In Tuesday's Asia papers

28 April 2009 02:00  [Source: ICIS news]

ASAHI SHIMBUN, Japan

Front page

Border checks, vaccines on the way for swine flu
The government said Monday it would tighten quarantine checks at ports of entry and prioritize the rapid production of vaccines as it remains on high alert against the spread of the deadly swine flu from Mexico

Tokyo to host meet on nuclear weapons
Tokyo plans to host an international nuclear disarmament conference early next year, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said Monday.

Business & Industry

No new updates.

CHINA DAILY, China

Front page

China takes preventive steps against flu
The government on Monday banned the import of pork and pork products from Mexico and the US states of Texas, Kansas and California to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Urbanization 'a leading growth engine'
A more focused urbanization program could generate an investment of 225 trillion yuan and maintain rapid economic growth in the next decade.

Business & Industry

Gome sees 7% fall in 2008 net profit
Gome, China's largest consumer electronics retailer in terms of number of stores, announced yesterday that its net profit for 2008 fell by 7 percent from a year earlier.

CNPC buys Kazakh oil company
China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has agreed with Kazakh state oil company Kazmunaigas to jointly purchase Kazakh oil company, JSC Mangistaumunaigas (MMG), for $3.3 billion.

TAIPEI TIMES, Taiwan

Front page

World governments act as flu spreads
Mexico’s death toll has reached 103, the WHO has opened its 24-hour ‘war room’ command center and an EU official warned against non-essential travel

CDC urges public to stay calm, Cabinet steps up monitoringThe Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged people to remain calm in the face of the swine flu outbreak in Mexico, adding there was no immediate danger.

Business & Industry

Foundry margins at risk: report
Taiwan Ratings said UMC and Chartered could see their EBITDA margins slip into negative territory in the first quarter, but TSMC’s was likely to remain positive

Taiwan Ratings downgrades Standard Chartered
Taiwan Ratings Corp, a local arm of Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service, yesterday revised its outlook on Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) Ltd (SCB Taiwan, to “negative” from “stable” after the outlook assigned to its parent banking group was downgraded to “negative” last week.

KOREA HERALD, South Korea

Front page

Possible swine flu case reported in Korea
South Korea has spotted a suspected case of swine flu among its nationals who just returned from a trip to Mexico, a government official said Tuesday, according to news reports.

Divorces soar among international couples
The number of divorces between international couples surged 30 percent to 11,255 last year, accounting for nearly 10 percent of marriage breakups in Korea.

Business & Industry

Korea moves to prevent swine flu outbreak
The government said it had tightened the inspections procedures of pork imported from North America and Mexico to prevent the spread of swine influenza.

Banks under fire for favoring wealthy clients
Mounting competition among banks to attract well-off clients is resulting in discrimination against those with less wealth, industry observers said yesterday.

NEW STRAITS TIMES, Malaysia

Front page

Kong explains build-then-sell and other issues
The build-then-sell (BTS) system and abandoned housing projects were the main concerns raised by readers at the NSTLive session with newly-appointed Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha yesterday.

Expert: Swine flu less deadly but spreads more easily
The swine flu outbreak is more worrying than bird flu because it is spread much more readily between humans, an infectious diseases expert said yesterday.

Business & Industry

Ken looks to RM80m HQ for recurring income
The property developer's 12-storey office block is expected to provide an annual rental income of RM12 million to RM15 million.

Hints of no rate cut tomorrow
Malaysia's interest rate cuts will only have an impact on the economy nine months after they are made, Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said.

BUSINESS TIMES, Singapore

Front page

S Korea suspects first human swine flu case
Health authorities say a South Korean citizen is being tested for possible swine flu. The government's disease control center said in a statement on Tuesday that the person is one of three people reported to have swine flu symptoms after trips to Mexico.

S Korea April consumer sentiment at 1-yr high
South Korean consumer confidence returned to pre-crisis levels in April, central bank data showed on Tuesday, bolstering views that the economy and rates had bottomed.

Business & Industry

Malaysia: KLCI opens down
Malaysian shares started 0.26 per cent lower on Tuesday, hit by growing worries about a swine flu pandemic.

US faces too many regulators, fear of new rule hurts
Too many regulators currently watch over US companies and a fear that some industries may soon face even more rules could be hurting the US recovery, two top financial industry executives said.

BANGKOK POST, Thailand

Front page

Beating a dead pig
Pork can't cause swine flu, but consumers aren't taking any chances and the demand for the meat has plummetted.

Soldier's mystery death
Pathologists who conducted a second autopsy on a soldier who died violently at the residence of the 1st Army commander say he may have been bludgeoned to death - and his mother is pressing for justice.

Business & Industry

Minimal impact seen on tourism
Tourism operators foresee minimal impacts on their businesses from the outbreak of Mexico's swine-flu outbreaks.

Korbsak sees rebound in Q4
Thailand's economy should turn around starting in the fourth quarter of the year.

JAKARTA POST, Indonesia

Front page

PDI-P to announce vice presidential candidate
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is set to announce it's candidate for vice president, who will accompany Megawati Soekarnoputri in her bid for the presidency in the immediate future, a party executive says.

Legislators propose inquiry into voter list fiasco
The House of Representatives agreed Monday to propose an inquiry to resolve the fiasco over problems with the voter list that saw million of eligible voters disenfranchised from April's legislative election.

Business & industry

IDX suspends Trimegah
The IDX has sanctioned Trimegah, for causing technical glitches in Thursday's trading, but the market authority says it was not a big problem.

PLN proposes to swap dollar loans for China's Yuan
State power firm PT PLN will propose to swap its dollar-denominated loans from Chinese banks to yuan to help reduce foreign exchange costs.

By: Staff Reporter
+44 20 8652 3214

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