AsiaPulse News articles from March 2001

AsiaPulse News archives from March 2001

OPEN - ASIA PULSE INTERNATIONAL - MAR 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... Good Morning. This is the Asia Pulse International service of business intelligence, news, tenders and expert commentary on the economies of Asia provided by Asia Pulse Pte Ltd (Asia Pulse). Asia Pulse reserves all rights including...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS FIRMER - MAR 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar was marginally firmer this morning after a limp attempt to rally on a Japanese rate cut. At 0700 AEDT the Australian dollar was $US0.5259/64 from 0.5245/50 yesterday. Overnight, instead...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAR 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: - AMP's one million shareholders will receive an average dividend of $235 each after the country's biggest insurer bounced back to deliver a record $1.15...

KOREAN GOVT NAMES YOON BYUNG-CHUL CEO OF FINANCIAL HOLDING CO.
March 1, 2001... SEOUL, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The government named Wednesday Yoon Byung-chul, 64, president of Hana Bank, as chief executive officer-president of the financial holding company scheduled for opening in April. Deputy Chairman Jung Keun-yong of...

MALAYSIA'S REAL GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT REACHES 8.5 PCT IN 2000.
March 1, 2001... KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - According to figures released by the statistics department, Malaysia registered a strong real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 8.5 per cent for 2000, compared with 5.4 per cent in 1999. It said that...

PSAINC SUBSIDIARY JET VACATIONS SITE REGISTERS METEORIC GROWTH.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- PSAINC (OTC Bulletin Board: PSAX) announced today that its subsidiary Jet Vacations International, Inc., the company it acquired at the end of...

INDIAN GOVT TO FLOAT US$1.2 MLN JOURNALISTS WELFARE FUND.
March 1, 2001... NEW DELHI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Indian Government today proposed to set up a Journalists Welfare Fund with a contribution of Rs 10 million (US$1.2 million) under the grants of the federal Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Presenting...

NOBLE GROUP DELIVERS BEST EVER FULL YEARS RESULTS.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) HONG KONG, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire Asia-AsiaNet/ -- Singapore listed Noble Group Limited (NOBL) reported that revenues increased 51 per cent and profits jumped 234 per cent over FY1999, a...

INDIAN GOVT TO REVIEW ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES ACT.
March 1, 2001... NEW DELHI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Indian government proposes to review the operation of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and remove several restrictions imposed on the free inter-state movement of foodgrains and agricultural produce,...

PROBLEMS FACING CHINA`S CHEMICAL FIBER INDUSTRY.
March 1, 2001... BEIJING, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - China`s chemical fiber industry is haunted by the following problems, according to an official with the State Economic and Trade Commissiion: -- Irrational structure, strong in scale economy but weak in...

HUANENG POWER TO PURCHASE NATURAL GAS, PIPELINE TRANSPORTATION.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) BEIJING, Mar. 1 /PRNewswire Asia-AsiaNet/ -- Huaneng Power International, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: HNP) (SEHK: 902) today announced that it had signed a letter of intent with PetroChina...

FLONETWORK INC. INTRODUCES NEW XML POWERED EMESSAGING PLATFORM.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) GREENWICH, Feb. 28 /CNW-AsiaNet/ - FloNetwork Inc. (http://www.flonetwork.com), a leader in eMarketing automation solutions that enable marketers to build long-term customer relationships...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN LOWER - MAR 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Australian stocks opened lower following Wall St's retreat overnight on news an interest rate cut was unlikely in the short term. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 was 6.5 points lower to 3320.0 shortly after opening,...

DIARY - MEDICINAL HIGH-TECH INVESTMENT SEMINAR, BEIJING MAY 9-12.
March 1, 2001... BEIJING, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - A seminar on high-tech medicine investment and trading is scheduled for May 9-12, 20001 at the Beijing Friendship Hotel. The seminar is sponsored jointly by the Research Center of Pharmaceutical, Health Care and...

HUANENG POWER ANNOUNCES CHANGE TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS DISCLOSURE.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) BEIJING, Mar. 1 /PRNewswire Asia-AsiaNet/ -- Huaneng Power International, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: HNP) (SEHK: 902) announced today that starting from the fiscal year 2000, the...

AUSTRALIA'S BHP TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST STRIKING MINERS.
March 1, 2001... BRISBANE, March 1 Asia Pulse - After the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) yesterday rendered BHP (ASX:BHP) stikers' actions illegal, BHP is set to take legal action against striking Queensland miners. AIRC commissioner Ken...

SUSPECTED COMPUTER VIRUS HITS 70,000 CUSTOMERS OF TELSTRA ISP.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - A suspected computer virus has left nearly 70,000 customers of telecommunications giant Telstra (ASX:TLS) stranded in cyberspace. And the company, Australia's largest Internet service provider, could face...

AUSTRALIAN TEXTILE FIRM BRADMILL UNDARE GOES UNDER.
March 1, 2001... MELBOURNE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Receivers have been called in to one of Australia's largest textile companies, the Melbourne-based Bradmill Undare Group. Buyers are being sought for Bradmill's nine business units which include the Pelaco...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE PETROL PRICE CUT THIS MONTH.
March 1, 2001... CANBERRA, March 1 Asia Pulse - It is expected that the federal government will announce a cut ino petrol prices before Queenslanders vote in the federal by-election for Ryan, which was once considered a blue-ribbon Liberal seat. The poll...

FRAPORT AG EXHIBITS AT INTL TOURISM EXCHANGE FROM MARCH 3-7 IN BERLIN.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) FRANKFURT, Feb. 28 /News Aktuell-AsiaNet/ - Fraport AG (Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide) will once again be exhibiting at the International Tourism Exchange (ITB 2001) from March 3 to...

MERRYL LYNCH CUTS PROFIT FORECAST FOR AUSTRALIA'S SEVEN BY 47%.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The profit forecast for Seven Network Ltd (ASX:SEV) has been cut by Merrill Lynch by almost 50 per cent after yesterday's worse-than-expected first half result. Merrill now expects Seven to post a pre-abnormal...

AUSTRALIA'S COMPUTERSHARE TO TAKE CONTROL OF HK SHARE REGISTER.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Computershare Ltd (ASX:CPU) will take full control of Central Registration Hong Kong, the country's largest share registrar, in a $A40 million ($US20.98 million) cash deal. Under the deal, Computershare will...

AUSTRALIA'S HOWARD URGES FARMERS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Prime Minister John Howard today warned Australian farmers they must become more efficient if they were to compete in international markets. Mr Howard said the government could not afford to subsidise farmers...

AUSTRALIA'S BIOTA HOLDINGS POSTS H1 PROFIT DROP TO US$776,112.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Biotechnology company Biota Holdings Ltd (ASX:BTA) today reported a net profit of $A1.48 million ($US776,112) for the six months ended 31 December, 2000, down from $A4.57 million ($US2.4 million) previously. ...

ARGOQUEST COMPLETES US$40 MILLION FIRST ROUND FINANCING.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Argoquest Holdings, LLC, a private U.S. Holding Company that is actively engaged in identifying, funding, and managing a network of over 60...

AMP'S SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION OF STRATEGY DRIVES CONTINUED GROWTH.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) SYDNEY/Feb.28, 2001/MediaNet International-AsiaNet/-- AMP today reported a strong 2000 net profit after tax and abnormals of A$1,152m. This represents a turnaround of $1,576m from the...

PHILIPPINE FSC WORKERS' STRIKE UPSETTING LOCAL BUSINESS PERSONS.
March 1, 2001... SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, March 1 Asia Pulse - Businesspersons and residents of the freeport have expressed exasperation over the "obviously politically motivated" protest at the Freeport Services Corporation (FSC). FSC is a subsidiary firm of...

JAPAN'S CRUDE OIL IMPORTS FROM IRAN SLIGHTLY UP IN JANUARY.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Japan imported from Iran 20.38 million barrels of crude oil in January, up 0.1 percent from that of the previous year. Iran was Japan's third largest oil supplier in the month. The country imported 147.75...

US FIRMS EAGER TO BE ACTIVE IN PAKISTAN: OFFICIAL.
March 1, 2001... RAWALPINDI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The US Deputy Chief of Mission Ms. Michele Sison said that the American firms are keen to participate in Oil and Gas, Mining, Information Technology, and Telecommunication sectors in Pakistan as "we believe that...

IRAN, BAHRAIN TO EXPAND INDUSTRIAL, MINING COOPERATION.
March 1, 2001... TEHRAN, March 1 Asia Pulse - Visiting Bahraini Minister of Trade and co-chairman of Iran-Bahrain Joint Cooperation Council, Ali Saleh al-Saleh, has met with the Minister of Industries and Mines Eshhaq Jahangiri to discuss expansion of ties in...

PHILIPPINES BAYANTEL SIGNS SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT WITH PLDT.
March 1, 2001... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (BayanTel) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), in a joint initiative supported by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), have signed a service level...

CHASHMA HYDEL POWER PROJECTS INAUGURATED IN PAKISTAN.
March 1, 2001... CHASHMA, March 1 Asia Pulse - President Mohammad Refiq Tarar stressed the need for promoting hydel power generation for boosting the country's economy for alleviation of poverty. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the first three units...

FOREX - PAKISTANI RUPEE STILL WEAK - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... KARACHI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The rupee shed another five paisa to the US dollar in the inter-bank market due to ongoing corporate demand for greenbacks. Bankers said the rupee closed at 60.35/60.40 to a US dollar after testing an intra-day...

PHILIPPINES' BAI OFFICIALS ENFORCE LIVESTOCK IMPORT BAN AT NAI AIRPORT.
March 1, 2001... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were alerted today on the government's complete ban on the importation of meat and meat products from European countries...

PAKISTAN GOVT MAY EARN US$21 MLN FROM AUTO PART EXPORTS.
March 1, 2001... KARACHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Pakistan's auto part exports will bring in US$21 million in 2000-01, as compared to $12 million it secured in 1999-2000, due to sizable orders coming from abroad. "We expect to go beyond $21 million in 2000-01...

US-ASEAN COUNCIL SET TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL HELP TO PHILIPPINES.
March 1, 2001... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The United States-Asean Business Council is prepared to provide technical assistance and other appropriate support to the Philippines to implement measures deemed necessary in reviving the economy. US-Asean...

PAKISTAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE TO IMPROVE TRADE WITH D-8 STATES.
March 1, 2001... KARACHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - A special task force headed by the Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has been set up to draw up a detailed working plan to develop trade and economic ties with...

GLOBAL ONE ANNOUNCES US$ 5 MLN GLOBAL IP VPN CONTRACT WITH YAGEO.
March 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) TAIPEI, Taiwan, Mar. 1 /PRNewswire Asia-AsiaNet/ -- Global One, a leader in innovative e-business communications solutions, today announced another major contract win for its...

PAKISTANI GOVT SET TO BEGIN PTCL PRIVATIZATION IN MARCH.
March 1, 2001... ISLAMABAD, March 1 Asia Pulse - The government has finalized all arrangements to privatize the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), said a spokesman of the Privatization Commission. He said as various concerns have been...

PHILIPPINES BANS IMPORT OF ANIMALS, MEAT FROM UK.
March 1, 2001... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor has signed Department of Agriculture Memorandum Order (MO) No. 4 temporarily banning the import of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other foot and mouth disease (FMD)...

PHILIPPINES SEAIR TO TEST VIABILITY OF CEBU-SIARGAO FLIGHTS.
March 1, 2001... CEBU CITY, March 1 Asia Pulse - SEAIR was set to conduct a "probing flight" Wednesday on the Cebu-Siargao route, according to the top regional tourism official. "Seair, together with Travelvision, a tour and travel agency, will test the...

AUSTRALIAN WORKERS UNION JOINS 24-HOUR CONSTRUCTION STRIKE.
March 1, 2001... MELBOURNE, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian Workers Union today joined Victoria's construction workers in a mass 24-hour strike that began at midnight last night. Victoria's industrial and commercial building sector is expected to lose...

TELSTRA SIGNS US$262.2 MLN IT DEVELOPMENT DEAL WITH EDS AUSTRALIA.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's Telstra Corp (ASX:TLS) has signed a five year IT applications development outsourcing agreement with EDS Australia to manage maintenance and development activities for the company's billing activities...

AUSTRALIAN FISH EXPORTS SEEN REACHING US$1.3 BLN BY 2005.
March 1, 2001... CANBERRA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The value of Australian fish exports will hit $A2.5 billion ($US1.31 billion) by 2005, helped by better prices, a leading forecast conference was told today. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource...

AUSTRALIA'S VITA LIFE SCIENCES POSTS US$2.75 MLN ANNUAL PROFIT.
March 1, 2001... BRISBANE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Pharmaceutical and healthcare company Vita Life Sciences Ltd (ASX:VLS) has posted a $A5.25 million ($US2.75 million) annual profit, which is a 10 per cent rise above prospectus forecasts, in its first year as a...

AUSTRALIA'S KAZ COMPUTER SERVICES SIGNS CONTRACT WITH ANZ BANK.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - KAZ Computer Services Ltd (ASX:KAZ) today announced it had entered a multi-million dollar contract with ANZ Banking Group Ltd (ASX:ANZ). The contract, for a "proof of deposit" processing system, is to be...

JAPANESE MORNING NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of the morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) today: - BOJ Cuts Rates As Industrial Output, Stocks Fall - Speculation Mounts Over Return To Zero-Rate Policy - Govt Set To Fully...

PROFILE - PHILIPPINES' SAN MIGUEL CORP (FEBRUARY 2000).
March 1, 2001... ********************************************* PROFILE OF PHILIPPIINES' SAN MIGUEL CORP PREPARED BY ASIA PULSE ANALYSTS (FEB, 2000) ********************************************* Name: San Miguel Corp...

JAPAN'S NTT TO CUT 6,700 JOBS, SPENDING TO GEAR FOR COMPETITION.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (TSE:9432)'s two regional units plan to trim a combined 6,700 jobs and curb capital spending by 9% in fiscal 2001, the NTT group said in a report released Wednesday. NTT West...

JAPAN'S SUMITOMO RUBBER POSTS 8 PCT RISE IN GROUP NET PROFIT.
March 1, 2001... OSAKA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TSE:5110) booked more than 5.3 billion yen (US$45.98 million) in consolidated net profit for the fiscal year ended December 2000, up 8 per cent on the year, the company announced...

JAPAN'S NAMCO EXPECTS US$55.4 MLN GROUP LOSS ON SOFTWARE WOES.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Namco Ltd. (TSE: 9752) announced Wednesday it expects a group net loss of 6.5 billion yen (US$55.4 million) for the year through March 2001, much larger than the 2.1 billion yen loss predicted earlier, on sluggish...

AUSTRALIA'S HIH INSURANCE CONTINUES SHARES SUSPENSION.
March 1, 2001... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Australian insurer HIH Insurance Ltd (ASX:HIH) has said that its shares will continue to be suspended pending the release of an announcement. "A comprehensive statement on the company's financial position will...

AFFORDABLE MODELS DRIVE JAPAN'S UNIX-BASED SERVER SHIPMENTS IN 2000.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Domestic shipments of Unix-based servers rose 49.5 per cent to 54,466 units in 2000 amid strong demand, while shipments of other servers climbed 31.8 per cent to 315,792 units, a survey by GartnerGroup Japan KK...

JAPAN'S SUMITOMO ELEC SUES FURUKAWA OVER WDM TECHNOLOGY IN US.
March 1, 2001... OSAKA, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (TSE: 5802) announced Wednesday that on Feb. 13 it filed a suit with the U.S. district court in Delaware against Furukawa Electric Co. (TSE: 5801) and two of its U.S. subsidiaries for...

JAPAN'S NEC TO SUPPLY US CO CRAY WITH SUPERCOMPUTERS ON OEM BASIS.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - NEC Corp. (TSE: 6701) has reached an agreement with its archrival Cray Inc. to supply supercomputers to the U.S. firm on an OEM basis, the company announced Wednesday. The agreement also includes a marketing...

INDONESIA SEES NIGERIA AS POTENTIAL TRADE MARKET: MINISTER.
March 1, 2001... ABUJA, Nigeria, March 1 Asia Pulse - Nigeria with population totalling 115 million people is a potential market for Indonesia's export products, Minister of Industry and Trade Luhut B. Pandjaitan said. Luhut was in Nigeria to sign a...

JAPAN'S IKEGAI GOES UNDER WITH US$231.03 MLN IN LIABILITIES.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Celebrated machine tool maker Ikegai Corp. (TSE: 6102) announced Wednesday that it has filed for court protection from creditors under the Civil Rehabilitation Law, leaving liabilities totaling 27.1 billion yen...

JAPAN'S ITO-YOKADO REDUCES EARNINGS PROJECTIONS TO US$409.2 MLN.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Supermarket operator Ito-Yokado Co. (TSE: 8264) has scaled back its earnings projections for the fiscal year ended Feb. 28 and now anticipates a consolidated net profit of 48 billion yen (US$409.2 million), up 0.8 per...

FOREX - MAJOR CURRENCIES MIXED VS RINGGIT - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Major currencies were traded mixed against the ringgit in early session today amid the mixed performance of the U.S. dollar in overseas markets. The greenback gained ground against the Japanese yen in...

STOCKS - KUALA LUMPUR SHARES OPEN LOWER - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Kuala Lumpur shares opened lower today and drifted further south thereafter. A dealer said market interest was poor as investors await the unveiling of the Financial Market Masterplan, due today. He...

BANK OF JAPAN TO IMPLEMENT NEW LENDING FACILITY FROM MARCH 16.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Bank of Japan announced Wednesday it will introduce the new Lombard lending facility on March 16 at its policy board meeting. Under the new system, the central bank will lend money to financial institutions...

SONY, CTC TIE UP ON SPEEDY IMAGE TRANSFER WEB SYSTEMS.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Sony Corp. (TSE: 6758) and Itochu Techno-Science Corp. (TSE: 4739) (CTC) said Wednesday that they will form a joint venture to construct systems that accommodate high-speed image transfer via the Internet. The...

MCDONALD'S JAPAN POSTS RECORD SALES ON NEW STORE OPENINGS.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - McDonald's Co. (Japan) Ltd. announced Wednesday parent-only sales growth of 9.3 per cent for the fiscal year ended December to a record-high 431.1 billion yen (US$3.67 billion). Half-price hamburgers on weekdays...

JAPAN TOBACCO CHIEF CALLS FOR FULL PRIVATIZATION.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Katsuhiko Honda, president of Japan Tobacco Inc. (TSE: 2914), has called on the government to lower its stake in the local monopoly to give management a freer hand. "In the future, I want the firm to be completely...

BANK OF JAPAN CUTS RATES AS INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT, STOCKS FALL.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Bank of Japan's policy board on Wednesday cut the overnight call rate target and official discount rate by 0.1 percentage point to 0.15 per cent and 0.25 per cent, respectively, effective Thursday. The...

QUEBEC CARRIES OUT ITS FIRST BOND ISSUE ON THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET.
March 1, 2001... QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 28 /CNW-AsiaNet/ - The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for the Economy and Finance, Bernard Landry, is pleased to announce that Quebec successfully completed its first bond issue on the Australian market today. The...

JAPAN'S TEXTILE MAKERS SEEK ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON POLYESTER FIBER.
March 1, 2001... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Teijin Ltd. (TSE: 3401), Toray Industries Inc. (TSE: 3402) and three other textile makers announced Wednesday they formally asked the Ministry of Finance to levy an anti-dumping duty on certain types of short...

AUSTRALIA'S PAPERLINX FORECASTS STRONGER PROFITS IN H2.
March 1, 2001... MELBOURNE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Paperlinx Ltd (ASX:PPX) has today forecast its January-June 2001 result will be substantially better that for the corresponding period last year. It said the first half of 2000 had been adversely impacted by...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... JAKARTA, March 1 Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE JAKARTA POST - The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency has named a Malaysian consortium led by DRB HiCom as the preferred bider to take over the Jakarta Outer Ring Road...

VIETNAM'S HAI VAN PASS RAIL TUNNEL UPGRADE UP FOR GRABS.
March 1, 2001... HANOI, March 1 Asia Pulse - A contract to renovate four railway tunnels through the famous Hai Van Pass was thrown open to tender by the Railway Project Management Unit (RPMU) on Monday. The project, with US$8 million in finance from the...

VIETNAMESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... HANOI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: LAO DONG - Nam Con Son gas project, valued at VND 1.3 billion and being Vietnam's biggest ever foreign-invested one, has been deployed. - Russian President V.R. Putin...

VIETNAM'S GOLD IMPORTS SPARKLE AS DEMAND INCREASES.
March 1, 2001... HANOI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnam's gold imports have hit 12 tonnes so far this year, far higher than last year's demand, according to the World Gold Council. The country imported 16 tonnes of gold last year between January and March and...

MALAYSIAN CENTRAL BANK TO BORROW FROM INTERBANK SYSTEM.
March 1, 2001... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Interest rates are likely to remain stable today as Bank Negara Malaysia plans intervention to remove excess liquidity from the interbank system. The central bank is to borrow through tenders RM1.2 billion...

ESTRADA'S PRESIDENTIAL CLAIM DAMPENS INVESTOR SENTIMENT IN PHILIPPINES.
March 1, 2001... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Questions about the legitimacy of president Gloria Arroyo's government had to a large extent derailed foreign investors' expansion plans in the Philippines, an official said Wednesday. "Potential investors,...

VIETNAM'S EXPORTS OUTSTRIP IMPORTS FOR FIRST TIME IN YEARS.
March 1, 2001... HANOI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Viet Nam's exports in the first two months of the year outstripped imports, by US$9 million, for the first time in recent years. Export earnings in January and February grew 11.7 per cent over the same period...

MALAYSIA'S HIGHER GDP GROWTH IN 2000 DUE TO STRONG DOMESTIC/EXTERNAL DEMAND.
March 1, 2001... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - The stronger-than-expected growth in Malaysia's economy or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 8.5 percent for last year against an earlier forecast of 7.5 percent was the result of strong demand from both...

VIETNAM'S BANK LOANS OUTSTRIP FINANCE LEASES.
March 1, 2001... HANOI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Finance leases have been slow to catch on in Vietnam, due to competitive interest rates and the ready availability of loan capital. The ceiling interest rate at commercial banks have fallen almost continually...

TWO EX BANK INDONESIA OFFICIALS QUESTIONED OVER LOAN MISUSE.
March 1, 2001... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Attorney General's Office (AGO) on Wednesday began investigating two former Bank Indonesia directors, suspected of being involved in the misuse of the central bank's loans to bail out financially beleaguered...

CELCOM APPOINTED AS POINT OF SALES FOR FI MALAYSIAN GP TICKETS.
March 1, 2001... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Sepang International Circuit (SIC) has appointed Celcom (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd as a point of sales for selected tickets for the F1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix 2001 from March 16 to 18. In a statement...

CHINESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... BEIJING, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: PEOPLE'S DAILY - Police investigations have found that the self-immolation of five Falun Gong practitioners on January 23 in Tiananmen Square was a direct result of...

HONG KONG'S ESPRIT RECORDS 30% INCREASE IN OPERATING PROFIT.
March 1, 2001... HONG KONG, March 1 Asia Pulse - Fashion retailer Esprit Holdings Limited (SEHK:330) reported impressive interim results for the six months ended December 31 2000, with an operating profit after finance costs of HK559 million (US$71.6 million)....

SHANGHAI VOLKSWAGEN FACTORY MEETS ENVORONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS.
March 1, 2001... SHANGHAI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The products of the Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co. Ltd have all met the Euro-II emission requirements to become the first "green" factory that has got the ISO14000 certification. Shanghai mainly...

CHINA'S ECONOMY EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ROBUST GROWTH IN 2001.
March 1, 2001... BEIJING, March 1 Asia Pulse - Expanding exports and investment and improving consumption will jointly propel China's economy to maintain a high growth rate in 2001, Zhu Zhixin, director of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said...

BRIEFING - ASIA ENERGY - MARCH 1, 2001.
March 1, 2001... An executive briefing on energy for March 1, 2001, prepared by Asia Pulse (http://www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities. CHASHMA HYDEL POWER PROJECTS...