Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares surged by more than 10 per cent Monday as bank bail-out packages in Britain and Europe brought buyers rushing back into global markets.

The Hang Seng Index shot up by 1,515.29 points, or 10.24 per cent, to close the day at 16,312.16 points. Turnover as 72.58 billion Hong Kong dollars (9.35 billion US dollars).

The rebound came after Hong Kong shares plunged by more than 7 per cent Friday, dipping below the 15,000-point mark for the first time in three years.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's chief executive believes the city could emerge as a more important financial centre because of the global economic meltdown, a news report said Monday.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang argues the "collapse" of London and New York could benefit the former British colony, according to the Hong Kong Standard.

In his annual policy address speech this week Tsang plans to say that Hong Kong "remains strong and may even grow as a result of the financial tsunami," the newspaper said.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong is on the watch out for a group of escaped crocodiles and alligators that broke out of a theme park in southern China during a typhoon, a news report said Sunday.

Up to 200 reptiles ranging from 2-metre Chinese alligators to saltwater crocodiles that can grow up to 6 metres reportedly escaped when Typhoon Hagiput lashed the theme park a fortnight ago.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares plunged by more than 7 per cent Friday, falling below 15,000 for the first time in three years, as panic gripped regional markets.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index lost 1,146.37 points, or 7.19 per cent, to close at 14,796.87. Turnover was 69.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (8.9 billion US dollars).

Analysts said they saw no end to the rout in sight and expected losses to continue into next week as confidence collapses in the rescue packages rolled out by governments worldwide.

Hong Kong - Eleven years after British rule ended, only one in seven Hong Kong people consider that they speak good English, according to a survey released Friday.

More than 40 per cent of people in the former British colony describe their level of English as below average or worse while 15 per cent describe it as good and only 3 per cent say it is excellent.