KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will sink 800 million ringgit (US210.52
\nmillion) into broadband facilities to expand the service to rural
\nareas and roll out faster access to the Internet, reports said
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Energy, Communications and Multimedia Minister Lim Keng Yaik
\nwas quoted by the New Straits Times as saying broadband
\npenetration nationwide was very low at only 0.44 percent,
\ncompared with 48 percent in neighboring Singapore and 60 percent
\nin South Korea.<\/p>\n
The broadband access would be expanded also to connect
\nschools, government offices, universities and research
\ninstitutions for telemedicine in local clinics, he added.--AFP<\/p>\n
;AFP;
\nANPAf..r..
\nSriLanka-oil
\nSri Lanka raises gasoline prices by 13 percent
\nJP\/16\/money
\nSri Lanka raises gasoline prices by 13 percent<\/p>\n
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Saturday raised gasoline prices by 13.3
\npercent to recoup some of the losses suffered by the state-run
\noil company, officials said.<\/p>\n
The retail price of gasoline was raised to 68 rupees (68 U.S.
\ncents) a liter, up from 60 rupees, the Ceylon Petroleum
\nCorporation (CPC) said.<\/p>\n
It said the price increase was however not enough to wipe out
\nthe near five billion rupee (US$50 million) loss suffered as a
\nresult of not increasing prices since February in line with
\nrising international oil prices.<\/p>\n
The government held back the price of diesel which is commonly
\nused by public transport, but the CPC said it was asking the
\ngovernment to allow a further increase in gasoline as a cross
\nsubsidy for holding down diesel prices.<\/p>\n
An oil price increase was widely expected after the conclusion
\nof local council elections earlier this month, but the government
\nhad vowed it would not raise prices.--AFP<\/p>\n
;Bloomberg;
\nANPAf..r..
\nMoney-India-Lpg
\nIndia May Allow Private Firms To Sell Subsidized LPG
\nJP\/ \/<\/p>\n
NEW DELHI: India's government may allow private sector firms to
\nsell subsidized liquefied petroleum gas to customers in the
\ndomestic market, an Indian Petroleum Ministry official said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
\"The matter is being considered by the government. A decision
\nmay be taken soon,\" said the official, declining to elaborate
\nfurther.<\/p>\n
At present, subsidized LPG is sold only by four state-run
\npetroleum firms - Indian Oil Corp., Bharat Petroleum Corp.,
\nHindustan Petroleum Corp. and IBP Co. Ltd..<\/p>\n
LPG is primarily used in the urban households in India as a
\ncooking fuel.<\/p>\n
Though India deregulated its petroleum sector in April last
\nyear, the government continues to subsidize LPG and kerosene.
\nCurrently, the subsidy for LPG is 106 rupees a cylinder.<\/p>\n
India's demand for liquefied petroleum gas is expected to rise
\n8.81 percent on the year to 10.13 million metric tons in the
\ncurrent fiscal year to March 2005.<\/p>\n
India imports around 70 percent of its crude requirement.
\nCurrently, the country's annual consumption of petroleum products
\nis close to 107 million tons.--Bloomberg<\/p>\n
;AP;
\nANPA ..r..
\nMoney-Singapore-Arts
\nRule-bound Singapore wants to double arts and media sector by
\n2012
\nJP\/16\/money
\nRule-bound Singapore wants to double arts and media sector by
\n2012<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: The Singapore government wants to double the size of
\nthe country's media, design and arts industries to 6 percent of
\nthe economy by 2012, a minister said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The target comes as officials have said they want the country
\nto move away from its stuffy, rule-bound image and embrace more
\ncreativity as it seeks ways to sustain economic growth.<\/p>\n
\"The creative industries are poised to play a significant role
\nin transforming our economy and society,\" Lee Boon Yang, minister
\nfor information, communication and the arts, told a graduation
\nceremony for fine arts students.<\/p>\n
Last year, Singapore's trade-dependent economy was valued at
\nabout 160 billion Singapore dollars (US$92.8 billion), implying
\nthat the government expects the arts sector to double in size
\nfrom today's S$4.8 billion ($2.8 billion).<\/p>\n
Lee said the arts sectors in Britain and the United States now
\naccount for 8 percent of those economies, and are still growing.<\/p>\n
Singapore's government has set aside more than 200 million
\nSingapore dollars ($116 million) over five years to invest in the
\narts sector, Lee said, without giving details.
\n--AP<\/p>",
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