IV. International
(06-15-06)
. China
reports a new H5N1 bird flu in poultry in the
Western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the
Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said.
.
Chinese Vice-Premier
Huang Ju dropped from sight in January, spurring
rumors about his health, whether he was under
investigation for security breach or tainted by a wife
with her hand in the till. He reemerged last week at an
event with other Standing Committee members.
.
The trial of New York Times researcher Zhao
Yan, accused of leaking state secrets, has been
postponed with no new date announced, his lawyer said.
. Taiwan’s
largest opposition party (KMT) decided to seek the
recall of Pres. Chen Shui-bian amid a swirl of
corruption scandals.
.
Exports hit a record
high last month for the second straight month due to
robust global demand, despite decelerating growth pace
that would continue next month, the Ministry of
Finance (MOF) said.
.
The booths of Asustek Computer Inc, the world’s
largest motherboard maker, were packed with visitors at
Computex Taipei last week.
.
Network equipment maker Accton Technology Corp
announced it would enter a joint venture with
Madrid-based Fon SA, a community of WiFi developer, to
produce a WiFi-sharing service for the local market.
.
Senior lawmakers of
Japan’s
growing and opposition camps basically agreed to unify
their bills intended to impose North Korea’s human
rights situation.
.
A Japanese businessman
is set to be the world’s 4th space tourist to
fly to the international space station in September,
according to Virginia-based Space Adventures Ltd.
The cost is $20 million.
.
Talks between Japan & Russia are progressing over a
proposal to have Japanese firms join Russian development
of a Siberian oilfield in connection with a project to
lay a Pacific Coast-bound pipeline, sources familiar
with the matter said.
.
Investment fund mogul Yoshiaki Murakami admitted
at a press conference at the Tokyo Stock Exchange
in Tokyo’s Nihombashi district to having engaged in
insider stock trading.
.
US and
South Korea
kicked off talks last week on the biggest US free trade
agreement in more than 12 years as South Korean farmers
and labor activists, vowed to do what they could to stop
it.
.
Nigerian militants abducted 5 South Korean oil workers
after they attacked an oil facility in the Port
Hartcourt area. The militants told CNN the workers
will be held until the release of their 2 imprisoned
local leaders.
. The Air
Force said it could delay the purchasing of F-15k
fighter jets following an air crash last week, 7 months
after some of the jets were first delivered to Korea.
It’s made by Boeing at a cost of 100 billion won
($105 million) per plane.
.
The Bank of
Korea (BOK)
raised its key interest rate for June to preemptively
quash inflationary pressure built up by the sustained
economic rebound.
.
Philippine Pres. GMA may impose martial law under
guise of stamping out revolt and cracking down on
lawlessness at a time when corruption and economic
inequities appear as widespread as during the Marcos
era.
.
The killing of a
Bayan Muna Party member (Sotero Llamas) was typical
of anti-leftist member were the pledges of local
officials to hunt down the masked gunmen on a
motorcycle. Llamas was accused of setting up between the
military and NPA before the coup attempt.
.
GMA praised the House of Representatives for passage of
the bill granting income tax exemption to minimum wage
earners to help them cope with inflationary effects of
rising oil prices.
.
BIR Commissioner (Jose Bunag) said agency’s R675
billion collection goal this year was set too high and
asked fiscal authorities to reduce it to a more
manageable level.
. Thailand’s
Minister of Labor would not increase minimum wage
anytime soon as demanded by labor leaders, saying the
increase would impose too heavy a burden on employers.
It asked the Social Security Office (SS0)
to find other ways of providing additional welfare to
help workers who earn less than Bt7,000 (about $185) a
month.
.
This year the Thai people celebrate the Diamond
Jubilee of the king of Thailand. Monarchs, heads of
State and representatives from dozen of countries have
arrived in Thailand to commemorate this historical event
(June 12-13).
.
The State-run Mass Transit Authority of
Thailand (MRT)
which oversees Bangkok’s subway system, is now ready to
launch the underground train’s extended purple & blue
route projects once the MRT gets official approval from
the cabinet.
.
Soaring oil prices have forced many motorists to switch
alternative fuels, resulting in a decrease in oil demand
in the first 5 months of the year, according to the
Energy Policy & Planning Office (EPPO).
.
4,200 employees applied
to leave
Malaysia
Airlines (MAS). This staff reduction would save the
airlines between RM300 to RM340 a year in labor costs,
OSK Research estimates.
.
Scomi Marine and Singapore’s CH Offshore
have found a venture to buy and own marine vessels, and
lease or charter them on bare boat basis to third
parties.
.
Bank Negara
Malaysia’s
Governor Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz has announced that
foreign banks will be allowed to open more branches in
non-urban areas in order for them to be commercially
viable.
. Indonesia
warned US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that
Washington risked triggering a backlash if it tried to
force its approach to fighting terrorism to the rest of
the world.
. VP Jung
Kalla requested the money laundering watchdog to
investigate bank accounts & financial transactions
believed to be connected to the misuse of Bank
Indonesia
Liquidity Support (BLBI).
.
The government announced it had almost tripled the
amount of funds designated for relief in reconstruction
in quake-hit Yogyakarta and Central Java due to the high
number of damaged homes.
.
The National Police have enlisted Interpol’s help
to detain textile tycoon Marumutu Sinivasan who is being
sought to stand trial for alleged fraud.
.
Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld said US wants to expand its military
relationship with
Vietnam
but has no plans to seek access to military facilities
in that country.
.
People holding important government positions should be
talented & honest. This is the message that the majority
of Vietnamese people want to send to delegates attending
the ongoing National Assembly (NA) meeting
in the capital of Hanoi.
.
Several projects to build housing for low-income
residents will be developed in Ho Chi Minh City in the
hope of easing demand by providing affordable housing
for city workers.
. India’s
stock market has been on fire, with the benchmark BSE
Sensex index rising above 12k for the first time in
April. And even after the recent correction, investors
were up 60% over the past year.
.
Its weaknesses? Poor infrastructure! Even Bangalore
suffers from traffic jams, overflowing hotels, power
cuts and an inadequate airport. A 1,340-mile trip
between major urban centers like Kolkata (Calcutta) and
Mumbai (Bombay) takes 8 days, with an average speed of 7
mph and 32 hours waiting at toll roads and booths.
.
Indian red tape & bureaucracy is legendary. A new shop
must get, on average, 15 licenses from 11 government
bodies, and securing them takes 6 months. The
International Finance Corporation (IFC) lists India
116th out of 155 countries in terms of ease
of doing business. That’s 25 places below China, and 2
behind war-torn Iraq.
