CALDEIRÃO DE BOLSA

DJ Sumitomo Mitsui Finl To Issue Y250-300B In Shares -Nikkei


TOKYO (Nikkei)--Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (J.SMF or 8316) has
decided to issue an additional Y250 billion to Y300 billion yen in shares by the
end of March to guard against further bad-loan disposals and a decline in the
value of its shareholdings, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its Sunday
edition, citing sources close to the matter.
The decision, expected to be finalized later this month, comes on the heels
of a Y150 billion share issuance to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) this month.
The planned issue by Sumitomo Mitsui will bring the total amount of money
raised through new stock issues by the top five banking groups to Y2.08
trillion to Y2.18 trillion. The figure is comparable to the combined total of
Y2.15 trillion in new shares issued by large banks when they received public
fund injections of Y7.5 trillion in fiscal 1998.
Sumitomo Mitsui projects a group net profit of Y30 billion for the year ending
this March and a capital adequacy ratio of around 10% for March 31, compared
with the minimum 8% required by the Bank for International Settlements.
However, inspections of the group's banking operations, which the Financial
Services Agency intends to conduct rigorously, could force the group to set
aside additional loan-loss reserves as well as post a net loss or a lower
capital adequacy ratio.
The group hopes to avert such a situation by issuing more shares, which it
estimates will raise the capital adequacy ratio by 0.6 to one percentage point.
The additional funds will be raised in the form of preferred stock through
third-party allocations, as was the case with the share sales to Goldman Sachs.
Sumitomo Mitsui is considering allotting the new shares to domestic and
foreign institutional investors but will likely sell them mainly to U.S. and
European hedge funds. The FSA is watching out to see who will purchase the
shares because sales to hedge funds could destabilize the stock price.
Among other major banks, the Mizuho Financial Group (J.MFN or 8305) intends to
issue Y1 trillion in preferred stock mainly to domestic companies with which it
has close business ties, and the UFJ Group (J.UFJ or 8307) plans to issue
preferred stock through a spun-off unit taking over problem loans.
Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. (J.MFG or 8306) intends to issue common
stock through a public offering.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1825GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1825GMT)

Feb-15-2003 18:25 GMT
Symbols:
US;GS JP;6136 GB;J0MFN GB;NWFX JP;8753 JP;8307 US;MTF DE;GOS US;SMFI
DE;SZ6
Source DJBK Dow Jones Bankers Wire
Categories:
I/BAF I/BAN I/BNK I/FIS I/SCR I/X225 I/XATI I/XBNY I/XSP5 I/XSTF
N/BKG N/CMDI N/DJCB N/DJI N/DJIV N/DJMO N/DJPT N/ECR N/EWR N/WER N/ADR
N/CNW N/DJWB N/DJWI N/HIY N/NIK N/NJR N/NKR N/PRSS N/TPCT N/WEI M/FIN M/NND
M/TPX P/BKG P/CMR P/DJCB R/ASI R/FE R/JA R/NME R/NY R/PRM R/US R/USE
MST/I/BAN MST/I/BNK MST/I/FIS MST/I/SCR MST/S/ADR MST/I MST/F/HIY MST/R/ASI
MST/R/JP MST/R/NME MST/R/US/NY MST/R/PRM MST/R/US

DJ Arab Foreign Mins Meet In Cairo To Discuss Iraq Crisis


CAIRO (AP)--Arab foreign ministers gathered here Saturday to discuss convening
an emergency summit on the Iraqi crisis later this month.
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak called Friday for the summit of Arab leaders
to be brought forward a month in view of the looming U.S.-Iraq war.
Speaking to reporters, Mubarak said Arab heads of government should not "sit
helplessly until the attack takes place," but should rather press the
decision-makers on either side to work for a peaceful solution.
First to arrive for the meeting due to begin on Saturday night was Iraqi
Foreign Minister Naji Sabri who said the proposed summit would help to prevent
"American aggression against Iraq, Arabs and Muslims."
Sabri discussed the crisis with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and
then told reporters: "Iraqis will slaughter those who aggress Iraq."
Moussa said: "The Arab position is totally against any military action against
Iraq."
Arab diplomats said the foreign ministers were likely to agree on a
resolution calling for U.N. inspectors to be given more time to verify that Iraq
has eliminated its weapons of mass destruction, as well as urging Iraq to
cooperate fully with the inspectors.
Chief inspector Hans Blix told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that while
Iraqi cooperation had improved, there were still outstanding questions about the
weapons material that Iraq had manufactured in the past. Iraq says it has
abolished its weapons of mass destruction, but America and Britain insist it is
concealing such arms.
"We must encourage Iraq to continue its cooperation (with the inspectors), "
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail said on his arrival in Cairo.
Mubarak has suggested the summit take place in the Egyptian resort of Sharm
el-Sheik in the days beginning Feb. 22.
The leading pro-government newspaper, Al-Ahram, reported Saturday that
thirteen of the league 22 members had agreed to attend the emergency summit. The
league groups 21 Arab states and the Palestinian Authority.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has said he would not attend because the summit
would be an Arab attempt to save face.
"The summit only aims to tell the people that we did something, but secretly
it will support what America may do," Gadhafi said Friday.
Another no-show is likely to be Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who did not
attend the Beirut summit in March 2002 for fear that Israel would not allow him
to return to the West Bank afterward.
The summit was originally scheduled to be held in March in the Gulf kingdom of
Bahrain. But the increasing threat of war had made several Arab governments
consider an earlier date even before Mubarak went public with his proposal.
All Arab states have spoken out against an attack on Iraq, but their
governments appear to be resigned to its taking place.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1647GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1647GMT)

Feb-15-2003 16:47 GMT
Source DJBK Dow Jones Bankers Wire
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N/BKG N/CMDI N/DJI N/DJIV N/DJMO N/DOI N/EWR N/FXW N/IPR N/WER N/DJWI
N/GEN N/PET N/UNN M/NND P/APNY R/AF R/EG R/IZ R/ML MST/B/BRK MST/N/PET
MST/R/AFR MST/R/EG MST/R/IQ MST/R/MID

DJ Russia: Chances Improved For Peaceful Resolution On Iraq


MOSCOW (AP)--Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said Saturday that
after the weapons inspectors latest briefing to the United Nations Security
Council, chances improved for a peaceful settlement to the crisis around Iraq.
But Fedotov also warned in an interview with the Interfax news agency that "of
course, the use of force always remains in the U.N. Security Council's arsenal."
Russia has long been pushing for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, and has
supported letting the U.N. weapons inspectors continue work.
The United States had hoped that a key report from the top weapons inspectors
to the Security Council on Friday would help press its case for quick military
action.
But the inspectors avoided harsh criticism and the overwhelming majority of
council nations pounced on their reports of improved Iraqi cooperation to call
for fresh efforts to peacefully disarm Saddam Hussein.
"The main conclusions is that now there are no such grounds for using force in
relation to Iraq," Fedotov was quoted as saying to the Interfax news agency. "On
the contrary, there exists the opportunity to resolve the Iraqi problem through
inspections in strict accordance with the U.N. Security Council resolution."
Fedotov also was quoted as telling Interfax that a U.N. delegation of
inspectors will visit Moscow early next week to discuss the use of a Russian
AN-30b to make surveillance trips above Iraq. Fedotov was quoted as saying that
Russia proposed the use of the plane and that the question was "in principle
resolved."
Meanwhile, the Kremlin press service said President Vladimir Putin discussed
the Iraq situation during telephone conversations Friday with European
Commission President Romano Prodi and with Canadian Prime Minister Jean
Chretien. Putin and Prodi both spoke in favor of continuing the inspectors'
work and searching for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, the press service
said. It gave no details about the conversation with Chretien.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who attended the U.N. Security Council
meeting Friday, said afterward that the inspections are "moving in the right
direction" and should be supported.
Russia has emphasized the important role of the U.N. Security Council in
determining future steps. Russia is one of the Security Council's veto-wielding
members.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1632GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1632GMT)

Feb-15-2003 16:32 GMT
Source DJBK Dow Jones Bankers Wire
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N/BKG N/CMDI N/DJG7 N/DJI N/DJIV N/DJMO N/DOI N/ECR N/EWR N/FXW N/IPR
N/WER N/DJWI N/GEN N/PET N/UKMR N/UNN M/NND P/APNY R/ASI R/EC R/EEU R/EU
R/FE R/FEO R/IZ R/ML R/NME R/RS R/UK R/UR R/US R/WEU MST/B/BRK MST/N/PET
MST/R/ASI MST/R/EU MST/R/EEU MST/R/EUR MST/R/IQ MST/R/MID MST/R/NME MST/R/RU
MST/R/GB MST/R/CIS MST/R/US

DJ Saudi Prince Calls For Sending Arab Troops To Iraq


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)--Arabs must send military troops to Iraq
"immediately and without delay" to take control of preserving security and
stability and defend the Iraqi people, a prominent Saudi prince said Saturday.
"We call on all the Arabs to make this demand and we call on the noble Arab
leaders to make this demand a reality," Prince Sultan bin Turki said in a
statement issued in Geneva.
He urged the Iraqi leadership and people to accept this demand, insisting at
the same time on the Arabs' refusal to leave Iraq as a prey for foreign
intervention, "American or international."
The United States accuses Saddam of hiding banned biological, chemical and
nuclear weapons and has threatened war to disarm and topple him.
He said sending Arab troops to Iraq would avert a possible war and achieve
security through Arab, not foreign, intervention.
"The Arabs should not wait. The Arab people should be the main player in
resolving this case, rather than have the colonial solution be imposed on us,"
said the prince, a nephew of Saudi King Fahd.
He said the Arabs must choose whether "to be or not to be" in choosing their
destiny.
"The good of the Arab nation and the Iraqi people demands that its destiny be
placed in its own hands to save it from the catastrophe it has been in since the
1990 Gulf War and to drive out foreign forces from the Arab region," he said.
He also called for lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq and to begin
reconstructing its political, economic and security systems by the Iraqi and
Arab people.
Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of Arab states desperately seeking a
way to avoid war, fearing it would destabilize the region and lead to a rise in
Islamic militancy.
The Saudis have been the most active among Arab countries in trying to garner
support for the no-war option, with the foreign minister, Prince Saud,
shuttling around several Arab and Western countries, including the United
States, France and Britain, in an effort to find a diplomatic solution.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1627GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1627GMT)

Feb-15-2003 16:27 GMT
Source DJBK Dow Jones Bankers Wire
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N/BKG N/CMDI N/DJG7 N/DJI N/DJIV N/DJMO N/DOI N/ECR N/EWR N/FXW N/IPR
N/WER N/DJWI N/GEN N/PET N/UKMR N/UNN M/NND P/APNY R/ARA R/EC R/EU R/FR
R/GE R/IZ R/ML R/NME R/SA R/UK R/US R/WEU MST/B/BRK MST/N/PET MST/R/EU
MST/R/EUR MST/R/FR MST/R/DE MST/R/IQ MST/R/MID MST/R/NME MST/R/SA MST/R/GB
MST/R/US

DJ US Planes Hit 2 Anti-aircraft Missile Sites In S Iraq


WASHINGTON (AP)--American warplanes bombed two anti-aircraft missile sites in
southern Iraq early Saturday, the U.S. Central Command announced.
U.S. pilots bombed two mobile, surface-to-air missile sites near Basra, Iraq's
major port about 245 miles southeast of Baghdad, at about midnight EST, Central
Command said in a statement.
The strike was the fourth in the Basra area this week -the second in as many
days -by American planes patrolling the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. Basra,
the country's second-largest city, is only about 35 miles from the border with
Kuwait.
Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are massing in Kuwait in preparation for a
possible invasion of Iraq. Airstrikes in the Basra area this month have included
strikes against surface-to-surface missiles that U.S. commanders say threaten
those ground troops.
On Friday, American planes also dropped 360,000 leaflets over three towns
about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, Central Command said. The leaflets
included directions for tuning in to American military radio broadcasts carrying
messages against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. U.S. forces have dropped
millions of leaflets over southern Iraq in recent months.
The United States set up the southern no-fly zone to prevent Saddam from
attacking restive Shiite Muslims there. Iraq claims flight-interdiction zones in
northern and southern Iraq violate its sovereignty and frequently tries to shoot
down the U.S. and British planes patrolling the zones.
Iraq has not shot down a piloted plane in either no-fly zone.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1543GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1543GMT)

Feb-15-2003 15:43 GMT
Source DJBK Dow Jones Bankers Wire
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N/WER N/DJWI N/GEN N/PET N/UKMR N/UNN M/NND P/APNY R/EC R/EU R/IZ R/ML
R/NME R/UK R/US R/WEU MST/B/BRK MST/N/PET MST/R/EU MST/R/EUR MST/R/IQ
MST/R/MID MST/R/NME MST/R/GB MST/R/US

DJ Bush Tells Americans Not To Panic In Weekly Radio Address


WASHINGTON (AP)--President Bush told Americans not to panic about the high
terror-threat warning and to let the professionals worry about keeping their
communities safe from attack.
Seeking to reassure a nervous nation in his weekly radio address Saturday, he
asked people only to be more alert to their surroundings and suggested a trip to
the Department of Homeland Security's Web site at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/
for tips on being more vigilant.
"Americans should go about their lives," Bush said.
Beyond that, he said, the raising of the terrorism alert level on Feb. 7 from
yellow to high-risk orange "is primarily a signal to federal, state and local
law enforcement to take additional precautions and increase security measures
against potential terrorist attacks."
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said officials don't have any
conclusive evidence about where, when or how the terrorists could strike. He,
like Bush, sought to spread calm at the end of a week in which many people
stocked up on food, water, duct tape and other supplies and watched
anti-aircraft missile launchers deployed around the national capital. There is
no need "to start sealing the doors or windows" against terrorist threats, Ridge
said.
Federal officials recommended this week that Americans put together emergency
supply kits as a precaution for terrorist attack or disaster. Two items
suggested for the kit were duct tape and plastic sheeting, enough to seal a
house or rooms from any hazardous materials terrorists could put in the air.
Ridge said the government has no plan to increase or lower the alert level,
although he added threat information is constantly under evaluation.
Authorities had said they were worried about attacks timed to coincide either
with the beginning of a war with Iraq or with the end of hajj, the Muslim
pilgrimage to holy Mecca that ended Thursday.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the
end of the hajj is causing officials to consider seriously lowering the threat
level. At the same time, the official said there remains a "lot of energy" in
the intelligence system, meaning clandestine information, that has officials
worried.
Regardless, Bush promised Saturday that plans are in place to protect
infrastructure such as dams, power plants, computer networks and communication
systems, to tighten security at borders and ports, to collect better
intelligence on emerging threats, and to detect a biological attack through an
early warning network of sensors.
The president disclosed in a speech at FBI headquarters Friday plans to unify
counterterror efforts, locating FBI and CIA work at a single center while the
agencies' lines of authority would remain distinct.
"Many of these dangers are unfamiliar and unsettling," Bush said in
Saturday's radio address. "Yet I assure you that our government at every level
is responding to this threat, working to track down every lead and standing
watch 24 hours a day against terrorism."
Democratic congressional leaders urged the president to send a special request
to Congress to pay for the equipment, personnel and training needs of first
responders, the people who would quickly respond to a terrorism emergency.
"Duct tape is not enough. Neither is empty rhetoric," Senate Minority Leader
Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said after he and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif., met with about a dozen firefighters, including some who rushed to the
Pentagon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.
Meanwhile the administration issued three separate reports Friday that
involved domestic security:
- The "National Strategy for Combating Terrorism," which focuses on ways to
defeat terrorists by wearing down their organizations, cracking down on nations
that harbor them and diminishing the underlying conditions that lead to
terrorism by easing poverty. The report also said finding a solution to the
Middle East crisis is critical to winning the war on terror.
- A plan detailing critical infrastructure that needs protection from
terrorists, ranging from agriculture to the defense industries. This recommends
the government provide incentives or increase regulations on key sectors of the
economy that need to improve protection.
- A plan to tighten security for vital computer networks, putting the
Department of Homeland Security in the role of protecting cyberspace.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1506GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1506GMT)

Feb-15-2003 15:06 GMT
Source DJBK Dow Jones Bankers Wire
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N/IPR N/WER N/DJWI N/GEN M/NND P/APNY R/NME R/US MST/G/EXE MST/B/BRK
MST/R/NME MST/R/US

SLAMABAD (AP)--War is "not a good option" in Iraq, though Saddam Hussein must
comply with United Nations disarmament demands, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez
Musharraf told U.S. President George W. Bush in a telephone conversation.
Bush called Musharraf Friday to discuss the U.N. Security Council debate over
the Iraq situation, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement released
Saturday. Pakistan currently holds one of the 15 council seats.
"The President emphasized that while it was agreed that Saddam Hussein had to
fully comply with the U.N. resolutions, war was not a good option," the
statement said. Pakistan, a U.S. ally in the war on terror, has repeatedly
called for a peaceful resolution to the Iraq crisis.
The statement said Musharraf also spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah about
the Iraq situation. The two men agreed on the need to avoid war and explore
"all possible avenues" for a peaceful settlement, it said.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1451GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1451GMT)

DJ Spain Joins The World In Protesting War Against Iraq


MADRID (AP)--Tens of thousands of people attended demonstrations across Spain
Saturday against the looming threat of war in Iraq.
In a festive mood, about 50,000 people protested in the southern city of
Seville, carrying banners with slogans including "Let's Stop the War", "Shame"
and some protesters carried white face masks to symbolize peace.
Some 10,000 gathered in downtown Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands
and in nothern Oviedo, where children were leading the demonstration. In the
city of A Coruna protesters accused the United States of going to war over oil.
Peace activists, from labor unions, opposition politicians to religious
leaders, have urged the Spanish government not to participate in a U.S-led
strike.
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is a staunch supporter of U.S President George
W. Bush's hardline position on Iraq. Although recent polls suggest the majority
of Spaniards oppose Spain's participation in a possible war in Iraq, Aznar
mantains that his government is acting in the best interests of the world and
Spain with regards to the Iraqi crisis.
He accuses the opposition of using the issue to try to win votes.
Some 55 anti-war demostrations have been called in cities and towns throughout
Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona which are scheduled for Saturday evening
Similar rallies are being held in London, Paris and other cities around the
world on the same day.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1445GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1445GMT)

Feb-15-2003 14:45 GMT
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N/WER N/DJWI N/GEN N/PET N/UNN M/NND P/APNY R/EC R/EU R/IZ R/ML R/NME R/SP
R/US R/WEU MST/B/BRK MST/N/PET MST/R/EU MST/R/EUR MST/R/IQ MST/R/MID
MST/R/NME MST/R/ES MST/R/US

DJ NATO Members Hope To Resolve Dispute Over Iraq By Next Wk


BRUSSELS (AP)--NATO members were reported in top-level negotiations Saturday
seeking a compromise in a dispute over planning for a possible Iraq war that
has produced the alliance's worst split in years.
For the past month, Germany, France and Belgium have blocked a U.S. proposal
for NATO to send early warning planes, missile defenses and anti-biochemical
warfare units as a precaution to Turkey, the only NATO country bordering Iraq.
The holdouts argued such a step could undercut efforts to find a peaceful
solution to the Iraq crisis. The other 16 NATO allies said the delay undermined
NATO's credibility as an alliance that defends its members and sent a signal of
weakness to Saddam Hussein's regime.
On Saturday, a day after weapons inspectors' reports at the U.N. Security
Council gave fresh encouragement to opponents of military action against Iraq,
diplomats and officials in Brussels said efforts accelerated to de-escalate the
division within NATO.
A senior diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a solution was
likely Monday or Tuesday in which all 19 allies would reaffirm the alliance's
"solidarity and determination to stick to its obligations."
He refused to elaborate on what else the compromise would involve. But others
indicated support was building to use NATO's defense planning committee -which
France withdrew from in the 1960s -to authorize the deployment of AWACS
surveillance aircraft to Turkey.
The head of the Italian Senate's foreign relations committee, Fiorello
Provera, said after meetings Friday at NATO headquarters that U.S. Ambassador
Nicholas Burns had suggested the supporters of the Turkey deployment were
considering turning to that committee.
Other defensive measures could be handled bilaterally. Germany was already
sending Patriot missiles to Turkey through the Netherlands, for example.
Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Didier Seeuws declined to comment on what
Belgium would do. But he confirmed consultations were under way at a "high
political level."
"There are indeed efforts going on to de-dramatize everything by Monday or
Tuesday," he said.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1438GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1438GMT)

Feb-15-2003 14:38 GMT
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N/WER N/DJWI N/GEN N/NTO N/PET N/UNN M/NND P/APNY R/BEL R/EC R/EU R/FE
R/FEO R/FR R/GE R/ITA R/IZ R/ML R/NME R/TU R/US R/WEU MST/B/BRK MST/N/PET
MST/R/BE MST/R/EU MST/R/EUR MST/R/FR MST/R/DE MST/R/IT MST/R/IQ MST/R/MID
MST/R/NME MST/R/TR MST/R/US

DJ Widow Of Fla Anthrax Victim Files $50 Mln Claim


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)--The widow of an anthrax victim filed a $50 million
wrongful-death claim with the government, alleging that lax security at a
Maryland Army base allowed the theft of the deadly strain -even though it hasn't
been proved that the anthrax was stolen from there.
Robert Stevens, a photo editor in a building owned by American Media Inc.,
publisher of six supermarket tabloids, including The National Enquirer and
Globe, died Oct. 5, 2001, after apparently inhaling anthrax from a tainted
letter.
Stevens' death was the first known U.S. death from the inhaled form of the
disease since 1976 -and the first of five nationwide in anthrax attacks in the
weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. No one has been arrested.
Maureen Stevens wants to get more information about her husband's death
-including a copy of his autopsy report -and is pursuing a financial
settlement, her attorney, Richard Schuler, said Friday.
"There have been no arrests. There's been no information given to her, no
indication that the investigation is progressing," Schuler said.
Schuler said he sent the claim to the Defense Department and the Army. If the
government denies the claim, he has six months to file a lawsuit.
The claim outlines a theory that Stevens was killed by the anthrax that came
from a security breech at Fort Detrick in Maryland, which houses the Army's
Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. That facility is the primary
custodian of the virulent Ames strain of anthrax that was found in the letters.
The lab develops vaccines and drugs to protect service members from biological
warfare agents.
Army spokesman Chuck Dasey declined to comment on the claim.
Schuler did not return a phone message left with his office answering service
late Friday.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1417GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1417GMT)

Feb-15-2003 14:17 GMT
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N/911 N/DJWI N/GEN M/NND P/APNY R/FL R/NME R/US R/USS MST/B/BRK MST/R/US/FL
MST/R/NME MST/R/US

DJ France Braces For Massive Nationwide Anti-War Protests


PARIS (AP)--With thousands of anti-war demonstrators expected on the streets
of Paris and other French cities Saturday, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
said France was "giving peace a chance" by opposing any U.S.-led attack on Iraq.
"People across the world are telling France to hold fast," he said in a speech
to lawmakers. "France is giving hope to the world, France is giving peace a
chance."
His comments came as thousands were gathering in the capital's Place
Denfert-Rochereau for a planned march through eastern Paris to Place de la
Bastille, under the banner "Together, we can prevent this war."
The demonstration was called for by some 70 political parties, trade unions,
pacifist associations and human rights groups who issued a joint appeal that
read: "No to war in Iraq. Justice, peace, democracy in the Middle East and
across the world."
Protest marches were also scheduled in dozens of other French cities,
including Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Strasbourg.
In Toulouse, in the southwest, some 7,000 people demonstrated to shouts of
"they bomb, they exploit, they pollute, enough barbarity" -in a clear allusion
to the United States.
One banner depicted a cartoon picture of U.S. President George W. Bush wearing
a helmet and fully armed. "Does the world really have to support the whims of
this spoilt child," read the caption.
French President Jacques Chirac has been leading diplomatic efforts to find a
peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis, and along with Germany and Russia,
supports giving U.N. weapons inspectors more time to hunt for weapons of mass
destruction.
Paris' anti-war stance, however, has severely strained relations with
Washington.
On Friday, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin drew rare applause
in the U.N. Security Council after he said that weapons inspections "are
producing results" and that there was no justification yet for a war with Iraq.
He spoke after a report to the Security Council by the chief U.N. weapons
inspectors cited improved cooperation by Saddam Hussein's regime and reported
that inspectors had thus far failed to find banned arms.
The council is divided over whether to give more time and resources to weapons
inspectors -a course favored by France, Russia and China -or launch a military
assault on Iraq, a stance supported by the United States and Britain. The five
nations all have veto power in the Security Council.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1403GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1403GMT)

Feb-15-2003 14:03 GMT
Source DJBK Dow Jones Bankers Wire
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DJ Violence Erupts As Greeks Rally Against War In Iraq


ATHENS (AP)--Police fired tear gas during clashes with demonstrators Saturday,
as violence broke out at an anti-war rally in Athens.
Riot police clashed with several hundred anarchist protesters who smashed
store windows and threw a gasoline bomb at the offices of an Athens newspaper.
The clashes broke out after the anarchists - wearing hoods and crash helmets -
broke away from a peaceful march attended by tens of thousands of people to
protest against a war in Iraq.
The demonstrators, chanting "Imperialism is the only enemy," headed toward the
American embassy, which was cordoned off by hundreds of riot police.
The protest drew broad support, including backing from Greece's governing
Socialist party and largest labor union.
"We deny the United States the right, in the name of its military and
political power, to ignore the will of the international community," parliament
speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis said in a message to the marchers.
Protesters -many waving Iraqi flags - also targeted the government, which
holds the current presidency of the European Union and will host an emergency
summit of EU leaders on Iraq in Brussels Monday.
Protesters unfurled a banner on the wall of the ancient Acropolis which read:
"NATO, U.S. and EU equals War."
"Today we face a test: Do we want war or peace? A world with a human face or
conflict?" Manolis Glezos, a Greek World War II resistance hero, told the
burgeoning crowd gathered at Athens' main Syntagma square.
Top Greek artists took part in a concert after Glezos' speech, which was
carried live on state-run television.
Rowdy demonstrators beat drums and chanted "Rise against this dirty war."
Kurdish refugee groups and members of the aid agency Doctors of the World, who
have sent a team to Iraq, joined the rally.
A wide variety of left-wing groups also participated, from members of a
communist youth group wearing fluorescent vests, to anti-globalization activists
who chanted "Freedom for Palestine."
Saturday's march in Athens and several other Greek cities was part of an
international anti-war campaign which saw hundreds of rallies held across the
world.
In the northern port city of Thessaloniki, where 10,000 protesters gathered, a
group of youths assaulted the local region's conservative governor, Panayiotis
Psomiadis, who attended the rally.
The United States maintains a small but significant military presence in
Greece, operating an American naval base on the Mediterranean island of Crete
with some 1,000 military and civilian personnel.
The base, supporting U.S. Navy and Air Force spy planes, could play an
important role in an attack on Iraq.
The American ambassador to Greece, Thomas Miller, said the demonstrators'
feelings of indignation were misplaced. "They should be demonstrating outside
the Iraqi embassy," he said before the march.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1359GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1359GMT)

Feb-15-2003 13:59 GMT
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DJ Bahrain Arrests 5 In Alleged Terror Plot - Report


MANAMA, Bahrain (AP)--Bahraini authorities have busted an alleged terrorist
ring that was planning attacks in the kingdom and close U.S. ally in the Gulf,
the official Bahrain News Agency reported Saturday.
The agency, quoting an unidentified Bahraini official, said five Bahraini men
were arrested in a swoop for plotting terrorist acts against the island's
"national interests and endangering the lives of innocent citizens."
Police also seized weapons and ammunition that the detainees were planning to
use in their "terrorist activities," the official told the agency.
It was not clear if the men were acting alone or were part of a larger
terrorist network. The detentions are the first terrorism-related arrests made
in Bahrain since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The Associated Press was not immediately able to contact Bahraini officials
for comment.
Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and hosts some 4,000 American
military personnel. The Gulf island may play a role in then event of a U.S.
military attack on Iraq.
Last month, U.S. Navy chiefs ordered the deployment of high-speed Navy patrol
cutters to the Gulf to protect U.S. military ships, oil tankers and command
vessels from suicide bomb threats.
With anti-U.S. sentiment is growing in the Gulf region over American plans to
attack Iraq over suspicions it possesses weapons of mass destruction, military
planners are acting cautiously to prevent attacks like the 2000 suicide bombing
of the USS Cole in Yemen, which killed 17 U.S. sailors.
The official Bahrain agency did not say when the five men were arrested, but
said investigations are ongoing to determine if they were operating alone or
with a a larger group.
The arrest were made after authorities gathered "precise" information of the
men's movements.
They are expected to face court after investigations have been completed.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1348GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1348GMT)

Feb-15-2003 13:48 GMT
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DJ N Korea Lays Groundwork For Kim Jong Il Successor -Report


TOKYO (AP)--North Korea has launched a campaign to idolize the wife of its'
leader Kim Jong Il, showing the only communist state ruled by dynasty is laying
the groundwork for the next couple's son to succeed his father, Kyodo News
reported Saturday.
The Japanese news agency said a classified North Korean military document
obtained from an anonymous source reverentially referred to Ko Yong Hee, Kim's
current wife, as "mother."
The document, dated August, also exalted Ko in the same way as Kim Jong Il's
mother, who is treated in the North as one of the "three great leaders" along
with Kim Jong Il and his father Kim Il Sung, the founder of the reclusive
communist state.
Little is known about the couple's son, 21-year old Kim Jong Chul. The South
Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported last fall he had studied in France and was
working for a leading group in the People's Workers Party where his father once
worked.
Kyodo News noted Ko's treatment in the secret document mirrored early efforts
to idolize Kim Jong Il's mother in the mid-1970s, when the regime began to
prepare for his assumption of power.
The topic of succession comes at a delicate for Pyongyang as it is entrenched
in a standoff with Washington over its development of nuclear weapons and its
withdrawal from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
According to South Korean officials, Kim Jong Il was believed to have three
children: Kim Jong Chul; Kim Sul Song, a daughter born in 1974; and Kim Jong
Nam, a son born in 1971. The children all have different mothers.
Kim Jong Il, called "Dear Leader" in the North, rules with a personality cult.
His birthday on Sunday -he will turn 61 -is celebrated as the "Greatest Holiday"
and is being marked by sports events, art performances, seminars and film
festivals.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1250GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1250GMT)

Feb-15-2003 12:50 GMT
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MST/R/KP MST/R/PRM MST/R/KR

DJ Terror Attacks On London Inevitable - London's Mayor


LONDON (AP)--A terrorist attack on London is inevitable, the city's mayor
said Saturday amid heightened security at Britain's airports.
Ken Livingstone said police and security services were taking all possible
steps to counter an attack. He said terrorists would ultimately achieve their
aim, but not on the scale of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
"Someone will one day get through with something but I don't think we will see
an attack on this city on the scale of Sept. 11," Livingstone told British
Broadcasting Corp. radio.
"There is clearly a danger but I don't believe that al-Qaida has the resources
to do the sort of massive coordinated attack it managed on Washington and New
York. We are much more likely to see a small group of people succeed with
something like a car bomb with devastation in one small area."
Police have warned that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network might try attacking
London during this week's Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. The warning prompted
visibly higher security at major airports and in the center of the capital.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1238GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1238GMT)

Feb-15-2003 12:38 GMT
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DJ 4 Suspected Abu Sayyaf Members Captured In S. Philippines



ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP)--Soldiers on Saturday captured four suspected
members of the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group, including one who allegedly
took part in the beheading of two teachers held captive by the guerrillas three
years ago, the military said.
Troops raided rebel hideouts in Isabela, capital of Basilan island, where the
group gained notoriety for mass kidnappings for ranso and killings, said Basilan
army chief Col. Bonifacio Ramos.
One of the suspects, Hamsaji Jolo, allegedly was involved in the beheading of
two teachers who were among more than 50 students and teachers seized by Abu
Sayyaf gunmen in March 2000 from a school on the island.
Survivors of the abduction later told authorities the two teachers were
separated from the other hostages, who were told they were to be released.
However, the guerrillas were seen returning to their camp after a short while,
some of them with bloodstains on their clothes.
The bodies of the teachers were later recovered in the Basilan forest.
Ramos said the four men had been shadowed by soldiers for weeks before the
dawn raid on their hideouts.
The U.S. has included the Abu Sayyaf on its list of foreign terrorist
organizations and is loosely linked to the al-Qaida network. The guerrillas also
beheaded one American tourist. Another American hostage was killed during a
rescue operation last year.
More than 1,000 U.S. troops conducted a joint exercise last year to help the
Philippine military to better fight the guerrillas. The exercise has been
credited with scattering the rebels, leading to the arrest and killing of key
members and leaders.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1105GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1105GMT)

Feb-15-2003 11:05 GMT
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MST/B/BRK MST/R/NME MST/R/PRM MST/R/PH MST/R/STM MST/R/US

DJ Kuwait Removes Some Rigs, Workers From North Oil Fields



KUWAIT CITY (AP)--Kuwait is removing some oil rigs and workers from its
northern oil fields in response to increasing tensions with Iraq, its northern
neighbor, an official said Saturday.
However, production at the fields will not be reduced, said Bader al-Zuwayyer,
spokesman for the state-owned Kuwait Oil Company.
"Because of the security circumstances, we are moving equipment and cutting on
manpower, but production will not be affected," he said.
Nonessential equipment and workers were being removed from the northern Ratqa,
Abdali and Rawdatain fields near the Iraqi border "until things go back to
normal," al-Zuwayyer said.
U.S. troops are massing in Kuwait in anticipation of a possible attack on
Iraq.
On Saturday, the northern half of Kuwait officially became an exclusion zone
where civilians were forbidden to travel without special military permits. Only
those with business in the area will be granted the permits.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1102GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1102GMT)

Feb-15-2003 11:02 GMT
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DJ Blair/Iraqi Concessions -3: Terror, WMD 'Twins Of Chaos'



In a bid to boost Britain and the U.S.'s tough stance on Iraq, Blair said
Saddam had already killed people with chemical weapons.
"Iraq under Saddam became the first country to use chemical weapons against
its own people," Blair said.
"Are we sure that if we allow him to keep such weapons he will not use them
again?"
He said terrorism and weapons of mass destruction in the hands of rogue states
were "twins of chaos," posing a new and grave danger of the world.
Although Blair has enthusiastically rallied behind Washington's tough stance
on Iraq, opposition to war in Britain is strong. Successive opinion polls
indicate a big majority of Britons oppose military action against Saddam's
regime without U.N. backing.
Blair's speech to Labor Party delegates in Glasgow comes a day after the
report of the chief U.N. inspectors gave fresh encouragement to opponents of
military action.
Chief inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei avoided harsh criticism of
the Iraqi regime when they reported to the Security Council Friday. Instead of
galvanizing support for a quick war, the majority of council members cited the
inspectors' reports of improved Iraqi cooperation to call for renewed efforts to
peacefully disarm Saddam.
Several senior Labor lawmakers planned to take part in Saturday's rally in
London, and have been sharply critical of the prime minister's passionate
support of U.S. President George W. Bush.
Fifty-seven lawmakers, most from Labor, signed a motion Thursday demanding
Britain stay out of a war unless it is authorized by Parliament. Ministers have
promised lawmakers a substantive vote on any war, but not necessarily before
troops are sent into action.
Labor chairman John Reid acknowledged Friday there was "widespread anxiety" in
the party about the government's tough stance on Iraq, but defended Blair's
leadership.
"It is ... the duty of leaders to lead, to say it as they see it, to be honest
with the party and with the people, especially when they believe this country
and the world to be in peril," he told delegates in Glasgow.
Britain's finance chief, Chancellor Gordon Brown and Home Secretary David
Blunkett also rallied behind their leader.
"In the difficult decisions he has to make for our country, we should all give
Tony Blair, the leader of our party, our full support as he seeks to find an
international way forward for the necessary disarmament of Saddam Hussein," said
Brown.
High-profile supporters of Saturday's rally in London include the capital's
mayor Ken Livingstone, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, playwright Harold
Pinter, the leader of Britain's opposition Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy,
and U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1100GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1100GMT)

Feb-15-2003 11:00 GMT
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LONDON (AP)--Iraqi concessions to United Nations weapons inspectors are
"suspect," Prime Minister Tony Blair told his ruling Labor Party Saturday.
Blair said he was still committed to solving the Iraq crisis through the U.N.
and said weapons inspectors would be given more time. But he insisted Saddam
Hussein must be dealt with.
"The concessions are suspect, unfortunately the weapons are real," he told a
party conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
"I still believe in the United Nations," Blair said. "I continue to want to
solve the issue of Iraq and weapons of mass destruction through the U.N."
He said inspections should not drag on, as they did immediately after the Gulf
War in 1991, without full Iraqi cooperation.
"The time needed is not the time that it takes the inspectors to discover the
weapons. They are not a detective agency," Blair said.
He added: "The time is the time necessary to make a judgment: is Saddam
prepared to cooperate fully or not? If he is, the inspectors can take as much
time as they want.
"If he is not, if this is a repeat of the 1990s, and I fear that it is, let us
be under no doubt about what is at stake."

(MORE) Dow Jones Newswires
15-02-03 1055GMT(AP-DJ-02-15-03 1055GMT)

EMI negoceia aquisição da Warner Music

14-2-2003 20:1



A editora discográfica britânica EMI iniciou negociações para a aquisição da Warner Music, divisão do grupo norte-americano AOL Time Warner, segundo revela o New York Post. O jornal cita fontes próximas do processo.

Vendas de camiões penalizam resultados da Navistar

14-2-2003 19:34



A Navistar registou prejuízos, no primeiro trimestre, devido ao fraco desempenho das vendas de camiões. No entanto, a norte-americana espera lucros marginais no conjunto do exercício.
Os prejuízos por acção deverão oscilar entre 25 e 30 cêntimos, no segundo trimestre, devendo os resultados voltar a terreno positivo nos terceiro e quarto trimestres, com a melhoria das novas encomendas.

As perdas ascenderam a 99 milhões ou 1,43 dólares por acção, face aos 56 milhões de dólares e 93 cêntimos por acção, do mesmo período do ano anterior, em linha com as estimativas dos analistas. As receitas cresceram de 1,5 mil milhões para 1,6 mil milhões de dólares.

Indústria brasileira cresceu 3% por ano entre 1992 e 2002

14-2-2003 19:4



A indústria brasileira cresceu 3%, por ano, em média, entre 1992 e 2002, segundo revelou o instituto de estatística daquele país IBGE. No acumulado, tratou-se de um aumento de 34,4%.

Uralita subscreve crédito de 300 ME

14-2-2003 17:59



A espanhola Uralita anunciou hoje que subscreveu um crédito de 300 milhões de euros (ME) dos bancos ABN Amro, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria e Banesto. O empréstimo destina-se a refinanciar a longo prazo a totalidade da dívida desta empresa de materiais de construção.
A Uralita fechou nos 5,97 euros, com uma valorização de 5,66%, em Madrid.

Vendas da Krispy Kreme crescem 11,8%

14-2-2003 17:24



A norte-americana Krispy Kreme anunciou que as vendas comparáveis cresceram 11,8%, no quarto trimestre, e afirmou-se confortável com as estimativas do mercado, de lucros de 65 cêntimos por acção no exercício de 2003.
A retalhista de doughnuts espera que as vendas aumentem 10% e que os lucros por acção ascendam a 88 cêntimos em 2004, quatro cêntimos acima do consenso do mercado.

Pelas 17h30, o título ganhava 8,59% para 30,84 dólares, em Nova Iorque

DGCC abre 309 e conclui 181 processos em Janeiro

14-2-2003 17:11



Em Janeiro, a Direcção-Geral do Comércio e da Concorrência (DGCC) abriu 309 processos e conclui outros 181 processos contra-ordenacionais por práticas restritivas do comércio.
As empresas envolvidas foram: Carrefour Portugal, Modelo Continente, Modelo Hiper, Sonae Comércio e Serviços, Feira Nova, Pingo Doce, LIDL, Uniarme, Dia Portugal, Companhia Portuguesa de Lojas de Desconto, Companhia Portuguesa de Hipermercados, Makro e Manuel Nunes & Fernandes.

No primeiro mês do ano, as multas ascenderam a 1,8 milhões de euros, com o pagamento voluntário de 238 mil euros. Dos 181 processos concluídos, 83 levaram a condenações, 43 a arquivamento por pagamento voluntário e 46 a absolvições. Foram assinaladas 614 infracções de venda com prejuízo, 20 por recusa de venda de bens ou serviços, 14 por ausência de tabelas de preços e condições de venda, 11 por aplicações de preços e uma por práticas negociais abusivas.

Registaram-se ainda 55 impugnações judiciais, que correspondem a recursos de decisões administrativas. Quanto a decisões judiciais, de primeira e segundo instâncias, verificaram-se 31 condenações e oito absolvições, enquanto 16 ficaram por decidir.