Hong Kong - Bank robbers emptied safe deposit boxes Wednesday at a Hong Kong bank during regular opening hours and stole more than 500,000 US dollars worth of cash and valuables, police said.

Police identified the gang as Colombian and said its members distracted bank staff to get to the safe deposit boxes, targeting nine. The perpetrators emptied five boxes and escaped with the contents before an alarm was raised.

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong shares climbed 2 per cent Wednesday in a second consecutive day of gains spurred by the recovery in the price of HSBC shares.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index added 236.61 points, or 2.02 per cent, to close the day at 11,930.66. Turnover was 44.7 billion Hong Kong dollars (5.76 billion US dollars.)

The rise was led by a 1.99 per cent increase in HSBC shares which at the start of trading jumped 11.7 per cent higher, pulling the index up by 4.6 per cent in the opening minutes.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's flagship airline Cathay Pacific Wednesday announced a record 1.1-billion-US-dollar operating loss for 2008, blaming high fuel prices and a sharp fall in passenger and cargo demand.

Earnings fell by more than 220 per cent from a profit of 7 billion Hong Kong dollars (900,000 US dollars) in 2007 to a loss of 8.55 billion Hong Kong dollars (1.1 billion US dollars) in 2008.

Hong Kong  - An off-duty police officer has been arrested after being caught naked in a park wearing only fishnet stockings, a news report said Wednesday.

A pair of high-heeled shoes was found next to the 49-year-old senior constable when police were called to the park by an alarmed passerby shortly after midnight Tuesday.

The married, 49-year-old senior constable, who hurriedly put on a jacket before his arrest, had driven to the park to seek thrills by dressing as a woman, according to the South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong - Banking giant HSBC Tuesday tried to reassure small investors in Hong Kong who have seen the value of their shares plunge 24 per cent then rebound
14 per cent within 24 hours.

HSBC's chief executive for the Asia-Pacific Sandy Flockhart said Monday's sudden plunge in share prices just before the market closed was caused by "technical trade" and not panic selling.

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong shares rebounded by more than 3 per cent Tuesday as HSBC Holdings partially recovered from massive 24 per cent losses sustained in a brutal Monday trading session.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index climbed from a four-month low by 349.47 points, or 3.08 per cent, to end the day at 11,694.05 points. Turnover was 33.4 billion Hong Kong dollars (4.3 billion US dollars.)