PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - June 18

HONG KONG, June 18 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL

-- The Hong Kong government reaffirmed it would only make bond issues of between HK$10 billion and HK$20 billion each year. Industry sources said the government had previoulsy consulted the market regarding a larger issue size, but the market had evinced a lack of interest in the low interest rate bond.

APPLE DAILY

-- A nurse who had earlier taken care of a 10-month-old H1N1 influenza-infected baby was confirmed to have contracted the virus, the first case of infection of a medical worker. Another secondary school was closed on Wednesday after a record 54 patients were found infected by the virus in a single day.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- Asia Cement (China) (0743.HK) would spend up to US$600 million to double its production capacity this year and next to meet growing demand, fuelled by Beijing's economic stimulus package, company chairman Hsu Shutong said.

TAKUNGPAO

-- Chinese sportswear maker 361 Degrees plans to expand its sales network to more than 6,900 stores in China in coming years, according to vice-president Xia Youqun.

THE STANDARD

-- Chinese real estate developer Greentown China (3900.HK) has raised its sales target to more than 25 billion yuan ($3.66 billion) this year, from an initial 20 million-25 billion yuan, following a record 17.3 billion yuan in contracted sales so far this year through Tuesday, chief executive Shou Bainian said.

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