Talking points

Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...

Swire shows off flat in Frank Gehry building

Developer Swire Properties hosts the media at a show flat in Opus Hong Kong (left), the luxury residential building at 53 Stubbs Road, The Peak, designed by Canadian architect Frank Gehry. Construction of the 12-storey block with a single flat on each floor was completed at the end of March. It is the acclaimed architect's first residential building in Asia. The flats will be rented rather than sold, and Swire Properties chief executive Martin Cubbon has been reported as saying he expects the flats to achieve record rentals.

Colombian president calls on Beijing

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos starts a state visit to China. Santos has told Chinese state media he hopes the two countries can establish a much closer framework of co-operation. Meanwhile, Santos' energy minister, Mauricio Cardenas, told Bloomberg the Colombian government would be seeking the involvement of Chinese companies in a pipeline to transport oil from the Caribbean to the Pacific coast.

HK airport pledges its greenness

Hong Kong International Airport hosts a 'world's greenest airport pledging ceremony' attended by Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng. One of the biggest challenges facing the airport is construction of its third runway, which environmentalists say will affect Lantau's marine ecology and increase noise pollution and carbon emissions. 'These are valid concerns, and we understand that we have a responsibility to ensure that they are addressed in a professional and satisfactory manner,' Airport Authority chief executive Stanley Hui Hon-chung (left) has written in this newspaper.

Medvedev completes the Putin job swap

The lower house of Russia's parliament is expected to approve Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister, a day after Vladimir Putin's inauguration as president, completing a job swap announced in September last year. But Medvedev is expected to remain largely in the shadows after his presidency failed to deliver on promises of political and economic modernisation.

Tough budget expected from Gillard's government

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's beleaguered government is expected to deliver a tough budget as it seeks to make good on a promise to return to surplus in the 2012-13 financial year. The government has already raised money through its controversial resources tax, which is designed to return some of the cash bonanza generated by China's ballooning demand for iron ore and coal to public coffers.

HSBC issues year's first management statement

HSBC Holdings issues its first interim management statement of the year. The statement will be discussed in an international media conference call to be hosted by group chief executive Stuart Gulliver (left) and group finance director Iain Mackay. HSBC has given no indication of what they will say, but Gulliver has previously stated that the group plans to shed 30,000 jobs globally by the end of next year. After cutting almost 7,000 staff last year, HSBC was left with some 288,000 employees at the end of December.