RI coal output increases<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP) Indonesia's coal production increased by 300
\npercent in the last four years to 27 million tons in 1993.<\/p>\n
Ambyo Mangunwijaya, the president of PT Tambang Batubara Bukit
\nAsam, the state coal mining company, said Thursday that the
\ncountry's coal production is projected to reach around 70 million
\ntons in 2000.<\/p>\n
He said 80 percent of the projected 70 million tons of coal
\nwill be produced by 11 major privately-owned coal companies.<\/p>\n
Ambyo said Indonesia is the fourth largest coal exporting
\ncountry at present after Australia, South Africa and
\nColumbia.(hen)<\/p>\n
Metrodata maintenance deal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): PT Metrodata Electronics, a distributor of
\ncomputer products, and the U.S. Bell Atlantic Business Systems
\nServices Inc. have signed an agreement on maintenance service for
\nInternational Business Machines AS\/400 computers in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The agreement, signed here this week by Kusnadi Sukarja,
\nMetrodata's director of operation, and Richard Siville, Bell
\nAtlantic's program manager, will allow Metrodata to provide
\nmaintenance services for IBM AS\/400 computer users in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
"It will give advantages to local engineers for mastering
\nIBM's technology by dealing in such services, besides
\nguaranteeing maintenance for IBM computer users, who are usually
\nworried about after-sales services," Kusnadi said.<\/p>\n
He said his company has also provided such services for users
\nof computer products made by various firms, including Wang,
\nHitachi Data Systems, Tandem, Convex, Sun Microsystems and
\nAcer.(fhp)<\/p>\n
Russian industrial output<\/p>\n
MOSCOW (AFP): Industrial production fell 75 percent in the
\nfirst quarter of 1994 compared to last year but inflation dropped
\nto an average of 13 to 14 percent, First Deputy Premier Oleg
\nSoskovets told a government meeting Thursday.<\/p>\n
In a report presented to cabinet, Soskovets said that despite
\nthe dramatic drop in industrial production, there was no need to
\ndeclare an "economic state of emergency" as advocated by
\nparliament, Interfax reported.<\/p>\n
The deputy premier, who is responsible for industry, energy
\nand transport, said that capital investments were also cut by 75
\nto 80 percent during the first quarter.<\/p>\n
Inflation however fell from its highest rate of 22 percent in
\nJanuary to 9 percent in February and less than 8 percent in
\nMarch, Soskovets said, adding that the average inflation rate for
\nthe first quarter reached 13 or 14 percent.<\/p>\n
Gabon gets IMF credit<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AFP): Gabon has received US$85 million in credits
\nfrom the International Monetary Fund (IMF).<\/p>\n
The IMF 60.1 million special drawing rights credits are to
\nsupport Gabon's political and economic policy for this year.<\/p>\n
Gabon is the ninth country to receive IMF loans for the
\nAfrican franc zone following the Jan. 12 devaluation of the CFA
\nfranc.<\/p>\n
Gabon suffers from poor budget control and a lack of progress
\nin diversifying from its oil industry, the IMF said. Gabon has
\nalso been hit by falling oil prices and debt.<\/p>\n
Qantas raises Taiwan flights<\/p>\n
CANBERRA (AFP): Australia's flagship Qantas Airways is to
\nincrease its capacity on the fast-growing Taiwan route by one
\nthird following the signing of a bilateral agreement between the
\ntwo countries.<\/p>\n
Qantas said it would replace its 242-seat Boeing 767-300
\naircraft with 321-seat Boeing 747-SP planes on the four flights a
\nweek it now operates through its Australia Asia Airlines
\nsubsidiary.<\/p>\n
Australian carriers will be allowed another four 747 flights a
\nweek by the end of the year and Qantas said it would also
\nconsider applying for extra flights if demand continued to
\nincrease.<\/p>\n
However, rival airline Ansett said it would concentrate on
\nroutes it was due to open to other Asian cities later this year
\nand would not apply for capacity to Taiwan.<\/p>\n
Japan's housing starts up<\/p>\n
TOKYO (Kyodo): Japan's housing starts in February rose 6.3
\npercent to 112,372, for the 21st straight month of growth over
\nyear-earlier levels, the Construction Ministry said Thursday.
\nCompared with the 20.7 percent increase in January, however, the
\ngrowth slowed in February.<\/p>\n
Starts on owner-occupied homes increased 3.7 percent to
\n36,885, marking a rise for the ninth consecutive month.<\/p>\n
Among such starts, those on houses with loans from private
\nfinancial institutions dropped 9.4 percent, but those on public
\nloan- funded houses increased 14.8 percent from a year earlier.
\nStarts on housing units for sale jumped by 65.2 percent to
\n29,072, marking the 10th consecutive month of gains from a year
\nearlier.<\/p>\n
Of these, starts funded by private financial institutions
\nincreased 88.9 percent, while public loan-funded starts rose 38.0
\npercent from a year earlier.<\/p>\n
U.S. sanctions on Fuji<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AFP): The United States slapped higher than
\nexpected sanctions on Fuji Photo Film on Wednesday for allegedly
\ndumping its products at unfairly low prices.<\/p>\n
The Commerce Department said in its preliminary ruling that it
\nwould impose anti-dumping tariffs of 321.23 percent to 360.95
\npercent on color negative photographic paper sold in the United
\nStates by the Japanese company.<\/p>\n
The tariffs go into effect immediately and must be paid either
\nin cash or bonds.<\/p>\n
The amount of sanctions could be changed when a final ruling
\nis given Aug. 18. The ruling will be reviewed by the U.S.
\nInternational Trade Commission which must confirm that U.S.
\nmanufacturers are being hurt by Fuji's practices, something the
\ncommission found in a preliminary ruling in October.<\/p>\n
Canada office in China<\/p>\n
HONG KONG (Reuter): Canada will open a trade office in the
\nsouthern China boom town of Guangzhou, Canadian International
\nTrade Minister Roy MacLaren said in a statement on Thursday.<\/p>\n
MacLaren issued the statement in Beijing, which he is visiting
\nas part of a tour through north Asia.<\/p>\n
He said China was Canada's fifth largest trading partner.<\/p>\n
Turkish GNP grows 7.3%<\/p>\n
ANKARA (Reuter): Turkey's Gross National Product (GNP), based
\non fixed prices, grew by 7.3 percent last year, compared to 6.4
\npercent in 1992, the State Institute of Statistics (SIS) said on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
It said Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was 7.2 percent in
\n1993 in Turkey, compared to six percent in 1992.<\/p>\n
The agriculture industry shrank by 3.6 percent in 1993, when
\nTurkey suffered a drought in the last quarter.<\/p>\n
The SIS said total industrial output grew by 8.3 percent in
\n1993, compared to five percent the previous year.<\/p>\n
It said the machinery industry registered the biggest output
\ngrowth with 20.2 percent last year, followed by the metals
\nindustry with 11.1 percent and the energy sector 10 percent.
\nTextiles, Turkey's core industry, grew by 4.4 percent.<\/p>\n
Mining industry output shrank by 8.7 percent last year, and
\nforestry products by 0.3 percent.<\/p>\n
Turkey has targeted growth of 4.5 percent in its GNP in the
\n1994 budget.<\/p>\n
Hard substance discovered<\/p>\n
PARIS (AFP): A team of French scientists have discovered a
\n"type" of diamond harder than diamond itself, according to the
\nCNRS research institute newsletter.<\/p>\n
The chemical compound -- called diamite -- is a highly
\nresistant substance making it ideal as a coating material for
\naerospace equipment and machine-tools.<\/p>\n
It is also easy to produce by breaking down methane or carbon
\nmonoxide while it is in a vaporous state or subject these gazes
\nto cathodic pulverization.<\/p>\n
The head of the team of researchers responsible for the find,
\nPham V. Huong, said the chemical compound "is undoubtedly going
\nto revolutionize micro-manufacturing."<\/p>\n
A joint Russian-French team managed to manufacture diamite
\nback in February 1993 by compressing carbon-60 (fullerene). They
\nwere able to show that diamite was harder than diamond but had
\nnot succeeded in identifying its chemical structure.<\/p>\n
Rumania without budget<\/p>\n
BUCHAREST (AFP): Rumania was set to function without a budget
\nfrom Friday because the government has not yet presented a
\nfinance bill for the current year as required by March 31.<\/p>\n
"Rumania is the only civilized country to function without a
\nbudget being approved by parliament and this will worsen the
\nchaos of the economy," the opposition liberal party said.<\/p>\n
The party has said that Prime Minister Nicolae Vacaroiu should
\nresign.<\/p>\n
The government has said that there was no bill because on
\nthree occasions parliament had not approved three bills which
\nwere vital to the drafting of the budget. These concerned taxes
\non income from farms and local taxation.<\/p>\n
Under an agreement signed with the International Monetary Fund
\n(IMF) in December for a loan of US$700 million, the government<\/p>",
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