AsiaPulse News articles from September 2008

AsiaPulse News archives from September 2008

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS LOWER - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar has opened lower as improved factory health in the US midwest boosted the American currency. At 0700 AEST, the Australian dollar was trading at .8566/73, down from Friday's close of...

CITY PACIFIC POSTS LOSSES FOR 2008 FINANCIAL YEAR.(Financial report)
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Property investor and fund manager City Pacific Ltd (ASX:CIY) today reported a $A139.53 million ($US119.41 million) bottom line loss for the last financial year, after it was forced to make writedowns on some its...

FLIGHT CENTRE, TURNER FAMILY SET TO FORM BICYCLE JV.
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Travel retailer Flight Centre Ltd (ASX:FLT) and the Turner family are set to form a joint venture bicycle business, after confirming today that the parties had formalised the agreement. Under the deal, Flight...

AUSTRALIAN BOND MARKET OPENS FIRMER - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian bond market has opened marginally firmer as dealers await the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) interest rate decision tomorrow. At 0830 AEST, the yield on the Commonwealth Government March 2019...

AUSTRALIAN APPETITE FOR CREDIT ON THE WANE.
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse Asia Pulse - Australia's appetite for credit continues to wane following interest rate hikes earlier this year, with the housing sector taking a big hit. Credit figures released today by the Reserve Bank of...

HYUNDAI, KIA AIM TO INCREASE COMBINED OUTPUT BY 2010.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Aug. 31 Asia Pulse - The Hyundai Motor Co. (KSE:05380) and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. (KSE:005380) said Sunday that they are targeting an annual production of over six million vehicles in 2010, or a 9 per cent share of the global...

SOUTH KOREA, URUGUAY TO SIGN FISHERIES PACT.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Aug. 31 Asia Pulse - South Korea and Uruguay will agree on a fisheries pact that can help facilitate greater cooperation in the development of marine resources, the government said Sunday. The deal, which is expected to be signed on...

SEOUL TO EASE CONTROL OF WMD STRATEGIC MATERIALS EXPORTS.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Seoul said on Sunday that it will ease control over strategic materials that can be used to make weapons of mass destruction for companies that follow a state-sponsored compliance export program. The Ministry of...

KOREA'S HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR URGES JAPAN TO SCRAP DUTIES ON CHIPS.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Hynix Semiconductor Inc. (KSE:000660), South Korea's No.2 chipmaker, said Sunday that Japan should immediately scrap punitive duties on its memory chips as required by a ruling of the World Trade Organization (WTO)....

NORTH KOREA, LAOS AGREE TO EXPAND TIES.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea and Laos agreed Saturday to expand cooperation in economy, trade, science and other fields, a North Korean news report said. The agreement was signed at a meeting between North Korean Premier Kim...

S. KOREAN FLIGHTS TO THAILAND'S PHUKET CANCELED DUE TO UNREST.
September 1, 2008... YEONGJONGDO, South Korea, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - All South Korean flights to Thailand's Phuket beach resort were canceled on Saturday as anti-government protesters forced the resort's airport to close, airport officials said. Four flights,...

LAOTIAN PM ARRIVES IN NORTH KOREA FOR 11-DAY VISIT.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh arrived in North Korea Saturday for an 11-day visit, a North Korean news report said. The visitor was greeted by North Korean Premier Kim Yong-il upon his arrival at an...

INDIA-ASEAN FTA WON'T HIT SOUTHERN FARMERS: INDUSTRY MINISTER.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Allaying fears of the Left-ruled Kerala that an FTA with ASEAN could harm farmers' interest in the southern states, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on Friday said India cannot get isolated in the...

PRELIMINARY BIDDING FOR DAEWOO SHIPBUILDING TO END BY SEPT. 9.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) plans to close the preliminary bidding process for the sale of the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (KSE:042660), the world's third-largest shipbuilder, by Sept....

SOUTH KOREA, EU TO SEEK PACKAGE SOLUTION ON FREE TRADE DEAL.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Chief negotiators from South Korea and the European Union have agreed to seek a package solution on controversial issues such as auto trade after failing to narrow their gap in three-day free trade talks, officials...

INDIA'S INFOSYS OPENS BPO CAMPUS AT MAHINDRA SEZ.
September 1, 2008... JAIPUR, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Infosys (BSE:500209) on Friday opened its BPO facility at Mahindra World City's SEZ here, in which it had invested Rs 1.71 billion (US$39 billion) in the first phase. Rajathan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES TUMBLE ON WALL ST LOSSES - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks opened sharply lower on Monday, weighed down by steep losses among U.S. equities markets in the previous session, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged...

VIETNAM PAPER GROUP SEEKS REMOVAL OF TARIFFS.
September 1, 2008... HANOI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Vietnam Paper and Pulp Association (VPPA) has asked the Finance Ministry to eliminate the tariff on printing paper imports from ASEAN countries. The current tariff runs at 5 per cent. The Association said...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN LOWER - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... TOKYO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo shares opened lower today, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index falling 185.22 points or 1.42 per cent to 12,887.65 in early trade. ASIA PULSE 01-09 1038

PFIZER WINS LIPITOR PATENT CASE AGAINST RANBAXY IN DENMARK.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Global pharma giant Pfizer on Friday said it has won a legal battle in Denmark in its ongoing patent litigation over anti-cholesterol drug, Lipitor with Ranbaxy Laboratories (BSE:500359). The Eastern Division...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY DECLINES IN AUGUST.
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Manufacturing activity declined for a third straight month in August as firms struggled with falling demand and higher costs, a survey has found. The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN WEAKER - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market has opened weaker, dragged lower by the big miners and financials, after US stocks retreated on Friday. At 1015 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 was down 35.2 points, or 0.69 per cent...

PLN BRANCH IN GORONTALO, INDONESIA, SUFFERS US$30 MLN IN LOSSES.
September 1, 2008... GORONTALO, Indonesia, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - State electricity company PT PLN's branch in Gorontalo province in the first eight months of this year suffered Rp280 billion (US$30.5 million) in losses due in part to a rise in fuel spending. PLN...

FOREX - RINGGIT ENDS WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR - AUG 29, 2008.
September 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 Asia Pulse - The ringgit ended at 3.3930/3950 against the U.S. dollar on Friday, weaker than 3.3820/3850 at the close on Thursday. ASIA PULSE 01-09 1045

MOODY'S PROJECTS FURTHER SLIP IN INDIAN ECONOMY GROWTH.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Projecting a further slip in the growth of Indian economy, rating agency Moody's on Friday said the global financial market turmoil has taken its toll on the India's financial market. "Foreign investors have...

INDIA LAUNCHES POWER STATION UPGRADE FOR TAJIKISTAN'S VARZOB-1.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - India's Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on Friday launched the modernisation project of Tajikistan's Varzob-1 hydro power station, the contract for which is being executed by state run BHEL and NHPC. ...

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW: - The Reserve Bank is odds-on to cut interest rates for the first time in six-and-a-half years. - The Rudd government has cleared the...

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA ISSUES NEW FIVE RUPEE COMMEMORATIVE COINS.
September 1, 2008... CHANDIGARH, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued new Rs 5 coins to commemorate the '75 Years of Dandi March'. The existing five rupee coins would continue to be in circulation and would continue to be legal tender,...

ZAIA - PREMIERE OF 1ST PERMANENT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW IN ASIA.
September 1, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR31514 ZAIA -- The First Permanent Cirque du Soleil Show in Asia Celebrates Its World Premiere on August 28 at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel MACAU, Aug. 29...

SRI LANKA AVIATION EXPERT SLAMS GOVT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PLAN.
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka risks losing a race with south Indian airports to become an aviation hub in south Asia owing to misguided plans by politicians to build a second international airport, an aviation expert has warned. ...

SRI LANKA AUGUST INFLATION FALLS TO 24.9-PCT.
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Consumer prices increases in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo fell to 24.9 per cent in the 12-months to August from 26.6 per cent in July, government statistics showed. Sri Lanka's Central Bank has kept monetary...

INDIA'S APEX CHAMBERS TAKE GDP GROWTH DECLINE IN STRIDE.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Taking moderation in economic growth in their stride, the apex industry chambers of India on Friday said the decline in GDP expansion was not unexpected, but the cost of borrowing needs to come down. Rating...

MAGNACHIP UNVEILS N-P CHANNEL MOSFET SERIES FOR LCD SCREENS.
September 1, 2008... MEDIA RELEASE PR31616 Magnachip Unveils Complimentary N-P Channel Mosfet Series For LCD TVs And Monitors SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- MagnaChip Semiconductor Ltd., a leading provider of analog and mixed...

INDONESIAN GOVT MUST SOON STOP EXPORTING FISH: LOBBY GROUP.
September 1, 2008... KENDARI, SE Sulawesi, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The government must soon stop exporting fish in 10 years' time to avoid the threat of fish crisis in 2015, a spokesman said. Most fish stocks in a number of Indonesian waters such as Natuna waters...

RMI WORLD BANK GIVES US$300 MLN FOR INDIA'S E-BHARAT PROGRAMME.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Aug 30 Asia Pulse - The World Bank on Friday approved USD 300 million for the national e-governance programme of India, e-Bharat. The fund would be used for preparatory activities, including capacity building and project...

SINGAPORE GOVT CONFERS HONORARY CITIZEN AWARD TO RATAN TATA.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has been conferred with the honorary citizen award by the Singapore government for his contributions to the island nation's growth and development. "The award is the highest...

SHANGHAI CENTURY ANNOUNCES AMOUNT OF LIQUIDATING DISTRIBUTION.
September 1, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(NY-SHANGHAI-CENTURY-ACQ) Shanghai Century Acquisition Corporation Announces Amount of Liquidating Distribution Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE) - Aug. 29,...

KOREA'S LEE STILL UNDECIDED ON JOINING TRILATERAL E. ASIA SUMMIT.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - President Lee Myung-bak has yet to decide whether he will participate in a trilateral summit of South Korea, Japan and China likely to be held in Japan next month, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday....

PHILIP MORRIS INT. FORCED TO DROP ANOTHER CONCERT SPONSORSHIP.
September 1, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR31623 Philip Morris International Forced To Drop Another Concert Sponsorship; Philippines Health Department Applauded for Taking Action WASHINGTON, Aug. 30...

ETIHAD AIWAYS CUTS RAMADAN AIRFARES BY UP TO 50 PCT.
September 1, 2008... ABU DHABI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Etihad Airways, the UAE national carrier, has cut many of its air fares by up to 50 per cent for travel during Ramadan and the autumn period. The special promotion, which runs from September 1 to November 10,...

TAIWAN MINISTER PROJECTS ECONOMIC BOOST FROM DEREGULATION.
September 1, 2008... TAIPEI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's private investment and consumption indices are expected to rise in the first half of next year following the deregulation of trade and investment across the Taiwan Strait, Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin...

YEVGENIY TIMOSHENKO WINS HISTORIC APT MACAU!
September 1, 2008... MEDIA RELEASE PR31631 Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins Historic APT Macau! MACAU, August 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- - The Game Of Poker Makes Giant Leap In Asia 20-year-old Yevgeniy Timoshenko, a highly rated player from the United...

TAIWAN RICE EXPORTS PRICE TO ENSURE DOMESTIC SUPPLIES: OFFICIAL.
September 1, 2008... TAIPEI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse A Taiwan Council of Agriculture (COA) official reiterated Thursday that the minimum price restrictions on rice exports will help reduce export volume and ensure sufficient domestic supplies. COA Chairman Chen...

SRI LANKA PORTS AUTHORITY BOSS RESIGNS.
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Saliya Wickramasuriya said he will be resigning from his post for personal reasons at the end of this month. Wickramasuriya said ports and aviation minister...

INDONESIA WEEK 2008 TO PROMOTE TRADE, INVESTMENT IN BEIJING.
September 1, 2008... BEIJING, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian Embassy in Beijing is to stage "Indonesia Week 2008" on October 10-15 in Wangfujing, Beijing, to promote Indonesia's trade, investment and tourism potentials to the people of China, an embassy...

TOTAL AUTOMATION BECOMES WRTSIL AUTOMATION SERVICES SINGAPORE.
September 1, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR31615 Total Automation Becomes Wrtsil Automation Services Singapore HELSINKI, Sept 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Wrtsil Corporation's subsidiary in Singapore, Total...

TAIWAN'S TAICHUNG HARBOR PROPOSED AS FREE TRADE AREA.
September 1, 2008... TAIPEI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Local government heads in central Taiwan proposed Saturday that a free trade area be set up at Taichung Harbor in Taichung County to attract foreign investment. The proposal was made at a regular meeting of the...

S KOREAN GOVT CONSIDERS HIKING PUBLIC UTILITY CHARGES IN OCTOBER.
September 1, 2008... SEOUL, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The government plans to raise electricity and other public utility charges next month, but the planned increases will be smaller than earlier sought, officials said Sunday. In July, the government said it was...

POTENTIAL LOSS TO INDONESIAN GAS FIELD IS US$70 BLN: V-P.
September 1, 2008... BANDUNG, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Vice President Jusuf Kalla corrected a media report which said Indonesia had suffered a loss of Rp70 trillion (US$7.6 billion) in negotiations on Tanggung LNG exports to China, because the actual potential loss...

PUSH FOR NEW TAX ON "GAS GUZZLER" CARS IN AUSTRALIA.
September 1, 2008... CANBERRA, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - A push to slap an extra tax on "gas-guzzler" cars is gaining momentum. The federal government wants to increase the luxury car tax - from 25 per cent to 33 per cent - on vehicles worth more than ,180...

INDIAN GOVT GIVES NOD TO DEAL WITH NORWAY FOR FISHERY MANAGEMENT.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - India will soon ink a deal with Norway for bilateral cooperation in the fisheries segment following the government's approval for the same Friday. "The Union Cabinet gave its approval for signing of the MoU on...

CHINA'S WORSENING INVESTMENT CLIMATE A CHALLENGE TO TAIWAN FIRMS.
September 1, 2008... TAIPEI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - China's worsening investment climate and a series of government austerity measures to cool down the economy after the Beijing Olympics have emerged as a severe challenge to many Taiwan businesses that were pioneers in...

SRI LANKAN BANK SAMPATH'S QTRLY NET SOARS 130% POST RESTATEMENT.(Financial report)
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka's Sampath Bank said its June quarter net profit shot up 130 per cent to 374 million rupees (US$3.52 million) from a year ago after it restated the previous year's earnings to take into account increased...

INDO-RUSSIAN COMBINE GETS PAN-INDIA CDMA SPECTRUM.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Shyam Telecom (BSE:517411) and Russian major Sistema combine Friday became the first new telecom operator to get pan-India start-up spectrum to offer mobile services. Communication and IT Minister A Raja has...

MORE INDIAN MID-MARKET FIRMS TO ADOPT HR OUTSOURCING: STUDY.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - An increasing number of Indian mid-market companies with about 3,000-15,000 employees, are expected to adopt Human Resources Outsourcing in the coming years in an attempt to bring down cost and reap gains from...

PHILIPPINES HEALTH DEP'T TAKES MOVES TO AVERT TB/HIV EPIDEMIC.
September 1, 2008... MANILA, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has implemented an administrative order (AO) to heighten its effort in averting a possible epidemic brought by the joint burden of tuberculosis (TB) and human...

BUSH URGES CONGRESS TO RATIFY KOREA-US FTA TO HELP BOOST ECONOMY.
September 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - United States President George W Bush Sunday urged Congress to approve pending free trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, saying they will greatly enhance the US gross domestic product, which is...

CEBU PACIFIC EXPANDS CEBU HUB WITH 2 NEW AIRCRAFT, 3 SECTORS.
September 1, 2008... CEBU CITY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Cebu Pacific (CEB) is expanding its Cebu operations hub with the addition of two new aircraft and three new domestic flights. Cebu Pacific president and chief executive officer Lance Gokongwei said CEB will...

PHILIPPINES ASKS FOREIGN MINING FIRMS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.
September 1, 2008... MANILA, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Philippines Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. on Sunday asked the foreign mining firms to observe preservation and protection of the environment while performing mining operations in the country. Sen....

INDIAN MINISTRY WANTS GAIL, NTPC TO INFUSE MORE EQUITY IN DABHOL.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - India's Finance Ministry wants state-run GAIL (BSE:532155) and NTPC (BSE:532555) to infuse an additional equity of Rs 4,750 million (US$108 million) each in the Dabhol power project along with lenders converting...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... SINGAPORE, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Business sales and profits here took a big hit in the second quarter amid a sharp economic slowdown, and GDP growth in the third quarter of this year...

EXIM BANK APPROVES US$ 400 MLN LOAN GUARANTEE TO RELIANCE INDIA.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Exim Bank of US has approved a US$400 million loan guarantee to Reliance Industries (BSE:500325) to import equipment and services for oil and gas exploration and production work in the Krishna Godavari basin. ...

INDIA'S FMC REJECTS REQUEST TO HIKE PENALTY; MULLS OTHER OPTIONS.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Indian commodity market regulator Forward Markets Commission has rejected traders and exporters demand to hike the delivery default penalty, saying it is working on other alternatives to tighten the system. ...

CZECH REPUBLIC WOOS INDIAN COMPANIES TO INVEST.
September 1, 2008... CHANDIGARH, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - The Czech Republic today invited Indian companies to invest in its potential sectors to further strengthen the mutual trade that has grown by 42 per cent in the first half of 2008. "We invite the Indian...

SRI LANKA'S EQUITY ONE POSTS 80 PCT JUNE QTR NET FALL.(Financial report)
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Equity One, part of Sri Lanka's Carson Cumberbatch group, reports June quarter net profit fall of 80 per cent to 1.4 million rupees (US$13,161) from a year ago, according to interim results released by the firm. ...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - SEPT 1, 2008.
September 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - Insurance takeovers are not rampant as settling on the right price seems to be the biggest wedge, say industry players. - Oil palm planters can...

INDIA'S TELELCOM REGULATORS IN DISPUTE OVER QUALITY OF SERVICE.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - In a strange development, the two statutory authorities in India's telecommunications sector - TRAI and TDSAT - Friday blamed each other for inaction against erring mobile operators over network congestion. ...

PVSEC EUROPE 2008: GERMANY SOLIDIFIES LEADING POSITION IN PV ENERGY.
September 1, 2008... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) MEDIA RELEASE PR31599 PVSEC Europe 2008: Germany Solidifies Leading Position in PV Energy BERLIN, September 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Germany's recently approved "climate package" is...

INDIA ON TRACK TO PRODUCE RECORD RICE CROP THIS YEAR: OFFICIAL.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - India's rice production in this agriculture year may breach the record output of 96.43 million tons in the last year on the back of increased acreage, even as floods in some production areas have impacted on the...

SRI LANKAN BANKER SAYS MONEY SHOULD NOT BE PRINTED FOR WARS.
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - A central bank should not relax monetary policy (print more money) to increase employment, or finance wars and subsidies, because inflation, which is worse than terrorism, would be the result, a top Sri Lankan...

AUSTRALIAN COMPANY OPERATING PROFITS UP 14.3PCT IN JUNE QUARTER.(Financial report)
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Company gross operating profits, in current prices, rose 14.3 per cent in the June quarter, seasonally adjusted, to be up 21.5 per cent over the year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. Economists were...

INDIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - AUG 30, 2008.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Aug 30 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE ECONOMIC TIMES - Even as analysts talk about India continuing to be the second-fastest-growing economy, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sought to inject some...

WORLD BANK GIVES US$300 MLN FOR INDIA'S E-BHARAT PROGRAMME.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The World Bank on Friday approved US$300 million for the national e-governance programme of India, e-Bharat. The fund would be used for preparatory activities, including capacity building and project...

WB UN PROCUREMENT - INDIA, COMMUNITY TANK MANAGEMENT PROJECT.
September 1, 2008... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - AUGUST 2008 Country: India Project: ORISSA COMMUNITY TANK MANAGEMENT PROJECT Financing: World Bank Abstract: EXPRESSION...

SRI LANKA FITCH DOWNGRADES FIRST CAPITAL TREASURIES.
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Fitch Sri Lanka said it had downgraded the national long term rating of First Capital Treasuries, a primary dealer in government securities, to 'A- (lka)' from 'A(lka)' and also withdrawn the rating at the request of...

AUSTRALIA'S STRAITS RESOURCES DELIVERS LOSSES FOR HALF YEAR.
September 1, 2008... MELBOURNE, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Straits Resources Ltd (ASX:SRL) says the outlook for the financial year is positive after diversified miner delivered a loss for the half year. The copper and gold miner posted a loss of $A6 million ($US5.13...

UN WB PROCUREMENT - INDIA, URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION.
September 1, 2008... *** Asia Pulse Tender *** WORLD BANK UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SERVICE PROCUREMENTS - AUGUST 2008 Country: India Project: MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION (MOHUPA) - INVITING APPLICATIONS FOR...

BUSINESS WIRE DAILY SUMMARY - AUG 29, 2008.
September 1, 2008... A summary of news releases for August 29, 2008, compiled by Business Wire, the global leader in news distribution. To view any of these news releases on Business Wire's website, please go to www.businesswire.com. 1) Category Code: Internet...

SRI LANKA'S DIMO GROUP SIGNS UP CRICKETER SANGAKKARA FOR PR.
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka's vehicle importer Diesel and Motor Engineering (DIMO) signed up cricketer Kumar Sangakkara as brand ambassador for the group. "This marriage would not stop here, he will give a lot of things to my...

AUSTRALIAN PROPERTY FUND RECORD REALTY POSTS LARGE ANNUAL LOSS.(Financial report)
September 1, 2008... SYDNEY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Property fund Record Realty (ASX:RRT) has reported a large annual loss, after writing down the value of investments. It today posted a net loss of $A253.40 million ($US216.86 million) for the year ended June 30,...

INDIA'S HIGH COURT REVIEWS CARRIAGE FEES FOR CABLE SERVICES.
September 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - The Delhi High Court today sought response from India's Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry and broadcast regulator TRAI on a petition seeking the regulation of fees charged by multiple system operators...

SRI LANKA'S JOHN KEELLS EARNINGS FLAT AMID BUNKER CLOUD.
September 1, 2008... COLOMBO, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Sri Lanka's John Keells Holdings (JKH) group, under a cloud after the Supreme Court faulted it over a privatization deal involving its bunkering unit Lanka Marine Services, (LMS) said it would "self evaluate" itself...

STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES END SHARPLY HIGHER - AUG 29, 2008.
September 1, 2008... MUMBAI, Aug 29 Asia Pulse - Bombay shares soared 3.67 percent on Friday, the biggest rise in four weeks on good buying support sparked by a decline in domestic inflation, brokers said. The benchmark 30-share Sensex index rose 516.19 points...

KRATON INTRODUCES LATEST ADVANCES IN ELASTIC NONWOVEN TECHNOLOGY.
September 1, 2008... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) (BW)(TX-KRATON-POLYMERS) Kraton Polymers Introduces Latest Advances in Elastic Nonwoven Technology at INTC 2008 and INSIGHT 2008 Chemicals Writers HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE) -...