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

Financial chief answers budget questions on air

No HK$6,000 handouts this year, but Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah (left) will be available, on a radio phone-in programme, to answer questions from the public on the HK$394 billion budget he unveiled in Legco yesterday. In what is likely to be his last budget, Tsang warned of a gloomy outlook for the city, which he said would grow by between 1 and 3 per cent this year, down from 5 per cent last year because of the fiscal difficulties in the United States and Europe.

Kuwait's opposition poised to win election

Kuwait's Islamist-led opposition appears headed for a key victory in today's general elections, described as crucial for the future of the oil-rich Gulf state. However, the outcome of the ballot, the fourth in just under six years, is not expected to end political turmoil that has paralysed development in Opec's third-largest oil producer. The opposition is a loose formation of Islamists, liberals, nationalists and independents.

Judge reviews Hongkongers' sentences

A judge in the Philippines reviews the case of Tang Lung-wai and Cheung Tai-on (both pictured), who are serving lengthy jail terms in Manila for drug possession. The two were sentenced and a third suspect was acquitted in October, 11 years after the three Hongkongers were arrested in a sting operation by Philippine police. Tang insists they are innocent. He is being helped by lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun. If the judge upholds their sentences, they will need to lodge an appeal to higher courts, which will take two to six years. Tse has said the chances for a successful review look slim.

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