SINGAPORE (AFP) - Regional financial centres Hong Kong and Singapore have the best judicial systems in Asia, with Indonesia and Vietnam the worst, a survey of expatriate business executives showed.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday blamed "irresponsible decisions" by the Bush administration and Wall Street for the country's economic woes as the White House said the budget deficit would soar to record heights next year.

Gas cost, economy mean more people can't meet payments Eddie Edwards (left) and a colleague secure a repossessed car to a tow truck at Greenwood Recovery in Baltimore. The car will go to auction because its owner defaulted on the loan. The high price

A BILL filed in Congress by a Cebuano lawmaker urges Filipino citizens younger than 60 years old or those who operate or manage business establishments to be more benevolent enough to increase the benefits extended by law to senior citizens.

Barack Obama's emergence as the presumptive Democratic nominee on Tuesday sets the stage for a sharp partisan debate over the issue weighing most heavily on voters: the economy.