Talking points

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, bring their royal star power to Southeast Asia and the Pacific as part of a tour marking Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. The trip will feature Catherine's first speech in a foreign country, as she continues to learn the ropes of her new role following her marriage last year. The tour begins today in Singapore, before taking in Malaysia and the Solomon Islands, then ending in Tuvalu on September 19.

Asia's foremost global business gathering, the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, gets under way in Tianjin, northern China. It is known as the "summer Davos" as it's a spin-off from the Swiss town's World Economic Forum, which is held every January. Some 1,500 influential delegates from the worlds of politics, industry and academia are expected to attend the three-day meeting, with Premier Wen Jiabao due to give a plenary address.