Talking points

Asia's most prestigious literary prize is presented at a glittering ceremony in Hong Kong, as its principal sponsor prepares to bow out. Among the top contenders for the Man Asia Literary Prize are Pakistan's Musharraf Ali Farooqi, Japan's Hiromi Kawakami, Malaysia's Tan Twan Eng, Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and Hong Kong-educated Jeet Thayil of India. The Man Group is ending its sponsorship of the event next year.

EU leaders meet in Brussels as they struggle to figure out a sustainable future for the debt-ridden continent. With austerity measures biting hard and economic growth sluggish or non-existent, markets are closely watching whether the leaders of the 27-member bloc markets will move away from their emphasis on reducing deficit and towards pro-growth policies.