SYDNEY, July 1 -- AsiaNet AUTO MARKET... SYDNEY: With the growth of the Chinese automotive market -- and the associated growth in finance and insurance -- together with the increasing sophistication of Chinese business, credible market intelligence has become essential. METALINK APPOINTMENT... TOKYO & YAKUM: Metalink Ltd., a global provider and developer of high performance wireline and wireless broadband communication silicon solutions, Thursday announced the appointment of Noboru Tsuchiya as Senior Field Application Engineer fully dedicated to country support. http://www.metalinkBB.com VDSL PORTS... YAKUM: Metalink Ltd., a global provider and developer of high performance wireline and wireless broadband communication silicon solutions, Thursday announced it has shipped over 30,000 VDSL ports to Japan in June 2004. http://www.metalinkBB.com SUPPORT CENTER... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.: Coverall Cleaning Concepts, a leader in the commercial cleaning industry, Thursday announced the opening of a new master regional support center in Seoul, Korea. http://www.coverall.com INFOSTARS AWARDS... SYDNEY: Dialog, a Thomson business and a leading worldwide provider of online-based information services and integrated information solutions, Wednesday said that two information specialists - one from Australia and the other from Singapore - are the winners of its 2004 Quantum2 InfoStars Awards for the Asia Pacific region. http://www.dialog.com DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT... TOKYO: Aloka Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese manufacturer and distributor of ultrasound systems Wednesday announced that it has signed a distribution agreement for Japan with SonoSite, Inc., the worldwide leader in high-performance, hand-carried ultrasound. http://www.aloka.com SANDOZ ACQUISITION... VIENNA, Austria: Sandoz Wednesday announced the acquisition of Durascan, the generic subsidiary of Astra Zeneca in Denmark, in a transaction aimed at claiming the number two position in the Danish generics market and establishing a new operational hub in the Nordic region. http://www.novartis.com BANKING LICENCE... STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Handelsbanken, which has been represented in China since 1983, is now going one step further and will apply for a licence to start a branch in Shanghai. http://www.handelsbanken.se TELEPHONY ASSESSOR... SYDNEY: Australian software developer Integrated Research (ASX:IRI) has launched PROGNOSIS IP Telephony Assessor, enabling organisations to make informed decisions about Voice over IP (VoIP) investment before spending money on network upgrades or expensive pilot deployments. http://www.ir.com IP TELEPHONY... DENVER: Integrated Research (ASX:IRI) has launched PROGNOSIS IP Telephony Assessor, enabling organizations to make informed decisions about Voice over IP (VoIP) investment before spending money on network upgrades or expensive pilot deployments. http://www.ir.com (AsiaNet is a consortium of leading news agencies distributing unedited, translated news releases for worldwide clients. Visit www.asianetnews.net for full-text versions.)--InfoQuest (PP)--