PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - March 13

HONG KONG, March 13 (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 TIMES

-- The grey market share price of China Railway Construction Corp was 18 percent higher than the IPO final price. The stock is set to debut in Hong Kong today along with the issuance of 43 related warrants. Some volatility is expected in its first day.

APPLE DAILY

-- A European fund by Cater Allen International accumulated shares in Standard Chartered (2888.HK) (STAN.L) last Friday to a total holding of 3.33 percent. The disclosure was made, but the fund quickly offloaded shares in the banking group to 0.96 percent, compared with 2.48 percent before the Friday purchase.

SING TAO DAILY

-- The share price of Hong Kong-listed Fubon Bank rose more than 7 percent after the Taiwanese government announced it would allow subsidiary entities of Taiwan banks to hold 20 percent or less of shares in any mainland bank.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- Ningbo Port Group, which is seeking a dual listing in Hong Kong and on the mainland this year, will set aside 30 billion yuan for expansion over the next three to five years.

-- Sixty percent of Hong Kong youngsters say they are happy, but compared to their peers in the region, they ranked ninth place out of 11 regions surveyed. The survey also revealed that young people in developed countries were less satisfied than their peers in developing countries.

THE STANDARD

-- China Everbright International has failed to match its 2006 performance in reporting a 27 percent drop in net profit for 2007 to HK$337.93 million from HK$460.49 million. The company, an arm of China Everbright Group that invests in environmental protection projects, recorded a 52 percent surge in turnover to HK$1.35 billion for the period, compared to the previous year's HK$884.04 million.

-- China attracted US$18.13 billion in foreign direct investment in the first two months of the year, up 75 percent over the same period last year, the Ministry of Commerce said.

SING PAO

-- The authorities have issued a warning against the Genki Sushi Japanese restaurant chain, following the discovery of a rat running near the conveyor belt circulating plates of sushi in one of its outlets. The rodent was caught on camera by a customer.

WEN WEI PO