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In May alone, the hard currency earner brought...

AUSTRALIAN CO MACQUARIE GROUP TO FORM SECURITIES OPERATION.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG) says it will create a new securities operation from the merger its wholesale capital securities and equity markets divisions. The combined group - to be called Macquarie Securities -...

VIETNAM'S HAU GIANG PHARMA SETS UP TWO MORE SUBSIDIARIES.
June 2, 2008... HANOI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Hau Giang Pharmaceuticals (DHG) has announced the establishment of two more subsidiaries in which DHG holds a 100 per cent stake. The two companies are DHG-PP and ST Pharma. The first is a single-member printing...

S. KOREA, ADB SEEK JOINT FINANCING ON REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea plans to seek US$3.5 billion worth of joint financing with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) over the next three years to provide loans aimed at boosting development in the Asian region, the government said...

VIETNAM ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY HOPES TO EARN US$6 BLN BY 2010.
June 2, 2008... HANOI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has endorsed the master plan for the development of the electronics industry, targeting revenues of US$4-6 billion by 2010, with US$3-5 billion of that from exports. The industry,...

PHILIPPINES TAWI-TAWI COASTAL DWELLERS GET MARICULTURE PROJECT.
June 2, 2008... SIBUTU, Tawi-Tawi, June 2 - There's light at the end of the tunnel for the hardy residents of the impoverished Philippines island province of Tawi-Tawi, with the economic development expected to come from the Tawi-Tawi Modified Mariculture...

CHARTER HALL FUND BUYS QLD COMMERCIAL PROPERTY FOR US$70 MLN.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - A fund managed by Charter Hall Group Ltd has bought a commercial property in Brisbane's central business district for $A74.25 million ($US70.85 million) from a fund managed by Lend Lease Corporation Ltd. Charter...

AUSTRALIAN COMPANY GROSS OPERATING PROFITS ROSE 2.2 PCT Q1.(Financial report)
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Company gross operating profits, in current prices, rose 2.2 per cent in the March quarter, seasonally adjusted, to be up 7.0 per cent over the year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. Economists were...

ANTI-GOVT COALITION WON'T MOVE RALLY SITE AS DEMANDED BY THAI PM.
June 2, 2008... BANGKOK, June 2 Asia Pulse - Anti-government activists of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) continued their protest in central Bangkok for an eighth day Sunday and stood firm on their decision not to move to another location as demanded...

AIR PACIFIC EXPANDS WINGS TO TUVALU, REPORTS $U25 MILLION PROFIT.
June 2, 2008... SUVA June 2 Asia Pulse - Fiji's flag carrier Air Pacific is expanding its wings by introducing a new flight to Funafuti (Tuvalu) in the 2008/09 financial year, reports Fiji Live . The airline is examining further international destinations...

AUSTRALIA'S MANUFACTURING SECTOR CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Australia's manufacturing sector continues to struggle with high interest rates and an uncertain global outlook, a survey says. The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of...

15PC OF GIRLS SMOKE IN FIVE AFGHAN PROVINCES.
June 2, 2008... KABUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - Nearly 15 per cent of girl students in five provinces of Afghanistan smoke cigarettes while smoking prevalence among boys around 36 per cent, the Public Health Ministry said on Saturday. "Smoking prevalence is...

THAI CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT IN APRIL HIGHEST IN ALMOST 3 YRS.
June 2, 2008... BANGKOK, June 2 Asia Pulse - Thailand's importing more and more highly priced oil and gold in April this year had pushed the country to suffer a current account deficit as high as US$1.661 billion, the highest since June 2005, a senior Bank of...

INFLATION IN AUSTRALIA RISES AT SWIFTEST PACE ON RECORD: SURVEY.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - Inflation is rising at its swiftest pace on record, a private sector survey released on the eve of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) next interest rate meeting shows. The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute...

PNG SEA PRODUCES HIGH-GRADE COPPER CONCENTRATE.
June 2, 2008... PORT MORESBY June 2 Asia Pulse - Nautilus Minerals has announced it's produced a clean high-grade copper concentrate from its sea-floor site in Papua New Guinea. Nautilus is hoping to become the first company in the world to begin...

PETROVIETNAM TRANSPORT ARM SEES PROFITS RISE 47%.(Financial report)
June 2, 2008... HANOI, June 2 Asia Pulse - PetroVietnam Transportation (PVT) posted a pre-tax profit of 12.32 billion VND (US$759,579) in the first quarter of this year, up 47 per cent from the last quarter of 2007. PVT said the company benefited from...

THAILAND PLEDGES TO EXPORT FOOD TO APEC MEMBERS AT FAIR PRICES.
June 2, 2008... PERU, June 2 Asia Pulse - Thailand has pledged to continue exporting food at fair prices as many countries are suffering from food shortages, as non-oil producing nations are being hurt by soaring global oil prices. Commerce and Deputy...

UZBEKISTAN-UAE BUSINESS FORUM HELD IN TASHKENT.
June 2, 2008... TASHKENT,June 2 Asia Pulse - A forum attended by business investors from Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates was held on 29 May in Tashkent. The event organized by the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Economic Affairs, Investments and Trade...

SHIP EXPORTS HELP S. KOREA POST US$1 BILLION TRADE SURPLUS.
June 2, 2008... SEOUL, June 2 Asia Pulse - A record surge in exports of ships in May helped South Korea post its first monthly trade surplus in six months, a government report showed Monday. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said exports rose 27.2 per...

VIETNAM'S CACAO ON PAR WITH OTHER WORLD LEADING PRODUCERS.
June 2, 2008... HCM CITY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The quality of Vietnamese cacao in the 2007-08 crop has exceeded the nation's set standards and is the same quality as other major cacao producers such as Ghana and Indonesia . The news was announced by...

CORRECTION - TAIWAN GOVT TO HELP FARMERS REDUCE FERTILIZER USE.(Correction notice)
June 2, 2008... (Corrects reference to India in headline) TAIPEI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Amid rampant complaints among farmers about inadequate fertilizer supplies, the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) has set up an ad hoc unit to help farmers...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARE MARKET LOWER AT NOON - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... MELBOURNE, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market was slightly lower at noon as weakness among the major banks outweighed strength among oil and resources stocks flowing from higher prices for oil and most base metals. Austock...

AUTO IMPORT TAX INCREASE TO HELP REDUCE VIETNAM'S TRADE DEFICIT.
June 2, 2008... HANOI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Asia Pulse - A senior Vietnamese Government official said the increase in car import taxes is aimed at reducing imports, facilitating the automobile industry and helping reduce the trade deficit. Finance Minister...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE SHARES DOWN IN EARLY TRADE - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... SINGAPORE, June 2 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were lower in early trade, with the Straits Times Index down 2.71 points at 3,189.91 at 10:30 a.m. ASIA PULSE 02-06 1233

RISE IN QUEENSLAND GOVT'S COAL ROYALTIES TO ALMOST US$573 MLN.
June 2, 2008... BRISBANE, June 2 Asia Pulse - A rise in coal royalties by the Queensland government is expected to raise almost $A600 million ($US572.52 million) in the coming financial year. Treasurer Andrew Fraser said tomorrow's state budget would...

AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS SPENDING LESS AS HIGH INTEREST RATES BITE.
June 2, 2008... CANBERRA, June 2 Asia Pulse - High interest rates and rising petrol costs continue to rein in consumer spending in Australia with the largest monthly fall in a year during April. Retail trade fell by a seasonally-adjusted 0.2 per cent - to...

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN SHARES LOWER IN EARLY TRADE - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was down 0.73 per cent in early trade, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index falling 9.32 points at 1,266.78 at 10:04 a.m. ASIA PULSE 02-06 1235

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR LOWER AT NOON - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar was lower at noon after poorer than expected retail figures stifled expectations of further interest rate rises. At 1200 AEST, the Australian dollar was trading at $US0.9531 36, down from...

VIETNAMESE JEWELLERS TO ATTEND EXHIBITION IN ALGERIA.
June 2, 2008... HANOI, June 2 Asia Pulse - Eight jewellery and garment makers from Vietnam will join almost 2,000 enterprises from 40 other countries the world over in an international exposition-fair in Algeria, from June 7-13. Organisers from the...

AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET MIXED AT NOON - JUNE 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... SYDNEY, June 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market was mixed at noon. At 1200 AEST, the yield on the Commonwealth Government February 2017 bond was at 6.575 per cent, up from Friday's close of 6.543 per cent, while the August 2010 bond...