Casino stake of Ho’s wife rises to HK$8.6b

Angela Leong On-kei, the fourth wife of Macau gaming magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun, has emerged from the prolonged family fight for control of Ho’s assets with an effective 12 per cent stake in SJM Holdings, worth HK$8.64 billion based on the casino operator’s share price.

Elizabeth Taylor, last of the old-Hollywood screen sirens

Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen persona, stormy personal life and enduring fame and glamour made her one of the last of the old-fashioned movie stars, died yesterday at age 79.

The Chinese consumer fails to live up to the world’s hopes

The world is pinning its hopes on the great Chinese consumer.

Smoking ban on way for indoor public places

New regulations on tobacco use to come into effect from May 1

Gaoxian trading halts: a poser

China Gaoxian has joined the string of S-chips that have seen trading of their shares either halted or suspended. While investors are still anxiously awaiting news from the company, speculation is rife on what could have possibly happened. Investor fears stem from accounting irregularities at some China-based firms listed in Singapore.

Hong Kong inquest faults Manila police for hostage slaughter

Philippine police officers contributed to the deaths of eight hostages in the Manila bus bloodbath an inquest jury said yesterday, ruling that they were unlawful killings.

Crucial questions that were never answered

Investigation was impeded by poor handling of evidence and limits on jurisdiction

China can overtake US in 20 years with 8% growth

China could overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy if it maintains annual growth of 8 per cent over the next 20 years, the World Bank’s chief economist said yesterday.

A green pipe dream

Step forward the South-North Water Diversion Project, the much-vaunted, long-awaited silver bullet that is supposed to cure Beijing’s parched state. A relic of the Maoist era - it was Mao Zedong who in 1952 first suggested transferring water from the south of China to the arid north - the scheme called for three routes to funnel water north from the Yangtze River. But, almost 60 years on, none of the routes are close to completion, while the costs continue to rise inexorably.

China’s Shrinking Labour Pool Creating ‘Spoilt’ Workers

“Mama Mia,” the GM of an Italian company lamented to me over lunch in Shanghai, “The corruption I can deal with, but human resource issues are driving me insane. Workers are too short-term focused – 50 percent leave within two months no matter how much money and training we give.”

Man jailed for spreading radiation rumours

Police in eastern China have jailed a man for 10 days and fined him 500 yuan ($76.13) for spreading rumours online that a blast at a quake-damaged Japanese nuclear plant had contaminated Chinese waters, state media said.

US ‘must adjust to China’s rise at World Bank’

The rise of China’s influence in international institutions including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank is inevitable and must be accepted by the United States, according to a US security review of Sino-US ties.

China displays a bold face to world

In the past few weeks, the world has witnessed a more confident and decisive China, evidenced by its large-scale operations to protect its citizens abroad, from the evacuation of 35,860 workers from strife-torn Libya three weeks ago, to the withdrawal of thousands of Chinese nationals from the worst-hit disaster zones in Japan last week.