Talking points

University of Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting will attend a forum today on his Occupy Central plan at Heep Yunn School in Ma Tau Wai. Anti-universal-suffrage group Voice of Loving Hong Kong has vowed to interrupt the event to protest against Tai spreading his message about the civil-disobedience movement to secondary school pupils.

Ambitious talks to create the world's largest free-trade zone between the US and EU open today amid friction over America spying on its allies. The negotiations will have to bridge deep differences over protected industries on both sides of the Atlantic if the goal to reach a deal by late next year is to be achieved. Reports last weekend that the US National Security Agency bugged EU diplomatic offices in Washington and infiltrated its computer network angered European officials. Many European leaders called for the NSA's surveillance activities to be discussed in parallel with the trade talks.