Talking points

Angela Merkel will begin her third term as German Chacellor today after junior coalition partners, the centre-left Social Democrats, voted on Saturday to join Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union in a "grand coalition", three months after she fell just short of outright victory in September's elections. With a combined 504 government lawmakers of the 631 seats in parliament's lower house, the Bundestag, Merkel's election for another four-year term is assured.

Hong Kong will look to snatch a morale-boosting win in the two-test rugby union series against the Europeans which is being used as a build-up to next year's Asian Five Nations. Flanker Nick Hewson will lead Hong Kong for the first time today and will urge his pack to provide good ball if they are to be a threat to Belgium at King's Park.