Tokyo  Nikkei  8943.76  -1.25%
Seoul   KOSPI  1860.58  -1.70%
Shanghai SSEC  2559.47  -1.61%
Hong Kong HSI 20016.27  -1.34%
Singapore STI  2824.96  -0.13%
Mumbai    BSE 16496.53  -2.04%
Sydney   AORD  4319.40  -1.20% 
 
1. Japan Exports Fall for 5th Month in July
Overseas shipment was down 3.3% from a year earlier to US$75.6 billion. Imports climbed 9.9% to US$74.5 billion and posted a surplus of US$1.1 billion. 
 
2. Asia Stocks Drop amid Economic Pessimism
Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.3% on concern about the global economic outlook. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 1.3% while China's Shanghai Composite index fell 1.6%.
 
3. China Mobile H1 Profit Climbs 6.3% on Year
Net income of China's biggest carrier jumped to US$9.6 billion in the first half, meeting expectations. The growth rate was the fastest since the second half of 2008. 
 
4. Asahi to Buy Independent Liquor for US$1.28B
Japan's top brewer hopes to complete the deal by the end of September. The New Zealand beverage firm reported an annual sales of US$315 million for the year ended Sep 2010.
 
5. Woori Sale Receives One Bid
The S Korean state-run firm said it received only one submission after the deadline lapsed. It was the country's 2nd attempt to sell its US$5.2 billion stake.
 
6. Lenovo Earns US$108.8M in Q1
Net income of China's biggest PC maker was up from US$54.9 million and better than expected. The firm's net profit has more than tripled to US$42.1 million in the previous quarter.  
 
7. HK Exchange in Venture Talks with Shanghai, Shenzhen
The firm has agreed in principle to enter into detailed discussions with the stock exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen with a view to establish a joint venture to develop new indices and derivative products.
 
8. Malaysia Quarterly GDP Grows 4%
The annual growth in the 3 months ended June was the slowest since Q4 2009, compared with a revised 4.9% gain in Q1. PM Najib Razak expects the growth target of 5 to 6% for 2011 will be achieved. 
 
9. Philippine Landslide Kills 3
The incident happened in a gold-mining community in southern Bataan township due to heavy rain. 4 other villagers were injured. 
 
10. Indian Anti-Graft Crusader Agrees to 15-day Fast
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare struck a deal with police to hold a 15-day public hunger strike against graft, ending a bizarre standoff at a New Delhi prison. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through cities across India to show their support for him.