Blackstone-linked firm investing US$45m in China Animal
A COMPANY linked to the Blackstone group, a US private equity firm, is pumping about US$45 million into China Animal Healthcare, the Singapore-listed maker of livestock drugs that is eyeing a Hong Kong dual listing.
Full Apex secures US$42m in bank loans
FULL Apex (Holdings) has secured US$42 million in bank loans to refinance the group’s existing debt and for general purposes, just months after its controlling shareholder tried to take the company private.
Genting S’pore shares offer thrills and spills
NEWS that Genting Singapore is selling its UK operations to Genting Malaysia sent their shares in opposite directions yesterday.
Top changes at UPP and Rowsley
A SERIES of board and management changes is coming up at Rowsley and UPP Holdings – companies linked to ex-remisier king Peter Lim.
CHINA Fishery Group, a subsidiary of Pacific Andes Resources Development, said yesterday that it has decided not to proceed with its plans for a proposed secondary listing on Norway’s Oslo stock exchange due to the current market sentiment in Europe.
Fortis finally shows hand on Parkway
AFTER weeks of speculation and uncertainty, Fortis Healthcare finally showed its hand, and in doing so, shed light on its plans for Singapore-based healthcare provider Parkway Holdings.
THERE are many chefs who wouldn’t touch all-day dining – that culinary concept which calls to mind banal coffeehouses, directionless menus and blase service – with a 10-foot pole.
Saying it with flowers the Obama way
MICHELLE Obama has Obama-ised the White House with healthful menus, planted bok choy and rhubarb to supply them and ramped up the fashion quotient with metallic strapless dresses and studded belts.
Ask any fashionista and they will tell you that when it comes to fashion apps, Style.com is the absolute grande dame of them all.
Paris’s soft sell
MEN’S fashion has come out of the closet. Unlike the Milan menswear collections, which proposed a swaggering machismo in terms of traditional linen suits and sportswear (and tanned torsos under those suits, and not a few Speedos) for next year, Paris closed the shows with a much softer take on Spring-Summer 2011.
WHEN it comes to powerful cameras that are easy to carry, EVIL is good. The acronym refers to Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens models, which broadly encompass those smaller and lighter than SLR cameras but are almost as powerful.
Small yet amazing
MORE clinical trials are now being done on glutathione supplementation as part of cancer treatment as well as anti-ageing routines, since knowledge of glutathione surfaced more than 20 years ago as a highly effective anti-oxidant.
ONCE Singapore’s most popular mid-sized saloon, the Toyota Camry has been forced to slow down due to issues of age and price. Launched in 2006, the current Camry is still in the Top 10 list of models (among authorised distributors) but no longer as wildly popular as it used to be. A mid-life rejuvenation could make it slightly more desirable though.
A hotter Cayenne
YOU may or may not agree that the styling of the new Porsche Cayenne makes it look like an unflattened Porsche Panamera.
SHIRISH Apte, chief executive of Citigroup, Asia-Pacific, always wanted to be a banker.
Soft prices reflect worry of looming slowdown
PRICES on the Singapore market were soft throughout the week, mainly because of selling ahead of expected weakness on Wall Street.
Three firms win suit against Da Vinci, its MD
THREE firms yesterday won their suit against high-end furniture retailer Da Vinci Holdings and its managing director, Raymond Phua.
Only 50% keen on fibre-optic connection
SINGAPORE’S ambition to have ubiquitous high-speed broadband connectivity could end up being only half-fulfilled – 50 per cent of households here are saying no to the country’s new fibre- optic connection.
More safety rules for building sites to reduce accidents
THE government is introducing more measures to raise safety standards at construction sites as the fatality rate at these places shows no signs of abating.
World Cup boosts sales for TV retailers
ASIA’S TV retailers went through an exciting period in the weeks leading up to mid June, as the World Cup ramped up TV sales.
Marina Bay waterfront celebrations
VISITORS to Marina Bay on July 17 and 18 will get to enjoy a range of activities organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority to celebrate the official opening of the Marina Bay waterfront promenade.
Sponsor YOG to give more to society
THE Singapore Youth Olympic Games will not only yield spin-offs for businesses here but give companies a chance to give more to society, leaders of corporate sponsors of the Games said at a roundtable yesterday.
EDB, Glaxo award funding for 8 research projects
GLAXOSMITHKLINE (GSK) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) yesterday jointly awarded funding for eight research projects, based in Singapore, aimed at growing local capabilities and talent in green and sustainable manufacturing for the pharmaceutical industry.
Infineum building second S’pore plant
OIL additive producer Infineum Singapore – a joint venture between Exxon Mobile and Shell – will build a calcium salicylate manufacturing plant here.
Ship runs aground en route to Singapore
THE Kota Kado, a Singapore-registered 3,080 TEU container ship operated by Pacific International Lines (PIL), ran aground on June 30 on departure from Nansha Port, China while en route to Singapore.
S’pore’s mobile docs take expertise overseas
FOREIGNERS criss-cross the globe to visit the medical tourism hub that Singapore has become. And now, Singapore-based doctors are reversing the traffic by setting up satellite clinics overseas.
Parkway shares spike as bidding war looms
PARKWAY Holdings shares rose as much as 30 cents yesterday before closing 26 cents higher at $3.83, in anticipation of a bidding war between India’s Fortis Healthcare and Malaysia’s Khazanah Nasional.
Govt mulling broader definition for SMEs
MORE local enterprises may be eligible for government assistance schemes targeted at small and medium enterprises if an ongoing review on the definition of SMEs gets through. BT understands that the new definition could benefit several hundred more companies, although it will not change the proportion of SMEs in the local enterprise landscape very much. As it is, SMEs constitute some 99 per cent of the total number of enterprises in Singapore.
Rich pickings for S’pore companies in middle class services, urbanisation
A WEALTH of opportunities are opening up for Singapore that play to its strengths, says Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, citing in particular prospects in urbanisation and middle class services.
Why Temasek took China project
TEMASEK Holdings took over Keppel Corp’s stake in the ‘knowledge city’ project in Guangdong because it could take a longer view while public company shareholders are impatient for immediate returns, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said yesterday.
Holland shock Brazil with 2-1 win
THE Netherlands came from behind to stun five-time champion Brazil 2-1 yesterday and became the first semi-finalist of the World Cup.
Australia axes mining profit tax
AUSTRALIA’S government yesterday retreated from a planned 40 per cent tax on booming profits in the mining industry, defusing a damaging row with big business and clearing the way for national elections to be called at any time.
US jobs report confirms Wall St fears
THE US Labor Department reported yesterday that 125,000 jobs were lost in June, confirming what most of Wall Street has been saying for the past two weeks: that the struggling US economic recovery has taken a turn for the worse.
Soccer’s real draw for Russians
EVERYONE who is watching the World Cup has his or her favourite moments of the competition.
M’sia exports rise at slowest pace in 3 months
MALAYSIA’S exports rose at the slowest pace in three months as sales to Europe and China eased, adding to evidence that the region’s rebound may have peaked.
BOJ seen upping Japan economic growth forecast
THE Bank of Japan is expected to revise up its economic forecast for the current fiscal year, sources said, but stick to its cautious view on the outlook as worries about another global economic downturn rattle markets.
Yuan surges to new peak since 2005 revaluation
THE Chinese yuan jumped against the dollar yesterday to its highest since its 2005 landmark revaluation after China’s central bank appeared to condone the climb by setting its reference rate sharply higher.
Taiwan president defends trade pact with China
TAIWAN’S President Ma Ying-jeou on Thursday defended his landmark trade deal with China against claims that it would lead to a Beijing takeover.
No US duties for China steel product
A US TRADE panel on Thursday turned down an industry request to slap duties on hundreds of millions of dollars of a steel product from China.
Obama pushes for immigration reform
US PRESIDENT Barack Obama told Latino and other groups that Republicans are being excessively partisan during an election year, and accused the opposition party of delaying reform of the US immigration system.
More US sanctions against Iran passed
PRESIDENT Barack Obama has signed a bill imposing tough new sanctions against Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons programme.
Arnie orders minimum wage for California state workers
GOVERNOR Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday ordered about 200,000 California state workers to be paid the federal minimum wage this month because the state legislature has not passed a budget.
Nintendo, Sony handhelds lead US game sales’ 4.9% fall in May
NINTENDO Co’s DS and Sony Corp’s PlayStation Portable handheld players led a 4.9 per cent decline in US video-game sales to US$823.5 million in May, according to market researcher NPD Group Inc.
China hikes 2009 growth estimate to 9.1%
CHINA’S economy grew even faster in 2009 than previously reported, adding to concern that the flood of stimulus spending and loans that drove its rebound has left a dangerous glut of unneeded factories and other assets.
The Times they are a-chargin’
ONE of Britain’s most famous newspapers, The Times, started charging readers to access its website yesterday, the first non-specialist daily here to do so.
Macau gaming revenue down due to World Cup: analyst
GAMING revenues in the Chinese gambling haven of Macau fell 20 per cent in June from a record high in May as World Cup fever kept high-stakes gamblers away, an analyst said yesterday.