PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - April 15

HONG KONG, April 15 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

APPLE DAILY

-- Hong Kong's economy will see a recovery in the second half of the year, as asset markets appear to have bottomed out, Morgan Stanley said in a report.

MING PAO DAILY NEWS

-- Cathay Pacific (0293.HK) will announce within this week plans for a new round of cost-cutting policies, which include a mandatory no-pay leave requirement for staff, sources said.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- China Life Insurance Co (2628.HK) said premium income for the first quarter rose 1.8 percent to 104 billion yuan, compared with 102.2 billion yuan in the same period last year.

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will visit Hong Kong next week in the first official mission to the city by a government leader from modern Vietnam.

THE STANDARD

-- Bank of China president Li Lihui reiterated on Tuesday that the Beijing lender will increase its stake in its subsidiary, Bank of China (Hong Kong), to 75 percent if necessary.

HONG KONG DAILY NEWS

-- Great Eagle Holdings (0041.HK) said Hong Kong's overall hotel earnings from room sales fell by a third year-on-year in the first quarter.

WEN WEI PO

-- Sales of new apartments rebounded slightly over the Easter holiday, after lower prices and concession offers lured buyers. Some new apartments were offered at more than 20 percent below secondary market prices of similar flats in the same district.

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