Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from December 2004, page 7

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from December 2004

Farmers' income a top issue.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The central government gave top priority to increasing farmers' income this year. It published this year's No 1 document on February 8, vowing to increase farmers' income. The government said it would continue to...

Market.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) SHANGHAI Stocks closing lower China's shares closed down 0.05 per cent yesterday after hitting the lowest level in over three months as investors dumped shares in firms owed money by US electronics distributor Apex...

Gov't gives capital market a shot in arm.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The State Council issued a document, on January 31, to promote new guidelines for the development of the capital market. The document, clarifying government support for capital market development, announced a...

Macro-economic control strengthened.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Chinese central government strengthened its macro-economic control this year and efforts to cool down overheated sectors of the economy have taken effect. On April 9, in a State Council executive meeting presided...

Rate hike indicates resolution.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The first interest rate hike in more than nine years, on October 29, represented one of the most aggressive steps the government took to tame the economy's unhealthy factors in 2004. The People's Bank of China...

'Audit storm' stirs hot debate.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Li Jinhua, auditor-general of the National Audit Office, has been making waves with his zealous exposure of corruption in 2004. Li, in a report to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on June...

Nation lacking labourers.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) For the first time, labour shortages occurred in China's coastal areas this year. They are expected to have a huge influence on the country's industrial transfer and social development. The problem emerged first...

CAO scandal causes collapse.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corp, the major importer of China's jet fuel, sought court protection from creditors after it lost US$550 million in speculative oil trading. It is Singapore's largest derivative...

Lenovo initiates new wave of partnership.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The biggest Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group acquired the personal computer unit of the world's largest information technology giant IBM on December 8 at a cost of US$1.75 billion. The Chinese company, which has...

Two banks complete share-holding reform.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The share-holding reform of China's two major State-owned banks, China Construction Bank and the Bank of China, has made important strides forward this year. China Construction Bank established a joint stock...

Carmaker launches shareholding company.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), China's biggest passenger car maker, officially launched a shareholding company to pave the way for its overseas listings yesterday. The shareholding company, named...

Amendment adds new vigour.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) China's private sector received a significant shot in the arm in March, as the country's top legislature endorsed an amendment to the Constitution stipulating, for the first time, that citizens' lawful private property...

Asia quake shook the world - literally.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The gigantic Asian sea quake on Sunday - the most dramatic seismic shock in more than 40 years - made the earth wobble on its axis and permanently changed the geology of the surrounding area, scientists claim. It...

San Miguel to buy National Foods.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) San Miguel Corp, the largest food and beverage maker in the Philippines, has agreed to buy National Foods Ltd, Australia's biggest dairy company, for A$1.78 billion (US$1.4 billion), raising the prospect of a bidding...

Paving the way home.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) When 14-year-old Zhang Lizheng gets home from school every day, the scene is of a normal family. The lady he calls "mum" usually takes his coat and sits him down to his favourite dinner with the other three boys of...

Deadly Christmas tsunamis rival worst such waves of the past.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) WASHINGTON: The tsunamis that claimed thousands of lives across the Indian Ocean are the deadliest great waves in more than a century and probably in modern history. More than 36,000 people were killed by tsunamis...

Schild wins Semmering's magic double.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) SEMMERING, Austria: Marlies Schild completed a double on Semmering's magic mountain on Wednesday, winning a World Cup slalom in convincing fashion after victory in Tuesday's giant slalom. The 23-year-old Austrian...

Rooney charged by English FA with violent conduct.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) LONDON: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was on Wednesday charged with violent conduct by the Football Association after he shoved Bolton's Tal Ben Haim in the face at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. The England...

SCOREBOARD (12/31/2004).
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) ALPINE SKIING Women's World Cup slalom SEMMERING, Austria: Results of a women's Alpine Skiing World Cup slalom on Wednesday: 1. Marlies Schild (Aut) 1:35.49 (46.19/49.30) 2. Janica Kostelic (Cro) 1:36.53 (47.17/49.36)...

Gunners keep Chelsea in sights.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) NEWCASTLE, England: Arsenal will enter the New Year five points adrift of Premiership leaders Chelsea after a hard-fought and somewhat fortunate 1-0 win over Newcastle here on Wednesday. A deflected long-range...

IN BRIEF (Page: 15, Date: 12/31/2004).
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) FOOTBALL Romario considering return to Vasco da Gama RIO DE JANEIRO: Former Brazil striker Romario said on Wednesday he was considering a possible return to his first club Vasco da Gama despite a newspaper report that...

Fishing fleet cutback preserves resources.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) China's fishery authorities yesterday pledged to continue downsizing the country's fishing fleet to help cap overfishing and preserve resources. Liu Zheng, deputy director of the Fisheries Bureau at the Ministry...

Phelps gets probation for drunk driving.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) SALISBURY, Maryland: Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps, who won six gold medals at the Athens Games in August, was sentenced to 18 months probation on Wednesday after pleading guilty to driving while impaired....

Rare stunts: skills, thrills, chills.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) CHENGDU: The slightest mention of football would remind many in the capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan Province of big names like David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo. But much less famous is a 40-year-old woman...

Opposition's second election suit rejected.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Taiwan's high court yesterday rejected the opposition's second lawsuit to nullify the highly disputed March 20 "presidential" votes which saw the re-election of Chen Shui-bian. Presiding Judge Cheng Ya-ping...

McGrady shoots Rockets to victory over Cavs.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) NEW YORK: Tracy McGrady scored 34 points to help the Houston Rockets snap a five-game road losing streak with a 98-87 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Yao Ming added 20 points for the Rockets but...

New lectures will tackle tough topics.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) SHANGHAI: Lectures on drug addiction, AIDS prevention and safe sex may round out Shanghai's educational curriculum next year. The new lectures are part of the changes to health education throughout elementary and...

Guangzhou plans new train station.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) GUANGZHOU: This capital of Guangdong Province is planing a 13-billion-yuan (US$1.6-billion) railway station to handle tens of millions of passengers every year. Construction of the new railway station officially...

IN BRIEF (Page: 2, Date: 12/31/2004).
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Environment protection Four cities have been listed as models in environmental protection. They include Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jiangmen, South China's Guangdong Province and the Yubei...

Six-party talks to advance: Spokesman.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue still have the foundation and conditions necessary to move forward since all the involved parties have agreed to move forward. China has vowed to persist in its...

Yunnan goes all out to build railway network.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) KUNMING: Twelve new railway lines will be built in the next five years in Yunnan Province. The new lines are expected to cost as much as 80 billion yuan (US$9.7 billion). The funding will come from the...

Beijing achieves target of 227 clean days.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Beijing has finally reached the year's clean air target. Wednesday's crisp and clean weather was a blessing to the city's air guardians. It marked the 227th day with good air quality, said Zhao Chengyi, an official...

West.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Three in a bed and the little one said...... Suffering from a lack of government funds, 74 students at a vocational school in Ningxia are forced to live in a dormitory of only 50 square metres, with two or three...

East.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Bawdy text message lands teenager in trouble An 18-year-old mistakenly sent his dad a raunchy text message intended for a female friend he met on the Internet. His dad was so annoyed he stormed into the teenager's...

North.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Nursery school emptied after hiring man A kindergarten saw a mass exodus of its children after a young man was hired as a stand-in nursery teacher. Only three youngsters out of 52 were left when word got around...

MBO bid needs transparency.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Improved profitability is a compelling evidence of the necessity and effectiveness of China's ongoing property right reform of State-owned enterprises (SOEs). The high-profile moves the Chinese authorities have...

South.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Six-year-old survives against the odds A six-year-old girl from Taiwan Province survived the terrible tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean by clinging to a withered tree on Thailand's Phi Phi island for 22 hours. The...

Central.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Dramatic son asks for paternal 'divorce' A young man consultedthe local judicial department, seeking a "divorce" from his father, who refused to help pay for his upcoming marriage. The son, an only child, asked for...

Rural economy must be fed to nurture robust growth.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The formal proposal of the "feedback" theory for agriculture at the two-day central working conference on agriculture which ended on Wednesday shows the central authorities' intention to step up efforts to support...

Shenyang cleans up its act.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) You are in a colourful world filled with tens of thousands of red, yellow, blue and pink roses introduced from all over the world. Looking through the glass wall, there lies a snow-capped frozen river with silver hills...

Public money abusers should rectify their mistakes.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The State Council has delivered "a comprehensive report" to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in its session between December 25 and 29, about putting right the financial malpractice exposed by...

More support to farmers.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Despite enjoying agricultural tax exemption, China's farmers should get more support from the government, says an article in Nanfang Metropolis Daily. An excerpt follows: On December 21, Henan and Zhejiang provinces...

Never relax macrocontrol.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Remarkable achievements have been made through the continuous enhancement of the macro-control level in the past year, yet a deeper understanding of it should be worked out, says an article in Beijing Review. An...

Sharon, Peres reach deal on new government.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reached a deal with Shimon Peres yesterday to name the opposition leader his senior deputy, clearing a key obstacle to a unity government able to abandon the occupied Gaza...

US forces kill 25 insurgents in Mosul.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) BAGHDAD: US troops and warplanes killed at least 25 insurgents as they attacked an American outpost in the northern city of Mosul with a car bomb and explosives, the US military said yesterday. One US soldier died in...

Tougher punishment.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Tougher measures should be taken to intensify the crackdown on intellectual property right (IPR) violations, says an editorial in Beijing News. An excerpt follows: In a judicial interpretation on IPR infringement,...

Tapping gold rush in wedding boom.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Many Chinese citizens will ring in the New Year with wedding bells, as nuptials hit their peak season. According to tradition, some people believe the next lunar year, beginning February 9, is unsuitable for...

Viet Nam reports 29th human case of bird flu.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) HANOI: A 16-year-old girl from southern Viet Nam has become infected with the bird flu strain that killed 32 people earlier this year and devastated the poultry industry across Asia, a doctor said yesterday. The...

Warnings scare coastal Asians.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) BANDA ACEH: Tens of thousands of residents fled coasts in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand after warnings that a new tsunami was about to strike after new aftershocks hit the Indian Ocean yesterday. India issued a...

Inflow of overseas liabilities slowing down.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Heftier amounts of foreign debts flowed into China in the first three quarters of this year as the economy continued to grow rapidly. But new overseas borrowings by foreign banks operating in China slowed down in...

EXCHANGE RATES (12/31/2004).
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) Following are the exchange rates for leading currencies against the dollar at 12:00 GMT on December 30: Euro US$ per Euro 1.36065 Britain US$ per Pound 1.92065 Australia US$ per A$ 0.77435 Switzerland Franc per US$...

IN BRIEF (Page: 7, Date: 12/31/2004).
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) KIEV, Ukraine Revote appeal rejected The Central Election Commission yesterday rejected Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's appeal of Ukraine's presidential revote, saying he had not proved there were mass violations, a...

Hitachi launches suit on patent infringement.
December 31, 2004... (From China Daily) The world's No 2 hard disk drive maker Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) has brought a Chinese rival into a US court for alleged patent infringements. The case has added to an increasing number of...

Baker reflects on silver, Hecla's future.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) Hecla Mining President and CEO Phillips "Phil" S. Baker heads a century-old Coeur d'Alene, Idaho-based mining company he feels offers an excellent future as a mid-tier, gold equivalent mining company. ...

No comment on WMC Resources, says BHP Billiton.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) -- BHP Billiton said on Wednesday it would not comment on a story in Australia's Sydney Morning Herald that it could be in the running to make a counterbid against Xstrata for WMC Resources. We don't...

Newmont's Buyat Bay accusers recant.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) On Tuesday, the three Buyat Bay residents and their environmental NGOs patrons admitted that their claims against Newmont Mining were baseless. Their admissions came after several months of wrangling, the...

Barrick's Wilkins forecasts challenging year.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) Barrick President and CEO Greg Wilkins is very proud of Barrick's share performance track record up 8.1% this year, compared to a negative 18% for gold equities as a whole. In a wide-ranging interview...

Glamis is happy with proposed vote.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) Glamis Gold President and CEO Kevin McArthur said he is very happy that Toronto-based Goldcorp has agreed to let its shareholders decide whether to proceed with a proposed friendly merger with Wheaton River,...

DRDGOLD might separately list offshore assets.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) -- Johannesburg-listed DRDGOLD will take a good look at possibly hiving it offshore assets into a foreign listing once it has gotten the year-end break and "a couple of other things" out of the way, spokesman...

'Tis the season for good deeds.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) Christmas is the season for giving, and to remember those who could use a little extra help. It is also a good time to contemplate and/or reinforce a mining or exploration company's record of social...

Rising costs hinder AngloGold's Russia plans.
December 31, 2004... (From Mineweb) (Mineweb.com) -- An increase in the costs of developing the Asacha gold project in Russia has led to a delay in AngloGold Ashanti's subscription to a second tranche of shares in AIM-listed Trans-Siberian Gold (TSG). ...

(TB) Closing New York energy futures prices.
December 31, 2004... (From RWE) Sydney - Friday - December 31 (RWE): Contract Close Change High Low LIGHT SWEET CRUDE FEB 05 43.45 -0.19 43.80 42.52 MAR 05 43.63 -0.17 43.93 42.70 APR 05 43.57 -0.17 43.80 42.66 MAY 05 43.32 -0.19 43.32 42.49 JUN 05 43.05...

(TB) Closing New York precious metals futures prices.
December 31, 2004... (From RWE) Sydney - Friday - December 31 (RWE): Contract Close Change High Low GOLD JAN 05 437.50 +1.50 439.00 437.50 FEB 05 438.40 +1.40 439.80 434.70 APR 05 440.50 +1.40 442.20 437.00 JUN 05 442.90 +1.40 444.50 439.00 AUG 05 445.30...

(TB) Closing New York coffee, sugar & cotton futures prices.
December 31, 2004... (From RWE) Sydney - Friday - December 31 (RWE): Contract Close Change High Low COFFEE 'C' MAR 05 103.75 -4.20 108.10 103.00 MAY 05 106.00 -4.15 110.15 106.00 JUL 05 107.65 -4.20 111.50 107.50 SEP 05 109.20 -4.20 112.80 109.20 DEC 05...

(TB) Closing Chicago grains and soy complex futures prices.
December 31, 2004... (From RWE) Sydney - Friday - December 31 (RWE): Contract Close Change High Low CORN MAR 05 204.75 +1.50 205.25 202.00 MAY 05 213.00 +1.75 213.50 209.25 JUL 05 220.50 +1.75 221.00 217.00 SEP 05 227.50 +1.00 227.75 225.00 DEC 05 236.75...

(AE) Aus shares opening report: ALL ORDS DOWN 8.3 TO 4048.7.
December 31, 2004... (From RWE) Sydney - Friday - December 31: (RWE Australian Business News) - The Australian sharemarket opened lower today in hesitant trading that could well see the market rebound later on the back of window-dressing and close 2004 at a...

St Lucia records increase in banana production.
December 31, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) news agency on 30 December Castries, St Lucia: The Banana Emergency Recovery Unit (BERU) has reported an overall 30 per cent increase in...

SAN MIGUEL SUBMITS US$1.4 BLN BID FOR ASX-LISTED NATIONAL FOODS.
December 31, 2004... (From Asia Pulse) MELBOURNE, Dec 31 Asia Pulse - Philippines soft drink and beer giant San Miguel wants to move into the milk business after trumping the bid by New Zealand co-op Fonterra for listed Australian dairy group National Foods...

ANALYSIS - INDIA'S AUTO INDUSTRY IN 2004.
December 31, 2004... (From Asia Pulse) NEW DELHI, Dec 31 Asia Pulse - Low interest rates and higher income shrugged off rise in input costs, helping carmakers todrive to the elite club of nations by selling a record one million cars while Maruti engaged...

Business Briefs.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) SECTION A Weather A2 Asian Tsunami A2-7 Hong Kong & Delta A8-9 National News A12-13 International A14-15 Editorials & Letters A16 Insight A17 News Features A18 ...

Angang seeks parent's assets in mainland steel trade shake-up.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: acquisitions Eric Ng Angang New Steel is to buy most of its parent's assets, worth about 18 billion yuan, to become the third-largest listed mainland crude steel maker by volume. The deal,...

HK steps up huntfor missing as 2deaths confirmed.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Benjamin Wong in Phuket and Klaudia Lee A stepped-up search for Hong Kong people missing in tsunami-hit areas was launched by the government yesterday as the city's death toll rose to two, four...

China Life misused funds to build tower Auditor uncovers 5.4 billion yuan in irregularities at China's largest insurer.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: insurance Bei Hu China's largest life insurer misused 750 million yuan to build a Beijing office tower before its initial public offering last year, mainland legislators were told this week....

'All of a sudden the first swell came through'.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Joanne Davis ended her swim half an hour earlier than usual when she felt a strong undertow in the water off Phuket's Chedi resort last Sunday morning. Instead, she went for breakfast at the resort's...

ICEA faces axe as GEM listing sponsor Investment bank may be suspended indefinitely over Euro-Asia debacle despite agreeing to pay $30m.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: regulation Enoch Yiu Investment bank ICEA may be suspended indefinitely from acting as a sponsor for Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) listings for its role in the Euro-Asia listing debacle, as...

Midland sees end to boom in luxury sector.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: property Ernest Kong and Peggy Sito The dramatic rally in the luxury home market, which has seen prices soar almost 60 per cent over the past 12 months after a seven-year slump, is not expected...

Paralysed Kwan-mei to return home after three-year exile.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Annemarie Evans and Kristine Kwok Fourteen-year-old quadriplegic Chan Kwan-mei will soon be back home after spending three years in hospital because her family's flat was too small for her and...

Closing the book on a record year A happy story session puts the cap on charity drive, netting more than $7m to bring cheer to 12 groups.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Annemarie Evans The gleeful laughter of children listening to a storyteller at Kowloon Hospital yesterday provided a fitting end to Operation Santa Claus, which has raised a record of more than...

Rebounding property and stocks bring back magic.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Hong Kong rediscovered some of its old magic this year. Fuelled by the double happiness of rising property prices and a rebounding stock market, we finally saw off the deflationary spectre that had stalked...

How you can help the tsunami's child victims.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Annemarie Evans Operation Santa Claus is extending its fund-raising efforts for two weeks to raise desperately needed funds for the young victims of Asia's tsunami disaster. Although...

Business Briefs.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Wednesday, Jan 5, HK: Canadian Chamber of Commerce inaugurates its special speaker series with a visit by Canadian House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken. Friday, Jan 7, HK: HK General Chamber of...

Parties unite in effort to help victims.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Ambrose Leung and Klaudia Lee Politicians and social activists yesterday put aside differences and united to launch an unprecedented fund-raising operation to help tsunami victims. Almost...

Official inaction is chipping away one of our four pillars.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Each member of our hard-working government has undoubtedly made a private New Year's resolution this year, but it's doubtful they have put their heads together to forge a collective goal for the next 12...

cab chatwith Agnes Lam.
December 31, 2004... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Shum Sing-hoi, 50, says Hong Kong is blessed when it comes to natural disasters, but not so blessed in terms of governance From Quarry Bay to Tuen Mun Fare: $338 I felt very shocked and upset...