Hong Kong  - An alleged rapist faced court in Hong Kong, after being arrested when his victim tricked him into giving her his phone number to arrange a date, a news report said Tuesday.

The 21-year-old woman pretended she wanted to see her alleged attacker again after the assault and got him to exchange mobile phone numbers with her, the South China Morning Post reported.

Instead, she alerted police who arrested Sohail Nadeem, 27, in a sting operation in a restaurant after the woman had phoned him to set up a date, according to the newspaper.

Hong Kong, Feb. 9 : The Hong Kong-based International Risk says in a review of terrorism trends in Asia, published today, that the terror threat in South Asia is set to intensify this year, particularly in the wake of rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

Hong Kong  - Unions representing bank workers in Hong Kong were Monday planning protest action over mass job cuts that they believe could see 1,000 employees in the city fired.

Union representatives say they have information suggesting that around 1,000 of the 18,000 people employed by HSBC in Hong Kong will lose their jobs as early as this week.

Hong Kong  - Membership prices for elite clubs, symbols of prestige and wealth in Hong Kong, have crashed because of the widening global economic slump, a news report said Monday.

Dealers in second-hand memberships for clubs such as the Hong Kong Golf Club and Hong Kong Cricket Club say prices are down by as much as 30 per cent to 45 per cent, according to the South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong  - Police in Hong Kong were Sunday preparing to carry out random breath tests on drivers for the first time as tough new laws against drinking and driving come into effect.

From midnight on Sunday, drivers will be stopped at roadblocks and given random breath tests to find out if they are over the limit, a police spokesman said.

Motorists convicted of driving while drunk can be jailed for up to three years, banned from driving and fined a maximum of 3,200 US dollars under the legislation which comes into effect Monday.

Hong Kong - A 23-year-old man accused of murdering two Hong Kong prostitutes appeared in court Saturday following a wave of killings that terrified the city's sex workers.

Hong Tze-yee is accused of killing a 47-year-old prostitute from Hong Kong in the apartment where she worked on January 10 and a 38-year-old Thai prostitute in her flat on January 31.

Both women were murdered as they worked alone by a killer who posed as a client and stole money and other items from their apartments.

The murder of a third prostitute killed in a similar fashion on January 11 is still under investigation.