Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ... Regina Ip to talk about ... Regina Ip Lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (pictured), who has announced her candidacy for the chief executive race, will give details of her election platform, at her New People's Party's headquarters in Wan Chai. She is also due to speak at Chinese University's Chung Chi College, on a subject billed as 'From Secretary for Security and mother, to mature student and lawmaker'. Ip said late last year that she would not run for the top job, but changed her mind after leading candidates Henry Tang Ying-yen and Leung Chun-ying were hit by scandals. Woman goes on trial for damaging The One A 64-year-old Briton living in Tsim Sha Tsui, goes on trial at Kowloon City Court on a charge of criminal damage after she damaged an aluminium plate at The One shopping mall, near her flat. The prosecution says the plate was worth HK$23,600. Mary Mulvihill pleaded not guilty in January, later complaining that she had been affected by the mall's intense light pollution. Anti-Assad forum opens in Tunisia The 'Friends of Syria' gather in Tunisia to seek ways to oust President Bashar al-Assad, who has dug in with increasing violence against civilian opponents. Hanging over the Tunis meeting, which is drawing foreign ministers and other officials from about 80 countries, including the United States, is the sustained bombardment of Homs, Syria's third-largest city, where recent fatalities included at least two foreign journalists. Russia said it would not attend, while it was unclear yesterday whether Beijing would send a representative. High-speed service applies the brakes The number of high-speed trains connecting Beijing and Shanghai will be cut from tomorrow. Extra trains were put on in the past month to cope with the Spring Festival peak. Since July's fatal crash in Wenzhou, which killed 40 people and injured almost 200, mainland rail authorities have reduced the operating speeds and the number of trains on several high-speed train lines. Chavez returns to Cuba for cancer operation Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (depicted here in a mural in Caracas with Cuban leader Fidel Castro) is expected to return to Cuba for treatment to remove a cancerous growth that he says is likely malignant. The announcement could not come at a worse moment for the leader who is working to transform Venezuela with what he calls '21st century socialism'. Analysts say the country could be thrown into turmoil because Chavez has resisted grooming a successor during his 13 years in power. NDRC to hold briefing on climate change The National Development and Reform Commission, Beijing's top economic planning agency, will hold a news conference on climate change and promoting low carbon emissions. China has been under mounting international and domestic pressure to cut carbon emissions. Public pressure has also forced the various local governments to promise to make public the measurement of PM2.5 particles in the coming months.
