BUENOS AIRES (16 March 2003) - The 2002/03 soya crop is developingnormally in Argentina, the world's No 3 producer, but a government weatherspecialist said on Friday that worries persist that rains in the comingweeks will delay the harvest and threaten quality.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14: Some 100 Guthrie workers of Ladang Changkat Salakand Ladang Kamiri, Sg Siput (U), Perak today demonstrated outside MenaraCitibank in Jalan Ampang over their impending eviction on April 1.On being told that Guthrie Chairman Tan Sri Musa Hitam was away, theybecame agitated and started holding up banners and placards about 10.45am.The demonstration drew a huge crowd slowing down traffic.Within 20 minutes, a team of police officers and men in two patrol carsand a mobile unit arrived at the scene to control the crowd. However, thedemonstrators refused to disperse until they saw Musa or hisrepresentative.The workers eventually handed over a memorandum to Guthrie publicrelations manager Datin Nooraizam Aljeffri.Nooraizam told the workers that Musa had agreed to a dialogue with them assoon as he returned from abroad in two weeks time.Workers V. Govindasamy, 46 and S. Munusamy, 52, handed the memorandum toNooraizam on two conditions - the meeting should be held as soon as Musareturned and that the cas scheduled to be heard on April 2 at the IpohHigh Court be postponed to a later date.They also wanted that notice to vacate the estate quarters by April 1 tobe deferred.Nooraizam later told reporters that the company would try to defer thenotice to vacate homes besides trying to postpone the case at the IpohHigh Court.In 1999, some 55 rubber tappers in Ladang Kamiri and another 110 at LadangChangkat Salak lost their jobs when Guthrie decided to replace rubbertrees with oil palm trees.The company stopped the services of the workers on Dec 31, 1999 andoffered them 20 days wages per year of service in compensation.Workers who had served 25 years would receive between RM8,000 and RM9,000each.This, according to the workers, was unreasonable as their families hadbeen working in the estates for three generations.

New Delhi, March 13 - Suspecting the role of pro-Pakistan elements in theSunday morning raids on Indians techies in Kuala Lumpur, India ispreparing to hit Malaysia where it hurts most.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Bernama) -- Works Minister Datuk Seri S. SamyVellu said Sunday that the strong and cordial relations between Malaysiaand India would allow both countries to settle any hiccups in theirlong-standing ties.Commenting on claims of police high-handedness against Indian informationtechnology (IT) professionals here last Sunday, he said that Acting PrimeMinister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had directed theInspector-General of Police to conduct a full probe into the matter.

KIEV (March 16 2003) : Ukraine cut its sunflower oil exports to about80,000 tonnes in February from 82,300 tonnes in January and 93,032 tonnesin December due to a lack of oil tanks, producers said on Friday.

CHICAGO (March 16 2003) : Oilseed export tenders, results and marketinformation as reported by the US Department of Agriculture and privateexport sources on Friday.

BEIJING, March 12, SinoCast -- The Chinese soybean importers estimate thatthe China Ministry of Agriculture will issue the first block of importlicenses to Brazilian soybeans.

BRUSSELS (March 14 2003) : The European Union said on Thursday it hadopened a probe into alleged unfair US assistance to growers of oilseedssuch as soyabeans and sunflower, which could heighten trade tensions withWashington.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 13 2003) : India has booked 350,000 tonnes of palm oilfor March, more than its normal monthly requirement, raising fear it mightslow down in coming months and shift to rival soyaoil, freight brokerssaid on Wednesday.

Friday, March 14 2003 - PLANTATION stocks, although rattled by prospectsthat current palm oil prices may have peaked, are still on solid ground asprices of the commodity are expected to remain firm in the next severalmonths.