More than 1,000 Hong Kong university students boycotted class on Tuesday, demanding the withdrawal of a “patriotic” Chinese curriculum they say amounts to Communist Party brainwashing.

Hong Kong's democrats on Monday retained their critical legislative veto over constitutional amendments after an election dominated by mass protests over perceived interference from mainland China.

Hong Kong has kept its title as the world's most expensive city for expat businesspeople to live in, ahead of second-placed London, as the financial capital of greater China continues to weather the global financial crisis more successfully than its counterparts in the West.

Hong Kong voted Sunday in legislative elections seen as a test for the pro-Beijing government, after it was forced to scrap mandatory Chinese patriotism classes in the face of escalating protests.

Chinese tradition says at the very beginning of a new year, when there's a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate and thus, the Lantern Festival is celebrated in winter.

Hong Kong's government on Saturday backed down on a plan to force school children to take Chinese patriotism classes, after weeks of protests and on the eve of crucial legislative polls.

Hong Kong goes to the polls Sunday to elect a new legislature that will lay the ground rules for direct elections, amid growing disquiet over mainland China's hold over the former British colony.

Hong Kong students and teachers protested Tuesday for a sixth-straight day against plans to introduce Chinese patriotism classes, as political tensions rise days ahead of legislative polls.

Hong Kong's home builders are bidding cautiously on land to develop, wary of shrinking profit margins as the city's new leader pushes for more affordable housing in the world's most expensive residential real estate market.

Gambling revenue growth in Macau, the world's most lucrative casino market, picked up moderately last month after hitting a three-year low, data released Monday showed, as high-rolling gamblers raised their bets at tables in the semiautonomous Chinese city.