Hong Kong - Youngsters in Hong Kong are risking deafness by turning personal stereos up too loud to drown out the sounds of the city, according to a survey released Monday.

Nearly one in four young people listen to iPods and other personal stereos at such a high volume that they risk damaging their hearing because the high-rise city is so noisy, the study concluded.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares fell sharply Monday, losing nearly 4 per cent of their value as a tide of poor economic data from China, South Korea and the US soured sentiment.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index shed 494.11 points, or 3.86 per cent, to end the day at 12,317.46. Turnover was 36.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (4.67 billion US dollars.)

Hong Kong  - The fur industry Monday attacked a planned trip to Canada by Hong Kong singer-actress Karen Mok to campaign against seal culls, saying she was being "manipulated" by animal rights groups.

Mok, 38, who has appeared in hit movies Shaolin Soccer and Around the World in 80 Days, is to fly to Canada Friday to shoot a mini-documentary about seal culls.

Her visit comes just weeks ahead of an annual hunt when more than 300,000 seals will be killed for their skins and is part of a global campaign to stop the trade in seal fur.

Hong Kong  - Global warming and urbanization were named Monday as factors for high-rise Hong Kong recording its warmest-ever February.

The sub-tropical city of 7 million recorded a median temperature 20.5 degrees Celsius in February, 4.2 degrees higher than the average for the month over the last 30 years.

It was the highest average temperature recorded since records began 125 years ago and one degree higher than the previous record set only in 2007. Hong Kong last year recorded its warmest autumn.

Hong Kong  - Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was Sunday reportedly considering whether to deliver a controversial Hong Kong speech via video link.

Thaksin on Saturday cancelled an appearance scheduled for Monday at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong amid threats by Thailand to seek his extradition.

Hong Kong - An Hong Kong actress pictured in racy photographs circulated on the internet has broken her silence to lambast Edison Chen, the star at the centre of the scandal, news reports said Saturday.

Cecilia Cheung appeared in a television interview broadcast Friday by Hong Kong-based private television channel iCable, criticising Chen whom she accused of lying and saying one thing to gain public sympathy while doing another.