Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ... Security forum focuses on Afghan question Top officials and military experts gather in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. Afghanistan is likely to top the agenda, after France decided to end its combat mission early and a leaked report accused Pakistan of aiding the Taliban. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta will be joined tomorrow by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe for talks on trans-Atlantic relations and ties with Russia. Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger (left) will lead a debate on security with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and US Senator John McCain. Beijing envoy courts Libyan business The Ministry of Commerce is sending Wang Shenyang, its director general for outward investment and economic co-operation, to Libya for talks with officials on the protection of Chinese investments in the North African country and participation in its post-Gaddafi reconstruction. Wang will be accompanied on the five-day visit by representatives of several state-owned companies in construction, electricity, transport and telecommunications. Merkel and Wen head for Guangdong After visiting Beijing, German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads south to Guangdong, accompanied by Premier Wen Jiabao. They will visit a firm, take part in an economic forum and meet German and Chinese business leaders. Agence France-Presse, citing a diplomatic source, says Merkel will meet the Bishop of Guangzhou, Joseph Gan Junqiu, tomorrow. War crimes tribunal rules on Duch's appeal The UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh is expected to announce its decision on an appeal by former Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch (left), who in July 2010 was sentenced to 35 years in jail for overseeing the deaths of at least 14,000 people in Cambodia's killing fields. The sentence was shortened to 19 years for time served, among other reasons. Duch, also known as Kang Khek Iev and now a 69-year-old Christian, is the former head of the Khmer Rouge's notorious S-21 prison and the only person tried by the tribunal so far. Hundreds of Cambodians are expected to flock to the court. Airport chiefs unveil smartphone check-in The Airport Authority and airline representatives will brief media on the introduction of a mobile boarding pass system at Hong Kong International Airport. Similar to systems used at some airports in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, it will allow passengers to receive a barcode on their smartphones via e-mail, which can then be scanned at security checkpoints and at the gate before boarding. Court considers Dotcom's bail appeal Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom (left) will appeal against a ruling that kept him behind bars in New Zealand while US officials seek his extradition for alleged copyright piracy. The German multimillionaire, who was based in Hong Kong before moving to New Zealand last year, was refused bail in Wellington last week when a judge ruled that he posed a serious flight risk because he had enough money and shady connections to slip out of the country.
