Talking points
Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
China and US leaders share same table again
Premier Wen Jiabao and US leaders meet again in Bali for Asean and the expanded East Asia summits starting today. It follows last week's Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum talks. Up for discussion will probably be US President Barack Obama's announcement of an increased US military presence in Australia, and the statement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (pictured) promising the Philippines greater defence support in the face of rising tensions with China over energy reserves in disputed waters.
Spacecraft heads back down to earth
The spacecraft Shenzhou VIII is due to land in Inner Mongolia , ending its successful mission to dock with the Tiangong I module, a milestone in China's space station programme. China will conduct two more space docking missions next year, and plans to establish its own space laboratory around 2016 and a manned space station around 2020.
Case of Re-occupy Wall Street for protesters
Protesters have flooded back into the New York park where police demolished their tent village, vowing to step up the Occupy Wall Street campaign despite a ban on camping there. Protesters have agreed to march to the New York Stock Exchange today to mark the two-month anniversary of a movement that has inspired similar protests in other US cities and abroad.
Thailand emerges from the water
The submerged highway connecting Bangkok with southern provinces is expected to reopen today in a sign that Thailand's flood crisis may be easing. Waters in Thailand's capital are continually receding and all main streets will be dry in two weeks, authorities say, providing long-overdue good news after months of flooding that killed 564 people nationwide. The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority reported that the overall flood situation in the capital is improving fast, especially in Don Muang, where the smaller of Bangkok's two airports was forced to close, and Lad Phrao, a district studded with office towers, condominiums and a popular shopping mall.
Moonwalkers awarded highest US honour
The US Congress will award the nation's highest civilian honour, the Congressional Gold Medal, to four astronauts, including 81-year-old Neil Armstrong (pictured), the first man to walk on the moon. The others include Buzz Aldrin, 81, the second man to walk on the moon, and Michael Collins, also 81, who piloted the Apollo 11 command module during the 1969 mission. The fourth is former senator John Glenn, 90, who in 1962 became the first American to orbit the Earth.
Court decision on mortgage settlement
A New York judge is scheduled to consider whether to approve Bank of America's US$8.5 billion settlement of claims over losses on mortgage-backed securities. Some investors and regulators have objected to the deal.
