Talking points

Many would say that being Hong Kong's chief executive is a thankless task - and for incumbent Leung Chun-ying, that could literally be the case today. Lawmakers are to vote on whether to pass a motion of thanks to Leung for his maiden policy address. But pan-democratic lawmakers have vowed to vote against the motion. It would be the ninth time since 1997 that the Legislative Council has vetoed a motion of thanks for a policy address.

The launch window opens for South Korea's much-delayed third attempt to launch a rocket into orbit. Seoul has until February 8 to make the launch, but the attempt is expected to go ahead today. Previous attempts by Seoul to launch a satellite have failed due to technical problems. This time, it is using its first domestically produced rocket rather than bought-in Russian technology.