Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
Kuala Lumpur hosts Philippine peace talks
The Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are scheduled to hold the next round of peace talks in Kuala Lumpur as they attempt to end four decades of armed conflict. A secret meeting in a Tokyo hotel on August 4 (left) between President Benigno Aquino and MILF leader Murad Ebrahim produced an agreement to accelerate the peace process. The government is expected to present its response to the MILF's demand for a sub-state and press the rebels to go after a rogue member who formed a splinter guerilla unit that could jeopardise the peace talks. Ameril Umbrakato, who was a senior commander of the MILF, has taken about 300 of his men to continue the 33-year Islamist insurgency, which has claimed some 150,000 lives.
Registration forms for HK$6,000 handout available
Registration forms for the HK$6,000 handout from this year's budget become available at more than 1,100 branches of Hong Kong's 21 retail banks and its 126 post offices. The forms can also be downloaded from the banks' websites, or collected from district offices, district social welfare offices, public housing estate offices and the Housing Authority's customer service centre. Starting from next Sunday, residents aged 18 or above with a permanent identity card can register for the handout through banks or post offices in batches according to their year of birth.
Air China reports interim earnings