Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares rose nearly 2.8 per cent Wednesday to end a two-day slump and edge back up to within a whisker of the 15,000-points threshold. The blue-chip Hang Seng Index gained 401.84 points, or 2.76 per cent, to close the day at 14,956.95. Turnover was a sluggish 50.6 billion Hong Kong dollars (6.52 billion US dollars).

Consumer goods exporter Li and Fung was the biggest winner, rising more than 7 per cent on improved consumer sentiment in the US where many of its goods are sent.

Hong Kong - A computer technician was facing jail after being convicted Wednesday of stealing photos of a Hong Kong pop star having sex with starlets that would be seen by millions of people. Sze Ho-chun, 24, downloaded explicit images from the laptop computer of the singer-actor Edison Chen that showed Chen engaging in sex acts with a number of women, a Hong Kong court found.

Hong Kong  - A computer technician Wednesday was found guilty of stealing explicit photos from Hong Kong pop star Edison Chen, triggering a massive scandal involving a number of young starlets.

Sze Ho-chun, 24, downloaded explicit images from the laptop computer of the singer-actor that showed Chen engaging in sex acts with a number of well-known women, a Hong Kong court found.

Hong Kong  - Customs officers in Hong Kong said Wednesday they arrested an internet user for distributing movies using BitTorrent technology, the third such arrest of its kind.

The jobless 38-year-old was arrested after investigators monitoring internet use allegedly caught him sharing two movies Monday night.

The suspect was later released on bail as customs officer prepare for what could be the third case against BitTorrent users in Hong Kong, which has set world precedents in file-sharing prosecutions.

Hong Kong - English football premier league team Liverpool was Wednesday accused of pricing itself out of the market making "outrageous" demands to play in Hong Kong.

A Hong Kong Football Association source told the South China Morning Post the team's planned exhibition at the Hong Kong Stadium in July had been scrapped because of the financial demands.

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong is at a "higher risk" of an outbreak of swine flu because the city of 7 million is so densely populated, its leader Donald Tsang said Tuesday.

Beijing-appointed Tsang made the remark after government officials held a teleconference with counterparts in Macau and the neighbouring southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

The former British colony has been on alert for signs of the virus and Monday announced that three people tested for swine flu had been given the all-clear.