AsiaPulse News articles from March 2006

AsiaPulse News archives from March 2006

COMMERZBANK NOTIFIES KOREA EXCHANGE BANK OF STAKE SALE.
March 1, 2006... SEOUL, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Commerzbank of Germany has notified Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) of an intention to sell part of its stake in the lender, KEB officials said Tuesday. The German bank currently owns 14.6 per cent of KEB, the...

STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES CLOSE SHARPLY HIGHER - FEB 28, 2006.
March 1, 2006... MUMBAI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex on Tuesday zoomed to a new peak of 10,422.65 points, extending its gains to the second straight session on hectic buying support prompted by an overall excellent budget, even as the...

FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS WEAKER AGAINST RUPEE - FEB 28, 2006.
March 1, 2006... MUMBAI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The U.S. Dollar ended sharply cheaper against the rupee at Rs 44.39 per dollar but the Pound Sterling turned dearer at Rs 77.56 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here on Tuesday....

SOUTH KOREA'S RAILWAY UNION GOES ON STRIKE.
March 1, 2006... SEOUL, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's railway union went on strike Wednesday despite threats of prosecution after negotiations derailed over working conditions and reinstatement of dismissed employees. The strike began as of 1 a.m. with...

MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT'S PASSENGER TRAFFIC TO DOUBLE BY 2015.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MOSCOW, Feb 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - EAST LINE Group -- Moscow Domodedovo Airport, operated by EAST LINE Group, expects its passenger traffic to more than double by 2015, with the forecast...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR BEGINS FIRMER - MAR 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar staged a recovery overnight to open about half a US cent higher today, as its US counterpart tumbled on the back of disappointing economic data. At 0700 AEDT the local unit was trading at...

ECONOMISTS EXPECT RISE IN AUSTRALIA'S GDP OF 0.8% FOR DEC QTR.
March 1, 2006... CANBERRA, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Economists are expecting a rise in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around 0.8 per cent for the December quarter when official figures are released today. The softer GDP figures were forecast after the Australian...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAR 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN: - Foreign Minister Alexander Downer admits being told six years ago of AWB (ASX:AWB) kickback concerns. Cole inquiry in seventh week, still no government...

DEMOCRATIC CHINA COULD END UP HIT BY ECONOMIC TURMOIL: REPORT.
March 1, 2006... CANBERRA, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - A democratic China could end up wracked by economic turmoil of the same kind which strangled Latin America for much of the modern era, a new report warns. The study, released today by the Australian Strategic...

TELSTRA PRICE CONTROLS START.
March 1, 2006... CANBERRA, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Price controls on Telstra's (ASX:TLS) basic retail line rental product and internet dial-up calls came into force yesterday. Australia's Communications Minister Helen Coonan announced the controls in December...

TAIWAN TRADE DELEGATION TO DEPART FOR MIDDLE EAST IN AUGUST.
March 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - A trade delegation will depart for the Middle East in August to boost exports to overseas markets, officials from the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said Tuesday. The delegation, made up of...

CARD USE RESTRICTED TO ATM AT ORIGINAL ISSUERS: TAIWAN REGULATOR.
March 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) reminded consumers on Tuesday that from March 1, magnetic strip cards for automatic teller machines (ATMs) will be no longer effective on all existing ATMs, but only those...

TAIWAN BUSINESS GROUPS HOPE FOR PEACE, PROSPERITY.
March 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Businesspeople have expressed their hope for cross-Taiwan Strait peace and Taiwan's prosperity in response to President Chen Shui-bian's announcement Monday of his decision to cease the operations of the National...

US INTEREST HIKES LIKELY TO STOP BY MID-YEAR: TAIWAN'S CEPD.
March 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The United States Federal Reserve is not expected to increase the federal funds rate sharply in the coming months and will likely halt the trend by mid-year after raising it to 4.5 per cent at the end of January, the...

TAIWAN THINK TANK TO SEEK PUBLIC OPINION ON ECONOMIC ISSUES.
March 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Taiwan Advocates, a private think tank founded by former President Lee Teng-hui in 2001, will seek public opinion on economic issues through a series of seminars around the country, according to a press release...

TAIWAN INVESTORS BEING PRESSURED TO AIR UNFAVOURABLE COMMENTS.
March 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwanese investors with operations in China are being pressured to make comments unfavourable to Taiwan due to their heavy reliance on the Chinese market, Taiwan Thinktank Chairman Chen Po-chih said Tuesday. ...

COSCON TRANSFORMS SHIPPING BUSINESS WITH IBM'S SOA.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) BEIJING and ARMONK, N.Y, Mar 1/MediaNet International-AsiaNet/ - IBM today announced that COSCON, China's largest container shipping company is relying on IBM software and services to help...

CONDITIONS IN AUSTRALIA'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY SLIP IN FEB.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - Conditions in Australia's manufacturing industry slipped last month after production and employment both weakened driven by large falls in new orders, exports and inventories. The Australian Industry...

TAIWAN-US-CHINA TIES TO REMAIN UNCHANGED IN SHORT TERM: SCHOLARS.
March 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The delicate triangular Taiwan-U.S.-China relations will remain unchanged in short term despite President Chen Shui-bian's controversial decision to cease the operations of the National Unification Council (NUC), two...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN LOWER - MAR 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, Mar 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket opened lower today following a decline on Wall Street overnight. At 1015 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 was down 20.7 points to 4,900.6 while the all ordinaries lost 19.8 points to...

INDIA TO TREAT FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY AS PRIORITY SECTOR.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - India's food processing industry is to be treated as a priority sector for bank credit, given its enormous employment potential. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) would create...

CEBU INT'L FURNITURE EXPO CONTINUES TO DRAW FOREIGN BUYERS.
March 1, 2006... CEBU CITY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Cebu International Furniture and furnishings Exhibition (Cebu X) has drawn international buyers despite the political upheaval as a result of the Bonifacio stand off. "This year, we open Cebu X amidst...

TEXTILE INDUSTRY GETS BIG BOOST IN INDIA'S BUDGET.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Providing a big relief to the makers of synthetic textile yarn, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday announced a cut in excise duty on man-made fibre and filament to eight per cent from 16 per cent in the...

INDIA'S HIMALAYA DRUG TO ENTER SAUDI ARABIA, JORDAN, LEBANON.
March 1, 2006... BANGALORE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Herbal major Himalaya Drug Company, which already has a wide presence in the Middle East, is all set to enter the Saudi market followed by Jordan and Lebanon later, a top official of the company said. "Our...

DAVAO CITY MAYOR WANTS TO TRANSFORM LAND INTO RUBBER PLANTATION.
March 1, 2006... DAVAO CITY, March 1 Asia Pulse - City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday vowed to transform a 55,000-hectare land into a productive rubber plantation in Paquibato district here once the area is cleared of communist rebels. Duterte urged New...

AUSTRALIA'S PORTMAN POSTS 160 PCT JUMP IN ANNUAL NET PROFIT.
March 1, 2006... PERTH, March 1 Asia Pulse - Iron ore miner Portman Ltd (ASX:PMM) expects better production in 2006 after posting a 160 per cent jump in annual net profit to $A84.2 million ($US62.4 million), benefiting from iron ore price hikes last year. ...

PHILIPPINES SEES GROWTH IN DOMESTIC LIQUIDITY SLOW IN JANUARY.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Domestic liquidity or M3 grew by 8.4 per cent year-on-year in January 2006 to P2.302 trillion (US$44.5 billion), although at slower pace compared to the 9.6 per cent rise recorded in the previous month. The M3...

INDIA TO ISSUE NEW POLICY ON SEMICONDUCTOR INVESTMENT.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - India's long-cherished dream of manufacturing semiconducters and other high technology IT products could well become a reality, with the IT Ministry set to announce a policy in this regard shortly. "With an...

INDIA'S GEMS, JEWELLERY SECTOR WELCOMES THE UNION BUDGET.
March 1, 2006... MUMBAI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Gems and Jewellery industry lauded the Union Budget 2006-07 with special emphasis on the sector and announcement for setting up of expert committee. "The Indian gems and jewellery industry is now set to make...

PHILIPPINES REMAINS FREE FROM BIRD-FLU: DEP'T.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippines remains bird-flu free as a result of the nationwide monitoring of wetlands and migratory birds by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau...

KODAK HOPES TO CLAIM 60 PCT OF INDONESIAN MARKET AGAIN IN 2006.
March 1, 2006... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Kodak hopes it will cover 60 pct of the camera market share this year like last year, although the Indonesian economy is still unstable, a company executive said. "We are optimistic the target could be...

GAS, COAL MAY BECOME MAIN ENERGY SOURCES IN INDONESIA.
March 1, 2006... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Gas and coal may become the main energy sources in Indonesia in place of fuel oil which accounted for 63 per cent of consumption, a spokesman said. Assistant for natural gas affairs to the deputy for mineral...

PHILIPPINE DEP'T OF AGRICULTURE CREATES TASK FORCE LA NINA.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has created task force La Nina to implement measures to avert a negative impact on the agricultural sector from continuous rains in some parts of the country. ...

EUROPEAN CAPITAL OBTAINS EURO 400 MLN CREDIT FACILITY.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) LUXEMBOURG, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- European Capital, SA SICAR ("European Capital") announced today that it has obtained commitments from affiliates of Wachovia Bank, NA and...

ARIBA AND IIMM ANNOUNCE SOURCING EXCELLENCE AWARDS.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) NEW DELHI, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2006--Ariba(R), Inc.(Nasdaq:ARBA), the leading spend management solutions provider, and the Indian Institute of Material Management (IIMM), today...

AUSTRALIA'S KINGSGATE URGES ANDEAN SHAREHOLDERS TO ACCEPT OFFER.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Gold miner Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd (ASX:KCN) has urged Andean Resources Ltd (ASX:AND) shareholders to accept its $A105 million ($US77.82 million) takeover bid, saying it has the expertise and size to accelerate...

MALAYSIA'S RANHILL LOOKS AT BUILDING POWER PLANT IN INDIA.
March 1, 2006... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Malaysian power firm Ranhill Bhd is exploring the possibility of developing a 500-megawatt coal-fired power plant in India, its chief executive has said. The plan was in line with the company's target to...

TERUMO ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF MICROVENTION.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2006--Terumo Corporation (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan; CEO Takashi Wachi), a leading provider of general hospital, cardiac and vascular, and home healthcare...

PHILIPPINES SEEKS TO CHECK ANIMAL DISEASE DURING LA NINA WEATHER.
March 1, 2006... DAVAO CITY, March 1 Asia Pulse - In anticipation of the outbreak of diseases at the onset of the La Nina weather phenomenon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has come up with steps to address such concern. Salvacion Jamero, senior...

AUSTRALIA'S PATRICK, TOLL DISPUTE PERFORMANCE OF RAIL JV.
March 1, 2006... MELBOURNE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Stevedore Patrick Corp Ltd (ASX:PRK) and predator Toll Holdings Ltd (ASX:TOL) have again disputed the performance of their joint-venture rail operator, Pacific National (PN). Patrick said it expected PN to...

PHILIPPINES SUPPORTS INTL CONVENTION ON MARITIME LABOR STANDARDS.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - As one of the top providers of maritime manpower in the world, the Philippines has expressed strong support to the adoption of a comprehensive global legal instrument governing ship owners, seafarers and maritime...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES START SHARPLY LOWER - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo shares tumbled 1.10 per cent in early trade Wednesday, with the Nikkei-225 index plummeting 178.61 points to 16,026.82. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1119

INDONESIA TO MAKE KUALA NAMU AIRPORT AN INT'L HUB.
March 1, 2006... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government said the Kuala Namu airport to be built in Medan, will be an international hub port accommodating air transport from East Asia and Middle East. Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa said the...

A.M. BEST ASSIGNS RATINGS TO FIRST CAPITAL INSURANCE.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2006--A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and an issuer credit of "a-" to First Capital Insurance Limited (First...

SALES OF CHINA'S TOP 30 RETAILERS INCREASE 30% IN 2005.
March 1, 2006... BEIJING, March 1 Asia Pulse - Sales of China's top 30 chain store enterprises topped 491.04 billion yuan (US$61 billion) in 2005, an increase of 30.9 per cent over the previous year, and their total number of shops reached 16,665, up 20.7 per...

INDIAN BUDGET PUTS TARGET FOR CUTTING DEFICIT BACK ON TRACK: S&P.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Global rating agency Standard and Poor's on Tuesday said the Union Budget would put the country's fiscal deficit reduction effort back on track, but cautioned that the government would have to sustain revenue...

PHILIPPINE INT'L AIRPORT-TERMINAL TO SOFT-OPEN ON MARCH 31.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The controversial Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) will finally soft-open on March 31, an official of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said on Tuesday. Liza Mascardo of...

MAUJ TELECOM CONSOLIDATES MOBILE VALUE ADDED SERVICES LEADERSHIP.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MUMBAI, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2006--Mauj Telecom (People Infocom Pvt Ltd), India's leading wireless solutions provider announced an investment of $10 million by WestBridge Capital...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... HONG KONG, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - The number of flats completed last year fell to the lowest level since the handover, and completions of grade-A offices hit a 36-year low....

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Malaysia's most valuable phone company, Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM), swung to an expected quarterly loss after it had to make a large payment...

S. KOREA'S HANJIN TO INVEST US$1 BLN IN PHILIPPINE SHIPYARD PJT.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo witnessed the signing on Tuesday of a land lease agreement between Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. (HHICC, KSE:003480) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan...

S. KOREA'S STATE OIL FIRM POSTS SLIGHT RISE IN 2005 EARNINGS.
March 1, 2006... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC), South Korea's state petroleum company, said Wednesday its 2005 earnings rose slightly from a year earlier, but sales jumped more than 20 percent on increased overseas exploration....

SER ANNOUNCES RECORD GROWTH & BANNER YEAR.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2006--SER Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise contact center solutions, today announced record growth over the past 12-month period with...

OMAN AND FRANCE DISCUSS AIR TRANSPORT COOPERATION.
March 1, 2006... MUSCAT, March 1 Asia Pulse - A session of talks on regulating air transport services between civil aviation authorities in the Sultanate and France began at the directorate-general of Civil Aviation and Meteorology at Seeb International Air...

INDIAN BUDEGT GIVES RURAL TELEPHONY A LEG-UP.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Providing a fillip to the fastest growing telecom sector, Union Finance Minister P Chidmabaram on Tuesday enhanced allocations under Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund for rural connectivity by 25 per cent...

INDIA'S ONGC TO SHELL OUT US$360 MLN ON INCREASED OIL CESS.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) (BSE:500312), India's largest crude oil producer, will have to shell out about Rs 16 billion (US$360 million) more to the Government as a fallout of increase in cess on domestic...

UPBEAT ECONOMY SEEN AS A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN ARROYO.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The rebound of the peso and stock markets, and the unchanged stable ratings on the country's sovereign debt, is a vote of confidence by investors and rating agencies for Philippine President Arroyo's leadership,...

INDONESIA DROPS IDEA OF EARLY REPAYMENT OF DEBT TO IMF.
March 1, 2006... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The government has decided to stop considering early repayment of its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and will go ahead with the original schedule, a minister said. State Minister for National...

INDONESIAN ECONOMY HAS TURNED THE CORNER: RESEARCHER.
March 1, 2006... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia has already passed the critical point of an economic slowdown and the economy would keep improving in the coming years, an economic researcher predicted here on Tuesday. Dr Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa,...

SURVEY URGES INDIAN TAX REFORMS TO BOOST INDUSTRIAL GROWTH.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Cautioning against complacency in the face of sustained industrial growth, the Economic Survey on Monday asked the government to "unburden" industry from high level of taxes to help it become globally...

S KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: Vernacular dailies -- Holding tax on property to be tripled (Kyunghyang Shinmun) -- Railway and subway workers go on strike (Kukmin Daily) -- Emergency arbitration...

INDIAN GOVT TO UNBLOCK 20 BLN TONNES COAL FOR POWER SECTOR.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - With a view to meeting the growing needs of the ever-expanding thermal power sector, the government on Tuesday said it would open up to 20 billion tonne-capacity coal reserves for thermal power projects after...

EURO PHARMA COS DEPLOYNOVEL MULTI-COUNTRY MARKETING INITIATIVES.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) BEDMINSTER, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2006--Dendrite International, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRTE) today announced the early European adoption of one of its strategic Marketing Solutions'...

SCHOTT ELECTRONICS' ADVANCED PACKAGING UNIT IMPLEMENTS CAMSTAR'S INSITE MES.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2006--Camstar Systems, Inc, a leading provider of enterprise manufacturing execution and quality management systems, today announced that SCHOTT...

ENVOYS CALL FOR MORE INDO-ARAB TIES IN IT, BT, MEDICAL TOURISM.
March 1, 2006... KOCHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The fourth Indo-Arab Economic conference, held here on Monday, called for greater cooperation between India and Arab countries, especially in Information Technology, Bio-Technology and Medical tourism. ...

MDS NORDION SUPPLIES COBALT TO STERILIZATION INDUSTRY.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada Feb. 26 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- MDS Nordion, the world's largest supplier of medical isotopes, is pleased to announce it has extended an exclusive agreement with Bruce...

WORK STARTS ON CONSTRUCTION OF AFGHAN KHOST-GARDEZ HIGHWAY.
March 1, 2006... KHOST CITY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Reconstruction work was launched on the 98-kilometre Khost - Gardez Highway here on Tuesday. The project will be completed at the cost of US$6.8 million. Governors of Khost and Paktia provinces, PRT...

INDIAN ECONOMIC SURVEY ASKS GOVT TO INCREASE SERVICE EXPORTS.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Economic Survey on Monday asked the government to immediately take steps to provide licensing support and simplify procedures to accelerate exports in services sector, which grew by a whopping 75 per cent at...

INDIA MOOTS MORE COAL BLOCKS, TAX HELP FOR MEGA POWER PROJECTS.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Recognising power shortage could be a major impediment to growth, the government on Tuesday proposed providing tax benefits for ultra mega power projects and allotting coal blocks with 20 billion tonne reserves...

INDIAN EDIBLE OIL INDUSTRY HAILS IMPORT DUTY HIKE ON VANASPATI.
March 1, 2006... MUMBAI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The edible oil industry has lauded the Union Budget, especially the government's decision to hike the vanaspati import duties from 30 per cent to 80 per cent. "We compliment the budget for safeguarding the...

INDIAN NON-FERROUS METALS ASS'N UNHAPPY WITH BUDGET.
March 1, 2006... MUMABI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The non-ferrous metals industry on Tuesday expressed unhappiness with the Union Budget which introduced countervailing duties (CVD) and sidelined the demands of small and medium industries. "The prices of raw...

INDIAN BUDGET FAILS TO RAISE SUBSIDY ON COOKING GAS, KEROSENE.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - National oil firms, which for the first time ever reported net losses this fiscal, will continue to bear the brunt of high global oil prices as the Budget failed to raise subsidy on cooking gas and kerosene in...

S. KOREA'S 2005 STEEL IMPORTS EXCEED EXPORTS FOR FOURTH YEAR.
March 1, 2006... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea saw its steel imports surpass exports in 2005 for the fourth consecutive year due to a surge in imports of cheap Chinese steel, a trade association said Wednesday. South Korea imported 18.87 million...

S. KOREAN EXPORTS JUMP 17.4 PCT IN FEBRUARY.
March 1, 2006... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's exports rebounded to double digit growth in February after a disappointing gain the previous month, a government report said Wednesday. Exports rose 17.4 per cent from an year earlier to US$23.96...

INDIAN BUDGET CUTS PEAK RATE CUSTOMS DUTY ON NON-AGRI PRODUCTS.
March 1, 2006... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Budget 2006-07 proposes to reduce the peak rate customs duty on non-agricultural products from 15 per cent to 12.5 per cent. Presenting the budget, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday announced...

BENITEC APPOINTS COMPANY SECRETARY, CHANGES REGISTERED ADDRESS.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Benitec Ltd. (ASX: BLT), a leading developer of RNA interference (RNAi)-based therapeutics, announced today that Ray Iacono has been...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES LOWER IN NOON TRADE - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket fell lower at noon dragged down by the mining and banking stocks and a negative lead from Wall Street. At 1205 AEDT the S&P/ASX200 was down 34.4 points to 4,886.9 while the all...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET: - Japan Airlines Corp. (TSE:9205) announced Tuesday that Senior Vice President Haruka Nishimatsu will assume the titles of president and group chief executive...

S. KOREA, CHINA TO HOLD MEETING ON RECIPROCAL STOCK LISTING.
March 1, 2006... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea and China will hold a meeting aimed at accelerating their efforts to allow companies to be listed on both nations' stock markets, South Korea's top financial watchdog said Wednesday. The Financial...

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT.
March 1, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) British American Tobacco Preliminary Announcement - Year Ended 31 December 2005 LONDON, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- SUMMARY 2005 ...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... MANILA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: MANILA TIMES: - The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition for a restraining order against the presidential proclamation declaring a state of emergency, saying...

AUSTRALIA'S IBA HEALTH BOOKS FALL IN FIRST HALF NET PROFIT.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Medical software company IBA Health Ltd (ASX:IBA) expects its 2005/06 earnings to be comparable to last financial year. IBA today reported fall a first half net profit of $A5.26 million ($US3.9 million), down...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR STRONGER AT NOON - MARCH 1, 2006.
March 1, 2006... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar was stronger at noon today, despite dipping on news of weaker than expected fourth quarter economic growth. At 1200 AEDT the local unit was trading at US$0.7429/34, compared with...

AUSTRALIA'S MACARTHUR COAL EXPECTS COAL PRICES TO FALL 30 PCT.
March 1, 2006... MELBOURNE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Queensland coal miner Macarthur Coal (ASXLMCC) says its coal prices are set to fall back 30 per cent from the record prices achieved last year. Macarthur chief executive Ken Talbot said the coal prices for...