Diabetes in Latin America: Unskinny genes; New research suggests a genetic susceptibility to the disease

Diabetes in Latin America: Unskinny genes; New research suggests a genetic susceptibility to the disease

Jan 4th 2014 | From the print edition

IF STRAINING waistlines were still a sign of prosperity, Mexicans would be rich. These days, girth is more likely to signal sickness. Diabetes is a particular scourge. The type-2 (or late-onset) variety, which is linked to obesity, is thought to afflict 11m Mexicans. It kills 73,000 of them a year, seven times as many as organised crime. Read more of this post

New rules to protect small China investors

New rules to protect small China investors

Friday, Jan 03, 2014

Esther Teo

The Straits Times

Mr Feng Jianjun has been dabbling in the Chinese stock market for more than 10 years and has been racking up losses. He blames this not on his bad luck or poor judgment but on the inadequate protection given to retail investors like him. Read more of this post

China’s Urban Nightmare: Gridlock

China’s Urban Nightmare: Gridlock

COLUM MURPHY

Jan. 2, 2014 8:23 p.m. ET

WUHAN, China—To understand true gridlock—and a huge challenge for China’s leaders as they try to move residents from the countryside into cities—take a look at Wuhan. Read more of this post

China’s Runaway Train Is Running Out of Track

China’s Runaway Train Is Running Out of Track

A financial drama is unfolding in China as the new year begins. Last week, for the second time in six months, interest rates in the critical interbank lending market spiked above 10 percent, prompting fears of a liquidity crisis that would trigger mass defaults and cripple the world’s second-largest economy.  Read more of this post

China to Let Local Governments Offer New Bonds to Help Repay Debt; Statement Suggests Regulators Are Backing Off From Vows to Hold Local Debt in Check

China to Let Local Governments Offer New Bonds to Help Repay Debt

Statement Suggests Regulators Are Backing Off From Vows to Hold Local Debt in Check

Updated Jan. 2, 2014 12:08 p.m. ET

BEIJING—China’s state planning agency says it will give local governments more leeway to issue bonds in order to repay maturing debt. Companies set up by local governments, often called local government financing vehicles, can issue new bonds to help repay maturing debt on time and ensure that work continues smoothly on existing infrastructure projects, the National Development and Reform Commission said. Read more of this post

Animal Antibiotics: FDA Rules Criticized as Weak as McDonald’s

Animal Antibiotics: FDA Rules Criticized as Weak as McDonald’s

By Ben Elgin and Andrew Martin January 02, 2014

A delegation of public-health advocates filed into the suburban Chicago headquarters of McDonald’s (MCD) last January to deliver a tough message: A decade after the fast-food giant’s groundbreaking promise to reduce medically important antibiotics fed to the animals it buys, the policy had glaring loopholes and was having a questionable impact. Read more of this post

How India’s economic history makes it a hotbed for steroids

How India’s economic history makes it a hotbed for steroids

By Tim Fernholz @timfernholz an hour ago

India has the highest number of athletes suspended after testing positive for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs since 2009, followed by Russia, the New York Times reports. Read more of this post

India Appeals to Companies to Fund Water Pipes, Toilets

India Appeals to Companies to Fund Water Pipes, Toilets

India, where about 37 million people are made ill by water-borne diseases each year, some fatally, is courting corporate aid to finance and build water pipelines and toilets to help improve rural health conditions. Read more of this post

India Leader Singh to Step Down After Vote as Gandhi Rises

India Leader Singh to Step Down After Vote as Gandhi Rises

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signaled younger party leader Rahul Gandhi should replace him while saying he’ll step aside after elections due by May, ending a decade in power with Asia’s third-biggest economy in a slump. Read more of this post

India’s $960 Million Drinking Water Project Gets World Bank Aid

India’s $960 Million Drinking Water Project Gets World Bank Aid

The World Bank is helping offset almost half of the costs of a $960 million drinking-water project to bring piped supplies to rural residents of four low-income states in India, the government said today. Women and children will benefit in particular from the project in the states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh “as they currently bear most of the burden of securing daily water supplies,” India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs said in a statement. The 12th five-year plan for rural water supplies envisions raising piped water coverage to 50 percent of India’s non-urban population with 30 percent of the rural residents having household tap connections. The national and state governments will supply almost all of the remaining project costs. The government of India will repay the $500 million extended as credit by the World Bank over a 25-year period, it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Randall Hackley in London at rhackley@bloomberg.net

Booming Japan Isn’t a Good Buy in 2014

Booming Japan Isn’t a Good Buy in 2014

Two numbers colored Shinzo Abe’s 2013 and offer hints about Japan’s prospects this year: 57 and 49.

The first is how much in percentage terms the Nikkei 225 Stock Average surged in 2013. The prime minister even dropped by the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday to celebrate, declaring: “Next year will go well. With this thought, I want to do my best. Next year too, Abenomics is a buy.” Read more of this post

Debt-ridden state companies are moving to hike prices as part of a government-led debt restructuring program, drawing harsh criticism that they are passing the burden onto the public

2014-01-03 17:41

State firms pass burden to public

By Na Jeong-ju
Debt-ridden state companies are moving to hike prices as part of a government-led debt restructuring program, drawing harsh criticism that they are passing the burden onto the public. Read more of this post

South Korea’s Realignment to Consumer-Led Growth

South Korea’s Realignment to Consumer-Led Growth

After the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, South Korean leaders realized the country’s heavy dependence on exports made it vulnerable to international shocks. To spur domestic spending, the government granted tax breaks to credit-card users. Read more of this post

Thai economy at risk as political rivals vow mass rallies

Thai economy at risk as political rivals vow mass rallies

5:43am EST

By Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat and Martin Petty

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s finance minister expressed concern about a weak currency and damage to the economy on Friday as supporters and opponents of the government prepared for big rallies this month that risk pushing the divided country to the brink of chaos. Read more of this post

Aberdeen Buys Thai Stocks in Biggest First-Day Rout on Valuation

Aberdeen Buys Thailand’s Stocks Amid Worst First-Day Drop

The worst start to a year for Thai stocks since at least 1988 spurred Aberdeen Asset Management Plc to buy after valuations fell to the lowest levels in 18 months. The benchmark SET Index tumbled 5.2 percent yesterday amid concern that prolonged political unrest will curb economic growth. That left the measure valued at 10.8 times earnings estimates for the next 12 months, the cheapest since June 2012, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The gauge’s 14-day relative strength index sank to 19.91, below the 30 threshold that some traders use as a signal to buy. The last time it fell this low, in October 2008, the SET rallied 20 percent in two weeks. Read more of this post

Investment in S’pore equities may not yield favourable returns: DBS

Investment in S’pore equities may not yield favourable returns: DBS

POSTED: 03 Jan 2014 18:47
Investing in Singapore equities this year may not yield returns as favourable as investing in US, Europe and Japan stock markets. This is according to DBS Bank, which is neutral on Singapore equities in 2014.  Read more of this post