Author: Business News Asia

The world’s oldest person, Misao Okawa, died 10 days after she stopped eating, sources said. She was 117. Okawa, the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, had eaten a lot of cake during her birthday last March 5 but the woman stopped eating in the last 10 days. No one exactly knew why Okawa stopped eating but Tomohiro Okada, an official at the nursing home, said she used to eat well and her favorite dish was ramen. “She went so peacefully, as if she had just fallen asleep,” Okada said. “We will miss her a lot.” “She was…

Japan’s business sentiment dips in first quarter, while China’s deposit insurance is set to be launched in May. The Philippines also gets a growth forecast upgrade from the International Monetary Fund. Here are some of the top business news in Asia today Japan’s Business Sentiment The Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey showed that sentiments among Japan’s big manufacturers held steady in the first quarter but is expected to worsen in the current quarter. Tankan survey is the leading measure of business sentiment in Japan. China’s Deposit Insurance In May China will introduce a scheme to insure bank deposits from May…

South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the South Korean government has decided to compensate the families of of the 250 students and 11 teachers who died or are still missing following the sinking of Sewol ferry last year. The move, however, was criticized by a group representing the family members of the ferry tragedy victims. The groups said the compensation announcement is an attempt by the government to divert attention away from their demand for a thorough and independent investigation. The families of the 11 teachers who died in the ferry disaster will each receive about 760 million…

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal to the King for him to be freed has been denied, which means the former deputy prime minister has lost his parliamentary seat, authorities said. Anwar’s petition for a royal pardon for his sodomy conviction was rejected, which means an automatic disqualification from the parliament, said Pandier Amimm Mulia, the parliament speaker. Anwar’s family appealed to the King for royal pardon after the court sentenced him to five years in prison last February. His conviction was upheld by Malaysia’s highest court. He has denied the charges but the highest court agreed…

FRESNO, California – A California man killed himself after shooting to death the mother of his five children inside a medical clinic in downtown Fresno Tuesday, the police said. Fresno police Lt. Joe Gomez identified the shooter as Neng Moua, 43, while the 33-year-old woman was not identified. The police said the woman was shot multiple times at close range. The exact nature of the current relationship of the two was not immediately established but the police said the woman was the mother of the shooter’s five children. She also had two other children. After shooting the woman, Moua pointed…

Supertyphoon Chedeng, international name Maysak, has maintained its strength as it heads towards the Philippines for the first major typhoon of the 2015 summer season. Weather forecasters warned the public that the supertyphoon, which packs 250 kilometer per hour winds and rains, could hit Luzon on Black Saturday, as most Filipinos are in their hometowns for the Holy Week holiday. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the eye of the typhoon with international name “MAYSAK” was located based on all available data at 1,280 km east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It has maximum sustained winds of…

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced that a new web portal called compareFirst will be launched on 7 April, allowing Singaporeans to compare different insurance products online by insurance firms before purchasing one. The site allows consumers to compare premiums and features of products offered by different insurance companies. MAS said the website is a collaborative effort by the Consumers Association of Singapore, MAS, the Life Insurance Association, Singapore as well as MoneySense. While the website features the different products of insurance firms in Singapore, MAS advised consumers to still approach their financial advisers or life insurance firms should…

LAOAG CITY, Philippines – A magnitude 4.5 earthquake rocked the province of Ilocos Norte Wednesday noon, two days after an earthquake of almost similar magnitude hit the provinces of Bohol and Cebu in the Visayas. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the epicenter of the earthquake was registered 22 kilometers off Pagupud town and had a depth of 11 kilometers. Phivolcs said the quake was tectonic in origin The earthquake, recorded at 12:04 on Wednesday, was also felt in the towns of Laoag, Pasuquin, Pagudpud, Burgos, Ilocos Norte and Claveria in Cagayan. Intensity 3 was recorded in…

BANGKOK – Thailand’s martial law, which was imposed since May 2014 to control violent street protests in the capital, may be lifted soon, but several groups have expressed concerns. Thailand Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said he has already sought the endorsement from Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej for the lifting of the military rule 10 months after he staged a coup. Prayuth, the former army commander who led the May 22, 2014, coup that overthrew an elected government, told reporters Tuesday that he is seeking King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s approval to revoke martial law. The monarch’s approval is considered a formality.…

Boxing great Muhammad Ali said Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will come out victorious in his fight against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather on May 3 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was confirmed by Ali’s daughter, Rasheda Ali, who said her father is confident that 8-division boxing champion Pacquiao will triumph over Mayweather in their fight, dubbed as the boxing fight of the century. Rasheda said her father respects Mayweather but he favors Pacquiao for the win. “My dad is Team Pacquiao all the way,” Rasheda told TMZ Sports in an interview. Pacquiao and Muhammad Ali first…

DUSELDORF, Germany – Authorities said they have positively identified the remains of Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz from the wreckage through a DNA matching. The report said the DNA samples taken from the wreckage matched with the DNA samples of Lubitz, the co-pilot of the Germanwings Flight 9525 that he intentionally crashed into the French Alps. The positive identification of the remains of Lubitz will help investigators determine whether or not the co-pilot was taking drugs or anti-depressants when the plane crashed into the French Alps, killing 150 people on board. Investigations showed that Lubitz had mental illness and was suffering…

Thirteen Filipino fishermen remained missing more than a month after the Taiwanese fishing vessel they boarded sank in the South Atlantic Ocean, authorities said on Tuesday. Taiwanese fishing vessel Hsiang Fu Chun sank in the South Atlantic Ocean on February 26 but the relatives of the missing Filipinos said they still have not heard about their loved ones more than a month after the tragedy. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed the sinking of the vessel with the Filipinos on board but the families of the missing fishermen said the DFA could not provide them with updates. Earlier,…

Canada is set to begin airstrikes in Syria within two days after the country’s House of Commons has approved the government’s plan to expand its military mission in Iraq,  authorities said Tuesday. Voting 142-129 in favor of a motion extending the mission for up to a full year, the Federal MPs also authorized Canadian fighter jets to conduct bombing runs in Syria against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants. CBC News reported that the airstrikes in Syria could begin within a day or two and that Canada will deploy six CF-18 fighter jets, one CC-150 Polaris air-to-air refueling…

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Three people were killed when a fire broke out in Purok Amelita, Barangay Ipil Heights, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay early dawn Tuesday, authorities said. The fire broke out at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday while residents in the area were fast asleep, the police said. The cause of the two-hour blaze was still being investigated to determine if arson was involved in the fire that led to the death of three persons. The identities of the fatalities have not been disclosed by authorities yet. Fire investigators said the blaze started in the house of one Lizelda Obida and quickly…

Hong Kong singer Jinny Ng said she does not feel the need to apologize to a Facebook user whom she blasted and cursed for making a crude joke about the singer’s mother. Ng, whose mother has been hospitalized after a bike accident, said she may apologize but not because of what she said online but because she is a public figure. “Even if an apology was necessary, it wouldn’t be because I used curse words, but rather because I am a public figure and it would be a bad influence on young children!” the singer said. Jinny Ng’s online tirade…

The police filed charges in court against a 16-year-old Singaporean boy, whom they arrested for insulting Singapore’s late founding father Lee Kuan Yew online. The boy, identified by local media as Amos Yee, is charged in court with “wounding” religious feelings, harassment and circulating obscene content online, the police said. Yee was arrested after he posted a YouTube video filled with expletive attacking Lee Kuan Yew and Christianity. “We received more than 20 reports regarding an online video that contained, in part, insensitive and disparaging remarks against Christians,” the police statement said. The statement also announced the arrest of the…

China’s Foreign Ministry announced that Chinese warships have been used to withdraw hundreds of Chinese citizens from the war-torn Yemen to Djibouti. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told the official Xinhua news agency that at least 122 Chinese nationals have been moved to Djibouti, located across the strait in the Gulf of Aden from Yemen onboard the People’s Liberation Army Navy warship Linyi. Among those that were picked up by the Chinese navy ship were seven women and a child. The operation was conducted after China’s central government ordered navy vessels positioned in the Gulf of Aden and Somal to…

What started as a fishing trip of four friends turned tragic when one of the men, an oil palm plantation worker, suddenly went missing and was believed to have been eaten alive by a giant crocodile. The incident happened Sunday in Sungai Kinabatangan in Kampung Sangau, Malaysia, said Kinabatangan district police chief Supt. A. Sahak Rahmat. Police record showed that the victim, identified as Husin Haris, 40, went fishing in the area with three other friends. The man then went down to the riverbank to wash his face. His friends, who were situated about 20 meters away did not see…

Just about a month after Missouri’s auditor, Tom Schweich, fatally shot himself at his home, the spokesman for the Missouri auditor’s office was found dead Sunday night in an apparent suicide. The Jefferson City Police Department said Robert “Spence” Jackson was found dead Sunday evening inside his home in Jefferson City in what police described as an apparent suicide. Police found Jackson dead when they respondent to a well-being check after one of the Jackson’s family members said the spokesman had been unresponsive to phone calls. The police managed to open Jackson’s room through a key provided by a property…

US President Barack Obama is set to embark on his first visit to Kenya, his father’s homeland, as president this coming July, the White House announced on Monday. The White House has confirmed the President Obama will visit Kenya in July to attend the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which will gather business leaders, government official and entrepreneurs from around the world. The summit has been held annually since 2009 and it will be the first time that the event will be hosted in sub-Saharan Africa. While it will be Obama’s first time to visit Kenya as president of the United…