Asia Pacific

Receivers have moved in to take control of the company that runs one of Auckland's top hotels, the Westin Lighter Quay, The New Zealand Herald reported. The five star hotel will remain operating as normal and staff will not be affected. There is no change to any forward bookings. Receivers KordaMentha have issued a release saying they have been appointed as receivers for Lighter Quay Management - the company which runs the Westin Hotel complex.
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Bankruptcy laws have been modernised under legislation passed by the Senate, as a growing number of Australians get into financial strife through consumer debt, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. There was an 11 per cent increase in personal bankruptcies last financial year, according to the federal government. Labor's amended draft laws raise the minimum amount on which a creditor can petition for bankruptcy from $2000 to $5000. Originally, the amount was $10,000, but the government successfully moved to reduce the figure.
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A confectionary company at the centre of a landmark intellectual property fight with Mars Australia has been placed in voluntary administration following the collapse of its parent company Reseau International Trading, which is believed to owe about $100 million to investors and creditors, SmartCompany.com.au reported. The Sweet Rewards, RIT and another company called Salt Pan Trading were placed in administration late last week at the request of RIT director Richard Smith.
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South Korean banks have selected 65 companies to undergo a restructuring program - a majority of which will receive support from creditors to normalize operations - as the government pushes the banks to weed out weak businesses that could threaten the economy, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported. The Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service said in a joint statement Friday that of the 65 companies, 16 are in the construction sector, three in the shipbuilding sector and one in the shipping sector.
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Dubai International Capital, a heavily-indebted investment arm of the emirate’s ruler, has dismissed speculation about a fire sale of assets by promising to keep its five majority-owned companies in Europe for at least two more years, the Financial Times reported. In a letter to the senior managers of its portfolio companies, DIC said it had already spent $300m on supporting its troubled investments, such as the UK hotel chain Travelodge and German industrial groups Almatis and Mauser.
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Debt-ridden Japan Airlines Corp plans to cut 1,886 contract and temporary workers, as part of the larger jobs cut announced in April, the Nikkei business daily reported. JAL, which plans to axe 16,000 jobs and stop 45 domestic and international flights, will not renew contracts of the workers, mostly in sales, maintenance and flight attendant positions, the paper said. The airline, which seeks 4,339 volunteers for early retirement across the globe, will lay off another 785 employees on airport duties, the paper said.
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Queensland sorghum growers have expressed relief at news the Dalby Bio-refinery will continue to operate, despite it being placed into the control of receivers last Friday. The Bio-refinery, Australia's first grains to ethanol refinery, was placed into voluntary administration last Friday with debts of $80 million, Queensland Country Life reported. Receiver managers Ernst and Young have indicated the plant will continue to trade as normal as assessments are made about the viability of the existing business and whether it will be prepared for sale.
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More companies associated with Christchurch property developer Dave Henderson were placed into receivership Friday, TVNZ reported. The companies were Livingspace Properties Ltd, Castle Street Ventures Ltd, Tay Ventures Ltd, RFD Investments Ltd and 92 Lichfield Ltd. The receivers are Tim Downes, Simon Thorn and Dave Ruscoe of Grant Thornton New Zealand. Livingspace Properties operates apartments in Dunedin, Invercargill and Christchurch. The receivers intend to continue to operate the Livingspace businesses and honour bookings.
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China moved unexpectedly over the weekend to make its exchange rate more flexible, but quickly damped the idea that the move would trigger a dramatic revaluation of the yuan by saying it would make the adjustment "gradually,” The Wall Street Journal reported. The decision by the world's third-largest economy follows heavy pressure by the U.S. and other members of the Group of 20 major economies. It could eventually boost the spending power of China's own consumers, easing the strains with other nations caused by its long reliance on cheap exports.
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Russian state-owned bank Sberbank is seeking a seat on the board of failed Kazakh bank BTA, the head of Kazakhstan's national welfare fund, Kairat Kelimbetov, said on Friday. "The talks are only with Sberbank," Kelimbetov, who also has a seat on Sberbank's supervisory board, told Reuters. "We are formulating a plan for the next 2-3 years." The welfare fund owns BTA. Sberbank has been in talks to take over the bankrupt Kazakh lender, one of the largest in the oil rich central Asian state. If it takes a board seat it would likely signal the takeover is ready to proceed.
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