Talking points

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

Victims' families to give account of Manila visit

Relatives of survivors and victims of the Manila bus hijacking will hold a news conference after returning to Hong Kong from a traumatic week in the Philippines, where they marked the first anniversary of the tragedy in which eight Hongkongers died. They are expected to denounce President Benigno Aquino for his refusal to apologise for the killings. They hope to put pressure on Beijing to raise the issue of an apology with Manila, and that of compensation, when Aquino travels to the mainland on an official visit next week.

Winners of Mao Dun Literature Prize face the media

The winners of the Mao Dun Literature Prize will meet the press in Beijing amid controversy over the quadrennial award, administered by the Chinese Writers' Association. One of the five winning entries is the 4.5-million-word, 100-volume novel You Are on the Highland, which took author Zhang Wei 22 years to write. Its length has led critics to question whether any of the 61 adjudicators of the prize actually read it. Critics are also wondering why four of the five winning authors are members of the association.

NPC committee to explain HK interpretation

The National People's Congress Standing Committee will brief the media on its interpretation of the Basic Law regarding 'state immunity'. Hong Kong's top court sought the interpretation over a case concerning whether the Democratic Republic of Congo is immune from the city's legal jurisdiction in a commercial case.

UN session to discuss situation in Libya

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon will preside over a meeting in New York to discuss the situation in Libya, with representatives of the African Union, Arab League and European Union expected to attend. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she would discuss providing aid, medical supplies and fuel needed in Tripoli. The EU is preparing to release Libyan assets to the transitional administration once the UN has given approval.

Investors hope for clear signal from Bernanke speech

US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke will give a key speech in Wyoming after weeks of market turbulence, amid hopes that he will deliver some clarity on the state of the economy and whether the Fed will give it a new boost. With poor growth vulnerable to turbulence from troubled Europe, investors want a clear signal that the central bank chief is ready to act to prevent a return to recession. The last time Bernanke spoke to the public, the US stock market jumped, plunged and then soared, all within a few minutes; no one was sure if his statement boded well or ill for the economy.

US to report on second-quarter GDP

Second-quarter gross domestic product figures for the United States due tonight are likely to be the focus of markets. The preliminary estimate was for an annual growth rate of 1.3 per cent, which was less than expected, and a downward revision would revive fears that the world's largest economy is heading into a double-dip recession.