(Corrects reference to China Huarong Energy to say company was formerly known as China Rongsheng Heavy Industries)

HONG KONG, July 2 (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.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- As Beijing passed a sweeping new national security law, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was quick to assure Hong Kongers that it would not apply to the city, and that the government had no plans to enact the controversial Article 23 of the Basic Law. But Leung said the city did have a responsibility to help ensure national security, which it should do by local legislation.(http://bit.ly/1RSRCdP)

-- Hong Kong is one of the most expensive places in the world to construct buildings, especially if they are residential properties, according to a new survey. At $3,200 per square metre in construction costs, Hong Kong was only surpassed by New York and London in the International Construction Market Survey 2015 conducted by Britain-based consultancy Turner and Townsend.(http://bit.ly/1gbRjPz)

-- China Huarong Energy Co, formerly known as China Rongsheng Heavy Industries, said in a regulatory filing that a memorandum of understanding on the disposal of assets to an unnamed buyer has expired. Huarong announced in March a potential sale of its core shipbuilding and engineering business, subject to formal agreement. (http://bit.ly/1dz6joG)

THE STANDARD

-- China's Financial Futures Exchange has squashed rumours that foreign investors including Goldman Sachs have been shorting Chinese stocks using index futures, the latest move by regulators to calm market anxiety following two weeks of panic selling. The exchange said the 63 overseas institutions that currently trade index futures in China can only trade for risk-hedging purposes. (http://bit.ly/1UanA9k)

-- Far East Horizon said it will issue new shares worth HK$4.47 billion ($576.62 million) to raise equity capital for future development. The mainland financial services provider will issue 658 million new shares at HK$6.90 per share, or a discount of 6.5 percent to the previous close. (http://bit.ly/1R622M5)

-- The asset management arms of Bank of China and HSBC are among the first to apply for cross-border fund sales under the Mutual Recognition of Funds scheme that takes effect from Thursday. Bank of China Investment Management, a mainland joint venture of BOC and BlackRock, is set to introduce two mainland-domiciled funds to local investors. (http://bit.ly/1GOUVMY)

HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL

-- Alibaba Health Information Technology Ltd, a unit of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, posted a 35.3 percent year-on-year increase in revenue to HK$37.2 million ($4.80 million) for the year ended in March, while net loss attributable to owners amounted to HK$101.5 million, against a HK$39.2 million loss in the year-ago period.

For Chinese newspapers, see...............

($1 = 7.7521 Hong Kong dollars) ($1 = 6.2008 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Edmund Klamann)