JUST months ago, the green and yellow logo of ABN Amro was replaced by the blue and white colours of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), but Singapore customers may soon have to get used to another new look.

According to reports from London yesterday, embattled RBS is looking to sell its Asian units, mainly assets acquired when it bought the Dutch financial group in 2007. It is also said to be keen to sell Charter One, its United States business banking asset.

BEIJING - THE United States will press China on human rights but this will not keep them from working together on the financial crisis, climate change and North Korea, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday.

Mrs Clinton, who openly criticised China's human rights record in a 1995 speech in Beijing, told reporters there is a certain predictability to US-Chinese disagreements on political freedoms, US arms sales to Taiwan and the status of Tibet.

JERUSALEM - ISRAELI President Shimon Peres chose hard-line Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new Israeli government on Friday, ending days of speculation and giving Mr Netanyahu six weeks to put together a ruling coalition.

The question now is whether Mr Netanyahu will form a narrow government with his hard-line allies or a broad government along with his centrist rival, Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni. His choice will have serious ramifications for the Mideast peace process.

BRUSSELS - THE economic crisis is biting ever deeper into Europe with no end in sight, a blast of bad data showed on Friday, increasing the urgency of a G20 planning meeting on Sunday.

A research group's survey put business activity in the 16 euro zone nations at a record low point in February. And an index of buying by businesses in the euro zone's vast service sector fell to a record low level.