PRESS DIGEST-Financial Times, Wall St Journal Asia editions

SINGAPORE, March 18 (Reuters) - The Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal carried the following stories in their Asia print and Web site editions on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

FINANCIAL TIMES (www.ft.com)

-- The Chinese authorities have begun arresting suspected Tibetan protesters in door-to-door searches in Lhasa, the capital, ahead of a deadline of midnight Monday for demonstrators to surrender in exchange for leniency.

-- Tokyo is scrambling to come up with a candidate to head the central bank, after failing to extend the term of Toshihiko Fukui, who steps down on Wednesday.

-- With rice prices soaring, the Philippines, the world's biggest rice importer, is considering a cut in import tariffs, reversing a long-standing policy aimed at protecting the country's millions of rice farmers.

-- Lone Star will soon seek to renegotiate its contract to sell Korea Exchange Bank (004940.KS) to HSBC (HSBA.L), and will ask the British bank to increase its offer beyond the current $6.43 billion to reflect the increase in the target's book value, people familiar with the deal said.

-- Shenhua, China's biggest coal producer said it was looking to acquire overseas mines and expand domestic production to feed China's increasing demand for the fuel.

-- One of Indonesia's most accident-prone airlines, AdamAir, appeared on the brink of collapse after the company admitted it "might not be able" to renew its aircraft insurance beyond March 20.

WALL STREET JOURNAL (www.wsj.com)