| Visa UnionPay ban unenforced |
Visa未“如期”封殺銀聯 |
| After making major headlines in China and the US with its call in May to stop using UnionPay, Visa has become strangely mum on the issue, the Global Times reported. Reports said that Visa informed its member financial institutions this May to stop using UnionPay as an international payment method from Aug. 1. The first violation would result in a charge of US$50,000, and further violations would cost them US$25,000 each month. But "UnionPay cards co-branded with Visa can still be used overseas," said a source close to the matter Monday. Calls to major banks all confirmed that they have not yet received any information about the ban on UnionPay in overseas markets. A customer service agent with UnionPay did not know whether the Visa ban had taken effect. |
據《環球時報》報道，今年五月Visa叫停中國銀聯海外結算通道，受到了中美兩國媒體的廣泛關注，但Visa最近卻在這個問題上出奇地沉默。報道稱Visa公司五月左右要求其下屬的金融機構從8月1日開始停止銀聯的海外結算通道。銀行首次犯規將被處以5萬美元的罰款；如果再犯，每月將罰款2.5萬美元。但是有關人士周一透露說，“銀聯Visa聯名信用卡目前在海外仍可以使用?！备鞔筱y行在電話中都證實銀聯的海外業務目前沒有收到任何禁令通知。一名銀聯的銷售人員表示不清楚Visa的禁令是否已經生效。 |
| Geely completes Volvo buy |
吉利完成收購沃爾沃 |
| Zhejiang Geely said on Monday it paid US$1.3 billion in cash and issued a US$200 million note to Ford Motor Co. to complete its purchase of Ford's Volvo unit, Reuters reported. The purchase marked China's biggest acquisition of a foreign car maker and reflected the nation's rapid rise in the auto world. The real challenge for Geely will lie ahead, as it aims to restore Volvo to long-term profits. Volvo Cars posted revenue of US$12.4 billion in 2009 by selling 334,000 cars, but it recorded a pretax loss of US$653 million. Geely's plan includes using Volvo to produce luxury brands in China while maintaining its operations in Europe to supply the international market. |
據路透社報道，浙江吉利于周一表示其向福特汽車公司支付了13億美元的現金及2億美元的票據，由此完成了對福特旗下沃爾沃汽車的收購。這是中國對外國汽車制造商最大宗的收購，也反映出中國在全球汽車業的地位迅速上升。吉利想如其所愿，使沃爾沃扭虧為盈，任務還十分艱巨。2009年，沃爾沃汽車公司賣了33.4萬輛車，收入124億美元，然而其稅前虧損卻達到了6.53億美元。吉利計劃保留沃爾沃的歐洲業務，繼續對國際市場的供貨，與此同時，利用沃爾沃在中國生產豪華車型。 |
| Shenzhen debuts harsh traffic laws |
深圳“最嚴厲”交規實施 |
| Three drivers in Shenzhen have been detained for 15 days and fined 50,000 yuan after the city introduced its most stringent traffic rules Sunday, Information Times reported. The new punishments for 10 common offenses include fines of 500 yuan for running red lights, 3,000 yuan for drunk driving, and 50,000 yuan for covering or falsifying license plates. Traffic police say heavy punishment will deter offenders, but some people say it is a burden for common people. |
據《信息時報》報道，上周日深圳史上最猛交規開罰后，已經有3名司機各被罰款5萬并拘留15天。新規包括10項交通安全違法行為處罰，其中闖紅燈罰500元，醉酒駕駛罰3000元，變造號牌罰5萬。交警稱，高額罰款能制止違法行為，但一些人認為天價罰單對于普通老百姓來說過于沉重。 |
| MeeGo gets Intel, Tencent input |
騰訊出手機 |
| China's leading portal company Tencent plans to launch its own mobile phone brand using the open source operating system MeeGo, a company insider says. Tencent has dropped Android after consideration, the person adds without elaborating on the reason or the future OEM for Tencent phones. Another source suggests Tencent is merely adding its own elements into a present version of MeeGo instead of creating a new one, "similar to the relation between OPhone and Android." |
騰訊內部人士近日透露，騰訊將于年底推出自有品牌手機，值得注意的是該手機將采用用戶開放的MeeGo操作系統。該內部人士還透露，騰訊也曾考慮采用Android操作系統，但最終放棄，其并未透露放棄Android的原因以及未來騰訊的OEM廠商。來自另一渠道的消息顯示，騰訊自有品牌手機并不采用現有的操作系統，而是加入更多的騰訊元素，“類似OPhone與Android的關系。” |
| HSBC's earnings double in H1 |
匯豐收入翻番 |
| The Wall Street Journal reported that HSBC Holdings PLC said its profits doubled in the first half of the year to US$6.8 billion. That eclipsed the bank's combined US$5.8 billion profits over the prior 12-month period. Losses on bad loans tumbled to US$7.5 billion, the lowest level since the financial crisis struck in the fall of 2008. Last year, HSBC suffered about US$26.5 billion in loan impairments. The resurgent profits show that the UK's banking sector has largely healed. |
據《華爾街日報》報道，匯豐控股有限公司表示其上半年的利潤翻了一倍，達到了68億美元，超過了前12個月利潤之和，即58億美元。其不良貸款的損失降到了75億美元，為2008年秋季金融危機爆發以來的最低值。去年，匯豐經營糟糕，其貸款損失達到了約265億美元。其利潤的上漲也顯示出英國的銀行業已基本恢復元氣。 |
