The long wait for criminal cases to be heard in Hong Kong’s courts could persist because of a surge in fraud and money laundering litigation, the judiciary has warned, as the Law Society suggested extending sitting hours into the evening. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council’s panel on ad
The HK$2.7 billion (US$344 million) sale of two Shimao Group hotels in Hong Kong leaves an estimated HK$1.8 billion shortfall against their secured loans. Still, receivers managed to squeeze out improved bids in the final stages, with all shortlisted parties improving their offers, said Una Ge, a ma
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of his endorsement from Donald Trump on the eve of Israel’s election, suggesting the two leaders could restart their war against Iran if he wins, after Trump said they should “finish the job”. “US President Donald Trump has come with a friendship th
US rapper Macklemore on Monday launched his new “Free Palestine Tour” in Dublin after being dropped as a supporting act by British pop star Ed Sheeran over pro-Palestinian comments. Standing in queues outside the venue for the first show in the Irish capital, which promoters said had sold out, excit
Flavio Bolsonaro said on Monday he would lead the opposition to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government, one day after he refused to concede electoral defeat to the incumbent. “To withstand the chaos, I’m going to organise the opposition,” the right-wing senator and son of ex-lead
Finance ministers from 21 Asia-Pacific economies recently met in Hong Kong, the first time the city has hosted them. A practical question sits one level down. Picture the treasury team of a company running its regional business from Hong Kong. It arranges funding in several currencies, pays across m
The European Union will from Sunday slap a €2 (US$2.25) handling fee on packages from outside the 27-nation bloc in a bid to curb the influx from China. The new levy – coming just weeks before the Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas season shopping rushes – will be on top of the EU’s €3 fee on
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran on Monday in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from reigniting. Officials from the three Mecca pact countries flew to Iran as part of efforts to “de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis”, a Saud
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would not return the UK to EU freedom of movement rules without a referendum, after ruling out the prospect of Britain rejoining the bloc within this parliamentary term. It comes after his call at the weekend for an “honest discussion” about a return t
In the increasingly bitter legal stand-off between US President Donald Trump and media outlets whose reporting he dislikes, a new and crucial third party has emerged: citizens who watch and read the news and need it to do their jobs. A lawsuit filed on Monday on behalf of six such citizens – effecti