Hong Kong’s “Queen of Votes” Christine Fong Kwok-shan ran one of the most cost-effective campaigns in the Legislative Council election, spending an average of just HK$20 per vote, the South China Morning Post has found. An SCMP review of the election spending declarations by 32 candidates who contested directly elected seats also found that some candidates spent up to 10 times more than others in ...
Hong Kong’s “Queen of Votes” Christine Fong Kwok-shan ran one of the most cost-effective campaigns in the Legislative Council election, spending an average of just HK$20 per vote, the South China Morning Post has found. An SCMP review of the election spending declarations by 32 candidates who contested directly elected seats also found that some candidates spent up to 10 times more than others in terms of average cost per vote, with Jeffrey Chan Chun-hung from local think tank the PoD Research Institute forking out more than HK$200 per vote. The declarations were made public on Wednesday. Advertisement Fong, who received 58,828 votes in the New Territories South East constituency, the highest among all candidates, spent about HK$1.2 million (US$152,000) on her campaign. The veteran Sai Kung district councillor spent most of her budget on advertising, including leaflets and banners, which came to HK$933,000. She also spent HK$105,000 on office rent and transport, and paid roughly HK$65,000 to her election agents and assistants. Advertisement Her victory, after five previous unsuccessful attempts, marked a major political comeback. Fong earlier described it as “the fruit of accumulated efforts rather than a miracle”.
The arrest of nearly 40 Indian nationals in Bali for allegedly running an online gambling operation has renewed concern about Indonesia ’s tourist visa regime being vulnerable to abuse, with analysts warning that foreign criminal groups could use it to operate under the guise of holiday travel. The case also underscores the scale of Indonesia’s struggle against online gambling, an industry authori...
The arrest of nearly 40 Indian nationals in Bali for allegedly running an online gambling operation has renewed concern about Indonesia ’s tourist visa regime being vulnerable to abuse, with analysts warning that foreign criminal groups could use it to operate under the guise of holiday travel. The case also underscores the scale of Indonesia’s struggle against online gambling, an industry authorities say continues to generate billions of rupiah in transactions each month despite repeated crackdowns. Bali police said the detainees entered Indonesia on tourist visas and allegedly ran an online gambling website since November from two villas in Badung and Tabanan, districts in the resort island’s south and west. Advertisement Among the 39 people detained, 35 had been formally charged, while four were named as witnesses but remained under investigation, police said. Bali police detained 39 people in a recent crackdown on an online gambling operation. Photo: Handout Police had been investigating the operation since January 15 after a cyber patrol found an Instagram account that promoted the website. On February 3, officers raided the two villas to arrest the suspects and seize evidence. Gambling, online or offline, is illegal in Indonesia.
As the global financial landscape shifts and policy uncertainty grows in the United States, China is likely to emerge as an increasingly attractive destination for foreign investors seeking to diversify away from dollar-denominated assets , according to a veteran Singaporean investor. US President Donald Trump’s push for a weaker dollar, together with recent volatility in gold, silver and cryptocu...
As the global financial landscape shifts and policy uncertainty grows in the United States, China is likely to emerge as an increasingly attractive destination for foreign investors seeking to diversify away from dollar-denominated assets , according to a veteran Singaporean investor. US President Donald Trump’s push for a weaker dollar, together with recent volatility in gold, silver and cryptocurrencies, has prompted a reassessment of traditional safe havens, positioning China as a potential winner in this new environment, said Wong Kok Hoi, founder of APS Asset Management, on Tuesday. “I think China will be a beneficiary of the speculative bubble in precious metals and crypto, the dollar’s weakness, and also maybe the Trump factor,” he told reporters at the launch of a new China financial markets research centre co-founded by APS and the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). Advertisement His assessment came at a time when Chinese equities are increasingly viewed as attractive, with further upside potential despite risks such as property sector challenges, deflationary pressures and trade tensions. Foreign institutions such as BlackRock China and Fidelity International have recently argued that, over the next three to five years, global portfolios are likely to steadily reduce their reliance on dollar-denominated assets. They expect a gradual shift towards greater diversification, with particular emphasis on China’s market recovery and structural strengths, such as comprehensive supply chains and strong innovation capacity. Advertisement “Many of those global investors want to diversify away from dollar assets,” Wong said, adding that a growing share of capital is likely to rotate into yuan assets.
This article was first published on February 13, 2006. By Andy Cheng and Alvin Sallay Pollution takes its toll on marathon Twenty-two people were sent to hospital yesterday, two remaining in critical condition last night (February 12, 2006), after taking part in Hong Kong’s biggest marathon amid the worst air pollution since September. Advertisement Many of the record 40,000 runners complained the...
This article was first published on February 13, 2006. By Andy Cheng and Alvin Sallay Pollution takes its toll on marathon Twenty-two people were sent to hospital yesterday, two remaining in critical condition last night (February 12, 2006), after taking part in Hong Kong’s biggest marathon amid the worst air pollution since September. Advertisement Many of the record 40,000 runners complained the “choking air affected their performance in the 10th annual Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, half-marathon and 10km events. A runner collapsing after crossing the finishing line. More than 40,000 runners took part in marathon, half-marathon and 10-kilometre races on February 12, 2006, amid bad air quality in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP One competitor, surnamed Chu, 33, is in a critical condition in Ruttonjee Hospital after collapsing near the finish in Wan Chai. Chu stopped breathing and was resuscitated at the scene before being taken to hospital. Advertisement The second runner in critical condition collapsed in Tsing Yi. The man, surnamed Tsang, 53, is in Princess Margaret Hospital.
HANOI, Vietnam, February 12, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FPT, a global technology and IT services provider, has been listed among 14 Representative Vendors in the Gartner® Market Guide for Microsoft 365 Implementation and Support Services 2026. As a Microsoft strategic partner for more than 25 years, FPT covers the full Microsoft stack, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and ...
HANOI, Vietnam, February 12, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FPT, a global technology and IT services provider, has been listed among 14 Representative Vendors in the Gartner® Market Guide for Microsoft 365 Implementation and Support Services 2026. As a Microsoft strategic partner for more than 25 years, FPT covers the full Microsoft stack, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and cloud security. The company applies proprietary frameworks such as DX Garage and its FPT Cloudsuite multicloud management platform to help enterprises strengthen governance, accelerate adoption, and innovate the digital workplace experience. The company holds Microsoft Solutions Partner designations and advanced specialisations in low-code application development and cloud security, backed by 1,500 Microsoft-certified engineers and more than 3,000 Microsoft certifications worldwide. FPT delivers Microsoft 365 services globally, with strong momentum in manufacturing and financial services. In recent years, FPT has expanded its Microsoft 365 capabilities by scaling global helpdesk operations; integrating AI into managed services for faster ticket resolution, self-troubleshooting guidance, and workload monitoring; and building stronger competencies in Microsoft Copilot services and low-code development platforms. "Our long-standing collaboration with Microsoft has deepened FPT’s expertise across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. FPT’s inclusion for the second time in this Gartner’s Market Guide reinforces our long-term commitment to helping enterprises operationalise Microsoft 365 at scale. Looking ahead, we will continue to advance AI-driven workplace automation and security, helping organisations accelerate change, improve the end-user experience, and optimise the digital workplace with confidence," said Frank Bignone, FPT Software Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Strategy & Growth, FPT Corporation. Gartner Market Guide for Microsoft 365 Implementation and Support Serv...
The Philippines must step up efforts to reduce its persistent budget deficits and consider paring back fiscal incentives to help it sustain its economic momentum, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development . The government must also enforce reforms to boost investments and job creation, as well as improve its climate resilience, the OECD said in its inaugural Economic Su...
The Philippines must step up efforts to reduce its persistent budget deficits and consider paring back fiscal incentives to help it sustain its economic momentum, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development . The government must also enforce reforms to boost investments and job creation, as well as improve its climate resilience, the OECD said in its inaugural Economic Survey of the Philippines launched on Thursday. Over the past decade and a half, the Southeast Asian nation has been one of the world’s fastest-growing emerging market economies, with per capita income more than doubling since 2010 and poverty rate halved, it said. “The Philippines now faces significant headwinds to sustain strong growth and further enhance living standards,” the OECD said, citing slowing population growth, increasing climate risks, and disruptions in global trade. “Fiscal policy should remain prudent to prepare for future shocks and rising expenditure pressures, including from infrastructure investment, social protection and the climate transition,” the group said. The OECD urged faster fiscal consolidation with budget deficits still elevated. The Philippines’ public debt stood at 62.2% of gross domestic product in 2025, above several Southeast Asian peers and a sharp increase from sub-40% before the pandemic. The government can phase out value-added tax exemptions for senior citizens and education, and opt for targeted cash transfers, according to the OECD. Corporate tax holidays can also be cut back, while expenditure-based incentives can encourage more investment. With core inflation staying below the mid-point of the 2%-4% inflation target and GDP likely growing below trend in the short-term, there is room to further reduce the central bank’s policy rate, the OECD said. It forecasts Philippine GDP to expand 5.1% in 2026 before picking up to 5.8% in 2027. Growth had slowed to 4.4% last year as a massive corruption scandal around flood-control infrastructu...
Meinzahn/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Following the Q3 earnings release, we reiterated our Equal Weight stance on Deutsche Börse AG ( DBOEY )( DBOEF ). We reported how the potential Allfunds could be accretive to earnings, but it would likely reduce balance-sheet flexibility and constrain future capital returns to shareholders. More broadly, we implied that the transaction may suggest that th...
Meinzahn/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Following the Q3 earnings release, we reiterated our Equal Weight stance on Deutsche Börse AG ( DBOEY )( DBOEF ). We reported how the potential Allfunds could be accretive to earnings, but it would likely reduce balance-sheet flexibility and constrain future capital returns to shareholders. More broadly, we implied that the transaction may suggest that the company was approaching organic growth limits, prompting questions around the sustainability of its medium-term growth profile. This proved to be the right call (Fig. 1); however, following the Capital Markets Day in mid-December and the subsequent completion of the Allfunds acquisition via a Deutsche Börse share-based consideration, alongside encouraging January trading data, we are revising our stance to Buy, as outlined in the analysis below. Mare Evidence Lab's rating update Fig. 1 Why Are We Positive? Looking at the latest trading update, DB already reported a solid start to the year. In Jan 2026, its platforms reported an aggregate turnover of €171.49 (Fig. 2). This compares to €129.01 billion in January 2025, representing a growth of almost 33%. As we have highlighted on several occasions, we see a growing preference among European investors to avoid deploying an excessive share of their capital into US securities. As reported by Reuters, EU investors are increasingly diversifying away from US assets, driven by a "wake-up call" to hedge against US policy risks. There is also another upside, which is not included in our estimates: In the EU, the level of retail participation in EU capital markets remains low compared to other advanced economies. In 2021, only approximately 17% of EU household assets were held in financial securities (listed shares, bonds, mutual funds and financial derivatives), compared to the 43% held in those instruments in the US. Therefore, only the institutional investors are contributing to these higher EU volumes. This represents an upside f...
Hong Kong stocks fell on Thursday after Beijing’s market regulator summoned major online platforms for talks over irregularities in the online sale of train tickets ahead of Lunar New Year, triggering losses among technology heavyweights. The Hang Seng Index dropped 0.2 per cent to 27,210.56 at the open. The Hang Seng Tech Index declined 0.5 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index added 0.1 p...
Hong Kong stocks fell on Thursday after Beijing’s market regulator summoned major online platforms for talks over irregularities in the online sale of train tickets ahead of Lunar New Year, triggering losses among technology heavyweights. The Hang Seng Index dropped 0.2 per cent to 27,210.56 at the open. The Hang Seng Tech Index declined 0.5 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index added 0.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index was little changed. Food-delivery service provider Meituan declined 2.5 per cent to HK$86.65, and search-engine operator Baidu slid 2 per cent to HK$141.40. WeChat operator Tencent Holdings lost 2 per cent to HK$537, and online-game provider NetEase slid 1.4 per cent to HK$192.20. E-commerce major Alibaba Group Holding fell 1.4 per cent to HK$157.90. Advertisement Limiting losses, blind-box toymaker Pop Mart International Group jumped 1.6 per cent to HK$259, and Chinese chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International added 1.1 per cent to HK$70.80. Carmaker BYD advanced 0.7 per cent to HK$100, and property developer Sun Hung Kai Properties climbed 0.7 per cent to HK$130.70. The losses in major tech firms came as Beijing’s regulator convened 12 leading platforms involved in online train ticket sales – including Trip.com, Meituan, JD.com, Didi, Tencent and several mapping service providers – in response to public complaints over add-on charges and misleading booking practices, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Advertisement Other major Asian markets all rose. Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.3 per cent, while South Korea’s Kospi rose 2.2 per cent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.8 per cent.