Thursday, 21 May 2009

Next Crisis Will Be in Currencies: Jim Rogers

been printing money, giving the appearance of massive government intervention to weaken their currencies, legendary investor Jim Rogers, chairman, Rogers Holdings, told CNBC Wednesday.

Irish priests beat, raped children

Priests beat and raped children during decades of abuse in Catholic-run institutions in Ireland, an official report said on Wednesday, but it stopped short of naming the perpetrators.

Hu intolerant of graft in PLA, analysts say

President Hu Jintao’s warning against “hedonism and individualism” among the military’s top brass reflected his intolerance of rampant corruption inside the People’s Liberation Army, military analysts have said.

Wednesday, 20 May 2009

Secret donor gives $40k monthly to Buddhist Lodge


Mr. Lee Bock Guan, chairman of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, a temple in Kim Yam Road, showing the monthly donations received from an anonymous donor. The money is usually dropped off in the temple kitchen, which dishes up over 1,000 free meals daily.

Backdoor Listings: Sweet Market Poison

Loosely regulated backdoor listings are promoting speculative behaviour and hobbling reform efforts on China’s stock markets.

Count cash, feel good, study finds

Counting money - even if it’s not yours - makes you feel good subconsciously, according to a joint study by mainland and US psychologists.

Team Temasek needs to start scoring

Sound strategy not enough if players don’t adapt to shifts in the game

Bloggers frustrated as Beijing blocks Google service

Blogger.com, Google’s free blog service, has been blocked by mainland authorities since late last week and thousands of users have complained.

Auditor landscape gets more varied

BT study of all listed companies shows Big 4 still rule but smaller firms carve niches

Client acceptance becomes more stringent

Rising risks cause some audit firms to not take on new clients unless they already know them

Mainland Investors Knock at Taiwan’s Door

In a warming process unimaginable a few years ago, the Taiwan Strait is slowly becoming a two-way street for investments.

‘Please come back to China, WE WON’T EXECUTE YOU’

Beijing promises lighter sentences to get corrupt officials home

BEIJING: ‘Please come back, we will not kill you.’

Pansy Ho ruled unsuitable by US casino watchdog


Casino regulators in the US state of New Jersey have ruled Pansy Ho Chiu-king an “unsuitable” partner in MGM Grand Paradise, her US$1.25 billion Macau joint venture with MGM, following a four-year investigation.

Zhao’s memoirs sell out before official release


The memoirs of ousted Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang sold out in Hong Kong bookshops before the official release date yesterday.

Tuesday, 19 May 2009

Oei Hong Leong loses $1b, takes Citigroup to court


Businessman claims bank gave him an inaccurate picture of his trading exposure

Monday, 18 May 2009

Play this as a V-shaped recovery for now

There’s nothing like a wild stock market rally to fire the imagination, stir the senses and get analysts talking about green shoots, V-shaped recoveries, virtuous cycles and the birth of a new bull market.

New Strategies for China’s Energy Quest

In a sign of changing times, Chinese oil firms are busy cutting global deals with resource-rich countries and western companies.

Obama sends strong message to Beijing with envoy’s appointment

US President Barack Obama’s choice for ambassador to China seems a natural fit for the job - he speaks fluent Putonghua, has adopted a child from China and has served as an ambassador in Asia.

Working with China

It’s a mistake for America to look China in the eye and only see an enemy. Sure, to characterise that two-way relationship as a blissful friendship would be to transform a willing suspension of disbelief into absurdity. But deep mutual interests can bring two otherwise antagonistic national powers close together in ways that make professions of sincere friendship unnecessary and even redundant. Especially among nation-states, an alliance of mutual interests is generally the best possible bedrock for a relationship. Mutual needs that persist for the foreseeable future trump hot love that lasts only a fortnight.

Ships tread water, waiting for cargo

Concentration of so many vessels along Singapore coast raises accident fears