AsiaPulse News articles from October 2005

AsiaPulse News archives from October 2005

FLEXIBILITY KEY TO RESOLVING N.K. NUKE ISSUE: CHINESE OFFICIAL.
October 3, 2005... BEIJING, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Flexibility and building trust are vital keys to resolving North Korea's nuclear standoff, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said Sunday. China's Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang told South Korean...

FOREIGN OWNERSHIP IN SAMSUNG GROUP FIRMS RISES THIS YEAR.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Foreign investors' stakes in subsidiaries of Samsung Group, South Korea's No. 1 family-controlled conglomerate, climbed almost 1 percentage point this year from the end of 2004, a government report said Sunday. As...

S.KOREA'S FOREIGN MINISTER MAY RUN FOR U.N.'S TOP JOB: REPORT.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has indicated that he might run to replace Kofi Annan as the secretary-general of the United Nations when his term ends at the end of 2006, a report said Sunday. "If and...

S.KOREAN BUILDERS SEE O'SEAS ORDERS SOAR ON MIDDLE EAST DEMAND.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Overseas construction orders won by South Korean builders jumped nearly 70 per cent this year on a construction boom in the Middle East, an industry association said Sunday. Local builders garnered overseas orders...

S.KOREAN HOUSEHOLD DEBT RISES IN FIRST HALF.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korean households saw their average debt climb by more than 1.2 million won (US$1,152) in the first half of the year, a government report said Sunday. A local household had an average debt of 31.8 million won...

CHEONGGYE STREAM BECOMES SEOUL'S NEW LANDMARK.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Fireworks lit the night sky of Seoul, the South Korean capital, on Saturday as thousands of people gathered to celebrate the opening of a waterway that had been buried under a concrete highway for nearly a half...

S.KOREAN EXPORTS REACH RECORD US$24.7 BLN IN SEPTEMBER.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korean exports hit an all-time monthly high of US$24.72 billion in September on strong overseas demand for information technology (IT) products, machinery and ships, the government said Saturday, raising hopes...

CHINESE LEUKEMIA PATIENTS JOIN CLINICAL DRUG TESTS IN S.KOREA.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Two Chinese patients are receiving treatment for chronic leukemia symptoms in South Korea and have joined clinical tests of new leukemia drugs taking place worldwide, a local medical expert said Saturday. A team...

S.KOREA'S AIR FORCE DEVISES ANTI-TERROR MEASURES FOR APEC SUMMIT.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korea's Air Force said Saturday it has mapped out a set of comprehensive security measures to foil airborne terror attacks during the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Busan next...

SAMSUNG ELEC'S MOBILE PHONE OUTPUT TOPS 10 MLN UNITS IN SEPT.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The number of mobile phones produced in September by Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:005930) topped 10 million units, the largest yet on a monthly basis in its history, brightening its chances of reaching its objective to...

STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES CLOSE LOWER - SEPT 30, 2005.
October 3, 2005... MUMBAI, Sept 30 Asia Pulse - An 8.1 per cent GDP growth in April-June quarter notwithstanding, the Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex fell back by 16 points in highly volatile trade today while many small-cap stocks hit lower circuit...

BOMB ATTACKS HIT INDONESIA'S BALI.
October 3, 2005... KUTA, Bali Oct 2 Asia Pulse - At least one Australian is dead and nine others are injured, some seriously, after a string of deadly bombings tore through Bali killing more than 30 other people. Emergency medical evacuations are being...

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER CONDEMNS BALI BLASTS.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Australian Prime Minister John Howard says he is horrified and deeply saddened after bomb blasts in Bali killed more than 30 people and at least one Australian. Mr Howard said today he had grave concerns for at...

BALI SUICIDE BOMBING POINTS TO JEMAAH ISLAMIAH: EXPERT.
October 3, 2005... CANBERRA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The use of suicide bombers in the latest terrorist attacks on Bali made it more likely they were the work of Jemaah Islamiah, Indonesian expert Greg Fealy said. At least three Australians are feared dead in the...

AUSTRALIAN TOURISTS CANCEL HOLIDAYS TO BALI FOLLOWING BOMBS.
October 3, 2005... ADELAIDE, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Travel agents have been inundated with calls from concerned travellers looking to postpone or cancel their trips to Bali following the latest bomb attacks. At least 32 people, including one Australian and...

BALI BOMBS WON'T SHAKE AUSTRALIAN BOURSE: ECONOMISTS.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Australian stockmarket should open in positive territory on Monday, with last night's bomb blasts in Bali expected to have a negligible impact on trading. AMP Capital Markets chief economist Shane Oliver said...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS HIGHER - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened firmer today after the US dollar lost ground on Friday night. At 0700 AEST the local currency was trading at $US0.7623/27, better than Friday's close of 0.7604/09. During weekend...

SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: Vernacular dailies: - Seoul sends back body of former N.Korean spy (KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN) - Stock markets, banks get boost from inflows of investment funds in real estate...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN: - Bali relives nightmare with fresh bombings -- 22 dead and 122 injured, Jemaah Islamiah blamed, ball-bearing suicide bombs used; Blasts shatter lives of nine...

AUSTRALIA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH SET TO HAVE COOLED IN SEPT QTR.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Australia's economic growth is expected to have cooled significantly in the September quarter from its second quarter strength as consumer spending continues to ease. AAP's economic indicator for October shows...

AUSTRALIA'S WEBJET ENJOYS LEAP IN SEPT TRANSACTIONS.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Online travel service Webjet Ltd (ASX:WEB) has reported a 290 per cent jump in transactions to around A$14.5 million (US$11.04 million) for September. Webjet managing director David Clarke said today he was...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY PICKS UP IN SEPT: INDEX.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Australian manufacturing activity picked up in September as production and new orders improved. The Australian Industry (Ai) Group - PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) rose...

OMANTEL COMPLETES US$7.2 MLN FIBER OPTIC PROJECT.
October 3, 2005... MUSCAT, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) has completed the fiber optic link project Sinow-Haj-Masirah for connecting the Wusta region with Masirah at a cost of RO. 2.7 million (US$7.2 million). The project...

RUSSIA'S GAZPROM KEEN TO TAKE PART IN IRAN-INDIA PIPELINE.
October 3, 2005... SAKHALIN (RUSSIA), Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Russian gas giant Gazprom, the world's largest gas firm, is keen to participate in the construction of the US$7.4 billion Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline that would bring gas from the gigantic South Pars...

ITALY'S CARRERA SIGNS PACT WITH 7 INDIAN TEXTILE PARKS.
October 3, 2005... COIMBATORE, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Italian apparel major Carrera Holdings has entered into an agreement with seven textile parks in India to source grey clothes and finished products, a senior company official said. With the participation of...

QANTAS LOOKING TO EXPAND JETSTAR INTO INT'L MKTS.
October 3, 2005... NEW YORK, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Australia's biggest airline Qantas (ASX:QAN) is looking to expand its low-cost domestic carrier Jetstar into international markets. Qantas and Jetstar are working on a proposal for a two-class international...

COSMETICS COMPANIES MUSHROOM IN S. KOREA.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The number of cosmetics manufacturers in South Korea more than doubled during the past four years as a growing number of consumers used the Internet to buy beauty products, a government agency reported Monday. ...

MICROSOFT SIGNS MoU WITH INDIAN LEGAL ACADEMY NALSAR.
October 3, 2005... HYDERABAD, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Software giant Microsoft Corporation on Friday signed an agreement with National Academy of Legal Studies and Research University (NALSAR) here to implement the Intellectual Property Scholar Programme. Under...

BHP BILLITON SAYS OUTLOOK FOR COMMODITIES DEMAND VERY ROBUST.
October 3, 2005... NEW YORK, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The world's biggest diversified miner, BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP), expects long-term growth in raw materials demand to be very robust, driven by strong demand for key commodities out of China. BHP has predicted...

TAIWAN, PHILIPPINES AGREE TO EXPAND AGRICULTURAL, FISHERY COOP.
October 3, 2005... TAIPEI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Taiwan and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding Friday on expansion of agricultural and fishery cooperation. Taiwan's Representative to the Philippines Wu Hsin-hsing and his Philippine...

SOUTH AUSTRALIA KEEN TO DEEPEN TRADE TIES WITH INDIA.
October 3, 2005... NEW DELHI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Australia on Friday expressed keeness to deepen trade and economic ties with India and invited Indian professionals to capitalise the emerging employment opportunities there. "South Australia is one of...

INDIA'S APOLLO TYRES TO DIVEST ITS STAKE IN MATPL JV COMPANY.
October 3, 2005... MUMBAI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Apollo Tyres Ltd (BSE:500877) on Friday said it will divest its stake in its joint venture company Michelin Apollo Tyres Pvt Ltd (MATPL). The Joint Venture company's board has approved divestment of Apollo...

TAIWAN MOTHERBOARD MANUFACTURERS DIVERSIFY TO STAY COMPETITIVE.
October 3, 2005... TAIPEI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Motherboard manufacturing used to be the goose that laid the golden egg for Taiwan's electronics manufacturers, but market saturation and differing consumer demands has sent companies scrambling to diversify their...

INDIA'S JINDAL STAINLESS IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE MINE IN INDONESIA.
October 3, 2005... NEW DELHI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - O P Jindal Group company, Jindal Stainless Ltd (NSI:JSTAINLES), is in advanced stage of disscussions to acquire coal mines in Indonesia. "A few mine companies have been shortlisted and currently negotiations...

MICROSOFT READY TO FUND MORE DEV'T PROJECTS IN INDIA.
October 3, 2005... HYDERABAD, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Microsoft Corporation (India) on Friday said it is ready to take up projects for social and economic development in a big way. "Last year, we had invested over US$4 million in taking up development projects in...

KOIZUMI'S YASUKUNI VISITS RULING WELCOME, MORE NEEDED: LAWMAKER.
October 3, 2005... TAIPEI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - A Japanese high court's ruling that Japanese Primer Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine for WWII dead are unconstitutional was welcome news, said aboriginal Legislator Kao Chin Su-mei who is...

US MIGHT COOPERATE WITH SPAIN TO BUILD SUBS FOR TAIWAN: PAPER.
October 3, 2005... PARIS, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The United States might cooperate with Spain to build submarines to sell to Taiwan, the French newspaper Le Monde reported Friday. Washington has agreed to sell eight diesel-electric submarines to Taiwan, as well...

TAIWAN TO FORM TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS HIGH-SPEED RAIL ISSUES.
October 3, 2005... TAIPEI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Taiwan Premier Frank Hsieh said Saturday the Cabinet will set up a special task force to help tackle a host of problems involved in the nation's first high-speed railway construction project. Hsieh made the...

TAIWAN'S REPUTATION AT STAKE IF HIGH-SPEED RAIL FAILS: HSIEH.
October 3, 2005... TAIPEI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Premier Frank Hsieh on Saturday defended his decision to bail out cash-strapped Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC), saying that Taiwan's international reputation will be at stake if the nation's first high-speed...

CHINA CALLS FOR INVESTMENT PROTECTION AGREEMENT WITH INDIA.
October 3, 2005... NEW DELHI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - China on Friday favoured a bilateral investment protection agreement with India besides easier visa norms and greater connectivity between the two nations for enhancing economic ties. "There should be a...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN BOURSE BEGINS SLIGHTLY SOFTER - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... MELBOURNE, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market opened tentatively lower today taking into account the public holiday in New South Wales despite the slight gains in New York last Friday. At 1015 AEST the S&P/ASX200 index was 0.5...

INDIA'S MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA ON ACQUISITION SPREE.
October 3, 2005... NEW DELHI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Mahindra & Mahindra Group (BSE:500520) said it is close to acquiring couple of companies both in India and abroad in the auto component and engineering services sector and aims to make Mahindra Systems & Automotive...

INDIA'S HINDUJAS PLANS TRUCK UNIT IN DUBAI.
October 3, 2005... DUBAI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Business house Hindujas (BSE:500189) has announced plans to float a US$1 billion fund to invest in India, UAE and Qatar. It is also exploring the possibility of setting up a heavy vehicle unit here. Srichand...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES START WEAKER - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Tokyo share prices began 0.07 per cent weaker Monday, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index down 8.93 points to 13,565.37 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 03-10 1046

TEAM LED BY WB NEUTRAL EXPERT TO INSPECT JAMMU HYDEL PROJECT.
October 3, 2005... JAMMU, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - In efforts to iron out differences between India and Pakistan on the Indus river waters issue, a 13-member team led by World Bank appointed neutral expert Raymond Lafitte arrived here Saturday for a 3-day inspection...

INDIA'S RELIANCE CAP GETS IRDA NOD ON AMP SANMAR ACQUISITION.
October 3, 2005... MUMBAI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Capital Ltd (BSE:500111) Friday said it has received Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority's approval for acquisition of Chennai-based life insurance company AMP Sanmar. ...

INDIA-TURKEY TRADE TO EXCEED US $1.5 BLN: ENVOY.
October 3, 2005... MUMBAI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Bilateral trade between India and Turkey is expected to exceed US$1.5 billion this year, Turkish Ambassador to India Hasan Gogus has said. The ongoing dialogue between the two countries for promoting bilateral...

BANK OF INDIA RAISES US$250 MLN VIA FCCB.
October 3, 2005... MUMBAI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Bank of India (BSE:532149) Friday said it has raised US$250 million through Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs). The multi-currency medium term note (MTN) bond issue had attracted orders of over US$900...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... HONG KONG, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - The Democratic Party is pledging to step up its research on cross-border issues and mainland affairs, saying there is a need to broaden the...

AUSTRALIAN ANALYSTS UPBEAT OVER CHINA-LED RESOURCE BOOM.
October 3, 2005... MELBOURNE, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - With central bankers upbeat about the global economic outlook many analysts now believe the China-led resource boom is set to go "stronger for longer". Most mining analysts have this month revised upwards their...

INDIA'S NALCO CONSIDERS SETTING UP ALUMINA JV IN MIDDLE EAST.
October 3, 2005... BHUBANESWAR, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Public Sector Undertaking NALCO is actively exploring the possibility of setting up a joint venture project in the middle-east, officials said Saturday. The company had short-listed Oman, Dubai and Qatar for...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Malaysia's biggest lender, Malayan Banking Bhd, may cut the number of its staff to reduce operating costs, a previously unthinkable move by the...

AXA ASIA SAYS IT IS WELL PLACED FOR FURTHER EARNINGS GROWTH.
October 3, 2005... NEW YORK, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Life insurance and wealth management group AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd (ASX:AXA) says it is well placed for further earnings growth. AXA group chief financial officer Geoff Roberts said momentum was...

MACQUARIE BANK TO BE ACTIVE IN GLOBAL LISTED PROPERTY SECTOR.
October 3, 2005... NEW YORK, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Australia's biggest investment bank Macquarie Bank Ltd (ASX:MBL) plans to be an active player in the fast-growing listed property sector around the world. Macquarie Bank deputy managing director Richard Sheppard...

S. KOREA LAGS BEHIND US, JAPAN IN R&D INVESTMENT: REPORT.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korea's investment in research and development (R&D) has significantly increased over the past few years, but the total amount is still far lower than those of leading economies, a report by the Science and...

AUSTRALIA'S BLUESTONE TIN SUSPENDS MINING AT RENISON PROJECT.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Tin explorer Bluestone Tin Ltd (ASX:BTX) has temporarily suspended mining at its Renison tin project pending higher tin prices and a revised strategy to boost productivity. Mr Cook said today it was uncertain when...

CABCHARGE AUSTRALIA JV COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF WESTBUS.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The sale of Australia's largest private bus operator Westbus to Cabcharge Australia (ASX:CAB) and ComfortDelGro has been completed. Westbus Group was first placed into voluntary administration in January before a...

INDIA'S MCDOWELL TO RAISE US4250 MLN OVERSEAS.
October 3, 2005... MUMBAI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Mcdowell & Company Ltd (BSE:532432) will raise US$250 million from overseas markets by way of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs), Global Depository Receipts (GDRs), equity shares or other convertible...

TERROR ALERT LEVEL WON'T BE RAISED: AUSTRALIAN ATTORNEY-GENERAL.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - There are no plans to strengthen Australia's travel warnings for Indonesia or the terror alert level at home following the latest Bali bombings, Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock says. At least 25 people...

BIRON APPAREL MAKES STEADY DEBUT ON AUSTRALIAN BOURSE.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Men's outfitter Ed Harry is eyeing aggressive expansion after making a steady debut on the Australian Stock Exchange as part of new retail-wholesale company Biron Apparel Ltd (ASX:BIC). Biron Apparel - formed...

AUSTRALIA'S VIRGIN BLUE LAUNCHES ONLINE CHECK IN SERVICE.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Airline Virgin Blue (ASX:VBA) is aiming to grab a larger slice of the executive travel market with an online check in service. The 'Web Check-In' service will allow customers to check in for their flight from the...

AUSTRALIAN REAL-TERMS WAGE GROWTH TO LAG GLOBAL RISES: SURVEY.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The average Australian salary rise is excepted to outpace inflation next year but will lag forecast global pay growth in real terms, a survey has found. A survey conducted by human resource consultancy Mercer...

PRODUCTION IN SOUTHERN TAIWAN SCIENCE PARK MAY TOP US$9 BLN.
October 3, 2005... TAINAN, southern Taiwan, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The production value in the Southern Taiwan Science Park is expected to reach NT$300 billion (US$9.04 billion) by the end of this year, Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration Director-General Dai...

S.KOREA'S SPENDING ON FOREIGN EDUCATION INCREASES SHARPLY.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korean spending on overseas studies soared in the first eight months of the year from a year earlier, as an increasing number of high-income earners sent their children overseas for better education, the nation's...

PHILIPPINE MINING FIRM MAKES FIRST GOLD AND SILVER EXPORT TO HK.
October 3, 2005... LEGAZPI CITY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Rapu-Rapu Mineral Inc. (RPM), a new mining firm in Albay province, has made an initial export 420 kilos of gold and silver to Hong Kong, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau(MGB). Reynulfo A....

FOUR SEASONS RESORT BALI AT JIMBARAN BAY NOT AFFECTED BY BOMBING.
October 3, 2005... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) TORONTO, Oct 1 /CNW - AsiaNet/ - Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is grateful to confirm that the recent bombings in Bali did not affect any guests or employees at Four Seasons Resort Bali...

WB UN PROCUREMENT - INDIA, ROADS.
October 3, 2005... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - SEPTEMBER 2005 Country: India Project: ORISSA STATE ROADS PROJECT Financing: World Bank Abstract: GENERAL PROCUREMENT NOTICE...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET: - Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers improved slightly in the three months to September for the second straight quarterly gain, the Bank of...

WB UN PROCUREMENT - TIMOR-LESTE, SUPPLY OF DIESEL FUEL/LUBRICATING OIL.
October 3, 2005... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - SEPTEMBER 2005 Country: Timor-Leste Project: ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT Financing: World Bank Abstract:...

SEOUL SHARES LIKELY TO FACE CORRECTION THIS WEEK.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korean share prices are likely to face a slight correction this week as investors remain cautious over a sharp rise in past weeks, analysts said Saturday. Yet the local bourse will likely maintain its upward...

INDIAN GDP GROWS 8.1 PCT IN APRIL-JUNE.
October 3, 2005... NEW DELHI, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Indian economy is on a roll, with the GDP logging 8.1 per cent growth in April-June, inflation reined in at less than 4 per cent and interest rates remaining stable. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)...

AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES WARNED NOT TO USE OIL COSTS FOR PRICE HIKE.
October 3, 2005... CANBERRA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The federal government has delivered a blunt warning to businesses - do not use soaring fuel costs as an excuse to hike up prices on other goods and services. As Labor renewed its calls for the consumer watchdog...

S KOREAN COS IN INDUSTRIAL PARKS UPBEAT ON BUSINESS IN Q4.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Business confidence of companies in South Korea's 30 industrial parks is stronger in the fourth quarter of the year than in the previous quarter, according to a survey released Monday by the Commerce Ministry. The...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... JAKARTA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KOMPAS - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the bombings in Kuta and Jimbaran in Bali on Saturday were committed by three suicide bombers without using motor vehicles....

INDONESIA'S ANTV SIGNS COOPERATION DEAL WITH STAR TV.
October 3, 2005... JAKARTA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Indonesian private television station ANTV has struck a cooperation deal with premier Asian television network Star TV with ANTV controlling 80 per cent of the shares, an ANTV spokesman said. "The deal has been...

S KOREAN NATIONAL DEBT TO TOP US$288 BLN IN 2009.
October 3, 2005... SEOUL, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - South Korea's national debt is expected to keep rising and surpass 300 trillion won (US$288 billion) in 2009, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Sunday. In a report to the National Assembly, the ministry said...

YUDHOYONO VOWS SWIFT RESPONSE TO BALI BLASTS.
October 3, 2005... KUTA, Bali, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reaffirmed that the government will launch a swift action to find the perpetrators of the bomb blasts in Kuta and Jimbaran, Bali, on Saturday evening which killed around 26...

DEATH TOLL FROM BALI BLASTS REACHES 26.
October 3, 2005... JAKARTA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The number of victims killed in the bomb blasts in Jimbaran and Kuta on Saturday evening had reached 26, while the injured totalled 122. The latest data obtained from the Sanglah hospital in Bali on Sunday said...

INDONESIAN CIVIL SERVANTS TO GET PAY RISE DUE TO OIL PRICE HIKE.
October 3, 2005... JAKARTA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government will raise the salaries of civil servants, including teachers, by 15-20 per cent in January 2006, following Friday`s increase in fuel oil prices, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here...

INDONESIAN GOVT TO TENDER 18 NEW OIL BLOCKS.
October 3, 2005... JAKARTA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The government will reportedly offer 18 new oil blocks to investors on October 21, including some located in Natuna, Sulawesi and eastern Indonesia. The Kompas daily quoted an officer at the Oil and Gas Director...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE STOCKS UP IN EARLY TRADE - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... SINGAPORE, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade, with the Straits Times Index up 0.4 points at 2,305.5 at 10:30 a.m. ASIA PULSE 03-10 1233

INDONESIA'S PT TELKOM PLANS SHARE BUYBACK.
October 3, 2005... JAKARTA, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's telecom giant PT Telkom (JSX:TLKM) plans to set aside up to Rp3 trillion (US$300 million) a year to buy back its shares held by investing public, a local daily reports. Telkom president Arwin Rasyid...

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN STOCKS DOWN IN EARLY TRADE - OCT 3, 2005.
October 3, 2005... KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was down 0.37 per cent in early trade, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index falling 3.4 points at 924.14 at 10:16 a.m. ASIA PULSE 03-10 1235

AUSTRALIA'S DAVID JONES EYES KEY MYER STORES.
October 3, 2005... SYDNEY, Oct 3 Asia Pulse - Department store David Jones Ltd (ASX:DJS) is prepared to "pay a premium" for the suite of Myer stores that it wants to acquire from retail giant Coles Myer Ltd (ASX:CML), and is open to a private equity partnership....