Dec 4 (Reuters) – The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

– A Hong Kong bankruptcy judge on Monday gave China Evergrande another two months to work out a deal with foreign investors who lost money when the company defaulted two years ago with hundreds of billions of dollars in debt.

– Alaska Airlines said on Sunday that it planned to buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion, a deal that would further consolidate the airline industry and probably attract the scrutiny of federal regulators.

– The U.S. government is making an intense effort to persuade Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations so they can once again pause hostilities and exchange more prisoners for hostages, a White House spokesman said on Sunday.

– A U.S. Navy destroyer shot down three drones during a sustained attack in the Red Sea on Sunday, the Pentagon said, in what could signal another escalation in the tit-for-tat attacks between the American military and Iranian-backed militants. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)