Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from June 2004

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from June 2004

Technology.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: Ranvir Nayar Dubai Dell, which began as a $1,000 startup, is on top of the world. The US technology company recently edged out Hewlett-Packard in shipping the largest number of computers worldwide....

Automobiles.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: FARID AL-ITTIHAD Abu Dhabi Where do automakers turn when they are in serious trouble? To governments, preferably their own. ThatOs what Chrysler did in the 1980s, when it successfully sought help from...

Compagnies.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) AUTOMOBILES GM heads east General Motors (GM) has relocated its Middle East and Africa head office to Dubai from Cairo, where it was a fixture on EgyptOs corporate scene for decades. The move, which...

Finance.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) SHUAA ACQUIRES ONIC STAKE Dubai-based investment bank Shuaa recently acquired a 16.7 percent stake in Oman National Investment Corp. (ONIC) for over $20 million. The ONIC stake was earlier held by Abraaj ...

gulf banking.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: Richard Dean MANAMA Regulators have hammered the final nail into the coffin of the failed Bahrain International Bank (BIB). In early May, the bankOs lenders and depositors signed an agreement on an...

Gulf construction.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: Guy Brown DUBAI ItOs as simple as the law of supply and demand. The current construction boom in the Gulf has led to greatly increased demand for materials ETH especially steel and cement ETH and...

In the shadow of the stars.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: Pat Twair Los Angeles It was going to be the tour that finally brought Arab music to mainstream America. Egyptian superstar Hakim and Khaled, the Algerian rai sensation, were set to embark on a...

HiTech.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) more mobile deals in Lebanon Lebanon could be the next growth market for the regional telecom sector now that the government awarded four-year management contracts for its two mobile telephone networks. ...

Lebanese real estate.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: Peter Speetjens BEIRUT BeirutOs real estate market has been booming since 9/11, when Arab investment began to turn inwards, and interest in the sector began to take off. Now, along BeirutOs...

who profits when africa strikes oil?
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: ED BLANCHE A few months ago, the landlocked West African state of Chad, ravaged by civil war and corruption, shipped its first oil exports through a 1,075 kilometer pipeline running southwest ...

Managers.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) MICROSOFT Sami Al Lawati Software giant Microsoft has a new business development manager. Sami Al Lawati, an Omani national, will be responsible for relationship management with key organizations, both...

Profile - the making of mohammed al Habtoor.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: Richard Dean When Mohammed Al Habtoor returned from the United States to the UAE in the late 1980s, armed with a degree in hotel management, he was looking forward to the high life when he joined...

Shop + Last Words.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Carolina Herrera Latin roots Herrera for Men is a truly masculine fragrance created by a woman, the designer Carolina Herrera. Herrera for Men is much more than a fragrance, more than an accessory. It...

Antony Burgmans, Unilever vice chairman.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) One of the top executives at the worldwide leader in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, Burgmans outlines UnileverOs global strategy. n How did Unilever do in 2003? What challenges will the company face...

The arc of instability.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) The Americans came to Iraq with a clear military strategy, but without an equally precise vision of the countryOs political future. And that has led to disaster, argues Gareth Smyth. Across the long history of...

trade politics.
June 1, 2004... (From Arabies Trends) Byline: Gareth Smyth Tehran In 1919 Woodrow Wilson, the US president, presented the case for economic sanctions as a means, short of war, of deterring or reversing aggression. OA nation that is boycotted is a...

Troop cut talks to open next week; USFK reduction will be put on.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Choi Soung-ah South Korea and the United States are set to strike up new conversations next week on the resizing of U.S. Forces Korea. According to Kim Sook, director general of the Foreign Ministry's North...

Government offers 3-way labor talks.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Seo Hyun-jin The government proposed yesterday that trade unions, employers and the administration set up a temporary dialogue channel, on the sidelines of their currently inactive trilateral panel, to prevent...

Uri, GNP at odds over Assembly senior posts.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Lee Joo-hee Floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties kicked off potentially divisive negotiations yesterday to shape the National Assembly that will be in charge of legislation for the next four years....

Former student activist vows to remove legacy of dictatorship.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Kim So-young A major in Korean literature and poetic hopeful, Woo Sang-ho spent his early days in campus writing poems and discussing literature with other art lovers. But his quest for literature failed to...

Korean mothers beginning to use stem cell banks.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By O Youn-hee After 28-year old housewife Choi Ji-young gave birth to a boy last June, she had her son's stem cell extracted from the umbilical cord blood and stored at a stem cell bank. Her husband, a doctor,...

Distribution or growth?
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) An invited lecturer to a workshop of the ruling Uri Party lawmakers lashed out at what he termed the "distribution-oriented, equality- first" socio-economic policy of the present government. Interestingly, reactions...

Disturbing ideological debate.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) One of the most annoying political debates in this country concerns the ideological pursuits of parties and their leaders. Semantic confusion and deliberate distortion of the value orientations of political foes...

100-year-old Seoul Club building legacy.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Hwang You-mee Children's laughter and squeals of delight come through the windows at Seoul Club, tucked on a hillside near Mount Nam. Known for its quiet ambience, the international social club is open to...

Strategic issues that confront a rising Asia.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Lee Hsien Loong The Straits Times (Singapore) Asia News Network Asia's economic growth rests on the stability of the strategic environment in the region. Constructive and stable relations among the major powers...

Watch your back this summer.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Hwang You-mee Cleavage is in and designers from Calvin Klein to Christian Dior are putting out what used to be considered lingerie as everyday clothes for summer. Gauzelike, fragile dresses and tops - some even...

'Raging Years' headed to Venice film fest.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Iris Moon Director Im Kwon-taek's film "Raging Years" has been invited to compete at the 61st Venice Film Festival, signaling the growing international clout of Korean films. Im's 99th film was invited to compete...

Panel tough on foreign hostile takeovers.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Sim Sung-tae Fair Trade Commission Chairman Kang Chul-kyu said yesterday that his agency will revise the law to make foreign hostile takeover attempts of domestic companies more difficult. During a meeting...

All that jazz leads to sizzling summer.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Warren Lee Several jazz concerts will be an appropriate kick-off for what meteorologists and fortunetellers have predicted to be the hottest summer in recent memory. On June 6, the LG Arts Center will present...

Son becomes Audi Korea chairman.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) Audi Korea, a sales arm of German carmaker Audi AG, said yesterday that it has appointed Son Eul-rae, a former head of the Korea Automotive Importers & Dealers Association, as the company's first chairman. Son,...

SKT fined W11.9 bil. for antitrust violations.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Kim Tong-hyung The government will impose an 11.9 billion won ($11 million) fine on SK Telecom over its antitrust violations following the company's 2002 acquisition of Shinsegi Telecom, according to the...

Despite sluggish economy, RV sales boom.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) By Kim Hyun-chul High-flying oil prices have dealt a further blow to Korea's car market, already hit by depressed consumer demand and a slumping economy. But sales of sport utility vehicles and minivans are...

Bring them home.
June 1, 2004... (From The Korea Herald) Quite a few South Koreans were impressed once again by the press report last Thursday that the remains of 19 U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War were recovered in North Korea during a recent joint U.S.-North...

'Jueteng' rampant again, says bishop.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) DAGUPAN CITY-Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, a leading crusader against the illegal numbers game "jueteng," yesterday said the game is rampant again in the country and candidates who won in the...

Antonio paces Bangkok meet.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) FILIPINO GM Rogelio "Joey" Antonio Jr. defeated Singapore-based compatriot IM Rafelito Maninang in the fourth round to score a perfect 4.0 points and boost his title-retention bid in the 4th Bangkok Chess...

'Worst-case scenario: Canvassing over by 3rd week of June'2.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Carlito Pablo, Cynthia Balana, Fe Zamora, Christine Avenda[currency]o IT TOOK 10 minutes to open the first ballot box. Hours later, 23 more were unsealed. 199 more to go. At that pace, it...

Bank teller slay suspect summoned.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tarra Quismundo THE SON of an immigration official who had been tagged as the mastermind in the rape-slay of a bank teller has no choice but to come out and face the music. A subpoena had...

Losers always delay canvass.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Belinda Olivares-Cunanan EVERY DAY the opposition throws a new demand that it knows is not possible, given the laws on canvassing by Congress and the existing reality there. From its moves,...

An open door.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: John J. Carroll, S.J., Institute on Church and Social Issues THE SECOND Vatican Council (No. 51) speaks of husband and wife together making decisions with regard to the number of children whom...

Addressing RP's democratic deficit.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Paul D. Hutchcroft and Joel Rocamora MORE than 35 million Filipinos voted last May 10. But it will be a few weeks before the official outcome of one of the most archaic voting systems in the...

Cops excited over release of windfall after 9 months.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Leila B. Salaverria AFTER nine months of waiting, Manila's traffic policemen feel they deserve a break. An announcement from Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando on...

Davide raps GSIS over 'sloppy' record-keeping.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Philip C. Tubeza CHIEF JUSTICE Hilario Davide Jr. has taken the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to task for its "admitted failure'' to maintain accurate records of the contributions...

Second time around for John Lloyd and Ciara.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Dolly Ann Carvajal CIARA Sotto and John Lloyd Cruz were spotted having a late lunch at a ritzy resto. John Lloyd waited for Ciara for about an hour or so. She arrived looking like she just...

Editorials.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) THE RECENT senatorial election again validated the effectiveness of television as a propaganda and advertising medium. It also showed that TV is the most cost-effective medium for candidates for national...

You can spot the fake bills.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) HOW CAN ordinary people tell a counterfeit bill from a real one? A handbook provided by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas advises the public to check a bill's authenticity by looking at the paper. The...

All eyes on Fil-Ams as athletics Open fires off today.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Marc Anthony Reyes and Trina Ibarle SEVEN United States-based tracksters show their wares against national athletes and a sprinkling of foreign campaigners today as the 2004 National Open Track...

GMA makes secret trip to Cebu, seeks Vidal's help.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Jolene R. Bulambot, Jhunnex Napallacan and Bernadette Parco, Connie Fernandez,PDI Visayas Bureau CEBU CITY-When no one was looking, President Macapagal-Arroyo quietly flew into Cebu on Sunday...

Housing plan has no funds to use for GMA, says exec.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) DAVAO CITY-No money for housing to speak of. Amado Bagatsing, national housing vice chair, made this statement in reaction to accusations made by the opposition that government funds, including those...

Lipo surgeon sues TV host Rosanna Roces for libel.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Marinel R. Cruz DISPUTING a claim that she was a "total user and a liar," liposuction surgeon Vicki Belo yesterday filed two counts of libel against television host Rosanna Roces for accusing...

Lawmakers or lawbreakers?
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Bambi L. Harper WE'RE all too familiar with them: first, the ubiquitous sound of a screaming siren and a phalanx of motorcycle cops and security vehicles proclaiming the advent of a sleek, shiny...

Prosecutors to Jinggoy: Not so fast.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) NOT SO fast, Mr. Senator-elect. Government prosecutors yesterday vowed to pursue corruption charges against Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada following his successful senatorial bid. Jinggoy is free on bail...

Lumad army claims abducting DENR men over 'rape' of forests.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) BUTUAN CITY-Armed men swooped down on a popular beach resort and abducted a ranking environment official in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte early morning Sunday. The abduction came three days after two...

Canvass-and the Pope.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Juan L. Mercado THE CANVASS of votes for a pope has a rule that may lower the blood pressure of many infuriated by Maguindanao Rep. Didagen Dilangalen's antics to derail proclamation of whoever...

Homemade fake money.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Leila B. Salaverria THE PROGRESS of technology has made it easier to produce higher-quality counterfeit money right at home, as seen in the recent raid of two houses in Valenzuela that yielded...

Slain OFW hoped to see son through college.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Blanche S. Rivera, Jerome Aning and Tonette Orejas JOELLY Giray did not want to come home for good until his youngest son, a fourth-year computer engineering student, had graduated from college....

'I won't be like my father,' says Vic's son.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Remy M. Umerez, Contributor THE SON of actress Dina Bonnevie and TV host Vic Sotto vowed that he would not have children by women other than his wife. Oyo Boy Sotto, 20, also admitted he...

Motorists warned on fake freon.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: TJ Burgonio CAR owners, beware. Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun yesterday warned motorists about the sale of contaminated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or fake freon in the local market....

'Other woman' accuses envoy of abuse.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Philip C. Tubeza SAYING SHE was "sick and tired of being a punching bag," the "other woman" in Ambassador to Laos Antonio Cabangon-Chua's life has accused him of physically and emotionally...

Padaca must wait some more.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) THE COMMISSION on Elections yesterday set aside a resolution calling for the proclamation of winning Isabela gubernatorial candidate Grace Padaca. Instead, the Comelec will hold a hearing on June 4 to...

DA execs: Most agri funds intact.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tonette Orejas, PDI Central Luzon Desk; Armand N. Nocum and Cynthia D. Balana CITY OF SAN FERNANDO-Agriculture officials yesterday assured farmers in Central Luzon that P77.6 million of the P110...

Pagunsan-Dumandan duel seen.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Musong R. Castillo, Contributor FOR a change, Juvic Pagunsan won't be the only man to watch. The country's foremost amateur starts his hunt for a first-ever RP Amateur Golf championship...

May polls push INQ7.net traffic to 10.6M page views.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Erwin Lemuel G. Oliva, INQ7.net OVERSEAS Filipinos who were finally given a chance to exercise their right to vote in the May 10 elections broke traffic records on INQ7.net, as they relied...

Morality by committee.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Conrado de Quiros IT'S been an interesting debate in Inquirer's Talk of the Town the last couple of Sundays. That's over the Presidential Commission on Values Formation which GMA formed last May...

Senatorial canvass delayed for want of plane tickets.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Martin P. Marfil and Michael Lim Ubac ELECTION officials who were supposed to transport the election returns from Cotabato City to Manila yesterday failed to get commercial plane tickets,...

Part of Arnie's Army.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Al S. Mendoza LET'S go back once again to golf, my sport today and forever. Anyway, in a few days, the US Open will be with us again. That means Tiger Woods might start grabbing the headlines...

All-American five may complete Fiesta roster.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: June Navarro THE PHILIPPINE Basketball Association is hoping to get a team made up of collegiate and professional players in the United States to play and complete the foreign challenge in the...

Squabbles hit camp of Lapids.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tonette Orejas, PDI Central Luzon Desk CITY OF SAN FERNANDO-A month before elected officials take their oaths of office on June 30, squabbles have broken out at the Pampanga provincial capitol...

Studes protest DepEd plan.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Dona Z. Pazzibugan TWENTY high school students yesterday vowed to return to the Department of Education with a million signatures protesting the implementation of the controversial "bridge...

New twist in publicist slay.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tina Santos CENTRAL Police District investigators are now looking into the possibility that not only one person murdered entertainment writer and publicist Eli Formaran. This developed as...

Tigers-Aces tiff to set tone of playoffs.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) WEDNESDAY'S do-or-die match between Coca-Cola and Alaska will be a virtual preview of how the Philippine Basketball Association playoffs will proceed. Coaches say the encounter is expected to mirror the...

From WPD chief to PNP chief?
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Ramon Tulfo CHIEF Supt. Pedro Bulaong, director of the Western Police District that covers Manila, has allegedly been spreading the word that he's the next chief of the National Capital Region...

Poe camp cries foul over joint committee.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Christine O. Avenda[currency]o, Carlito Pablo and Cynthia D. Balana THEY watched like hawks, vowing to fight every inch of the way, as Congress opened yesterday the canvassing of election...

UST volleybelles eye solo lead vs Lyceum.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas shoots for the solo lead as it clashes with Lyceum even as Far Eastern University and San Sebastian College debut against each other today in the Shakey's V-League at the Lyceum...

How moviegoers can help Filipino film industry.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Nestor U. Torre A READER writes, "I think the Philippine movie industry is no longer in the ICU, it is already dead! Just imagine, there are weeks when there are no new Filipino films showing in...

Vigilantes kill boy as they resume reign of terror vs crimes.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) DAVAO CITY-Four persons, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen over the weekend here, in what could be a resurgence of vigilante-style killings. The latest victim was a...

Contaminated water seen cause of 3 inmates' deaths.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) BALANGA CITY-Three detainees have died of amoebiasis resulting from contaminated water in the age-old water tank at the Bataan provincial jail. This was revealed by Severino Lacson, provincial...

Where are the rains?
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) EVER WONDER why the monsoon rains stopped two weeks after the rainy season started? The country is experiencing "monsoon breaks" or brief dry periods that occur during the May to September rainy season,...

He used the wrong cell phone.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) USING a cellular phone that was not his proved to be fatal for this meat vendor. Marlon Evante, 27, of Marcial Street, Sangandaan, Quezon City, was stabbed dead by his wife's nephew Sunday night after a...

Who's different?
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Raiza Katrina Abubakar IT'S summertime again and I greet the humid heat of Zamboanga City with the familiarity of an old friend. My days are spent in front of the television, the piano, or the...

Asia home to energy-efficient, cost-effective structures.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tessa R. Salazar EYES of the giant flies, huge rib cages, kinetic forms of a human eye, vertebrae forms, twisting human torsos, spiraling spider webs, and replica of a durian fruit. These forms...

A beautiful discovery meant to be shared with others.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) FOR A FAMILY who spent 8 years living amid the bustling metropolis, moving to Ayala Westgrove Heights proved to be more than just a change of environment. It also meant embracing a new lifestyle. Says...

Price clubbed.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Conrado R. Banal III THIS cute administration of Gloriaetta just discovered a new way for people to strictly follow their diet-even those whose self-control is only as strong as that of Digs...

Gov't urged to cut workforce by 5-10%.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Michelle V. Remo THE GOVERNMENT needs to trim down its workforce by about 5 to 10 percent if it were serious in arresting its gaping budget deficit. According to investment bank and research...

Building a community for start-up families.
June 1, 2004... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Charles E. Buban CREATING a community that will cater to start-up families is no easy task for upstart developer Community Innovations Inc. "It's their hard-earned money or their life's...