Talking points
Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
Protesters challenge Najib government
Malaysian protesters demanding fair elections expect 100,000 people to attend a rally in defiance of the government and in a test of Prime Minister Najib Razak's pledge to allow greater freedom ahead of a national vote. The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections plans to hold the demonstration at Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square. Authorities have sealed the square (left) to prevent the sit-in, risking clashes like those at a coalition protest last year. Police have served a court order on the coalition, banning anyone from gathering near the square and warning people to stay away. The order to close the square 'doesn't make any difference', coalition spokeswoman Maria Chin Abdullah said. 'We will proceed.'
PLA hosts open days at Hong Kong bases
The People's Liberation Army holds open days at its military bases in Hong Kong over the weekend. The first takes place from 10.30am to 2pm today at Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base, Stonecutters Island. Tomorrow there will be open days at Shek Kong Barracks, Kam Tin Road, from 10.30am to 2pm; and Sun Wai Barracks, Sha Tau Kok Road, from 2.30pm to 5pm. Last year the open days attracted 23,000 spectators.
Cheung Chau braces for annual bun fight
The population of Cheung Chau is expected to triple as the island's annual bun festival attracts 70,000 visitors. Highlights include a bun-scrambling competition which will be held at midnight tonight, when 12 competitors will race to the top of an 18-metre tower to bag as many plastic buns as they can in three minutes.
EU and UN leaders call on Myanmese leaders
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon visit Myanmar, where they are expected to hold talks with President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Ashton's visit comes after the EU suspended for one year a wide range of sanctions against Myanmar, although it left intact an arms embargo. Over the past year, Myanmar's government has freed hundreds of political prisoners, eased media restrictions and brought the opposition back into politics.
Car dealers prepare for a Labour Day spin
The mainland's three-day Labour Day holiday starts tomorrow, and some car dealers hope it will boost their sales, after the launch of several new models this month. Industry figures suggest new car sales in the year's first quarter remain weak, down by more than 3 per cent over the same period last year, despite price cuts.
Private celebration after a very public year for royals
The Duchess of Cambridge (left), as Kate Middleton is now officially known, and her husband, Prince William, plan to celebrate the first anniversary of their wedding in private tomorrow, according to officials at Buckingham Palace. Since they were married in Westminster Abbey in a television spectacle seen throughout the world, the couple have managed to avoid controversy and generate some of the most positive coverage of Britain's royal family in recent years.
