China’s vocational degrees rising as students seek skills over prestigious universities
When the results of China’s gruelling National Higher Education Entrance Examination – or gaokao – were released last summer, Lin Gangming was surprised to...
Investment gold retailers move into vacant Hong Kong high-street shops on metal’s rise
The surge in gold prices has brought a wave of new investment-focused bullion retailers to Hong Kong’s prime shopping areas, adding a distinct segment...
Executive-led governance in Hong Kong must start by listening to the people
When Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong recently described Hong Kong’s executive-led system as a distinct governance model, he elevated it...
Hong Kong budget 2026-27: what’s holding back the city’s tech and talent schemes?
Hong Kong’s coming annual budget must address critical bottlenecks in technology and talent attraction to pave the way for the city’s first five-year development...
China boy skips rope as many times as he receives likes to lose weight gets 1.8 million thumbs up
A chubby seven-year-old boy in China who agreed to skip rope exactly in line with the number of thumbs-up a video of him doing...
Malaysia’s vape ban plan leaves 1.4 million users in regulatory limbo
The vapes used to be obvious. Bright displays of flavoured liquid, a shop just down the road, a transaction as unremarkable as buying shampoo....
K-pop’s big freeze: are cracks in China’s cultural blockade a thaw?
While K-pop has conquered almost every corner of the globe, South Korea’s entertainment industry remains largely locked out of the Chinese market due to...
US ambassador says Israel has right to much of Middle East, sparking uproar
Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to...
Humans vs robots? China begs to disagree
The 2026 Spring Festival Gala, one of the world’s most-watched television events, featured a dazzling array of humanoid robots. They performed martial arts, executed...