22/04/2014 Asia Business Report

June, unless significant progress is made in talks with the government.

Now on BBC News, all the latest business news live from Singapore.

The weak yen, what impact will it have? UnderWater World. Today's cool

jobs features what it takes to work at one of the world's biggest

aquariums. Hello and welcome. Starting with the Japanese market,

the Nikkei index is down by more than 10%. There are concerns over

the country's consumption tax, which jumped to 8% from 5% at the start of

April. We are just at the start of the earnings season, and investors

will be looking at how exporters are faring. The yen is hovering at a

two`year low against the US dollar. And industrial robot manufacturer

saw an 80% fall. I asked if this would set the tone for Japan's

corporate earnings season, when your earning numbers showed that

investors need to get more exposure to Japan. They need to start doing

it now. Most of them spent the first quarter selling out. When you see

weak data points, it's a great opportunity to get back on the

market. People don't know the big picture of Abenomics. That's where

the focus should be. Focus is on domestic demand. Should we see

better numbers, domestically? Absolutely. Going forward, there

might be a one month or two month blip in numbers, a distortion caused

by the sales tax. But, overall, without a doubt, consumption

spending on the domestic front in Japan will increase, and the

rebirth, if you will, of the modern Japanese economy will take place.

Investors need to find a way to participate in that. We are seeing

the near`term impact of the consumption tax, raised to 8%. But,

over that term, with the Japanese yen weak against the US dollar,

helping exporters' bottom lines, could this offset the sales tax? It

could. Somewhat. Exports are only around 70% of the economy. In the

overall picture, we don't think this is where the biggest impact comes.

The biggest impact comes from the move back to 2% inflation from the

Bank of Japan, maintaining a similar Tory policy. And from the Prime

Minister's government, focusing on reconstruction or developing a new

economic structure for Japan. So, if those things are continuing on the

correct path, we need to be getting exposure to Japan. India's Supreme

Court ruled that mining can resume in the state of Goa, ending a

previous ban to stop environmental damage. But there are conditions

attached. The court said a maximum of 20 million tonnes can now be

mined every year. Also, mining activities are allowed within 1km of

parks and sanctuaries. `` are not allowed. Goa, a top tourist

destination, was once the world's biggest exporter of iron ore. It

shipped around 100 million tonnes of the raw material annually. A net

loss will be posted by Thai Airways as fewer travellers head to Thailand

due to the long political unrest. The airline said passenger numbers

in March fell by more than 20% from the same period one year ago. The

number of seats sold for the first quarter fell by 20%. Thai Airways

also cited fears of competition from local carriers. The airline is

scheduled to announce its first quarter numbers next month. The

earnings season is under way in corporate America. Netflix reported

a $53 million profit for the first quarter. That is a big jump from the

$3 million in profit over the same period last year. Much of the

earnings came from the addition of more than two million customers

through its movie and streaming service. The firm started as a DVD

rental service, and now produces its own dramas for television. This

report from New York. Netflix has been an industry disruptor, really

altering the way people watch TV shows and movies. More recently,

some of their original programming, like House of Cards and Orange is

the New Black, have been real game`changers. For the first time,

it has surpassed YouTube as the place for people go to watch online

videos. It now boasts about 48 million subscribers. It made gains

both in the United States and internationally. Netflix is

available in the US and internationally. New subscribers

have pushed the company's revenue and earnings up higher for this last

quarter. But, for those people who have yet to sign on, they can expect

to be paying a little bit more. Netflix will be charging new

subscribers about $1 or $2 more in the coming months. Looking forward

in the next year or so, Netflix is planning a big push in Europe,

hoping to increase how many subscribers it has internationally.

For more on Netflix and other top stories from around the world,

please visit our website. American car giant Ford has reportedly named

the Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields as the successor to its Chief

Executive. That has been the buzz in the auto industry, according to

sources. The automaker has declined to comment. The chief executive is

said to be stepping down at the end of this year. He has been credited

with improving its fortunes since taking the helm in 2006. The car

company is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting in a few

weeks, on the 8th of May. Apple is offering free recycling of its used

products, and said it is making efforts to power all of its stores,

offices and centres with renewable energy, to reduce the pollution cost

by its devices and online services. The firm has started issuing gift

cards at some of its stores worldwide in exchange for iPhones

and iPad that are still in good condition to be resold. They also

offer a wide array of products that are not supposed to be dumped in

landfills because of the toxins in these items. For most people, the

opportunity to go scuba`diving with thousands of topical fish is

something we would pay good money for. What if you could do it every

day and get paid for it? It's not quite the open ocean, but working

with marine life at one of the region's best aquariums be among

some of Asia's coolest jobs? Skills required, an interest in marine

biology, and a scuba`diving licence. The rest you can learn the job.

Amanda spotted that advert two years ago, and now dives everyday to

hand`feed the animals at this aquarium in Singapore. I do the

feeding, cleaning, I do check`ups, help the vets with the check`ups.

The 26`year`old was a science teacher before she took on the job.

What's the best part? Once you've reached the bottom, and hand`feed

the stingrays and the sharks. So long as we don't pose a threat to

them, they come forward to us, and we don't chase after them, and so we

don't pose any threat. Do you think your job is a cool job? Definitely

is a cool job. Every day is a new experience. We have different

animals here, and each has a different personality. A favourite

is the stingray. A small one, and the reason I love that is because it

is really cute and it is always hungry, so it will always approach

me for food and eat from a hand. But if you pardon the pun, something

certainly smells fishy around here. That's because, when she isn't in

the water, Amanda is preparing the animal's food. For the bigger fish,

we feed them things like this, this eat tuna, or big squid and fish, so

it is easier to grab it from our hands. `` big tuna. How do you feel

about handling fish in this way and the smell? We all have to start from

this level, where we prepare the food. Because this is the way that

we understand and know what they like to eat. So, knowing how to

prepare it is not a dirty job or smelly job but is the basic. And of

course it can't just be Monday to Friday. Weekend working is part of

the job. What about the pay? It's not going to make you a millionaire

by any stretch but Amanda, for one, does it for the love, not just the

money. Before we go, a quick look at the markets and Asian stocks. They

are mixed as investors take a wait and see strategy ahead of upcoming

earnings reports and tensions in Ukraine. After US equities advanced

modestly overnight, as investors showed hesitation in the wake of the

strong rally last week. Wall Street is getting ready for another slew of

earnings this week, including Apple, McDonald's. Also Microsoft, and

AT Thank you for investing your time with us. Goodbye for now. The

top stories this hour. More than 100 people are known to have died in

South Korea's ferry disaster. As the recovery continues, there is growing

anger at the slow pace of the operation. Syria's decision to hold

a presidential election, despite the civil war,