Hong Kong  - A construction company boss in Hong Kong on Saturday began a two-month jail term for trying to bribe a policeman with boxes of traditional Chinese moon cakes.

Chin Tat-yung, 37, handed 15 boxes of the cakes - usually given to children as a treat for the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival - to a police officer inspecting road works his company was carrying out.

The police officer, who was responsible for approving the road works, gave them to his senior inspector who contacted Chin and returned the cakes, a court was told Friday.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares ended another poor week with a loss of almost 2.4 per cent Friday as bank shares fell heavily on fresh concerns over the financial sector's outlook.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index dipped below the 12,000-point barrier, losing 289.72 points to end the day at 11,921.52. Turnover was 46.9 billion Hong Kong dollars (6 billion US dollars).

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong officials are considering whether to send home an illegal immigrant who lived undetected in the wealthy former British colony for 28 years, a news report said Friday.

Wong Shen-chee, who is now 71, arrived from Indonesia in 1981 on a 90-day visitor visa and has never left the high-rise city of 7 million since, the South China Morning Post reported.

Hong Kong  - A Chinese woman passenger whose temper tantrum when she missed a flight from Hong Kong was watched by 5 million YouTube viewers has been given an apology and a free upgrade, the airline said Thursday.

An airline employee who filmed the middle-aged woman throwing herself on the floor in a three-minute screaming fit when she arrived at the boarding gate too late to board a flight to San Francisco has also been disciplined, Cathay Pacific said.

Hong Kong  - An internationally-renowned Chinese concert pianist accused of beating his wife walked free from a Hong Kong court Thursday as an assault charge against him was dropped.

Liu Shih-kun, 69, hailed as one of China's greatest pianists, was accused of injuring his 47-year-old wife in a scuffle at a music school he runs in Hong Kong in January.

At a hearing in Eastern Court Thursday, however, prosecutors said they were dropping the charge after examining in closer detail the statement submitted by Liu's wife after the incident.

Hong Kong  - The Hong Kong government was Thursday asking officials in Macau why it has refused entry to a number of people including academics, politicians and a journalist.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee said the city government was "concerned" about the travel bans imposed by Macau and would seek an explanation from its Beijing-appointed leaders.