Japan shoppers see first sales tax rise in 17 years
Prices rose across Japan Tuesday as a controversial sales tax rise came into effect, with everything from beer to washing machines costing more, sparking fears a drop in consumer spending will derail a nascent economic recovery.
01 April 2014
Pilots' strike grounds Lufthansa
Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, said Monday it will be forced to cancel most of its flights later this week, grounding as many as 425,000 passengers, due to a pilots' strike.
S.Korea's Samsung SDI absorbs materials unit
Samsung SDI, the world's largest smartphone battery maker, said Monday it would absorb an affiliate producing electronic chemical materials, in the latest restructuring of the giant Samsung Group.
31 March 2014
Italian firm wins $1.2 bn Lima metro contract
Italian industrial giant Finmeccanica on Friday said it had won a $1.2 billion (873 million euro) contract for building and operating unmanned metro lines in Lima.
Taiwan's Hon Hai profit up 12.7% in 2013 on iPhone demand
Taiwan tech giant Hon Hai Precision, the world's largest contract manufacturer for electronics, saw its net profit rise 12.7 percent on-year in 2013, bolstered by demand for Apple's new products.
Samsung irked by early Galaxy S5 release in South KoreaSamsung voiced annoyance Thursday after South Korean telecoms operators released its latest smartphone ahead of schedule in order to dodge sales restrictions imposed by regulators.
27 March 2014
Prodigal son returns as Murdoch sets succession planRupert Murdoch's prodigal son is back, with key roles in the family's media entertainment empire in what appears to be a succession plan for the 83-year-old tycoon.
Australia to sell biggest health insurerThe conservative government of Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Wednesday said it would press ahead with the sale of Australia's largest health insurer Medibank Private via an initial public offering.
S.Korea opens spot market for physical gold tradeSouth Korea launched a gold trading exchange for the first time on Monday in a bid to help counter the country's burgeoning black market in the precious metal.