http://www.thestandard.com.hk Latest headlines from The Standard Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 RSS newsfeed by The Standard The Standard, Sing Tao News Corp. editor@thestandard.com.hk todd.john@singtaonewscorp.com http://www.thestandard.com.hk/url_to_some_image.gif http://www.thestandard.com.hk http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=119991&sid=35507392&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Shanghai authorities are easing restrictions on home purchases. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=119992&sid=35507851&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 China Putian Food Holdings, a company engaged in pig farming, is seeking a listing in Hong Kong. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=119994&sid=35508598&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 New loans extended by China's four big banks lag estimates so far this month amid tighter lending rules and slowing loan demand from exporters, an official daily reported yesterday. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=119990&sid=35510028&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Sun Hung Kai Properties (0016) plans to put to market two low-density projects next week. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=5&art_id=119995&sid=35509258&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Global equities had already factored in the second bailout package for Greece prior to its official approval. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=5&art_id=119996&sid=35510393&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Alibaba.com (1688), China's biggest corporate e-commerce site, jumped the most in more than four years after its parent bid up to HK$19.6 billion to buy out minority shareholders. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=5&art_id=119993&sid=35511231&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 HSBC Holdings (0005) appears to be ready to issue shares to settle the cash element of bonuses for its bankers in the United Kingdom in response to regulatory pressure to preserve capital. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=10&art_id=119997&sid=35509274&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 China has made an official complaint to Tokyo after the mayor of a Japanese city denied the well-documented massacre of Chinese civilians by Japanese troops in 1937. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=10&art_id=119998&sid=35510047&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Taiwan's main opposition party has named a senior female member as acting chief after chairwoman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen was defeated in last month's elections. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=119987&sid=35505566&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 The savaging of a barking deer by stray dogs has raised safety concerns among Discovery Bay residents. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=119999&sid=35507649&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 A 24-year-old schizophrenic who chopped his father 125 times was yesterday sentenced to indefinite detention in a psychiatric unit. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=119986&sid=35508249&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 The health chief has rejected calls for priority to be given to pregnant mainlanders whose husbands are Hong Kong permanent residents over those whose spouses are not. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=120014&sid=35508547&con_type=3&d_str=20120223 Authorities said they will push ahead with plans to convert a Sai Kung enclave in Tai Long Sai Wan into the country park despite opposition from local politicians concerned about the property rights of villagers. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=120001&sid=35508905&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Dragonair is set to spread its wings with a large- scale recruitment of cabin crew and pilots despite a gloomy economic outlook. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=120000&sid=35509101&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 MTR Corp is stepping up its campaign against eating on trains after the outlawed habit sparked a war of words between locals and mainlanders. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=119984&sid=35509370&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 As fashion week sashayed by elaborately from New York to London, I followed its every step online and scrutinized some of its finest moments - down to the tiniest button on a shirt sleeve. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=119985&sid=35509969&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 The government does not have the power under the Basic Law to exclude foreign domestic helpers from becoming permanent residents, it was argued at the Court of Appeal yesterday. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=120015&sid=35510982&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 A couple were arrested yesterday for abandoning their five-month-old son on the doorstep of a grandmother. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=15&art_id=119975&sid=35416398&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 This month I attended a meeting with chief executive candidate Albert Ho Chun-yan, chairman of the Democratic Party. The meeting was with members of Hong Kong Unison, a nongovernment organization that seeks to represent ethnic minorities. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=15&art_id=119974&sid=35494514&con_type=3&d_str=20120223 The property market has improved after being rocked by a one-two holiday hit. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=119989&sid=35510544&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Officials of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog ended a mission to Iran after talks on Teheran's suspected atomic weapons research failed - a setback likely to raise the risk of confrontation with the West. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=120002&sid=35510812&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Two Western journalists were among more than a dozen people killed as Syrian forces pounded the rebel city of Homs yesterday, while calls mounted for a truce to allow in humanitarian aid. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=119988&sid=35510940&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 South Sudan has expelled the Chinese head of the country's largest oil firm on charges of colluding with former civil war foe Sudan to "steal" millions of barrels of its oil. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=120003&sid=35511507&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Four people were shot dead and dozens wounded as protests flared for a second day in several Afghan cities over the burning of copies of the Koran at NATO's main base in the country. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=18&art_id=119973&sid=35510071&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Just over a week after her spectacular sweep at the Grammys, British soul diva Adele triumphed on home soil at the annual Brit Awards in London. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119976&sid=35506029&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Keegan Bradley says even he was taken aback by his spitting when he watched televised replays of the final round of last week's Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119977&sid=35506184&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Leicester lock Geoff Parling is expected to start for England in Sunday's (HK time) Six Nations clash against Wales after Tom Palmer was dropped from the squad. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119980&sid=35506267&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Australia's Queensland Reds hold no fears of a second-year syndrome as they seek to defend their Super 15 crown when the new season starts tomorrow. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119981&sid=35506429&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 The top-seeded BGC Asia Pacific Barbarians will face a strong Hill and Associates Scottish Barbarians side on the first day of next month's GFI HKFC Tens after being drawn with the first-timers in Pool A. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119983&sid=35506509&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Ricky Ponting is being self-indulgent and should have retired from Test cricket as well as the one-day game, former Australia paceman Geoff Lawson said. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119982&sid=35507272&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Manny Pacquiao says the pieces were falling into place for a world title fight with Floyd Mayweather until the American boxer tried to cut him out of the pay-per-view revenue. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119978&sid=35507514&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 The Portland Trail Blazers made San Antonio pay dearly for resting Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, mauling the Spurs by 40 points in their worst NBA defeat for nearly 15 years. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=119979&sid=35508913&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Alex Ferguson is ready to hand a first start to Paul Pogba as the Manchester United manager prepares to ring the changes for their Europa League return leg with Ajax tomorrow (HK time). Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=120008&sid=35508696&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 The markets are frenzied at present. Wall Street is bustling at a three-year high, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average only about 1,000 points from its record before the subprime mortgage crisis. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=120009&sid=35508697&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Passengers on Dragonair flights will soon be able to enjoy a wi-fi connection - and it is likely to be free. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=120010&sid=35508698&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Fans of celebrity hangout Yung Kee Restaurant in Central are soon to find out their goose is cooked - but only for two months. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=120011&sid=35508699&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 He's had sports firms almost going through hoops trying to get his signature, but high-flying basketball player Jeremy Lin Shu-how is sticking with Nike. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=120012&sid=35508700&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 As criminal enterprises go, it's probably not the most villainous. But a police swoop has caused a real flap in Taiwan. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=120013&sid=35508701&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 US President Barack Obama broke into song at a White House blues show as Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger urged the reluctant US leader to step up and sing a few lines. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=120016&sid=35506440&con_type=3&d_str=20120223 Donald Tsang plans to kick off his golden years in Shenzhen - so he is not seen as meddling with the duties of his successor as chief executive. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=120005&sid=35510589&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Small and medium-sized businesses may get subsidies of up to HK$500,000 from the government to help develop branding and expand their presence in the mainland, the financial secretary said. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=120006&sid=35510755&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Chief executive candidate Henry Tang Ying-yen continues to receive nominations even after submitting his papers to the Electoral Affairs Commission days ago. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=120004&sid=35511425&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 A senior engineer admitted to engaging in various sex acts with underaged girls, but pleaded for leniency, saying he was sacked from his job and lost HK$7 million in retirement benefits after his arrest. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=120007&sid=35512301&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 A "saddened" Donald Tsang Yam-kuen yesterday defended recent trips he has taken, while blasting Hong Kong's preoccupation with conspiracy theories and negative views. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=119966&sid=35508579&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Smaller houses are in demand and US homeowners are willing to remove some of yesterday's most popular rooms - such as home theaters - in order to accommodate changing lifestyles, said consumer experts. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=119967&sid=35508580&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Two iconic german brands, Severin and Steiff, get together to mark the 110th anniversary of the teddy bear. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=119968&sid=35508581&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 There's something nostalgic about Niche Modern's new series of handcrafted pendant lamps and contemporary chandeliers. The sleek hand-blown glass shades look thoroughly at home in a modern setting but the filament bulbs and the way they're suspended make them look vintage. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=119969&sid=35508584&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 Residential transactions may have rebounded in recent weeks, but the morale of property agents is at a low ebb. Displeasure has bubbled over on occasion and last week agents even agitated against their employer. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=119970&sid=35508585&con_type=3&d_str=20120223 Investing in London property has always been a safe bet for Hong Kong and other international buyers. Now the time is ripe for local investors to get in early at another prestigious project, as Redrow has announced the global launch of its One Commercial Street development. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=119971&sid=35508586&con_type=3&d_str=20120223 Hong Lok Yuen is a benchmark luxury project in Tai Po that is a popular choice for many end-users. This 3,200-square- foot detached house on the market has a 2,857-sq-ft garden with a swimming pool. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=119972&sid=35508587&con_type=3&d_str=20120223 With more and more businesses moving their operations to Quarry Bay, Tai Koo Shing or Island East, smart executives are searching for quality homes closer to their offices. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=120017&sid=35514107&con_type=1&d_str=20120223 FROM PAGE 2 Zhang's company, Cross Harbour (Holdings), has a 50 percent stake in the Western Harbour Tunnel Co and a 39.5 percent effective interest in Tate's Cairn Tunnel Co. It also has a 70 percent interest in the Hong Kong School of Motoring and a 35 percent interest in Autotoll, provider of electronic clearing at all toll roads and tunnels. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:37 +0800