Asia and the Pacific Rim

• Japan to give rice to ease global crisis
  AP ( 22, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - Japan will release some of its huge stockpile of rice to help ease the global food crisis, sending some 20,000 tons to five African nations in coming weeks, a government official said Thursday.
   
  
• China denies fuel price controls to end
  AP ( 22, 2008)
  BEIJING (AP) - China's government denied rumors Thursday it will ease price controls on gasoline and diesel that oil companies say are causing them huge losses and prompting fuel shortages.
   
  
• Samsung announces reorganization plan
  AP ( 22, 2008)
  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Samsung Electronics said Thursday it was consolidating some of its key businesses a week after announcing a new executive lineup.
   
  
• China's toy export growth slumps
  AP ( 22, 2008)
  BEIJING (AP) - The growth of China's toy exports slowed dramatically in the first quarter, hurt by higher production costs, a stronger currency and safety concerns, a state news agency said Thursday.
   
  
• Oil crosses $129 for first time, heads for $130
  AP ( 20, 2008)
  NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices spiked to a new trading high Tuesday, sweeping toward $130 a barrel as supply concerns intensified the momentum buying that has lifted crude deeper into record territory.
   
  
• Bush pays respects victims of China quake
  AP ( 20, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush and first lady Laura Bush took a rainy motorcade ride to the Chinese Embassy on Tuesday to sign a condolence book extending U.S. sympathy to those killed in the massive earthquake there.
   
  
• China: Earthquake buried 32 sources of radiation
  AP ( 20, 2008)
  BEIJING (AP) - More than 30 sources of radiation were buried by debris from the massive earthquake in central China last week and all have either been recovered or safely cordoned off, state media reported Tuesday.
   
  
• US: Myanmar's storm response appalling
  AP ( 20, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior U.S. diplomat said Tuesday that Myanmar's military-led government will be responsible for a second catastrophe if thousands of desperate cyclone survivors die because the junta continues to bar foreign aid and disaster workers.
   
  
• Carbon dioxide increases in 2007
  AP ( 20, 2008)
  WASHINGTOIN (AP) - The Energy Department reports that carbon dioxide emissions increased by 1.6 percent last year with most coming from residential and commercial energy use. Emissions from transportation and industrial sources were essentially flat, compared to 2006.
   
  
• India death toll from tainted liquor hits 90
  AP ( 20, 2008)
  NEW DELHI (AP) - Locally brewed liquor apparently tainted with lethal chemicals has killed another 20 people in southern India, bringing the death toll from the past four days to 90, police said Tuesday.
   
  
• Audit: FBI didn't join harsh terror interrogations
  AP ( 20, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A Justice Department audit of terror interrogations at three military bases overseas concluded Tuesday that FBI agents refused to participate when detainees were questioned under harsh and potentially illegal methods.
   
  
• Toyota China car joint venture restarts
  AP ( 19, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - Production has restarted at Toyota's joint venture auto plant in China after it was halted for a week after a deadly earthquake struck nearby.
   
  
• China says quake losses total $9.5 billion
  AP ( 19, 2008)
  BEIJING (AP) - Companies suffered $9.5 billion in damage in last week's quake in central China, the government said Monday.
   
  
• BOJ expected to keep key rate unchanged
  AP ( 19, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - Japan's central bank was expected to leave its key interest rate unchanged as it began a two-day policy meeting amid general nervousness about the global economy.
   
  
• US commerce secretary woos China investment
  AP ( 15, 2008)
  BEIJING (AP) - Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez warned Thursday that rising economic nationalism in both China and the United States threatens to jeopardize beneficial ties.
   
  
• Mizuho profit sinks 50 pct, cites subprime fallout
  AP ( 15, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - Mizuho Financial Group Inc., Japan's second biggest banking group, reported Thursday a 50 percent drop in profit for the fiscal year, taking a beating from U.S. subprime credit problems.
   
  
• Economic jolt from China's quake seen as limited
  AP ( 13, 2008)
  SHANGHAI, China (AP) - The earthquake that ripped through central China's Sichuan province, killing thousands, crumpling roads and factories and disrupting power and communication, will be only a transitory jolt for the booming economy, analysts say.
   
  
• WTO: China must address rich-poor gap
  AP ( 13, 2008)
  GENEVA (AP) - China must address a widening gap between its rich and poor if Beijing wants a "harmonious society," the World Trade Organization will report in a trade review of the Asian nation, according to a copy obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
   
  
• China's inflation rises to almost 12-year high
  AP ( 12, 2008)
  BEIJING (AP) - China's inflation almost climbed to a 12-year high in April, swamping official efforts to cool surging living costs that could provoke unrest ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
   
  
• All poultry in Seoul killed after bird flu outbreak
  AP ( 12, 2008)
  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean officials said Monday they have killed all poultry in Seoul, the capital, to curb the spread of bird flu following a new outbreak of the disease in the city.
   
  
• Toyota says new US auto plant delayed
  AP ( 12, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - A senior Toyota executive said Monday that plans for a new auto assembly plant in Mississippi are being delayed by worries about slumping American auto sales and a broader U.S. economic slowdown.
   
  
• Australia's Westpac offers $14B for bank rival St. George
  AP ( 12, 2008)
  SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Westpac Banking Corp. said Monday it has approached rival St. George Bank Ltd. with a $14 billion takeover offer that could lead to the biggest shakeup of Australia's banking sector in years.
   
  
• Fujitsu quarterly profit down 40 percent
  AP ( 12, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - Japanese electronics maker Fujitsu on Monday reported nearly a 40 percent plunge in profit for the January-March quarter, largely on costs to restructure its computer chips operations.
   
  
• US health secretary: Chinese Heparin shipped to US now safe
  AP ( 12, 2008)
  SHANGHAI, China (AP) - A blood thinner manufactured in China and linked to dozens of deaths in the United States is now safe because of tighter testing and controls, a top American health official said Monday, while warning that all U.S. imports would face closer scrutiny in the future.
   
  
• Japan Airlines reduces losses in latest quarter
  AP ( 009, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - Japan Airlines reduced losses in the January-March quarter from a year earlier on cost cuts but forecast lower profit Friday for this fiscal year, blaming soaring fuel costs and intense competition.
   
  
• EBay's PayPal rule in Australia draws fire
  AP ( 009, 2008)
  SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - EBay Inc. is exploring whether to require customers to use its online payment service PayPal, a move that has angered users and prompted antitrust scrutiny in Australia, where a PayPal-only rule takes effect next month.
   
  
• Japanese shares drop on Toyota outlook
  AP ( 009, 2008)
  TOKYO (AP) - Japanese shares dropped Friday as selling spread across the board following Toyota's bleak earnings projection.
   
  
• China producer price index up 8.1 pct
  AP ( 009, 2008)
  SHANGHAI, China (AP) - China's producer price index, a key indicator of inflation, rose 8.1 percent in April over the same month a year earlier, the government reported Friday, as a top economic official sought new controls to cool rising prices.