Hong Kong  - Around 1,000 people took part in Hong Kong's first gay pride march, organizers of the event in the conservative former British colony estimated Sunday.

Gay, lesbian and bisexual marchers from mainland China and Taiwan joined Hong Kong groups for Saturday's event, which saw colourfully dressed participants walk a
3-kilometre route through the city centre.

Government authorities confirmed the outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu at a local chicken farm on Thursday. Jolly Choi, spokeswoman for Hong Kong's agriculture, fisheries, and conservation department said that earlier tests on Dec 9 were positive for an H5 virus, but further testing showed that three chickens found dead on the farm had the H5N1 subtype.

Choi said that no new measures were required other than those that have been implemented.

Hong Kong - A flight attendant with Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific has been prosecuted for stealing 168 items from the plane's trolley on a single flight, a news report said Saturday.

Kwong Man-fong, 43, stole items including biscuits, beer, mineral water, chocolates, red wine, a sewing kit, pens, noodles and shaving cream on the flight from Auckland to Hong Kong on July 27.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong was embarrassed Friday by the death of a second rare Chinese sturgeon months after it was presented to the city's Ocean Park theme park by the Beijing government.

The death of the endangered fish from a bacterial infection follows the loss of another sturgeon in June which was savaged to death by a barracuda sharing the same tank.

The incident in June came only days after Hong Kong was given the 1.1-metre-long fish, along with two other sturgeon, by China, representing one of the five mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It developed into a minor but acutely embarrassing diplomatic incident for the government of the former British colony, whose officials are all appointed by China and kow-tow to Beijing.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong stocks fell almost 5.5 per cent Friday as markets across the Asian region reacted to the collapse of a US car industry bail-out plan.

Hong Kong-listed Chinese shares led the declines with losses approaching 7 per cent, spurred by disappointment over the lack of further stimulus measures from Beijing at a key annual economic conference that ended Wednesday.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index closed down 855.51 points, or 5.48 per cent, at 14,758.39. Turnover was 58.7 billion Hong Kong dollars (7.57 billion US dollars).

Hong Kong - A cull of tens of thousands of chickens was continuing in Hong Kong Thursday as officials tried to calm fears over a new outbreak of bird flu.

More than 75,000 chickens had been slaughtered by Thursday afternoon at the farm in the Yuen Long district where the outbreak was detected and at a nearby wholesale market in Cheung Sha Wan.

Meanwhile birds killed by the virus were tested to find out if the type of bird flu they contracted was the H5N1 strain that jumps more easily from chickens to humans.