Talking points

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

Taxman appeals against Tony Chan's reprieve

The Commissioner of Inland Revenue appeals against a Court of First Instance ruling in favour of fung shui master Tony Chan Chun-chuen (left). The taxman is seeking to overturn a ruling that rejected its refusal to allow Chan more time to file an objection against a HK$330 million tax claim arising from his 23 properties and fung shui fees he received from Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum, reputedly Asia's richest woman before her death in 2007. Chan also faces legal fees and criminal charges from his failed claim to Wang's HK$32 billion estate.

Bank reports on city's millionaires

Citibank announces the results of its annual survey of Hong Kong's millionaires. According to last year's report, the city's property boom and market rebound swelled the ranks of the city's wealthiest by 164,000 millionaires, the biggest increase since Citibank started to analyse residents' wealth in this way nine years ago. According to the 2011 report, Hong Kong, with a population of around seven million, had 558,000 millionaires by the end February last year, up 42 per cent on 2009.

Exchange workers march against cut lunch

Members of the Securities and Futures Employees Union hold a protest march in another demonstration against the second phase of the Hong Kong exchange's extension of trading hours, which will come into force after Saturday and take 30 minutes off the employees' lunch break. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, which has some of the world's shortest trading hours, will cut the present 90-minute lunch break to one hour, after last year cutting it from two hours.

Republican frontrunners face tiebreaker

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum (left) are virtually tied heading into the critical Republican presidential primary in Michigan, where the outcome could further boost Romney's tenuous frontrunner position or upend the race for the party's nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in November. The vote in Michigan will test former Pennsylvania senator Santorum's far-right message on social issues and determine how badly Romney has damaged his chances in his native state by continuing to insist Obama was wrong to bail out the US car industry, the heart of the state's ailing industrial base.

NPC committee discusses Macau elections

The National People's Congress Standing Committee concludes a three-day meeting ahead of its annual plenary session next week. Besides the NPC's own housekeeping agenda, the committee will discuss the elections for Macau's legislature and chief executive in 2013 and 2014 respectively, as well as reviewing the draft legislation form promoting clean manufacturing and evaluating assets.

Israeli finance minister visits Beijing

Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz (left) visits Beijing in a trip aimed at upgrading economic ties between the two countries, Israel's Finance Ministry says. The Jerusalem Post reports that Steinitz is expected to sign a financial agreement with Beijing that will facilitate the export of Israeli companies' irrigation technologies to China.