Talking points

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

Leaders to mark World Aids Day

Former US president George W. Bush will visit Zambia, Tanzania and Ethiopia on a campaign against HIV/Aids, among events marking World Aids Day tomorrow. Appearing via satellite, Bush will also take part in a panel discussion with President Barack Obama and former president Bill Clinton. World Aids Day was first proclaimed in 1988 by the World Health Organisation, and since 1995 the sitting US president has traditionally used December 1 to make an official proclamation on HIV/Aids policy. According to UNAids, 25 million have died from HIV/Aids between 1981 and 2007, and more than 33 million have been living with the disease since 2007, including this 58-year-old patient photographed yesterday at the Khmer-Soviet Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

HK firemen to demand a shorter week

About 1,000 off-duty firemen will take to Hong Kong's streets in support of a 20-year-old demand to cut their working week to 48 hours from 54, in line with the other disciplined services. The firemen will march from Wan Chai to the government headquarters in Admiralty, where they will hand in a letter to a Security Bureau official. Au Wah-kin, secretary of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department Staffs General Association, stressed that public safety would be not compromised by the march.

High stakes for Clinton's visit to Myanmar

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit to Myanmar this week will test the country's tentative democratic reforms in a high-stakes trip that could mark the nation's return to the world stage after more than 50 years of political isolation. Clinton's trip follows President Barack Obama's statement that he saw 'flickers of progress' in a country that until recently was seen as a reclusive dictatorship firmly aligned with China. Diplomats and journalists will be looking at access and the tone of her reception as they assess the changes under way in a country that the United States insists on calling Burma. Clinton is scheduled to hold two meetings with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (pictured), who has spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention after leading a mass popular uprising that was crushed by the army.

Mainland law reform consultation ends

The mainland's public consultation for the civil procedure law amendment and the mental health legislation draft comes to an end. It is the first legislation that will allow mainlanders to file lawsuits on behalf of the public interest in cases such as environmental or consumer disputes. Many observers hope the reform of mental health legislation can help stop the abuses of sending petitioners to psychiatric hospitals.

Put London trips on hold, says Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific has asked Hongkongers planning to travel to or from Britain to delay their journey, as the country faces its biggest industrial action in three decades. Passengers arriving at Heathrow airport (pictured), one of the world's busiest, have been warned to expect delays of up to 12 hours, with border officials expected to join two million public-sector workers striking against pension reforms. The British government is planning GBP80 billion (HK$967 billion) worth of cuts to curb a budget deficit.