Talking points
Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
The film world turns the spotlight on Cannes for the most famous annual movie festival on the planet. This year's main competition jury, headed by Steven Spielberg, will assess and debate 20 titles, many directed by auteurs on whom Cannes has smiled fondly in previous years. Jia Zhangke's (A Touch of Sin) represents China in the main competition, while Hong Kong film , directed by Flora Lau, features in the Un Certain Regard section.
A more detailed picture emerges of the impact of the dock strike as the Port Development Council releases the April container volumes for the nine Kwai Tsing container ports. The figure for March was down by 5.9 per cent year on year for March and April's figures are expected to show a further decline. The 40-day strike ended early this month after the dock workers accepted 9.8 per cent pay rise.
Efforts to regulate Iran's nuclear programme are stepped up. In Vienna, representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency meet officials from Tehran. In Istanbul, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, holds talks with Iran's top negotiator, Saeed Jalili, on the same issue. Iran claims its nuclear programme is peaceful, but Western nations led by the US fear it is attempting to construct an atomic bomb.
Globally revered Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh arrives in Hong Kong for a visit. The French-based monk, credited with coining the term engaged Buddhism and noted as an international campaigner for peace, will give public speeches and teachings in the city until May 28. This is the fifth teaching trip to Hong Kong for Hanh, known to his students as Thay, Vietnamese for teacher.
European trade officials discuss plans to impose punitive taxes on solar panels from China in what has been described as the EU's boldest move yet against what it sees as Chinese dumping of cheap goods in Europe. Representatives from each of the bloc's 27 member states will vote on the proposal to introduce tariffs of up to 47 per cent, though they are expected to go ahead on June 6.
US consul Stephen Young discusses American economic engagements with Asia, including the opportunities afforded through the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the US-China relationship, at a speech to the American Chamber of Commerce. He will also talk about the United States' history of partnership and friendship with Hong Kong at his speech at the Conrad hotel in Admiralty.
