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■ Semiconductors
Global sales up 31%
Global semiconductor sales rose 31 percent in February from a year earlier as corporate demand for computers recovered, the Semiconductor Industry Association said. Sales totaled US$15.58 billion in the month, compared with US$11.92 billion in February last year, the industry group said in a statement released on Business Wire. Sales posted a "modest" 0.2 percent increase from January, the group said. February is a "relatively weak" month for chip sales, it said. Sales declined 0.1 percent in the Americas and 1.8 percent in Japan in February from January. Sales rose 0.7 percent in Europe and 1.3 percent in the Asia-Pacific region. Sales climbed in all geographic regions from a year earlier. The group, which counts Taiwan Semiconductor Manufac-turing Co (台積電) and Intel Corp among its members, has previously predicted this year's sales growth of 19.4 percent. Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 18.3 percent last year to US$166.4 billion, according to the group.

■ Petroleum
Saudis seek China sales
Saudi Arabia is eager to increase oil sales to China and set up joint refining projects there and mining ventures in the kingdom, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi told the official SPA news agency Friday. "The Kingdom supplies China at present with more than 300,000 barrels of oil per day but we are seeking to increase this amount given the rising demand in China," said Nuaimi, who arrived in China on Thursday for a three-day visit. He said that "an agreement was being finalized to build a refinery in China's Fujian Province to process Saudi crude, and to supply and market products inside and outside China." State-owned Saudi Aramco, as well as Chinese and international companies, would invest in the refining project, according to Nuaimi.

■ Automobiles
Toyota official faces arrest
A court has issued an arrest warrant for Toyota's top Japanese executive in Thailand over breach of contract allegations by a former auto dealer, a newspaper reported yesterday. Toyota Motors Thailand President Royichi Sasaki failed to fulfill agreed upon shipments of automobiles and car parts to its former dealer in Krabi, the Bangkok Post reported. A civil lawsuit by Sinprasert Saengsirattanakul -- owner of Toyota Krabi -- claims Toyota Motors Thailand wrongfully terminated dealership contracts leading to losses of 3 billion baht (US$76 million), the Post reported. The court ordered Toyota Motors to deliver cars and parts to Toyota Krabi within 30 days to fulfill its contractual obligations. The arrest warrant for Sasaki was issued because the company failed to deliver the goods, the report said.

■ Entertainment
NTDTV to broadcast to Asia
New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), a US-based Chinese-language broadcaster, launched on Friday a new direct-to-home satellite service to Asia and Europe. "What is very significant is that this is the first time an independent Chinese-language TV network is able to broadcast on an open signal to reach China and all of Asia," said Lee Zhong, President of New York-based NTDTV. The company said in a statement that it managed to expand its audience in Europe and Asia by using the Paris-based Eutelsat's Hotbird-6 and W5 satellites. "We are proud to contribute to pluralism in Chinese-language media, and to promote the free flow of information and ideas via satellite," Lee said.

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