http://business-times.asiaone.com/alltheheadlines/0,4985,,00.html? The Business Times Online Edition - Singapore en-us Copyright 2010 Business Times Online. 12 Mar 2010 SGT 12 Mar 2010 SGT 60 http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/static/image/images/topmastheadsmall.gif http://business-times.asiaone.com http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376379,00.html? (SINGAPORE) One by one, more countries are advising its citizens to postpone all non-essential travel to Bangkok as the Thai capital prepares for quite possibly its largest-ever political protest rally this weekend. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376377,00.html? (BANGKOK) Thanachart Bank, 49 per cent owned by Canada's Nova Scotia Bank, has agreed to pay US$1 billion for a 47.6 per cent stake in Siam City Bank (SCIB) in Thailand's biggest acquisition in four years. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376373,00.html? (SEOUL) The South Korean bourse yesterday approved an estimated US$4 billion IPO by leading life insurer Samsung Life Insurance, paving the way for what is likely to be the country's biggest share float in May. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376376,00.html? (TOKYO) Sony has a new message for Nintendo Wii gamers: Come join us. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/shippingtimes/story/0,4574,376398,00.html? A FASTER-than-expected recovery in demand in Asia and Latin America has led the International Air Transport Association (Iata) to halve its industry loss forecast for this year to US$2.8 billion - from the US$5.6 billion it predicted in December last year. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/shippingtimes/story/0,4574,376391,00.html? (BERLIN) Qatar Airways, whose backlog of aircraft orders is the biggest of any carrier, will eliminate first-class cabins in some of the planes scheduled for delivery. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/shippingtimes/story/0,4574,376390,00.html? (BERLIN) Deutsche Lufthansa expects its operating profit to improve this year as it cuts more costs and a fragile economic recovery starts to lift demand for air travel. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376355,00.html? (BEIJING) Consumer inflation spurted to a 16-month high in February and a raft of economic data displayed broad-based strength, providing fresh arguments for policy tightening sooner rather than later. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376364,00.html? (BEIJING) All signs are pointing to an appreciation of China's currency, perhaps even by mid-year, analysts say, after a cryptic hint from the nation's central bank governor and a limited jump in the yuan's value. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376366,00.html? (HONG KONG) Foreign investment in south China is expected to fall 4.9 per cent this year, with firms facing the challenge of labour shortages and rising wages, according to a survey by the region's American business chamber. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376332,00.html? SEMBCORP Marine's Jurong Shipyard unit has secured a US$130 million floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel pre-conversion contract for Petrobras' Dutch unit. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376331,00.html? COSCO Corporation is continuing to feel the effects of the tumult in the dry bulk shipping market with one order cancellation and yet more reschedulings after it agreed to postpone the delivery of four vessels last week. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376326,00.html? OSLO Bors is expecting more companies to seek public listing this year and is in talks with a few Singapore-listed companies about having a dual listing on the Norwegian stock exchange. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376327,00.html? CAPITAMALLS Asia (CMA) will replace Cosco Corp as a constituent of the Straits Times Index (STI) from March 22. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376333,00.html? WITH the Holcim group firmly in control, Jurong Cement Ltd (JCL) is moving to restructure its ready-mixed concrete business as part of a rationalisation of operations. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376325,00.html? MUMBAI financial services group India Infoline said its Singapore subsidiary, IIFL Securities, has received in-principle approval from the Singapore Exchange (SGX) for securities trading and clearing membership. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376353,00.html? SINGAPORE Airport Terminal Services Ltd (SATS) and Mumbai-listed technology solutions provider NIIT Technologies have inked a strategic partnership for a global roll-out of their proprietary Cargo Operations System Intelligent Solutions (Cosys IS). 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376344,00.html? LATITUDE Tree International Group Ltd, a home wooden-furniture manufacturer that recently posted a more than doubling in half-year earnings, has credited its success to its product strategy. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376336,00.html? (SINGAPORE) Investors should buy Asian stocks outside Japan after valuations dropped and before sentiment strengthens further, Goldman Sachs Group Inc said. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376337,00.html? MEDIARING Ltd has appointed Maneesh Tripathi, 47, as its new chief executive officer to replace Ashok Kumar Goyal. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376324,00.html? LIPPO Group has positioned itself in a pretty sweet spot by buying out ex-partner Ananda Krishnan's stake in Overseas Union Enterprise (OUE), and upping its hold on the property company to 88.52 per cent. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376356,00.html? (LONDON) US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned the European Commission that its plans to regulate hedge funds and private equity groups could spark a transatlantic row, a paper reported yesterday. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376357,00.html? (TOKYO) Japan's economy grew less than initially estimated in the fourth quarter and a broad gauge of price trends posted the biggest negative reading on record, adding to pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to ease monetary policy further next week. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376363,00.html? (LONDON) A distinct lack of momentum will drag on the rich world's economic recovery this year, according to a survey in which economists largely bucked a recent trend of rising forecasts. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376441,00.html? THIS preview of World Gourmet Summit Singapore 2010 is a month earlier than usual so that readers are given sufficiently early notice of forthcoming wine events to enable them to book early - right away in fact so as to avoid missing out. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376427,00.html? WITH The Hurt Locker still basking in the warm afterglow of Oscar night glory, a new film about the war in Iraq is bound to raise certain expectations - especially one starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass, his fellow Bourne alumnus and expert maker of taut action flicks. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376405,00.html? IT'S only March, and chances are that the rest of the cinematic year will yield something worse than Cop Out, a criminally bad buddy-comedy with genre roots that can be traced back to Laurel and Hardy - but that would take some doing. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376426,00.html? THE most interesting thing about the French movie LOL - an insipid vehicle starring Sophie Marceau - is the hairstyles of the teenage male characters. Mon dieu, is this what chic Parisian young men are now sporting? 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376423,00.html? THERE are some movies, like books, that are nice reminders of life's priorities and passions. Julie & Julia falls into this category since it's a movie based on a book about a blog that, in turn, is based on a cookbook. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376420,00.html? RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS) may have its rollercoasters and magic kingdoms but when the self-styled shrine to Las Vegas glamour - Marina Bay Sands (MBS) - opens later next month (April 27), the entertainment there is going to be pumped up to a totally different level. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376431,00.html? GIVEN Singapore's squeaky-clean - to the point of being sterile - image, most people would not expect to see graffiti here, much less graffiti art. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376433,00.html? WOMEN often wonder - what would men be without them? Then again, what would women be without men? 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376437,00.html? FOR years, Singaporean choreographers have grappled with the question of identity and how it is situated within the concept of what it means to be Asian. These issues have been compounded by three young choreographers from T.H.E Contemporary Dance Company. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376425,00.html? JAZZ singer Melody Gardot might not seem like she has a great deal in common with Norwegian indie pop duo Kings Of Convenience, but both of them share a passion for musical improvisation. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376429,00.html? IT isn't fashionable to like Kitaro's music any more than it's cool to be a fan of saxophonist Kenny G or pop group Air Supply. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376428,00.html? ONE look at the back cover of Malaysian violinist Dennis Lau's debut album, Diversify, and you might assume that he's trying to sell sex appeal, but it turns out that it was his stylist's idea. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/life/story/0,4574,376424,00.html? THERE are few games that truly deserve Mature ratings to keep them out of the hands of children. Mass Effect certainly isn't one of them. But parents should keep Dante's Inferno far away from anyone under 16. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376354,00.html? (MUMBAI) Indian billionaire Anil Ambani's venture fund plans to invest in areas including so-called clean technologies as it doubles investments over the next three years. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376367,00.html? (SYDNEY) Indonesia's leader yesterday criticised Australia's tough travel warnings as he urged business leaders to forge closer trade links between the two countries. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376365,00.html? PRIME Minister Najib Razak said yesterday that the much-awaited New Economic Model, which is intended to transform the country's economy, will be announced in two stages. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376359,00.html? (KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia said yesterday that negotiations towards a bilateral trade pact with the United States have been shelved and it is now considering joining a regional deal promoted by the US. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376358,00.html? (SINGAPORE) Malaysia's industrial production climbed for a second month in January, underscoring an economic recovery that has led the central bank to raise interest rates ahead of most other Asian nations. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/shippingtimes/story/0,4574,376399,00.html? THE 4th annual meeting of the region's anti marine piracy council concluded yesterday with the governors expressing renewed concern over continuing incidents in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/companies/story/0,4574,376345,00.html? THANKS to Jardine Matheson and the three banks, the Straits Times Index managed a fifth rise yesterday in what was actually a mixed session for the broad market. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376343,00.html? SOMETHING good might have come out of the recession, after all. According to the latest Kelly Global Workforce Index, 29 per cent of Singapore-based employees surveyed said that they had become more loyal to their employers as a result of the recession. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376342,00.html? THE United Kingdom will grow more rapidly than other European economies this year and is unlikely to slip into the double dip recession feared by many economists. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376340,00.html? THE proposed recommendations from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to tighten regulations on the sale and marketing of investment products to retail investors are laudable, but may lead to fewer product options for these investors, industry players said at a forum yesterday. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376334,00.html? THE Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) issued a Proposed Infringement Decision (PID) against 14 electrical and building companies yesterday. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376360,00.html? AN employer must pay a worker between $4,500 and $10,000 if he can't offer him re-employment after the worker has turned 62, says the finalised Tripartite Guidelines on the Re-employment of Older Employees. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376362,00.html? NEW moves were unveiled yesterday to beef up worker training - including steps to widen choices and boost trainers' expertise - to take continuing education and training (CET) to the next level. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376352,00.html? MANPOWER Minister Gan Kim Yong announced changes to the CPF system yesterday in parliament. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376368,00.html? THE Budget Terminal (BT) at Changi Airport has already been expanded to cater to seven million passengers - compared with 2.7 million when it was originally built - and there are no plans for further expansion until capacity at the other three terminals is fully used up. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376347,00.html? THE government yesterday moved to get the greenlight from Parliament to make several changes to the political system before the next General Election, due by February 2012. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376361,00.html? FREEING up the legal services sector has been good for Singapore and for the profession as a whole, according to Law Minister K Shanmugam. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/specialfocus/story/0,4574,376403,00.html? WALKING through Tokyo in early March, you can't help but notice that there's a change in the air - not only has the weather become warmer as winter reluctantly gives way to spring, but the city itself seems to be coming back to life after a long period of hibernation. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376442,00.html? (SINGAPORE) Five years after a high-profile pursuit by private equity firm TPG Capital, Parkway Holdings is once again at the centre of a successful courtship - this time by India's Fortis Healthcare, which is paying almost $1 billion for a major stake in the firm. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376440,00.html? (SINGAPORE) Changes to the vehicle quota system were announced in Parliament yesterday and the motor industry generally felt that the move would erase uncertainty. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376438,00.html? A PLANNED jumbo-scale commercial development on the current Majidi army camp site could make shopping in Johor Baru city a vastly different experience when the RM12 billion (S$5 billion) project is completed over the next decade. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376435,00.html? (DUBAI) Dubai shares rose to the highest in almost two months on speculation Dubai World, the state-owned holding company in talks to renegotiate US$26 billion of debt, may announce better repayment terms than previously expected. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376436,00.html? (SINGAPORE) MCC Land, part of Chinese state- owned enterprise Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC Group), has emerged top bidder for an executive condominium site at Yishun Avenue 11. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376439,00.html? (SINGAPORE) The 'big boys' - South Korea's SK Group and China's largest polyester producer - are 'stepping up to the plate' to get Jurong Aromatics Corporation's (JAC) US$2 billion petrochemical project cracking. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376330,00.html? (SINGAPORE) As a 10-year-old, he filled his pockets with pesos by selling drinks and snacks to his family. Now, Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helu is the world's richest man. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376323,00.html? US stocks are struggling to maintain their two-week-long rally this week, but one sector, the financials, is continuing to rocket skywards even as the overall market seems to be taking a pause before its next significant move. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376329,00.html? (SINGAPORE) Investors should buy Temasek and Singapore Technologies bonds, as attractive values have emerged in the quasi- sovereign space, says the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376434,00.html? FIVE years after a high-profile pursuit by private equity firm TPG Capital, Parkway Holdings is once again at the centre of a successful courtship - this time by India's Fortis Healthcare, which is paying almost $1 billion for a majority stake in the firm. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376385,00.html? INTEREST rates have been trending downwards over the last two to three decades, but today's ultra low rates - a paltry 0.1 per cent for savings accounts - are a particular challenge. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376383,00.html? FOR at least two decades, Toyota has been the benchmark in manufacturing. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376400,00.html? THERE is a curse on the mineral-rich areas of India. A curse because mineral resources encourage lopsided development that uproots poor tribal people from their land. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376386,00.html? WHAT a difference a year makes! Seeking an initial public offering (IPO) was hardly a subject of interest since the latter part of 2008 when the world was mired in an unprecedented financial crisis 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376387,00.html? JAPAN'S gangsters may remember 2010 as a banner year. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376335,00.html? WITH Swing Media announcing that its tie-up with PetroChina to venture into the solar industry has been on track, we opine that the company's strategy of branching out of its core optical media manufacturing business and into clean technology is therefore looking to be promising. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376388,00.html? WE REFER to the article 'How solid are audits by reputable firms?' by Teh Hooi Ling (BT, March 6) in which the writer suggested that the next accounting irregularity, if ever there is one, will be one of the five firms mentioned which audit the S-chips. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376389,00.html? I REFER to the article in The Business Times earlier this week relating to the future strategy of the Singapore Exchange (SGX), compared with the recent vision statement released by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE). 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376341,00.html? (LONDON) The yen rose against the US dollar and the euro yesterday as investors pared back risky positions after strong Chinese data fuelled expectations that Beijing will take further steps to tighten monetary policy. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/views/story/0,4574,376406,00.html? GOOD evening, ladies and gentlemen, aunties and uncles. The Oscars may be over, but here in Singapore, the show has only just begun. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376374,00.html? (LONDON) Japanese bank Nomura announced yesterday that it was advising the 'Red Knights' about a potential acquisition of Manchester United amid growing supporter unrest over its ownership by the Glazer family. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376378,00.html? (WASHINGTON) The number of US workers filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell slightly less than expected last week, hinting at a slow labour market recovery. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376381,00.html? (WASHINGTON) US Senate Banking Committee members have agreed to include in their regulatory overhaul bill a new Office of Research and Analysis that would provide early warnings of possible systemic collapses, members from both parties said on Wednesday. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376375,00.html? (MEXICO CITY) Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, who has knocked Americans from the top of the Forbes list of the world's billionaires, is famed for his lack of ostentation and aggressive investments during crises. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376372,00.html? (GENEVA) Information on 24,000 HSBC customers with Swiss accounts has been stolen, the British bank said yesterday, potentially exposing large numbers of international clients to prosecution by tax authorities in their home countries. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376370,00.html? (SAN JOSE, California) The sudden takedown of an Internet provider thought to be helping spread one of the most promiscuous pieces of malicious software out there appears to have cut off criminals from potentially millions of personal computers under their control. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376371,00.html? (WASHINGTON) The Federal Reserve could emerge from a congressional overhaul of banking rules as the top cop over America's largest financial institutions. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376396,00.html? (DUBAI) Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has stopped petrol sales to Iran, oil traders said on Wednesday, the latest addition to a growing list of firms that have halted supplies under threat of future US sanctions. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376380,00.html? (WASHINGTON) The US Senate on Wednesday passed a US$149 billion package of jobless aid and tax breaks, as Democrats continued efforts to lower the 9.7 per cent unemployment rate before congressional elections in November. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376369,00.html? (LYON) Artist Benjamin Vautier posing next to one of his art works at his exhibition 'Strip-tease integral' at the Museum of Modern Art in Lyon. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT http://business-times.asiaone.com/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp?dlink=/sub/news/story/0,4574,376384,00.html? (LONDON) Oil major BP has agreed to buy Brazilian, Azeri and Gulf of Mexico assets from Devon Energy for US$7 billion, as the US producer refocuses on onshore US fields. 12 Mar 2010 04:00 SGT