An off-duty fireman was recovering in hospital after he tried to gas himself with charcoal at a fire station in Pokfulam. The man, 34, who had been with the Fire Services Department for 10 years, was found by a colleague in a conference room at Sandy Bay fire station in Victoria Road. He was taken to Queen Mary Hospital in stable condition.

Children's home for hanging-scare toddler

The Social Welfare Department will apply for a court order to send a two-year-old boy to its children's home after his father tried to hang him with a pair of trousers at the department's Tuen Mun office, when his application for welfare was refused. His father, 47, was released on bail of $500. He will not be allowed to contact his son.

five held in mongkok over loan scheme

Anti-triad officers arrested five men in Mongkok for criminal intimidation and unlawful detention after more than 130 complaints were made against a finance company that loaded loans with exorbitant and undisclosed charges. Alleged victims said they were detained if they refused to pay up.

stray dogs cause bother

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department received 9,619 complaints about stray dogs last year, with more than 50 per cent coming from the New Territories. A total of 11,771 dogs were put down last year.