Hong Kong

Mass chicken slaughter begins as bird flu haunts Hong Kong again

Mass chicken slaughter begins as bird flu haunts Hong Kong again Hong Kong - The spectre of workers in protective suits slaughtering chickens by the tens of thousands returned to haunt Hong Kong Wednesday as a worrying new outbreak of bird flu was confronted.

More than 60,000 birds were culled at the farm where the city's first outbreak in six years was detected and thousands more were killed at a nearby farm and a wholesale market.

Hong Kong leader's popularity slumps as economic woes deepen

Hong Kong leader's popularity slumps as economic woes deepenHong Kong  - The popularity of Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang has slumped to an all-time low as the economic crisis takes its toll on the wealthy former British colony, a survey found Wednesday.

The popularity rating of Beijing-appointed Tsang fell from 54.5 points out of 100 in November to 50.2 points in December, his lowest score since taking office in 2005.

Giant panda Peace savages park keeper in Hong Kong

Giant panda Peace savages park keeper in Hong KongHong Kong  - An investigation was under way Wednesday into why a giant panda in Hong Kong bit the female keeper who had been looking after him for seven years.

The keeper was hospitalized after being bitten on the leg by giant panda An An, whose name means Peace in Chinese, in his enclosure at the Ocean Park theme park in Hong Kong on November 30.

The attack by the 22-year-old panda only came to light after a video of it taken with a mobile phone camera by a park visitor was circulated on the internet video channel YouTube.

IMF urges tax cuts, infrastructure investments in Hong Kong

IMF urges tax cuts, infrastructure investments in Hong Kong Hong Kong  - A raft of measures including permanent cuts in salary and corporate taxes and investment in infrastructure have been proposed by the International Monetary Fund as a way of stimulating demand in Hong Kong, the government said Tuesday.

"Well targeted infrastructure investments should boost the economy's potential by further increasing skill levels and productivity," IMF directors said in a report on Hong Kong's economy.

Hong Kong anti-graft watchdogs snare 50 bosses for scams

Hong Kong  - Anti-corruption investigators have successfully prosecuted 50 chairmen and top managers for scams totalling 3 billion Hong Kong dollars (385 million US dollars) over the last five years, a media report said Tuesday.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption said 18 cases involving 2.5 billion Hong Kong dollars concerned fraud or scams on letters of credit, the South China Morning Post said.

A further 300 million Hong Kong dollars involved embezzlement, while the remaining 200 million Hong Kong dollars covered bribery or kickbacks.

Anti-graft commissioner Timothy Tong said corporate governance and the integrity of directors was of significant importance especially during the current financial crisis.

75-year-old businessman jailed for 34-million-dollar fraud

Hong Kong  - A 75-year-old businessman has been jailed for 55 months after masterminding a 265-million-Hong-Kong-dollar (34-million-US-dollar) fraud, a media report said Tuesday.

Chen Xun had denied five counts of conspiracy to defraud three banks to issue letters of credit by providing false documents, The Standard newspaper said.

Accomplice Lau Ka-ping, 54, who also acted as a prosecution witness against Chen, received a 32-month sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

Deputy judge Johnny Chan jailed Chen even though the money had been fully repaid. The judge said granting leniency by giving Chen a lighter sentence would send the wrong message to the public.

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