Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from January 2005

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from January 2005

State strengthening agricultural capacity growth.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) The central authorities publicized yesterday a set of ideas to strengthen overall agricultural production capacity. The ideas adopted by the central authorities aim to improve agricultural infrastructure, make...

IN BRIEF (Page: 5, Date: 01/31/2005).
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) BEIJING Disaster assessment The nation's top geological survey administration has pledged to intensify efforts in the assessment of geological disasters while exploring oil and gas resources and new energy from seas....

West.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) Broken leg knits and so does marriage A broken leg has restored a marriage headed for the divorce courts. After 12 years together Lu Cuilan and her husband Wang Suqiang decided to call it a day. They felt the love had...

North.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) Sparrows flock to bird lovers of Tianjin A pensioner couple have taken the sparrows of Tianjin under their wing. Five times a day a flock of 200 or so of the little birds swoop on to their balcony, twittering...

Poor score should serve as an alert on environment.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) A team of environmental experts at Yale and Columbia universities in the United States have just released Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) figures and rankings at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland....

East.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) School's out as fees go unpaid A primary school faced a lockout, with pupils and teachers forced to go home after unpaid contractors got fed up with waiting for their money. With 230,000 yuan (US$27,800)...

South.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) Cushy jail life lures Viet Nam migrant A Vietnamese who yearned to get into a Hong Kong jail paid snakehead gangsters US$200 to smuggle him and a gun and bullets into the SAR where he got himself arrested. The man...

Central.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) Thief mistakes cop for crook A thief working a train was arrested after mistaking a plainclothed policeman as another no-good he warned off. After seeing one of his confederates seized by another officer when the train...

Procedures for voting in Iraqi election.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) VOTING CENTRES Iraqis report to 5,220 designated voting centres around the country. The centres will be ringed by Iraqi police and Iraqi National Guard troops, with American and other multinational soldiers in reserve....

Iraqis brave bombs to vote.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) BAGHDAD: Some smiled, some were stoic and others hid their faces as Iraqis went to the polls yesterday, braving anti-US insurgents determined to drown the historic vote in blood. Suicide bombs and mortar fire...

Major parties taking part in elections.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) Seventy-five political parties, nine coalitions and 27 independent candidates are contesting the 275 seats in Iraq's National Assembly. United Iraqi Alliance United Iraqi Alliance combines parties mostly from...

Israel says West Bank pullback soon.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) JERUSALEM: Israeli troops could pull out of several West Bank cities within days, pending the outcome of further talks with the new Palestinian leadership, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said yesterday. In another...

Bird flu deaths in Viet Nam rise to 11.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) HANOI: A 13-year-old girl from Viet Nam's southern Dong Thap Province, who was confirmed to have contracted the bird flu virus H5N1 by the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, died on Saturday, bringing fatalities...

Trade ministers to work harder on Doha deal.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) DAVOS, Switzerland: Ministers from G20 developing countries and wealthy industrialized states agreed on Saturday to work harder to finish the complicated negotiations needed to change trade rules in favour of the poor....

Militia kill 16 people, abduct 34 young girls.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) KINSHASA: Militiamen carrying guns and machetes killed 16 people this week and kidnapped at least 34 young girls in a series of attacks on a remote area of eastern Congo, the United Nations said. Two platoons of UN...

IN BRIEF (Page: 8, Date: 01/31/2005).
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) KHARTOUM Riot leaves 14 dead Police clashed with ethnic groups in the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan, leaving at least 14 people dead and 16 injured, a government official said. The United Nations said police...

Consumption demand to remain stable, predict economists.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) China's consumption demand will remain stable this year, economists said, but it will play an increased role in economic development. Zhang Liqun, a senior researcher at the State Council Development Research...

Mideast sees new hope.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' initial success in calming down tensions with Israel rekindles hopes that peacekeeping will be put back on track. His deployment of thousands of security forces on Gaza's border...

Corn exports expected to recover.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) China's corn exports will experience a partial revival this year thanks to the central government's policy adjustment, but this rise will remain moderate, analysts said. An expert from the China National Grain and...

A small but significant step forward.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) On Saturday, seven mainland charter planes landed on Taiwan for the first time since 1949, the start of cross-Straits charter flights for the 2005 Spring Festival. A month ago, few would have forecast the success...

High turnout expected despite threats.
January 31, 2005... (From China Daily) Early reports from polling stations show that the turnout in Iraq's election yesterday could reach or exceed 50 per cent, political party officials said. The election commission will release official figures...

OPEN - ASIA PULSE INTERNATIONAL - JAN 31, 2005.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) $all $adv $opn Good Morning. This is the Asia Pulse International service of business intelligence, news, tenders and expert commentary on the economics of Asia provided by Asia Pulse Pte Ltd (Asia Pulse). ...

(AEHTW) HeartWare 50c shares open at 49c, now 48c.
January 31, 2005... (From RWE) Sydney - Monday - January 31: (RWE Australian Business News) - HeartWare Ltd joined the sharemarket lists for the first time today, and the 50c shares opened at 49c and traded between 46c and 51c before settling at 48c. ...

(AECPA) Comm Prop Office in $89.4m Parramatta property deal.
January 31, 2005... (From RWE) Sydney - Monday - January 31: (RWE Australian Business News) - Colonial First State Property Ltd, the manager of the Commonwealth Property Office Fund, has announced the Fund's acquisition of the 101 George Street development...

(AEHIB) Hibernia Gold to outline mineable resource.
January 31, 2005... (From RWE) Sydney - Monday - January 31: (RWE Australian Business News) - Hibernia Gold Ltd has accelerated plans to outline a mineable resource after promising results from the latest drilling of the Dargues Reef project near Braidwood...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 31, 2005.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) BANGKOK, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - Populist policies, the key engine behind the Thai Rak Thai party's landslide victory four years ago, are being promoted heavily by...

S KOREAN PROSECUTORS TO PROBE EX-RULING PARTY HEAD OVER FUNDS.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) SEOUL, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - South Korea's top prosecutors' office said Friday it plans to summon the former chairman of the ruling party to question him over whether he improperly accepted funds from executives of the...

MERCK KGAA SELLS ELECTRONIC CHEMICALS BUSINESS TO BASF.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) DARMSTADT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2005-- -- Merck EC business, with about 600 employees, will transfer to BASF. -- Merck to continue Darmstadt EC...

PAKISTAN'S IBRAHIM FIBRES Q1 2005 PROFITABLY FALLS 40 PCT.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) KARACHI, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - Ibrahim Fibres Limited first quarter 2005 profitability fell 40 per cent to Rs151 million (US$2.5 million) as against Rs252 million during the same period last year, an analyst of Taurus...

INDIA AND CANADA TO SET UP STUDY GROUP.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) NEW DELHI, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - India and Canada have decided to set up a Joint Study Group (JSG) to study the possibility of a compehensive economic partnership. The decision to set up the JSG was taken at the...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 31, 2005.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR: - Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is banking on its lucrative long-haul and high-density international routes to power the national...

CELLECTRICON OPENS US UNIT.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) GOTHENBURG, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Cellectricon, a Swedish biotechnology company and a leading provider of cell-based assays, today announced the opening...

IMAGES OF OLYMPIC SWIMMERS AT OMEGA BOBSLED EVENT IN ST. MORITZ.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) St. Moritz, Jan., 31 /Photopress AG - AsiaNet / -- Two Images of Olympic Swimmers at Omega Bobsled Event in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Australian swimmer Ian...

FOX A TOP SCHOOL FOR INTL EXPERIENCE: FINANCIAL TIMES.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) PHILADELPHIA, (BUSINESS WIRE) Jan 31, 2005 - The Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University is the only U.S. business school with a program in...

PROCTOR AND GAMBLE TO ACQUIRE GILLETTE: REPORTS.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) NEW YORK, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - United States' largest consumer goods company Procter and Gamble is acquiring Gillette Co. for about US$55 billion in stock to create the world's largest consumer product business...

FANNIE MAE REDEMPTION.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall-AsiaNet/ -- Principal Security Interest Maturity CUSIP Redemption Amount Type ...

PAKISTAN TOBACCO BOARD PREPARES NEW PLAN TO ENHANCE EXPORTS.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) KARACHI, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - The Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) has prepared a revolutionary plan to boost tobacco output, usage, export, jobs and revenues, a board official said Friday. Pakistan produces on the...

PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK APPOINTS BANKERS FOR 2ND PUBLIC OFFER.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) NEW DELHI, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - Punjab National Bank (BSE:PNBK) has appointed six merchant bankers to manage its second public offer of 80 million shares for raising close to Rs 30 billion (US$687.7 million) by this...

CADWALADER TOPS CMBS RANKS AGAIN.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2005--Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP continued its commanding performance in the commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS)...

S KOREA'S OVERSEAS INVESTMENT SOARS TO RECORD HIGH IN 2004.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) SEOUL, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - South Korea's overseas investment reached a record high last year, as more firms and individuals headed overseas for new business opportunities, a state-run trade bank said Monday. ...

KAESONG PRODUCTS TO BE BARRIER TO S. KOREA-JAPAN FTA: REPORT.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) TOKYO, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - The country status of products made in the Kaesong industrial complex in North Korea will likely pose a hurdle to the ongoing negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea...

UK GIVES US$5.2 MLN FOR DEVOLUTION TRUST IN PAKISTAN.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) ISLAMABAD, Jan 31 Asia Pulse - The United Kingdom government's Department for International Development (DFID) will extend 2.75 million pounds (US$5.2 million) to the Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment (DTCE) to...

ASHFORD STEERS WAITEMATA TO SECOND WIN.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Tauranga, Jan 31 - As his Waitemata side became only the second club to win two Mount Sevens titles, Mana Ashford urged tournament organisers to preserve the sanctity of the event. The brilliant...

ALCOA NAMED ONE OF WORLD'S TOP 3 MOST SUSTAINABLE CORPORATIONS.
January 31, 2005... (From Asia Pulse) (Full text of statement. Contact detail s below.) PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2005--Alcoa (NYSE:AA) today announced that it has been named one of the top three most sustainable corporations in the world...

NEW ZEALAND FRONTERS.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 - Main stories in today's morning paper include: CHRISTCHURCH PRESS Page 1: Attacks mar Iraq poll. Deaths bring halt to flights. Page 2: Govt push on...

COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE PHONE NUMBER PORTABILITY SYSTEM.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 NZPA - The Commerce Commission today announced it would investigate the mechanics of a system to provide telephone number portability. Number portability allows local and...

POLICE CAR DAMAGED IN HIGH SPEED CHASE.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Tauranga, Jan 31 - A driver of a car alleged to have been stolen was caught following a high-speed police chase in the Bay of Plenty this morning, police said. The chase along the Matata straight...

15-YEAR-OLD STUNS WITH SPRINT CAR TITLE.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Tauranga, Jan 31 - He's not old enough to drink champagne and wasn't even allowed to drive home afterwards -- but Tauranga's Ben Finemore, 15, has rocked motorsport in New Zealand with the most...

SOLID ENERGY STILL CONSIDERING BUILDING COAL SHIPS.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Greymouth, Jan 31 NZPA - Solid Energy is still seriously contemplating the building of three coal ships to increase coal exports from the West Coast. ``The proposal is still on the table. Still...

TRIBUTES FLOW FOR MISSING TEENAGER.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Tauranga, Jan 31 - Teachers today paid tribute to a promising young rugby player as specialist police divers joined the search for the Mount Maunganui teenager who vanished in a fishing tragedy . ...

MAN KILLED IN CRASH NOT WEARING SEATBELT.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 - Not wearing a seatbelt may have cost a young Hamilton man his life after his car and a bread delivery truck collided at a city roundabout. John Wiremu Mathews, 25, of...

BLACK SOX SWAP BATS FOR PADDLES.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Tauranga, Jan 31 - It was a hot summer's day as the world softball champions made their way from their bus and across the sand to a warm reception in front of a group of waka in the Bay of Plenty. ...

SPECIAL WEATHER BULLETIN.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 - Special weather bulletin issued by MetService at 11:26am. For GISBORNE, HAWKES BAY. HEAVY RAIN WARNING EXTENDED SOUTH INTO HAWKES BAY. The heavy rain warning for...

UNLISTED DELISTS HEDGEFUND PATROL FROM TRADING PLATFORM.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 NZPA - Hedge Fund Patrol Ltd has been delisted from the Unlisted trading platform. Hedge Fund Patrol (HFP) said in a statement it had been advised by Unlisted that its...

ILLNESS FORCES ROULSTON TO PULL OUT OF LANGKAWI TOUR.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Ashburton, Jan 31 - New Zealand cyclist Hayden Roulston is back in Belgium after illness forced him to pull out of the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia. Roulston, from Ashburton, riding for his new...

VICTORIAN GOVT EYES NZ METHODS FOR TRACKING PAEDOPHILES.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 - The Victorian state government is looking at matching New Zealand laws that allow authorities to effectively extend the parole of some prisoners after they are released, the...

TEACHERS CODE OF ETHICS CRITICISED AS MUMBO JUMBO.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 - A code of ethics for teachers comes into effect today but a critic has condemned it as ``meaningless mumbo jumbo''. The code, developed by the Teachers' Council, aims to...

POLICE NAME TODDLER KILLED IN HASTINGS PADDOCK.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 - Hastings police have named the toddler killed in a paddock in the suburb of Flaxmere on Saturday. Ariana Josephine Tawhai, two, of Flaxmere, was with an adult who was loading...

HIGH-FLYING KAKA PROVES THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Wellington, Jan 31 - Kupe the young kaka has staff at Wellington's Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in a flap after he flew 130km away and then inexplicably came home to roost. The high-flying native...

FOUR REPORTED SIGHTINGS OF GERMAN COUPLE.
January 31, 2005... (From New Zealand Press Association) Hastings, Jan 31 NZPA - There have been four reported sightings of two German tourists who went missing from southern Hawke's Bay on January 18 amid fears they had drunk poisonous tea. Police...

One Man's Meat.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Benjamin G. Defensor It is a given that sales taxes are the easiest to collect. These are included in the prices of goods purchased. That is why it is considered as a regressive tax because...

Fast Forward.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Argee Guevarra The appointments of Bert Lina, Popo Lotilla and Juan Santos to form part of the administration's economic team spells a policy shift away from President Gloria Macapagal...

Fence Sitter.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Antonio R. Samson There's a reason why the bearers of bad news are killed. The messenger should indeed be responsible for the news he delivers. The message and the messenger, after all, are...

Roots.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Jose S. Arcilla, S.J. Alaric, the Hun, besieged Rome for three days in August 410 A.D., at the end of which the Eternal City fell. It was a catastrophe totally unexpected and the ancient...

Beyond Brushstrokes.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Maria Victoria Rufino "We boil at different degrees." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) US poet and philosopher It is the week of the Lunar New Year. After the frenzied holiday...

Corporate Watch.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Amelia H. C. Ylagan The Forbidden City is the ultimate monument of might and brilliance for the Ming dynasty, the last native imperial dynasty in China sandwiched between two foreign...

Dear Editor.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: R.A.V. Saguisag This refers to the piece of Atty. Basilio H. Alo on executive appointments (Rule of Law, Jan. 28) As to Secretary Emilia T. Boncodin, she was appointed 16 times between...

National Steel owners seek gov't cover on P1.1-B loans.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Felipe F. Salvosa II The Indian owners of the revived National Steel Corp. are seeking a state guarantee to cover some $20 million (P1.1 billion) in bank loans, but government officials and...

Dear Editor.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Rodolfo G. Albano The ERC would like to make a clarification in the news article entitled "Negros-Panay power project to be delayed" that appeared on Page 2 of the Jan. 28, 2005 issue of...

Senate bill proposes special fund for pre-need planholders' claims.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Carina I. Roncesvalles A bill which seeks to establish a special protection fund for pre-need planholders when the company becomes insolvent has been filed at the Senate. Senate...

SEC accountant questions valuation of CAP land.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Jennee Grace U. Rubrico The general accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has questioned the method used in the appraisal of the property that pre- need firm College...

Asia Diamond liquidation favored.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Jennee Grace U. Rubrico The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) favors the liquidation of pre-need company Asian Diamond Plans, Inc. in the absence of an investor that...

Mitsubishi SUV shift.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) With the tax break on Asian utility vehicles (AUVs) gone, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. is shifting its focus to sport utility vehicles or SUVs. Melchor R. Dizon, senior vice-president for...

Malaysian computer school chain to invest P27M in RP.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Felipe F. Salvosa II A Malaysian chain of computer schools is entering the Philippine market to address what it said was the lack of affordable information technology or IT training in the...

Transition power contracts.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) The government is looking to sign all transition supply contracts with distribution utilities and electric cooperatives by next month. Outgoing Energy Sec. Vincent S. Perez, Jr. last week told the Joint...

House of Investments unit deal.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) House of Investments, Inc. subsidiary Landev Corp. will acquire today GAIC Manpower Services, Inc. for P31.4 million. Landev is tentatively set to sign the deed of sale with Gulf Asia International...

Toyota Autoparts export target.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Toyota Autoparts Philippines, Inc.. expects to boost exports to more than $400 million this year. Toyota Motor Philippines, Inc. President Nobaharu Tabata said Toyota Autoparts' contribution to the...

FBMA Babcock vessel launch.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) CEBU CITY - FBMA Babcock Marine, Inc. recently launched the 14th vessel built at its shipyard inside the West Cebu Industrial Park in the coastal town of Balamban, about 66 kms. west of this city. The...

Transco sells P187.04 million in assets.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Bernardette S. Sto. Domingo State-run National Transmission Corp. (Transco) last week sold subtransmission assets worth P187.04 million to Visayan Electric Company, Inc. (Veco) and Davao...

Bullish mood expected to continue.
January 31, 2005... (From BusinessWorld (Philippines)) Byline: Roulee Jane F. Calayag Strengthened confidence in the country's economic fundamentals is steering more investors into the Philippine stock market. With the consistent rise in the...

DEMOCRAT UNDERDOG UPBEAT.
January 31, 2005... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: Story by SUPAWADEE SUSANPOOLTHONG Democrat candidate Duantemduang na Chiang Mai believes if the process is good, the outcome does not matter. "I'm serious about what I do. I give it my best shot and...

Billions spent in battle for Isan vote.
January 31, 2005... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: POST REPORTERS Massive amounts of money _ both legal campaign spending and illegal vote-buying funds _ are being dumped in the Northeast by political parties in the last leg of the Feb 6 general election...

Rivals 'using PM's popularity'.
January 31, 2005... (From Bangkok Post) Chiang Rai _ Mahachon candidates should avoid making appeals for votes by exploiting Thai Rak Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra's popularity, says Mahachon's leader. Sources say candidates from a variety of parties...

Chart Thai spoiler tipped.
January 31, 2005... (From Bangkok Post) Byline: ANUCHA CHAROENPO Buri Ram _ Two Chart Thai candidates seem well placed to upset Thai Rak Thai's dream of a clean sweep of constituencies in Buri Ram province. Thai Rak Thai had set a target of winning...