Talking points

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

Telecoms watchdog to set user guidelines

Hong Kong's telecoms watchdog Ofta will hold a press conference to announce a set of guidelines governing how service providers should set a 'fair use policy' for smartphone users. Through the policy, service providers will impose certain restrictions on customers who use the service excessively - even if they subscribe to unlimited data service plans.

No, the Martians haven't invaded

This is only a test. Seriously. That's what the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, wants the public to know about the first nationwide test of the emergency alert system, scheduled for today. The agency is trying to get the word out about the test to avoid unnecessary alarm like, say, the panic caused by Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of a fictional Martian invasion in New Jersey.

Da Vinci art on show in London

A landmark exhibition of paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci goes on show at London's National Gallery today, the first time so many of his masterpieces have been displayed together. Among the nine paintings are his two versions of the Virgin of the Rocks, which will hang face to face for the first time. Da Vinci (self-portrait, pictured) is thought to have produced about 20 paintings during his lifetime, but just 15 have survived. The exhibition, which also includes more than 50 drawings, focuses on Da Vinci's observation, imagination and painting technique, which developed while he was employed as the court painter in Milan in the 1480s and 1490s.

Agency shines light on intellectual property theft

The mainland's State Intellectual Property Office holds a three-day annual conference on patents. It is also launching national Patent Week to promote intellectual property protection. China has long taken heat from trade partners over widespread unauthorised copying of software, music, films and other products from luxury goods to industrial machinery. The International Intellectual Property Alliance, which represents US copyright groups, estimates the US lost US$3.5 billion to China due to piracy in 2009.

Firefighting a hot topic on mainland

Safety is the goal as the mainland marks National Firefighting Day today, November 9, coinciding with the fire emergency phone number 119. Fire drills will be held everywhere from schools to industrial parks, and firefighters will demonstrate their skills in various cities. Last month, the mainland recorded nearly 8,500 fires, resulting in 13 deaths and 26 injured.

Shipping giant's earnings set to confirm slowdown

All eyes will be on Danish shipping and oil group AP Moller-Maersk, whose Maersk Line - the world's biggest container shipping company - is scheduled to report third-quarter results. The group's earnings report, usually seen as a barometer of global trade, is expected to confirm anecdotal evidence that the financial crisis has seriously dented trade flows.