Tag: All Regions

China examining PwC role in $105 billion Evergrande fraud case

SHANGHAI – The Chinese authorities are examining the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers in China Evergrande Group’s accounting practices after the developer was accused of a US$78 billion (S$105 billion) fraud, ramping up pressure on the global accounting giant that audited a slew of developers before the sector’s meltdown. The country’s securities regulator this week accused Evergrande’s main onshore subsidiary Hengda Real…

Rich Indians own 40% of wealth in extreme inequality under Modi

  MUMBAI – India’s inequality gap has widened sharply under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decade in power, with the richest 1 per cent of the population now owning 40 per cent of the country’s wealth, a new study found. The top 1 per cent, or about 9.2 million people, earn 22.6 per cent of total income – the highest share…

Major airlines want to hear how Boeing plans to fix problems in the manufacturing of its planes

The heads of leading U.S. airlines want to meet with Boeing and hear the aircraft manufacturer’s strategy for fixing quality-control problems that have gained attention since a panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines jetliner in January, people familiar with the situation said Thursday. The meeting is likely to take place next week, according to a person who spoke on…

CEO of Singapore’s CIX carbon credit exchange resigns

SINGAPORE – Mr Mikkel Larsen, chief executive officer of Singapore’s Climate Impact X (CIX), a carbon credit exchange and marketplace, has announced his resignation, CIX said in a statement on March 21. Mr Larsen, 49, will remain in his role until a new or interim CEO is appointed. He will continue to serve as a member of CIX’s board thereafter,…

An Amsterdam court has ruled KLM’s sustainable aviation advertising misled consumers

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In a decision hailed by an environmental group as a historic victory, an Amsterdam court ruled Wednesday that Dutch national airline KLM misled consumers in statements about sustainable aviation in a case that accused the carrier of “greenwashing.” Amsterdam District Court said in a statement that in some advertisements, that are no longer in use,…

US designates Balkan officials for corruption

The US Department of State announced the designation of former North Macedonia Special Chief Prosecutor, Katica Janeva; current mayor of Karpos, North Macedonia, Stevco Jakimovski; and former mayor of Kacanik, Kosovo, Xhabir Zharku, for their actions undermining the rule of law and the public’s faith in their respective governments’ democratic institutions and public processes. Janeva was found to be involved in corrupt acts,…

US House panel holds Biden impeachment hearing

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives seeking to chart a part forward in their impeachment probe of President Joe Biden will on Wednesday question two former associates of his son Hunter. House Republicans say the president and members of his family improperly profited from policy decisions in which Biden, a Democrat, participated while vice president from 2009-17. The White House…

A year on from Credit Suisse’s rescue, banks remain vulnerable

LONDON/ZURICH – A year after the banking crisis that felled Credit Suisse, the authorities are still considering how to fix lenders’ vulnerabilities – including in Switzerland, where the bank’s takeover by rival UBS created a behemoth. The Swiss government-sponsored rescue of Credit Suisse and US bank salvages in March 2023 doused the immediate fires kindled by a run at little-known…

BlackRock, GIC consider sale of UK gas pipeline assets

  BlackRock and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC are exploring the sale of a network of gas pipeline assets in Britain hat could fetch about US$2 billion (S$2.67 billion), according to people familiar with the matter. The owners are working with investment bank Jefferies Financial Group to find potential buyers for Kellas Midstream, the people said, asking not to be…

JPMorgan fined almost $350M for issues with trade surveillance program

JPMorgan is facing nearly $350 million in fines from bank regulators due to issues with its trade surveillance program. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Thursday that it was assessing a $250 million civil penalty against JPMorgan Chase Bank because it found that the company “operated with gaps in trading venue coverage and without adequate data controls…

No Signboard not taking action against interim CEO for now over fiduciary duty allegations

  SINGAPORE – No Signboard Holdings is of the preliminary view that no action would have to be taken against interim chief executive officer Lim Teck-Ean. This comes after it having been legally advised with regard to allegations that the interim chief executive officer had breached his fiduciary duties, the food and beverage player said on March 11. In a…

Bitcoin tops US$71,000 for the first time as rally builds steam

  Bitcoin topped US$71,000 for the first time, advancing for a sixth straight day and taking this year’s rally to almost 70 per cent on the back of massive inflows into US exchange-traded funds.  The original cryptocurrency jumped as much as 3.2 per cent to US$71,631.45 on March 11.  “This rally comes following a weak Asian trading session in which…

Boeing faces criminal investigation by DOJ for Alaska Airlines plane blowout

As you read through the details of the DOJ investigation, ask yourself why Boeing was permitted to regulte itself. Deregulation is a choice made by government.  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner incident that occurred on an Alaska Airlines plane earlier this year, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. According to…

Boeing 747-9 mid-air malfunction: Inability to locate records for door panel maintenance

In a letter addressed to Congress, Boeing has admitted the inability to locate records for maintenance performed on a door panel that malfunctioned during an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon two months ago. “We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen.Maria Cantwell on Friday….

United Airlines Boeing jet rolls off runway with 166 aboard

A United Airlines jet with 166 passengers aboard rolled off the runway into a grassy area in Houston on Friday morning, making it the third such mishap involving a Boeing plane this week. No casualties were reported, the Airlines said in a statement. Video footage taken after the landing showed the plane leaning to one side, with one of its…

Canada’s anti-money laundering agency offline after cyberattack

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) has announced that a “cyber incident” forced it to take its corporate systems offline as a precaution. FINTRAC is a government agency in Canada that operates as the country’s financial intelligence unit. It is engaged in money laundering investigations, tracking millions of suspicious transactions annually and making thousands of disclosures…