03/06/2014 Asia Business Report

charging fees of up to 9000 pounds a year two years ago. Now on BBC News,

all the latest business news live from Singapore. Stealing on the high

seas. The growing problem of piracy in South East Asia, and what is

being done to try to stop it. At Apple unveils new technological

developments to take on competitors. Why are impressed investors

unimpressed? `` why are investors unimpressed? Welcome to the

programme. I'm Rico Hizon. Pirates have released an Indonesian`bound

Thailand tanker after stealing its entire cargo of oil, in the latest

attack by pirates in South`East Asian waters so far this year. There

have been 72 reported cases globally. More than 60 of them were

in Asia, mostly South East Asia. While many of the cases were minor,

last month, there were two more cases where pirates successfully

stole fuel. What does this mean for businesses relying on safe shipping

routes? I spoke to a representative from piracy combating organisation.

She says the rise in cases in the region is a concern. In the last two

months, there have been about three cases of cargo fuel being targeted.

And this has happened in the past. It is just that these past two

months, the cases have been happening quite close to each other.

It was the cargo fuel that was targeted. In this most recent

incident, the crew were safe after the pirates siphoned the fuel. Who

are behind these pirates? Is this individual opportunism? Is this

organised? There are indications suggesting that it is not an

opportunistic group that is involved. In a recent case last

month, the pirates actually left after siphoning the cargo fuel,

together with three crew members, who took their belongings and travel

documents with them. In that case, there is cause to suspect that

inside information was involved, and some kind of organisation has

occurred. Insider jobs, and syndicates working behind these

pirates. So how much of this is a threat to businesses in Asia,

particularly in South East Asia? The majority of the cases in South East

Asia are cases of petty theft. Less significant cases have occurred at

ports and anchorages. Cases of such siphoning are few, and the

authorities and the industry are working very closely to prevent such

cases from happening again. New data from mainland China shows growth in

the services sector rose to a six`month high in the month of May.

Services account for almost 43% of China's overall economy. This upbeat

news, comes just days after Beijing reported growth in the manufacturing

sector expanded at its fastest pace in five months. This will help allay

fears of a slowdown in the Chinese economy. Apple has taken on dropbox

and Whatsapp, at its annual conference for software developers.

It signalled a move into digital health, and unveiled an updated

mobile and desktop operating systems. But the developments failed

to excite investors, and shares fell slightly. So no new iPhone, but in

truth, the conference was always going to be focused on software. As

it has been for the past 35 years. At least, Apple have used this

occasion to dip their toes into new areas and highly. There is a health

app which promises to share data from all the third`party fitness

devices we have begun wearing. Potentially, even up until

physicians. The big unknown is whether they presage the

introduction of biometric wristwatch this year. Another welcome

introduction is the home kit, which ties up all the different devices

which we are now starting to see a peering in our homes. Connecting

thermostats, light bulbs, curtains, there is now a 1`stop repository for

all of these Apple devices to control these as well. As we

increasingly use multiple devices for our imputing experience, laptops

and, smartphones, and tablets, there was an increased emphasis on the

ability to streamline the experience between them and integrate the

experience. Here there were some genuine innovations, like the

ability to send and receive phone calls not just from a smartphone,

but from any nearby device. Other innovations were less impressive and

perhaps already familiar to users of rival companies like android. I

can't drive seems to be an attempt to take on dropbox. Apple will be

betting this painstaking attention to design and usability will give it

the edge over its rivals. Perhaps, it will buy Tim Cook much needed

time from investors and analysts still waiting for him to develop the

next big thing. Apple is not alone with its push to innovate. Global

sales hit an all`time low in the last year. They are racing to

develop the next big thing. As our correspondent found out when she

went along to Asia's diggers technology show in Taiwan. With a

futuristic touch, computer makers this year unveiled their latest

products. PC sales have declined sharply over the last few years and

computer makers have fought back by offering their own versions of

tablets, smartphones and so`called two`in`one devices. And they are

trying to anticipate your every need. This 3D motion sensor has just

captured me falling and sent an instant message to this smartphone.

There I am on the floor. The point of the technology is that if I were

to have an elderly parent living at home alone and she has just fallen

over, I would be instantly notified. This is one of an increasing number

of devices connected to the internet as part of a trend called the

internet of things. Computer makers are trying to catch on to this

trend. They are making products smarter, like this vacuum cleaner

you can command with your smartphone to clean while you are out of the

house, or wearable medical devices that measure your vital signs and

store the information online so you can share it with your doctor later,

or this camera that lets you see and record what is going on at home.

Industry leaders say there is much room for growth, as 85% of the

devices people use today are not connected. They expect that by 2020,

the number of products that are connected will skyrocket from 15

billion to 50 billion. We also expect many industries to be

revolutionised based on computing being woven into the fabric of every

industry. A couple that we are really excited about are

transportation and healthcare. But not all computer makers are trying

to diversify. Dell is sticking to what it does best, desktops and

laptops. Analysts say PC sales will decline by only 1% this year

compared to 10% last year. Companies are trying to not just win back old

users but attract new ones. Whether or not they succeed remains to be

seen. An unprecedented global police operation has stopped a cyber`gang,

suspected of targeting 250,000 computers. Authorities have taken

control of a network of hijacked computers, thought to have been used

to steal personal and financial data from victims. Users have been warned

they have two weeks to protect themselves against a powerful

attack. The aviation industry has cut its global profit forecast for

2014. Airlines are expected to make profits of $18 billion this year,

down from $18.7 billion, which it had initially forecast. It is

believed economic prospects will improve as the year progresses. The

aviation industry has cut its global Tests by Malaysian authorities have

found that Cadbury products do not contain pork DNA, as previously

alleged. The Malaysian authorities say the boycott will only be lifted

if the allegations proved to be wrong. Once the darling of foreign

investment, Mongolia has seen a decline in foreign investments over

the last 18 months. Only three years ago, the Central Asian nation had a

health rate of 17.5%. That dropped to 11.7% last year. Foreign

investment fell more than 50%. In a bid to bring back investors,

Mongolia is looking to increase the area available for mining. It could

unlock $1 billion in development. I spoke to the chief executive of a

Canadian mining company. He says the move could help lure back

investors. There is a lot of mineral wealth hidden beneath the Gobi

Desert, and companies around the world want to access that. It is a

testament to just what sits underneath the Gobi Desert. And

opening that up to foreign and domestic investors will open that

up. It will unlock a lot of potential and generate investments.

up. It will unlock a lot of potential A quick look at the

markets. In mid`morning Tuesday 's trade, many are up, supported by US

and Chinese manufacturing data. Thank you for investing your time

with us. Sports today is up next. The main news stories this power:

European leaders have been