Hong Kong - An animal protection group on Friday appealed to China to ban the use of oxen to pull carts to ease the strain on the country's beasts of burden during the Year of the Ox.

The director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wrote to the Beijing government saying the use of ox carts should be consigned to the "history books."

In his letter faxed Friday to Transport Minister Li Shenglin, Jason Baker wrote: "Oxen are still used for heavy, difficult work in all weather extremes in many parts of China.

Hong Kong - The Year of the Rat was not a good one for the world of finance and banking. Stock markets plummeted, property prices dived and businesses all over the world crumbled in the fall-out from the credit crunch.

This was to be expected, according to Chinese astrologer Raymond Lo, who points to the fact that the influencing element of the rat is water. And as every good Chinese astrologer knows water brings worries and provokes fears.

Hong Kong  - Police in Hong Kong on Thursday were investigating an apparent suicide pact in which a husband and wife leaped to their deaths together from their
36th-floor apartment.

The man, 53, and the woman, 46, were found dead Wednesday evening at the foot of the apartment block in the city's urban Kwai Chung district.

One neighbour told police he saw the couple standing together on the window ledge of the high-rise block and shouted at them to stop shortly before they jumped.

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong people will give out less cash in traditional Chinese New Year "lucky money" packets this year because of the economic slump, according to a survey released Thursday.

Twenty-four per cent of people interviewed in an annual survey said they would be giving out less money in the "lai see" packets handed out by adults to children and employers to employees to mark the start of the Lunar New Year.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares fell by almost 3 per cent Wednesday as overnight losses on Wall Street and profit warnings from Chinese companies listed in the city deepened market gloom.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index ended the day down 376.14 points, or 2.9 per cent, at 12,583.63. Turnover was a relatively low 47.6 billion Hong Kong dollars (6.1 billion US dollars).