Talking points

CY Leung speaks at FCC

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying joins a special lunch at the city's Foreign Correspondents Club to give a speech entitled "Hong Kong: the next five years". Leung has endured a tough start to his term in the city's top job and foreign journalists are expected to put him on the spot over controversies including the row over national education and the illegal structures at his home on The Peak.

Mo Yan meets world's press

Nobel Literature Prize laureate Mo Yan meets the media in the Swedish capital Stockholm as he prepares to accept the award next week. Mo's books have sold like hotcakes since he became the first Chinese national to win the award and he is expected to face a series of questions from the international press on his success - as well as claims that he has not done enough to fight censorship.

Club World Cup kicks off

Soccer's Club World Cup kicks off in Yokohama with a preliminary round clash between Japanese favourites Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Oceania's champions Auckland City. But the international contest, which has grown in prestige in recent years, really hots up next week when Brazilian aces Corinthians and European champions Chelsea, of England, join the fray.

Translators' group marks 30th anniversary

The Translator Association of China will hold a conference to mark the 30th anniversary of its foundation in Beijing. The theme of the conference is about how the translation profession can help China's strategy to expand its "soft power" in the world. The association has grown fast since its foundation and includes groups dedicated to languages as diverse as Esperanto and Mongolian.

Apple and Samsung face off in court

Technology giants Apple and Samsung go into battle again in a California courtroom, as the US firm seeks a permanent ban on six smartphone models and the Tab 10.1 tablet model made by its South Korean rival. An earlier court hearing in the patent battle between the companies ruled that Samsung had infringed six out of seven Apple patents at issue and awarded more than US$1.05 billion in damages.

Transport chief visits the capital

Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung begins a two-day visit to Beijing. He will hold talks with the Railways Ministry and the Transport Ministry, and visit the central government's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. The trip has added interest because Cheung is a rarity among senior government officials, having started his political career in the pro-democracy group Meeting Point, which later became the Democratic Party