AsiaPulse News articles from October 2001

AsiaPulse News archives from October 2001

DIARY - 7TH ASIA CONSTRUCT CONFERENCE TO BE ON OCTOBER 3.
October 1, 2001... NEW DELHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Over 100 exhibitors from about 16 countries including construction majors Svedala Industries, Stewols & Co, Finlay, L & T are expected to participate in the seventh Asia Construct conference beginning tomorrow. ...

AUSTRALIA'S AWB INCREASES WHEAT PRICES FOR MAJORITY OF GRADES.
October 1, 2001... MELBOURNE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Wheat group AWB Ltd has increased the prices for the majority of the grades of new and old crops after reviewing National Pool estimates today. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary AWB (International) Ltd, AWB...

PAKISTAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... KARACHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: DAWN - US may offer aid for toppling Taliban - Iran notes 41 warships in Gulf, Oman Sea - US responded to biological attack in New York - China's Premier warns...

STOCKS - MUSCAT SHARES CLOSE HIGHER - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... MUSCAT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The general price index of the MSM today rose by 0,20 points to close at 167.14 points. A total of 234,521 shares and 635 bonds worth RO. 239,442 were traded today through 258 deals. The regular market...

OMANI COMMERCE & INDUSTRY MINISTER MEETS BUSINESSMEN AT OCCI.
October 1, 2001... MUSCAT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Commerce and Industry Minister Maqbool bin Ali Sultan has stressed the need to develop Omani exports and increase trade with sister countries. At a meeting he held with Omani businessmen and industrialists at the...

OMAN TENDER BOARD AWARDS TENDERS WORTH US$33.3 MILLION.
October 1, 2001... MUSCAT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Oman Tender Board held its 21st meeting of the year yesterday, awarding tenders worth RO. 12,828,000 (US$33.3 million). The tenders awarded included a project valued RO. 4,253,000 to supply medicines and...

PHILIPPINES SEEN AS SOURCE FOR TEACHERS, DOCTORS FOR THE UK: DOLE.
October 1, 2001... MANILA, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippines is regarded as a possible source of teachers and doctors to fill the increasing demand for such professionals in the United Kingdom, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). In...

PHILIPPINES UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED BETWEEN JAN AND JULY.
October 1, 2001... MANILA, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The unemployment rate had fallen to 10.1 per cent as of July this year from 11.4 per cent in January. Quoting figures from the National Statistics Office (NSO), Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said that...

FOREX - US DOLLAR SHARPLY DEARER AGAINST RUPEE - Oct 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... FOREX - US DOLLAR SHARPLY DEARER AGAINST RUPEE - Oct 1, 2001 $all $in $stx pticloser MUMBAI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The US dollar turned sharply dearer against the rupee at Rs 47.97/98 per dollar and the pound sterling ended expensive at Rs...

STOCKS - BSE CLOSES DOWN - Oct 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... STOCKS - BSE CLOSES DOWN - Oct 1, 2001 $all $in $stx pticloser MUMBAI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) remained in the forefront, attracting brisk activity even as the sensex closed in negative territory in narrowly mixed...

STOCKS - DSE CLOSES DOWN - Oct 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... STOCKS - DSE CLOSES DOWN - Oct 1, 2001 $all $in $stx pticloser NEW DELHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - In thin trading, equities led by index heavy Reliance Industries reacted to profit selling on the Delhi Stock Exchange today and placed the index...

OPEN - ASIA PULSE INTERNATIONAL - OCT 1, 2001.
October 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...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Night of Knights: special rugby league grand final edition. - Qantas chief says his airline did not deliberately set out to kill Ansett. - ASIO...

S KOREAN SHIPPING FIRMS TO CHARGE MORE FOR MIDDLE EAST ROUTES.
October 1, 2001... SEOUL, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Shipping companies operating routes encompassing the Middle East plan to charge a special wartime premium from Oct. 8, which is sure to undermine the competitive edge of Korean exporters, according to the Korea...

KOOKMIN, HOUSING & COMMERCIAL BANKS APPROVE MERGER.
October 1, 2001... SEOUL, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Shareholders in the Kookmin and Housing & Commercial banks (H&CB) have approved their merger, despite hundreds of Kookmin Bank unionists picketing outside shareholder meeting venues to oppose the move. The Kookmin...

ADB TECHNICAL - INDONESIA, RURAL FINANCE.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** ******************************** ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT - ADVISORY SEPTEMBER 2001 ************************************* INDONESIA: Poor Farmer...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS WEAKER - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar open slightly weaker today with dealers noting that the public holiday in Sydney should limit the range over the course of the day. At 0910 AEST the Australian dollar was trading at...

NRMA INSURANCE TO SELL BUILDING SOCIETY FOR $US67MLN.
October 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's NRMA Insurance Group Ltd (ASX:NRM) has announced today it will sell its Building Society operations to HSBC Bank Australia Ltd for around $A138 million ($US67.21 million). NRMA Insurance acting chief...

COMMONWEALTH HEAD VISITS AUSTRALIA FOR CHOGM TALKS.
October 1, 2001... BRISBANE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon is to visit Brisbane today to meet with Queensland Premier Peter Beattie to discuss the postponed CHOGM meeting, which was due to be held in the Queensland capital from...

ADB TECHNICAL - INDIA, POWER.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** *********************************** ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT - ADVISORY SEPTEMBER 2001 ************************************ INDIA: Madhya...

ADB TECHNICAL - VIETNAM, REGULATORY.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** ********************************* ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT - ADVISORY SEPTEMBER 2001 ******************************* VIETNAM - Eligibility of...

BAX GLOBAL GRANTED NEW STATUS BY XIAMEN FREE TRADE ZONE.
October 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) SINGAPORE, Oct 1 PRNewswire-AsiaNet - Xiamen Customs has granted its first "Class A Company" distinction award in the Xiangyu Free Trade Zone to BAX Global Xiamen, it was announced...

ADB TECHNICAL - INDIA, POWER.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** ************************** ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT - ADVISORY SEPTEMBER 2001 ******************************* INDIA: Madhya Pradesh Power SDP...

ADB TECHNICAL - TAJIKISTAN, LEGAL.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** *************************************** ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT - ADVISORY SEPTEMBER 2001 ********************************** TAJIKISTAN:...

TRADE EXCHANGE BETWEEN IRAN, TURKEY STANDS AT OVER US$730 MLN.
October 1, 2001... ANKARA, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Trade exchange between Iran and Turkey stood at US$731.85 million in the first seven months of this year, Turkey's institute for governmental statistics announced on Sunday. The volume of trade exchange between...

BANK OF KOREA SUPPLIES CHUSOK FUNDS TOTALING US$3.51 BLN.
October 1, 2001... SEOUL, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Bank of Korea has supplied a total of 4.6 trillion won (US$3.51 billion) for Chusok (Korean Tanksgiving) holidays from Saturday through Wednesday. The central bank said Friday the amount is up 21.3 per cent...

GLOBAL AVIATION NOW IN PARLOUS STATE: CATHAY PACIFIC.
October 1, 2001... MELBOURNE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific said today that terrorist attacks on the United States had placed the global aviation industry in a "parlous state", at an already difficult time for the sector. ...

IRANIAN FIRMS PARTICIPATE EXTENSIVELY IN KUWAIT FAIR.
October 1, 2001... KUWAIT CITY, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Iran is attending an international trad fair dubbed `Gifts' that opened in Kuwait on Wednesday, according to the Saturday edition of the English-language newspaper `Iran Daily' Carpets, paintings and...

IRANIAN GOVT ASKED TO PLAN TARGETS UNDER THIRD 5YR PLAN.
October 1, 2001... TEHRAN, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Management and Planning Organization (MPO) has announced that the Iranian parliament, the Majlis, has asked the government to plan targets for subsidies of basic commodities and oil derivatives for the second year...

IRAN PRODUCES 25PCT MORE ALUMINUM 1H 2001.
October 1, 2001... BANDAR ABBAS, Hormuzgan Prov, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Aluminum production has risen by about 25 per cent in Iran in the first six months of this year, according to the director of the provincial Al-Mahdi Aluminum Production Complex, Abdolmahdi...

WFP ALLOCATES US$19 MLN AID PACKAGE TO IRAN FOR REFUGEES.
October 1, 2001... MASHHAD, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - World Food Program (WFP) representative in Iran, Marius De-Gaay Fortman told IRNA Sunday, "WFP's US$19 million aid package to Iran is intended to supply food for Afghan refugees who may seek asylum in Iran in case of...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX OPENS HIGHER - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket opened in positive territory today supported by a strong finish on Wall Street on Friday where investors continued to look for bargains and the markets regained some of the ground lost after...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT AWARDS $US21MLN DEFENCE CONTRACT TO ADI.
October 1, 2001... CANBERRA, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian government has awarded ADI Ltd a $A45 million ($US21.92 million) contract to build six water craft for the Australian Army, Defence Minister Peter Reith said. The minister made the announcement in...

DROUGHT INFLICTS US$490 MLN IN DAMAGE TO WEST IRANI PROVINCE.
October 1, 2001... SHAHR-E KORD, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Prov, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The drough which hit Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province (west Iran) this year inflicted over Rls 850 billion (US$490 million) in damage to its agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors...

RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA EXPECTED TO CUT RATES TUESDAY.
October 1, 2001... MELBOURNE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Financial markets will focus this week on the size of a much-anticipated cut in interest rates this week as investors continue to grapple with what the US terrorist attacks mean for the global economy. Most...

OMAN SIGNS NEW OIL DATA AGREEMENT WITH PGS GEOPHYSICAL.
October 1, 2001... MUSCAT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Oman Sultanate government and PGS Geophysical have signed a new agreement to increase, improve and market geophysical data on offshore oil block No.41. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Sultanate...

PBL FORECASTS TOUGH OUTLOOK FOR YEAR AHEAD.
October 1, 2001... MELBOURNE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (ASX:PBL) has forecast in its annual report that conditions will remain tough in the current financial year, with a pick-up not anticipated until the second half, at...

NEW NO-FRILLS ANSETT MAY EXTEND FLIGHTS UNTIL CHRISTMAS.
October 1, 2001... SYDNEY, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Ansett's administrators have indicated they may extend their 12-week ticket guarantee deal with the federal government to take advantage of Christmas/New Year travel demand. Administrator Mark Korda today flagged...

IRANIAN PROVINCE EXPORTS US$2.8 MLN OF LUGGAGE IN FIRST HALF.
October 1, 2001... RASHT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Over Rls 5 billion (US$2.88 million) worth of carry-on luggage goods were exported abroad from Gilan province in the first half of the current Iranian year, the province's commercial managing director, Gholam Hussein...

SIEMENS TAIWAN WINS CORE CONTRACTS FOR KAOHSIUNG MRT SYSTEM.
October 1, 2001... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Taiwan affiliate of Germany's Siemens Group has won core contracts from Kaohsiung City for the development of the first mass rapid transport (MRT) system in southern Taiwan worth close to NT$170 billion (US$4.9...

OPEC OIL OUTPUT DECISION BACKED BY OMAN.
October 1, 2001... MUSCAT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - OPEC's recent agreement to leave oil output unchanged will benefit the oil market, according to Rashid bin Khalid al Barwani, marketing affairs advisor to the minister for oil and gas. Al Barwani said the...

TAIWAN GIVES GO-AHEAD FOR 8 BANKS TO OPEN OFFICES IN MAINLAND.
October 1, 2001... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) gave the green light Friday to eight domestic banks, including the United World Chinese Commercial Bank, to set up offices in mainland China, a government official said Friday. Seven...

IRAN'S GILAN PROVINCE EXPORTS US$3.02 MLN IN GOODS IN H1.
October 1, 2001... RASHT, GILAN PROVINCE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Over rls 5.3 billion (US$3.02 million) worth of suitcase goods were exported by the various customs offices of Iran's Gilan Province during the first half of the current Iranian year (started March 21),...

NEW $US28MLN TAIPEI COMMERCIAL EXHIBITION CENTRE OPENS.
October 1, 2001... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The new NT$1 billion (US$28.98 million) Taipei County Commercial Exhibition Center has been opened in Wuku Industrial Park in a ceremony hosted by President Chen Shui-bian. President Chen said during the...

TAIWAN'S EVA AIRWAYS TO SLASH FLIGHTS TO U.S. AND S.E. ASIA.
October 1, 2001... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan carrier Eva Airways Corp. (TAIEX:5606) announced Saturday that in the face of the increasingly sluggish aviation market following the recent terrorist attacks in the United States, it has decided to cut down...

MINISTER PESSIMISTIC OVER EARLY RECOVERY OF TAIWAN ECONOMY.
October 1, 2001... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi said Saturday that an early recovery of Taiwan's economy is not likely, mainly because of the effect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. In an...

VIETNAMESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NHAN DAN - Prime Minister Phan Van Khai has signed a decision on the national programme of poor alleviation and job settlement for the 2001-2005 period. Under the programme,...

JAPANESE MORNING NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... TOKYO, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of the morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) today: - Govt To Crack Down On Internet Copyright/Privacy Violations - Dentsu To List On TSE 1st Section In Late Nov - Govt To End...

JAPAN'S NEW MITSUBISHI TRUST EYES ALLIANCES WITH FOREIGN FIRMS.
October 1, 2001... TOKYO, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - New Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Corp. is considering teaming up with foreign financial institutions as part of a medium to long-term business strategy, President Akio Utsumi said in a recent press conference. The...

IRAN'S QESHM FREE ZONE CUSTOMS OFFICE EARNS US$3.14 MLN IN H1.
October 1, 2001... QESHM ISLAND, HORMUZGAN PROVINCE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Qeshm Free Zone (QFZ) Customs Office earned rls 5.5 billion (US$3.14 million) in the first half of the current Iranian year (started March 21), according to department head Kazem...

SONY NET PROFIT DROPS 40%; NEC EXPECTS US$1.25 BLN NET LOSS.
October 1, 2001... TOKYO, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Sony Corp. (TSE:6758) said that it now projects group net profit to fall 40 per cent to 10 billion yen (US$83.6 million) in fiscal 2001, while NEC Corp. (TSE:6701) announced that it expects to report a group net loss...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT SET TO BUILD PESTICIDE FACTORIES IN VIETNAM.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian government is to provide around AU$2.3 million (US$1.13 million) for a five-year project which will protect fruit and vegetable crops from pests and boost the country's farm production. The project...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... HONG KONG, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST - Hong Kong will launch a new stock market index on Wednesday, but fund managers are sceptical about its usefulness, saying the market will...

SUZUKI TO SELL ENTIRE STAKE IN INDIAN MOTORCYCLE JV.
October 1, 2001... TOKYO, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Suzuki Motor Corp. (TSE:7269) announced that it will sell for an undisclosed sum all its shares in its motorcycle joint venture in India. Suzuki plans to sell its entire 25.97 per cent stake in TVS-Suzuki Ltd. to...

BP OIL, GAS FIELDS CONTINUE PRODUCTION IN PAKISTAN.
October 1, 2001... KARACHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The oil and gas fields of British Petroleum (BP), Pakistan, in the Badin district of Sindh, are continuing to produce oil as normal. BP Pakistan Exploration & Production (formerly UTP) media advisor's Mediators...

NISSAN TO MOVE MAXIMA OUTPUT TO U.S.
October 1, 2001... TOKYO, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Nissan Motor Co. (TSE:7201) said Friday that it will shift production of the Maxima, its mainline passenger car in North America, from a Kanagawa Prefecture factory to its U.S. plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, in January...

JAPAN'S SHISEIDO EXPECTS US$318 MLN GROUP EXTRAORDINARY LOSS.
October 1, 2001... TOKYO, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Shiseido Co. (TSE:4911) said Friday it expects a consolidated extraordinary loss of 38 billion yen (US$318 million) for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2002. Under a revamped labeling law, the company will be...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... SINGAPORE, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES - Forget the familiar pattern of the semiconductor industry moving in demand-driven cycles. The juggernaut of China is about to smash that, and could...

TRADING CORP OF PAKISTAN RECEIVES 10 BIDS FOR COTTON EXPORTS.
October 1, 2001... KARACHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) received 10 bids for export of 10,000 bales of cotton, but decision on awarding the contract had been deferred till Saturday, official sources said. The offers opened...

VIETNAM GOVT TO BUILD SECURITIES CENTRE IN HANOI.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Prime Minister has entrusted the State Securities Commission to spend VND 50 billion (US$3.3 million) on ground-clearance in the construction of a securities trading centre in Hanoi. The centre will be hooked...

PAKISTAN'S FINANCE MINISTER TO HOLD TALKS WITH IMF IN WASHINGTON.
October 1, 2001... ISLAMABAD, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - A high level delegation led by Minister for Finance Shaukat Aziz is leaving Islamabad for Washington on October 6 to hold talks with the World Bank and the IMF. The Finance Minister hopes to acquire a medium...

PAKISTAN GIVES GO-AHEAD FOR POWER STATION FEASIBILITY STUDY.
October 1, 2001... KARACHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - A United States-based firm has been given the go-ahead by the Pakistani government to carry out a feasibility study for a new coal-fired power station. The Ministry of Water and Power (Private Power...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR - Effective today, all shipments leaving Port Klang to Middle East, the Red Sea and Pakistan areas will be charged a war risk premium because insurance...

PAKISTAN EXPORT FINANCE RATE CUT TO 12PCT.
October 1, 2001... KARACHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The State Bank has announced a package of incentives for exporters that cuts the export finance rate from 13 to 12 per cent and increases the time limit for selling export proceeds from 120 to 180 days. The new...

PAKISTAN PRESIDENT ISSUES DECREE PROTECTING FOREIGN CURRENCY.
October 1, 2001... ISLAMABAD, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - President Pervez Musharraf has issued an ordinance to protect foreign currency accounts (FCA). According to the Foreign Currency Accounts (Protection) Ordinance, 2001, "no person holding a foreign currency...

VIETNAM INDUSTRY TAKES NEW SILK ROUTE TO INDIAN TRADE SHOW.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Seventy exporters are set to show their wares at the Catalogue Show of Vietnamese Products, aimed at promoting bilateral trade, in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India next month. Slated to run from October 5-10, the...

VIETNAM'S PRODUCTION VALUE UP 14.5 PCT IN JAN-SEPT.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnam's industries turned out a production value of VND 175,287 billion (US$11,685 million) in the last nine months of this year, representing 78.7 per cent of the yearly plan or increasing 14.5 per cent year on...

VIETNAM EXPORTS MORE THAN 13 MLN TONNES OF CRUDE OIL IN JAN-SEPT.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Vietnam exported more than 13 million tonnes of crude oil in the last nine months of this year, earning nearly US$2.65 billion, according to the General Statistics Office. Compared to the same period last year,...

VIETNAM SETS NEW TARGETS FOR SUGAR EXPORTS.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The Vietnam Sugar Producers' Association has set an ambitious target to export 200,000-250,000 tonnes of sugar, or 25 per cent of the output of this year's crop, said Le Van Tam, chairman of the association, in a...

OMAN & BRITAIN TO CARRY OUT MILITARY EXERCISES FROM OCT 1-29.
October 1, 2001... MUSCAT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Air Vice Marshal Mohammed bin Mahfoudh al Ardhi, Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) has confirmed that the Swift Sword II joint military exercise between the Sultan Armed Forces and the British Army would...

VIETNAM'S OIL SERVICES ENTERPRISES SEES STEADY GROWTH.
October 1, 2001... HANOI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Steady growth in the oil and gas industry over the last few years has led to a growth in oil-related services allowing the industry to meet the country's demand for oil exploration and production. The Petroleum...

NIKKEI WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS - OCTOBER 1, 2001.
October 1, 2001... TOKYO, October 1 Asia Pulse - Major headlines from the October 1 issue of the Nikkei Weekly: FRONT - Koizumi's SDF pledges spark conflict - Embattled consumers seek solace in the unconventional - Government woos tourists with...

KOREA'S SEPT EXPORTS DROP 16.6 PCT, TRADE SURPLUS AT $886 MLN.
October 1, 2001... SEOUL, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The country's exports decreased 16.6 per cent to US$12.6 billion won in September from a year ago, marking decreases in seven months in a row, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Monday. Imports...

TAIEX INDEX FALLS 23% FROM LAST YEAR'S END.
October 1, 2001... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The weighted index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TAIEX) stood at 3,636.94 points Friday, a fall of 1,102.15, or 23.26 per cent from the end of last year, according to TAIEX statistics. The number of companies...

ADB TECHNICAL - CAMBODIA, FINANCE.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** ******************************* ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT - ADVISORY SEPTEMBER 2001 ********************************* CAMBODIA: Capacity...

PAKISTAN RECEIVES US$135.5 MILLION IMF TRANCHE.
October 1, 2001... KARACHI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - The liquid foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank rose to US$1.72 billion after it received US$135.5 million from the IMF as final tranche of an approximately US$600 million standby loan. As of September...

WORLD BANK PROCUREMENT - INDIA, PHARMACEUTICALS & VACCINES.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** ******************************************************** WORLD BANK INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - SEPTEMBER 2001 ********************************************************...

TAIWAN SET TO BUILD US$290 MLN IN SILICON-IC DESIGN CENTRE.
October 1, 2001... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan is planning to invest NT$10 billion (US$290 million) over the next nine years to build the island into a major global silicon-IC design center, industrial sources said Sunday. The flagship program, dubbed...

AUSTRALIAN GOVT TO CONSIDER LOANS FOR TOURISM INDUSTRY.
October 1, 2001... CANBERRA, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Small Business Minister Ian Macfarlane has said that once Ansett is stablised and employee entitlements have been addressed the federal Cabinet would be prepared to look at loans for the tourism industry. The...

WORLD BANK PROCUREMENT - INDIA, TELECOMMUNICATIONS.
October 1, 2001... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** ******************************************************** WORLD BANK INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - SEPTEMBER 2001 ********************************************************...

JAPAN GOVT TENDER - SURGERY OPERATION MICROSCOPES SYSTEM.
October 1, 2001... ***** ASIA PULSE TENDER ***** NATIONAL YOKOHAMA HOSPITAL TO PROCURE SURGERY OPERATION MICROSCOPES SYSTEM The following is a procurement notice published in the Kanpo Japanese government gazette on Sep 13: (1) Official in...

KENNEDY-WILSON ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR IPO OF JAPANESE SUBSIDIARY.
October 1, 2001... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Kennedy-Wilson, Inc.(Nasdaq: KWIC), the international real estate services and fund management firm, today announced plans for an...

JAPAN'S JICA CONSIDERS INVESTMENT IN INDONESIAN PROVINCE.
October 1, 2001... BANDAR LAMPUNG, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are visting the Indonesian province of Lampung to explore Japanese investment opportunities in the area. At a meeting with Lampung Governor...

OMAN TO LAUNCH BIODIVERSITY NATIONAL STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN.
October 1, 2001... MUSCAT, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Oman's Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources will celebrate the launch of the biodiversity national strategy and action plan at Grand Hyatt Hotel today under the auspices of Rajiha bint...