Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from April 2004, page 6

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from April 2004

IIT hostels are too luxurious: HRD ministry.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Amir Vazir We wish that we could tell you Nandan Nilekani is not amused by the government's attack on IIT-Powai hostels funded by him, but the fact is, he is. When we asked him how he felt about...

'9/11 still haunts travel industry'.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Vikas Kumar The after effects of 9/11 and its resultant economic impact have been felt for a long time by the Marriott chain, according to William J Shaw, president & COO, Marriott International. ...

Management: The transfer of negative into positive.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: SUMANTRA GHOSHAL The Odyssey tells the story of the Sirens - sea-nymphs who charmed passing sailors with their songs and then impelled them to cast themselves into the sea, to their inevitable death....

All about Wall Street litigation.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) A year has passed since Wall Street firms settled with Eliot Spitzer, New York state's attorney-general, and other regulators, over conflicts of interest in their equity research. Enormous sums of money are...

A nation of Free Agents.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Keeping with that tradition, CD has always brought you the best of the leading thinkers in management, like Gary Hamel, CK Prahlad, Michael Porter and Tom Peters, whose ideas have revolutionised business. But as...

Build, operate, sell: The BOT philosophy.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Vinod Mahanta and Pooja Kothari "It was a very difficult decision. It sapped out a lot of emotional energy," says Anant R Koppar, with a hint of self-doubt in his voice, "I am still trying to...

Cricket as rocket science!
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: EDITORIAL Time was when it was left to umpires to no-ball bowlers who did not have a smooth action and who were perceived to be throwing the ball. The latest report on the legality of Sri Lankan...

Smoke signals.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: EDITORIAL The first of May 2004 is a red-letter day for the growing anti-smoking lobby in the country. Thanks to their relentless campaign, the ban on tobacco ads finally comes into effect....

Oiling a marriage.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: EDITORIAL Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has decided to merge with its 54% subsidiary, IBP. This was very much on the cards. IBP is predominantly a marketing company with a small share of revenue...

Holidays of a different kind.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: LAWSTREET / LUBNA KABLY In the summer time, when the weather is fine....", this music almost lulled me to sleep over lunch with Zenobia Aunty. She remarked that I was looking more relaxed than I...

Reliance Infocomm makes Rs 390-cr loss.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Reliance Infocomm has reported a loss of about Rs 390 crore for the year ended March '04. Reliance Industries, which holds 45% in the company, also announced on Thursday that it will not invest any additional...

BSNL scans the book for true value.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : The state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam has silently kicked off a valuation exercise of its countrywide telecom assets. The objective appears to be getting a fix on the current book value of all fixed assets...

Walkie-talkie over mobile phone.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Satyendra Shrivastava : The gizmo sporting, tech savvy teenyboppers will soon be able to keep in touch with the gang simultaneously and at any given point in time. A walkie-talkie over mobile phone,...

DTH, VSAT players may be allowed in broadband.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended allowing DTH and VSAT operators to offer internet and broadband services in its report on an integrated policy for accelerating growth of internet...

Bharti to data-service Pune.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) PUNE: Touchtel, the fixed line business of Bharti, will "soft-launch" its service for data customers in Pune by end of June or early July. The launch of the service was earlier scheduled for April. Doing it...

Get a jumpstart on global trading: shop online.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Devi Yesodharan Online trading has become an option for investors now, with US$25,000 at their disposal to trade internationally. Where does one start off in order to check out the various options...

CAG trips DD, doling out FCT worth 93 cr not fair.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Sudha Nagaraj : The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has written to I&B minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, drawing his attention to "lapses in Doordarshan", which have led to a cumulative...

Consumers at their confident best now.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Time to uncork the champagne. The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI), India's first comprehensive measure of consumer confidence has risen to its highest-ever level since inception. Currently at 94, the CCI...

Howzaat? Half of Made-in-India goods are exported.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Manika Premsingh Here's a stunning export success story that very few have noticed. Indian manufacturers, data seems to indicate, now export more than half their output. As a share of total...

Three months full: Tourist inflows swell forex kitty.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Raja Awasthi : Indian tourism sector is on a roll, after registering a 23% jump in foreign exchange earnings for calendar year 2003. The new year also started with a bang as January-March 2004...

OM Kotak premium up 263% in 03-04.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : OM Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance has ended `03-`04 with a premium from policies sold during the year amounting to Rs 127 crore, an increase of 263% over Rs 35 crore a year ago. Total premium, including renewal...

Automatic underwriting systems catching on.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Nandini Goswami : Imagine receiving a life insurance policy statement just within days of filling up the proposal forms. Perhaps, this may fast become a reality and almost commonplace as...

Ain't Indians as good as the Yanks?
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Web Exclusive ? "India has always had brilliant, educated people. Indians are taking the lead in colonising cyberspace." Tech-trend forecaster Paul Saffo of the Institute for the Future in Menlo...

Guess who may buy Hughes Soft!
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Pragati Verma : Beating giants like Microsoft, Nokia, Wipro, Reliance and TCS, three private equity firms have emerged as front runners to acquire Rupert Mudroch-controlled News Corp's 55% stake in...

It's all work and no romance for IT pros.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Hi! I am Sameer, a 33-year-old software engineer working with an MNC company in India. My annual income is Rs 500,000.00. I am fair, smart, athletic guy, measuring 5` 7" (170 cm) in height and weigh around 65...

Onward Novell to start call centre in Mumbai.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Onward Novell Software, a joint venture between Novell and Onward Technologies, will go live with a technical support centre in Mumbai. Novell's revenues in '03 amounted to $1.1bn. The 40-seater centre...

Linux, MS camps claim upper hand.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Rachna Subramanian : The large fan following of Linux (an open source software) in the software development world spells doom for proprietary software, especially Microsoft, predict the Linux camp....

Polaris ties up with German firm.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Polaris Software Labs has entered into a partnership with a Germany-based IT consulting organisation Plenum AG to jointly offer a high-value and risk mitigated offshore management solution portfolio to...

LG targets corp buyers for notebook PCs.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : LG electronics, which recently entered into the WiFi notebook market with the launch of its Centrino based notebook PCs in India, is targeting corporate buyers and high-end PC users in the a & b class cities....

Intel sees south India as fastest growing region.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Buoyed by three consecutive successful quarters in south Asia, Intel India is planning to expand its presence in the country by extending its footprint in 60 more cities by the end of this year. Its present...

Rising rupee, diamond prices to hit companies hard.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Satyendra Shrivastava : A double whammy stares in the face of the country's gems and jewellery industry, even as India shines. Rising rupee coupled with swelling prices of rough diamonds is...

RIL first Indian firm with $1 bn net.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Soaring refining margins helped Reliance Industries beat market expectations with a 26% surge in fourth quarter net profit, and also achieve a full-year net profit of more than $1bn - or Rs 5,169 crore - the...

Service tax dogs DD advertisers.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Sudha Nagaraj : Advertisers may have absorbed the price hike ranging between 20% and 60% effected by DD News earlier this month, but what about the 8% service tax that would be added "over and...

Wal-Mart readies India plan, awaits change in norms.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : The Indian retail sector may soon see the world's biggest retailer Wal-Mart Stores on its radar. The $245bn company has reportedly initiated studies on the Indian market and is working on a Big Bang entry,...

WelcomHeritage mulls houseboat venture.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Ranjeni A Singh : After lapping up 33 palaces, havelis, jungle lodges, resorts and homes, WelcomHeritage is all set to venture into houseboat tourism. With tourism growing leaps and bounds in the...

Indian Rayon earns 55% more on garment sales rise.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Aided by an increase in revenues from the garment business, the Aditya Birla group company, Indian Rayon, has posted a 54.9% increase in net profit to Rs 27.6 crore in the fourth quarter ended March 31. Net...

MRF puts brakes on tyre majors' move to hike prices.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Krishna Kant : Even as natural rubber prices are at a historic high, tyre buyers need not panic, thanks to MRF. The country's largest tyre company, MRF has refused to hike tyre prices despite...

Godrej picks conference biz to boost bottomline.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Writankar Mukherjee : Godrej & Boyce has decided to harp on the conference strategic business unit (SBU) to achieve 10% over-all growth in 2004-05 for its Prima division, which offers office...

HLL profit slumps 26% to Rs 294 cr.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Consumer goods major HLL on Thursday reported a more than 26% drop in its net profit at Rs 294.8 crore for the quarter ended March '04. Net sales of continuing businesses recorded a marginal fall to Rs 2,353.3...

Price cuts help HLL shore up volumes, but value growth hit.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Hindustan Lever bore the brunt of the price cuts it took in detergents and the aggressive promotion it ran in shampoos. While volume growth in home and personal care (HPC) was relatively healthy at 7%, value...

Coca-Cola pulls global suppliers into India.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : The Indian operations of Coca-Cola has attracted a bevy of its international suppliers to set up facilities in the country. Several global suppliers of the US-based company are in the process of investing up...

Liquor companies gear up to flood the barroom.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Arshdeep Sehgal : Some good news for tipplers. Take your pick from an array of scotch, wines, rum, gin and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages. Most liquor companies like Allied Domecq, Radico...

Reliance net turnover up 13% to Rs 51, 802 cr.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Reliance is one of the world's largest petrochemical producers and operates a 660,000 barrels per day refinery in Jamnagar, which is the world's third-largest refinery. Full-year profit drove past the Rs...

RIL to launch seven petrol, diesel brands.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Reliance Industries will introduce seven different brands of petrol and diesel, including the premium high octane California spec motor spirit (petrol), through its retail network in India. Reliance MD...

CESC jumps back into the black in Q4.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Kalyan Parbat : CESC Thursday announced a Rs 70-crore net profit for the year ended March 31, '04, a 10-fold increase from the Rs 7 crore recorded in the previous year. For Q4 ended March 31...

RBI support for dollar created a shortage.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : Dealers said that besides the dollar demand from importers, the Reserve Bank of India too stepped in to support the dollar, which aggravated shortage in the cash dollar market and strengthened the spot dollar....

Selloff merchant bankers await fees.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: George Smith Alexander : The government may have completed its divestment programme, but investment bankers who sold the equity offerings are yet to get their fees. Out of the six companies which had...

Indian designer bags Asian Business Award.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) LONDON: Kal Kaur Rai, who was once too nervous to mention it to her parents that she had ventured into fashion business, has won the Young Achiever category at the Asian Business Awards. Today the London...

IT dept plans e-tools in local languages for better reach.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) : The IT department plans to foster entrepreneurship-based models, drawing on private and public institutions to universalise programmes such as e-governance, e-business, e-commerce, e-education and e-health. ...

Options aplenty for those who want to study abroad.
April 30, 2004... (From The Economic Times) Byline: Ishani Duttagupta IT seems that the US is slipping from the slot of most preferred destination for Indian students. And the good news is that there are others like Canada, Australia and UK emerging...

Zanzibar: President Karume to open regional defence ministers summit 30 April.
April 30, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) 29 April President Amani Abeid Karume of Zanzibar will today open a conference of east African defence ministers in Unguja [Zanzibar]. According to a press statement issued yesterday in...

Muslims say mosque storming 'overreaction'.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Anucha Charoenpo Muslim leaders and academics say the storming of Krue Se Mosque by troops was an overreaction and will come back to haunt the government. Abdullah Abru, of Prince of Songkhla...

INDIA'S IT WORKFORCE COULD GROW TO 2 MLN IN 10 YEARS: GOLDMAN SACHS.
April 30, 2004... (From Asia Pulse) NEW DELHI, April 30 Asia Pulse - Information technology workforce in India could grow to two million in ten years, according to a report by merchant banking firm Goldman Sachs. India's knowledge-worker population...

AUSTRALIA'S IAG TO BUY BACK SHARES.
April 30, 2004... (From Asia Pulse) SYDNEY, April 30 Asia Pulse - Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX:IAG) today announced an off market share buyback of up to $A350 million ($US252.1 million). IAG said the company would purchase up to 100 million...

Kenya: I have no foreign accounts, says former President Moi.
April 30, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) site on 30 April Retired President Moi yesterday denied having foreign bank accounts. "I have no accounts overseas at all," he told the East African Standard by telephone. He...

TRAI MOOTS USE OF BSNL COPPER NETWORK, TAX SOPS FOR BROADBAND.
April 30, 2004... (From Asia Pulse) NEW DELHI, April 30 Asia Pulse - The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended fuller use of state-owned telecom provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's (BSNL) copper network and a number of tax sops,...

Saigontourist registers name, logo in Japan.
April 30, 2004... (From The Saigon Times Daily) Byline: DAO LOAN (SGT-HCMC) Saigontourist Holding Company has registered the name Saigontourist together with its apricot-shaped logo in Japan for the next ten years. An executive of the State...

Foreign airlines blast AoT charge scheme.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Boonsong Kositchotethana International carriers have criticised a plan by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) to impose a hefty two-stage increase in airport charges, saying the extra costs could seriously...

Group warns tourists to stay away.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Post reporters A Muslim separatist group has issued a warning for tourists to avoid travel to southern Thailand, including the popular beach resorts of Krabi, Phuket and Phangnga. The warning was...

Unrest and China worries send stocks lower in nervous trading.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Krissana Parnsoonthorn Thai stocks continued to slide today in a heavy sell-off as investors worried about the lingering unrest in the South and the potential impact of possible measures taken by China to...

MPC hikes growth forecast for this year.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Parista Yuthamanop The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) yesterday raised its economic growth forecast for 2004 to 6.8-7.8%, up from earlier forecasts of 6.3-7.3%. The MPC cited strong...

Low turnout stalls delisting vote.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) A key vote to delist the Industrial Finance Corporation of Thailand was unable to proceed yesterday due to lack of quorum. Under Stock Exchange of Thailand regulations, 75% of all shareholders must approve, with...

'Successful number two' provides tips on reorganisation.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Sriwipa Siripunyawit The "successful number two" strategy that DTAC has embraced since a major organisational change in 2002 has not only paid off but also drawn international recognition. DTAC's...

Guidelines for city car project.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) The government has outlined criteria for its ambitious EcoCar project giving manufacturers two years to prepare product strategies and table them to the task force in charge of the project. Officially dubbed the...

Expanded EU offers greater opportunities.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Woranuj Maneerungsee International trade opportunities will open up for countries in Eastern and Central Europe when they join the European Union, the largest single market in the world, according a...

Big mouse gets MINImal changes.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) The Mini has received its mid-life update including some engine tweaks, interior improvements and a lightly retouched exterior that only eagle-eyed enthusiasts would note. As seen this official picture, the front end...

KFC undeterred by threat of recurrence of avian flu.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Sujintana Hemtasilpa Yum Restaurants International (Thailand) Co, the company that runs the country's 308 KFC restaurants, believes that if another bird flu outbreak occurs, Thai consumers will not stop...

Forget aging, here's a better way out of the dilemma.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Most motoring buffs face the indisputable dilemma that one day their car will age and grow old, so to speak, and hence rises the urge for a new automobile even though the old one is still capable of delivering 100% as...

Noodle firm focuses on size.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Wan Thai Foods Industry Co Ltd, the maker of Yum Yum instant noodles, will promote its Yum Yum Jumbo product line more aggressively to boost sales in the stagnant instant noodle market. Managing director Makoto...

US soybean producers fear lost Thai sales.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Post reporters American soybean producers have expressed concern over possible retaliatory measures from Thai business groups if US authorities impose anti-dumping duties on Thai shrimp. The US...

Miss Lily embraces bricks and mortar.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit Miss Lily Co is looking at opening a chain of florist shops with lower-priced goods to offset the slowdown in the growth rate of its once-booming online, mail-order and telephone...

Newcomer Cinkara sees more room at market's upper end.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Somporn Thapanachai Cinkara Limited, a new property developer that still sees potential in the high-end condominium market, has launched its first project, the Ficus Lane condominium, on Sukhumvit 44/1....

PTT sizes up BBL's plant for purchase.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Yuthana Praiwan PTT Plc estimates the cost of taking over the Bangkok Polyethylene Co plant in Rayong at less than US$130 million (5.16 billion baht), according to Pichai Chunhavajira, PTT's senior...

Ch. Karnchang hopes for big state contracts.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Busrin Treerapongpichit Ch.Karnchang, the country's second-largest construction company, expects to win bids for infrastructure projects worth 20 billion baht, which would strengthen its position this...

Faculty board rejects Ung Ing.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Sirikul Bunnag Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter, Paetongtarn, and 29 other students have been rejected from a media management course one day after Chulalongkorn University restored the old...

Islamic leaders played pivotal role in uprising.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Muhamad Ayub Pathan A number of religious leaders, including Islamic provincial committee members with links to local politicians, reportedly played a key role in Wednesday's uprising in the southern...

Chettha backs force at mosque.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Post reporters A rift over the deadly force used by security forces to end a siege at Krue Se Mosque has widened, with Defence Minister Gen Chettha Thanajaro speaking out in support of Internal Security...

'Jihad warriors' died in siege.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Wassana Nanuam Militants shot dead inside the historic Krue Se Mosque during Wednesday's clash with police and soldiers were "jihad warriors" , Islamic religious leaders say. The Pattani Islamic...

Police keeping 300 youths under watch.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Police are keeping 300 youths in the South under watch for fear they might cause trouble in the aftermath of Wednesday's violence, Defence Minister Chettha Thanajaro said. The youths under watch in Pattani, Yala...

Army helps local people clean mosque.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Anucha Charoenpo and Wassana Nanuam Yakariya Yusoh, 50, a resident of Ban Krue Se Muslim village, gets up early every day to sweep the floor at Krue Se Mosque before praying to Allah. Yesterday...

Historic Krue Se knows tragedy.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Wednesday's bloodbath at Krue Se Mosque is not the first tragedy in the long history of the holy Muslim site. Built in the 7th century, it was the first red-brick mosque in Southeast Asia and has withstood sun and...

Five-step promotion for 3 slain policemen.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) The three policemen killed in Wednesday's bloodbath will be promoted and their families will receive welfare aid amounting to 500,000 baht each. Spokesman Pol Maj-Gen Pongsaphat Pongcharoen said they would get a...

Families of slain deny rebel links.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Relatives of two of the 32 men who died in the Krue Se Mosque massacre denied the dead were separatist rebels. Sitee Samiyah Hajidoloh, 50, disputes the government's claim that her husband Rase, 53, was among the...

Jamali warns of 'masterminds of violence'.
April 30, 2004... (From Bangkok Post) Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has warned Thailand to watch out for "masterminds of violence" who would try to deceive young people into sacrificing their lives in the name of religion. The...