Hong Kong  - It was when a policeman took them aside on the steps of the 7th century Jokhang temple in Lhasa that the Taylor family realized the extent of the sensitivity of being among the first tourists allowed back into Tibet.

"We'd been on the roof of the Jokhang where you get the panoramic view of the Potala Palace and Barkhor Square and where every tourist takes a bunch of pictures," said Chris Taylor, an expatriate history teacher in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong  - A record 4.24 million people are expected to travel in and out of Hong Kong for the May Day holiday, immigration officials in the city of 7 million said Monday.

The figure, which will see an average of 276,000 people a day criss-crossing the Lo Wu land border with China, would be 16 per cent higher than for the same time in 2008.

Hong Kong  - The number of people seeking psychiatric help in Hong Kong has risen by around one quarter since the onset of the economic crisis, a leading public doctor said Monday.

Patient numbers have risen by between 20 and 30 per cent since last October, mental health specialist Dr Lee Wing-king told government-run radio station RTHK.

Separately, a survey by the Democratic Alliance political party found that 80 per cent of people in the wealthy city of 7 million had suffered from insomnia or mood disorders because of the downturn.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong health officials said Sunday they had stepped up surveillance at border control points as more swine flu cases were reported in Mexico and the US. Airlines had been asked to broadcast health advice on all direct flights from affected areas and passengers with symptoms have been asked to report to officers on arrival, the city's Centre for Health Protection said.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong pop star Jill Vidal, given a suspended two-year jail sentence in Japan for heroin possession, arrived home to a media scrum Saturday. Around
100 reporters and photographers were at Hong Kong International Airport to see Vidal, 26, also known as Wei Si, arrive home after two months in custody.

Hong Kong - Unions in Hong Kong were calling Saturday for a minimum wage law to be drafted urgently after a survey found workers at fast-food outlet KFC earn as little as 2 US dollars an hour. Some KFC outlets in the wealthy city of 7 million pay just 16 Hong Kong dollars (2.06 US dollars) an hour while the average paid by the US chicken restaurant chain is 2.44 US dollars, the survey found.

Staff in McDonald's outlets are only slightly better paid with average pay rates of 2.61 US dollars an hour, the survey by Hong Kong unions found.