AsiaPulse News articles from March 2007

AsiaPulse News archives from March 2007

AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET OPENS SOFTER - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market opened slightly softer, following a lead from US Treasuries, as some safe-haven buying reversed and global equities recovered from massive losses. At 0900 AEDT, the yield on the...

UNDERGROUND TOLL ROAD PLANNED FOR SYDNEY'S INNER WEST.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Plans have been revealed for an underground toll road through Sydney's inner-western suburbs. The proposed $A4.8 billion ($US3.78 billion) motorway would connect the airport and Port Botany with the M5,...

EAST TIMOR WANTS TO PROCESS GREATER SUNRISE GAS ONSHORE.
March 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - East Timor is continuing to push for the gas from the lucrative Greater Sunrise gas field to be processed onshore in the country. Australia and East Timor last week finally settled their arrangements over the...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS FLAT - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened steady against its US counterpart as focus remained on the stock markets and, last night, the US Federal Reserve chairman reassured investors that the economy was due to grow moderately....

MAHJONG MANIA TO LICENSED TO POWER MAHJONGCLUB.COM.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Dynasty Gaming Intensifies Asian Market Penetration by Licensing Mahjong Mania To Licensed To Power Mahjongclub.Com MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2007--Dynasty Gaming Inc....

NXTCOMM NAMES MICHAEL CERAMI AS DIRECTOR OF SALES.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2007--Michael Cerami, a show sales professional with more than a decade of experience creating business opportunities for information,...

REC FOUNDER JOINS INNOVALIGHT BOARD.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Solar Industry Leader Alf Bjorseth Appointed as Director Innovalight, Inc., a privately-held firm developing silicon-ink...

MARCH PLASMA IMPROVES THROUGHPUT OF PCB PLASMA TREATMENT SYSTEM.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) CONCORD, Calif., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- March Plasma Systems announced today the release of improved PCB panel pre-etch conditioning technology. With this new technology...

STOCKS - INDIA'S BSE CLOSES DOWN, FEB 28, 2007.
March 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The stock market gave a virtual thumbs down to the Union Budget of India and the benchmark BSE Sensex crashed 541 points to end below the 13,000-point mark on Wednesday in highly volatile trading on selling by funds...

FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS FIRMER AGAINST RUPEE - FEB 28, 2007.
March 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The US Dollar ended dearer against the Rupee Rs 44.28 per dollar but the Pound Sterling finished lower at Rs 86.66 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here on Wednesday. The...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - Slashing government regulation and boosting productivity and competition could lift output by more than 10 per cent and generate an extra...

AUSTRALIA'S MANUFACTURING GROWTH UP IN FEBRUARY.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Growth in Australia's manufacturing industry improved in February, but business conditions remain tough, new figures show. An improvement in the two largest sectors of the the Australian Industry Group -...

BHP SEES NO IMMEDIATE THREAT FROM SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS.
March 1, 2007... MELBOURNE, March 1 Asia Pulse - BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) has not yet seen any real competition from synthetic diamonds, but it does expect the man-made stones to eventually have an impact on demand for the real thing. "No, we have not...

TAIWAN SEES GROWTH IN EXECUTIVE AIR TRAVEL TO CHINA.
March 1, 2007... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Thanks to a brisk Chinese economy and anticipated direct charter flights across the Taiwan Strait, growth in Taiwan's executive air travel market is in sight, Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials...

TAIWAN'S SOLAR CELL OUTPUT TO TOP US$605 MLN BY 2010: ACADEMIC.
March 1, 2007... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The total production value of Taiwan's solar cell industry is estimated to top NT$20 billion-NT$25 billion (US$ 605 million-US$757 million) by 2010, a four-fold expansion compared with the present value, academic...

TAIWAN'S FISHERIES ADMINISTRATION TO RELOCATE TO SOUTH.
March 1, 2007... TAIPEI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Fisheries Administration under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture is preparing to relocate its headquarters from Taipei to southern Taiwan in line with the government's policy of bolstering fishery...

RUSSIAN LOANS TO BANKROLL INDONESIA'S SUKHOI JET PURCHASE.
March 1, 2007... PEKANBARU, RIAU, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) on Wednesday denied a press report that the planned purchase of six more Sukhoi jet fighters will use Australian loans. "The loans used for the purchase of Sukhoi...

AUSTRALIA'S COMPUTERSHARE TO SPEND US$25 MLN TO BUY TWO US FIRMS.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Share registry operator Computershare Ltd (ASX:CPU) is spending about $US25 million to snap up two businesses in North America and is looking for more targets. The company announced plans today to buy the...

INDIA HIKES DEFENCE BUDGET BY 7.8 PCT TO US$21.7 BLN.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Continuing its drive to modernise the armed forces, the Indiangovernment on Wednesday hiked the defence budget for 2007-08 to Rs 960 billion (US$21.7 billion), an increase of 7.8 per cent over the current...

BOMBAY STOCK MARKET SHARPLY DOWN ON BUDGET MEASURES.
March 1, 2007... MUMBAI, March 1 Asia Pulse - The stock market reacted sharply down to Finance Minister P Chidambaram's Budget for 2007-08, as the benchmark Sensex tanked over 529 points to again slip below the 13,000 level. The wide-based NSE index Nifty...

MOSER BAER FORGES SOURCING TIE-UP WITH DEUSTCHE SOLAR.
March 1, 2007... MUMBAI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Optical storage device maker Moser Baer India (BSE:517140) on Wednesday said its wholly-owned subsidiary Moser Baer Photo Voltaic Ltd (MBPV) has tied up with Germany's DeutscheSolar for procuring silicon wafers. ...

EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE MAIN FOCUS OF INDIAN BUDGET 2007-08: PM.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the prime focus of the Union Budget 2007- 08 was on education and healthcare as he reaffirmed his government's commitment on increasing the spending on the social...

INDONESIA TO HIKE CIGARETTE PRICES FROM TODAY.
March 1, 2007... JAKARTA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The government is set to raise cigarette retail prices by 7 per cent from today, under the Finance Minister's Regulation No.118/PMK.04/2006. "As a follow up to the regulation, Director General for Customs and...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN BOURSE BEGINS FIRMER - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market has followed Wall Street to begin recovering from yesterday's horror as investors sift through the wreckage in search of bargains. At 1015 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index gained...

CORPORATE INDIA DISAPPOINTED BY BUDGET.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Indian industry on Wednesday expressed disappointment over Finance Minister P Chidambaram's Budget for 2007-08, raising concerns on lack of measures to increase productivity and for losing an opportunity to...

FOREX - RINGGIT ENDS WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR - FEB 28, 2007.
March 1, 2007... KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The ringgit closed at 3.5000/5020 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, down from 3.4935/4965 at the close on Tuesday. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1043

HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA'S BUDGET 2007-08.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Following are the highlights of the Budget for 2007-08 presented in Parliament by Finance Minister P Chidambaram Wednesday: * No change in personal, corporate, service tax rates * Threshold limit for...

NEWS LTD TO LAUNCH FREE TABLOID NEWSPAPER MX IN BRISBANE.
March 1, 2007... BRISBANE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Brisbane is to get a free afternoon newspaper from this Monday. The tabloid-format newspaper mX will be available from about 90 distribution points around Brisbane's CBD from 2.30pm (AEST) Monday to Friday....

INDIA EXTENDS SUBSIDY ON FUEL, GIVES TAX BREAKS FOR PIPELINES.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - Finance Minister P Chidambaram Wednesday extended Government subsidy on domestic LPG and kerosene for an indefinite period, while providing the much-awaited tax breaks for cross-country natural gas pipelines. ...

FLIGHT CENTRE STOCKS CRASH 16% AFTER MANAGEMENT BUYOUT SHELVED.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Shares in travel agency Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) have plunged almost 16 per cent today after shareholders voted against a $A1.6 billion ($US1.26 billion) proposed management buyout. At 1016 AEDT, the price dropped...

STOCKS - BSE REGAINS 13 K LEVEL ON BUDGET MOVES- FEB 28, 2007.
March 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - The benchmark BSE Sensex regained the 13,000-point level with a recovery of more than 425 points from the morning low on emergence of buying in stocks of pharma, education and agriculture segments. The Sensex,...

GLOBAL EMS ALLIANCE BETS BIG ON INDIA AS CENTRALISED DESIGN HUB.
March 1, 2007... BANGALORE, March 1 Asia Pulse - The EMS (electronics manufacturing services) Global Alliance on Wednesday said it is targeting a combined sales of US $1 billion by 2009 as it bets big on India as a centralised design hub. The EMS Alliance,...

INDIA'S DOT ASKED TO WORK OUT UNIFIED TAX STRUCTURE FOR TELCOS.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - India Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday asked Department of Telecom to commission a study for working out a unified tax structure for the sector. At present, total levies in the telecom sector,...

INDIA EARMARKS US$113 MLN FOR COMMONWEALTH GAMES.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - An allocation of Rs 5 billion (US$113.2 million) for the Commonwealth Games, to be held in the capital in 2010, was announced on Wednesday in the Union budget, besides a higher allocation of Rs 1.11 billion for...

INDIA SETS UP SINGLE DEP'T FOR AID TO DEVELOPING NATIONS.
March 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, March 1 Asia Pulse - With India poised to play a greater role in world affairs, Government on Wednesday announced setting up of a department specifically for extending funds to other developing countries for their development. ...

KOREAN LAWMAKERS TO PASS BILL FOR STABILIZING HOUSING PRICES.
March 1, 2007... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - Lawmakers agreed to pass a bill on Wednesday that is expected to help stabilize runaway housing prices that have fueled real estate bubble concerns in the past few years. Members of the National Assembly's...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... HONG KONG, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - The finance chief yesterday disclosed the biggest giveaway budget since the handover, using a windfall budget surplus to hand out a HK$20...

CURAM SOFTWARE EXPANDS FOOTPRINT IN ASIA PACIFIC REGION.(Company overview)
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ( BW)(VA-CURAM-SOFTWARE) Curam Software Expands Footprint in Asia Pacific Region with New Executive Appointments David Lane Named Vice President of Services; Hannah Baudert Named Director...

EQOS OPENS OFFICE IN HONG KONG.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ( BW)(MA-EQOS) Eqos Opens Office in Hong Kong Asian Presence Designed to Provide Local Support to Retail Customers Business Editors BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28,...

CHINESE GOVT DENIES RUMORS ABOUT LEVY OF "CAPITAL GAINS TAX".
March 1, 2007... BEIJING, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Chinese government denies that the country will start to levy "capital gain taxes" on stock investors in the near future, according to Xinhua-run Shanghai Securities News. Government officials with the...

STOCKS - TOKYO BOURSE OPENS WEAKER - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Japanese stocks began 0.37 per cent weaker Thursday, with the Nikkei-225 index shedding 64.40 points to 17,539.72 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1122

HELICOS BIOSCIENCES FILES REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR IPO.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Helicos BioSciences Files Registration Statement for Initial Public Offering of Common Stock CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2007--Helicos BioSciences Corporation today...

BRITISH AMBASSADOR PRAISES INDIA'S EFFORTS TO REDUCE POVERTY.
March 1, 2007... LONDON, March 1 Asia Pulse - Praising the Union Budget of India for the 2007-08 financial year, NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul on Wednesday, said a lot more has to be done to help the common man and improve the lot of children in India. ...

PLATTS ADDS TURKISH PLASTICS TO GLOBAL SUITE OF PRICE BENCHMARKS.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Platts Adds Turkish Plastics to its Global Suite of Price Benchmarks LONDON, March 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Platts, the world's leading energy and commodity information provider,...

MARVELL SHOWS SUPPORT FOR MICROSOFT NETWORK ACCESS PROTECTION.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Marvell Announces Support for Microsoft Network Access Protection Technology SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Marvell Total Solution (MTS) Product Line Extends...

DE SHAW GROUP HIRES HEAD OF PRIVATE EQUITY UNIT GREATER CHINA.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) D.E. Shaw Group Hires Head of Private Equity Unit for Greater China Business Editors HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2007--The D.E. Shaw group announced today that Liang Meng...

EFMD'S EQUIS ACCREDITATION CELEBRATES 10 YEARS.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) 100 Plus Business Schools, 30 Countries and 1 Goal -- Raising the Level of International Business Education BRUSSELS, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- EQUIS Has Now...

CONTROL SOLUTIONS LAUNCHES CONSULTING PRACTICE IN JAPAN.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2007--Control Solutions International, the leading global provider of independent internal audit, compliance, risk management and...

BHP EXPECTS 2008 FEASBILITY STUDY ON MOZAMBIQUE TITANIUM PROJECT.
March 1, 2007... MELBOURNE, March 1 Asia Pulse - BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP) expects its Corridor Sands titanium project in Mozambique to move to a feasibility study in the 2008 calendar year. Diamonds and specialty products customer sector group president...

CORR: BRITISH TYCOON PRAISES INDIAN POVERTY REDUCTION MEASURES.
March 1, 2007... (Corrects headline and first paragraph) LONDON, March 1 Asia Pulse - Praising the Union Budget of India for the 2007-08 financial year, non-resident Indian industrialist Lord Swraj Paul on Wednesday, said a lot more has to be done to help...

AUST INVESTMENT SPENDING SURPISINGLY WEAK IN DEC QTR: ECONOMISTS.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Investment spending in the December quarter was surprisingly weak, suggesting some downside risk to next week's national accounts figures, economists say. New private capital expenditure rose 1.0 per cent in...

US DRILLING SERVICES CONTRACTOR TO LAUNCH IPO ON ASX.
March 1, 2007... PERTH, March 1 Asia Pulse - US drilling services contractor Boart Longyear Ltd plans to raise up to $A2.7 billion ($US2.12 billion) through a public sale of shares and list on the Australian stock exchange. Boart said the initial public...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... SINGAPORE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES: - Fall in durable goods orders the real reason for concern in US. - Frenzied trading on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) yesterday, as investors...

SEMICONDUCTOR-DEVICE VETERAN TO GUIDE DEVICE EVOLUTION FOR SRC.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Semiconductor-Device Veteran, Author of `Ultimate Resources' for IC Components, to Guide Device Evolution for Global Semiconductor Research Consortium (SRC) Work in Asia, Including China,...

ECO-ROADSTER: ATTRACTIVE, FAST, POWERFUL AND VIRTUALLY CO2-FREE.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) Eco-roadster: Attractive, Fast, Powerful - and Virtually CO2-free Rinspeed and Bayer MaterialScience build transparent concept car "eXasis" "Environmentally friendly cars need not be...

S. KOREA REGISTERS 11.3 PCT RISE IN EXPORTS IN FEBRUARY.
March 1, 2007... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's exports grew at double digits for the 13th straight month in February, fuelled by strong overseas demand for LCD panels, semiconductors, petrochemicals and steel, a government report said Thursday. ...

BANGLADESH TO HIKE POWER PRICES FOR URBAN RESIDENTS FROM TODAY.
March 1, 2007... DHAKA, March 1 Asia Pulse - A 5 per cent increase in electricity tariffs for urban consumers comes into effect today. According to a decision taken by the caretaker government on February 6, the 5 per cent tariff will only apply to...

CONAGRA FOODS ANNOUNCES TEST FINDS SALMONELLA IN PEANUT BUTTER.
March 1, 2007... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ConAgra Foods Announces Test Finds Salmonella In Its Peanut Butter OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 27, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- ConAgra Foods announced today that testing by some U.S. states has...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN BOURSE FIRMER TO NOON - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian Share Market continued to gain upward momentum at noon today as it continued to make a slight comeback from yesterday's dramatic slide in stock prices. At 1200 AEDT, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index...

FOREX - RINGGIT OPENS WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - The ringgit opened at 3.5005/5025 against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, down from 3.5000/5020 at the close on Wednesday. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1253

AUSTRALIA'S COLONIAL RESOURCES DEBUTS ON ASX AT PREMIUM.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Perth-based gold explorer Colonial Resources Ltd (ASX:CLN) has debuted on the Australian stock exchange at a five per cent premium following a $A2.8 million ($US2.2 million) float. Shares in the company began...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT TO STUDY IMPACT OF PROPOSED QANTAS SALE.
March 1, 2007... CANBERRA, March 1 Asia Pulse - The federal government has agreed to set up an inquiry into the impact of the proposed Qantas (ASX:QAN) sale on the airline's subsidiary, Jetstar. Government senators today backed a parliamentary committee's...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE SHARES UP IN EARLY TRADE - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... SINGAPORE, March 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade, with the Straits Times Index up 26.49 points at 3,130.64 at 10:01 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1304

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN SHARES LOWER IN EARLY TRADE - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was weaker in early trade, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index falling 10.32 points at 1,186.13 at 10:03 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1308

AUSTRALIA'S CENTRO SET TO EXPAND PRESENCE IN US.
March 1, 2007... SYDNEY, March 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's Centro Properties Group (ASX:CNP) will become the fifth largest manager of US shopping centres under a $US5 billion ($A6.36 billion) deal to buy American shopping centre investor New Plan Excel Realty...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Malaysian and regional stock markets fell sharply for the second day yesterday following a major sell-off in China on Tuesday which spread across...

MALAYSIA WANTS MORE LIBERAL AVIATION ARRANGEMENT WITH SINGAPORE.
March 1, 2007... PUTRAJAYA, March 1 Asia Pulse - Malaysia wants more liberal aviation arrangement with Singapore, Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy said Wednesday. Chan said he would bring up the matter with his Singaporean counterpart, Raymond Lim during...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... JAKARTA, MARCH 01 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KOMPAS - Three civilians were killed and 14 others and six police officers were injured in clashes Wednesday in Banggai in the regency of Banggai, Central Sulawesi, over...

MALAYSIA'S SC SIGNS PACT WITH VIETNAM COUNTERPART.
March 1, 2007... KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 Asia Pulse - The Securities Commission (SC) and the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC Vietnam) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in an effort to enhance cooperation and collaboration. The pact...

STOCKS - HONG KONG STOCKS START WEAKER - MARCH 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... HONG KONG, March 1 Asia Pulse - Hong Kong stocks started 0.36 per cent weaker on Thursday, with the Hang Seng Index falling 69.65 points to 19,581.86. ASIA PULSE 01-03 1341

S KOREA TO PUSH ARMS REDUCTION MEASURES IN TALKS WITH N KOREA.
March 1, 2007... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - In a prelude to establishing a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea has decided to seek arms control talks with North Korea this year. Seoul's plan was included in the detailed report for 2007...

PYONGYANG COMMISSIONS JOINT VENTURE FOR MICRO-CREDIT.
March 1, 2007... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea commissioned a financial joint venture with an Australia-based trust company to give micro-credits to local businesses. The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Feb. 23, "A...

N KOREA SAYS IMPROVEMENT OF PEOPLE'S LIVES AS AMONG MAIN TASKS.
March 1, 2007... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea repeatedly suggested the improvement of people's lives as one of the urgent tasks to be accomplished this year, while reaffirming its commitment to economic development as proposed at its New Year joint...

KOREAS RESUME CABINET-LEVEL TALKS FOR FIRST TIME IN SEVEN MONTHS.
March 1, 2007... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - For the first time in seven months, South and North Korea have resumed ministerial talks in Pyongyang to deal with various inter-Korean issues such as Seoul's humanitarian aid, economic cooperation projects and...

N KOREA PLEDGES STRONGER RELATIONS WITH LIBYA.
March 1, 2007... SEOUL, March 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea pledged stronger relations with Libya, which is an oil exporter to the communist country. The pledge came in a speech by Choe Thae-bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of...

VIACOM JAPAN TOUTS WEB CARTOON WITH DOWNLOADS FOR DOCOMO USERS.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse -Seeking to promote a cartoon on its video-sharing Web site, Viacom International Japan KK will provide free wallpaper images from the show for cell phone gaming software. Starting Thursday, the MTV Networks Inc....

NTN DEVICE AIDS TREATMENT OF CEREBRAL ANEURYSMS.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - NTN Corp. (TSE:6472) has developed a device that gives surgeons a numerical reading of the forces they are applying when inserting a wire into a patient to treat cerebral aneurysms. Endovascular therapy for...

JAPAN'S KOITO TO EXIT S KOREAN AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING VENTURE.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Koito Mfg. Co. (TSE:7276) said Wednesday that it will divest its stake in a South Korean joint venture that produces lights for automobiles by the end of March. Koito will sell its entire stake in Innovative...

JATCO TO BUILD CHINA PLANT TO START CVT OUTPUT IN 2009.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Jatco Ltd., an affiliate of Nissan Motor Co. (TSE:7201), said Wednesday that it will construct a factory for continuously variable transmissions in China at an initial cost of roughly 6 billion yen (US$50.2 million)....

NIPPON SUISAN TO EXPAND CHILEAN FISH FARMING OPS BY 50 PCT.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. (TSE:1332) plans to boost its salmon and trout breeding operations in Chile by 50 per cent to roughly 50,000 tons a year in around four years. With fish consumption in the West rising...

SHARP UNSEATS M'SHITA UNIT AS TOP CELL PHONE MAKER IN 2006.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Sharp Corp. (TSE:6753) shipped the most cellular phone handsets in Japan last year, commanding an 18.6 per cent share in the market and edging past Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., research firm IDC Japan said...

ISUZU, PARTNERS TO CONSIDER RUSSIAN TRUCK JOINT VENTURES.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Isuzu Motors Ltd. (TSE:7202) said Wednesday that it will hold discussions with Sojitz Corp. (TSE:2768) and Russian automaker OAO Severstal-Avto toward establishing truck joint ventures in Russia. The Japanese...

NEC TOKIN EXPANDING PIEZOELECTRIC PARTS PRODUCTION.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - NEC Tokin Corp. (TSE:6759) is stepping up production of two types of piezoelectric parts used to correct hand-shake in digital camera use. The company is raising its output of gyro-sensors and actuators....

M'BISHI HEAVY INVESTING US$9.2 MLN TO BOOST ASIAN DIESEL ENGINE OPS.
March 1, 2007... TOKYO, March 1 Asia Pulse - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (TSE:7011) on Wednesday announced plans to strengthen its diesel engine operations in Asia. Total investment is projected at 1.1 billion yen (US$9.2 million). And the company...