Talking points

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

Investigators to report on Air France disaster

France's accident investigation agency will publish its final report on the crash on June 1, 2009 of Air France Flight 447, from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. A preliminary report released in July last year indicated that the pilot had returned to the cockpit only after the plane began to descend. Some media reports said he had been among the passengers, visiting his lover. The Airbus A330-200 fell into the Atlantic Ocean near the equator, killing all 228 people on board, the deadliest crash in Air France's 79-year history. Two years after the crash the hunt for evidence recovered all three flight recorders and other debris (pictured), after searching 17,000 square kilometres of sea bed at depths of up to 4,700 metres.

Official Church to name its Harbin bishop

The mainland's government-sanctioned Catholic Church will tomorrow name 48-year-old Joseph Yue Fusheng as its bishop of Harbin . The Vatican has objected to the move, saying that 'the appointment of bishops is not a political but religious matter'. The State Administration for Religious Affairs says it stands by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association's ordination of bishops, but is willing to discuss the issue of bishops' appointment with the Vatican.

Auditors to scrutinise Greek accounts

Inspectors from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund will review Greece's finances and progress on bailout conditions. The audit in Athens comes as Greece's new conservative government takes the full reins of power after winning the election on June 17. Since the election, the coalition led by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (pictured) has been stuck in limbo, hit by health problems and surprise resignations. Overshadowing the auditors' visit is a warning by the new deputy finance minister that the Greek economy will contract by 6.7 per cent this year compared to an earlier forecast contraction of 4.5 per cent.

European bank to lower ultra-low rates

The European Central Bank is expected to cut its benchmark rate by 0.25 of a percentage point, according to economists polled by Bloomberg. The ECB has kept borrowing costs at a record low of 1 per cent since December. Economists believe the central bank may announce a fresh round of liquidity measures.

Post-euro scenarios vie for top award

The winner of the Wolfson Economics Prize, which challenges economists to prepare a contingency plan for a break-up of the euro zone, is expected to be announced by British think tank the Policy Exchange. The 250,000 (HK$3.04 million) on offer makes it the richest award for economics after the Nobel. Five finalists are in contention: Catherine Dobbs, Roger Bootle and a team from Capital Economics - Jens Nordvig, Nick Firoozye, Neil Record and Jonathan Tepper.

Thaksin looms over constitutional review

Poised to wade into an issue that threatens to divide the country, Thailand's Constitutional Court will examine proposed changes to the constitution. The parliamentary opposition says a bill to amend a version drafted by the army is designed to clear ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and return to him US$1.5 billon of confiscated assets. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (pictured), Thaksin's sister, has denied the allegation.