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November 2008
Early death Zhang Sheng Yu, 39, has become the latest of Chinese listed company CEOs to suffer an early death. The head of the venerable pharmacy chain Tong Reng Tang, listed in Shanghai, died of a sudden heart attack on July 22.
Loan shark days The credit crunch has hit China so badly that some smaller companies and individuals are borrowing money at 600% per month, according to local media.
Instant noodles rule the world!
It is the most popular processed food on earth and by far the most controversial. Its supporters say it is the ideal food for the masses and one of the 20th century's great inventions. Its detractors call it a weapon of mass destruction and blame its high sodium content and preservatives for widespread malnutrition from the Philippines to Mexico.
Easy to prepare and stomach-filling, it has become the staple diet of the world's dispossessed and victims of war and disasters, from the 2005 Boxing Day tsunami to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Don't tell the Japanese instant noodles is really Chinese!
In 2000, the Japanese public voted instant noodles as the most important food invented in the 20th century. Little do they know that it was invented by a Chinese.
It is on record that Momofuku Ando (above) of Osaka, the founder of the giant food concern Nissin Food Products, invented instant noodles in 1958. What is almost never mentioned is that Ando, now 98, was born a Chinese named Wu Bai-fu.
Blood money (Part 1 of 2)
With his investment in 3G technology bleeding red ink, Li Ka-shing makes sure he pays his lieutenants well to keep it afloat.
Is it better to work for a boss who's doing well or one who's in trouble? When it comes to Li Ka-shing, it is definitely the latter.
Blood Money (Part 2 of 2)
So Li ploughed on, putting more and more of Hutchinson's money into the venture. As of end-2007, Hutchinson had invested around US$25 billion in it, and not got a single cent in return.
August 2008
Empty space Demand for prime office space in Japan has shown signs of waning as foreign financial institutions hold back expansion plans in the face of the fallout from the subprime crisis.
Video game winner Almost written off two years ago, Nintendo has captured the top spot in Japan for "Innovation in Responding to Customer Needs" with its Wii in the Wall Street Journal Asia’s latest Asia 200 survey of readers.
July 2008
Japanese annual inflation hit 1.2% in March, the highest in a decade. This helped trigger a huge sell-off in yen bonds in late April after the figures were released.
Investors feared Japan had little immunity from price increases and its central bank might be forced to raise rates, despite a weak economy.
Jaded in Japan
Has something become lost in translation for this gaijin mouse?
In 1998, when the beleaguered Hong Kong government started talking to the Walt Disney Company for a theme park in the territory, it probably looked to Tokyo Disneyland as a model for emulation. Unfortunately it is the wrong model.
When Disney goes abroad - Eurodisney: High attendance but bleeds money
In May, EuroDisney abruptly replaced its CEO. Andre Lacroix, who hailed from Burger King and who was at the job for only two years. He was replaced by Karl Holz, a Disney veteran. If the sudden change at the top upset shareholders and employees, it was a side issue to EuroDisney which is again fighting for its survival.
Akio Toyoda
In the office he wears the ubiquitous white button-down shirt and dark blue suit and behaves as modestly as any other salaryman. Behind the wheel he is a demon.
TRACK THE FIRES
