Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
Housing Authority holds special public meeting
The Housing Authority holds an annual 'special open meeting' at its headquarters in Ho Man Tin. Among those expected to attend are members of the Civil Force lobby group, which wants the government to review its policy for domestic rents in public housing, and plans to hand a petition to housing minister Eva Cheng (pictured). The authority last month gave public housing tenants a one-month rent waiver to ease the pain of a 10 per cent rent rise, but said tenants should not take such relief measures for granted in future.
Australian jobless total tipped to rise
Unemployment figures from Australia are expected to show that booming demand from China for iron ore and coal is not enough to shield the country from the global slowdown. Unemployment is expected to rise to 5.1 per cent from 4.9 per cent, pointing to a growing gulf between the resources sector and the rest of the Australian economy. Critics say that the country's reliance on resources has created a 'two-speed economy'.
More easing expected as Bernanke speaks
US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke (pictured) will testify on the economic outlook to the congressional Joint Economic Committee in Washington, and markets are hoping that he will provide some relief from the current gloom by launching a third round of quantitative easing, or QE3. Some economists have pointed out that QE1 and QE2 have failed to revive the markets, with US employers still preferring to retain cash and shed jobs.