Talking points

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

Catholics march for religious freedom

The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese's Justice and Peace Commission protests against oppression of religious freedom on the mainland with a march to the central government's liaison office in Western. The rally follows reports that two priests in Harbin were taken away by officials on July 5 without any reasons given. It was also reported that the new auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, Thaddeus Ma Daqin (left), has been banned from carrying out his duties after announcing at the weekend that he was quitting the government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

Envoy's visit may herald Korean activist's release

South Korean media will be watching closely to see whether a visit to Seoul by Beijing's public security minister brings any good news for an activist held in China for allegedly helping North Korean defectors. Meng Jianzhu starts his three-day visit to Seoul tomorrow and is expected to meet South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and justice ministry officials. Citing diplomatic sources, the Yonhap news agency said Kim Yong-hwan, a senior researcher for a Seoul-based civic group arrested in March in Dalian, is likely to be released at the time of Meng's visit.

Australian treasurer attends HK forum on yuan

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan (left) and Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah give the keynote addresses at a forum at the government offices in Admiralty, on China's efforts to promote international use of the yuan for trade and investment. The forum is presented by the Australian government, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau.

Jakarta hosts German chancellor

German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel holds talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and business leaders in Jakarta during her first official visit to Indonesia. The leaders are expected to focus on bilateral co-operation on trade and investment, education, research and technology, and the health and defence sectors. Merkel will also visit the Tsunami Warning Centre, built with German assistance. Local newspapers report that the facility, built after the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami, is still 'a work in progress'.

One more Republican hurdle for Obamacare

Republicans in the US House of Representatives are expected to vote in favour of repealing the Affordable Health Care Act, the centrepiece of US President Barack Obama's domestic policy, which was upheld last month in the Supreme Court as constitutional. The vote is symbolic and faces being overturned in the Senate.

Romney addresses NAACP convention

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addresses the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, the oldest US civil rights organisation, in Houston. Romney could score some crucial wins in swing states if enough minority voters turn out for him in places like North Carolina, where about a quarter of the electorate is black and which Obama barely won four years ago thanks in part to huge support among African-Americans.