HK finance chief predicts slowdown

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s financial secretary warned Wednesday that political unrest would “unavoidably” damage the economy after riots rocked the city earlier this month, predicting a growth slowdown for 2016.

In an unusually emotive budget speech John Tsang -- tipped as a possible contender to be the semi-autonomous city’s next leader -- said the street battles had left him “distressed and angry.”