Saturday 26 May 2012

IMF head Lagarde: Tax-shy Greeks must help themselves

IMF head Christine Lagarde has urged Greeks to pay taxes, saying she worries more about the plight of children in sub-Saharan Africa than the people of the crisis-hit European nation.

And when asked if she was saying to the Greeks and other European nations that they had had a nice time and it was now payback time, Ms Lagarde responded: "That's right."

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Friday 25 May 2012

After Barreling Ahead in Recession, China Finally Slows

A nationwide real estate downturn, stalling exports and declining consumer confidence have produced what a Chinese cabinet adviser, quoted on the official government Web site on Thursday, characterized as a “sharp slowdown in the economy.”

Thursday 24 May 2012

Chinese couple bury woman alive, sparking outrage

Chinese police have arrested a young couple who buried an old woman alive believing she was dead after their car hit the 68-year-old, newspapers said on Thursday, in a case which has sparked outrage over declining public morality.

愛很簡單 - 陶喆

Wednesday 23 May 2012

The bursting of the luxury bubble

It is all going a little flat for China's once ravenous investors. One by one, they are seeing their bubbles burst.

Russian cellist fired for rant on train

Beijing orchestra sacks musician for abusive tirade at woman that has fuelled anti-foreigner sentiment

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Beijing orchestra fires abusive Russian cellist

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra has fired a Russian cellist who was caught on camera verbally abusing a female passenger on a train, sparking an online outcry over the behaviour of foreigners in China.

The wines of China

A look at the country's wine-producing regions

Bo’s feud with police chief: Trio failed to broker peace

Early this year, as then Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai nearly came to blows with his police chief Wang Lijun over his wife’s possible involvement in a mysterious death, three men flew into the south-western Chinese metropolis within a day or two of one another.

Crews held by N Koreans return home

All 28 fishermen are released alive after 13 days in a dark room filled with rotting fish, and some suffered regular physical beatings

Mayor says he defied Bo on axing


Huang Qifan challenged party chief, who yelled and kicked him out of high-level meeting at which Bo Xilai announced decision to sack police chief

Tycoons seek wives in dating contest

More than 300 women are vying to tie the knot with one of 11 super rich men in a contest that takes the dating game to a whole new level.

Heartbreaker by Dionne Warwick

This song for Robin Gibb. A beautiful song written by Bee Gees.

Are consumers’ rights really protected by the Lemon Laws?

When things turn sour: The introduction of the Lemon Laws may lead to a rise in disputes being filed at the Small Claims Tribunal

Staying competitive in a time of transition

The last five years have seen rapid change for Singapore law firms. The next five promise acceleration of change.

An era of new opportunities

Singapore’s position as a leading international arbitration hub and the liberalisation of the legal industry signal the start of an exciting and challenging era which should be welcomed

Leader’s Fall in China Put Allies in Peril

Early this year, as a crisis unfolded in the chambers of power here, three men flew into this fog-wreathed riverside metropolis within a day or two of one another. They were members of the inner court of Bo Xilai, the Communist Party aristocrat who ran the city, and they had come to repair a rupture between the strong-willed Mr. Bo and his equally driven police chief.

Monday 21 May 2012

China reformer sees his opportunity after Bo’s fall


Wang Yang, leader of Guangdong province and well known for his deft handling of recent civil unrest there, is the first of three provincial-level party bosses who stand to benefit after a murder scandal snuffed out Bo’s career last month.

Singapore should abolish archaic laws

Mabel Au calls on the Singapore government to respect internationally accepted human rights

Law needed to force declaration of assets

Making officials and family members reveal their wealth would go a long way to fighting corruption and boosting transparency on the mainland

Wang Lijun in treason trial

Wang Lijun, the former Chongqing vice-mayor whose attempted defection to the US in February brought down Bo Xilai, may go to court next month

Bee Gees' singer Robin Gibb dies after cancer battle

Bee Gees’ singer Robin Gibb has died aged 62 after a lengthy battle with cancer, his family said.

BBC Obituary: Robin Gibb
CNN News
Reuters
Time 

US-China ties on collision course

Graeme Maxton says America’s provocations to win influence in Asia at the expense of its strategic rival, China, not only highlight its double standards, but also endanger regional peace

Europe stings Asian visitors

Chinese tourists flying off in search of luxury goods that are cheaper than at home will find firms like Louis Vuitton have raised their prices

Shenzhen’s rich buy basics in Hong Kong

Well-educated residents spend HK$24.6 billion a year on items such as toothpaste because of safety concerns about goods at home and high taxes

Shanghai, Beijing to lead commercial sell-off

Developers selling assets to raise cash for housing projects as credit tightens

Sunday 20 May 2012

KL to scrap arrival cards for foreigners

Foreigners entering Malaysia will not need to fill up arrival cards issued by the Immigration Department from June 1, the Home Ministry has said in a statement.

Gong Li divorced from Singaporean businessman for 3 years

Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Seong has personally confirmed that he has been divorced from actress Gong Li for three years, a Sichuan, China, newspaper reported.

Princelings in China Use Family Ties to Gain Riches

What DreamWorks did not showcase, however, was one of its newest — and most important — Chinese partners: Jiang Mianheng, the 61-year-old son of Jiang Zemin, the former Communist Party leader and the most powerful political kingmaker of China’s last two decades.

Tracking Hidden Frenchman in China’s Political Drama

Throughout the drama this spring revolving around the dismissal of the ambitious Chinese official Bo Xilai and the investigation of his wife as a murder suspect, the most mysterious figure has been a French architect named Patrick Henri Devillers.

Mystery Frenchman in Bo saga seen in Cambodia

Throughout the drama revolving around the dismissal of ambitious Chinese official Bo Xilai and the investigation of his wife on murder charges, the most mysterious figure has been a French architect named Patrick Henri Devillers.

Empires under the red son

Relatives of disgraced former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai are part of an extensive web of foreign firms

China sentences fugitive smuggler Lai to life term

The man once considered China’s most-wanted fugitive was sentenced to life in prison for smuggling and bribery in a lurid corruption case that reached into the highest echelons of the Communist Party and involved a decade-long extradition fight.

Party leaders called on to disclose assets

Three retired officials, including daughter of a revolutionary, post letter online urging top echelon to reveal personal finances before congress meeting

Lai was famous once, but Xiamen has moved on

Some Xiamen residents appeared ambivalent about Lai Changxing after the sentencing, with two saying the case was history.