Nancy Kissel, jailed for life in Hong Kong for the murder of her banker husband, lost her appeal against the conviction at the Court of Appeal yesterday.

The ongoing global financial turmoil is leading to unprecedented pessimism over the city's economy, a survey revealed.

The case of Nancy Kissel's murder of her husband Robert Kissel is one of the most sensational trials in Hong Kong's criminal history.

Firefighters voiced their demands for higher salaries and shorter working hours yesterday citing their relatively riskier job nature.

Melamine tests show satisfactory results

The Hong Kong government is urging distributing banks to buy back Lehman Brothers minibonds from investors at their estimated market value, providing bond holders a quicker way to get their money back than waiting for the long liquidation process to end.

Invest HK announced yesterday that 6,612 overseas and mainland companies had set up representative offices in Hong Kong by early June, up 2.7 percent year-on-year.

The huge impairment loss that Ping An will book in its third-quarter financial report will not have a material impact on the insurer's business, analysts said yesterday.

Hong Kong's electronic-games developers should strengthen their efforts to become more competitive by tapping into the global trend of outsourcing games' productions, the Hong Kong Productivity Council urged yesterday.

HANOI: Vietnamese banks have withdrawn funds from overseas banks to reduce their exposure to the US financial crisis, shifting the funds to banks in Singapore and Hong Kong, the Vietnamese government said.

HSBC eyes Taiwan market

Hong Kong shares sank below 17,000 points for the first time in more than two years yesterday, dragged by the slump of mainland stocks and the credit crisis in Europe weighing down the global financial market.

Macao gaming stocks tumbled significantly yesterday, as investors feared that the central government's restrictions on travel to the enclave and the fierce competition among casinos may have an impact on the city's gaming industry.

Thirteen years in the making, China's eagerly anticipated anti-monopoly law was finally introduced in August 2008.

First Tractor

It was the early 60s. Like most rural communities on the mainland, the village Mo Yan was born in was caught up in the fervor of the People's Commune. But a farmer surnamed Lan refused to join in.

Editor's Notes: Wine making isn't new to China. Says Maggie Beale. Records show a winemaking history of over 2,500 years, and some experts say 5000 years is not unreasonable.