China returns at 5 times Hong Kong easy choice for investors

“There will be much more downside for pure Hong Kong plays because people are buying China on a potential rate cut and a more stable economic outlook,” said Steven Leung,

Country mourns Kenji Goto as caring and courageous reporter 

Whether in tsunami-stricken northeastern Japan or conflict-ridden Sierra Leone, the stories of the vulnerable, the children and the poor drove the work of journalist Kenji Goto. The news of his purported

Singapore | New rules prevent Chinese tourists from visiting

New Chinese rules on outbound tours and to end illegal commissions was a major reason for the 26% drop in Chinese tourist arrivals from January to November 2014 considers the

Mongolia | PM asks voters to text a choice: Austerity or investment

Two months after winning office, Saikhanbileg, 46, took to national television on Wednesday to tell viewers they have a choice. He explained the economy is slumping along with foreign investment,

Jordan | Gov’t renews swap offer to free pilot held by Islamic State

Jordan renewed an offer yesterday to swap an al-Qaida prisoner for a fighter pilot held captive by the Islamic State group, a day after a video purportedly showed the militants

Greece | Tsipras tamps down rhetoric, vows to pay off debts

A day after Greece appeared on a collision course with its creditors, new radical left Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has tamped down the rhetoric by vowing to pay off debts

Nigeria | Islamic extremists launch new attack on Maiduguri

Islamic extremists attacked Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria from four fronts overnight with the crescendo of warfare — booming cannon and whooshing rockets — continuing yesterday, witnesses said. The third attack

This Day in History: 1979 Sid Vicious dies from drugs overdose

There had been a party in the flat to celebrate Mr Vicious’ release on USD50,000 bail yesterday pending his trial for the murder of his former girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, last

Offbeat | Dinosaur no more: UK museum’s Dippy to be retired in 2017

The museum announced Thursday that the 26-meter plaster skeleton, which has been on display for more than a century, will be replaced in the main hall by the skeleton of

Beijing Winter Olympics bid highlights skiing, hockey growth

Clad in neon-green from head to toe, Chinese snowboarder He Qiang is part of a growing cohort of middle-class enthusiasts in a country with little tradition of winter sports but that

Insight: The Maldives is here

Reading a feature story about the rising number of Chinese tourists in the Maldives (a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India) reminded me of the song

Monday, February 2, 2015 – edition no. 2241

* Cooperation enhanced, Guangdong Free Trade Zone covers Hengqin * Locals ‘appreciate the sense of luxury’ * Macau’s cosmetic beauty queen * Sharp decline in chinese tourists hits Sngapore   DOWNLOAD PDF     * China: Overborrowed and

THE BUZZ | Best since 2008: International flights boost Vegas traffic

A 12.5 percent increase in the number of international travelers last year helped push passenger traffic at McCarran International Airport to its highest level in six years. The 42.8 million passengers who arrived and departed at the

Worker dies on Taiwan film lot to be used for Scorsese movie

A worker was killed in an accident yesterday at a Taiwanese film lot during preparations for the shooting of a new Martin Scorsese movie, media reports said. Taiwan's Central News Agency

World briefs

MALAYSIA’s government declares the crash of Flight 370 an accident to pave the way for compensation claims, angering victims’ families still waiting for evidence, while officials said the search for

‘NO SMOKING’ | Gov’t to propose full ban in casinos, including VIP rooms

The Health Bureau (SSM) is aiming to introduce a full smoking ban in casinos. This would mean that that smoking would be prohibited not only on mass gaming floors, but

Health Bureau to launch 50 recruitment processes

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, has revealed that the Health Bureau (SSM) has been given the green light to hire at least 529 health professionals by

Las Vegas Sands beats profit forecasts, still keen on Macau

Macau couldn’t bring the Las Vegas Sands’ spirits down. As the Asian gambling hotspot cools off amid a government corruption crackdown that scared off VIP gamblers and efforts to make

Sands China earnings miss estimates as VIPs stay away

  Sands China Ltd reported earnings that missed analyst estimates after China’s clampdown on graft and illicit fund flows into the city deterred high-end gamblers. Profit fell 15 percent from a year

BRIEFS: Sydney – Nagasaki cruise with free stays in Macau, Hong Kong

Overnight tourists to South China’s Hainan Province exceeded 40 million in 2014, up 10.6 percent, the local statistics bureau said this week. The total included 39.9 million tourists from other

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