Hong Kong - China has clamped down on permits to visit Macau after seeing huge amounts of money flood into casinos in the resort, some of them American-owned, a news report said Thursday.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang said Wednesday the territory was facing a "financial tsunami" and said the city would need tenacity and perseverance to ride it out.

Speaking at a Chinese National Day ceremony, he said people in the city of 6.9 million needed to summon up the spirit China displayed after the Sichuan earthquake in May to face the crisis ahead.

"We were uplifted by the great strength and unity displayed by the whole nation in its aftermath," he told a gathering of 2,000 people at the reception.

Hong Kong - The popularity of Hong Kong's leader has plunged to a new low in the wake of the contaminated milk scandal in China, according to a survey Tuesday.

Beijing-appointed chief executive Donald Tsang was given a score of 53.4 out of 100 in the monthly poll of more than 750 people, his lowest score since taking office in 2005.

The ratio of people satisfied with Tsang's administration fell 3.7 percentage points month-on-month to 21.3 per cent, also the lowest level since Tsang took office.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares plunged more than 6 per cent in the first minutes of trading Tuesday in response to news of the defeat of the 700-billion-US-dollars rescue plan in Washington.

The Hang Seng Index fell below 17,000 points within 10 minutes of the market opening Tuesday but recovered some lost ground to reach 17,266, a loss of 3.43 per cent or 641 points on Monday's close, by 11 am (0300 GMT).

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares slumped by more than 4 per cent Monday as the bailout deal for the US economy failed to excite officials in the former British colony.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index shed 801.41 points, or 4.29 per cent, to close at 17,880.68 points. Turnover was a weak 54.96 billion Hong Kong dollars (7.07 billion US dollars).

The price falls mirrored regional losses and were led by property stocks which tumbled on worries over the housing market and an increase in mortgage rates by HSBC.

Earlier in the day, Hong Kong government officials gave a muted welcome to the 700 billion US dollar deal agreed in Washington early Monday Hong Kong time.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong officials Monday welcomed the bailout deal for the US economy but questioned whether the 700 billion US dollars in the package will be enough to revive global money markets.

Hong Kong's financial secretary John Tsang said he hoped the rescue package could be implemented quickly so that it would stabilize not only the US economy but the global financial system.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Joseph Yam said the plan would reduce the danger of further failures of financial institutions in the US.