Briefs, February 21, 2013

Mobile-phone firms dial up user numbers

China's three mobile-phone operators posted a 0.9 per cent month-to-month increase in the number of mobile subscribers to 1.12 billion, still the largest of any country in the world, last month. China Mobile grew its subscriber pool 0.62 per cent from December to 714.7 million; the number of China Unicom's users rose 1.51 per cent to 242.9 million; and China Telecom gained 1.59 per cent more subscribers, for a total of 163.2 million. Sophie Yu

Guoco turns from loss to profit of HK$3.35b

Property-to-hospitality conglomerate Guoco Group - the parent of which, Malaysia's Hong Leong Group, has offered to privatise the firm - posted an unaudited net profit of HK$3.35 billion for last year's second half, turning around from a loss of HK$2.56 billion in the same period a year earlier. Guoco made gains of HK$2.74 billion trading financial assets, but suffered trading losses of HK$3.57 billion in the second half of 2011. Eric Ng

Heat damage found in Dreamliner's battery

All the cells of a main battery on an All Nippon Airways Dreamliner that made an emergency landing were damaged by heat, the Japan Transport Safety Board said, as investigations continue into the cause of fires that caused worldwide grounding of the Boeing 787 airliner. Meanwhile, Boeing's engineers voted to accept the firm's offer on a new contract, but technical workers rejected theirs and authorised a possible strike. Bloomberg, AFP

Cathay, Dragonair reduce capacity

Cathay Pacific Airways and its Dragonair unit shrank passenger capacity for a fifth month last month as demand tumbled. The carriers flew 2.3 million passengers, 7 per cent fewer than a year earlier, partly owing to the busy Lunar New Year holiday falling in January last year. Passenger capacity slid 6.3 per cent year on year. Charlotte So