AsiaPulse News articles from October 2006

AsiaPulse News archives from October 2006

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS LOWER - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened lower today, in part because soft economic data in New Zealand is dragging down the currency. At 0700 AEST, the local currency was trading at $US0.7456 68, down from Friday's close of...

AUSTRALIAN FUND MANAGERS BULLISH ON CASH.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Australian fund managers are expressing greater appetite for cash and defensive assets amid a subdued outlook for the domestic economy. The September 2006 Russell Investment Manager Outlook (IMO) survey found...

FITCH RATINGS SAYS OUTLOOK FOR AUSTRALIA STABLE.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Fitch Ratings agency has affirmed its ratings for Australia and says its outlook is stable. In a statement released tonight, the global ratings agency affirmed Australia's foreign and local currency issuer default...

AMERICAN EXPRESS MOVE ON JAPANESE WORKERS DIVIDES MINISTERS.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Federal ministers Amanda Vanstone and Kevin Andrews are at odds over plans by American Express to have Japanese workers take jobs at a Sydney call centre. Senator Vanstone, the immigration minister, said under...

MACQUARIE BANK TO INVEST $US150MLN IN AIRCRAFT LEASING CO.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Macquarie Bank will invest million ($200 million) for a minority stake in the aircraft leasing arm of New York listed transport group GATX Corporation. Australia's largest investment bank has formed a consortium...

SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN SUMMIT LIKELY IN SEOUL NEXT WEEK.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea and Japan are expected to hold their first summit in nearly a year early next week in Seoul, government sources said Sunday. But the government is still considering related details, including its...

DAEWOO ELECTRONICS, VIDEOCON-LED CONSORTIUM DISAGREE ON SALE.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - Creditors of Daewoo Electronics Corp. said Sunday they delayed the signing of a memorandum of understanding to sell South Korea's third-largest electronics maker to a consortium led by VideoCon Industries of India....

PER CAPITA PRODUCTION AT NORTH KOREAN INDUSTRIAL PARK RISES.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - Per capita production at an industrial complex for South Korean companies in North Korea passed US$1,000 a month in August, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Sunday. South Korea began financing and building...

SOUTH KOREAN EXPORTS REACH RECORD US$29.93BLN IN SEPTEMBER.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's exports rose 22.1 percent from a year ago to a record high of US$29.93 billion in September, fuelled by strong overseas demand for cars, petrochemicals, semiconductors and steel, a government report said...

S. KOREAN COMPANIES BUY STAKES IN GULF OF MEXICO GAS FIELD.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean companies bought stakes in an offshore gas development project in the Gulf of Mexico that allowed them to gain access to the North American market, South Korea's Commerce Ministry said Sunday. ...

KOREA DEVELOPMENT BANK PICKED TO MANAGE US$1BLN BOND SALE.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - The state-run Korea Development Bank said Sunday it was picked as a lead manager for the planned sale of US$1 billion in bonds. Barclays Capital, Citigroup Inc., and Credit Suisse were also named to co-manage the...

SHARES OF SAMSUNG, LG RISE IN S. KOREAN NOTEBOOK COMPUTERS.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's top electronics manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. and rival LG Electronics Inc. saw their shares in the domestic small laptop computer market jump in the second quarter of this year as their...

S. KOREA TO INTRODUCE MORTGAGE INSURANCE NEXT YEAR.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean non-life insurance companies are planning to sell a policy that guarantees repayment of a mortgage loan in the event of a borrower's default, industry sources said Sunday. According to the sources,...

S. KOREAN TECHNOLOGY FIRMS MAY POST MIXED QUARTERLY RESULTS.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's top technology companies are expected to report mixed results for their third-quarter operating profits this month because of narrower margins for flat panels and mobile phones, but robust chip prices...

S. KOREA TO PURCHASE PATRIOT MISSILES FOR DEPLOYMENT BY 2008.
October 2, 2006... WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea plans to purchase a surface-to-air missile system from a U.S. manufacturer for deployment by as early as 2008, South Korean and U.S. officials said Friday. The Defense Security Cooperation...

FOUR COMPANIES IN INDIA JOIN THINK3 NETWORK.(Company overview)
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) CINCINNATI, Oct 2 PRNewswire-AsiaNet - think3 Inc., a provider of innovative, next generation industrial design solutions and a leading supplier of product development solutions, have...

SOUTH KOREA TO BUILD LNG POWER PLANT.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea plans to build a new power plant fired by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in an eastern region of the country in an effort to raise electricity reserves. The envisioned plant will be built in Yeongwol,...

HYUNDAI HEAVY BUYS STAKE IN CHINESE STEELMAKER.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's largest shipbuilder, has purchased a 20-per cent stake in the China Qinhuangdao Shouqin Metal Materials Co. for 491 billion won (US$51.9 million). The stake purchase...

TWO KOREAS TO HOLD WORKING-LEVEL MILITARY TALKS MONDAY.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South and North Korea plan to hold military talks this week, the first since the North fired seven missiles in July, the South's Defense Ministry said Sunday. "North Korea suggested a meeting between the chief...

KOREAN LIVESTOCK POPULATION HITS 7-YEAR HIGH.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - The number of domestic cows raised in South Korea for meat increased sharply this year, hitting a seven-year high, on the back of rising demand for local premium beef, a report showed Sunday. As of September,...

SEOUL EYES INTRODUCING $US270MLN WATER TAXI, BUS SERVICES.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - The Seoul metropolitan government plans to test water taxi and amphibious bus services on the Han River in Seoul starting next September in a bid to transform the river into a tourist attraction, regional government...

S. KOREAN COS TRIED TO EXPORT MILITARY GOODS TO NORTH: LAWMAKER.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Two South Korean companies made failed attempts to export military-purpose materials to North Korea last year, an opposition lawmaker claimed Sunday. Citing data from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy...

TWO KOREAS TO HOLD WORKING-LEVEL MILITARY TALKS MONDAY.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea and North Korea will hold working-level military talks today, for the first time since the North tested seven missiles in July, the South's Defense Ministry said Sunday. (Yonhap) 02-10 1022

SOUTH KOREA RAPIDLY BECOMING AGED SOCIETY: REPORT.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea is rapidly moving toward an "aged society" with the percentage of people aged 65 years or more expected to reach 9.5 per cent this year, a government report showed Sunday. The report compiled by the...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW - There are calls on federal and state governments to rein in the estimate $10 million a week spent on highly paid consultants, with...

JAPAN KEEN TO INVEST IN INDIA'S TAMIL NADU.
October 2, 2006... CHENNAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday met industry bodies here to facilitate business partnerships, remove operational and policy hurdles for long term and sustainable Japanese investment in the...

GUJARAT NRE COKE BAGS OIL & GAS EXPLORATION RIGHTS IN AUSTRALIA.
October 2, 2006... AHMEDABAD, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Gujarat NRE Coke Limited (BSE:5122579) has bagged exploration rights for oil and gas in Western Australia, official sources said. "This is the first time we are entering the oil and gas exploration business,"...

CHINA PRODUCES MORE LCD TV SETS IN FIRST 8 MONTHS.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - China produced 755,000 LCD TV sets in the first eight months of this year, accounting for 8.8 per cent of the country's total color TV output in the period, according to the latest statistics released by the Ministry...

CHINA LISTS FIRST BATCH OF TIME-HONORED TRADEMARKS.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has publicized the first batch of time-honored trademarks in China through its e-government network. The 434 time-honored trademarks covers restaurants, hotels, food...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN HIGHER - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... TOKYO, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Tokyo shares opened higher Monday, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index rising 37.05 points or 0.23 per cent to 16,164.63 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 02-10 1041

CHINA'S TAISTEEL BUILDS UP WORLD'S TOP STAINLESS STEEL CAPACITY.
October 2, 2006... TAIYUAN, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - With a new stainless steel production facility completed, the Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Co Ltd (TaiSteel) based in China's northern Shanxi Province has formed an annual production capacity of three million tons,...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES OPEN LOWER - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks started lower Monday, but soon ticked up as institutional investors increased buying amid weak investor sentiment, ahead of a long holiday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index...

LUPIN, DAFRA CALL OFF AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE ARTIFEX FINANCE CVA.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Pharma major Lupin Limited (BSE:500257) on Saturday said it has called off an agreemnet with Belgium's Dafra Pharma Limited for acquiring Artifex Finance CVA, Belgium. The companies have mutually agreed not to the...

EXPERTS EXPECT FIERCER COMPETITION IN CHINA'S CAR MARKET.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Competition in China's car market is expected to become increasingly fiercer in the fourth quarter of this year when a large-scale price war is likely. An expert with the China Automotive Technology Research Center...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN INDEX OPENS HIGHER - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market has opened higher, despite public holidays in three states, as strengthening commodities shrugged off a bad US lead. At 1015 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 21.7 points to...

INNER MONGOLIA TO BUILD METAL BASE.
October 2, 2006... HOHHOT, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - East part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region adjacent to the three northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning will be built into a nonferrous metals production and processing base, focusing on...

THREE POSITIVE CHANGES TAKE PLACE IN CHINA'S BANKING SECTOR.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Some positive changes took place in China's banking sector in the first half of this year, mainly in the three aspects of loan maturity structure, directions of loans and mix of income, according to a report...

FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRM INDUE SET TO RAMP UP BUSINESS.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Unlisted financial services company Indue Ltd said customers of its cards business will produce good levels of transactional activity over the next 24 to 36 months. The company reported a $A1.92 million ($US1.43...

CHINA'S IMPORT OF CRUDE OIL UP 15.3% IN JAN-AUG.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - China imported 95.80 million tons of crude oil in the first eight months of this year, an increase of 15.3 per cent over the same period of last year, according to statistics released by the Economic Operation Bureau...

VIASYSTEMS ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL ROUND OF PRICE INCREASES.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2006--Viasystems, Inc., a global provider of printed circuit boards and electro-mechanical components and assemblies announced today that as a...

KIM JONG-IL PLEDGES DEVELOPMENT OF FRIENDSHIP WITH CHINA.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - As North Korea congratulated China on its 57th founding anniversary on Saturday, its leader Kim Jong-il pledged to develop friendship and cooperation with the ally. Relations between China and North Korea have been...

US-BASED CYTYC TAKES 13.5% STAKE IN AUSTRALIA'S VISION SYSTEMS.
October 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Predator Cytyc Corp has taken a 13.5 per cent stake in takeover target Vision Systems Ltd (ASX:VSL), according to a substantial shareholder notice filed with the Australian Stock Exchange today. Last week,...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... HONG KONG, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STANDARD: - Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam- kuen has pledged to bolster Hong Kong's financial, logistical and tourism infrastructure to create a better life for the...

SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: VERNACULAR DAILIES: - Local companies suffer labor shortage at factories (Kyunghyang Shinmun) - Two S. Korean companies suspected of exporting military goods to N. Korea...

TAIWAN HAS 30 AUTOMOBILES FOR EVERY 100 PEOPLE: DGBAS.
October 2, 2006... TAIPEI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - There were roughly three automobiles for every 10 people in Taiwan as of the end of August, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported Sunday. The number of officially registered...

TAIWAN'S TRADE SURPLUS FORECAST TO TOP US$20BLN FOR 2006.
October 2, 2006... TAIPEI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Taiwan is expected to post a trade surplus of US$20.37 billion for 2006, up from US$15.82 billion last year, according to a report released Saturday by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Officials at the...

NEW JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES GENERAL POLICIES.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) TOKYO, Sept. 30/Kyodo JBN - AsiaNet/-- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a general policy speech in a plenary session of the Diet on September 29, 2006. Prime Minister Abe stated...

WORLD CHINESE TRADERS CONVENTION SLATED TO BEGIN IN TAIPEI OCT. 2.
October 2, 2006... TAIPEI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The 25th World Chinese Traders Convention is scheduled to be held in Taipei Oct. 2-5, with the participation of some 200 business leaders of Chinese or Taiwanese origin from more than 30 countries. The Chinese...

TAIPEI MAYOR TOUTS PROMISING FUTURE OF HSINYI DISTRICT.
October 2, 2006... TAIPEI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Taipei's chic and sleek Hsinyi district boast "infinite" business opportunities as it has all sorts of modern infrastructure, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou said Sunday. Ma touted the district's advantages for business...

TAIWAN FIRMS HOPE FOR STABLE POLITICS, BETTER CHINA TIES: MOEA.
October 2, 2006... TAIPEI, Oct 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan manufacturing companies hope for political stability, better cross-Taiwan Strait ties and fewer legal restrictions to help their investments at home, according to the results of a survey published Sunday by the...

S. KOREA TO SPEND RECORD US$2.56 BLN ON STRUGGLING RICE FARMERS.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The government on Monday said it plans to allocate a record 2.42 trillion won (US$2.56 billion) to help sustain the earning levels of rice farmers coping with the local market's gradual opening to cheaper imports. ...

INDIA'S L&T TO INVEST US$150 MLN OVERSEAS, SEEKS JV IN CHINA.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Infrastructure major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) (BSE:500510) on Friday said it would invest US$100-150 million over the next 18 months overseas. "The proposed investment will predominently go to the Middle East and...

WESTERN UNION TO BEGIN TRADING ON NYSE.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2006--The Western Union Company today announced that it has completed its previously announced spin-off from First Data Corp. (NYSE:...

INDONESIAN MANPOWER MINISTER TO OPEN WORKERS BANK.
October 2, 2006... TANGERANG, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Manpower and Transmigration Minister Eman Suparno said here Friday he was scheduled soon to inaugurate an Indonesian Workers (TKI) Bank which would handle the financial affairs of Indonesian workers. After the...

MATSON SIGNS US$17 MILLION CONTRACT WITH ATLANTIC MARINE ALABAMA.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2006--Matson Navigation Company, Inc. (Matson) announced today that it has signed a $17 million contract with Atlantic Marine Alabama,...

INDIA'S HINDUJA TO MERGE OVERSEAS HOLDINGS INTO ONE ENTITY.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Hinduja TMT Ltd (BSE:HTMT), on Friday said it has decided to consolidate its overseas holdings under a single entity. The group's outsourcing company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its overseas holdings...

INDIA'S NALCO LIKELY TO SET UP SMELTERS IN OMAN, INDONESIA.
October 2, 2006... BHUBNESHWAR, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Public sector aluminum major National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) (BSE:542234) is eyeing Oman and Indonesia to set up smelters to avail of cheaper energy sources there, a top company official has said. ...

INDIAN TELCOS USE BRITISH SOFTWARE TO COMBAT MOBILE CONGESTION.
October 2, 2006... NEW DELHI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Actix, a British software solutions provider, claims to have developed a program that can overcome problems of congestion on mobile networks. The company, whose product has already been picked up by telecom...

HINDUJA TMT TO CONSOLIDATE ITS OVERSEAS HOLDINGS.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Hinduja TMT Ltd (BSE:500189) on Friday said it has decided to consolidate its overseas holdings under a single entity. The group's outsourcing company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its overseas holdings...

INDIA'S SURAJ STAINLESS ALLOTS 515,000 SHARES TO BELGIAN CO.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Ahmedabad-based Suraj Stainless Ltd on Friday said it will allot 515,000 equity shares to Belgium-based Bsurinvest Bvba. A meeting of the company's board of directors was held on Saturday to consider the...

TATA TEA SELLS 4.5 PCT STAKE IN GROUP CO FOR US$13 MLN.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Tata Tea Ltd (BSE:500800) on Friday sold a 4.5 per cent stake in another group company Tata Investment Corp (BSE:501301) to Tata Sons Ltd for about Rs 600 million (US$13.07 million), aimed at part-funding its Rs 31.46...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... SINGAPORE, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: STRAITS TIMES: - OCBC wants to grow from strength to strength. - Just over a week ago, about 60 listed firms were given awards by the Securities Investors Association...

DAVIS AND HENDERSON INTEGRATES IT SERVICES USING CA SUITE.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) TORONTO, Sept. 29 /CNW-AsiaNet/ -- CA Canada today announced that Davis + Henderson, a market leader serving Canada's financial institutions since 1875, has chosen a...

TWO KOREAS TO HOLD WORKING-LEVEL MILITARY TALKS.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea and North Korea will hold working-level military talks on Monday, the first official meeting between the two sides since the North test-fired missiles in early July, South Korean officials said Sunday. ...

SEOUL SHARES SEEN TO REMAIN FLAT THIS WEEK.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean share prices are likely to remain in a tight range this week as investors remain on the sidelines ahead of a long holiday, analysts said Saturday. Also, major economic data in the United States are due...

INDIA'S GODREJ GROUP SEEKS RANGE OF OVERSEAS ACQUISITIONS.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Godrej Group on Friday said it is looking at acquisitions in the areas of personal and household care in a host of countries, including China, where it has identified a few target companies. Besides China, the...

SHEIKH MAKTOUM BIDS FAREWELL TO A1GP.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details follow below.) LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2006--Delighted with his motorsport creation, A1 Grand Prix Founder and Chairman Sheikh Maktoum Bin Hasher Al Maktoum will soon be completing...

MICRON ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF DIRECTORS LOTHROP, WEBER.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2006--Micron Technology, Inc., (NYSE:MU) Chairman, CEO and President Steve Appleton today announced the retirement of two long-time directors,...

INDIAN REGULATOR REJECTS SUMITOMO CORP'S ARBITRATION PETITION.
October 2, 2006... NEW DELHI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The Company Law Board has rejected an arbitration petition filed by Japan-based Sumitomo Corporation (TSE:8053), which is engaged in a battle with Punjab Tractors Ltd (BSE:500344) for control of the management of...

ABN AMRO TO OPEN BRANCH TO IN CHINA'S CHENGDU.
October 2, 2006... CHENGDU, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Netherlands-based ABN AMRO Bank expects to open a branch in Chengdu, capital city of China's southwest Sichuan Province after the week-long National Day Holiday (October 1-7). The application has already been...

S. KOREA'S CREMATION RATE REACHES RECORD 52.6% IN 2005.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - More than half of South Koreans who died in 2005 were cremated, pointing to the public's increasing preference for cremation over burial, a government report said on Monday. The country's cremation rate stood at...

VODAFONE, HUAWEI JOIN HANDS IN LAUNCHING 3G MOBILE PHONE.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The world's largest mobile telecom operator, UK-based Vodafone, released its first WCDMA mobile phone with independent brand recently. The new terminal will be produced by China's Huawei Technologies Ltd. in the form...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... BANGKOK, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - Gen Surayud Chulanont, "kicked upstairs" four years ago by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was officially named the country's 24th prime minister...

FOREX - US DOLLAR OPENS SLIGHTLY WEAKER VS WON - OCT 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The US dollar opened at 946.00 won Monday, down from Friday's close of 946.20 won. (Yonhap) 02-10 1159

CHINESE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY'S PFT RATE 2.6% LOWER THAN AVERAGE.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The profit rate for China's electronics and information industry was 3.3 per cent in the first eight months of this year, 2.6 percentage points lower than the country's average industrial profit rate of 5.9 per cent,...

STOCKS - INDIAN BOURSE ENDS FIRMER - SEPT 29, 2006.
October 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Sept 29 Asia Pulse - Tracking firm global trend, the Bombay Stock Exchange sensitive index, Sensex, on Friday rose further by 73 points to touch over four month high level following aggressive buying by funds. The Sensex rose by...

KIA MOTORS TO HOLD GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR US PLANT.
October 2, 2006... SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's Kia Motors Corp. (KSE:000270), an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, will hold a ceremony this month to mark the groundbreaking for a US$1.2 billion plant in the U.S. state of Georgia, industry sources...

CHINESE PC-MAKER FOUNDER TO ADOPT AMD'S 64-BIT CPUS.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Chinese chipmaker AMD has announced that it launched a strategic cooperation with China's second largest PC manufacturer, Founder (SHA:600601), to put desktop products adopting AMD 64-bit CPUs on the Chinese market...

OMRIX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
October 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2006--OMRIX Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. ("OMRIX" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: OMRI), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops and...

RENMINBI EXCHANGE RATE STAGES FIVE JUMPS IN 8 DAYS.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The exchange rate of the Renminbi (RMB), the Chinese currency, staged five significant psychological rises in eight trading days, reaching the level of 7.90 yuan against one US dollar on September 28. It hovered...

TAIWAN ICDF PROTESTS WORLD BANK DEMAND FOR NAME CHANGE.
October 2, 2006... TAIPEI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - The International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) has lodged a protest with the World Bank over an advertisement dispute involving designation and logo issues, a spokesman said Sunday. According to...

CHINESE ASSET M'MENT COS DISPOSE OF NON-PERFORMING ASSETS.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - China's four state-owned asset management companies (AMCs), namely Cinda, Huarong, Great Wall and Oriental, had disposed of non-performing assets with total book value of 1,169.2 billion yuan (US$148 billion) by the...

INDIAN MINISTER CALLS FOR IMPROVED SOCIAL SECURITY MEASURES.
October 2, 2006... CHENNAI, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Developing countries need to enhance their social security measures to the standard of developed nations, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said on Saturday. Inaugurating a two day SAFA Conference...

70 KEY PROJECTS LAUNCHED IN WEST CHINA OVER PAST 6 YEARS.
October 2, 2006... BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - A total of 70 key projects involving a total investment of about one trillion yuan (US$126 billion) have been launched in west China since the Western China Development Drive was implemented six years ago, said Wang...