Friday 18 March 2011

Amitav Gosh, Indian author’s take on Opium Wars


While the industrial revolution in Britain is hailed for the advent of capitalism, Ghosh, an anthropologist and an historian from Oxford University, says "much of the industrial revolution itself was funded by the opium trade."

Thursday 17 March 2011

Poisoned workers at Suzhou plant demand compensation from Apple

Angry workers suffering from chemical poisoning at a factory that supplies components for Apple iPads say they are taking their demands for compensation and medical care to the central government and Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.

Renault bosses apologise to wronged execs

Top Renault bosses made a public apology to three executives falsely accused of industrial espionage and pledged to forgo their bonuses after the Paris prosecutor said the case was unfounded.

Sleeping disorder affects 15% of Singaporeans

An estimated 15 per cent of the population in Singapore is affected by obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), one of the most common sleeping disorders.

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Fears of health risks rise amid Japan crisis

Fears about health risks rose dramatically in Japan Tuesday with news of a greater radiation release and renewed warnings to remaining residents within 20 miles to stay indoors.

China flexed its muscles using U.S. Treasuries

Confidential diplomatic cables from the U.S. embassies in Beijing and Hong Kong lay bare China’s growing influence as America’s largest creditor.

Beijing lowers the bar for judges to make up shortfall

A desperate shortage of judges for grass roots level courts means Beijing is going to be more flexible when considering applications, the Supreme People’s Court said yesterday.

BHP offered to trade China info: Wikileaks

US cables showed CEO made offer to American diplomat

After Egypt’s uprising, China likely to step up control

China, which has been obsessed with political stability ever since it called out its army to crush a massive albeit peaceful protest in Beijing 22 years ago, is likely to step up repressive tactics against its population in the wake of the toppling of Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak after 18 days of demonstrations.

Wedding bells ringing for money rather than love

Finding the ideal partner is rarely easy but on the mainland - where an estimated 260 million are hunting for a spouse - the process is often more about economics and pragmatism than a desire for romance, a major survey finds.

Monday 14 March 2011

SingPost to launch digital mailbox in H2

It also announced the sale of its pawn broking business

Rising food prices will spark next big Asian crisis

Forget Egypt for a moment. Skip the water crisis in China. Look past angst on the streets of Bangladesh. If you want to see how extreme the effects of surging food prices are becoming, look to wealthy Japan. So big are the increases that economists are talking about them pushing deflationary Japan toward inflation. Yes, rising costs for commodities such as wheat, corn and coffee might do what trillions of dollars of central bank liquidity couldn’t.

Lim Hock Siew sues “Chronicle of Singapore” editor and related parties for defamation


Former political detainee Dr. Lim Hock Siew, who was detained for close to twenty years, has sued the editor, publisher and printer of “1959-2009: Chronicle of Singapore - Fifty Years of Headline News” for defamation. He has requested for compensation from the respondents and demanded that they desist from repeating false information relating to him.

Railway chief pledges war on corruption

The new party chief of the railways ministry, Sheng Guangzu, has pledged his new team will not become personally involved in the ministry’s lucrative construction contracts, a hotbed for corruption that allegedly led to the downfall of his predecessor.

Court dismisses Tony Chan’s ‘totally dishonest’ appeal

Tony Chan Chun-chuen yesterday lost a second round in his “totally dishonest case” to wrest the fortune of the late Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum from the Chinachem Charitable Foundation.

Average incomes tell a different story

News that China had officially surpassed Japan as the world’s No. 2 economy was greeted with neither surprise nor much cheer by most Chinese people yesterday.

Mainlanders shun Japan amid simmering Diaoyus row

Tourism industry feels the impact of a collision at sea

Renault managers in police custody over spy probe

Carmaker says it may have been duped into paying 250,000 euros for false information

Chinese property ‘bubble’ fuels hard landing fears

The world business elite raised concerns over China’s property prices at its annual get-together in Davos, with some worrying that if the bubble bursts it could hurt growth.

China’s investment makes big imprint on Portuguese world

Risks grow as Chinese companies expand role in Africa, Brazil

‘My father is Li Gang’ case a cue for reform

If anything ought to convince Beijing of the urgency of pursuing justice reforms, it is public scepticism about the administration of the law. This sentiment is finding increasing expression in internet forums. Without respect for the law, the official goal of stability and harmony will be harder to achieve.

China policeman’s son gets 6 years for hit-and-run

A Chinese court sentenced a man who attempted to exploit his father’s senior police rank to flee a fatal road accident to six years in jail on Sunday, state media reported.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Chinese boost prices in world’s auction houses

A Chinese face or two in the crowd at the world’s auction houses often means one thing: the gavel will fall on a price far beyond the seller’s wildest dreams.

China’s first property taxes kick in

China on Friday launched a long-awaited property tax in two of the country’s biggest cities, but the mayor of Chongqing in the southwest warned the measure was not a cure-all for soaring prices.

Carrefour faces fines over mainland prices

Mainland regulators want to fine French retail giant Carrefour 2.5 million yuan (HK$2.95 million), the maximum for overcharging customers, state media reported yesterday.

Carrefour faces fines and refunds over price fraud

French retailer Carrefour says it will refund customers five times the difference between the stated price and the actual amount charged after the authorities said on Wednesday that they had uncovered fraudulent pricing in 11 of its mainland supermarkets.

Profit bliss in wedded splits

New measures aimed at cooling an overheated mainland property market appear to have done the opposite as couples fake marriage or divorce to defeat the rules and buy