Professionals International, will speak at the Women in International Trade-Bermuda general membership luncheon tomorrow.

Ms Williams, with marketing and hospitality firm Select Sites Group, will discuss networking.

The luncheon is at 12.30 p.m. at The Club on Bermudiana Road.

Women in International Trade-Bermuda was incorporated a year ago as a non-profit organisation and has 72 members.

SKIPPERS MERGE SHI Shippers merge Bermuda-registered Pacific Basin Bulk Shipping Ltd. has amalgamated with a subsidiary of Malaysian transport group Konsortium Perkapalan Berhad.

The merger with Chillington Ltd. means that Pacific Basin's listings on the NASDAQ and Oslo exchanges have been dropped as the firm is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Konsortium.

CME ENTERS UKRAINE BUC CME enters Ukraine Bermuda-registered Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. has reached an agreement to acquire a 50 percent equity stake in Studio 1 1 which provides programming on Ukraine state broadcaster UTV.

Studio 1 1 provides 50 hours of programming, primarily popular entertainment and movies on UTV and has the right to sell air time to advertisers.

RAND HURTS ORIENT BUC Rand hurts Orient Orient-Express Hotels Inc., operator of the luxury Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town, said it may quote rates in US dollars if the rand weakens further.

"Although we are still striving not to publish our rates in dollars, should the instability of the rand continue, we may be forced to take this route,'' Orient-Express Hotels president Simon Sherwood said.

Mr. Sherwood, also vice president of leisure at Sea Containers Ltd., Orient-Express Hotel's Bermuda-registered parent, said the rand's weakness during the past two years has caused it to question further investment in South Africa.