Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from November 2002

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from November 2002

Taskforce likely to decide against merger proposal Official group to study plan finds strong opposition to idea of uniting HKUST, CUHK.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Linda Yeung The official taskforce set up by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to consider the pros and cons of merging with Chinese University of Hong Kong is likely to decide...

Parents may withhold ESF fees Battle of Beacon Hill rages on despite crisis meeting over inspection report.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Steve Cray More than 300 parents of pupils at Beacon Hill School have passed a motion to consider withholding fees in protest over the way the English Schools Foundation has handled the damning...

ESF student expelled over hash cookies.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Steve Cray One student has been expelled and another seven were suspended from South Island School after they were found in possession of cannabis in the form of "hash brownies". The...

Alternative plan emerges for Zhuhai bridge Reports of the Guangdong proposal fail to mention a Shenzhen and Macau link.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Gary Cheung Guangdong authorities plan to spend 15 billion yuan (HK$14 billion) on building a 26.7km bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai, according to a Guangdong newspaper. The...

40pc discounts par for the course.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Sandy Li The upmarket mainland Mission Hills Golf Club is slashing membership fees by 40 per cent in an effort to drum up sales in its bid to become the world's largest golfing facility within...

Academics fear loss of pay peg to scales in civil service.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Gary Cheung Delinking academics' salaries from civil service pay scales should be implemented cautiously to avoid instability, university chiefs have said. Polytechnic University president...

Strong growth figures raise recovery hopes Thanks to exports the economy is now looking up, but on the domestic front unemployment and deflation are still a problem.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Kelvin Chan and Ernest Kong Early signs of an economic recovery have emerged in the form of better than expected third quarter growth figures that were up 3.3 per cent year-on-year thanks to a...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) SUN MEDIA RECORDS A $43.3m FIRST-HALF LOSS Sun Media Group Holdings has reported a net loss of HK$43.35 million for the six months to September, compared with a loss of HK$37.35 million in the...

Merrill profits from Singapore chipmaker's IBM tie-up.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith in Singapore Merrill Lynch appears to have pocketed a gain of at least S$25 million (about HK$110.5 million) as it pared down its unwanted stake in chipmaker Chartered...

British business voices concerns over Article 23 The country's chamber of commerce warns that if HK is to become Asia's World City, basic freedoms must be protected.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Cliff Buddle The British Chamber of Commerce raised a string of detailed concerns about the government's proposals for anti-subversion laws yesterday, warning Hong Kong would become less...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Seven-year-olds: 200,000 below UK government standard in reading and 240,000 in writing 11-year-olds: only 52 per cent of boys and 68 per cent of girls reached required standard in writing. Target was...

Changes to our business news coverage next week.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) The business section of the South China Morning Post is being relaunched on Monday to give greater emphasis to the coverage of companies and markets news. The two business sections will be merged to...

Trading partners.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology Henry Tang Ying-yen, left, and Beijing's Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, An Min, meet the media after their talks yesterday in the...

Developers spark fresh price war Sheung Wan and Kowloon projects have set new benchmarks in a property market that has seen prices fall 65pc since 1998.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Sophia Wong A renewed price war has broken out among major developers trying to spark market interest with aggressive marketing campaigns that resemble the SAR's pre-bust housing market. ...

Interview quiz is two-way affair.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Mr Lyons is a director of Ambition, a specialist accounting and finance careers and recruitment group. www.ambition.biz In the first of a a two-part series, Paul Lyons considers why it is...

Britain fails to meet literacy target A review of teaching methods is urged as 200,000 children fall below standard.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Guardian British primary schools are failing to teach hundreds of thousands of children how to read and write properly despite the government's four-year drive to improve literacy standards, an...

Shenzhen wants to fast-track distribution industry.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Peggy Sito in Shenzhen Shenzhen city government is seeking Beijing's approval to open a distribution business for foreign companies ahead of the timetable set by the World Trade Organisation...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Dec 2 - Can Banks Do More for Small Businesses? American Chamber of Commerce. Noon to 2pm. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Ballroom, B3. Members HK$320, non-members HK$430. Speaker: David Li, chairman and chief...

Brand approach to employment pays off for bank A mid-sized lender tackles recruitment and staff retention problems with a winning formula, writes Wendy Ng.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Dah Sing Bank encounters the same problems that all "not-the-largest" corporations face: staff recruitment and retention. "We noticed this before the burst of the Internet bubble in early 2000; our...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Are you at a crossroads in your career or not sure what your next move should be? Have you achieved success in overcoming a career crisis, which you would like to share with our readers? Address...

Daniel Fung, the top barrister and advocate for democracy, replaces Norman Leung Former solicitor-general to head Broadcasting Authority.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Ravina Shamdasani and Sidney Luk Former solicitor-general and prominent barrister Daniel Fung Wah-kin has been appointed to head the Broadcasting Authority. Mr Fung, who has in the past...

Cross-strait air link will hurt airport While passenger traffic will initially fall about 8pc, the development should have a positive effect in the long run.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Annette Chiu in Macau The Hong Kong Airport Authority expects an 8 per cent drop in passenger traffic if direct air links between Taiwan and the mainland are established. The direct links...

Wen Jiabao heads new financial taskforce The appointment underscores Beijing's concern with the soundness of the sector.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Christine Chan China has set up a top-level taskforce charged with ensuring the safety and soundness of the mainland's finance sector - with premier-in-waiting Wen Jiabao at the helm. ...

Auditors warned to stick to numbers Principals say unprofessional critics not qualified to assess school performance.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Polly Hui Government primary school principals have hit back at the Audit Commission, accusing it of not having the expertise to assess their teaching and learning after it criticised the...

British Council closes library despite protest.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Katherine Forestier The British Council today closes its library in Admiralty despite months of opposition from members. Council director Peter Craughwell said that running the library was no...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) HONG KONG HAS AMONG WORST RATES OF MYOPIA A survey by Chinese University shows that half of Hong Kong schoolchildren aged 12 and above are short-sighted, giving the territory one of the worst rates of...

Montessori opening a primary landmark.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Steve Cray Hong Kong's only Montessori primary school celebrates its official opening next Thursday, three months after admitting its first pupils. Education officials, businesspeople as...

Expatriates feel the pinch in SAR City is the fourth most expensive of seven in survey.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Glenn Schloss Hong Kong ranks as the fourth most expensive city for expatriates, while Taipei is the cheapest among a group of seven chosen for a government survey. Tokyo was the most...

Moody's may cut Citic's credit rating A mainland ban on guaranteed fixed returns will hit the company's cash flow.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Ben Kwok Credit agency Moody's Investors Service yesterday placed Citic Pacific under review with a possible downgrade after the blue-chip conglomerate was no longer guaranteed returns on...

SAR banks do well despite tough times A focus on asset quality and tighter credit controls has helped boost margins even as depositors flee low returns.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Louis Beckerling Hong Kong bank balance sheets shrank in the third quarter as wary lenders put the brakes on credit card loans and depositors continued their exodus into higher-yielding...

Newspaper Society chief supports warning.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: May Sin-mi Hon The Newspaper Society chairman yesterday defended remarks made by the home affairs chief in which the minister issued a warning about vulgarity and unethical reporting in the...

CityU professor quits over sackings Resignation follows decision not to call for head to leave following dismissals.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Linda Yeung A professor at City University's school of law has resigned over a committee of inquiry's decision not to call for the resignation of the head of department following the way he...

Democrats defeated in NPC election In the first round of voting for the Hong Kong deputies, 54 contenders go through - but there are accusations of prejudice.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: May Sin-mi Hon All five democratic camp candidates were defeated in the first round of voting for Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress yesterday, amid claims that electors had...

Price war rages in southern China shops.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Peggy Sito in Shenzhen Domestic and foreign chain stores plan to continue their aggressive price-cutting campaigns in a bid to grab their share of southern China's retail market. But they...

Bid for younger blood puts a third of deputies at risk.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: May Sin-mi Hon About a third of incumbent local deputies of the National People's Congress risk losing their seats in the final round of voting, with suggestions that electors want to see a...

Towngas rules out tariff cuts as poor year looms.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Denise Tsang Hong Kong and China Gas (Towngas) will not be cutting prices, managing director Alfred Chan Wing-kin said yesterday. Gas sales had grown only 1 per cent so far this year and...

Shenyang firm buys education businesses.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Winston Yau Former water supplier Shenyang Public Utility Holdings has plunged into real estate and education by spending 445.4 million yuan (about HK$419.6 million) on three projects. The Hong...

`I was a smart-ass and ended up in the principal's office'.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Maggie Q is an actress and is appearing in All Hallows' Eve at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Drama Theatre until December 8. She was talking to David Phair. I didn't hate my...

Just when you thought it was all going so well A dramatic reshuffle has taken place at the ESF following a negative report as questions are raised in Britain and locally about the effectiveness of inspections. Katherine Forestier reports.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) IT HAS BEEN A MONTH of untold grief for the English Schools Foundation. School inspections are well known for prompting high anxiety among principals and their staff. No one likes their teaching...

Aye, it's all in the eyes, windows on the souls of our pupils.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Susan Sprengeler teaches oral English at Kowloon Tong School primary section. The ayes have it! A familiar boardroom cry. But in school teaching, it's the "eyes" have it. It's all in the...

DNA from shoes trips up robber.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Magdalen Chow DNA extracted from a pair of shoes left behind in a cake shop led to the arrest of a barefoot robber who bashed a shop assistant with a hammer, a court heard yesterday. Chan...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) DRIVERS BLOCK TAXI RANK AT AIRPORT AFTER ARREST About 500 taxis blocked the taxi rank at Hong Kong airport for two hours yesterday morning in a drivers' protest against the arrest of a colleague on...

SHKP eyes BT's stake in SmarTone Shares in the mobile firm rose 7pc despite the British firm's sale being undecided.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Ben Kwok Shares in SmarTone Telecommunications jumped more than 7 per cent to a four-month high yesterday on speculation controlling shareholder Sun Hung Kai Properties will buy back a...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Workplace English language campaign needs far wider scope I read your report on the Workplace English Campaign (WEC) (Education Post, November 16) with interest. As the head of an education...

Discounts may be there for the asking.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Susan Schwartz There was a time when Hongkongers would wait for the traditional sales season to go in search of a bargain. But the economic downturn and low sales figures have forced...

Mainlanders who commit crimes in HK face 5-year ban.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Clifford Lo Mainlanders who come to Hong Kong to steal or work as prostitutes will be banned from returning to the region for up to five years in a tough new move against cross-border crime....

Heart scan criticisms spark tighter controls.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Mary Ann Benitez Regulations on the use of medical devices will be tightened to ensure quality service for patients, the government said yesterday. The review by the Health, Welfare and...

Shops desperate for Christmas cheer Prices are being slashed by up to 60 per cent as businesses attempt to reverse the recent slide in retail sales.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Susan Schwartz Consumers can expect bigger discounts this Christmas as retailers cut prices by up to 60 per cent in their December sales to compete for dwindling customer dollars. With...

Hold on, Santa - we haven't finished Thanksgiving Holiday promotions have been delayed this year, according to retailers.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Niki Law It might seem that Christmas gets earlier every year in Hong Kong's shops - but this year most of the tinsel and lights are actually going up later than usual. Most shopping malls...

Empty seats the obvious symptom of change.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Kelvin Wong The emergency room in Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital was not exactly deserted yesterday, but the impact of the new consultation fee was plain for anyone to see. At...

Thousands of patients go missing from public wards The ombudsman says tighter security measures must be adopted.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Patsy Moy More than 3,000 patients go missing from Hong Kong's public hospitals every year, the Ombudsman reported yesterday, sparking concerns over security procedures. Nearly 6,500...

Cases drop 24pc as casualty room fee is introduced The $100 charge for emergency care at public hospitals has an immediate effect.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Mary Ann Benitez The introduction of $100 consultation fees at public hospital emergency wards yesterday had an instant and dramatic effect on attendance, with patient numbers down by 24 per...

Varsity past lives on in culture of cricket, croquet and cocktails.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Madeleine Coorey Garden parties and black-tie cocktails, croquet and cricket matches, hikes to Sai Kung and evenings at fashionable bars - such events make up the social life of the committed...

University graduates from Hong Kong institutions are learning the value of keeping in touch. Madeleine Coorey reports how the networks are booming Clinging on to the old alma mater.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) AMERICANS LIKE TO JOKE that as soon as a university graduate becomes a parent, a teddy bear furnished with the school crest appears in the crib. While this extreme loyalty to the alma mater is not yet...

Scholars and students find the multi-ethnic harmony of Hong Kong has much to offer the rest of the world Islam symposium shifting scholars' focus to Far East.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Michael Gibb TWO YEARS AGO a research centre specialising in Islamic Studies at Leiden University, Holland, was hovering on the brink of closure. Regarded as a peripheral field of enquiry,...

Lessons learned in Hong Kong offer students hope for Middle East peace.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Tovit Nizer and Nick Gentle The war-torn refugee camps of the West Bank and Gaza Strip might seem to have little in common with the relative tranquility of Hong Kong's New Territories. But if a...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Send listings to Ian Watson, Education, 16/F, Somerset House, Taikoo Place, 979 King's Road, Quarry Bay. Fax: 2811 1048, e-mail: thelist@scmp.com - deadline is noon Tuesday. SCHOOLS ...

Aids set to impoverish 20 million mainlanders Impoverished by disease.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Ella Lee in Beijing The Aids epidemic sweeping through China will drag 20 million people into absolute poverty and cost the country 770 billion yuan (HK$726 billion) by 2010, mainland experts...

Ban on condom advertising leaves millions vulnerable In the war against infection, vending machines are also a valuable weapon.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Ella Lee Family planning officials are pressing for a relaxation of China's tough advertising laws to allow condoms to be promoted on television. They also want to install more condom...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) EIGHT KILLED IN FIRE AT FACTORY HOUSING At least eight people died and seven more were injured when a fire broke out at residential units inside a former factory in Jiangsu province, state media...

Economic ties may put squeeze on separatists Strengthened relations with Islamic countries may boost Beijing's war against terrorism in Xinjiang.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Nailene Chou Wiest Beijing will strengthen economic ties with Islamic countries as part of its campaign against separatism in the restive region of Xinjiang, according to a leading mainland...

Patient backs out of high-profile wedding after outcry.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Vivien Pik-Kwan Chan In the first case of its kind in China, an Aids sufferer has married her non-infected partner, sparking a national debate about patients' rights. Dodging a torrent of...

Guangdong to build bridge to Hainan 30km link is expected to provide an economic boost to both provinces.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Leu Siew Ying Guangdong will invest 50 billion yuan (HK$47.2 billion) to build a bridge linking the province with Hainan island, local reports say. The 30km structure is part of a national...

With World Aids Day falling tomorrow, the mainland is being forced to confront the epidemic ravaging its people Needle sharing is the main cause of soaring HIV rates.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Ella Lee in Beijing Mainland drug users are estimated to be sharing more than half a million needles every day, which one Aids expert says remains the country's main cause of HIV transmission....

Poisoning cases a sign of social turmoil, say experts But sociologists do not have the resources to study the problem.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: ANALYSIS Leu Siew Ying The rise in cases of people resorting to lacing food with rat poison to resolve personal conflicts reflects a serious social problem related to a society in transition....

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) The bank trap is just the latest in multiple blows to Japan's life insurers The average cancellation and lapse rate of policies of the top 10 insurers from April to September this year was 4.74 per cent

Kenya strikes bear al-Qaeda's trademark, claims academic A Hong Kong conference hears that bin Laden's group has support in Africa.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Peter Kammerer Foreign Editor Al-Qaeda or an affiliated group is behind the attacks in Kenya, an internationally renowned expert on Muslim extremists claimed yesterday. Fawaz Gerges, the...

Concord picks right time for China focus.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Bien Perez Concord Communications, a maker of automated network-management software, will make an aggressive push into the mainland next year with initiatives in the telecommunications,...

Israeli agents now more likely to hit terrorists abroad.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Abraham Rabinovich in Jerusalem Israel's security services are expected to shift to an offensive mode against international Islamic terror after the attacks on Israeli targets in Kenya, says a...

KanHan creates Asian language solution.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Danyll Wills Lawrence Mo, chief executive of KanHan, a Hong Kong company specialising in Asian font technologies, believes he has the ultimate solution for dealing with the many difficulties...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Juniper says Greater China, Japan and South Korea will lead trend in replacing outdated networking gear Global router sales predicted to grow from US$6.8 billion this year to US$8.2 billion in 2006

The increasing need for greater bandwidth capacity will drive the demand for data transmission devices Juniper predicts growing router sales.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Bien Perez Juniper Networks predicts Asia-Pacific router sales will rebound from next year as the region's major telecommunications firms add more advanced equipment that can help them deploy...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Shoppers may spend US$2.8 billion on games this month and next Lack of blockbusters and, therefore, characters will keep toy sales from topping last year's US$25 billion

MINISTER ACCUSES CLERIC OF INVOLVEMENT IN BALI BLASTS.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) A detained Muslim cleric is likely to have been involved in last month's Bali blasts, according to Indonesian Defence Minister Matori Abdul Jalil. More al-Qaeda attacks in the region were possible, he...

Gold Coast braces for teenagers' annual riot.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Nick Squires in Sydney Police are bracing for violence in one of Australia's most popular holiday destinations today as thousands of school leavers gather for an annual rite of passage which...

Alarm bells sound as buying spree dries up and key directors sit back.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Robert Halili is managing director at Asia Insider There has been a significant drop in buying by directors in the past two weeks, an alarming development as the market is seemingly on the...

SOURING ON THE UPRISING?
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) A poll conducted early this month of more than 1,300 Palestinians has found that a majority of them want their police to crack down on militants attacking Israel - a shift coinciding with a top Palestinian...

How the conflict in the Malukus spawned a new breed of terrorist Militants behind bombings in Indonesia met on the front lines of the Ambon war.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Marianne Kearney in Jakarta The conflict in the Maluku Islands, long ignored by the Indonesian government, has come back to haunt Jakarta. Most of the suspects in the Bali bombings on...

Profit-taking cuts down prices Trade in shares remains active as funds readjust their portfolios before changes in constituents of the HSI take effect.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Jon Ogden Hong Kong stocks yesterday gave back some of Thursday's stellar gains as investors decided to take some money off the table in the absence of new leads from Wall Street, the driving...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Venezuela's Supreme Court has nullified a decision by the National Electoral Council (NEC) approving a non-binding referendum on February 2 on the removal of embattled President Hugo Chavez, an electoral...

Democracy in Pakistan: it's down to you, Mr Bush.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Peter Kammerer is the Post's Foreign Editor THE FEAR IS palpable. Many Pakistanis are reluctant to talk openly about their government, its policies and how it views the outside world. They talk...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Hang Seng Index 10,069.87 (-77.97) HK$ Change Bank East Asia 13.60 -0.15 Cathay Pacific 11.35 -0.20 Cheung Kong 57.25 -0.50 China Mobile ...

Stumbling Manila dynasty will not contemplate a fall Despite crippling debt, the Lopez family believe their problems are temporary.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) Byline: Raissa Robles in Manila One of Manila's biggest and most revered conglomerates must have bankers chewing their nails. Saddled with at least US$2.3 billion in debt, the Lopez group has...

Business Briefs.
November 30, 2002... (From South China Morning Post) I WAS IN THE audience when Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee spoke at a panel discussion in the Foreign Correspondents' Club last month. Also taking part in the discussion on the topic of "Is...