South Korea’s drying booze culture leaves bars parched: ‘I just order cola’
“I hardly drink at all – one or two glasses of beer at most.” Kim Min-ha, a 21-year-old student at Sookmyung Women’s University, recently...
China’s weight-loss drug makers take on global giants as Novo Nordisk patent expires
At least 10 weight-loss injections and oral pills are lining up for regulatory approval in China, in a market projected to reach about US$14...
Police hotline ‘busy’, piles of rubbish at estate, residents say in Tai Po fire hearing
A public evidential hearing by an independent committee into a fire that killed 168 people at a Hong Kong estate has entered its fourth...
Euro, Chinese yuan to end US dollar dominance, top economist says
Professor Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University has repeatedly warned that the US dollar is approaching a crisis of legitimacy. Having written extensively on the...
Enact special law to send Japan’s warships to secure Hormuz, ex-adviser tells Takaichi
Japan should consider sending warships to help jointly secure the Strait of Hormuz with other nations and protect both its own vessels and those...
Chinese satellite performs landmark refuelling test in low Earth orbit
A Chinese commercial satellite has completed a refuelling test in low Earth orbit using a flexible “octopus tentacle” robotic arm, advancing efforts to extend...
Innuendo and implication: just a joke or risk of defamation in Hong Kong?
Picture this – you’re having a few pints with your mates down at the pub during an open-mic comedy night. The aspiring comedian then,...
Life in Iran illustrates shifting realities amid US-Israel war
On most nights, the sound that defines Tehran is not conversation or traffic. Instead, it is a distant explosion, a jet overhead, a pause...
Why China’s humanoid robots are still waiting for their ‘ChatGPT moment’
A “ChatGPT moment” for China’s humanoid robots – the tipping point at which the technology becomes widely usable – remains years away as persistent...