TOKYO: Panasonic Corp announced on Thursday it had secured a controlling stake in smaller rival Sanyo Electric Co in a $4.6 billion takeover that revamps Japan’s troubled electronics industry. The deal gives Panasonic Sanyo’s coveted environmental technologies such as rechargeable batteries — seen as a promising sector given growing concerns about global warming. Panasonic said it would buy a stake of 50.19 per cent in Sanyo for 403.78 billion yen ($4.59 billion), successfully wrapping up a tender offer of 131 yen per share that was launched last month. Sanyo will become Panasonic’s subsidiary.

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Thursday it will reinstate daily all-business-class flights to New York on January 18 as demand for the service begins to pick up. SIA in February cut the frequency of the 100-seat Airbus A345 trips to five times a week, saying fewer people wanted premium travel as a result of the global economic slowdown. “There’s increased demand, that’s why we are increasing the flights,” said a spokeswoman for the airline, which is reputed in the industry for its business and first class services to North America and Europe. Regional aviation analyst Jim Wong of Nomura Securities in Hong Kong said SIA’s latest move reflected a larger trend as Asian economies lead the rest of the world in recovering from the crisis. A sharp recession in Singapore ended in the third quarter and other economies in the region, notably powerhouses China and India, are posting robust growth.

JERUSALEM: UN agencies and non-governmental organisations appealed on Thursday for $664 million dollars to fund humanitarian assistance programmes for Palestinians next year. “Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian territory, continue to face a crisis of human dignity,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestinian territories Maxwell Gaylard said. “The humanitarian needs have increased, especially in the Gaza Strip following the devastation and destruction from Israel’s Cast Lead military operation,” he said in a statement. The 2010 Consolidated Appeal Process has urged donors to fund 236 assistance projects.