AsiaPulse News articles from May 2002

AsiaPulse News archives from May 2002

AUSTRALIA'S FLIGHTSHIP GROUND EFFECT INVENTS FLYING BOAT.
May 1, 2002... TOWNSVILLE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Cairns company Flightship Ground Effect has developed a commercially registered flying boat, which combines the speed of planes and the economy of ships. The vessel can travel up to 170kph at about two metres...

OPEN - ASIA PULSE INTERNATIONAL - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... 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 DOWN - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened slightly lower this morning after slipping further below the 54 US cents mark overnight. At 0700 AEST the Australian dollar was $US0.5381/86 compared with 0.5383/88 at yesterday's...

SINGAPORE'S WANT WANT HOLDINGS & HUNAN HONYEAR FORM JV COMPANY.
May 1, 2002... SINGAPORE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Want Want Holdings Ltd and Hunan Honyear Investment & Development Co, Ltd (HHID) have announced that they will form a joint venture company in Changsha city in China's Hunan Province. The new company will be...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN - Surgeons cancel operations for private patients, calling for parliament to convene to pass insurance protection - Federal Budget could edge towards $A1...

TALKS ON WALKER AUSTRALIA STRIKE MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Unions and Tenneco executives have made a breakthrough in the national car components dispute early today, according to a media report. A spokesman for exhaust maker Walker Australia said unions would be taking a...

OMAN GOVT SIGNS CONTRACTS FOR HOUSING, POWER & WATER PROJECTS.
May 1, 2002... MUSCAT, May 1 Asia Pulse - Oman's Minister of Housing, Electricity and Water, Sheikh Suhail bin Mustahail Shimmas, has signed agreements worth RO 11.5 million (US$29.9 million) to construct housing units for people of limited income, and to...

OMAN AIR LAUNCHES INAUGURAL FLIGHT TO EAST AFRICA.
May 1, 2002... MUSCAT, May 1 Asia Pulse - Oman Air has launched its inaugural flight to East Africa. Oman Air's flight No. 701 left Seeb international airport Monday for Zanzibar and Dar es Salam, marking the start of the carrier's services on the new...

OMAN TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL JUDICIARY PROGRAM.
May 1, 2002... MUSCAT, May 1 Asia Pulse - Oman, represented by the Justice Ministry, will participate in an international program entitled "Judiciary Independence and the role of Law" scheduled to take place in the United States from May 4th to 24th. ...

OMAN OPENS POWER SUPPLY TO RUSTAQ WILAYAT VILLAGES.
May 1, 2002... MUSCAT, May 1 Asia Pulse - Oman's Housing Electricity and Water Ministry has started supplying electricity to the villages of Wadi Al Ghail and Wadi Al Mansoor of the wilayat of Rustaq in Southern Batinah region. The project cost is RO....

ROMANIA SEEKS LONG-TERM TRADE TIES WITH IRAN.
May 1, 2002... TEHRAN, May 1 Asia Pulse - Visiting Romanian Deputy Minister for Industry and Resources, Mihai Berinde, said that his government was eager to establish long-term bilateral trade cooperation with Iran, according to the Tuesday edition of the...

IRAN WAS DUBAI'S BIGGEST TRADE PARTNER IN Q1.
May 1, 2002... DUBAI, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Islamic Republic of Iran was Dubai's biggest trade partner in the first quarter of 2002, according to an announcement by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industries. The trade coordinator of the Dubai...

IRANIAN MINISTER CALLS FOR BETTER TRADE BALANCE WITH AUSTRIA.
May 1, 2002... TEHRAN, May 1 Asia Pulse - Minister of Industries and Mines Eshaq Jahangiri said here on Tuesday that strategies should be adopted to strike a balance in Iran-Austria trade. Jahangiri told the visiting Austrian Defense Minister Herbert...

IRAN AMONG 10 COUNTRIES WITH LOWEST RATE OF INCOME TAX.
May 1, 2002... TEHRAN, May 1 Asia Pulse - Iran is among the ten countries with the lowest rate of income tax, according to Abdulmajid Mahallati, the director of an auditing company. Mahallati told members of Iran-Germany Joint Chamber at Iran's Chamber...

IRAN, TAJIKISTAN SIGN 9 PROTOCOLS FOR MUTUAL COOPERATION.
May 1, 2002... DUSHANBE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Iran and Tajikistan have signed nine protocols for cooperation in economic, cultural, political, and social fields. Iran's President Mohammad Khatami and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmonov inked a statement...

GERMANY'S REEMTSMA SIGNS DEAL WITH IRANIAN TOBACCO COMPANY.
May 1, 2002... BERLIN, May 1 Asia Pulse - German cigarette producer Reemtsma has signed a three-year contract with the state-owned Iranian Tobacco Company (ITC) which includes the production of Iran's popular 'Bahman' cigarettes, the daily Hamburger...

IRANIAN ECONOMIC DELEGATION ARRIVES IN CANADA.
May 1, 2002... NEW YORK, May 1 Asia Pulse - A 100-member commercial and economic delegation from Iran, headed by chairman of Iran's Chamber of Commerce Industries and Mines (ICCIM) Ali-Naqi Khamoushi, has arrived in Toronto to hold talks with Canadian...

IRAN'S NIPCC EXPORTS 4.011 MLN TONS OF PETROCHEMICAL PRODUCTS.
May 1, 2002... TEHRAN, May 1 Asia Pulse - The National Iranian Petrochemical Commercial Company exported 4,011,000 tons of petrochemical products, worth US$794 million in the year ending March 20, 2002, the firm's public relations department reported at the...

AUSTRALIA'S COLES MYER APPOINTS NEW MYER GRACE BROTHERS MD.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's largest retailer, Coles Myer Ltd (ASX:CML) has appointed Dawn Robertson as the new managing director of its Myer Grace Bros business. Coles Myer chief executive John Fletcher said Ms Robertson would...

AUSTRALIA'S MIA GROUP PREDICTS NET PROFIT WILL MEET TARGETS.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - MIA Group Ltd expects its net profit before amortisation for the year to June 2002 to be in line with budget forecast, according to its Australian owner operator. The company, which provides diagnostic imaging...

PHILIPPINE EXPORTERS URGED TO VIEW CHINA AS ALTERNATIVE MARKET.
May 1, 2002... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Filipino exporters have been urged to consider China as their alternative market, with the slowing down of United States and Japanese economies. "The early birds have found a place under the big Chinese market. A...

JAPAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT IMPORTANT TO AUSTRALIA:TREASURER.
May 1, 2002... CANBERRA, May 1 Asia Pulse - A meeting today with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will be a major step towards achieving the vital free trade agreement with Japan,said Australian Treasurer Peter Costello. Mr Costello said Japan was the...

PHILIPPINES TO START EXPORTING FRESH MANGOES TO U.S. THIS WEEK.
May 1, 2002... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - After more than 15 years of negotiations, the Philippines will finally be exporting fresh mangoes to the United States from the first week of May, thus penetrating the $220 million fresh mango trade in the US now...

PHILIPPINES TRADE MISSION LEAVES FOR CANADA.
May 1, 2002... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - A mission from the Philippine-Canada Business Council and the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will hold trade meetings from May 9 to 18 in Canada, the Philippines 19th-ranking trading partner. In...

AUSTRALIA'S OPTUS VOWS TO STAY IN PAY-TV IF DEAL GOES THROUGH.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Singtel (ASX:SGT) affiliate Optus will remain in pay-television for the foreseeable future if its proposed programming alliance with Foxtel proceeds, the Australian Financial Review quoted Optus chief executive Chris...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY EASES IN APRIL: INDEX.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Manufacturing activity in Australia has declined in April following an easing in housing activity, an indicator of industry performance showed. The results were revealed in the Australian Performance of...

PHILIPPINES COMMERCIAL BANKS RESUME LENDING.
May 1, 2002... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - There is more evidence that commercial banks have started to lend again after maintaining a very conservative stance for most of last year. As of the end of February, the outstanding loans of commercial banks had...

DROUGHT PARCHES TAIPEI, CITY ANNOUNCES MORE WATER RATIONING.
May 1, 2002... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Drought conditions continue to plague northern Taiwan and with no relief in sight, the Taipei City Government announced a second phase of water rationing measures Tuesday. Taipei Deputy Mayor Ou Chin-der headed a...

TAIWAN PREMIER VOWS TO MAKE ENGLISH `QUASI-OFFICIAL LANGUAGE'.
May 1, 2002... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Premier Yu Shyi-kun vowed Tuesday to make English a "quasi-official language" in Taiwan within six years. Yu promised that the government will work toward this goal and said it will do its best to push for the...

TAIWAN JUSTICE MINISTER ANNOUNCES SOFTWARE PIRACY CRACKDOWN.
May 1, 2002... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan announced Tuesday that law enforcement authorities will intensify a crackdown on software piracy for the rest of the year. He told reporters that more than 800 prosecutors...

TAIWAN VP INVITES ITALY TO INVEST IN LOCAL TOURIST MARKET.
May 1, 2002... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan is actively developing tourism and welcomes the Italian tourism industry to invest in the island, said Vice President Annette Lu. Lu made the remarks when she received Custavo Selva, chairman of the...

KOREAN INTERNET RETAILERS TO BE BACK IN THE BLACK THIS YEAR.
May 1, 2002... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - Korean Internet shopping malls that have been operating under chronic deficits look likely to return to the black this year, industry sources said Wednesday. LG eshop, Samsungmall, Interpart, Hansol CS Club and...

KOREAN FIRM EYES 1ST CLASS RESORT ON SANTA CRUZ ISLAND.
May 1, 2002... ZAMBOANGA CITY, May 1 Asia Pulse - A Korean construction firm has expressed interest in developing Santa Cruz Island, located in front of the local port here, into a first class island resort. "They will put up a similar pattern like Dos...

ARROYO OKAYS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR PHILIPPINES.
May 1, 2002... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and members of the Cabinet have approved the Tourism Development Strategies (TDS) which would identify strategic tourist destinations in the country. The Tourism Development...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN UP - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... BRISBANE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Australian share prices opened slightly stronger today gains on US markets advances in overnight trading. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index at 1008 AEST nudged up 4.7 points to 3354.7, and the all ordinaries...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... HONG KONG, May 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - New headquarters for the Government and Legislative Council will be built on the Tamar site, with HK$6.4 billion to be spent on construction....

CHINESE VP'S US VISIT WON'T HURT TAIWAN INTERESTS:OFFICIAL.
May 1, 2002... TAIPEI, May 1 Asia Pulse - An official with Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States will not have an undesirable effect on Taiwan. MOFA Spokeswoman S.Y. Chang...

E-COMMERCE USED BY 20% OF JAPAN FIRMS LAST YEAR: METI POLL.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - A total of 20.8 per cent of Japanese companies were engaged in e-commerce as of the end of March 2001, according to a corporate activity survey released Tuesday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)....

JAPANESE MORNING NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of the morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) today: - Japan Weighs Awarding Patents On Medical Procedures - Takeda Chem To Launch Genome Analysis Using Monkey Genes - Kyushu...

JAPAN'S CRUDE OIL IMPORTS DOWN 5.8 PCT IN FY01.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Japan imported 239.77 million kiloliters of crude oil in fiscal 2001, down 5.8 per cent from the year before, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Crude...

DEMAND FOR CHIP-MAKING EQUIPMENT REBOUNDS IN MARCH:SEAJ.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Demand for chip-manufacturing equipment rebounded in March, due mainly to growing purchases by Taiwanese chip fabricators, according to a Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) report released Tuesday. ...

INDIAN TENDER - CORRIGENDUM TO INDIANOIL GLOBAL NOTICE.
May 1, 2002... *** ASIA PULSE TENDER *** INDIANOIL HALDIA REFINERY P.O.HALDIA OIL REFINERY, DIST:MIDNAPORE-721606, W.B. CORRIGENDUM TO GLOBAL NOTICE INVITING TENDERS The last date for sale of Tender documents for NIT No....

UMC'S IMPROVED EARNINGS NOT TO IMPACT RATING: S&P.
May 1, 2002... HONG KONG, May 1 Asia Pulse - United Microelectronics Corp.'s (BBB/Stable/--) announcement of improved earnings for the first quarter of 2002 and its anticipation that capacity utilization will increase in the second, would have no impact on...

SINGAPORE'S FEDERAL INT'L SETS UP TRADING ARM IN KOREA.
May 1, 2002... SINGAPORE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Energy industry service provider Federal International (2000) Ltd (SGX:FEDL) said it has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary, Federal International Korea Private Ltd, to undertake the trading and procurement of...

FUJIFILM SETS ITS SIGHTS ON CHINA'S DIGITAL CAMERA MARKET.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Fuji Photo Film Co. (TSE:4901) plans to create a digital camera sales network in China as part of its fiscal 2002 overseas business development plan, Director Nobuo Wakuya announced at a press conference Tuesday. ...

NEC MEETS COMPUTER-RECYCLING TARGETS 2 YEARS EARLY IN FY01.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - NEC Corp. (TSE:6701) has announced that last fiscal year it was two years early in reaching the computer-recycling targets set by the revised recycling law. The electronics giant collected 520 tons of used desktop...

SSP, IBM JAPAN TEAM UP ON DRUG SALES REP SUPPORT SYSTEM.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - SSP Co (TSE:4537) has teamed up with IBM Japan Ltd to launch an upgraded support system for sales representatives who sell over-the-counter pharmaceuticals to drugstores and pharmacies. This new system integrates...

JAPAN'S DIGITAL ARTS LAUNCHES EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE WITH FILTERS.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Software development company Digital Arts Inc. has started marketing e-learning software for home use that includes filtering to prevent children from viewing harmful material on the Internet. The company's goal...

SUMISHO COMPUTER ALTERS PORTAL BASED ON USER OBJECTIVES.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Sumisho Computer Systems Corp. (TSE:9719) has developed a system that directs users to different screens when they access a corporate portal site. With the system, employees, customers and suppliers are each...

IMF MAY INVITE N.KOREA TO FALL ASSEMBLY ON SHAREHOLDERS' REQUEST.
May 1, 2002... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Wednesday that it is ready to invite North Korea as a special guest to its annual assembly in Washington in the coming fall to help the isolated socialist country "better...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE JAKARTA POST - President Megawati Soekarnoputri gave the nod on Tuesday to a proposal tabled by the chief of the Public Servant Wealth Audit Commission to dismiss...

INDONESIA PREPARES POLICY TO CURB STEEL IMPORTS.
May 1, 2002... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government said it was preparing to release a new policy to curb steel imports to protect the local industry following similar measures imposed by the United States and other countries. "The...

SINGAPORE'S THAI VILLAGE TO OPEN 3RD RESTAURANT IN SHANGHAI.
May 1, 2002... SINGAPORE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore's Thai Village Holdings Ltd (SGX:THVI) said that Thai Village Sharksfin Restaurant (Shanghai) Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Thai Village Overseas Ventures Pte Ltd, which is wholly owned by the company, had on...

AUSTRALIA POSTS 5TH CONSECUTIVE TRADE DEFICIT IN MARCH.
May 1, 2002... CANBERRA, May 1 Asia Pulse - March saw Australia posting its fifth trade deficit in a row, however a fall in imports slashed the deficit by almost half a billion dollars, official figures showed. Allowing for seasonal factors, the March...

INDONESIA, EU AGREE TO STEP UP DIALOGUE ON FARM PRODUCTS.
May 1, 2002... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesia and the European Union have agreed to step up the intensity of discussions on how to improve mutual trade in agricultural produce, said Industry and Trade Minister Rini MS Soewandi Tuesday. The...

MITSUBISHI, ITOCHU INTERESTED IN INDONESIA'S LPG SECTOR.
May 1, 2002... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Japanese majors Mitsubishi Corp and Itochu are eyeing the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) business in Indonesia, but the price of this commodity in Indonesia has yet to be made more conducive for investment. ...

INDONESIA FACES BANKRUPTCY IF IT DOESN'T PAY UP: MINISTER.
May 1, 2002... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Minister of State Development Planning Kwik Kian Gie said that Indonesia might face a heavier burden to pay recapitalization bonds which according to the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) could increase to...

NSW STATE GOVT APPROVES AUSTRALIAN SILICON PROJECT.
May 1, 2002... PERTH, May 1 Asia Pulse - The New South Wales (NSW) state government has approved the development of Australian Silicon Ltd's (ASX:ASO) integrated silicon project near Moruya. The NSW Planning Minister Andrew Refshauge today announced that...

AUSTRALIA'S MYOB EXPECTS TO MEET H1 PROFIT FORECAST.
May 1, 2002... MELBOURNE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Australian accounting software group MYOB Ltd (ASX:MYO) said today it expects to meet its targeted profit for the first half of 2002. "While it is always difficult to forecast the second quarter because of...

JAPAN GOVT TENDER - CELL ISOLATION SYSTEM.
May 1, 2002... ***** ASIA PULSE TENDER ***** TOKYO MEDICAL AND DENTAL UNIVERSITY TO PROCURE CELL ISOLATION SYSTEM The following is a procurement notice published in the Kanpo Japanese government gazette on Apr 26: (1) Contracting Entity :...

INDONESIA'S SIDO MUNCUL TO EXPORT MEDICINAL HERBS TO CHINA.
May 1, 2002... SEMARANG, May 1 Asia Pulse - Sido Muncul, a producer of traditional medicinal herbs, plans to export its products to China in 2003, company president Irwan Hidayat said. "Although China is well known as producer of various traditional...

ADVISORY - KLSE CLOSED FOR NATIONAL HOLIDAY - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... This is to inform subscribers that the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) will be closed today (1 May 2002) on the occasion of Labour Day. The KLSE will resume trading tomorrow (2 May 2002).

BROADBAND TO BE AUSTRALIAN TELECOM MARKET'S NEW WAVE:ANALYST.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Broadband will be the next cash cow for the telecommunications industry, said independent analyst Paul Budde, adding that telecom companies that focus too much on mobile or narrow band networks will see their revenues...

TWO MORE WELLS FROM AUSTRALIA'S OTWAY BASIN TO BEGIN PRODUCTION.
May 1, 2002... PERTH, May 1 Asia Pulse - Adelaide-based Beach Petroleum NL (ASX:BPT) today said another two wells would be brought into commercial production from Otway Basin. The Croft-1 and Naylor-1 wells, in which Beach has a 10 per cent interest,...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR DOWN AT NOON - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar has drifted lower to noon with a lack of offshore interest to drive the market. At 1200 AEST, the Australian dollar was $US0.5371/76 compared with 0.5389/94 at yesterday's close. The...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES UP AT NOON - MAY 1, 2002.
May 1, 2002... MELBOURNE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Australian share prices were slightly higher at midday, after buying in banking and News Corp stocks. ABN Amro Morgans director of equities Bill Chatterton said the US market had a strong rebound overnight but...

JAPAN GOVT TENDER - DIGITAL LIBRARY SYSTEM.
May 1, 2002... ***** ASIA PULSE TENDER ***** NARA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO LEASE DIGITAL LIBRARY SYSTEM The following is a procurement notice published in the Kanpo Japanese government gazette on Apr 26: (1) Contracting Entity...

AUSTRALIA'S ADVANTEL TO CARRY INT'L TRAFFIC FOR CHINA MOBILE.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Telecommunications carrier Advantage Telecommunications (ASX:ATC) (AdvanTel) said it has formalised its business relationship with China Mobile to carry an estimated 10 million minutes per month of international...

JAPAN, AUSTRALIA AGREE TO DISCUSS FREE TRADE AGREEMENT.
May 1, 2002... CANBERRA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Australia and Japan have said that the two countries will begin formal discussions to establish a free trade agreement (FTA), however neither country showed great optimism about its chances of success. Prime...

KOREAN DEPUTY PM DISMISSES BID TO OFFER FRESH LOANS TO HYNIX.
May 1, 2002... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - Deputy Prime Minister Jeon Yun-churl today dismissed as undesirable any attempt to offer additional financial assistance to Hynix Semiconductor. "How come additional financial assistance could be made to Hynix if...

AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE GOVTS URGED TO ADDRESS WHALING ISSUE.
May 1, 2002... CANBERRA, May 1 Asia Pulse - International environmental group Greenpeace has called on the Australian government to raise the issue of whaling in its official trade talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Despite adamant...

AUSTRALIA'S SOTICO SELLS TIMBER MILL TO AUSWEST.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - Wesfarmers' (ASX:WES) forest products subsidiary Sotico announced it has signed an agreement with Auswest to sell its Pemberton timber mill. Sotico said the agreement covered the Pemberton karri mill plus log and...

STATISTICS - CHINA'S INDUSTRY VALUE ADDED IN JAN-FEB 2002.
May 1, 2002... BEIJING, May 1 Asia Pulse - China's industry value added by region in February and January - February 2002: (Unit:1,000,000,000 yuan) ____________________________________________________________ Region Value ...

AUSTRALIAN WEBSITE LAUNCH TO HELP FARMERS IDENTIFY PESTS.
May 1, 2002... CANBERRA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The launch of a website containing the Australian plant pest database has been hailed as a major step towards helping quarantine and trade officials, scientists and ultimately, farmers. A creation of the...

IMF ASKS INDONESIA TO WITHDRAW LOANS AFTER SIGNING LOI: MINISTER.
May 1, 2002... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Jakarta to withdraw its loan every time the Fund and the Indonesian government signed a letter of intent (LoI), a cabinet member said Tuesday. "The IMF does not...

MALAYSIAN CENTRAL BANK'S INT'L RESERVES WORTH US$32.5 BLN AS AT APRIL 15.
May 1, 2002... KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 Asia Pulse - Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said its international reserves stood at RM123.5 billion (US$32.5 billion) as at April 15 2002, which is sufficient to finance 5.5 months of retained imports. The reserves as at...

PHILIPPINES PREFERS LIBERALIZED POLICY FOR AIRLINES:ARROYO.
May 1, 2002... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The national government would prefer a "liberalized" policy over "open skies" for the country's air transport system, to protect the local airline industry from the adverse effects of free trade. President Gloria...

PHILIPPINE PORT AUTHORITY TACKLES SHIPPING COST REDUCTIONS.
May 1, 2002... MANILA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippine Port Authority (PPA) Board has been convened to tackle President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's directive to ascertain a logistics program that would reduce shipping costs. The President directed...

KOREA'S MONTHLY EXPORTS RISE FOR 1ST TIME IN 14 MONTHS.
May 1, 2002... SEOUL, May 1 Asia Pulse - Exports rose 9.7 per cent to US$13.3 billion in April from a year earlier, marking the first time in 14 months that the country's exports soared, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Wednesday. ...

AUSTRALIA'S MELBOURNE IT POSTS Q1 REVENUE GROWTH OF 10 PCT.
May 1, 2002... MELBOURNE, May 1 Asia Pulse - Melbourne IT (ASX:MLB) has made a strong start to the financial year with revenue growth of more than 10 per cent in the first quarter. "I am pleased to report that, for the first quarter of 2002, we have...

AUSTRALIAN RETIREMENT FUND POSTS 20 PCT ASSET INCREASE.
May 1, 2002... SYDNEY, May 1 Asia Pulse - The past 12 months have proved lucrative for the growing Australian Retirement Fund (ARF), increasing its assets under management by 20 per cent. Now one of the largest superannuation funds in the country, the...

SHELL AUSTRALIA MAINTAINS BID TO DEVELOP LNG BARGE OFFSHORE.
May 1, 2002... CANBERRA, May 1 Asia Pulse - Shell Australia today maintained its bid to develop the floating Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) barge offshore in the Timor Sea. Natural gas from the Greater Sunrise field was originally going to be siphoned into...

JAPAN'S J-STREAM, AKAMAI TO EXPAND CONTENT DELIVERY CAPABILITY.
May 1, 2002... TOKYO, May 1 Asia Pulse - Internet video broadcaster J-Stream (TSE:4308) has formed a sales alliance with the Japanese arm of Akamai Technologies, a US-based leading global distributor of digital content. The companies plan to combine...

INDONESIA'S IBRA TO COMBINE BOND SWAP AND CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM.
May 1, 2002... JAKARTA, May 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) plans to combine the bond swap and clearing house system in an attempt to draw recapitalized bonds that had been given to recapitalized banks. IBRA chairman...