» AsianWeek Market Report
» One Third of Asian Elders Live Below Poverty Line in NYC
» CAPAC Elects Officers for 111th Congress
» Little-Known Japanese American WWII War Heroes Celebrated
» San Diego Jury Finds Man Guilty of Hawaiian Pro Surfer’s Murder
» Filipino American Vocalist Cracks World Music Chart
» New Zealand Stuns Australia at Rugby League World Cup
» APEC Upbeat Over Global Downturn
» Taiwan Residents Shop to Prop Up Economy
» Malaysian Clerics Ban Yoga Because Could Corrupt Muslims
» Panda Attacks Man in Chinese Zoo
Compiled by Justine Rivero
AsianWeek Market Report
| AsianWeek Market Report | ||||
| Asian Stock Indexes | ||||
| NIKKEI 225 | Tokyo | 7,910.79 | 207.75 | 2.70% |
| HANG SENG | Hong Kong | 12,457.94 | -201.26 | -1.59% |
| KRX | Busan | 2051.68 | -78.74 | -3.70% |
| SSE IX | Shanghai | 6,466.19 | -245.15 | -3.65% |
| BSE | Bombay | 8,903.12 | -12.09 | -0.14% |
| HOSE | Ho Chi Minh | 317.93 | -1.03 | -0.32% |
| SET | Bangkok | 265.14 | -9.37 | -3.41% |
| Asian American Market Report | ||||
| Yahoo! | YHOO | 10.21 | 0.82 | (8.73%) |
| Citigroup | C | 5.95 | 2.18 | (57.82%) |
| Amkor Technology, Inc | AMKR | 1.99 | 0.44 | (28.39%) |
| Sybase | SY | 24.25 | 0.60 | (2.54%) |
| East West Bank corp,Inc | EWBC | 13.28 | 2.15 | (19.32%) |
NATION
One Third of Asian Elders Live Below Poverty Line in NYC
NEW YORK — According to a survey recently published by the Asian American Coalition, poverty among elders in the United States is dropping overall, but poverty among elders in New York City is rising, from 10 percent in the ’90s to 22 percent today.
The poverty ratio for Asian elders is even higher, at 29 percent. China Press cites that in 1959, the poverty ratio among elders was 35 percent in the United States. After the federal government made efforts to help elders, the number decreased to 15 percent.
This economic crisis has hit Asian Americans particularly hard. Not only are they the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S., but Asian Americans are also becoming elders faster than any other group. There are currently about 90,000 Asian elders living in New York City and that number is expected to grow to 190,000 by 2020.
—China Press
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CAPAC Elects Officers for 111th Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gearing up for the new Congress and Obama Administration, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) re-elected Rep. Mike Honda as chairman, Rep. Eni Faleomavaega for vice chairman and Rep. Madeleine Bordallo as secretary for the 111th Congress, as Caucus members reaffirmed their commitment to representing the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Congress.
CAPAC is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, Members with high AAPI populations in their district or Members who have shown extraordinary and consistent dedication to the community. Among CAPAC’s top priorities for the new Congress are education, immigration reform, economy, health care and equity for Filipino WWII veterans.
“The CAPAC Caucus continues to be an effective voice for our community,” said Rep. Bordallo. “We have helped to set the agenda in the 110th Congress, and under the leadership of Chairman Honda, we can continue our record of success in the 111th Congress.”
BAY/CALIFORNIA
Little-Known Japanese American WWII War Heroes Celebrated
SAN FRANCISCO — Japanese American wartime experience at the Presidio was commemorated at the “Return and Remembrance” event to remember the Japanese American little-known heroes of World War II and the building where history was made.
Building 640 near the Crissy Field waterfront was the secret warehouse that safeguarded WWII’s Military Language School where Japanese American (Nisei) soldiers were trained one month before Pearl Harbor. The heroism of these young soldiers and a $1 million grant from Congress will help to tell their stories at the historical site by transforming the warehouse into a Historic Learning Center.
At Building 640, the U.S. military secretly recruited enlisted Japanese American (Nisei) soldiers and trained them for strategic and tactical operations as military linguists for the coming war. Thanks to sponsors National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS), the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service, the new grant will rehabilitate the historic warehouse, preparing it for its eventual use as a public educational center.
The 10,000 square foot site will showcase a mock-up classroom and barracks, as well as displays from a growing Japanese American Military collection of 10,000 documents and objects. It is hoped to open in 2011, the 70th anniversary of the school’s creation.
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San Diego Jury Finds Man Guilty of Hawaiian Pro Surfer’s Murder
SAN DIEGO — Seth Cravens, 22, was convicted of second-degree murder for killing local professional surfer, Emery Kauanui, with a single punch to the head during a scuffle. He could face 15 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors say an argument that started at a bar led to a confrontation outside the home of Kauanui’s mother in the wealthy seaside enclave of La Jolla. Cravens knocked Kauanui him to the pavement. Hospitalized with severe head trauma, he died a few days later after being taken off life support.
Raised in Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, and nicknamed the “Flying Hawaiian,” Kauanui was a fixture at San Diego’s Windansea Beach, just a few blocks from his house, where his favorite surf break is now called “Emery’s Left.”
—AP
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
Filipino American Vocalist Cracks World Music Chart
LOS ANGELES — Filipino American vocalist Charmaine Clamor, the creator of “jazzipino,” is back on the World Music chart with her second consecutive top-ten record. JazzWeek, the official monitor of American world music radio play, announced today that Clamor’s new album My Harana: A Filipino Serenade debuted at #7 on the current World Music chart.
My Harana is the second consecutive recording Ms. Clamor has placed in the World Music Top Ten. The album is a collection of native Filipino courtship songs, which Clamor sings in eight different languages and dialects. After Charmaine was featured on BBC’s The World, heard in America on NPR, radio programmers around the country added My Harana to their playlists.
Following a tour of the Philippines, Charmaine Clamor returns to the United States for a series of concerts in Los Angeles, San Diego and New York City.
SPORTS
New Zealand Stuns Australia at Rugby League World Cup
With a score of 34-20, New Zealand Kiwis stunned Australia’s Kangaroos to win the Rugby League World Cup for the first time in history, in front of 50,000 plus spectators at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. After being beaten by the Kangaroos in 13 previous World Cup contests, the Kiwis finally come out on top.
Australia had held the trophy since 1975 and was undefeated in the current tournament, including a 30-6 win over New Zealand in their opening game. But the Kiwis had steadily improved through the tournament and put together a performance of skill, determination and power — and in doing so inflicted one of the greatest upsets in modern-day sport.
—BBC News
COMMERCE
APEC Upbeat Over Global Downturn
LIMA, Peru — The 21 leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) nations closed their annual summit by declaring their belief that the global economic crisis can be overcome by 2010. They also said they support economic stimulus to ward off the threat of recession and signed.
The meeting was U.S. President George W. Bush’s final summit before leaving office on January 20.
In their closing declaration, the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) nations backed emerging global plans to boost spending in the face of lower economic growth rates. The final declaration followed a statement made at the halfway point of the summit on Saturday, in which the leaders agreed to avoid protectionist measures and keep trade free despite the economic climate.
—BBC News
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Taiwan Residents Shop to Prop Up Economy
Shoppers will be handed more than $100 in redeemable vouchers in a government bid to beat the global credit crisis. They will be valid in shops, restaurants and supermarkets in 2009.
Prime Minister Liu Chao-shiuan said the handout of T$3,600 to each of Taiwan’s 23 million people would happen in January. People who donate their coupons will be able to file for tax deductions.
The shopping voucher measure has been passed by Liu’s cabinet but still needs legislative approval. Taiwan’s economy continued to show signs of slowing in September and in October, exports fell 8.3 percecnt on a year earlier. Taiwan’s central bank cut interest rates to 2.75 percent last week — the fourth cut in just over a month.
“The program is aimed at boosting the economy… and is expected to contribute to a 0.64 percent increase in 2009 GDP,” he told a news conference in Taipei.
—BBC News
GLOBAL
Malaysian Clerics Ban Yoga Because Could Corrupt Muslims
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Islamic authorities have issued a ruling, known as a fatwa, instructing the country’s Muslims to avoid yoga because of its Hindu roots.
To most people, yoga is simply a sport — a stress-busting start to the day. Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council said it goes further than that and that elements of the Indian religion are inherent in yoga. Announcing the decision, the Council Chairman Abdul Shukor Husin said practices like chanting and what he called worshipping were inappropriate and they could “destroy the faith of a Muslim.”
Malaysia is a secular democracy where Islam is the official religion, so although the ruling is not legally binding many of Malaysia’s Muslims abide by fatwas.
—BBC News
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Panda Attacks Man in Chinese Zoo
GUANGXI ZHUANG, China — A man was attacked by a panda in a zoo in southern China after he ignored signs and scaled a 6.5-foot barrier to its enclosure hoping to cuddle the creature. The incident happened on Friday at Qixing Park in Guilin, a popular tourist attraction in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which houses a small zoo and panda exhibit.
The panda, Yang Yang, who is seven years old and weighs almost 180 lbs, was apparently scared by the intruder and bit the man’s arms and legs. The man — named only as Liu — was taken to hospital.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the 20-year-old college student said the panda had looked so cute he had just wanted to hug it. Keepers said Yang Yang had recovered from the incident and was eating and playing as normal.
—BBC News
