Vietnam's Finance Ministry has raised import duties on petrol,

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