.
With one small genetic adjustment in influenza A, or H5N1, millions of
people could die, warned WHO regional director for the
Western Pacific, Shigeru Orni.
. If the
virus acquires sufficient human genes, allowing
transmission from one person to another, an estimated 2
million to 7.4 million around the world could die, WHO
estimates.
. The
H5N1 virus, which spreads through migratory birds,
has plagued poultry in Asia since 2003, threatening more
humans. More than 140 million birds have died, and half
of the 112 people infected have succumbed to the virus.
. Access
Co. which makes the NetFront Internet browser for
mobile devices will pay $324 million in an all-cash deal
for PalmSource, maker of Palm operating systems for
handhelds & cell phones.
. JP
Morgan Partners Asia
completed a $1.58 billion fund-raising for buyouts in
the region.
. Carlyle
agreed to invest $400 million for a 24.9% stake in
China Pacific Life Insurance.
.
The recent Russian-PRC military exercise in China on the
Shandong Peninsula across the Yellow Sea from the Korean
Peninsula appeared to have 3 purposes: 1) Put US on
notice that it has military competition in the Western
Pacific; 2) Show Taiwan once again that China would use
force if that island nation declare formal independence;
3) Market more Russian weapons to China which already
has bought Russian warships and aircraft.
.
Quotas were re-imposed on 2 categories of Chinese clothing & textile
imports after negotiations in Beijing failed to make
progress toward an agreement to limit a surge of imports
from China.
. Bank of China and 2 Macau-based banks
are under US scrutiny for possible links to North
Korea’s fundraising network.
. China
telecom has started blocking access to Skype,
the Internet telephone service, because it poses a
threat to its long-distance revenue, published reports
said.
. China and
Canada agreed to double trade between the 2 countries
over the next 5 years.
. A Chinese company, Guangzhou Haokian
Bioscience, is honoring former Pres. Clinton by
raising a new line of condoms after him, along with a
companion lie of condoms that will be named after Monica
Lewinsky.
. Baidu, the Chinese Internet search
engine, plunged 28.5% to 81.32 after Goldman Sachs
and Piper Jaffray started coverage with an
under-perform rating.
. China’s
retail sales rose 12.5% in August from a year ago, just
shy of July’s 12.7% gain as higher incomes and tax cuts
spurned spending.
.
A plague of kidnapping across Yunnan, a remote southwestern province of
China, claims hundreds of boys from the city of Kunming.
As of 2004, 200 were missing.
. The
motive is greed. Gangs of traffickers snatch the
children to sell to childless couples in the prosperous
cities along the coast, where they will be passed of as
“adopted.” Ninety-five percent are boys because they
will carry one the family line.
. The
police have refused to investigate cases and have
harassed families who dared to complain. The official
preoccupation with silencing publicity about the
kidnappings may stem from embarrassment.
. Most of
the victims were poor. They were the sons of
impoverished migrant workers who exist at the bottom of
the heap in China with neither the money nor the
political connections needed to get help.
.
Thousands of people, mostly from pro-independence groups, marched in
Taipei to back a huge special arms budget to fend
off China, but was blocked by parliament.
. Pres.
Chen denied allegations that his new initiative to
pursue common prosperity with Taiwan’s diplomatic allies
in Central America is some kind of money
diplomacy.
. Taiwan
raised a proposal under WTO suggesting that members of
the organization agree to cancel tariffs on imports of
sports good.
.
Disney launched its biggest push into the Chinese market with the
opening of Hong Kong Disneyland. The Hong
Kong’s Govt. is the #1 investor in the $3.5 billion
park, its 11th worldwide.
.
Annualized growth in Japan is running at 3.3%, triple earlier
readings. Business reading was revised to a healthier
3.6% pace from 2.2%.
. 7-Eleven
Japan bid $1.2 billion cash for 27.3% it doesn’t own in
7-Eleven to take the world’s #1 convenience store
private.
.
The Bush administration took action against a bank in Macau for
lax money-laundering controls alleging it helped North
Korean customers distribute counterfeit currency and
engage in other illicit activities.
. North Korea
offered to return the USS Pueblo which it captured along
with its crew in 1968, if a top-level official like
Secretary Rice agrees to visit the country.
.
South Korea
has made software its says will allow the same video
game to be played on various PCs, video consoles and
mobile devices.
. South per capita GDP is expected to rise to
$45k in 2040 from about $17k projected for this year,
said Bank of Korea.
. Lee
Yong-hum, new chief justice of the Supreme Court, has
promised to regain the public trust by reforming the
judiciary and breaking ties with past wrongdoings.
. The
government and the ruling Uri Party agreed to
spend 8.6 trillion won ($8.1 billion) by 2009 to
improve the social welfare system for low-income
earners.
.
Majority of businessmen in the Philippines is wary of the impact
of the expanded value-added tax on their firms in a poll
conducted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce &
Industry.
. Assets of
investment house East Asian Capital Corp (EACC)
will be sold off after the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) disallowed the Madrigal-owned firm
from continuing its business.
. Yuchengo-owned
Pacific Plan Inc.’s application for a lender’s
license to permit to sell securities continues to hang
in the balance as it faced opposition from plan holders.
.
Many illegal immigrants from Thailand to the US seeking the good
life are involved in illicit activities, such as
prostitution. When they are caught, they claim to come
from the Philippines. Unfortunately for them, they don’t
speak the kind of English Filipinos speak, which makes
them look worse to the authorities.
. Thailand’s central bank will keep increasing
its benchmark interest rate as higher oil prices spur
inflation, said Dep. Governor Tarisa.
. Japanese
experts will give assistance and training to Thai
workers and transfer innovative technology to upgrade
local industries, said its Industry Minister.
.
An Indonesian language proficiency test for foreign workers,
which takes effect next year and is mandatory to obtain
work permits, would exclude those on the director level,
said a senior official.
. The
current bird flu outbreak would not reduce demand for
poultry products in the coming Ramadan fasting
months and Idul Fitri holidays, a minister has
claimed.
. After 25 years in business, publicly-listed
PT Medco Energi Internasional is currently the
largest locally controlled private company in the
country’s oil & gas industry.
.
Malaysian
Airlines and
Air Malaysia will collaborate to reduce
capacities at their domestic routes from October 1 for a
15-day period to save fuel costs and avoid wasting
resources.
. Three private companies have been chosen to
partner with Malaysian Palm Oil Board to build
each of the plants costing a total of RM 120 million.
They will supply a combined 180k tons of “green” oil a
year.
. Kannaltec Bhd, a maritime carriage
monitoring solutions provider expects to finalize deals
with partners in Thailand, RP and Vietnam by the end of
the year.
.The
official death toll from Japanese encephalitis touched
514 people in North India where more than
2,000 children were fighting for their lives against the
mosquito-borne disease.
. The
National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC)
has asked the Govt. to make legal regime flexible enough
for contract labor. It sought to obligate the employer
to create supportive infrastructure for sustenance of
displaced labor.
. India
wants a share of the weighty Chinese domestic worker
software market and for both countries to evolve a
concrete way for the much-touted Sino-Indian cooperation
in IT to fulfill its potential.
.
In his meeting with State Secretary Rice, Pres. Musharraf of Pakistan
offered to build a security fence to deter incursion of
militants and drug merchants from Afghanistan.
.The
Federal Commerce Minister of Pakistan called upon
the business community, media & civil society to
influence & put pressure on politicians to achieve
greater regional economic cooperation in South Asia.
. High
demand in the wholesale edible oil market to meet
expected heavy consumption in the holy month of Ramazan
pushed up the prices for imported & indigenous oil.
