<a href=www.financialexpress.com>The financial Express Pummy Kaul

New Delhi, April 1: In order to take advantage of ‘six months exclusivity’ in the overseas market, Dabur India’s newly demerged pharma entity Dabur Pharma Ltd plans to complete the para IV filing for one of its new oncology products soon. With the para IV filing, the company will be able to make inroads into the lucrative generic market segments the worldover, especially in the United States.

More precisely, the development will enable Dabur to get a six-month exclusivity for some of its oncology drugs. Companies like Dr Reddy’s and Ranbaxy have been able to get a 180-day marketing exclusivity for a few drugs after successfully completing their para IV filing.

Talking to FE, Dabur India vice-president (VP) and pharmaceuticals head Ajay Vij, said that the move is in line with the company’s focus to emerge as a global player in the space of oncology, develop comprehensive oncology franchise globally including the US and EU and focus on research in innovative molecules in Oncology.

Meanwhile, in the domestic market, the focus is to widen the product basket in oncology in addition to introducing new products in the anti-diabetic and cardiovascular segment. The company plans to introduce four to five new products in the last quarter of financial year 2003-04, Mr Viz said.

“The idea is to give equal thrust to the international as well as domestic markets,” said Mr Vij. “In the overseas markets, while we are looking at exploring the US and European markets, we will ensure a deeper penetration in markets of significance where we have already established our presence,” he added.

Dabur has set up a manufacturing facility in the UK for oncology injectibles at an investment of $15 million and commercial production is slated for late 2004.

The key challenge in the highly regulated markets in the developed world is in getting faster regulatory approval and the UK facility is expected to give the needed edge to penetrate effectively in these markets.

The company is looking for deeper penetration in its already established overseas destinations such as Phillipines, Malaysia, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Peru, Russia, Belarus, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh besides some African countries.

Dabur India, last year, took an in-principle decision to demerge its pharma business into a separate company after incorporating the suggestions of Accenture into its corporate agenda.

The company has already virtually demerged pharma business and operationally separated it from the FMCG business. While the new entity comes into effect from April 1, 2003, Dabur expects to complete the legal formalities by in September 2003.

<a href=www.businesswire.com>Business Wire

Energy Editors/Business Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2003--Sonoran Energy, Inc. (OTCBB:SNRN), is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Matthew Marcus, Chairman and CEO of Integrity Securities, as its Financial Consulting Counsel. Specializing in financial relations strategies for growth companies since 1995, Mr. Marcus is accredited with successful campaigns on behalf of public companies to add fundamental shareholder value and enhance market liquidity through a fully integrated approach to Wall Street awareness.

Integrity Securities is a NASD licensed Registered Investment Advisor and Registered Representative member of Synergy Investments clearing through Pershing, a division of the Bank of New York. Mr. Marcus currently was recently presented with the Magellan award for excellence in Financial Communications by, the Los Angeles Communications professionals (www.lacp.com). He has long-standing relationships with financial institutions such as Dean Witter, Citigroup subsidiary Salomon Smith Barney, Prudential Securities, Barron's, Investors Daily, Motley Fool, CBS Marketwatch, TheStreet.com, Smart Money, Fortune, CBS radio, and CNBC television to name a few. Visit http://www.integritysecurities.com .

John Punzo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sonoran, stated, "A proactive campaign to strengthen our visibility in the investment community and communicate major events to shareholders. Our roll up of solid cash flowing oil and gas properties in the United States is now underway. We see the appointment of Mr. Marcus as an integral part of our overall program to enhance liquidity, distribute information and expedite growth."

Mr. Marcus of Integrity Securities, stated, " I am now working with Sonoran to increase awareness in the global financial community. Using a fully integrated approach to financial consulting, we look forward to exposing Sonoran to financial professionals, analysts, institutional investors, and mass financial media such as Barrons, CNBC Television, and CBS Radio."

Domestic U.S. Oil producers like Sonoran Energy, Inc. are positioned to significantly benefit from rising demand for U.S. domestic oil production in light of the brewing International oil production crisis due to war, strikes, and terrorist threats. Just this week, the Nigerian subsidiaries of Royal Dutch/Shell Group (NYSE: RD) (NYSE: SC), ChevronTexaco Corp. (NYSE: CVX) and TotalFinaElf (NYSE: TOT) halted production totalling 817,500 barrels a day, or about 40% of Nigeria's output of some 2 million b/d amid violence between rival ethnic groups, the Ijaws and Itsekiri, leading up to April 19 parliamentary and presidential elections. Militant Ijaws reportedly threatened to blow up multinational oil installations they said they had captured in retaliation for government military raids.

Additionally, Oil-well firefighters from Houston-based Boots & Coots International Well Control (AMEX: WEL) are traveling to southern Iraq to assess damage in the country's key Rumaila oil fields. The firefighting teams are looking at a timetable of 30 to 45 days to extinguish the fires and cap the wells. But one source said the timing will depend on "what's all there." The Pentagon has contacted a number of major oil industry service companies - among them Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) , once run by Vice President Dick Cheney -- to repair any of Iraq's wells that are damaged and assess everything from wells to pipelines and pumping stations.

Venezuela's oil industry collapsed in December, when employees at state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela walked off the job, angry about changes in the company under the administration of President Hugo Chavez. By the height of the strike, 16,000 employees had walked out, and production shrank to 200,000 barrels a day, costing Venezuela $6 billion. The country had to import fuel to keep vehicles moving, and drivers waited days at gas stations. The strike, which failed to oust Chavez or call early elections, was strongest in the oil sector, though businesses around the country shut down.

ABOUT SONORAN ENERGY, INC. 

Sonoran Energy's primary objective is to identify, acquire and develop working interest percentages in smaller, underdeveloped oil and gas projects that do not meet the minimum requirements of major oil and gas corporations. Sonoran Energy's goal is to be recognized as a promising junior oil and gas producer. 

Sonoran Energy looks for opportunities with the following criteria: low cost, undervalued and a high rate of return. These projects must include close access to commercial distribution and modern application of oil and gas engineering technology. Management is targeting projects that represent substantial growth with minimum exposure and a low-cost entry. Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.


--30--AM/na*

CONTACT: Sonoran Energy 
         John Punzo, 866/599-7676
         info@sonoranenergy.com
         or
         Integrity Securities LLC, City of Industry 
         Matthew Marcus, 626/961-5694 
         www.integritysecurities.com

KEYWORD: WASHINGTON NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CANADA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING ENERGY OIL/GAS CONFERENCE CALLS
SOURCE: Sonoran Energy

<a href=www.businesswire.com>Business Wire

Business Editors

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2003--Panamerican Beverages, Inc. (the "Company" or "Panamco") (NYSE:PB), announced today that it has entered into a Bridge Credit Agreement with ING Bank N.V. for a bridge facility in an aggregate principal amount of U.S.$150 million (the "Loan") for a term of 4 months.
The proceeds of the Loan will be used to pay the principal of the 8 1/8% Senior Notes due April 1, 2003 issued by Panamco in an aggregate principal amount of U.S.$150 million.
The Loan will bear interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 1.00% from March 28, 2003 to June 1, 2003 and a rate of LIBOR plus 1.375% after June 1, 2003. The Loan will be repaid in its entirety upon the earlier of maturity and the completion of the acquisition of the Company by Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A. de C.V.
ING Capital LLC acted as the sole arranger and administrative agent in connection with the Loan.
Panamco is the largest soft drink bottler in Latin America and one of the three largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products in the world. The Company produces and distributes substantially all Coca-Cola soft drink products in its franchise territories in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil, along with bottled water, beer and other beverages in some of these territories. Panamco is an anchor bottler of The Coca-Cola Company.

Forward Looking Statement

Statements made in this press release that are not historical in nature may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, including statements related to anticipated future earnings and cost savings. Such statements, estimates, and projections reflect various assumptions by Panamco's management concerning anticipated results and are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond Panamco's control. Factors that could cause Panamco's actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, changes in the soft drink business environment (including actions of competitors and changes in consumer preference), changes in governmental laws and regulations (including income and excise taxes), currency fluctuations, market demand for new and existing products and raw material prices. Accordingly, Panamco cannot assure that such statements, estimates and projections will be realized. The forecasts and actual results will likely vary and those variations may be material. Panamco makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of such statements, estimates or projections contained in this press release or that any forecast contained herein will be achieved. Panamco undertakes no obligation to update such statements, estimates or projections. Information concerning such factors is contained in Panamco's Registration Statement on Form S-8, dated July 23, 2001, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002, and other documents since filed by Panamco with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), all of which are available from the SEC.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT

On March 28, 2003, Panamco filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a definitive proxy statement regarding the proposed business combination transaction referred to in the foregoing information. Investors and security holders are urged to read the definitive proxy statement, because it contains important information. The definitive proxy statement will be sent to shareholders of Panamco seeking their approval of the proposed transaction on or about March 31, 2003. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed with the SEC by Panamco at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The definitive proxy statement and these other documents may also be obtained for free from Panamco by directing a request to Laura I. Maydon (lmaydon@panamcollc.com).

CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING PARTICIPANTS

A detailed list of names, affiliations and interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies of Panamco to approve the proposed business combination is included in the definitive proxy statement.


--30--SDG/ny*

CONTACT: Panamerican Beverages, Inc.
         Laura I. Maydon, 305/929-0867 
         or
         Citigate Sard Verbinnen
         Matt Benson / Kara Findlay
         212/687-8080

KEYWORD: FLORIDA VENEZUELA MEXICO COLOMBIA BRAZIL INTERNATIONAL

Source 31/03/2003 14:27 - (SA)

London - Stock markets slumped in Asia and Europe on Monday, while the dollar tumbled and oil and bond prices rose on growing concerns about how the war in Iraq is unfolding.

Markets shuddered at a warning from US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld over the weekend that "the most dangerous and difficult days are still ahead of us," in stark contrast to the upbeat US comments heard at the start of the war.

Dealers also took fright at a boast by authorities in Baghdad that thousands of Arab volunteers were primed for suicide missions against coalition forces, after a suicide bomber killed four US soldiers over the weekend.

"With the Iraq campaign likely to be longer, and more expensive, than some initially hoped, equity investors have adopted a more sombre attitude," said Nomura Securities strategist Anais Faraj.

"The rally since March 12 looks to be from the same stable as the other squeezes that have punctuated the three-year bear market," he added.

On European markets, the British FTSE 100 index dropped 2.3% to 3624.7 points, the German DAX 30 lost 2.9% to 2447.5 points and the French CAC 40 gave up 3.3% to 2642.7 points in early trading.

The stock market rout started in Asia, where some major markets, including Hong Kong and Singapore, were also laid low by the rapid spread of the deadly virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), which hit aviation and tourism stocks.

Stocks in Japan and South Korea both plunged 3.71%, with Tokyo's Nikkei 225 down 307.45 points at 7972.71 points and Seoul's composite index down 20.63 points at 535.70.

"The war does not seem to be developing as planned," said Masafumi Okamoto, a dealer at Jyujiya Securities in Tokyo.

"There are growing fears that the war will last longer than expected. Investors cannot buy stocks actively amid such fears," he said.

Rising concerns about the progress of the war in Iraq also pounded the dollar, allowing the single European currency to rally to a two-week high of US$1.0898 from $1.0783 late on Friday in New York.

The dollar fell to ¥118.90 from ¥119.75 on Friday.

"The dollar has been undermined against the euro and the yen by the belief that war in Iraq will be prolonged and complicated," said Derek Halpenny, economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.

"The suicide attack that killed four US soldiers with a promise of more to come and the news that an attack (by ground forces) on Baghdad may not take place for weeks has fuelled this belief," he added.

Oil prices edged up slightly here on concerns about disruption to supplies from Iraq and Nigeria, which has been shaken by civil unrest.

The price of reference Brent North Sea crude oil for May delivery rose US20c per barrel from the previous closing to $26.55 in early trading.

"There is still enough oil coming from Saudi Arabia and even Venezuela to keep the market supplied, but with Iraq out and the conflict in Nigeria still continuing the market is tightly balanced," said Deutsche Bank analyst Adam Sieminski.

Gold prices rose, with the spot price on the London Bullion Market up $3.7 from the previous closing price at $335.55.

Bond prices gained. The yield on the 10-year German government bond dropped six basis points, or 0.06 percentage points, to 4.06%. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.

<a href=www.theglobalist.com>The Globalist By Pierre Pettigrew | Monday, March 31, 2003

Canada is usually presented as a smaller brother of the United States. This picture does not do justice to one of America’s biggest trading and strategic partners. Pierre Pettigrew, Canada’s Minister for International Trade, examines the U.S.-Canadian partnership and sheds new light on its importance for North America — and the globe.

Canada's trade and economic interests span the globe, so the cornerstone of our trade policy continues to be the multilateral trading system.

NAFTA success

However, North America — and in particular the United States — is by far our most important market and increasingly critical to our prosperity and security.

And I would argue the inverse as well — Canada increasingly matters to American prosperity and security.

The North American Free Trade Agreement has been a tremendous success. From 1993 to 2001, Canada's merchandise exports to its NAFTA partners increased almost 95%. Mexican exports increased by 221%. And U.S. exports increased by 86%.

North American interdependence

But NAFTA has been more than a scorecard for trade. NAFTA has fundamentally changed the North American economic area. It has accelerated the pace of economic integration.

The new opportunities and competitive pressures created by NAFTA have contributed significantly to the reorientation of Canada's industrial structure, and of those of our U.S. and Mexican partners.

A North American economy

NAFTA has made all three partners more competitive. By strengthening the rules and procedures governing trade and investment on this continent, it has allowed trade and investment flows to skyrocket.

Magna, a Canadian auto supply company, has factories in Mexico. Bombardier has plants in Vermont and New York. And Hewlett Packard has major investments in Toronto.

More and more, we have a North American economy. Canadians realize that our bread is primarily buttered in the North American economic area — the world's toughest market place.

Disciplined acting

But we had to bulk up to compete in this marketplace. We put ourselves through a period of extreme fiscal restraint in the mid-1990s, with a goal of vigorously eliminating the deficit and reducing our national debt.

The crucial steps we took during those years are the reason that the Government of Canada has been able to balance budgets over the past six years and slash our debt-to-GDP ratio from 71% to 49%. This year, we are the only G7 country to have a balanced budget.

Reaping the benefits

We have brought in fair and competitive taxes. We are delivering on a $100-billion tax reduction package. Canada now has one of the most competitive business tax regimes in the world. In fact, by 2005, the corporate taxation rate in Canada will be five percentage points lower than the U.S. average.

Canada now leads the OECD in job creation. The IMF predicts our growth rate will be the highest of all Western countries.

And in May and August 2002, we received investment upgrades from Moody's and Standard & Poor's to “Triple A” status. These are all indicators of a dynamic, growing economy.

Consolidating success

So it is clear that Canada has cast its lot in with North American prosperity — and this strategy is paying off. We are a pivotal player in many sectors of the new economy — biotechnology, multimedia and fuel cell technologies, to name only a few.

Canada attracted $42.8 billion of new foreign direct investment in 2001, a new record high. That number is even more impressive in view of the marked decline in mergers and acquisitions worldwide from the year before.

Security and Prosperity

So, Canada has done well in North America, but so has the United States. We share the largest trading relationship in the world.

We buy as many goods from the United States as do all the EU countries combined, almost 19% of U.S. exports.

Thirty-seven U.S. states have Canada as their largest market. We are leading investors in each other's economies. Better yet, Canadians invest as much in the United States as Americans invest in Canada.

Security Partnership

In addition, Canada is a critical security partner of the United States. We share the defense of North American airspace through NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command).

Canada had the fourth-largest military contingent in the coalition against terrorism in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Canadian military forces fought in Afghanistan and our naval task force is still patrolling the Arabian Sea. All told, we committed more than 3,500 men and women.

Stepping up security

At home, Canada took immediate action to secure the safety of our continent. We provided $5 billion in new security spending. That is more, on a per capita basis, than in the United States. We tightened our legislation on refugee determination, immigration and terrorism financing.

We moved aggressively to guarantee the security of the border by a Smart Border Accord with the United States.

It includes measures to fast-track pre-screened goods and travelers, the assignment of customs personnel to each other's key ports and the sharing of information on high-risk travelers.

The Energy Connection

In the energy area, few realize that Canada is the largest supplier of petroleum products to the United States, providing more than Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Canada supplies 17% of the imported crude and refined oil products imported by the United States. We also provide 100% of its electricity imports, 94% of its natural gas imports and 35% of its uranium.

U.S. market share and Canadian jobs

In addition, the oil sands of Alberta contain 2.5 trillion barrels of oil, of which 315 billion barrels are recoverable with current technology. This surpasses the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia.

Some less confident people in Canada see our success in the U.S. market as a terrible predicament. I like it. In fact, I love it. I want more predicaments like this. In fact, I would be happy to double our market share in the United States. It would mean more jobs and prosperity for Canadians.

What more can we do to make that happen? One key area is regulation. We need to look at how our regulatory approaches fit the North American economic area.

Avoiding double work

Regulatory cooperation will facilitate intra-industry trade, reduce transaction costs for shippers and disincentives for cross-border investors — and restrict the scope for disputes over time.

Great strides have been made in NAFTA but there is scope for broadening and deepening regulatory cooperation between our two countries. We must further cut red tape and the regulatory hurdles to doing business with each other.

Beyond North America

Why not acknowledge the similarity of our systems — and agree that, once products are tested in either country, they are acceptable in the other? Can we not move toward the principles of mutual recognition and the elimination of duplication?

While our focus is understandably on North America, Canada is not ignoring the rest of the world. Our hemispheric agenda reaches beyond the United States.

We are working multilaterally at the WTO to achieve greater trade liberalization — and better rules governing global trade. For Canada, a key objective in the Doha Round will be discipline in the area of agricultural subsidies.

Implementing Doha

In fact, without real progress in this area, the new trade round cannot succeed. Failure would deny enhanced market access to both U.S. and Canadian exporters. But, even more importantly, it would risk leaving the developing world even further behind.

There are many aspects to the Doha Development Agenda — as it is called — that are designed to help developing countries grow. It is imperative that we succeed.

FTAA potential

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations are another example of Canada's broader agenda. These negotiations hold the potential to create the world's largest free trade area in the world.

The area covered by the FTAA will encompass more than one third of the world's economic activity, with a GDP greater than that of the European Union.

In this time of international global security problems, it is worthwhile to focus on one of the most positive examples of managed change. That is the story of North America. It is a story of how Canada and the United States are continuing their efforts to build a partnership for economic prosperity and security.