Hong Kong - Hong Kong recorded its highest-ever number of HIV infections in a single year in 2008, the city's Department of Health announced Tuesday.

There were 435 new cases of HIV recorded, the highest total since records began in 1984 and 5 per cent more than in 2007, a spokesman said.

Of the 435 infections, 131 people acquired the disease through heterosexual contact while another 145 were infected through homosexual or bisexual contact. The remainder of cases were unknown or from other sources.

Hong Kong - Chinese tourist Li Xiabo sits down to a lunch of pork and rice at an outdoor cafe in Hong Kong's Ocean Park theme park. A customer on the next table eats an identical meal. The only difference, in fact, is the price.

While the Hong Kong customer paid 45 Hong Kong dollars (5.8 US dollars) for his lunch, Li paid the equivalent of 51.7 Hong Kong dollars.

And whether he knows it or not, Li will pay a hefty surcharge of 13 per cent upwards for everything he buys inside the park compared to the man at the next table.

The reason for the disparity is simple: Li - like hundreds of thousands of Chinese visitors - paid for his meal in his home currency, the yuan.

Hong Kong - Youngsters in Hong Kong are risking deafness by turning personal stereos up too loud to drown out the sounds of the city, according to a survey released Monday.

Nearly one in four young people listen to iPods and other personal stereos at such a high volume that they risk damaging their hearing because the high-rise city is so noisy, the study concluded.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares fell sharply Monday, losing nearly 4 per cent of their value as a tide of poor economic data from China, South Korea and the US soured sentiment.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index shed 494.11 points, or 3.86 per cent, to end the day at 12,317.46. Turnover was 36.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (4.67 billion US dollars.)

Hong Kong  - The fur industry Monday attacked a planned trip to Canada by Hong Kong singer-actress Karen Mok to campaign against seal culls, saying she was being "manipulated" by animal rights groups.

Mok, 38, who has appeared in hit movies Shaolin Soccer and Around the World in 80 Days, is to fly to Canada Friday to shoot a mini-documentary about seal culls.

Her visit comes just weeks ahead of an annual hunt when more than 300,000 seals will be killed for their skins and is part of a global campaign to stop the trade in seal fur.

Hong Kong  - Global warming and urbanization were named Monday as factors for high-rise Hong Kong recording its warmest-ever February.

The sub-tropical city of 7 million recorded a median temperature 20.5 degrees Celsius in February, 4.2 degrees higher than the average for the month over the last 30 years.

It was the highest average temperature recorded since records began 125 years ago and one degree higher than the previous record set only in 2007. Hong Kong last year recorded its warmest autumn.