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.

Hong Kong - A woman police detective was under investigation Thursday after leaving bullets for her service revolver on the back seat of a taxi in Hong Kong.

Twelve rounds of ammunition and a speed-loader used to carry extra rounds of bullets were handed in at the city's Mongkok police station by a taxi driver who found them in the back of his cab.

The detective was unwell at the time she caught the taxi and was still sick before she got out, leaving the ammunition and speed-loader behind, the government-run RTHK radio station said.

A police spokesman said disciplinary action would be taken against the detective if she was found to have breached guidelines relating to the issuing of firearms.

Hong Kong - An animal-obsessed Hong Kong teenager was Thursday beginning a life jail sentence for murdering a female kennel worker he believed was mistreating dogs.

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong's troubled Disneyland theme park fell about 1.7 million visitors short of its third-year target despite gradually improving attendances, a news report said Thursday.

The park attracted about 4.5 million visitors from October 2007 to September 2008, against a pre-opening target of 6.22 million visitors in its third year, the South China Morning Post reported.

Visitor numbers were nevertheless up about 8 per cent on the previous year when it attracted 4.17 million visitors against a pre- opening target of 5.47 million.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares surged by more than 5 per cent Wednesday as confidence in stimulus and bailout packages announced in China and the US pushed prices up.