AsiaPulse News articles from September 2004

AsiaPulse News archives from September 2004

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR BEGINS HIGHER - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened stronger today after the US dollar lost ground overnight on weaker than expected economic data. At 0700 AEST the local currency was trading at $US0.7043/48, compared with 0.7005/09...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN - Students will be charged more than $A100,000 ($US69,755) for university degrees in almost 50 courses fron next year; Labor is likely to offer tax relief for...

S.KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN: - Supreme Court Issues Rescue Plan for Credit Defaulters with Debts of Less Than 1.5 Billion Won (US$1.3 Million) KUKMIN DAILY: - University...

S.KOREA'S CONSUMER PRICES RISE 4.8% Y-O-Y IN AUG.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer prices climbed 4.8 per cent year-on-year in August, a government report said. Prices of everyday goods and services increased 0.9 percent last month from July, and 3.6 per cent on an annual...

S.KOREAN MANUFACTURERS EXPECT SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IN BUSINESS.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Manufacturing companies in South Korea think their business conditions will improve slightly in September from August thanks mainly to seasonal factors, a central bank survey showed Wednesday. The business survey...

FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS LOWER AGAINST RUPEE - AUG 31, 2004.
September 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Aug 31 Asia Pulse - The U.S Dollar ended slightly lower against the Rupee at Rs 46.36 per dollar but the Pound Sterling finished slightly higher at Rs 83.13 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market today....

STOCKS - BSE FINISHES HIGHER - AUGUST 31, 2004.
September 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Aug 31 Asia Pulse - Gains by select blue chip counters helped the sensex extend its gains for the second straight session in lacklustre activity on the Stock Exchange here today on selective buying by operators. However, B1 and B2...

NEWS LTD TO UPGRADE ITS AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER OPERATIONS.
September 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - News Corporation Ltd (ASX:NCP) today underlined its commitment to its Australian newspaper operations with a $A500 million ($US351.22 million) investment in plant and buildings. The spend, announced today by...

AUSTRALIA'S PEET & CO. POSTS FY NET PROFIT OF US$20 MLN.
September 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Newly-listed land management and sales company, Peet & Co Ltd (ASX:PPC), today announced a net profit of $A28.7 million ($US20.16 million) for the year ended June 30 2004 and said it was on track to achieve 2005...

TAIWAN PLANS TO RECRUIT MAINLAND CHINESE HI-TECH EXPERTS.
September 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Aug 31 Asia Pulse - Taiwan plans to recruit mainland Chinese high-tech experts living abroad in view of a domestic shortage of high-tech manpower, a Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) official said Tuesday. CEPD...

TAIWAN MISSION TO VISIT RUSSIA TO BOOST TRADE.
September 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - A Taiwan mission is scheduled to depart for Russia Sept 5 to bolster Taiwan-Russia ties in business, trade, the sciences and humanitarian aid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reported. The 42-member...

TAIWAN'S BAD LOAN RATIO DOWN FURTHER IN JULY.
September 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan banks made further progress in improving their performance in July, with the average bad loan ratio lowered to 3.53 per cent as of the end of the month, a 0.01 percent drop from the June level, a Financial...

JAPAN REMOVES BAN ON POULTRY IMPORTS FROM TAIWAN: BOFT.
September 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Japan has removed its ban on poultry imports from Taiwan, so that poultry produced or raised after June 11 is permitted to enter the Japanese market, a spokesman for the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) said. ...

INDIA TO EXPORT WINE TO BRITAIN: REPORT.
September 1, 2004... LONDON, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - With chicken tikka masala being Britain's favourite dish, India is offering a fresh challenge to the nation's palate - wine. India's wine makers hope Indian wine will be as acceptable as a Chilean merlot or an...

SIEMENS INDIA TO PLAY KEY ROLE IN SRI LANKA.
September 1, 2004... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Indian arm of the German industrial giant Siemens will play a key role in the company's business operations in Sri Lanka, a top executive said here Tuesday. The head of Siemens' Indian operation, Juergen...

WORLD'S FIRST SEARCH-BASED E-MAIL LAUNCHED IN INDIA.
September 1, 2004... CHENNAI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Bloomba, the world's first search-based e-mail, developed by Chennai-based iSoftTech for its US client Stata Labs, is now available in India. Bloomba, which was launched in the US in July, is being targetted at...

TAIWAN'S TO LAUNCH DRIVE AGAINST SMUGGLED MAINLAND GOODS.
September 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture is planning a drive to build public awareness against illegal agricultural products smuggled in from mainland China, a council spokesman said. The council will launch the...

INDIAN COURIER BLUE DART INKS PACT FOR PRESENCE IN SRI LANKA.
September 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Courier services major Blue Dart Express Ltd (BSE:BLDT) has struck an alliance with the Hayleys group of Sri Lanka to extend its footprint to the island country. The alliance would enable the courier company,...

FOREX - DOLLAR OPENS LOWER AGAINST WON - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The dollar opened at 1,150.50 won this morning, down from 1,153.00 won. (Yonhap) 01-09 1021

IT SPENDING IN INDIA LESS THAN 1% OF COMPANIES' TURNOVER: SURVEY.
September 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - IT spending in India accounts for even less than 1 per cent of the annual turnover of the companies though domestic software market is estimated to grow to US$4.2 billion in the current fiscal year, according to a...

MEASURES NEEDED IF INT'L CRUDE PRICES RISE MORE: INDIA'S BPCL.
September 1, 2004... MUMBAI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has said a combination of measures including further duty reduction, price rise and sharing of subsidy would have to be worked out to protect oil companies if the current escalation...

TAIWAN COMPETITIVE IN PUBLIC WLAN MARKET: EXPERT.
September 1, 2004... TAIPEI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan is expected to play a leading role in the global public wireless local area networking (WLAN) market thanks to its strong manufacturing clout and full government support, an industry expert said Tuesday. ...

ZILOG OPENS SHANGHAI IC DESIGN CENTER.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 31, 2004--ZiLOG(R), Inc. (NASDAQ:ZILG), the creator of the Z80(R) microprocessor and a leading designer of integrated microcontroller solutions,...

BSNL PLANS JV FOR MANUFACTURING COMA, FWT HANDSETS.
September 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSE:BSNL) has invited bids from leading global manufacturers to set up production facilities for CDMA mobile and fixed wireless phones for its WLL service under the BSNL brand...

BOEING MAKES OFFER TO AIR INDIA TO REPLACE AIRCRAFT.
September 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - US company, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, today offered to replace the aircraft leased by Air India (AI) from South Korea with new generation ones at a "great price" and said Indian Airlines would save over Rs 7...

S KOREAN INVESTMENT BAN STATUS REMAINS UNCHANGED LAST MONTH.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The number of conglomerate affiliates banned from making mutual investments remained the same at 915 last month, the Fair Trade Commission said today. Currently, 51 industrial groups with assets exceeding 2...

RELIANCE TO SET UP PETROL PUMPS IN WEST, NORTH-WEST INDIA.
September 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Reliance Industries Ltd, India's sole private sector oil refiner, will set up petrol pumps in the western and north-western regions of the country. "We are currently concentrating on the western and...

INDIA'S KANORIA CHEMICALS TO INVEST US$39 MLN FOR EXPANSION.
September 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - In a major expansion drive, Kanoria Chemicals and Industries (BSE:KNRC) Tuesday announced investing Rs 1.8 billion (US$38.86 million) during 2004-05 in setting up a 25 MW power plant and a chemical unit while...

STOCKS -TOKYO SHARES BEGIN STRONGER - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... TOKYO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo share prices began firmer with the Nikkei-225 index climbing 23.06 points or 0.21 per cent to 11,104.85 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 01-09 1046

STOCKS - KOSDAQ OPENS HIGHER - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Kosdaq opened at 357.34 this morning, up 1.68 points. (Yonhap) 01-09 1048

S KOREAN GOV'T UNLIKELY TO CUT OIL TAXES SOON.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The government does not plan to lower taxes on oil anytime soon, despite growing political calls for tax cuts, a senior official at the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Wednesday. Lawmakers from both the...

STOCKS - KOSPI OPENS WEAKER - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks started lower Wednesday on weak economic data in the United States and tech woes. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 0.55 point, or...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... TOKYO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET: - Four major online brokerages will start jointly publishing trading activity for the 30 shares traded most heavily in value terms through them on a given day....

CHINA ENTERPRISES' OUTPUT OF PIG IRON UP 17% IN 1ST 7 MONTHS.
September 1, 2004... BEIJING, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - China's key large and medium-sized iron and steel enterprises produced 104.40 million tons of pig iron in January-July, 2004, up 16.95 per cent year on year. Their output made up 77.32 per cent of the nation's total...

CHINA EXPORTS LARGE CAPACITY BULK VESSELS TO US.
September 1, 2004... SHANGHAI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - A 175,000-dwt bulk carrier built in China was delivered to the Foremost Group on August 28. Built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipyard, it is the largest capacity bulk carrier exported to the United States. The...

CHINA TO REDISTRIBUTE 2004 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IMPORT QUOTAS.
September 1, 2004... BEIJING, Aug 31 Asia Pulse - China's State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) and the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) jointly issued the Notice on Redistribution of Import Quotas for Agricultural Products in late August, with contents as...

AUSTRALIA'S NEWCREST LIFTS GOLD RESERVES TO 28.2 MLN OUNCES.
September 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's biggest gold producer Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX:NCM) has increased its total gold reserves to 28.2 million ounces. The company said the rise, as of June 30, 2004, reflected the success of its...

AUSTRALIAN TREASURER SEES EXPORTS PICKING UP THIS YEAR.
September 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - As Australia recorded its second-highest trade deficit on record, Federal treasurer Peter Costello said today he expected exports to improve over the course of the year. "We would expect over the course of the...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... MANILA, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: MANILA TIMES: - Tax-evasion and perjury charges were filed Tuesday by the Bureau of Internal Revenue against 14 business establishments, which the bureau said owe the...

PAKISTAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... KARACHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers DAWN: - Afghan, Iraq wars will end extremism, says Bush - 'Musharraf to meet Singh on Sept 22' - Donors want major changes in policy: Poverty alleviation -...

NO. OF NEW VENTURE FIRMS CONTINUES TO RISE IN S. KOREA.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The number of venture firms, once considered among the main engines of South Korea's economic growth, rose for the fourth consecutive month since March this year, a business association said Wednesday. As of the...

S.KOREAN, GOV'T RULING PARTY TO ABOLISH EXCISE TAXES ON 25 GOODS.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The government and the ruling party decided Wednesday to get rid of excise taxes on 24 expensive commodities, including plasma display panel (PDP) TVs and golf clubs, as part of their policy to cut taxes. In a...

S. KOREA'S KOOKMIN BANK EXPECTS BETTER H2 EARNINGS.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Kookmin Bank (KSE:060000), South Korea's leading lender, will record better earnings in the second half, its chief executive officer said Wednesday. "There are signs of improvement in second-half business...

KAZAKHSTAN EAGER TO EXPORT OIL, GAS TO SOUTH ASIA.
September 1, 2004... ISLAMABAD, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakhstan Ambassador Beibit Issabayev said that Kazakhstan is eager to export oil and gas to South Asian countries including Pakistan. Beibit added that the gas and oil pipeline between Kazakhstan and...

S.KOREA'S DOOSAN HEAVY WINS US$410 MLN DEAL FROM OMAN.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. (KSE:034020) said Wednesday that it has clinched a US$410-million contract to build a desalinization factory and a coal-fired power plant in northwestern...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEP 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... JAKARTA, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KOMPAS: - Students clashed with police on Tuesday marking the installation of new members of the regional legislative assembly in a number of provinces with students...

SRI LANKAN TEA MAKERS WELCOME PROPOSED FTA WITH PAKISTAN.
September 1, 2004... KARACHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka is likely to make a breakthrough in Pakistan's tea market after the signing of a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Pakistan, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB), Niraj de Mel, said. ...

S.KOREA, U.S. TO ENHANCE CO-OPERATION IN DIGITAL BROADCASTING.
September 1, 2004... WASHINGTON, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The chairman of South Korea's broadcast regulating body met his U.S. counterpart here Tuesday to enhance cooperation in digital broadcasting, which Seoul plans to introduce on a U.S.-backed standard, South Korean...

DISPUTE OVER CREDIT CARD FEES WORSENS IN S.KOREA.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The dispute between credit card issuers and retailers over credit card fees took a turn for the worse on Wednesday after BC Card raised its commission fee as planned. In response, E-Mart, the country's biggest...

BROAD TAX CUTS WOULD FUEL ECONOMIC GROWTH: S.KOREA'S URI PARTY.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The ruling Uri Party said Wednesday that it will push for a bill calling for broad tax cuts, including on special excise or luxury taxes, to bolster economic growth. The party said it has agreed with the...

KEMET NAMES MEEKS DIRECTOR OF CERAMIC OPERATIONS.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall-AsiaNet/ -- KEMET Corporation (NYSE: KEM) announced today that Chuck Meeks has been named Director of Ceramic Operations, reporting...

ACLI CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ON NEW DRAFT POSTAL PRIVATIZATION PLAN.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire - AsiaNet/ -- A new draft report released on August 31 by Japan's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy (CEFP) that sets forth a plan for privatizing...

S.KOREA TO PROVIDE US$15 MLN DEVELOPMENT LOAN TO SRI LANKA.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea will provide US$15 million to Sri Lanka to help it implement a national project to improve the living standards of the island nation, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Wednesday. Seoul will...

KEMET NAMES HINOJOSA DIRECTOR OF TANTALUM OPERATIONS.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- KEMET Corporation (NYSE: KEM) announced today that Conrado Hinojosa has been named Director of Tantalum Operations, reporting directly to...

TIGER TELEMATICS SELECTS FLEXTRONICS TO VOLUME MANUFACTURE GIZMONDO.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) LONDON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall-AsiaNet/ -- Gizmondo Europe Ltd., subsidiary of Jacksonville, Florida-based, Tiger Telematics Inc. (OTC: TGTL.PK), announced today that it has...

TEVETEN REDUCES FUTURE RISK IN HYPERTENSIVE STROKE PATIENTS.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MUNICH, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- The established antihypertensive agent TEVETEN(R) (eprosartan) has now been shown to offer effective protection against cerebrovascular and...

TELSTRA WINS US$10.96 MLN GOV'T MOBILE PHONE CONTRACT.
September 1, 2004... CANBERRA, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Telstra (ASX:TLS) has won a .6 million ($US10.96 million) federal government contract to improve mobile phone coverage in the bush. Communications Minister Helen Coonan said more than 30,000 people in 62 towns...

IPCORE TECHNOLOGIES ADOPTS SYNOPSYS SOLUTION AS PRIMARY DESIGN FLOW.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Galaxy and Discovery Platforms, IP and Professional Services Included in Multi-Million Dollar Agreement Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:...

S.KOREA'S KUMHO TIRE SIGNS DEAL TO BUILD 2ND CHINESE PLANT.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Kumho Tire Co., a major South Korean tiremaker, said Wednesday it has signed a preliminary deal to build a second Chinese factory in Tianjin. Kumho said it will ink a formal agreement with the Tianjin Economic...

RESILIENCE ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF NDURANT FAMILY FOR NETWORK SECURITY.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) BANGKOK, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Ndurant Family Delivers Check Point(TM) Security With the Power and Availability Required for Carrier Class VPN and Firewall Applications ...

S. KOREA'S KT CORP. CUTS LAND-TO-MOBILE PHONE CHARGES.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - KT Corp. (KSE:030200), South Korea's biggest fixed-line telephone company, said Wednesday it cut land-to-mobile phone fees by 2.2 per cent, reflecting the government's reduction of connection charges. The rate...

RESILIENCE CORP UNVEILS MX4000 SERIES PRODUCT FAMILY.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) BANGKOK, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Resilience MX4000, Integrated with Check Point(TM) Software, Delivers Fault-Tolerant Security With Throughput Up to 4.2Gbps to Deliver...

GARUDA INDONESIA TO OFFER DAILY SINGAPORE-SEMARANG FLIGHTS.
September 1, 2004... SEMARANG, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Indonesian flag-carrier, Garuda Indonesia, is planning to offer daily flights between Singapore and the Indonesian city of Semarang, its director, Indra Setiawan, said on Tuesday. "I am optimistic that by the...

BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - AUG 31, 2004.
September 1, 2004... A summary of news releases for Aug. 31, 2004, compiled by Business Wire, the global leader in news distribution. To view any of these news release on Business Wire's website, please go to www.businesswire.com. 1) Category Code:...

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN STOCKS DOWN IN EARLY TRADE - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was down 0.17 per cent in early trade due to profit taking, dealers said. At 10.35 a.m., the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index fell 1.41 points at 826.57. ASIA PULSE...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE STOCKS UP IN EARLY TRADE - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade, with the Straits Times Index up 5.7 points at 1,924.0 at 10.40 a.m. ASIA PULSE 01-09 1241

SINGAPORE STILL NEEDS INDONESIAN SAND: ENTREPRENEURS.
September 1, 2004... MEDAN, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore still needs Indonesian sands for reclamation of large areas of sea, some Singaporean entrepreneurs have said. The foreign businessmen told ANTARA here the Indonesian sands are badly needed to reclaim...

POWER CONSUMPTION RISES SHARPLY IN S KOREA DURING JULY.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Electricity consumption in South Korea climbed 8.4 per cent year-on-year to 25.6 billion kilowatts in July, the Commerce Ministry said Wednesday. Power consumption for industry accounted for 54.9 per cent of the...

FANNIE MAE REDEMPTION.
September 1, 2004... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) will redeem the principal amount indicated of the following securities issue on the redemption date indicated below at a...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR HIGHER AT NOON - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar is stronger at midday continuing to hold on to its overnight gains, despite an initial reaction to a softer headline GDP number for the June quarter. At 1200 AEST the local currency was...

HOME LOAN AFFORDABILITY IN AUSTRALIA FALLS FURTHER: SURVEY.
September 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Home loan affordability fell to its lowest level since 1990 in the June quarter, a new survey by the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) and AMP Banking has found. Increases in the average size of an...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR: - Budget 2005 involves an intricate task. In his maiden budget presentation, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Finance Minister,...

RAIL DUOPOLY NEEDED IN AUSTRALIA IF FUNDS ARE TO FLOW: TOLL MD.
September 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Funding needed to upgrade Australia's railways may not be available unless a rail duopoly is permitted similar to that in the airline industry, Toll Holdings Ltd (ASX:TOL) managing director Paul Little said. ...

STOCKS - HONG KONG STOCKS OPEN STRONGER - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... HONG KONG, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Hong Kong share prices opened 0.57 per cent stronger, with the Hang Seng Index gaining 73.85 points at 12,924.13. ASIA PULSE 01-09 1253

S KOREAN COS OPT OUT OF ALLIANCES WITH FOREIGN FIRMS.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Local manufacturers are increasingly considering a breakup of alliances with foreign companies, as their improved business made such tie-ups no longer necessary, industry sources said Wednesday. LG Electronics...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHAREMARKET FIRMER AT NOON - SEPT 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market was higher at noon, hitting all-times highs as solid gains in the banking sector led a stronger overall market. By 1219 AEST the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 25.9 points at...

KOREA'S AUGUST TRADE SURPLUS REACHES US$1.8 BLN.
September 1, 2004... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea posted a trade surplus of $1.84 billion in August, the Commerce Ministry said Wednesday. Exports jumped 29.3 per cent year-on-year to $19.88 billion last month, while imports rose 33.3 per cent to...

NEWMONT EXECS SHOULD BE HELD IN INDONESIA: NGOS.
September 1, 2004... JAKARTA, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Three non-governmental organizations have asked the government to prevent PT Newmont Minahasa Raya's president director and executives from leaving the country because they had to account for the pollution their...

JAPAN'S SANKYO TO ADD U.S. MEDICAL REPS TO PUSH BLOOD PRESSURE DRUG.
September 1, 2004... TOKYO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sankyo Co. (TSE:4501) plans within the year to increase its medical representatives in the U.S. by 20 per cent to 600 in a bid to expand sales of its Benicar hypertension treatment. Medical representatives will be...

SANYO OFFERS CO2 COMPRESSORS FOR GREENER VENDING MACHINES.
September 1, 2004... TOKYO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sanyo Electric Co. (TSE:6764) has begun supplying vending machine makers with compressors that use carbon dioxide as the coolant. CO2 compressors are safer than typical compressors using helium or ammonia and are...

US-CO SEMPRA TO BUY LNG FROM BP-OPERATED INDONESIAN FIELD.
September 1, 2004... JAKARTA, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - US oil and gas company Sempra plans to buy 3.7 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually from British Petroleum (BP), the operator of the Tangguh oil and gas field in Papua province, a government official...

JAPAN'S SANDEN TO SELL TIO2 MISTER FOR COATING WALLS, CEILINGS.
September 1, 2004... TOKYO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sanden Corp. (TSE:6444) has developed a commercial-use vaporizer that creates a mist of titanium dioxide for coating walls and ceilings. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a photocatalyst that promotes the decomposition...

JAPAN'S ESPEC TO RESTRUCTURE CHINA OPERATIONS.
September 1, 2004... TOKYO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Espec Corp. (TSE:6859), a maker of environmental testing equipment, will reorganize its operations in China, turning two 50-50 joint production ventures into subsidiaries. In the current fiscal year, the company...

KOREA'S K POWER SIGNS US$2 BLN DEAL WITH BP FOR INDONESIAN LNG.
September 1, 2004... JAKARTA, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - A South Korean GAS company, K. Power, on Tuesday signed a US$2 billion or Rp 20 trillion sales and purchase agreement for the supply of up to 800,000 tones of LNG from the gas field in Tangguh, Papua operated by...