Vietnam's Finance Ministry has raised import duties on petrol, naphtha, reformate and other products used for blending petrol to 60 percent from 50 percent with effect from Oct.22, The Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper said on Friday. It said from Monday the tax on condensate and similar products would also be raised to 35 percent from 25 percent while those on diesel and kerosene would be hiked by 20 percent and 15 percent respectively from 15 and 10 percent previously.- Reuters

A series of meetings organized by the International Labor Office (ILO) is this month due to examine the economic effects of the terror attacks in the United States on the tourism and aviation industries. "Particularly hard hit will be tourism in the Caribbean where it is a main source of income," the Geneva-based ILO said in a press release.- AFP

The United States and Japan have established a new consultative group aimed at boosting U.S. access to the Japanese automotive market, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Friday.The group of government officials from both nations will meet for the first time in early 2002.- Reuters

International ratings agency Standard & Poor's sees no immediate reason to revise its rating on Malaysia, Takahira Ogawa, its director of sovereign ratings for Asia Pacific, told Dow Jones Newswires Friday. He was speaking after Malaysia unveiled its economic growth forecasts for 2001 and 2002.- Dow Jones

The Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) has named PT Astra Graphia as the winning bidder in a tender process to supply the system for the exchange's remote trading project, JSX said in a statement on Saturday. It gave no timetable for the project, which was suppose to start last August. With remote trading, investors from outside Jakarta can access the stock market via on-line trading.- JP