Week ahead in Asia & Pacific from Jan 26

Following are some of the main Asia and Pacific news events
expected this week (all times GMT).

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MONDAY, JAN 28

TOKYO - Nippon Steel (5401.T: Quote, Profile, Research) posts third-quarter earnings,
expected to show a small rise in profit on price rises and
strong demand from auto makers. BANGKOK -Firebrand PPP
leader Samak Sundaravej expected to become Thailand's prime
minister in a parliamentary vote, officially closing another
chapter of military in the country.

BALI, Indonesia - President Yudhoyono gives the opening
address on U.N. Corruption Conference. The three-day meeting
will focus on how to recover money from world's leading
kleptocrats, including former president Suharto.

BEIJING - National Development and Reform Commission holds
press conference on the economy. The government is expected to
provide estimates on inflation and growth this year.

SEOUL - South Korea and the European hold a sixth round of
talks on a free trade agreement (until Feb. 1). Negotiations
have been held up by differences over standards imposed on the
import of European cars, and the EU's requirements for local
content in goods, which Korea has complained are too high for
its industry.

- - - - -

TUESDAY, JAN 29

BANGKOK - Bangkok Civil Court rules on defamation suit
filed by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra against graft
investigator who accused Thaksin and his wife of breaking stock
disclosure rules (0200 GMT).

NEW DELHI - India's central bank meets to review interest
rates. A small majority of analysts think this week's big U.S.
rate cut gives the Reserve Bank of India room to cut rates for
the first time in four year. India's central bank has cut rates
five times since June 2006 to control inflation.

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THURSDAY, JAN 31

HONG KONG - Lenovo Group Ltd (0992.HK: Quote, Profile, Research), the world's No.4
personal computer maker, reports third-quarter earnings.
Investors will focus on the outlook for the market as the U.S.
economy slows and consumer spending weakens.

TOKYO - Media and electronics conglomerate Sony Corp
(6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) reports third-quarter earnings. The company said
earlier this month it had had a very good holiday season, but
acknowledged that economic headwinds could shift consumers'
buying decisions.

MANILA - Philippine central bank monetary policy meeting.
Yields on Philippine debt are expected to fall as pressure
mounts for rates to be lowered along with falling rates in the
United States. Interest rates have already fallen over the past
12 months and foreign investors, smarting from a U.S.-mortgage
related crisis, are fleeing risky markets. BEIJING - The
National Aquatics Centre, nicknamed the "Water Cube" and one of
the two iconic venues for the 2008 Olympics, hosts its first
test event.

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FRIDAY, FEB 1

SEOUL- Hynix Semiconductor Inc (000660.KS: Quote, Profile, Research), the world's
No.2 memory chip maker, is expected to post a fourth-quarter
loss due to a weak performance in memory chips. The company has
predicted a recovery in the second quarter of this year.

SINGAPORE - Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIAL.SI: Quote, Profile, Research) reports
third-quarter earnings, with investor focus on air travel
outlook, demand for flights on its double-decker Airbus A380
airliner and any update on its scuppered deal to buy into China
Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd (600115.SS: Quote, Profile, Research)

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