In Thursday's Asia papers

25 June 2009 02:00  [Source: ICIS news]

ASAHI SHIMBUN, Japan

Front page

Japan Post pledges to clean up its act

Japan Post Holdings Co. on Wednesday proposed to atone for a succession of recent controversies by appointing an outsider as chairman, selecting an advisory panel to oversee corporate governance, and adopting new rules for real estate sales.

NHK sues hotel over subscription

Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) has filed its first lawsuit over a refusal to sign a subscription contract.

Business & Industry

No new updates.

CHINA DAILY, China

Front page

Trust vital to US, China military ties

Trust. It is a word often heard when senior defense officials from China and the United States get together for their high-profile talks. But analysts say, after three decades of an on-off relationship, as with any marriage of convenience trust can be a fragile thing.

Railways holding firm, float mulled

China's Ministry of Railways is planning to package one of its most valuable railway line assets into a holding company and then float its shares to the public in a bid to raise capital to fund the country's frantic railway building boom.

Business & Industry

Audit finds funds missing or wasted

A staggering 4 billion yuan ($593 million) was misappropriated and 467 million yuan lost or wasted by the government last year, the country's top auditor said yesterday.

Chinese shares end at one-year high on Wednesday

Chinese equities rose 1.02 percent Wednesday to close at one-year high after the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the country's economy has bottomed out.

TAIPEI TIMES, Taiwan

Front page

City upgrades draw mixed reaction

Reaction to a special panel's decision on applications by 11 cities and counties to be upgraded or merged into a municipal city was mixed yesterday, with those receiving the green light expressing joy while those rejected saying they were perplexed and calling the decision “unfair.”

Government moves to decriminalize sex transactions

The government has decided to decriminalize prostitution but will leave the decision to set up red light districts to local governments, an official said yesterday.

Business & Industry

Grade A office vacancy rate expected to hit 20%

The vacancy rate for grade-A office space in Taipei climbed to 13.8 percent this quarter and is expected to reach 20 percent in the second half as foreign firms prepare to move to suburban areas to trim rent costs, Jones Lang LaSalle Taiwan said yesterday.

Taiwan officials to visit China for financial accord

A delegation of lawmakers from the legislature’s Finance Committee is set to visit China next week to initiate semi-official discussions on a cross-strait financial agreement.

KOREA HERALD, South Korea

Front page

U.S. monitoring several N.K. ships for possible WMD

The United States said Wednesday it is closely monitoring several North Korean ships for allegedly carrying weapons of mass destruction for possible proliferation, although it was tailing only one at the moment, according to Yonhap News.

China holds key to intercepting N. Korean ship

China is thought to hold the key to searching and possibly seizing missiles or related material suspected to be on board the Kang Nam, a North Korean ship being tracked by the U.S. navy.

Business & Industry

SK Communications bets on open networking

SK Communications will try to overtake Daum Communications in the internet portal market this year, the company's chief executive Joo Hyung-chul said yesterday. "The target is to overtake Daum within the year," Joo said at a press conference presenting the company's open platform policies in Seoul.

IMF likely to upgrade outlook for Korea

The International Monetary Fund, which about two months ago painted a rather pessimistic picture of the Korean economy, is likely to raise the country's economic growth forecast, the fund's chief economist said yesterday.

NEW STRAITS TIMES, Malaysia

Front page

Influenza A: High rise in just a week

ew measures have been put in place to contain the influenza A (H1N1) outbreak, especially of “imported” cases.

Business & Industry

Market rally not sustainable, says Aberdeen

The market has gone up about 40 per cent in the past three months and the rally is not sustainable at this particular rate, says an investment manager with Aberdeen Asset Management

MK Land in India venture

Developer MK Land Holdings Bhd is partnering two other companies for a RM3 billion residential development project in northern Bangalore, India.

BUSINESS TIMES, Singapore

Front page

Mosley to step down after deal to prevent F1 split

Formula One's (F1) world governing body the FIA and eight rebel F1 teams yesterday reached an agreement to avoid a breakaway series next year, FIA president Max Mosley said.

Hyflux hits the jackpot with Libyan deal

Water treatment company Hyflux Limited said yesterday it has signed an agreement to build two water desalination plants in Libya, a deal which analysts say could be worth more than $1 billion.

Business & Industry

ECB lends banks a record 442.24b euros

The European Central Bank lent commercial banks a record 442.24 billion euros (S$902.86 billion) at one per cent yesterday via its first offer of 12-month funds, aiming to boost credit flows.

Japan firms face painful adjustment

JAPANESE manufacturers face a 'very significant and painful' adjustment in the next few years as they confront the need to de-emphasise exports and switch into new areas of domestic demand, former senior finance ministry official Eisuke Sakakibara said yesterday.

BANGKOK POST, Thailand

Front page

Courts dismisses cases concerning Suvarnabhumi airport

The Supreme Administrative Court on Wednesday ruled that Airports of Thailand (AoT) should continue to be responsible for solving the problem of noise pollution of residential areas around Suvarnabhumi airport, as set out in a cabinet resolution of May 29, 2007.

Mosque massacre kin veto call for autopsies

Relatives of those massacred in a mosque in Cho Airong district have rejected forensic expert Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan's call to exhume the bodies so the bullets can be removed for examination.

Business & Industry

RS confident profit is in sight

RS Plc, the country's second largest entertainment group, expects to return to profit in the second quarter after two years of losses.

OECD says recession near low-point

The advanced economies will soon hit the bottom of the recession and have begun the long haul towards a weak recovery by the end of the year, the OECD said on Wednesday as it revised up forecasts.

JAKARTA POST, Indonesia

Front page

Obama signs war-funding bill

President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure that keeps the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from running out of money.

Companies bring computer literacy to children in villages

Two giant companies join an effort to educate children in the country in a project that will bring computer literacy to children and teachers in villages across Indonesia.

Business & Industry

World Bank: Russian economy to shrink 7.9

Russia's economy will shrink by 7.9 percent this year, plunging millions of people into poverty and pushing the unemployment rate to 13 percent, the World Bank said Wednesday.

Madoff lawyer seeks 12-year sentence for client

Bernard Madoff's lawyer has told a judge scheduled to sentence the disgraced financier next week that 12 years in prison would be sufficient punishment for the man who swindled tens of billions of investors' dollars in one of history's biggest frauds.

By: Staff Reporter
+44 20 8652 3214

< previous article(VIDEO - ICIS news Europe Lunchtime Bulletin 27 October 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly