March 31, 2003 -- The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced a seminar for Hispanic small business owners that will provide solutions aimed at helping companies achieve growth, improve productivity and increase profits. The seminar will be held on Thursday, April 10th, from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at the W Hotel at Times Square located at 1567 Broadway in New York City. Seating is limited. Registrants are encouraged to reserve a seat by calling toll free 1-800-THE-USPS (1-800-843-8777) extension SE4294.

March 31, 2003 -- InternetNews.Com has reported that "the General Services Administration (GSA), which administers the.gov domain, has issued a rule that it reserves the right to "charge for domain names in order to recover costs of operations." The government currently does not charge a fee for a .gov domain, which is used by federal, state and native sovereign nations to promote government services. The GSA also outlined naming conventions for government entities using the .gov domain, requiring that counties and cities in their postal abbreviation in the Web address. The chief information officer of each government entity must authorize the domain name."

March 31, 2003 -- The St. Louis Business Journal has reported that "Engineered Support Systems Inc. has received a $625,000 contract from the U.S. Postal Service for work and testing on a system that tests for biohazards during mail processing. The company said it is the second phase of development leading to a potential production contract, which it may be awarded within the next year, for up to 300 of the residue collection module systems . The system allows the postal service to collect air samples during mail processing and then transport them to a biohazard detection system. It is designed by the company's Systems & Electronics Inc. subsidiary, and is a modification to its existing system, used as the first piece of sorting equipment for mail at the process and distribution centers."

March 31, 2003 -- Liechtenstein News has reported that "in the third year of business, the Liechtenstein Postal Corporation made a profit. Admittedly, the core business, i.e. the postal services, which is the main source of income for the Postal Corporation, suffered considerably. But the management discovered new approaches which will allow them to succeed in the market also in the future. With customer-oriented service, new offers which are tailor-made for the market situation and attractive partnerships and co-operations, the Postal Corporation counts on qualitative growth and the viability of the enterprise."

March 31, 2003 -- As Traffic World has noted, "even a combined Airborne-DHL would be a distant third competitor to FedEx and UPS. Morgan Stanley analyst James Valentine estimates the combined company would have less than 10 percent of the domestic express-parcel market, while together UPS and FedEx still would have more than 80 percent of the market. He predicts the combined company would have only about 1 percent of the domestic ground operations."

March 31, 2003 -- Also from Traffic World: "When is a cell phone not a phone? When it's also a data and location transmission device. Today handheld technology supports a myriad of functions, uniting Internet, e-mail, voice, global positioning and data transmission in one unit. These multipurpose on-the-go hardware devices are getting cheaper, too. Which means more logistics and transportation companies can afford to keep track of freight in transit."

March 31, 2003 -- According to The Deal.Com, "Deutsche Post World Wide AG must negotiate a tricky political and regulatory environment if it hopes to secure approval for its proposed $1.05 billion acquisition of Airborne Inc. The deal raises a host of political issues, including state-sponsored monopolies, national security and free trade. The German government owns a majority stake in Deutsche Post, which has led to charges that the postal giant is using monopoly profits from German mail delivery to subsidize U.S. operations. Also in question: whether Deutsche Post and its U.S. unit, DHL Worldwide Express, can structure the deal to avoid a U.S. ban on foreigners controlling domestic airlines, including cargo carriers."

March 31, 2003 -- According to the Financial Times, "for the first time in its near-100-year history United Parcel Service has deliberately abandoned a package but purely in the interests of 'synchronised shipping'. The US parcel giant has dropped the neatly tied-with-a-bow package from its famous logo, leaving just a jazzed-up version of its traditional shield as the new image. However, one has the feeling it is comparable to Disney sacking Mickey Mouse only because he has big ears.

March 31, 2003 -- Chandigarh Newsline (India) has reported that "the postal authority has come up with a proposal to make payment of water and electricity bills less of a headache. Let people deposit these bills at any sub-post office or post office in the city, the authority has urged the UT Administration. Bills can also be disbursed to consumers individually by charging nominal fee, the way it is for telephone bills, the postal authority has offered. This facility, of distributing water and electricity bills and making payments through post offices, has proved a success in Punjab where the postal authority has taken over the task from Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), said postal sources."

March 30, 2003 -- New Strait Times has reported that "brickbats appear to be aplenty still for the postal service more than 10 years after its privatisation, to the extent that people say Pos Malaysia is another name for snail mail. Postal delivery was nothing to write home about before, but then privatisation came with promises of a better quality, competitive and more efficient postal services. Special Reports conducted a postal exercise recently to gauge the efficiency of postal services in Malaysia, and came up with some surprising findings. The delivery of letters now in general is much faster than before Pos Malaysia's privatisation in 1992. But the delivery of letters in the post-privatisation era is slower than what is expected."

March 30, 2003 -- The BBC Monitoring Service has reported that "India has assured Afghanistan of all possible support in communications sector including providing telecom equipment, manpower training and modernization of postal services."

March 30, 2003 -- The Taiwan News has reported that "anticipating an increase in Taiwan exports this year, United Parcel Service yesterday said it would expand its portfolio of services, upgrade its technology, and beef up its total supply chain solutions for the country's small- and medium-sized enterprises."

March 30, 2003 -- According to DM News postal commentator Cary Baer, "the President’s Commission on the U.S. Postal Service received more than 100 responses to its request for public comments. As you would expect, almost every trade association, company, union, postmaster group, supervisory association or individual with postal interests responded. Quite a few current and former postal employees submitted testimony as well. Comments focused on problems of the U.S. Postal Service, its presumably broken business model and suggested solutions. That is, except for the American Postal Workers Union, which represents 300,000 current and retired postal workers. APWU in its testimony said that the business model 'is not broken' and that as long as mail volume grows faster than delivery points the postal service will be OK. Further, 'neither new technologies nor electronic diversion will destroy mail volume.' Based on most of the testimony submitted, the APWU seems alone in its view."

March 30, 2003 -- The Sunday Standard (Kenya) has reported that "six officials of the Postal Corporation of Kenya have been suspended following a loss of Sh7 million worth of stamps at its EMS Courier Centre. The new Postmaster-General, Mr Dan Ameyo, also ordered police investigations into the matter which occurred on March 23, 2003. He also ordered a total re-organisation of the section to ensure corruption-free operations and efficient delivery of services. He warned employees of the corporation found engaging in corrupt practices that they would be dismissed and presented to law enforcement agents for appropriate action."

March 30, 2003 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "The Institute of Public Policy Research, Labour's favourite think-tank, will tomorrow urge the Government to consider privatising Britain's postal service. In a report written by Dan Corry, the one-time special adviser to former Transport Secretary Stephen Byers, the IPPR will claim that in public hands the Royal Mail may be unable to compete in the deregulated postal market."

March 29, 2003 -- The Business Times has reported that "Singapore Post (SingPost), a wholly owned unit of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, said yesterday it has received approval from the Singapore Exchange for a mainboard listing."

March 29, 2003 -- The Washington Post has reported that "consumer spending stalled in February for a second straight month as war uncertainties, job worries and higher energy prices made people more cautious, the Commerce Department said. Commerce also said that Americans' incomes rose by a modest 0.3 percent, down from a 0.4 percent advance the month before. Meanwhile, consumer confidence fell in March to 77.6, from 79.9 last month, its lowest level in more than nine years, a University of Michigan survey showed."

March 29, 2003 -- Reuters has reported that "the United States, along with all WTO members, faces a Monday deadline to make initial offers for opening their services market to more foreign participation. Because the United States already has one of the most open services markets in the world it has little more that it can offer foreign firms, an industry aide said. As the world's largest exporter of services, the United States has a huge stake in the WTO negotiations. Services account for 80 percent of U.S. employment and 63 percent of total economic output, according to government figures. U.S. consumer and environmental groups have raised concerns that the services negotiations could open the door for private sector firms to take over many government services. However, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick has said the Bush administration opposes the privatization of postal delivery , higher education, water services and other government functions as part of the WTO talks."

March 29, 2003 -- According to the Cato Institute, "Other large postal monopolies in places like Germany, Australia, and New Zealand have been abolished or opened to competition with success. According to a Cato Institute book, "Free the Mail: Ending the Postal Monopoly", there is no reason why the United States should not reap the benefits of postal service privatization."

March 29, 2003 -- The latest copy of USPS NewsLinks has been posted on this site as a text (.txt) file.

March 29, 2003 -- A copy of the House report on H.R. 735 has been posted on this site. H.R. 735 will be taken up by the Rules Committee on Tuesday and on the House floor on Thursday.

March 29, 2003 -- A copy of the bill (S. 678) introduced by Sen. Akaka (D-HI) to give postmasters a new pay process, one that is the same as that currently enjoyed only by postal supervisors is now posted on the Library of Congress' Thomas web site.

March 29, 2003 -- The Louisville Courier-Journal has reported that "when United Parcel Service cut a deal last summer to bring 10,000 nonunion workers into the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, it seemed a good arrangement for all. UPS could sign a six-year National Master Agreement two weeks ahead of the strike deadline. The Teamsters would receive a boost in membership from its largest constituency. And the newly represented union members were supposed to receive better wages and benefits. But a number of UPS workers in Louisville say they came out the losers in a union induction that was involuntary and unwelcome, and they have asked the National Labor Relations Board to take action against UPS."

March 29, 2003 -- Voicing their opposition to the proposed outsourcing of millions of public sector jobs, a coalition of labor organizations, along with citizens who contest the flow of their tax dollars to corporate privateers, will rally in the shadow of two notable government buildings: the main Post Office and the Douglas L. Abrams Federal Building. Bobby L. Harnage, Sr., National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), will address the gathering, joined by National President William Burrus of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU).

March 28, 2003 -- The Japan Times has reported that "allowed greater freedom to plan its business strategy, including budget size and the number of employees, Japan Post is expected to turn a profit in each of these three components by cutting costs and offering attractive services, marking a departure from its inefficient, government-operated predecessor. But experts believe the new body will face a number of hurdles before it will be privatized -- a goal long sought by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi."

March 28, 2003 -- When the Postal Services Agency is reborn Tuesday as Japan Post, the public corporation is expected to increase its operational efficiency and better serve its customers. Allowed greater freedom to plan its business strategy, including budget size and the number of employees, Japan Post is expected to turn a profit in each of these three components by cutting costs and offering attractive services, marking a departure from its inefficient, government-operated predecessor. But experts believe the new body will face a number of hurdles before it will be privatized -- a goal long sought by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

March 28, 2003 -- H.R. 735 will be considered on the House floor next week.

March 28, 2003 -- BizPlus IE (Ireland) has reported that "Escher Group, a provider of e-commerce solutions to the postal industry, is to buy the privately held, Irish postal solutions company, Anshe. 'The acquisition of Anshe is a key step in our ongoing strategy to provide the latest advances in e-commerce expertise to the postal industry,' said Michael J Murphy, president and chief executive of Escher Group. 'Additional benefits to our customers will include the patented Anshe web-based user interface, a set of XML vocabularies for postal automation and an Internet fulfilment and shipping solution which helps customers access post office products through the internet,' he said."

March 28, 2003 -- The International Herald Tribune has reported that you should "call it deregulation, Japan-style: measures designed to pry open markets and save money that in fact introduce only limited competition and leave many other things just as they are. So it is with Japan Post, a new public corporation that will replace the government-run Postal Services Agency on April 1. The post office is not broken. In fact, it provides very reliable mail delivery and its savings and insurance programs, which double as the world's largest piggy bank, provide shelter for savers worried about parking their money in the country's shaky private banks."

March 28, 2003 -- Ancillary services as revenue streams and the future of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) were highlighted as critical printing industry issues at the 2003 GATF/PIA President's conference, held on March 3-9 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

March 28, 2003 -- According to Dow Jones, "Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. is considering listing its wholly-owned postal services unit, a share sale which would help cut Southeast Asia's biggest telecom operator's S$10 billion (US$1=S$ 1.7688) debt."

March 28, 2003 -- As PC World has noted, "limited cargo space and fears of anthrax-laced envelopes have caused the U.S. military to discourage the sending of snail mail to soldiers in the Middle East. But for families, friends, and well-wishers hoping to contact troops moving across the deserts of Iraq, e-mail has become a viable alternative. Families and friends are now spared the postage fees and the 10-day shipping times it used to take to get their messages to soldiers halfway around the world."

March 28, 2003 -- In a letter to the President's Commission on the Postal Service, Darby Langdon, Sr. V.P. for Planning at Airborne Express said that the U.S. Postal Service plays a key role in the provision of competitive and universal parcel delivery services that should remain a part of the core of its business services.

March 28, 2003 --The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online.

March 28, 2003 -- GovExec.Com has reported that "legislation that would effectively allow the Postal Service to hold rates steady until 2006 is likely to reach the House floor next week, according to congressional staff."

March 28, 2003 -- According to the New York Times, "it is the biggest test yet of the Japanese way of deregulation: 'market-opening,' 'money-saving' measures that actually introduce only a limited amount of competition while leaving almost everything important just the way it was. So it will probably be with Japan Post, a new public corporation, that will replace the government-run Postal Services Agency on April 1."

March 28, 2003 -- Bloomberg has reported that "Consumer spending helped companies like New Zealand Post Ltd. increase sales. The nation's biggest postal services company delivered more advertising mail and boosted mail volume in the six months to December. 'Bulk mail used by major commercial customers has grown very strongly,' said Acting Chief Executive John Allen. Still, 'it will be a challenge maintaining that momentum of revenue growth that we have seen over the first half year given the uncertainties in the domestic and international environment.'"

March 28, 2003 -- Does the Postal Service plan to file a rate case with a legislative remedy to the retirement overfunding issue? That was a question high on the list of mailers attending this week's IDEAlliance conference. Postal Service leaders have repeatedly and publicly stated the agency will not need to file for a general rate increase before 2006 if Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) funding legislation is passed. The question is, how long can the Postal Service wait for the CSRS issue to be resolved before it has to file a rate case on the possibility that it will need the revenue next year? According to Deputy Postmaster General John Nolan, the Postal Service likely would have to file a rate case this fall if CSRS legislation is not passed. "The organization will push the rate case filing out," Nolan told mailers, "but an almost certain filing this fall would happen if CSRS does not pass." He also made it clear that the Postal Service would not be filing a phased rates case. "The message from industry was clear [that] if it was a choice of a phased rates case earlier versus another case later, we should push it off as long as possible."

March 28, 2003 -- The Deal.Com has reported that "FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. have lobbed their opening salvo at Deutsche Post World Wide AG's acquisition of Airborne Inc., asking the federal government to derail the $1 billion deal. In filings with the Department of Transportation, the cargo carriers charged that Deutsche Post and its DHL Worldwide Inc. unit would effectively control Airborne's air operations despite plans to spin them off to ABX Air Inc., a separate, publicly traded company. UPS spokesman David Bolger said the fight is about fair competition, noting the German government owns a majority stake in Deutsche Post. An Airborne spokeswoman called UPS' and FedEx's move a 'predictable attempt' to distract attention from aspects of the merger that boost delivery industry competition. 'Between them UPS and FedEx have a stranglehold on the U.S. express delivery market, with a 79% market share,' the spokeswoman said. 'It is no surprise that they will attempt to prevent real competition in any way they can.'" See also the reports by Reuters, GoMemphis, and ">Pi ttsburgh Tribune-Review.

March 28, 2003 -- In a letter directed to all members of the PostCom Board of Directors, Deutsche Post World Net USA President (and PostCom Board member) Wolfgang Pordzik told his colleagues that "the new DHL in the United States will substantially increase competition in the US market, i.e. shippers will have additional choices. As you know, both DHL and Airborne maintain excellent business relationships with the U.S. Postal Service. DHL partners with the USPS in the international arena, and Airborne partners by way of its airborne@home program. We intend to build upon these relationships as the occasion merits. Our presence is meant to 'expand' the competition within this arena, not to shut competition down."

March 28, 2003 -- R. R. Donnelley Logistics President and PostCom Director John Campanelli urged the Postal Service and mailing industry to engage in "co-motion." He recommended postal "collaboration" on initiatives like the co-palletization niche classification case, retirement funding legislation, and the Presidential Commission. Campanelli also encouraged transportation collaboration in terms of exploring co-loading, co-locating, co-marketing, and consolidating operations. He said he would like to see the Postal Service begin sharing information on the product of its Network Integration and Alignment (NIA) initiative and its impact on postal costs. Campanelli's comments were made at this week's IDEAlliance conference.

March 28, 2003 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:

• A year after its rocky launch, the Postal Service now says the problems with delivery of air parcels in Europe have been fixed and it is closely managing its relationship with Global Logistic Services (GLS).from the start, the arrangement was beset with problems. Business shippers complained that their customers in Europe were getting hit with duties and taxes they had not seen before the arrangement, and delivery in certain countries proved worse with GLS. Postal officials claim those issues have been resolved. In Asia the Postal Service is in discussions with five or six Asian countries to improve quality of service, Wade said. The USPS is trying to advance the notion of a pay-for-performance plan, setting benchmarks between countries. At the moment, the effort is focused on getting Asian countries to meet certain service standards for Global Express Mail and air parcels.
• It's been two years since the Postal Service increased the international postage stamp and more than a year since it raised international postage of any kind, which has global shippers and mailers wondering when to expect an increase in international postal rates. "The timing of any international rate increase has not been determined," said Jim Wade, vice president of international business for the Postal Service. He said the USPS might be able to hold off a rate increase in international rates in 2004 if retail mail is strong and growth in parcels continues.
• The House appropriations subcommittee with responsibility for the Postal Service held a hearing last week on the legislation to change the pension funding formula, which provided the first public hearing on the issue and gave lawmakers a chance to voice their support for the change.

March 28, 2003 -- On Wednesday, April 2, at 10 a.m. the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for several presidential appointees, including Al Casey and Jim Miller, nominated last year for the Board of Governors. The hearing will be held in Dirksen 342. Casey already serving a recess appointment, if confirmed next month his term would expire in 2009. Jim Miller's term would expire in 2010.

March 28, 2003 -- MSN Money has reported that "The proposed $1.05 billion takeover of Airborne Inc. (ABF) by Germany's DHL Worldwide may violate U.S. limits on foreign control of domestic airlines, rivals FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service (UPS) said on Thursday. Under the deal, DHL Worldwide, which is owned by German Postal Service Deutsche Post ,would acquire the ground operations of Airborne, and its air operations would be separated into a new public company called ABX Air Inc. But FedEx and UPS said the deal, which would create a more muscular No. 3 rival in domestic express deliveries now dominated by FedEx and UPS, closely resembles the ties between U.S. cargo carrier DHL Airways and DHL Worldwide. FedEx and UPS have argued for two years to U.S. regulators that DHL Worldwide effectively controls DHL Airways in violation of U.S. ownership limitations on foreigners. DHL Worldwide says it holds a legal 25 percent stake in the Chicago airline."

March 28, 2003 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "Deutsche Post paid EUR980 million ($1.05 billion) for the ground operations of U.S. parcel-delivery company Airborne, propelling the German mail monopolist to No. 3 on the U.S. market and giving its flourishing logistics arm a seamless air-freight connection to North America through its Dutch-based subsidiary, DHL Worldwide Express, the company announced Wednesday in Seattle. The move came just days after Post announced it had increased its stake in British package-delivery company Securicor to 100 percent from the 50 percent it already held. That cost it EUR247 million. Analysts reacted negatively to the two announcements, fearing that Post was overextending itself financially. London credit-rating agency Fitch responded by putting the company on its watch list. That came a month after Standard & Poor's agency had signaled a review of Post for fear that its pension liabilities could become a burden."

March 27, 2003 -- Bloomberg has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc., the world's largest package-delivery company, said its Asian exports will probably grow by more than 10 percent this year, led by China."

March 27, 2003 -- Remember Ira Hall...the former member of the Postal Service's Board of Governors? He's been elected a member of the Pepsi Bottling Group Board of Directors.

March 27, 2003 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "the president of Japan Post to be launched Tuesday will receive an annual salary of about 31 million yen ($258,615), a panel on establishing the new institution said Wednesday. This is the highest salary of any public corporation president." And good ol' Jack Potter, head of a $68 billion enterprise, he's still making a measley $167,000.

March 27, 2003 -- Postmaster General Jack Potter's statement before the House postal appropriations subcommittee is posted on the Postal Service web site. The testimony by OPM Deputy Administrator Dan Blair has been posted on this site.

March 27, 2003 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• Danish post has expanded further into the country’s courier market. Via its subsidiary Budstikken Transport A/S the post acquired two franchisees within the courier network Herning and Billund in Jutland.
• With a previous focus on the German market, the activities of the GO! General Overnight network will in future be directed more towards Eastern Europe.

CEP News is without a doubt one of the best newsletters you can find that focuses on the courier, express, and postal market. If you don't get it, when it comes to the CEP business worldwide, you REALLY won't "get it." For more information on a subscription to CEP News, contact the publisher.

March 27, 2003 -- From elsewhere around the web:

• The Kyodo News Service (Japan) has reported that the Japanese Fair Trade Commission (FTC) will closely observe the operations of Japan Post, a public postal corporation to be launched April 1, as it is considered a private firm under the Antimonopoly Law.
• The Financial Times has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express will implement a 4.5 percent fuel surcharge on all its products in response to the substantial increase in the cost of jet fuel worldwide. Tensions in the Middle East have spiraled airline and insurance costs driven by war risk and security costs, which in turn has necessitated this fuel surcharge.

March 27, 2003 -- Business Week has noted, "United Parcel Service's ubiquitous chocolate-colored trucks carry more than 6% of the country's goods in any one year. So when the economy tightens, as it has in the last two years, UPS (UPS ) feels the pinch. Its domestic package volume has fallen for the past seven consecutive quarters. Worse yet, the slowdown comes as the giant Atlanta-based company faces increasing competition at home and abroad."

March 27, 2003 -- WhatTheyThink has reported that "intense efforts by [the Printing Industries of America] PIA's Government Affairs staff over the last few months ended in the Senate and House Government Affairs committees' approval of legislation to correct overpayments to the Civil Service Retirement System by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Dr. Ron Davis, Chief Economist of PIA, stated, 'Based on historical relationships between postal rate increases and corresponding decreases in direct mail advertising volumes, these actions could easily save $2 billion in direct mail printing alone through 2006. Additional benefits would accrue to other print sectors that rely on mail delivery, such as magazine printing and envelope printing. This is revenue that would have been severely missed by an industry that is still feeling the impact of the 2001 recession and the events of 9/11. This is a great 'stimulus package' for US printers that gives a nice bump to printing shipments and could save thousands of printing jobs.'"

March 27, 2003 -- A nice piece on Bob Otto, the USPS' chief technology officer, has been published in Federal Computer Week.

March 27, 2003 -- Japan Times has reported that "Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), on Wednesday turned down the post of absentee director at Japan Post, a public postal body to be launched next month, the Postal Services Agency said. After Okuda declined the position, the agency appointed as absentee director Yoshihide Munekuni, who serves as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and Honda Motor Co. The Postal Services Agency will become Japan Post on April 1."

March 27, 2003 -- AluPlanet (Italy) has reported that "The decree approved by Italy's Premier Silvio Berlusconi on 2 January 2003 introduced new subsidised postal rates that penalised the press, excluded from such assistance. National press associations such as USPI and FNSI have revealed that the decree as well as its subsequent interpretation by Italy's postal service have further reduced the receivers of these postal subsidies, putting the work of numerous small and medium publishers, socially-driven publications, and specialized media operators at risk."

March 27, 2003 -- Nzoom.com has reported that "New Zealand Post's chairman has admitted that a multi-million dollar contract in South Africa was underestimated by the company."

March 27, 2003 -- The Miami Herald has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. asked the government on Wednesday to investigate the planned acquisition of Airborne Inc. by German postal service Deutsche Post AG's DHL express mail arm."

March 27, 2003 -- Noting near-record levels of early registrations, The U.S. Postal Service and National Postal Forum management this week announced that the Spring 2003 event scheduled to begin in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 13 may exceed all expectations in terms of attendance and industry interest. For more information, or to register to attend the Spring 2003 National Postal Forum, log on to www.npf.org, call 703-218-5015, or write to National Postal Forum, 3998 Fair Ridge Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22033-2907.

March 27, 2003 -- Cepheid has announced that Northrop Grumman has issued the following statement with regard to the continuing program for development of a bio-agent detection system for the United States Postal Service: "A Northrop Grumman led team continues to work with the U.S. Postal Service to develop and test its Bio-Agent Detection System. Currently, there are 12 pilot systems being tested in the field, with 14 additional pre-production systems being prepared for testing over the next few months.

March 27, 2003 -- Siemens Dematic AG, a subsidiary of Siemens AG has named Prashant Ranade president and chief executive officer of Siemens Dematic Material Handling Automation - Americas. He previously served as the senior vice president of national service for Siemens Medical Solutions in Cary, N.C. He succeeds Pete Metros, who retains his position as a member of the global board of directors for Siemens Dematic (SD) with worldwide responsibility for Material Handling Automation. The leadership change is effective May 19, 2003.

March 26, 2003 -- The Cincinnati Business Journal has reported that "FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service are not expected to stand silently by while DHL Worldwide Express consummates its $1.05 billion takeover of Airborne Inc.'s ground delivery business. According to CBS MarketWatch, FedEx and UPS already have pushed the U.S. Department of Transportation to look at the ownership of DHL, claiming it is really just an arm of the German government. DHL operates its American hub from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport."

March 26, 2003 -- The latest update on the politics of H.R. 735 and the latest tally of its congressional supporters have been posted on this site.

March 26, 2003 -- DHL Worldwide Express has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the ground-delivery operations of Airborne Express. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is closely monitoring the deal to ensure that the members' rights are protected. DHL currently has limited ground operations and uses subcontractors for much of its ground- delivery network. Airborne Express operates more than 15,000 vehicles on the ground. The acquisition is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval. "We will monitor the progress of this acquisition to ensure that our members' interests are both fully represented and considered," said James P. Hoffa, General President. "We reserve all of our rights as outlined in our Airborne contracts." The Teamsters represent more than 9,000 Airborne workers.

March 26, 2003 -- According to the Financial Times, "when Deutsche Post said yesterday it would buy the ground operations of Airborne, the third-largest US air express delivery company, for $1.05bn, the German postal operator closed a hole in its ability to deliver ground packages in the US and caught up with United Parcel Service and FedEx, two of its fiercest rivals. The move marked the latest triumph for Klaus Zumwinkel, Deutsche Post's chief executive. Airborne, Mr Zumwinkel said, would be another step towards transforming the once-creaky state monopoly into the world's top logistics group."

March 26, 2003 -- Business Day (South Africa) has reported that "consumers will pay 10% more to post a standard letter from next month, with the postal regulator having approved another hefty rise in postal tariffs. The move could bring the SA Post Office under government's spotlight following concern expressed recently by Public Enterprises Minister Jeff Radebe at the effect of administered price increases on inflation. Radebe indicated that inflation target restraints on tariff increases could be included in the protocols of stateowned enterprises."

March 26, 2003 -- IDGNet (New Zealand) has reported that "Oracle New Zealand, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oracle Corp. has announced that New Zealand Post has selected Oracle9i Database, Oracle9i Application Server and Oracle Warehouse Builder to build a data warehouse that will enable a consolidated view of New Zealand Post's customer activity across its entire enterprise. Marketing databases from the New Zealand Post's "Letters" business unit will be the first to be consolidated into the data warehouse, which is expected to be up and running in May 2003. The company's courier and retail businesses will be involved in future phases of the project."

March 26, 2003 -- According to the Washington Post, "the indictment Monday of U.S. Technologies Inc. chief executive C. Gregory Earls highlights one of the federal government's most often overlooked weapons against corporate crime: the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. A federal grand jury charged Earls with securities, wire and mail fraud, alleging that he diverted $15 million from investors to his own purposes, including establishing trusts for his children and paying off earlier investors."

March 26, 2003 -- The Congressional Budget Office has issued its report on the budgetary impact of S.380, Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003.

March 26, 2003 -- MSNBC has reported that "the Senate unexpectedly reversed itself Tuesday, voting to slash more than half of President Bush's proposed $726 billion tax cut." See also the Wall Street Journal.

March 26, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service is alerting all who wish to send correspondence or goods to family members in the Gulf region that "it is prohibited to mail the following to this region:

• obscene articles (prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc.);
• any matter containing religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith or depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items, or non-authorized political materials; and,
• pork or pork by-products.

March 26, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "eager to stay in front of an increasingly competitive express delivery market, United Parcel Service Inc. said on Tuesday it was changing its iconic brown-and-gold logo and adding a new slogan and colors to its fleet of trucks and planes to update its image. The company, which several years ago launched an ad campaign around the 'Brown' moniker will also add new colors to its jets, package envelopes and other assets." See also the report by Bloomberg

March 25, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published in the Federal Register a final rule that "adopts revisions to the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) that will provide new mail preparation standards for the co-packaging and co-sacking of flat-size Bound Printed Matter (BPM) mailpieces."

March 25, 2003 -- It's official. Airborne, Inc. and DHL announced today that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement that will create a stronger third competitor in the U.S. express delivery market and bring the benefits of intensified competition and enhanced service to millions of small-and medium-sized businesses that purchase expedited door-to-door delivery of small packages and documents. Under the terms of the agreement, DHL will acquire Airborne's ground operations for $21.25 per share in cash, or a total equity value of approximately $1.05 billion. Upon conclusion of the acquisition, Airborne's air operations will be separated from its ground operations and will become an independent public company, called ABX Air, Inc. ("ABX Air"). ABX Air will be wholly owned by Airborne's current shareholders, who will each receive one share of ABX Air for every Airborne share they hold."

March 25, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Deutsche Post AG has said its earnings in the first two months of 2003 were above the year-ago level, and it reported final 2002 results that broadly matched preliminary figures from early March."

March 25, 2003 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "Hermes, a subsidiary of Otto, the German retail and mail order group, is aiming to provide competition for Deutsche Post, the country's postal service operator. In the autumn, the company is set to open its 8,500 'PaketShops' to private customers, having previously been used for Otto's mail order business."

March 25, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that:

• FedEx Corp. is disputing a claim by the U.S. Department of Transportation that the express carrier should refund $31.6 million that it received from the federal government for disruption of its services after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
• The American Airlines Cargo division has announced the release of its new AACargo.com Web site. The new site gives customers full visibility of their carg shipping information in American's shipment-tracking systems and brings significant enhancements to customer and operational productivity.

March 25, 2003 -- The Tampa Tribune has reported that "In the first Persian Gulf War more than a decade ago, there was a huge outpouring of support from Americans who sent mail to troops they didn't even know. They would address it to 'any service member' or 'any Marine' or a number of other ways in an attempt to brighten the day of an unknown service member thousands of miles from home. That won't happen during this war. The U.S Postal Service has reiterated a ban on any mail not sent to a named recipient overseas. The prohibition has been in effect since after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and subsequent anthrax incidents."

March 25, 2003 -- Internet.com gives a glimpse in "the future of e-mail."

March 25, 2003 -- The Kyodo News Service has reported that "the Postal Services Agency has said it will expand the scope of tie-ups with the private sector after it is transformed into a public corporation in April, with business partners ranging from florists to convenience stores opening outlets inside some post offices. The agency, which is set to become Japan Post on April 1, is already in a tie-up with convenience store operator Lawson Inc., setting up mailboxes at Lawson outlets across Japan beginning Jan. 1 this year."

March 25, 2003 -- Asia Pulse has reported that "Standard & Poor's has affirmed its AAA long-term and A-1-plus short-term ratings on the Australian Postal Corp. S&P said the outlook for Australia Post remained stable. 'Australia Post continues to enjoy a monopoly on the standard letter mail service in Australia,' the ratings agency said. 'This provides a solid base to about 50 per cent of Australia Post's revenues.'"

March 25, 2003 -- The Washington Post has reported that "No matter how well the war goes, the United States has one problem that isn't going away: Social Security. And despite what you may have read last week, Social Security's financial situation isn't getting better. If anything, it's getting worse, because another year has passed without doing anything about the program's long-term problems." Gosh! Sounds like the Postal Service.

March 25, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced that "beginning March 29, Global Express Mail (GEM) customers can look for better service and more detailed and accurate tracking in eight additional European countries. These improvements come as a result of expanded delivery of GEM from six to 14 countries by Royal Mail Group's Pan-European parcel delivery company, General Logistics Systems (GLS). According to James P. Wade, vice president, International Business, the Postal Service entered the agreement with Royal Mail to create a new model for package delivery in Europe using a single delivery agent to improve delivery service and tracking while maintaining current rates."

March 24, 2003 -- Steeped in grandeur, culture and history, the eternal city will again be the centre of attention during May, this time for the mail and express industries. The 17th World Mail & Express conference, sponsored by Poste Italiane in the Sheraton Roma Hotel, will be an action-packed three days a stimulating line-up of top industry speakers, a high level programme, technology seminar, exhibition display area, networking dinner and the World Mail Awards presentations. The conference will bring together high level representatives from all corners of the industry the private and public sectors, the regulators and the lobbyists, customers, the consultants and an increasing range of suppliers from around the world. It is an important educational platform and a powerful networking event that attracts delegates and exhibitors from all over Europe and worldwide. To register for the conference please contact Sandy Pocock at: sandyp@triangle.eu.com.

March 24, 2003 -- Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, have introduced S.678, the Postmasters Equity Act of 2003. It would provide the option of fact finding (which is currently enjoyed by postal supervisors) in negotiating with the U.S. Postal Service.

March 24, 2003 -- Airborne, Inc. has confirmed it is in discussions with DHL Worldwide Express regarding a potential transaction in which DHL would acquire Airborne's ground operations for cash at a premium to Airborne's current share price. As part of the transaction, Airborne's air operations would become an independent public company that would continue to be wholly owned by Airborne's current shareholders. While Airborne believes such a transaction would have significant strategic benefits to its customers, employees, and shareholders, no agreement has been reached and there can be no assurance one will be reached. A statement from an Airborne spokesman, quoted on Reuters earlier today, is inaccurate. If an agreement is reached, it will be subject to a number of conditions, including stockholder and regulatory approvals. Airborne does not intend to make any further public announcements regarding these discussions until an agreement is reached or discussions are terminated.

March 24, 2003 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Airborne, the US's third largest express delivery company, is poised to announce a $1bn deal with Deutsche Post which will see the German postal operator buy the US company's domestic ground delivery network. A spokesman for Airborne said the deal, which will see the German company take a larger slice of the US cargo market, would be announced on Monday. The move by DHL Worldwide Express, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post, is likely to provoke strong opposition from rivals FedEx and United Parcel Service, both of whom are looking to shore up their positions in this market which is coveted for its high margins." See also the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

March 24, 2003 -- Business Day (South Africa) has reported that "Deutsche Post, the semi-privatised German postal authority, said Monday it has acquired the remaining 50% it did not already own in British parcel and express delivery firm Securicor Omega Holdings for E247 million. Deutsche Post initially acquired 50% of the company in March 1999, with the other 50% held by Securicor. The transaction requires the approval of European competition authorities. Separately, a report in the Monday edition of Wall Street Journal Europe said that Deutsche Post was preparing to buy the ground network of US company Airborne Inc, for slightly more than one billion dollars."

March 24, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Deutsche Post AG plans to invest EUR800 million in Asia over the next several years, aimed at doubling its market shares in the Asia-Pacific region in less than five years, said the company's chief executive, Klaus Zumwinkel, Focus reports. Zumwinkel said Deutsche Post has started talks with the Singapore government over the acquisition of government-owned Singapore Post, but is also expanding in Malaysia. He said Deutsche Post plans to make a competitive offer for the privatization of the Austrian postal service and sees a good chance of getting the bid."

March 24, 2003 -- Bloomberg has reported that "New Zealand Post Ltd., the government-owned postal service, may sell bonds to pay NZ$115 million ($63 million) of maturing debt, Chief Financial Officer Peter Schuyt said. New Zealand Post will use cash flow to pay NZ$40 million of 8.5 percent bonds maturing in July 2003. It may then sell bonds maturing in three to six years and commercial paper to pay NZ$115 million of 8.15 percent April 2004 bonds."

March 24, 2003 -- The Warsaw Business Journal has reported that "Poczta Polska agreed, in co-operation with Posten AB of Sweden, to introduce a so-called hybrid postal service. Businesses such as gas and power distribution companies and banks will no longer have to print their bills and statements, put them in envelopes and send them to customers; instead, all they need to do is prepare an electronic version of the document and send it to the post office for distribution."

March 24, 2003 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "the Post Office's "Universal Bank", which is aimed at people with no bank account, will have fewer than 10,000 customers when it opens for business next week, a tiny proportion of the three million currently without access to financial services. The project, which has been dogged by delays, has again been thwarted by the Government's failure to send out application forms for the accounts until just four days before the accounts go live, on 1 April."

March 23, 2003 -- The Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "Allan Leighton, the chairman of the Royal Mail, is to seek a judicial review against the postal regulator, Postcomm, if it goes ahead with plans to cap charges that other companies pay to use the postal network. The Royal Mail claims Postcomm's proposals would cost it up to œ1.2bn. This would more than wipe out gains from a 1p rise in the price of first and second class stamps, agreed last week. Leighton is said to regard that agreement as a victory for the loss-making group. He had considered taking Postcomm to the Competition Commission rather than accept conditions (later watered down) that, he argued, could have cost the company œ460m."

March 22, 2003 -- Reuters has reported that "German postal group Deutsche Post World Net has said it was interested in the privatisation of Singapore Post and had held early talks with Singapore, part of ambitious plans to expand into Asia."

March 22, 2003 -- As Business Week has noted, "DHL Worldwide Express Inc. used to follow a typically unscientific approach. It long had a one-price-fits-all model within the U.S., while overseas, it lumped together everything from Tokyo to London. When potential customers called for rates, DHL often scared them away by asking for more than rivals FedEx Corp. (FDX ) and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS ) "We knew we had to bring prices down, but we didn't know by how much," says Aman Adinew, DHL's director of pricing and revenue management. To find out how low it could go, DHL turned to the Web pricing tools. The shipper shelled out a few million dollars to license software from Zilliant Inc. in Austin, Tex., and spent two weeks installing the system in October, 2001. DHL then loaded in different test prices including those of competitors, for different routes and weights. The system tested the market by offering cold callers different prices. That way it learned how low prices could go and still make a profit. Now, DHL turns 25% of cold calls into customers, up from 17% before. Revenue for the segment, which makes up about 15% of the courier's business, is up 13.2%, while gross margins have jumped 5.4 percentage points."

March 22, 2003 -- APWU President William Burrus' "anti-Iraq war" stand has rubbed some APWU vets the wrong way. Said one: "How many others feel they are due an apology from Mr. Burrus after being included by associaton with his anti war movement. I was a member of the Brotherhood of U.S. Marines and hate to think that any Marine would feel I am not backing he or she 100% at this time of national emergency. Would not want the APWU to be the "Jane" of the labor movement. We protest through our elected representatives and not on street corners or back alleys. Mr. Burrus is entitled to his opinion on the war, but not in my name as head of the APWU."

March 22, 2003 -- CNET News has reported that "a federal appeals court said Friday that a law restricting junk faxes was constitutional, setting a precedent that favors legal attempts to restrict unsolicited e-mail. Congress's goal of 'restricting unsolicited fax advertisements in order to prevent the cost shifting and interference such unwanted advertising places on the recipient' was reasonable, a three-judge panel ruled."

March 22, 2003 -- The Peninsula (Qatar) has reported that "Gulf Agency Qatar, the authorised service contractor for United Parcel Service, opened a new "UPS Express Centre" on the Airport Road recently." So...if you just happen to be in Qatar, and you really need to ship that package, now you'll know where you can go.

March 22, 2003 -- The Economist (U.K.) has reported that "on the central issues of policy, Europe is as bitterly divided as it has ever been. Britain, Spain, Italy and Portugal have been strongly supportive of American policy on Iraq. France and Germany have been at the forefront of the successful international efforts to deny America and Britain United Nations approval for military intervention. The idea of a common European foreign policy one of the principal aims of countries like France, which want to see the EU become more politically integrated now seems laughable. The efforts of the European convention chaired by former French president Val‚ry Giscard d'Estaing, whose aim is to draft an EU constitution, have been made more difficult, if not fatally undermined, by the recent acrimonious policy disagreements. Other governments have been equally slow to accept the need for change. The French, for instance, have stubbornly resisted attempts to open up their state-owned utilities sector to foreign ownership while infuriating countries like Spain because French utility companies continue to buy into deregulated markets in the rest of Europe. France has successfully delayed the deregulation of its own market until after 2007." Will there be a "postal" fallout to all of this?

March 22, 2003 -- Atlas Air was honored at the Asian Freight And Supply Chain Awards ceremony on March 19, 2003, winning the award for Best Air Charter Operator, Worldwide. The awards, sponsored by CargoNews Asia, are given after a vote by the magazine's readers. Polar Air Cargo was a finalist in the category for Best Air Cargo Carrier - North America, an honor ultimately awarded to Fedex.

March 22, 2003 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "the Postal Services Agency will set up booths that dispense photograph stamps in Tokyo from next month, it announced Wednesday. The agency becomes a public corporation on April 1. Eight booths, which are similar to Purikura (Print Club) machines, will be set up at a marriage-hall, a theme park and other locations from late April. The booths will dispense sheets of four 80 yen stamps featuring the photograph taken in the booth. One sheet will cost 500 yen."

March 22, 2003 -- According to the Manila Times (Philippines), "the European Union (EU) wants the Philippines to open its service sectors to full foreign investor participation immediately, not gradually. The European Commission (EC) is asking the Philippines to schedule no commitments; that is, immediately undertake the full li beralization of 13 broad services sectors. These services include professional, business services other than professional, postal and courier, telecommunications, construction and engineering, distribution, environmental, financial, tourism and travel, news agency, transport and energy. The request is contained in separate sections of the document pertaining to sector-specific commitments on services whose liberalization is the subject of ongoing talks at the World Trade Organization. The Philippines has yet to commit many of the services that fall under the above broad categories."

March 22, 2003 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Royal Mail is likely to spread job losses evenly when it makes 15,000 of its staff redundant later this year, although there will be some regional variations. Last June, Royal Mail said it would make the job cuts as part of a wide-ranging restructuring of the loss-making service. The redundancies represent almost 15 per cent of the 107,000 workforce."

March 22, 2003 -- Chandigarh Online (India) has reported that "Murli Prasad Joshi has lost faith in the postal service. Not without reason. A salesman in Sector 17, Joshi relies on the money order service to send money home. But after the harassment he faced this time at the Chandigarh Postal Department, Joshi has promised himself, 'Never again'. A resident of Naya Gaon village in Chandigarh's periphery, Joshi sent a money order of Rs 200 to his sister who lives in a village in Gurgaon. This was in August 2002. He wanted the money to reach her well in time for Raksha Bandhan. Over two weeks after the festival, his sister still hadn't received the money. 'The postal department,' he says, 'should either be held responsible for such delays or the service should be privatised.'"

March 22, 2003 --Delaware Online has reported that "The remake would give Mail Boxes Etc. its first makeover since UPS bought the chain for about $191 million in March 2001. It also gives Mail Boxes Etc. franchisees a major decision to make: to switch or maintain the Mail Boxes Etc. name. The move is creating some controversy. Andrew Palmer, a lawyer from Hanover, Mass., said he has talked to about 400 franchisees who fear their relationship with customers will suffer. Instead of Mail Boxes Etc., they become 'a drop box with a heartbeat for UPS,' said Palmer, who is planning a class action lawsuit to stop the change. Mail Boxes Etc. packages and ships parcels via UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and other carriers such as FedEx and Airborne Express. It also sells office supplies and provides business services to consumers and small businesses, such as copying, binding, laminating, renting mailboxes and computer time."

March 22, 2003 -- Napa News has reported that "Federal agents arrested nine people at businesses from New York to California that they allege were smuggling money abroad or selling fake passports in schemes that could aid terrorists. Among the operations that authorities said they cracked was one in New York that allegedly moved $33 million, including some illegal drug proceeds, to Pakistan. Another was a network of tobacco stores in Minnesota that allegedly smuggled cash to Lebanon and Jordan. The arrests were led by the Operation Green Quest task force, made up of federal agencies including the FBI, IRS, Secret Service, Naval Intelligence Service, Coast Guard and Postal Inspection Service."

March 22, 2003 -- According to Traffic World, "it is with great trepidation that anyone in the transportation and logistics industry should suggest that the federal government get any further involved in the regulation and governance of the industry than it already is. But with a crisis in the freight payment business looming on the horizon, federal action may be needed. In the last two years, shippers lost about $120 million to unscrupulous operators of freight payment bureaus that folded faster than the French army."

March 22, 2003 -- In a letter to House Governmental Reform Committee chairman Tom Davis (R-VA), Postmaster General Jack Potter said that the U.S. Postal Service is extremely pleased that both the House and Senate have moved quickly to introduce The Postal Service Civil Service Retirement Reform Act of 2003....We do have concerns with those provisions...that providefor the establishment of an escrow account for accrued savings attributable to any fiscal year after fiscal 2005....This compounds the complexity of planning future Postal Service revenue requirements and rate offerings."

March 21, 2003 -- The House of Representatives has approved its budget resolution, and it allows for the effect of HR 735. Chairman Davis may bring the bill to the House floor for a vote as early as next week (pending action by the Rules Committee).

March 21, 2003 -- If you haven't yet seen them, you might want to read a very interesting piece published by Rick Geddes, a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. on postal reform. Geddes also has published a book treating the matter of reform in greater detail. It's entitled "Saving The Mail."

March 21, 2003 -- Rep. John McHugh has introduced HR 1360, relating to the transportation of mail. The bill repeals outdated language from Title 39 relating to the Interstate Commerce Commission's earlier and now nonexistent role in USPS contracts for surface transportation of mail. The bill also removes the time limitations restricting the length and duration of postal transportation contracts. The bill permits the Postal Service flexibility as it deems appropriate or advisable. The remaining section of the bill is intended to prohibit the Postal Service from mandating how its highway transportation contractors must purchase services or supplies.

March 21, 2003 -- According to PostCom President Gene Del Polito in an article published in Postal Technology International (U.K.), when it comes to the North American postal market "there's gold in them thar mailboxes."

March 21, 2003 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito in the most recent issue of Mailing Systems Technology magazine, worksharing works and should not be wrecklessly compromised.

March 21, 2003 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, those who wreak havoc on America's postal system via false anthrax attacks should be punished to the fullest extent of the law...no exceptions.

March 21, 2003 -- Stuff NZ has reported that "New Zealand Post is warning that revenues are likely to come under pressure in the next few months as the economy slows and the impact of war in Iraq sets in."

March 21, 2003 -- According to The Scotsman, (U.K.) "Royal Mail has said it agrees with Postcomm's three-year price regulation proposal, which includes a 1p rise in basic first and second class stamps. In a rare display of concordance between the two parties, chief executive Adam Crozier said he had seen 'real improvements to the package on the table' and was now able to agree to the new deal. Royal Mail said it still had concerns about the future regulatory process, but the revised plans would avoid shooting a œ460 million hole in the company's finances. Consumer watchdog Postwatch is still to table a response." See also the report by The Guardian.

March 21, 2003 -- One commentator writing in the Financial Times (U.K.) has said that "one of the misconceptions that have been widely spread by the rhetoric of campaigners against the General Agreement on Trade in Services: that Gats means wild and undemocratic liberalisation of services, including public services. We all know, or could easily learn, that Gats is about tradeable services and that it is neutral on the issue of privatisation. Gats is about negotiating and allowing non-discriminatory market access and national treatment to services providers of other members of the World Trade Organisation. That will increase the level of competition among operators and result in a clear benefit for consumers. Nothing in Gats prevents national legislators from regulating a sector or from imposing obligations on services suppliers, as long as this is done in a non-discriminatory fashion. It would be interesting to get some evidence about this mysterious 'anti-liberalisation camp' and about the alleged techniques to use the Gats negotiations 'as an excuse to delay the planned further liberalisation of the EU postal sector and to protect monopolies'."

March 21, 2003 -- In his latest communique with his members, American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus said that "As the Presidential Commission on the U.S. Postal Service continues compiling recommendations from the business community on the future of the Postal Service, it is apparent that the major mailers and the mail consolidators are concerned that the APWU has exposed the subsidies embedded in the postage discounts they receive. The mailers' associations have submitted extensive rebuttal testimony in an attempt to justify the deeply discounted postage rates that have been a major cause of postal deficits. The mailers offer a variety of defenses of the inappropriate subsidies, including the costs incurred establishing processing operations; the low wages and lack of benefits paid to private mail processors; exaggerated costs involved in the application of bar codes that have little utility to the Postal Service; and the threat that without subsidies they would switch from mailing to electronic messages. These defenses fail to address the basic issue involved in excessive discounts. If the mailing associations now taking exception to the APWU position were truly interested in a competitive Postal Service, they would embrace the principle that discounts should never exceed the costs avoided. It is not surprising that they have not accepted this economic concept, because it would lead to a loss of their sweetheart deals."

March 21, 2003 -- The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) has charged that "House GOP leaders are targeting postal, federal workers, retirees' benefits."

March 21, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "a bill that would lower U.S. Postal Service pension contributions and potentially keep rates steady until 2006 has been included in the House and Senate budget resolutions, which Congress is expected to act on by April 15."

March 21, 2003 -- Greenwich Time has reported that "military postal authorities are discouraging residents from sending mail to military members they do not personally know or whose families have not given permission." And, as the Roanoke Times has noted, "neither the Army nor the U.S. Postal Service places restrictions on what friends and relatives can send to troops overseas, but one new rule is in effect as a result of Sept. 11, 2001. Anonymous care packages are no longer accepted. Items must be addressed to specific soldiers, sailors or Marines. Bear in mind that care packages may take four to six weeks to reach their destination, so not all favorite desserts will keep long enough to be edible upon opening."

March 21, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "the total number of chargeable person-to-person text messages sent across the four U.K. mobile telecommunications networks in February totaled 1.53 billion, according to figures Thursday from the Mobile Data Association, or MDA. February's figure takes the daily average to 55 million compared with 44 million in February 2002 and 28.8 million in February 2001. The MDA said 78 million text messages were sent on Valentine's Day, six times the number of traditional cards sent via postal services."

March 21, 2003 -- AFX (U.K.) has reported that "a new chairman will be appointed for Postcomm, the [British] postal regulator, in the next twelve months, said Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt. The term of current chairman Graham Corbett ends on March 31 2003 but he has agreed to extend his term by up to a year, the Department of Trade and Industry said. An additional new commissioner will also be appointed with specific postal market experience. Current commissioner Janet Lewis-Jones has been re-appointed for a further three-year term."

March 21, 2003 -- Wesley Davidson, postmaster for the Seymour, MO., Post Office has been selected as the national winner of the 5th annual Benjamin Franklin Community Newspaper and Postal Service Partnership Award of Excellence. The award was presented today to Davidson by Postmaster General John E. Potter and National Newspaper Association (NNA) President Jeff David during the NNA's 42nd Annual Government Affairs Conference at the Hyatt Regency-Capitol Hill Hotel. The Benjamin Franklin Award of Excellence is presented to a Postal Service employee who best represents the spirit of Benjamin Franklin, one of our country's founders and a newspaper publisher, statesman and postmaster.

March 21, 2003 -- Channel 4News (U.K.) has reported that "Stamp prices are set to increase by 1p from May, rising to 28p, and 20p for second-class postage. The plan has been public for some months but was only confirmed after a row between the Royal Mail and the industry's regulator was settled. The rise is worth an estimated œ170 million of extra revenue in a year to the Royal Mail."

March 21, 2003 -- U.S. Postal Service Inspector General Karla W. Corcoran has announced that:

• Herco Aircraft Machine Inc., of San Antonio, Texas, pled guilty today in a Western Texas district court to delivering substandard parts that did not comply with contract requirements to the U.S. Government. Under an agreement, Herco will pay over $115,000 in restitution and a $1,000 fine.
• Robert J. Strom, former president, and Thomas M. Costas, former vice president, of Action Reprographics, Inc., New York, N.Y., each were indicted today in U.S. District Court, Trenton, N.J., for conspiracy to pay kickbacks and filing false U.S. individual tax returns.

March 20, 2003 -- The Budapest Business Journal (Hungary) has reported that "The first ever strike by mail carriers in Hungary may occur at the beginning of April if Magyar Posta Rt insists on raising salaries by 8% only, according to Istv n T¢bi s, head of the union representing postal workers. Some 80% of Posta employees earn a humiliating Ft 50,000-Ft 70,000 gross per month, T¢bi s said. The strike would also affect newspaper and pension delivery, he added."

March 20, 2003 -- The testimony submitted by various parties in Austin, Texas at the March 18, 2003 public meeting of the President's Commission on the Postal Service has been posted on the Commission's web site.

March 20, 2003 -- The Exeter Express (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail bosses have defended their decision to bring forward last collection times in Exeter by an hour. From next week, all outgoing mail for next day delivery will be collected at 7.30pm instead of the current deadline of 8.30pm in the city centre, and 8.45pm at the Sowton sorting office. The Royal Mail has also confirmed that it is considering reducing collections at 80 postboxes in the EX and TQ postcodes from four or three daily to just one."

March 20, 2003 -- The Independent has reported that "last ditch efforts will be made today to prevent the dispute between Royal Mail and the postal regulator over letter prices from being referred to the Competition Commission for a six-month inquiry. Adam Crozier, the Royal Mail's new chief executive, is to meet the full board of commissioners at Postcomm in a final attempt to reach agreement on the proposed 1p increase in first and second class postage prices."

March 20, 2003 -- The National Business Review (New Zealand) has reported that "state-owned post company New Zealand post increased its six-month profit by 23 percent to $19.6 million, the company said today. New Zealand Post acting chief executive John Allen said a 0.6 percent increase in domestic mail volumes, driven by high volume business mail, contributed to the result for the period ended December." See also the report by Stuff NZ

March 20, 2003 -- The Scotsman has reported that "postal regulator Graham Corbett is expected to be axed today, just 24 hours before opponents respond to his controversial plans for the future of loss-making Royal Mail. the reports delighted the CWU, which has long been calling for Corbett's head for what it sees as an 'enormously ignorant' approach to the job. Through its 'Sack The Regulator' campaign, the union accuses Corbett of concentrating on profit and competition, and ignoring the sector's 224,000 workers. A spokesman said: 'Corbett wanted to open the sector up to competition at a speed that would have destroyed the Royal Mail.'"

March 20, 2003 -- Stamps.com has announced that its enhanced software, which works more seamlessly with Microsoft Corp.'s widely-used Microsoft Office software suite, is now available to approximately half a million Beta testers participating in the Microsoft Office System Beta 2 release. To encourage as many Beta testers as possible to experience the convenience of printing e-postage from within Microsoft Office 2003, Stamps.com is offering its online service at no cost during the Microsoft Office System Beta 2 release to all registered Beta users that are new customers of Stamps.com. Microsoft Office System is expected to launch during the summer of 2003.

March 19, 2003 -- Be sure to check out the papers by Pitney Bowes and the Envelope Manufacturers Association on intelligent mail. Both were presented at the request of the President's Commission on the Postal Service and are available on the commission web site.

March 19, 2003 -- Mad.co.uk has reported that Britain's "consumer postal watchdog, Postwatch, has accused the Royal Mail of 'abusing its dominant position in the market' in a strongly worded complaint to the competition authorities. Acting on behalf of a number of the Royal Mail's larger direct mailing clients, Postwatch said the mail operator had been using its virtual monopoly over the last mile of delivery to change the terms of delivery agreements without sufficient notice."

March 19, 2003 -- The Missourian has reported that "the Consumer Fraud Task Force, a joint task force of federal and state law enforcement agencies and the Better Business Bureau (BBB), urges consumers to use caution if they receive sweepstakes solicitations. Members of the task force, which was formed four months ago, said they have noted an increase in sweepstakes complaints in recent months."

March 19, 2003 -- FedEx Corporation today reported earnings of $0.49 per diluted share for the third quarter ended February 28, compared to $0.39 per diluted share a year ago, an increase of 26% year-over-year. Loss of revenue and increased expenses resulting from severe winter storms during the quarter negatively impacted earnings by an estimated $0.04 per diluted share. See also the story in the Journal of Commerce.

March 19, 2003 -- The latest tally of congressional sponsors to the USPS-CSRS reform bills has been posted on this site.

March 19, 2003 -- Reuters has reported that "John Dasburg, the former chief executive of Northwest Airlines Corp. has been named named chairman and chief executive of DHL Airways, a closely held company that runs 40 aircraft from its Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky hub. Dasburg, 60, will replace Joseph O'Gorman, who died in August. DHL rivals FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. have challenged DHL's right to operate in the United States, alleging that DHL may have breached a requirement that at least 75 percent of the company be owned by U.S. citizens. DHL is partly owned by a unit of Germany's Deutsche Post AG. A DHL spokeswoman said Idaho resident William Robinson owns 55 percent of the company and 75 percent of its voting stock."

March 19, 2003 -- JiJi Press (Japan) has reported that "Mitsui & Co. has agreed with a wholly owned distribution unit of China's State Postal Bureau on a comprehensive collaboration in the distribution business in China, it was learned Tuesday. Under the accord, the Japanese trading giant will support Japanese companies' operations across China by using the State Postal Bureau's vehicles, aircraft, post offices and distribution centers nationwide."

March 19, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that British "postal regulator Graham Corbett is to be ousted by the government in a clear victory for Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton who has been at war with him over stamp price increases and competition. Announcement of the decision by trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt could be made as early as tomorrow triggering an immediate rush to find a successor."

March 19, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Airborne Inc. must fund $60 million to $70 million of its pension plan liabilities in 2003, according to its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company also said it expects pension costs in 2003 to be around $54 million, an increase of $9 million. In addition, Airborne expects its employee health-care plan costs to increase by roughly $13 million, or 15%, in 2003, the filing from Friday said. The company said that costs associated with its defined benefit pension plans have increased significantly over the past several years. The increases are primarily market-driven and caused by negative investment returns on plan assets and lower discount rates applied to future pension obligations, according to the filing. Airborne provides express delivery of documents, letters, small packages and freight under the trade name Airborne Express."

March 19, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that:

• While most Americans remain deeply concerned about their privacy, many are willing to give up some confidentiality if they can see some benefit to doing so, according to the latest Harris Poll. Nearly two-thirds of adults feel strongly about the protection of their personal information by companies and government agencies. Still, they are willing to give access to their personal data when they are confident it will not be misused, and when they think they may get some benefit for divulging it. Harris categorized these people as "privacy pragmatists." Worries over the abuse of personal information appear to be increasing. More than half of adults surveyed don"t believe businesses handle their information confidentially, up from 35% in 1999. Still, only about a quarter of Americans feel like they"ve already lost so much privacy that they are careful to avoid further exposure -- people Harris called "privacy fundamentalists."
• The countdown to war is ratcheting up pressure on already-struggling airlines. Passenger bookings have dropped precipitously in the past few days, according to travel agents and several carriers, and airlines are starting to trim flight schedules. War worries are worsening the financial condition of UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, which is operating under bankruptcy-court protection. The world's second-biggest airline said its international bookings are down nearly 40% from year-ago levels, while domestic bookings also have dropped "substantially." United warned that "liquidation is a distinct possibility" for the carrier if it doesn't sharply cut its labor costs. For the U.S. airline industry, mired in a deep financial morass, a prolonged war and possible terrorist attacks could be a devastating blow, adding billions of dollars in losses this year to already weak balance sheets. P.S. Airlines are responsible for carrying mail

March 19, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has filed a request with the Postal Rate Commission to establish a category of mail that would give direct marketers the option of sending odd-shaped, eye-catching advertising pieces through the mail. Called Customized MarketMail (CMM), this uniquely shaped mail would add substantially to the direct marketer's ability to obtain differentiation and impact in the mailbox, according to Anita Bizzotto, Chief Marketing Officer of the Postal Service.

March 19, 2003 -- The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that "mail photos of the family. Mail cookies. Mail the news from home - even a "Dear John" letter if you must. But soldiers serving in Arab countries are not permitted to receive religious materials that are contrary to the Islamic faith. And they cannot receive pornographic photos, live plants, pork, firearms or alcoholic beverages. Not even alcohol-filled candies. U.S. Customs officials are opening packages for inspection and will notify the Army of any prohibited items they find, which could result in the suspension of mail privileges for the soldiers involved. With hundreds of thousands of troops in the Persian Gulf region or on their way, mail handlers at military installations across the United States are overwhelmed by mail. If you don't know whether something you want to send is prohibited, you can check with your local post office."

March 19, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "the President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service announced yesterday that its fourth public meeting will be held April 4 at The Westin Hotel Los Angeles Airport. At the meeting, the commission will examine the role of the private sector in the mail delivery system through outsourcing, worksharing, and retail partnerships. The commission also will examine USPS competition with the private sector."

March 19, 2003 -- According to the Ludwig von Mises Institute, "like all government operations (public schools, domestic security, tax collection), the Post Office has to continually reform itself to avoid a complete public-relations meltdown. Thus did the Post Office become the Postal Service some thirty years ago. The name change was supposed to indicate how its management was going to be less like government and more like business. But what institution defines business? It is not in the name. It is not an attitude or even managerial strategy. The core of business is private ownership. It is this institution that makes trade and competition possible, which in turn establishes prices and valuations, which in turn make possible rational economic calculation. Without private ownership, a government operation whether a Soviet factory or the US Postal Service lacks the essential means to act like a real business."

March 19, 2003 -- The Louisville Courier-Journal has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is dropping its morning pickups at its estimated 1,300 blue collection boxes in Jefferson County. Starting Monday, the earliest pickups will be around 1 p.m., instead of 10:30 a.m. Not that it matters, really. Regardless how early mail gets picked up, it doesn't start getting sorted and processed until about 4:30 p.m., and mail usually doesn't leave on the trucks until after 9 p.m., said Louisville postmaster Bob Lochhead. 'It's just a redundancy, a waste of time,' he said, adding that eliminating pre-noon pickups would be more efficient and save the Postal Service about $200,000 a year, with no reduction in service or staff."

March 19, 2003 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• The Chinese post is evidently preparing for the transformation of six economically powerful federal post companies into one independent enterprise, which is then to be floated on the stock exchange. A corresponding restructuring plan has apparently already been presented to the Chinese State Council for approval, and the transformation could be completed before the end of the year.
• Last Thursday Austria's ™sterreichische Post AG (™P) published its official results for the financial year 2002 (CEP News 10/03). The post suffered drops in turnover in practically all business segments, as had already been predicted. Letters being the biggest segment.
• Ireland's Minister for Communications, Mr Dermot Ahern has expressed growing concern with regards to the financial situation of An Post. The company's operating result for 2002 will in all likelihood show a 20m euros deficit. Unanimous press reports state that Mr Ahern has ordered the An Post management to produce regular accounts of the company's financial situation.

CEP News is without a doubt one of the best newsletters you can find that focuses on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. For more information on a subscription to CEP News, contact the publisher.

March 19, 2003 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users (Canada) has announced that it will be sponsoring "THE DATA MANAGEMENT FORUM" on April 1, 2003 8:30a.m. 12:30p.m. at the Toronto Board of Trade Downtown Centre, 1 First Canadian Place, 4th Floor, Function rooms A,B,C. For more information contact the NAMMU Media Group.

March 19, 2003 -- As the New York Times has noted, "the fax's days may be numbered, as companies and individuals realize that e-mail accomplishes many of the same tasks without creating a mountain of paper, running up telephone bills or requiring employees to leave their desks to see whether a document has arrived. Fax machine sales peaked in 2000, with close to 14 million sold worldwide, said Peter Davidson, owner of Davidson Consulting, a firm in Burbank, Calif., that researches the fax industry. By 2006, Mr. Davidson predicts, sales will fall to less than 13 million."

March 19, 2003 -- International Paper is providing interested parties with access to a grassroots web tool specifically designed to help generate letters to Congress in support of the postal pension reform legislation (S. 380 and H.R. 735). The site contains background information on the issue, sample letters to Congress, sample communications for generating internal and external support, and phone/fax numbers for House and Senate offices to facilitate quick communication.

March 18, 2003 -- According to the Financial Times, "the current debate on the General Agreement on Trade in Services negotiations has been marked by the reluctance of some parties to open up markets by arguing that liberalisation would jeopardise the provision of public services to European Union citizens. The anti-liberalisation camp is using the Gats negotiations as an excuse to delay the planned further liberalisation of the EU postal sector and to protect monopolies."

March 18, 2003 -- A copy of the portion House Budget Report that pertains to its consideration of the budget impact of H.R. 735 has been posted on this site.

March 18, 2003 -- Knight-Ridder has reported that "come April 15, top officers at the U.S. Postal Service have another reason to smile. Thanks to a little-known perk, postal rate payers have been picking up the tab for officers' tax preparation since 1998. The federal agency has also provided its top brass with individual financial counseling, including retirement and estate planning. No other federal agency offers such benefits. The service has been valued at more than $25,000."

March 18, 2003 -- Stockhouse has reported that the "Universal Postal Union has connected its POST*Net Global Postal Telecommunications to the Descartes Global Logistics Services Network. POST*Net offers Posts the physical means to link and communicate with other postal enterprises, airlines, transport companies, customs authorities, security agencies and other relevant organizations world-wide. Using the GLSN as the backbone for POST*Net, the UPU is able to provide up-to-the-minute tracking information on time-critical mail products such as Express Mail Services (EMS), parcels, and financial services."

March 18, 2003 -- The Sunday Times (South Africa) has reported that "SA Post Office CEO Maanda Manyatshe told the parliamentary communications committee Tuesday that although previous predictions that the State owned company would report a profit had not panned out, he expected it to break even in 2003/04 and record operating profits thereafter."

March 18, 2003 -- Pitney Bowes Inc. has provided testimony to the President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service about the benefits available to the U.S. Postal Service and its customers through further development of the Intelligent Mail system, or "I-mail". A Pitney Bowes white paper on I-mail is available at: http://www.pb.com/downloads/U S/ENG/imail.pdf.

March 18, 2003 -- The President's Commission on the Postal Service will be holding a public meeting in Austin, Texas at which it will examine (1) the impact of the electronic diversion of First-Class letter mail, (2) the automation and other technologies currently utilized by the United States Postal Service, and (3) potential opportunities for business growth that may be available as result of technological innovations. Witnesses will testify at the invitation of the Commission. At the meeting, the Technologies Challenges and Opportunities Subcommittee will report to the Commission."

March 18, 2003 -- The Arizona Republic has reported that "a Phoenix postal union has asked Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge to review the handling of a mail bomb last week at the Maryvale Post Office, claiming officials endangered the lives of employees and customers."

March 18, 2003 -- Die Welt (Germany) has reported that "Deutsche Post (DP), the German postal service operator, is thought to have bought around 1,000 of the more than 5,000 branches of mail order group Quelle. The shops will now be turned into individual Deutsche Post branches. DP said that the 1,000 shops would become part of a new subsidiary company. The outlets will take care of services such as stamp sales, letter and package receipt, and package returns."

March 18, 2003 -- The Seattle Times has reported that "envelopes containing white powder, some containing anti-war messages, were found at six locations in West Seattle this morning, and all were quickly determined to be hoaxes, officials said."

March 18, 2003 -- News24.com (South Africa) has reported that "The Democratic Alliance has taken the SA Post Office to task over its failure to move out of the red by the end of the 2001 financial year, and its use of a R976m loan from the Post Bank. In a statement on Monday, DA MP Mike Waters said it was unacceptable that Finance Minister Trevor Manuel was 'bailing the Post Office out yet again'."

March 17, 2003 -- It ain't me, babe.... That's the tune the Postal Inspection Service is singing in a press release to all city editors to ensure their reporters are not confusing the Inspection Service with the somewhat controversial Postal Inspector General's office, which has been the subject of "thoroughly researched exposes on some of the Inspector General's activities."

March 17, 2003 -- The Financial Times has reported that " United Parcel Service is facing opposition from owners of Mail Boxes Etc stores, who are accusing the company of violating franchise agreements and employing heavy-handed tactics to force them to rebrand their stores with the UPS logo. Some of the biggest Mail Boxes owners are threatening legal action if the world's largest package delivery company proceeds with a multi-million dollar advertising campaign in early April to promote the name change."

March 17, 2003 -- The Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "the Universal Bank, which is scheduled to click into place when the Government phases out the payment of benefits and pensions using order books and giros, is no joke for the Post Office either. These transactions represent over a third of the total income for the network, which is already making a loss."

March 17, 2003 -- Traffic World has reporte that "Concern over what to do with the country's growing mountain of used electronic equipment is giving lawmakers the impetus to introduce product take-back legislation. While this is going on, industry has other concerns: the lack of a viable market for junked electronics and the reverse-logistics challenge of retrieving the stuff."

March 17, 2003 -- Business World (Ireland) has reported that "the introduction of roadside letter boxes is key to maintaining the viability of Ireland's postal services, according to the chief executive of An Post. John Hynes said the scheme would save An Post millions of euro per year and help to stave off a financial crisis at the company as it would cut down on delivery times and costs in rural areas."

March 17, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "China's post office plans to spin off its business operations in six coastal provinces for an overseas stock market listing, the Economic Observer reports, citing State Postal Bureau chief Liu Liqing. The plan to restructure the bureau, whose commercial operations are under the name China Post, has been submitted to China's State Council for approval and could be implemented before the end of this year, the report says."

March 17, 2003 -- The Kyodo News Servicehas reported that "Japan Post, the postal public corporation to begin operations in April, plans to tie up with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and IY Bank on the use of automatic teller machines (ATMs), a major economic daily reported Monday. By July, postal savings customers will be able to withdraw cash 24 hours a day from both banks' ATMs at about 6,000 convenience stores nationwide and other locations, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. Japan Post's planned partnerships with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, a core bank of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., and IY Bank would mark its first business tie-up with private-sector financial institutions following its creation."

March 16, 2003 -- The BBC has reported that "thousands of British troops - including hundreds of Royal Marines, Navy personnel and TA reservists from Devon - are stationed in the Gulf as preparations for war with Iraq continue. For the troops it's the opportunity to do the job they were trained for. But for the family and friends they have left behind it's the start of months of concern about exactly where they are or what they're doing. Families are also understandably anxious about telephone and e-mail contact being restricted. The Royal Navy says this is normal in an operational environment and has advised relatives not to get unduly worried. Post will also still be getting through, albeit slow at times - so the message is to keep writing!"

March 16, 2003 -- Business World (Philippines) has reported that "the Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) has a greenshoe option to raise its bond offering to PhP8 billion (US$145.95 million at PhP54.815=$1) depending on investor appetite for the debt instruments. The option to raise the size of the bond offer from the current PhP5 billion will give the postal agency additional funds for its modernization project."

March 16, 2003 -- The East African Standard (Kenya) has reported that "the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) yesterday called for the sacking of Postmaster General Francis Chahonyo and Telkom Kenya Managing Director Augustine Cheserem."

March 16, 2003 -- According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "once regarded as a money-losing backwater at Sandy Springs-based UPS, international operations have become a star performer in recent years as overseas shipments have grown in volume, revenue and profit."

March 16, 2003 -- The latest tally of co-sponsors to H.R. 735 and S. 380 has been posted on this site. Have your senators and representative signed on?

March 15, 2003 -- The El Paso Times has reported that "the very same day Sgt. David Click's wife was deployed to the Middle East, her loyal husband began sending her love letters and care packages filled with pictures of their two children and small items to make her life a bit happier. But more than a month has passed, and Click says she has yet to receive them. U.S. Postal Service and Fort Bliss Post Office officials said there are a variety of reasons for the delays. Safety restrictions and a sudden increase in overseas mailing to a rapidly growing military population are two of the many reasons for the delay. Along the way to New York and once in Germany, the mail has to be inspected by a variety of agencies including customs and aviation security. In Germany, the mail may linger because it is placed on planes headed to the Middle East on a space-available basis."

March 15, 2003 -- The Virginian Pilot has reported that "Friday night brought a mother lode of mail to a company of letter-starved Marines at Camp Shoup. Packages and letters, most of them mailed almost a month ago, were poured out of large, orange postal bags and spread out like Christmas presents on the floor of the command tent. Because of a variety of problems, mail service has been spotty at best in the month since the Marines came ashore from seven Hampton Roads-based ships. Mail addressed to the task force's infantry and other ground units continued to be sent to the ships for more than a week after the Marines had left. And there it stayed, set aside until new addresses and delivery methods could be sorted out. Only recently has the mail begun being flown into Kuwait."

March 15, 2003 -- The Star (Malaysia) has reported that "Pos Malaysia Bhd (Pos Malaysia), the country's sole postal services provider, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of listed Pos Malaysia Services & Holdings Bhd (Pos Holdings). Postal services account for 99.5 per cent of Pos Holdings' revenue for 2002. Ordinarily, share investors fancy monopolies, but Pos Holdings struggles to get attention. Then again, it is hard to get excited about the prospects of the postal services business. The popular notion is that it is a sunset industry as people increasingly choose to communicate through other means, such as e-mail and mobile phones."

March 15, 2003 -- As Business Week has noted, "officials at the U.S. Customs Service officials are casting a virtual safety net around the country. And they're ensnaring people they never meant to inconvenience"--including air express companies. " In January, Customs proposed eight-hour advance notice of air freight. FedEx Corp. and UPS said such a requirement was unworkable, since freight continues to be loaded up to the final hour before takeoff. Instead, air-express carriers have proposed filing an electronic manifest in-flight, reaching Customs at least an hour before arrival, with some exceptions. UPS' Schenk is confident that the carriers can strike a reasonable deal with Customs."

March 15, 2003 -- Government Computer News has reported that "as millions more e-mail messages clog government inboxes, the legal consequences of e-mail delivery and storage have become a bigger issue for government agencies, an attorney who specializes in record retention cases said. Agencies must follow strict rules dictated by the National Archives and Records Administration on retaining and archiving records, including e-mail that previously was considered casual communication."

March 15, 2003 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "ahead of the establishment of the Japan Post on April 1 by transforming the Postal Services Agency, officials at the agency are trying to enhance the competitiveness of the nation's postal services and to change the mind-set of postal workers. The agency is trying to introduce Toyota Motor Corp.'s production management methods.

March 15, 2003 -- According to Marines Online, "many Marines will say nothing excites them as much as having a letter from home placed in their hands. The connection from one continent to another, mail can be an incredible morale-booster. Because of that, it's a good thing the Marines of Task Force Tarawa have a full service post office, even while deployed to Kuwait."

March 15, 2003 -- Oswego County Business has reported that "North Coast Software, Inc. has gone international. Established in 1995, the Oswego business has been contracted by the German company Bowe, Bell, and Howell to design a server and optical character recognition (OCR) software package that will scan and verify addresses for the Deutsche Post, the postal service in Germany. The package was piloted in November and went to production in Munich in March. The customized program can coordinate the activities of up to 32 computers per installed site."

March 15, 2003 -- The Center for Research in Regulated Industries (Rutgers University) has announced that its Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics will be held on June 4-7, 2003 at the Hotel Beatriz, Toledo, Spain. For more information, check out the CRRI web site.

March 14, 2003 -- The National Mail Order Association has announced:

• The the Sales, Marketing & Publicity Expo which is being held April 16th in Minneapolis. Check it out.
• A new Direct Marketing Discussion and Chat site. It is multi-lingual, and free for all direct marketers to use. Direct Marketing people can also get a free link on the site.

March 14, 2003 -- The Standard (China) has reported that "China Post plans to spin off business operations in six booming cities and provinces, including Guangdong, in preparation for an overseas listing later this year. Revealing the plan earlier this week, state-run postal service director Liu Liqing said China Post had submitted a formal application to the State Council for permission to spin off operations in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong. However, Guangdong postal service said it had not been formally notified by Beijing about the plan and had yet to begin preparatory work, New Express News reported yesterday. There had been much speculation last year about China Post spinning off profitable businesses such as the express mail service and postal deposits, but Liu said the intention was to list all its business operations in the six cities and provinces."

March 14, 2003 -- Business Day (South Africa) has reported that "Ratepayers who use the post office to pay for City of Johannesburg's services will have to use cash, not cheques, from 1 April. The new rule has been prompted by the increase in losses due to fraudulent cheques. The South African Postal Service is currently putting in place a system that can accept debit and credit cards, but that is not yet operational. Residents can also pay their rates accounts at Pick 'n' Pay and Shoprite Checkers stores and ABSA banks. The use of credit cards, including Diner's Club and American Express cards, is now acceptable, as well as payment by cheque. The difference, according to a City spokesperson, is that the Cheque Verification Service system is in use at shops and banks, but not in post offices."

Russian Post will be hosting its VI International Forum and Exhibition "Pochtovaya Troika" on June 29-July 1, 2003 in St. Petersburg, Russia. For exhibition information, contact troika_forum@russianpost.ru.

March 14, 2003 -- The Moscow Times has reported that "Russian Post, the nationwide postal service established last September, will become a joint stock company next year and will go public in 2007, Communications Deputy Minister Alexander Kiselyov said Thursday. The change in the company's structure is part of a planned reorganization adopted in June to increase efficiency, speed and quality of the postal services. Under the plan, Russian Post will consolidate the country's 40,000 post offices in 82 regional postal departments by the end of this year. The joint stock company will remain 100 percent owned by the government for 3 years, Kiselyov said. Once the company goes public, the government will keep a controlling share of the business, he added."

March 14, 2003 -- Les Echos (France) has reported that "Jean Peyrelevade, chairman of French banking group Credit Lyonnais, said yesterday that an extension of the range of financial services offered by La Poste, the French national postal services group, was inevitable. Mr. Peyrelevade said that banks could not oppose the planned merger between Credit Agricole and Credit Lyonnais on the grounds that it would suppress competition, and at the same time oppose an increase in the financial services offered by La Poste, which would be a way of boosting competition."

March 14, 2003 -- CBS MarketWatch has reported that "The Merrill Lynch analyst on Thursday downgraded shares of United Parcel Service and FedEx Corp. to 'sell' from 'neutral,' aligning them with the 'sell' rating he already carries on Airborne. 'We believe the economic environment continues to deteriorate, which may cause a reduction in volumes, and importantly, could result in further EPS multiple contraction,' Hoexter wrote in a research note. 'The specter for war continues to stall business investment.'"

March 14, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "just weeks after receiving a patent for a new type of business reply mail, Bob Fredman is trying to sell the concept on eBay for $10 million. Called Urgent Reply Mail, it lets companies give prepaid postage for business reply mail provided it is mailed by a preset expiration date. After the expiration date, the customer would have to pay the postage. Ideal mailings for the service, Fredman said, include solicitations, bills, fundraising and proxy votes. The auction began March 13 and will last 10 days."

March 14, 2003 -- As Business Mailers Review has noted, "the House and Senate committees with oversight of the Postal Service unanimously passed the bills that would change how the USPS pays into the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The bills moved easily through the two committees, but their journeys just got a little trickier. The bills are now tied to the overall federal budget process. The House bill on CSRS funding, H.R. 735, has been included in the House Budget Resolution and sources say they are hopeful the Senate will include the Senate version, S. 380, in the Senate Budget Resolution."

March 14, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "An amendment to a Senate air-cargo security bill calls for the Transportation Security Administration to study the best way to protect aircraft from shoulder-fired missiles. The amendment was included in the Air Cargo Security Act (S. 165) that the Senate Commerce Committee voted out on Wednesday. The bill now goes to the Senate for debate. The bill will require TSA to screen air cargo that is transported on passenger aircraft. It also authorizes TSA to establish a database of known shippers, require air cargo carriers to develop security plans, and review current security programs for indirect carriers."

March 14, 2003 -- IT World has reported that "two new specifications related to message delivery for interoperable Web services applications were published Thursday, along with a white paper produced by IBM Corp. and Microsoft Corp. IBM, Microsoft, BEA Systems Inc. and Tibco Software Inc. jointly announced publication of the WS-ReliableMessaging specification, which provides a protocol whereby messages that are unreceived or are duplicates can be detected, while messages that are received can be processed in the order in which they were sent. IBM, Microsoft and BEA published the WS-Addressing specification, which provides a way to identify and exchange references to Web service end points, the companies said in a statement. 'It's like a return address' on a piece of postal mail, said Steven VanRoekel, Microsoft director of Web services marketing, in Redmond, Washington, of the addressing specification and what it does. 'No matter where the letter goes around the world, it can be sent back to the sender.'"

March 14, 2003 -- GovExec.Com has reported that "a Web site that gives the public access to a wide array of government services and information is the only federal project among 15 finalists for the annual Innovations in American Government Award. FirstGov, administered by the General Services Administration, and 14 other finalists were selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 applicants. Through FirstGov, citizens have access to services ranging from filing their taxes electronically to getting change-of-address forms from the Postal Service."

March 14, 2003 -- Available on this site are the reply comments made before the President's Commission on the Postal Service by:

• Association for Postal Commerce
• Continuity Shippers Association
• Mailers Coalition

March 14, 2003 -- The BBC Monitoring Service (U.K.) has reported that "Russia's Communications and Information Technology Ministry plans to complete the restructuring of Russia's postal service system by establishing a single national postal operating company by the end of this year, First Deputy Communications and Information Technology Minister Aleksandr Kiselev told a news conference. According to him, by the end of the year the regional postal services would be united to form a single legal entity. Currently, there are 82 regional postal services in Russia, which occasionally compete with each other, he said. As a result of the restructuring, a single fully state-owned joint stock company would be formed. The state is expected to maintain full ownership of the company for three years, after which some shares may be put on the open market, with the state remaining the controlling shareholder."

March 14, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Danzas AEI Intercontinental on Thursday announced a series of executive changes in its North America business unit."

March 13, 2003 -- In a recent perspective, long-time postal commentator Murray Comarow wrote that the President's Commission on the Postal Service "has been deluged with well over 200 statements from all corners of the postal community: unions, postmaster associations, supervisors, competitors, academics, mailers, individual citizens, the Postal Rate Commission, and the Postal Service itself. Having read a fair number of these statements, and having attended the Commission's two hearings, a pattern seems to emerge. If I am right, it is a pattern which short-changes the Commission and reveals a long-standing reluctance on the part of most mailers and some USPS's executives to step up to the plate."

March 13, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "U.S. and Vietnamese officials met Wednesday in Hanoi to discuss the possibility of opening up direct flights between the two countries. Air cargo companies such as United Parcel Service (UPS), FedEx (FDX) and Polar Air Cargo are also participating in the talks."

March 13, 2003 -- Be sure to check out the report on the latest of the Pitney Bowes Leadership Roundtables reported on the PostInsight web site.

March 13, 2003 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "The world's governing aviation policy body is due to vote this month on a proposal urging governments to dramatically liberalize air freight services and separate all-cargo carriers from passenger airlines in their international treaties. The proposal at the International Civil Aviation Organization would not be binding and would endorse liberalization only in broad terms, but it would mark the strongest statement yet by a major policy group in favor of separate freedoms for freighter operations."

March 13, 2003 -- The Kyodo news service has reported that "a [Japanese] postal public corporation to be established next month will promote efficient mail services with an eye toward achieving a 20% cost reduction, three top executives of the new entity said Thursday. "While the state-run postal services lack cost-consciousness, we can realize a 20% cut in mail service costs," said Toshihiro Takahashi, a former managing director of Toyota Motor Corp. who will become a deputy chief of the postal corporation, Japan Post."

March 13, 2003 -- The BBC Monitoring Service has reported that "the Burundi National Postal Company has since 1994 lost 483,849,616 francs due to embezzlement, a report made by the minister of transport, post and telecommunication to last week's council of ministers says. The minister recalled that the National Postal Company was created in March 1991 and became operational in January 1992. Today, it is experience a degradation mainly due to an increase in embezzlement."

March 13, 2003 -- Asia In Focus has reported that "a partnership between Japan's MITSUI & CO. and a distribution subsidiary of China's postal agency has been formed. The comprehensive agreement covers small-lot delivery services to corporate clients in China."

March 13, 2003 -- According to the Washington Post, "The flood of unsolicited messages sent over the Internet is growing so fast that spam may soon account for half of all U.S. e-mail traffic, making it not only a hair-pulling annoyance but also an increasing drain on corporate budgets and possibly a threat to the continued usefulness of the most successful tool of the computer age."

March 13, 2003 -- PTI (India) has reported that the Indian "Government has ruled out in the privatisation of postal services in the country. Thus far, only a certain postal sector had been opened up through courier service. At present there are 2,300 courier services in the country and their activities were unregulated. Post offices will be modernised so that they could become commercial hubs."

March 13, 2003 -- Xinhua has reported that "China's State Postal Bureau (SPB) will invest 100 million yuan (12.1 million US dollars) this year to improve its logistics network. General Manager Li Xiong of an SPB-founded China postal logistics company said that the logistics sector has become an important part of China's postal system and it is trying to further improve its service network." See also the report by People's Daily and the BBC Monitoring Service.

March 13, 2003 -- Reuters has reported that "Germans will be able to use some of the latest camera-equipped mobile phones to send picture messages that will no longer have to rely on high-speed mobile networks to deliver them -- but the post office. O2 Germany, the German division of British-based mobile phone group mmO2, plans to launch a service which will allow customers to send picture messages as printed postcards from April in one of its latest offerings. On the eve of the opening of the world's largest electronics trade fair in the northern German city of Hanover, O2 Germany said customers would just need to send a picture message, including the postal address of the recipient and the text for a postcard to an automatic call distributor."

March 13, 2003 -- Financial Review has reported that "family clothing and manchester retail chain Best & Less recently looked around for a logistics company to organise deliveries to its 127 stores nationwide better, and its eventual choice will surprise most people. Best & Less chose Australia Post which is, of course, best known for being the government-owned postal carrier rather than for managing whole supply chains and delivering bulky shipments. But Australian Post says that it now has the 'electronic spine' necessary for a major third-party logistics provider (3PL), as well as being able to oversee other 3PLs providing similar services to the same client (and so act as a fourth party logistics provider, or 4PL)."

March 13, 2003 -- Business Week has reported that "concerned that sensitive information might leak out, some units of the United States military are starting to clamp down on e-mail communication from their soldiers and sailors, who have been using it from ships, bases and even desert outposts to stay in touch with family and friends. The uncertainty underscores the double-edged nature of a technology that is providing a new opportunity for instantaneous interaction from remote locations, a development the Pentagon believes is helping to improve morale in the field and among relatives back home."

March 13, 2003 -- The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer has reported that "Frank Laiacono knows his 22-year-old son, Blaise, is preparing for a possible war with Iraq, and the short e-mails Laiacono receives don't tell him much more. But the electronic communications do help the Livonia father feel connected to his son stationed in North Carolina. "It helps a lot," Laiacono, a Vietnam vet, told The Detroit News for a Wednesday story. "Back in '71 and 72, I corresponded with my parents once in a great while with letters or collect phone calls. It was terrible. But now, with cell phone and lap tops, you can stay in touch."

March 13, 2003 -- The Coastline Courier has reported that "sending mail to Kuwait for 3rd Infantry Division (Mech.) soldiers can become confusing. The information below has been compiled by the Army to provide the latest and most up-to-date information to some of the most frequent concerns of those wishing to send mail via the US Postal system."

March 12, 2003 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• The sale of Österreichische Post appears to have been settled. Unanimous press reports claim that potential buyers from all over Europe will be asked to submit their offers by mid-2003; a contract may be concluded nine or ten months later, according to the post’s ÖIAG emphatically denies claims that Deutsche Post is in the strongest position as a buyer. An ÖIAG spokeswoman said it was out of the question, as not all buyers were even known yet. Potential buyers apparently include the post companies of Spain, France, Sweden and the Netherlands.
• Last week the paper revealed that the costs of Posten AB’s Internet market place ‘Torget’ had by far exceeded the officially stated 22m euros. In an interview with ‘Dagens Industri’, Posten AB was forced to admit that a total of 98m euros had gone into the market place on the web. [Heck, that's nothing. They should see what the U.S. Postal Service wastes.]
• According to a report in the ‘Warsaw Business Journal’ the Polish post has only been able to win a 4% share of the country’s courier and express market, despite having carried out significant investments. Competitors believe that this is caused mainly by Poczta Polska’s lack of flexibility, which is evident from the fact that a door-to-door service was not introduced until recently.[Well, duh!]

CEP News is without a doubt one of the best newsletters you can find that focuses on the courier, express, and postal market. What you see reported here is a mere sampling of the news you'll get when you subscribe to CEP News. For more information on a subscription to CEP News, contact the publisher.

March 12, 2003 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users (also known in Canada as NAMMU) Toronto chapter recently posed the question: Should you outsource your business relationship with Canada Post? Panel moderator, Hugh Burgess (Postlinx), discussion leaders, Ron Moss (HBC) and James Lee (Gail Picco Associates) each approached it from his own perspective, but essentially the commonality was: Absolutely not! The interactive dialoguebrought to light the frequently tenuous relationship the mailer has with Canada Post once mail management is outsourced." Contact NAMMU@SYMPATICO.CA for additional information from this session.

March 12, 2003 -- NAMMU has informed PostCom that "Canada Post and the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA) announced a tentative collective agreement was signed March 6. This tentative agreement will now be sent to the CPAA membership for ratification."

March 12, 2003 -- According to the Bolivar Herald-Free Press, "the right way to tax Americans for federal programs is through the taxes and fees created through the Congressional debate and vote process, not through an accidental tax on the stamp. If Congress acts on Senate Bill 380 and House Bill 735, consumers won't have to buy 39- or 40-cent stamps next year. If it doesn't act, another postage increase is assured."

March 12, 2003 -- Who's signed on as a co-sponsor of the U.S. mailing industry's most sought after legislation? The latest tally has been posted on this web site. Are your U.S. Senators or U.S. Representative listed here? If not, why not?

March 12, 2003 -- Nihon Keizai Shimbun has reported that "Yamato Transport Co. has announced its new management team faces the challenge of dealing with the privatization of postal services, which is due to begin on April 1 under the newly created Japan Post, as well as the shrinking gap between rival Sagawa Express Co. in the door-to-door parcel delivery business. The privatization of postal services means a tough rival has been awakened, Japan Post, could be the biggest threat to Yamato Transport. Postal services have been deeply in the red, but Japan Post is expected to embark on a rigorous business streamlining under the leadership of Masaharu Ikuta, formerly of the shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd."

March 12, 2003 -- India Business Insight has reported that "India Post (IP) is transforming itself to face the challenges of the changing environment. It has tied up with ICICI Bank for money transfer services, whick also will enable ICICI Bank to sell its products through the IP network. IP is also holding talks with ING Vysya Bank, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank for selling their products through its network across India. It has allied with IDBI-Principal for marketing bond funds and tax saving funds through 200 post offices. IP has introduced innovative services, such as E-post and E-billing, which enables easy payment of all kinds of bills at post offices. The E-post service enables people who don't have access to computers to get e-mails from anywhere in the world."

March 12, 2003 -- The Washington Post has reported that "President Bush signed legislation that will establish a national "do not call" list to help consumers block unwanted telemarketing calls. The bill also allows the Federal Trade Commission to collect fees from telemarketers to fund the registry, which is expected to begin operation by summer. Consumers can enroll in the free service via the Internet or a toll-free phone number."

March 12, 2003 -- According to Teamsters Online, "the Teamsters’ Parcel and Small Package Division recently resolved a lingering issue with United Parcel Service involving members’ pensions. The case involved part-timers who moved into Article 22, Section 3 full-time jobs who were in company pension plans at the time and went into a Teamster pension plan after they took one of the 10,000 full-time jobs won in the 1997 contract. Under the resolution with UPS, the company will make retroactive pension contributions to Teamster plans. That will ensure that these employees receive the same benefit as other full-time workers for the period covering August 1, 1998 through March 2000."

March 12, 2003 -- According to China Daily, "UPS (United Parcel Service), has announced its international business hit a new growth record in the last quarter of 2002. In particular, its China business grew more than 60 per cent year-on-year during the quarter and nearly 45 per cent last year, ranking top in UPS' Asian market."

March 12, 2003 -- Yahoo!Finance has reported that "a new service by UPS, UPS Exchange Collect, helps exporters and importers accelerate payments and reduce the risks associated with international trade transactions. UPS Exchange Collect is an easy-to-use, technology-based electronic payment option that synchronizes the movement of goods, information and funds between exporters and importers. UPS Exchange Collect is designed for companies that want to expand into new international markets and businesses that want to minimize the risks that sometimes accompany trading with new customers. With UPS Exchange Collect, the seller can be confident of getting paid because UPS will deliver the goods only after receiving payment from the buyer."

March 12, 2003 -- CreditMan.Biz has reported that "Experian Intact, the UK’s leading online data cleansing service, has been launched in Holland (www.experianintact.nl), providing the Dutch market with its first comprehensive Internet-based data verification service. Businesses in Holland will now be able to take full advantage of the range of services provided by Experian Intact, including data cleansing, suppression, de-duplication and data enrichment."

March 12, 2003 -- Firstlogic, Inc., an international postal automation and data quality software and services organization, has been selected by Lockheed Martin to provide Directory Retrieval Software (DRS) and the Video Coding System (VCS) for the United States Postal Service Automated Package Processing System (APPS). The multimillion-dollar APPS program provides the Postal Service with an end-to-end, fully integrated solution that automatically sorts high volumes of first-class packaged mail, Priority Mail envelopes and parcels, and bundled mail (magazines, catalogs).

March 11, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has filed with the Postal Rate Commission its long-awaited response to a request from consumer advocates for PRC review of USPS "nonpostal" services.

March 11, 2003 -- The Warsaw Business Journal has reported that "Poczta Polska, the national mail operator, is the country’s second largest employer with more than 100,0000 on its payroll. It’s also a government darling, so much so that its legally protected monopoly on the most profitable segment of the traditional market will be maintained beyond the country’s EU accession expected in May 2004. All this is by no means enough to guarantee a bright future for the company. Despite the transition period granted by the EU, the liberalisation of the postal market will progress, while the rising popularity of the Internet as a means of communication and of financial transfers will shrink the market for traditional postal services."

March 11, 2003 -- The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) has told its members that "the union and management are discussing procedures for offering voluntary early retirement to APWU-represented employees, despite the fact that Office of Personnel Management has not yet responded to management’s request for authority to do so. A favorable decision from OPM is expected within several weeks. When approval is confirmed, notice will be provided to employees immediately. In the interim, it would be helpful to have an estimate of the number of employees who are considering voluntary early retirement, and the installations that would be affected. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the APWU and the USPS required management to seek authority to offer early retirement to all eligible APWU-represented employees. Management did so in a letter to OPM dated Jan. 23, 2003. The early-out opportunities are likely to be phased in to coincide with management plans for plant consolidations. If OPM approves the Postal Service request for Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, the opportunities could be staggered over a period of six months or more, depending on where employees work."

March 11, 2003 -- AFX-Asia has reported that "the Philippine Postal Corp plans to raise 5.0 bln pesos from the issuance of zero coupon bonds."

March 11, 2003 -- New Zealand Post's 'Project Genesis,' one of the largest PeopleSoft implementations in Asia Pacific last year, has reached a critical milestone with phase one going live in just seven months. With a vanilla approach to their solution implementation and delivery, New Zealand Post is driving towards best practice financial, procurement and inventory management processes. The first phase of the project, being implemented by a blended New Zealand Post, Datacom, KPMG Consulting and PeopleSoft team, consists of financial management and reporting functions including general ledger reporting, asset management, accounts payable and project costing as well as purchasing and e-procurement.

March 11, 2003 -- The Daily News (Zimbabwe) has reported that "thousands of job seekers yesterday queued at the Harare Main Post Office hoping to be hired as postal workers following a decision by the Zimpost management to dismiss its striking workers."

March 11, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "an air-cargo industry research consultant Monday said that worldwide air freight will continue to show sub-par growth during 2003, with growth rates in ocean freight expected to exceed air freight for the first time in 13 years. The Colography Group, based in Atlanta, said global vessel tonnage is expected to grow by 4.9 percent this year, matching the growth of the overall market. However, global airfreight tonnage is projected to grow by only 2 percent."

March 11, 2003 -- Expansion has reported that "there has been a spate of conflicts between Correos, the Spanish post office, and private operators. At present, Correos only has a monopoly on two parts of the postal business: items under 100g sent between cities, and international post. Correos has complained to the infrastructure ministry, which is responsible for regulating the market, accusing private companies of operating illegally on the aforementioned areas in which Correos still has a monopoly."

March 11, 2003 -- Les Echos (France) has reported that the "French union SUD-PTT has protested against the acquisition of French advertising agency Delta Diffusion by Mediapost, a subsidiary of French post office La Poste. The union says the acquisition will lead to the closure of La Poste's advertising distribution division and 4,000 job cuts."

March 11, 2003 -- AFX (Europe) has reported that "Express Dairies PLC said postal services regulator Postcomm has issued a notice of consultation to grant Express a full licence to deliver a maximum of 46 mln packets and letters a year."

March 10, 2003 -- The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel has a nice piece on "how caucuses connect Congress."

March 10, 2003 -- Th e Economist has reported that "British newspapers are in bad trouble—even worse than meets the eye. One reason is the advertising slump. Following a bumper year in 2000, when advertising revenues across the British newspaper industry soared by 12%, they dropped by 2% in 2001 and a further 3% in 2002. Those figures disguise huge variation across the industry. While some businesses, such as fashion, are still advertising heavily, others, such as technology, telecoms and financial services, are not. Newspapers are losing readers too. In the second half of 2002, circulation fell from the same period of 2001 at all but three of the national titles, and at every one of the broadsheet newspapers. Most troubling of all for the industry, young people are just not buying newspapers the way their parents did."

March 10, 2003 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Klaus Zumwinkel, chairman of Deutsche Post, Germany's dominant postal company, is to become chairman of the supervisory board of Deutsche Telekom. He will replace Hans-Dietrich Winkhaus, the board's current chairman. Mr Zumwinkel will retain his position at Deutsche Post. The federal government, which remains the largest shareholder in Deutsche Telekom, had been lobbying for Mr Zumwinkel's appointment as chairman of the supervisory board, according to weekend media reports."

March 10, 2003 -- According to Workday Minnesota, "the St. Paul Area Local of the American Postal Workers Union and 4th District Congresswoman Betty McCollum are among those fighting the decision to close what is known officially as the Business Mail Entry Unit. The Postal Service announced in a letter last month that it will eliminate the department April 19."

March 10, 2003 -- AuctionBytes has reported that "Window Book's Postal Package Partner (PPP) is a delivery-confirmation and manifest software for domestic Priority mail, Parcel Post and First Class mail using the USPS Manifest program and the USPS Electronic Delivery and Signature Confirmation programs. It will print shipping labels, weigh parcels and calculate postage and Delivery or Signature Confirmation fees (if applicable). The Advanced and Gold versions work with Permit accounts, eliminating the hassle of dealing with meter strips or stamps."

March 10, 2003 -- According to Stars and Stripes, "the old saying about mail being delivered through rain, sleet and dark of night is conspicuous for the absence of another obstacle: war. As more than 200,000 U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf ready themselves for a possible invasion of Iraq, movement of forces and operational concerns are conspiring to keep most mail from reaching its destination. In an austere environment such as Kuwait, getting a care package from home is a sure-fire morale boost for soldiers. But most troops and families say nothing is getting through."

March 9, 2003 -- The New York Daily News has reported that "they bark like a pack of dogs, quack like a flock of ducks and hiss like a nest of vipers. They wrap each other from head to toe in toilet paper and aluminium foil and pipe cleaners. They build sandcastles and gingerbread houses and practice picking up oranges while blindfolded. These are the professional auditors and investigators who police the United States Postal Service. The mission of the USPS Office of Inspector General is to make the mail more efficient and cost-effective by rooting out waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. Under the supervision of Postal Inspector General Karla Corcoran, civil servants have been paid to emit animal sounds, embark on treasure hunts, dress in cat costumes and seek the counsel of make-believe wizards, magicians and mad scientists at mass gatherings of the workforce. They've been jetting into the capital from 15 field offices around the nation for 'annual recognition conferences' that celebrate the organization and its values. The tab for the last three confabs: $3.6 million, including planning and salary costs."

March 9, 2003 -- eCopy, Inc., a provider of products that transform paper documents into digital information, today announced their eCopy Connector Developer Program. The program is available immediately for all developers wishing to integrate paper documents with enterprise applications using the eCopy ShareScan Connector Software Developer Kit (SDK). Using the eCopy SDK, developers build connectors to merge their hardcopy paper documents with business process applications right from their Canon digital copier or scanner. eCopy has already built several connectors to key business applications and is now opening up the technology to allow other firms to integrate paper documents with applications.

March 8, 2003 -- EurActiv.com has reported that "services account for two-thirds of the EU's GDP and the sector employs more than 67 million Europeans. In July 2002, the Commission published a brief summary of its GATS requests. In February 2003, the Commission explained its offer to WTO members (see EurActiv 6 February 2003). The Commission is planning to respond to requests from WTO partners on financial services, computer services, telecoms, transport, distribution, postal and courrier services, professional services and tourism."

March 8, 2003 -- FedEx Freight has improved transit times in selected U.S. markets. Nearly 90 percent of all shipments transported by FedEx Freight are delivered next or second-day.

March 8, 2003 -- United Parcel Service has launched UPS Trade Direct Cross Border, a software and services solution intended to streamline the movement of freight and packages from Mexico into the United States. With the solution, customers will be able to access warehousing, fulfillment and U.S.-based returns processing services, receive door-to-door delivery with committed delivery dates, leverage customs brokerage and technology support along the border, see shipment visibility and consolidate billing for all transportation, duties, taxes and additional services, according to the company."

March 8, 2003 -- Reuters has reported that "Deutsche Post has said that DHL Airways, which is partially owned by its express freight unit DHL , fulfilled U.S. laws even as U.S. officials continue to question the legality of its ownership structure. The Financial Times reported on Thursday that Deutsche Post's expansion into the U.S. express delivery market was endangered after the Office of the Inspector General questioned whether DHL Airways was qualified to be licensed as a U.S. airline and recommended a public hearing about the subject before an administrative law judge."

March 8, 2003 -- Les Echos (France) has reported that "La Poste, the French post office has announced the purchase of Delta Diffusion, the leaflet distribution subsidiary of Comareg. Delta Diffusion, which has a turnover of almost 120m euros, will initially join forces with Mediapost, which has a turnover of 30m euros."

March 8, 2003 -- Novinite.com (Bulgaria) has reported that "The monopoly of the Bulgarian Posts over universal postal service was extended by December 31, 2005 under amendments to the Postal Services Act, which Parliament adopted at second reading March 7. The Bulgarian lawmakers also exempted the principal postal operator from payment of license fees by the end of 2005. The universal postal service includes acceptance, conveyance and delivery of ordinary letter post items, small packets and direct mail items of up to 2 kg, printed papers of up to 5 kg, cecogrammes of up to 7 kg, and postal packages of up to 10 kg. Bulgarian Post provides universal postal services within Bulgaria and internationally."

March 8, 2003 -- The Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail has quietly introduced unannounced changes to collection service information displayed on its post boxes, the postal watchdog said yesterday. It no longer guarantees more than one daily collection from letter boxes and has removed tabs which tell customers if they have missed the last post. Boxes have been left overflowing in busy areas as the efficiency drive is rolled out, according to Postwatch, the postal services consumer rights organisation."

March 7, 2003 -- PostCom has been told that despite reports that had appeared elsewhere in the general and business press, United Parcel Service (UPS) "is serving the country of Mexico and will continue to provide service to, within, and throughout that wonderful country for the foreseeable future. Currently, there is legislation moving through the Mexican legislature that may impact the express cargo industry in the future. Last month there was a misinterpretation of information from a UPS official in Mexico on this matter. We are working on this legislation with Mexican officials and expect a resolution in the near future. We look forward to continuing -- and expanding -- our services to Mexico."

March 7, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service plans to release a guidebook this summer to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations choose the best products and services to meet their mailing needs. The book, 'A Guide to Mailing for Businesses and Organizations,' is the second in a series of books to replace the Domestic Mail Manual. The current manual is a complex document full of complicated directions, instructions and phrases. The first booklet was introduced last fall, targeted to individual customers. Other books in the series will focus on beginning and small bulk mailers, and professional mailers. The guidebook will be free at larger post offices in early summer. It also will be available at www.usps.com."

March 7, 2003 -- The Guardian has reported that "the Royal Mail has postponed plans to raise the price of first and second class stamps by 1p from next month because of a continued wrangle over the wider issue of price controls with the industry regulator Postcomm."

March 7, 2003 -- The National Retail Federation has urged the House Committee on Government Reform to approve legislation that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to use excess pension funds to hold down postal rates.

March 7, 2003 -- LogisMarket (Spain) has reported that Siemens has won a contract to provide the Spanish post office, Correos, with mail automation equipment.

March 7, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has said that it "is pleased that legislation to correct the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) fund overpayment matter has been voted out of the appropriate committees in both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support. Full Congressional consideration and passage of this bill is important to any business that uses the mail. It will keep the Postal Service from overpaying into the Civil Service Retirement System, thereby allowing postage rates to remain unchanged until 2006. Stable postage rates will be a big boost for the bottom line of businesses that depend on the mail. That’s why over 100 companies and organizations in the mailing industry have voiced their support for this legislation. Without this needed legislation, postal ratepayers would ultimately be forced to overpay into CSRS by $78 billion. This would needlessly inflate the price of postage and put the Postal Service’s financial future at risk. We are hopeful that Congress will pass this legislation."

March 6, 2003 -- The House Committee on Governmental Reform has approved unanimously a markup of H.R. 735 (a bill to change the manner in which the U.S. Postal Service pays on its Civil Service Retirement System obligation). The bill is now ready for House floor consideration, when and if it's scheduled for floor time.

March 6, 2003 -- The latest tally of Senators and Representatives who have signed on as cosponsors for the Senate and House bills to change the formula used by the U.S. Postal Service to fund its Civil Service Retirement System obligation has been posted on this site.

March 6, 2003 -- Reute rs has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express said late on Thursday it would buy a further 10 percent stake in the cargo unit of Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways for an undisclosed sum. The deal will cut Cathay's share in Air Hong Kong Ltd to 60 percent from 70 percent, with the rest held by DHL. Owned by German postal giant Deutsche Post AG, DHL bought into AHK in October as it sought to boost its air freight business in Asia."

March 6, 2003 -- R.R. Donnelley has acquired Momentum Logistics, Inc. (MLI) a Florida-based provider of package distribution services in the Southeastern United States, for approximately $17 million. MLI's revenues were approximately $60 million in 2002. MLI operates sortation facilities and a dedicated fleet of vehicles to provide business-to-business and business-to-consumer package distribution services. In the business-to-consumer segment, MLI leverages the United States Postal Service (USPS) for last mile delivery to the home. By reaching over 1,000 local post offices each day, MLI has established itself as the premier delivery service provider in the Southeast. The acquisition gives R.R. Donnelley Logistics direct access to hundreds of local entry points in the USPS network in the Southeast. The investment improves capabilities and enables further growth in package logistics, and improves the efficiency and control of print shipments for R.R. Donnelley's print customers.

March 6, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Amazon.com Inc. may introduce an in-store pickup system in Japan that would allow consumers here to collect their purchases from affiliated chain stores, similar to the service the Internet retailer already offers in the U.S. Such a service would allow Japan's busy consumers to drop by their nearest convenience store to pick up products ordered from Amazon.com, instead of waiting for home or office delivery. In the U.S., Amazon has already teamed up with Borders Group Inc., Circuit City Stores Inc. and Office Depot Inc. to make thousands of books, DVDs, CDs, office products, electronics, and other items that the Internet retailer sells available for pickup at stores nationwide."

March 6, 2003 -- Handelsblatt has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German national postal and logistics operator, is planning to restructure its parcel forwarding and logistics operations. The two companies Euro Express and Danzas to trade under the name of DHL, its recently acquired subsidiary. DHL staff will deliver Deutsche Post parcels in future, and 60,000 Deutsche Post delivery vehicles are to bear the DHL logo. The company's letter delivery service will continue to bear the Deutsche Post logo."

March 6, 2003 -- According to Business Day, Thailand's "State-Owned Enterprises Policy Committee yesterday approved a plan to separately transform the Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT) and the Post and Telegraph Department as private firms."

March 6, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Allan Leighton's struggle with the unions at the Royal Mail took a turn for the worse last night with warnings of industrial action by postal workers. But the Royal Mail chairman was boosted by an independent report arguing the communications workers union should end its boycott of partnership boards aimed at improving relations between the two sides."

March 6, 2003 -- The Watertown Daily Times has taken note that local Congressman John McHugh will again be in the lead on congressional issues pertaining to the U.S. Postal Service.

March 6, 2003 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "the world's governing aviation policy body is due to vote this month on a proposal urging governments to dramatically liberalize air freight services and separate all-cargo carriers from passenger airlines in their international treaties. The proposal at the International Civil Aviation Organization would not be binding and would endorse liberalization only in broad terms, but it would mark the strongest statement yet by a major policy group in favor of separate freedoms for freighter operations. Combination airlines have generally opposed such a division, fearing that greater freedom for all-cargo flights would cost them leverage in aviation treaty negotiations and tilt traffic away from their belly sales in day-to-day business. But the proposal won several endorsements around the world, including a paper in favor of cargo-passenger separation by The International Air Cargo Association, which includes a wide range of passenger and cargo airlines."

March 6, 2003 -- According to Traffic World, "The International Air Transport Association has submitted economic justification to the Department of Transportation for a change it proposes in the volume-to-weight formula that has been the basis for calculating air freight rates for more than two decades. The proposal has shippers up in arms, saying the change would raise their rates disastrously."

March 6, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General recommended Wednesday that the DOT toughen its probe of the ownership structure of the U.S. airline operations of DHL Worldwide Express Inc. The findings of the inspector general's review of how the DOT reached a 2001 decision that refused to ground Chicago-based DHL Airways Inc. amount to a victory for delivery-industry giants United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) and FedEx Corp. (FDX). Those two companies had accused DOT officials of approving changes in the corporate structure of DHL essentially behind closed doors. The ownership issue is critical because DHL is trying to expand its scant market share in the United States parcel- and express-delivery industry. DHL Airways connects delivery operations in the U.S. with the rest of the DHL network, which forms the biggest air-express courier outside the U.S. DHL Airways could be grounded if the DOT were to conclude that the airline violates federal laws prohibiting foreign control or ownership of more than 25% of any U.S. carrier." See also the report in Financial Times and Bloomberg News

March 6, 2003 -- GovExec.Com has reported that "senators found a way Wednesday to stave off postal rate hikes by using a $78 billion surplus in the Postal Service retirement plan to plug holes in the service's budget. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved by voice vote legislation (S. 380) that the bill's sponsors say will prevent postal rate hikes until at least 2006."

March 6, 2003 -- The New York Times has reported that "the federal deficit is growing much more quickly than expected, even before Congress takes up President Bush's tax-cutting proposals and without factoring in the costs of a war in Iraq, Congressional analysts have concluded. 'The tax code is not performing, and it's making a mess out of the budget,' said Representative Jim Nussle of Iowa, chairman of the House Budget Committee. 'Unless we get the economy growing again, we're going to keep getting these kinds of corrections.'"

March 6, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "FedEx Express announced Wednesday that it will increase the fuel surcharge on international freight shipments to 15 cents a kilo, effective March 16. The current rate is 10 cents a kilo."