Talking points
Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
The annual Nobel Prize season closes with the awarding of the economics prize in Stockholm, Sweden. As usual, American economists dominate the list of favourites, just as they have over the past 10 years, with 17 out of the 20 recipients during that period from the US. After the 2012 prize acknowledged game theory, a somewhat ancillary field, it is possible that this year it will return to the core of economic science. Favourites include Robert Barro of Harvard and Paul Romer of New York University, who have both done work on growth. Also tipped are finance specialists such as the University of Chicago's Eugene Fama and Kenneth French of Dartmouth College.
The trial of Liu Ping, a mainland activist who has campaigned for officials to disclose their personal assets, is expected to open. The 48-year-old was detained in May in Xinyu, Jiangxi province for "inciting subversion of state power". Mainland authorities have since detained at least 10 other activists who also participated in the campaign for officials to publicly disclose their wealth.
China's consumer price index (CPI) for September is due to be released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The CPI, a main gauge of inflation, is estimated to grow by about 3 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Communications. A rebound in vegetable and pork prices may boost the CPI, as food prices accounted for almost one-third of prices used, said Tang Jianwei, the bank's senior economist. The figure remains well below the government's full-year target of 3.5 per cent.
MTR Hong Kong Race Walking 2013 will be held in Central, providing a fun-filled public holiday event for the serious and not-so-serious walker which also raises money to promote healthy living. Organised by the MTR Corporation and the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association, the walking event features categories for different age groups and skill levels, ranging from the one-kilometre and three-kilometre individual races to the 10-kilometre elite races. Also included is a Corporate Team Challenge and the Novice Walk. All proceeds raised by the event will go to the Hospital Authority's Health InfoWorld to support its work on disease prevention and health education.
Euro-zone finance ministers, including Germany's Wolfgang Schaeuble, will discuss how to provide financial guarantees for a European banking resolution fund when they meet in Luxembourg, The proposed fund will have the power to rescue or wind up stricken banks. Talks on the proposed fund - the latest step in the euro zone's move towards a banking union - will continue when EU ministers meet tomorrow.
