Tokyo  Nikkei  9716.65  -1.50%
Seoul   KOSPI  2122.65  -2.03%
Shanghai SSEC  2844.08  -1.36%
Hong Kong HSI 23073.76  -0.94%
Singapore STI  3130.45  -1.47%
Mumbai    BSE 18335.79  -1.34%
Sydney   AORD  4776.60  -1.68% 
   
1. Japan Injects US$62B to Fund Tepco Compensation
The government is expected to announce the plan to help Tokyo Electric Power compensate victims of the crisis at its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant. The scheme is designed to protect bondholders and will keep Tepco shares listed.
 
2. S Korea Household Bank Loan Jumps Most in 5 Months
Loans to household increased by US$2.3 billion in Apr, after a revised gain of US$1.57 billion in Mar. It was the 3rd straight month that loans climbed to all-time highs.
 
3. San Miguel Q1 Profit Doubles
Net income jumped to US$167 million in the 3 months ended Mar, as sales rose 183% to US$2.96 billion. San Miguel, the Philippines' largest company which has been a brewer for more than a century, has expanded into industries such as electricity, oil, mining and telecommunications.
 
4. Japan Current Account Shrinks 34.3% on Year 
The Mar surplus totaled US$21 billion, which was lower than expected but up from US$20.2 billion in Feb. The trade balance reflected a surplus of US$2.96 billion, down 77.9% from a year earlier.
 
5. Asia Stocks Fall on Weaker Commodities
MSCI's index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 1.8% after a second big sell-off in commodities in less than a week. Japan Nikkei 225 fell 1.5% while Hong Kong Hang Seng index slid 1%.
 
6. Singtel Q4 Profit Falls 2.3%
Net income of the Singapore telecom giant was US$805 million in the 3 months ended Mar. The firm said the contribution of its Indian unit was down 29% due to the acquisition of assets in Africa.
 
7. China Purchases Most Japanese Bonds since 2005
Japan said China bought US$2.9 billion in long-term bonds in Mar, but also sold a net US$1.23 million in Japanese stock and a net US$5.12 million of short-term debts. 
 
8. HK Billionaire Cheng Buys 15% Stake in Giordano
Cheng Yu-tung acquired 218.4 million shares of the Hong Kong retail giant at an average price of US$0.62 each, or about US$135 million. The purchase made the chairman of New World Development to be the biggest shareholder of Giordano.
 
9. US Plans to Break China Internet Censorship
Washington is pumping US$19 million into new technology to fight Internet censorship in countries such as China and Iran, saying  it may be possible to relay politically sensitive material through emails, or by posting it on blogs or websites that Beijing hasn't yet been able to block.
 
10. Pyongyang Rejects S Korea's Invitation to Summit
N Korea rebuffed S Korea's offer to host leader Kim Jong Il at an international nuclear summit in Seoul next year. S Korean President Lee Myung-bak made the proposal Monday in Berlin. He conditioned the offer on the North stopping its nuclear weapons program.