17 February 2012, Friday

Autos

Independent audit on Proton Holdings and Group Lotus

Questions of insider trading in Proton shares remain unanswered

Banks

CIMB in talks with RBS

Capital markets

Tradewinds Plantation unit Mardec disposes of 45% stake in RI International

Dispute resolution

Malaysia Airlines and former chairman should finalise ‘out-of-court’ settlement by May

Earnings

British American Tobacco’s Q4 earnings slip

Economy

Public finances a key ratings weakness

Employment

Announcement on minimum wage next month

Energy

Proposal on recommended price of natural gas by end March

Financial markets

Only real-time individual spot forex e-transactions ‘haram’

Bank Negara Malaysia statement

Infrastructure

Malaysia the leader in private-public partnership

Seven companies invited to bid for Kinrara-Damansara highway contract

Islamic finance

Maxis proposes Islamic MTN based on Sukuk Musharakah

Land

Judicial reviews not suitable for dealing with native customary rights

Legal profession

Being in it means committing to a lifetime of learning

Legislation

New law will contain provisions on early retirement

National Geospatial Act being formulated

Draft amendments to Universities and University Colleges Act 1974 tabled in March

Management

CEO of KEuro making an exit

Board ‘close’ to picking new Tenaga Nasional boss

Property

New Avenue for investing in properties

Tax

Seminar on taxation for employers next month

Technology

Dataprep Holdings close to securing five-year contract in China

Wealth

Combined wealth of 40 richest down 7%

ASIA

Fraud

Arrests of former Olympus chairman, executives point to widening investigation into cover-up

AUSTRALIA

Airlines

Progress on talks to get Qantas’ premium airline airborne is months away at best

Travellers stranded as troubled Air Australia dives into administration

Banks

ANZ completes quartet of Australian banks to return big profits

CHINA

Competition

Anti-Monopoly Bureau reviewing Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility

Intellectual property

Minefield of murky rules and opportunistic ‘trademark squatters’ hard to navigate

SINGAPORE

Capital markets

China Sky Chemical Fibre and directors face criminal probe into regulatory breaches

UK

Competition

Big banks may face monopoly investigation if they drag their heels on opening up to competition

Employment

Employers can be vicariously liable for violent acts of employees towards colleagues

Former employees breached both duty of fidelity and fiduciary duty

Media

BSkyB tightens the screws on pubs that violate Premier League copyright

Mergers and acquisitions

All-share deals set to surpass cash offers as king of takeover considerations

US

Antitrust

Employment itself falls within the ambit of antitrust laws

16 February 2012, Thursday

Airlines

Scoot unlikely to pose any serious competition to AirAsia X

45% growth in revenue over 2010

Banks

Indonesia’s withdrawal of foreign ownership ruling spells good news for Malaysian banks

Capital markets

Forex trading haram for Muslims, says council

Too early to tell whether Felda Global IPO will invigorate market

Dispute resolution

Can-One cannot proceed with Kian Joo stake buy for now

Energy

Compugates Holdings expected to clinch solar-based projects in Sabah

Judiciary

Calls mounting for Article 121 Federal Constitution to return to pre-1988 form

ASIA

Capital markets

Petronas looking to be anchor investor in Sunshine Oilsands’ Hong Kong IPO

Telecommunications

India relaxes merger rules

Telenor wants to drop Unitech, seeks new local partner

AUSTRALIA

Capital markets

ASX expects market conditions to remain challenging with Chi-X’s arrival

Intellectual property

When it comes to IP licences, royalty base more important than royalty percentage

Mergers and acquisitions

Surfwear group Billabong receives AUD766 million takeover offer

CHINA

Media

DreamWorks Animation and Chinese media groups due to unveil new JV

Technology

Customs authorities unlikely to intervene in Proview trademark battle with Apple

EUROPE

Competition

Cisco Systems challenges EU clearance of Microsoft acquisition of Skype

Financial services

Moody's may cut credit ratings of 17 global and 114 European financial institutions

NEW ZEALAND

Competition

Courts’ jurisdiction over alleged anti-competitive conduct occurring overseas

Intellectual property

Patent application fails legal test for sufficiency of disclosure

SINGAPORE

Economy

Recession may be avoided

Property

Housing demand remains buoyant

UK

Fraud

Agency probed on how it selects and pursues cases

Gaming

Genting UK boss will attempt to modernise an industry that hasn’t changed for decades

Property

Battersea Power Station could be worth millions more to developers demolished than preserved

US

Insurance

AIG in no rush to make any decisions on key assets

Intellectual property

Different legal claims that fashion companies must cobble together to protect designs

Associated Press files suit against ‘parasitic distribution service’ Meltwater News

Mergers and acquisitions

Kellogg swallows Pringles potato chips for US$2.7 billion

Staggering reversal of fortune for Diamond Foods

15 February 2012, Wednesday

Airlines

AirAsia X consolidating business in core markets

Banks

Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui sounded out for Aabar stake in RHBCap

Stake sale won’t fetch good price

Higher interest rates for outstanding credit card balances; hike in late payment charges

Indonesia not implementing planned regulation to limit ownership in domestic banks

Capital markets

SapuraCrest Kencana Petroleum on track to for March debut on Main Market

Dispute resolution

Former MAS chairman ends legal battle with Danaharta

Energy

Ex-Petronas CEO set to become chairman of Singapore Power

Financial reporting

Workshop on significant revisions to key financial reporting standards

Financial services

Tune Money reinventing itself as a ‘supermarket banker’

Graft

‘Cowgate’ highlights PM’s stuttering efforts to reform

NFCorp breached loan conditions

Investment

Brunei Investment Agency keen to invest in Labuan and Kampung Baru

Islamic finance

Dana Infra selling Sukuk to fund construction of mass railway

Real estate

Controversy over ‘loss’ of RM250 million plot of land belonging to Kumpulan Hartanah Selangor

Petra Energy unit eyes leasehold land in Labuan

UEM Land sets its sights on India, Vietnam and Myanmar

Glut could emerge in Johor property market

Tax

More feedback sought before implementation of goods and services tax

ASIA

Intellectual property

Swedish appliance maker Electrolux wins trademark-infringement lawsuit

Technology

Chinese tech firm seeks ban on exports of Apple iPad

GLOBAL

Competition

Regulators investigating whether banks attempted to manipulate Libor, Tibor and Euribor

Financial services

Wall Street losing war to keep top commodity traders

SINGAPORE

Legal services

Foreign law firms will be allowed to own stakes in local legal practices or share in their profits

Property

CapitaLand bullish on local housing market and China’s long-term prospects

UK

Insurance

Cost of Thai floods likely to rank as Lloyd’s third-biggest loss

Tobacco

Financial crisis gives surprise fillip to one of Britain’s most controversial sectors

14 February 2012, Tuesday

Autos

Proton says no firm decision on selling Lotus

Capital markets

Felda Global Venture Holdings listing in May

Loss-making MNRB could be a target for divestment

Court sides with Bursa Malaysia on enforcement actions against former Transmile directors

Earnings

Hektar REIT net income increases by 121%

Economy

Slowest growth since 2009 may prompt Malaysia to keep borrowing costs low

Resilient economy can ride out current external environment

Employment

Workshop on handling principal aspects of termination of employment effectively

Investment

Bestino Golden House will return investors’ money

Islamic finance

Market will determine direction of Islamic finance

Judiciary

‘Judges to blame’ for allowing power of the courts to be compromised

'Courts now independent'

Oil and gas

New gas discoveries off Sarawak

Property

Brunsfield latest developer to ink deal with Iskandar Waterfront Holdings

Tort

RM10 million defamation suit filed against Star Publications and journalist

ASIA

Human rights

Tech giant Apple faces up to the human cost of its gadgets

Tax

India investigates local units of Google and Yahoo for potential forex violations

AUSTRALIA

Airlines

AirAsia X pilots disregarded safe minimum altitudes for no apparent reason

Employment

Dealing with unwelcome Valentines in the workplace

CANADA

Competition

Competition Bureau investigates alleged collusive conduct into setting of yen interbank lending rates

Intellectual property

Infringement of patent may result in imposition of punitive damages

SINGAPORE

Aviation

Industry’s top executives betting on Asia

UK engine maker Rolls-Royce opens largest Asian facility

Earnings

Great Eastern Holdings posts 19% fall in Q4 net profit

UK

Employment

Teacher disciplined for inappropriate comments on FB profile page

Telecommunications

Vodafone considers takeover bid for embattled Cable & Wireless Worldwide

Collapse of 2011’s largest proposed telecom deal hasn’t put a permanent chill on transactions

US

Antitrust

US, European regulators approve Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility

Capital markets

Empire State Building heads to the stock market

Intellectual property

Lack of copyright protection for fashion designers has created ‘red carpet copycats’

13 February 2012, Monday

Banks

HSBC Malaysia reviewing operations

Employment

Industrial Court chairman cannot alter award once employee held to be guilty of misconduct

Financial markets

New measures on forex need close monitoring

Islamic banking and finance

Bank Islam said to be in talks with Bank Muamalat Indonesia

Still room for improvement in Sukuk market

Legislation

Draft Islamic Hire Purchase Bill in final stage

Scope of Personal Data Protection Act 2010 [Act 709]

Trade Descriptions Act 2011 [Act 730] a commendable effort to protect rights of consumers and trademark owners

Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act 2011 likely to be implemented year-end

Metals

Separate appeals over atomic regulator’s decision to grant Lynas a TOL

Oil and gas

Halliburton setting up shale technical centre in deal with Petronas

Property

Slowdown in high-end residential property sub-sector

IOI may relist property arm

ASIA

Airlines

Asia Pacific-based carriers experiencing relatively strong growth

Insurance

Bank of America Merrill Lynch to advise Prudential on possible bid for ING Asia

Islamic banking

Islamic Bank of Thailand aims to be among Asia’s top three in five years

AUSTRALIA

Banks

ANZ cutting 1,000 jobs as it shrinks Australian workforce

Intellectual property

Layout relevant to analysis of whether an allegedly infringing image is ‘deceptively similar’ to a trade mark

EUROPE

Competition

Regulator will use antitrust powers to prevent misuse of patent rights

Intellectual property

Protesters march against Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Mergers and acquisitions

Depressed M&A market may be on verge of fragile resurgence

SINGAPORE

Insurance

Great Eastern bullish on prospects in SE Asia

Company wants to build presence in Indonesia

Real estate

OCBC Investment Research raises target price for CapitaMalls Asia

CapitaMalls Asia opening more malls in China and Singapore

Telecommunications

SingTel’s quarterly profit hurt by weakness in Singapore and India

UK

Insurance

Phoenix, CVC Capital Partners terminate takeover talks

US

Gaming

Wynn Resorts may have to give biggest shareholder access to financial papers

Retail

Toy companies big and small betting on ‘AppCessories’

Technology

Apple launches another legal assault on Samsung Electronics