Talking points
Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
Environment minister Wong Kam-sing addresses businessmen at a seminar organised by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce today. Wong will outline the government's strategy on waste reduction, a sensitive issue at the moment. Last month lawmakers decided to defer scrutiny of plans to extend landfills in Tuen Mun and Ta Kwu Ling. Earlier, officials withdrew a similar plan to extend the Tseung Kwan O landfill amid strong opposition. Lawmakers also rejected a funding request for an incinerator at Shek Kwu Chau, near Cheung Chau.
A verdict is expected in New Delhi in the case of a teenager accused of taking part in the fatal gang rape of a student in December. Five men were also accused of raping the 23-year-old physiotherapy student after she boarded their bus on the way home from a movie in New Delhi. She died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital. The attackers face murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping and other charges, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.
Tencent could release version 5.0 of WeChat as early as today, according to industry speculation. WeChat 5.0's new features could include a paid subscription function for public accounts, allowing account operators to charge followers to subscribe to their accounts, and a possible launch of a WeChat gaming platform. WeChat is the most popular social messaging app on the mainland and boasts more than 300 million users.
Turkey's former armed forces chief is likely to hear the verdict on allegations that he plotted a coup against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government. Retired General Ilker Basbug has refused to defend himself against terrorism charges, describing the accusations against him as a comedy. Basbug is accused of being a leader of a shadowy network dubbed Ergenekon, behind a string of alleged plots against the government.
Dr Mark Post will make culinary and scientific history today by cooking a beefburger and eating it. Which sounds mundane except that this burger cost €250,000 to make and has been assembled from meat grown in his laboratory at Maastricht University. Post's burger is constructed from tens of thousands of strands of protein grown, in petri dishes, from cattle stem cells. The event will be the culmination of years of research to demonstrate that meat grown in culture dishes in the lab can one day be a viable alternative to meat from livestock.
More than 400 of the world's top badminton players arrive in Guangzhou for the world championships. Double Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion Lin Dan will be looking to secure a fifth straight world title in the men's singles.
