Reuters Southeast Asia News Highlights 0900 GMT Nov 6

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SINGAPORE - DBS Group, Southeast Asia's biggest bank, led a surge in quarterly profits among Singapore's three listed banks, all of which beat forecasts and are better positioned than global peers for post-crisis growth.

DBS, whose new CEO, former Citibanker Piyush Gupta, will join the bank this month, said net interest income was at a quarterly record and fee income at its highest since the onset of the global financial crisis.

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MANILA - Shares of Manila Electric Co (Meralco) fell to a one-week low after First Philippine Holdings forged a $471 million deal to sell a 6.7 percent stake in the Philippine power retailer.

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KUALA LUMPUR - A 16-week pregnant athlete faces sanctions from Malaysian sports authorities for pulling out of December's Southeast Asian Games, local media reported.

China-born Yuan Yufang, a multiple gold medallist in the 20 kilometre walk at the regional games, had disappointed officials concerned at the loss of a genuine medal chance, The Star newspaper said on its website (thestar.com.my).

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BANGKOK - Thailand's top mobile phone operator, Advanced Info Service PCL (AIS), said it planned to invest 50 billion baht ($1.5 billion) in total in its 2G and future 3G network over the next three years.

AIS, 21.4 percent owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, said 10 percent of the 50 billion baht budget would be on its existing 2G network.

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SINGAPORE - Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), the country's biggest telecom company, is aiming for a 10 to 15 percent growth in revenue and net profit in 2010, more than the targeted 5-10 percent growth this year.

Tanri Abeng, Telkom's chairman, told Reuters in an interview that consolidation in the country's mobile phone operators is imminent and could happen as early as the first quarter of 2010.