http://www.thestandard.com.hk Latest headlines from The Standard Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +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=95627&sid=27358386&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Cathay Pacific Airways (0293) has made a turnaround with a net profit of HK$4.69 billion - beating market forecasts - after a record loss in 2008. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=95623&sid=27360025&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 CITIC Pacific (0267) has swung back to profitability, posting a net profit of HK$5.95 billion for 2009 by selling assets after being bailed out for losses incurred on currency bets. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=95622&sid=27360183&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 China Mobile (0941) agreed to pay 39.8 billion yuan (HK$44.32 billion) for a 20 percent stake in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank to develop its mobile finance and mobile e-commerce business. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=95625&sid=27362515&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Media tycoon Charles Ho Tsu-kwok has taken another dig at ATV chief Payson Cha Mou-sing, who is formally selling the free-to-air television station today. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=95624&sid=27364000&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Hysan Development Company (0014) saw net profit for 2009 surge 70 percent over the previous year to HK$2.7 billion. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=5&art_id=95631&sid=27360836&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 The Hang Seng Index is at a crossroad, awaiting fresh stimulus. So let's focus on a stock with potential. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=5&art_id=95626&sid=27364572&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Taiwan's financial regulator will brief lawmakers today on the conditions needed to allow American International Group Inc to sell its local unit. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=5&art_id=95630&sid=27365497&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said US President Barack Obama expressed support for measures to deal with Greece's financial crisis. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=10&art_id=95605&sid=27361943&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 The first two women astronauts to serve on a team that will undertake future missions have been selected. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95621&sid=27360550&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 A senior mainland official yesterday said holding a referendum in Hong Kong is illegal. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95608&sid=27361587&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 The revival of a government proposal to raise the license fees for commercial vehicles 15 years or older to encourage the switch to environment- friendly models has angered transport operators. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95606&sid=27362102&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 After two exhausting weeks of mock examinations, I thought I could finally pay back my debt to the sleep bank on my school's "service week trip" but, yet again, I underestimated the unpredictability of life. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95607&sid=27362626&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Farmers and those living on high ground in the northern New Territories could wake to frost early today. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95609&sid=27363004&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 The internet is causing a digital divide but about half of parents want to learn to use social networking sites to improve the relationship with their children, according to a survey. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95620&sid=27363667&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 A male teacher who sodomized an 11-year-old student was yesterday jailed for six years and six months after a background report suggested he might develop a pedophile tendency. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95628&sid=27363947&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Fire safety equipment and management at all old industrial blocks will be checked in the aftermath of Monday's killer blaze in Cheung Sha Wan. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=95629&sid=27364169&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 A Hong Kong gaming entrepreneur has been convicted of laundering the illicit proceeds of an an online casino business he ran along the Burma border through the SAR bank accounts of his staff. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=13&art_id=95642&sid=27363222&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 All Hong Kong package tours to Bangkok have been canceled for one week from today after the SAR government - for the first time - hoisted the travel red alert. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=15&art_id=95595&sid=27322815&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 My child asked a tough question. "Daddy, have you ever slept with a truck driver?" Good parents ALWAYS answer difficult queries truthfully without hesitation. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=15&art_id=95596&sid=27345237&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 Last week's 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan is a grim reminder of the weak points in the modern communication system. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=15&art_id=95594&sid=27358043&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 You can buy almost anything in the mainland these days - including a completed university thesis whose ghostwriter says will get top marks for just under HK$5,000. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=95619&sid=27359447&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 A baby elephant thought to have died during its mother's nine days of labor was born alive at an Australian zoo yesterday, amazing its keepers and defying expert opinion that such an outcome would take a "miracle." Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=95640&sid=27363343&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Thaksin Shinawatra's former wife, Potjaman na Pombejra, and their entrepreneur son, Panthongtae Shinawatra, arrived in Hong Kong on Monday, fearing unrest at this weekend's rally in Bangkok in support of the fugitive former prime minister. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=95618&sid=27364136&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 A US woman operating online under the name "Jihad Jane" has been indicted for recruiting jihadist fighters in the United States, Europe and Asia, in a bid to carry out terror plots. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=18&art_id=95600&sid=27357796&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 DMX has been arrested in Arizona for violating his probation by regularly using illegal drugs during the past nine months. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=18&art_id=95599&sid=27357817&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 A television producer has pleaded guilty to trying to extort US$2 million (HK$15.6 million) from US talk show host David Letterman by threatening to reveal his affairs with women who worked on his late-night program on CBS. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=18&art_id=95597&sid=27357836&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 A man has been sentenced to two years in jail by a court in southern Germany for trying to extort US$100,000 (HK$780,000) from former supermodel Cindy Crawford. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=18&art_id=95598&sid=27357941&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Robert De Niro, who won an Oscar for his 1980 portrayal of famed boxer Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, will play late American football coach Vince Lombardi in a movie by ESPN Films. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95613&sid=27357354&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Former All Black Sione Lauaki, pictured, has been charged with assault in a New Zealand bar. Tongan-born Lauaki, who plays for Waikato Chiefs in the Super 14, was serving a suspension for a dangerous tackle at the time of the alleged assault in Hamilton. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95615&sid=27357644&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Stephen Jackson, pictured, scored 17 points as the Charlotte Bobcats beat Miami 83-78, boosting their chances of reaching the NBA play-offs. The Bobcats drew level with the Heat in the race for the last Eastern Conference berths, half a game ahead of the Chicago Bulls. Andrew Bogut had 25 points and 17 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics 86-84. Kobe Bryant hit the game winner as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak, 109-107 over Toronto. The Los Angeles Clippers have dumped Mike Dunleavy, less than a month after he left coaching to focus on being club GM. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95611&sid=27357768&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 Wales back-row Gareth Delve is contemplating the chance of joining England exile Danny Cipriani at new Australian Super 15 side Melbourne Rebels next season. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95617&sid=27357776&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 China's Liu Xiang will compete at the World Indoor Athletics Championships, which get under way in Doha tomorrow, his first appearance at a global championship since withdrawing injured from his 110 meters hurdles heat at the Beijing Olympics. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95603&sid=27357781&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Media reports that Tiger Woods is working with his swing coach Hank Haney have sparked talk of a return to action for the world No1. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95612&sid=27358019&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Filipino Manny Pacquiao believes his lightning speed will be enough to nullify Joshua Clottey's size advantage when the two fighters meet in Dallas this weekend. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95610&sid=27358026&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Former world No1s Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters could provide some early headaches for top seeds at this week's WTA Indian Wells tournament. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95616&sid=27358051&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Vice-captain Michael Clarke has been named in Australia's Test squad only days after quitting a New Zealand tour for personal reasons. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95614&sid=27358055&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 France's William Bonnet, pictured, avoided a pile-up in the finale of the 201-kilometer second stage of the Paris-Nice race to snatch victory. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95602&sid=27358830&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants the chance of a revenge mission against Manchester United or Chelsea in the Champions League quarter- finals. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=19&art_id=95604&sid=27361606&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Crisis club Portsmouth remained four points adrift at the foot of the Premier League as Birmingham gained revenge for their FA Cup exit with a 2-1 win at Fratton Park. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=95634&sid=27363198&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Beijing has been buzzing with public remarks and behind-the-door maneuvering over the SAR's referendum row, as delegates from Hong Kong are attending meetings of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=95635&sid=27363199&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Visitor numbers at Hong Kong Disneyland leaped 18 percent in the first two months of the year - and credit goes to its staff creativity and service quality. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=95636&sid=27363200&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Self-styled Superman Paul Tse Wai- chun has saved the day by helping a group of stranded Filipino tourists. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=95637&sid=27363201&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Electronic Arts isn't abandoning Tiger Woods. It just looks like the video game makers feel he needs extra star power to pitch their products. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=95638&sid=27363204&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 The Bank of Communications can't wait for the Shanghai World Expo to open. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=21&art_id=95639&sid=27363205&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 It doesn't take much reading between the lines to know why it's a stack of The Standard newspapers that's in the center of Esprit's flagship store. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=95641&sid=27360403&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 Tourism officials are scrambling to help 24 Filipino tourists abandoned on the group's arrival in Hong Kong, giving the visitors free city tours while urging Manila to investigate the travel scam. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=95632&sid=27361314&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Development minister Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor yesterday pledged to ask the Urban Renewal Authority to consider extending to its project partners the authority's restrictions on sales to staff. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=95633&sid=27361328&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Cathay Pacific Airways (0293) will pay a bonus to staff who took unpaid leave last year, responding to union demands. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=95591&sid=27362604&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 The cheap apartment complex Anu Suebsawangkul and her family found when they moved to St Louis from Chicago five years ago was perfect. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=95592&sid=27362605&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 Don't be a doormat and get something that will make your entrance stand out from your neighbours'. Goods of Desire's latest coir mats feature the brand's irreverent humor, inspired by road signs and public notices. The hard- wearing and water absorbent mats cost HK$150 each. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=95593&sid=27362606&con_type=1&d_str=20100311 It's time to stock up on Le Creuset's popular cast-iron cookware again. At the Family Sale, some prices have been slashed by as much as 80 percent but be prepared for long queues at the door. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=48&art_id=95601&sid=27362607&con_type=3&d_str=20100311 London properties are continuing to look more and more attractive to investors as the pound spirals ever downward and as Hong Kong prices head in the opposite direction. The latest project to come to market is The Residence, the latest phase in the Woodberry Park project by marquee developer Berkeley Homes. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:46 +0800