Most Asian stock markets climbed Friday as investors took heart from a slight improvement in U.S. economic indicators amid lingering worries over the pace of the global economic recovery. But gains were modest across the region as investors took a wait-and-see stance ahead of closely-watched U.S. employment figures due out Friday.
Climate change may have delivered a solution to the risk faced by ships and crew passing through the waters of Gulf of Aden. A cargo ship bearing Hong Kong flag carrying 41,000 tons of iron ore will become part of maritime history as it sails from Norway to China through Russia's arctic passage instead of the pirate-infested Somalian waters.
The expatriate American housewife who won a retrial after being convicted of murdering of her banker husband in Hong Kong with a drugged milkshake and a blow to the head will ask a judge to dismiss the case against her, a lawyer said Thursday. Nancy Kissel was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder in September 2005.
Philippine authorities sent the bodies of three of the victims in the Manila bus hijacking to the wrong families, Hong Kong said Thursday, in the latest of a series of missteps in the handling of the crisis. The eight bodies were shipped back last Wednesday to Hong Kong, where tearful relatives laid wreaths on the coffins of their loved ones at the airport as officials stood in attention — but three families were paying their respects to the wrong bodies.
Asian stock markets rose Thursday as investors hungry for good news seized on stronger U.S. manufacturing as a sign the world economy isn't slowing as much as feared. The second day of gains in the region follows a month of heavy selling amid jitters about the global recovery as figures from major economies suggested growth was faltering.
Hong Kong is a crowded place. And within its habitable confines, people make the most out of any space available. Pedestrian walkways, for example, fit well for folks who distribute promotional materials: a steady stream of people, all-weather facilities and, most importantly, it's free. Businesses need only pay for the printed material and employ a group who have flair at stretching their arms and extending a piece of paper to a passers by.
World stock markets mostly gained Wednesday after Chinese manufacturing growth picked up and Australia's economy expanded at its fastest pace in three years. The two indicators are a break from a stream of weak economic readings from the U.S. to Japan that sent stock markets into a funk the past month as investors fretted about a slowing global recovery.
Hong Kong's new top judge took office Wednesday vowing to defend the rule of law in this former British colony, where activists worry that the territory's semiautonomous status is eroding under Chinese rule. While Beijing resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, it let this thriving financial hub retain its British-influenced political, economic and legal systems and Western-style civil liberties.
Asian stock markets rose Wednesday, rebounding from losses as Australia's economic growth accelerated and Chinese manufacturing activity recovered in August. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average added 0.5 percent to 8,869.74 after hitting a 16-month closing low the previous day. Ongoing worries about the strong yen kept trading cautious.
Mammoth China listings keep Hong Kong's stock exchange leaders overly complacent, writes Michelle Price, Asia Sentinel. Agricultural Bank of China this month finally fulfilled the great expectations heaped upon it to become the world's largest-ever IPO, with a dual listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong raising a whopping $22.1billion.
Tens of thousands of people have marched in Hong Kong to denounce the Philippines. Thousands of tourists canceled flight and hotel bookings. Two Chinese recipients of Asia's most prestigious award failed to show up for the Manila ceremony. After a violent hostage drama that killed eight tourists from Hong Kong, Asian powerhouse China is angry and the Philippines can do little to restore calm.
Asian markets lost ground Tuesday as a strong yen pummeled Japanese shares and after Wall Street fell amid pessimism about the U.S. economy. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average led regional declines, down 236.93 points, or 2.6 percent to 8,912.33. Dragging on sentiment was the yen's advance — which erodes the earnings of Japan's vital exporters — and disappointment over the central bank's decision to ease monetary policy by expanding a low-interest low program.
Hong Kong
