Blog Band – Fridayeveryday

China, Brazil, Germany, become Guardians of the High Seas

CHINA, BRAZIL, AND several other countries this week became legal guardians of the creatures of the High Seas. Leave that giant squid alone! But the United States and Russia declined to sign to join them. After 20 years of legal tinkering, the United Nations this weekend launched can international agreement to protect marine life—and the…

2 days ago0Comments ByNury Vittachi

News Opinion

Decoding ‘Trump QE’ – a stealth liquidity injection bypassing the Fed

LATE INTO THE NIGHT on January 9, 2026, global financial markets witnessed a seismic moment. U.S. President Trump posted a seemingly routine but ultimately explosive tweet: he ordered the Federal Housing Finance Agency to make use of the balance sheets of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to immediately purchase US$200 billion in Mortgage-Backed Securities. This…

5 days ago0Comments ByAaron Lai

News Opinion

Transcendental banditry

The Cambridge Dictionary explains that to transcend means, “to rise above or be more important” (link). It is a concept commonly associated with positive transcendence. But some find that violently imposing one’s will can also deliver a transcendental experience. Introduction We typically associate transcendence with rising above the daily grind to achieve enhanced, positive inner…

January 14, 20260Comments ByRichard Cullen

China news

Japan to China: ‘Sell us gear to make weapons to use against you’

“SELL US WEAPONS parts we need to make missiles and drones to use against you.” A bizarre argument is running in East Asia. Japan’s war-thirsty new leader Sanae Takaichi announced her country would remilitarize and threatened to go to war with China. Then came an “oops” moment. Takaichi seemed to have not realized that to…

January 13, 20260Comments ByNury Vittachi

China news

China actions likely caused steep fall in US, Canada opioid deaths: scientists

BREAKING NEWS: The number of opioid deaths in the US and Canada fell dramatically as the Chinese government took action to make life difficult for international drug labs, scientists discovered. Deaths were rising to huge numbers before “the trend began to sharply reverse in mid-2023, dropping the annual rate of fentanyl overdose deaths by over…

January 10, 20260Comments ByNury Vittachi

News Opinion

Six steps the world needs to take right now about the US and Venezuela: Jeffrey Sachs

[speech given to the United Nations security council on 5 January 2026] . Mr. President, distinguished members of the Security Council, the issue before the council today is not the character of the government of Venezuela. The issue is whether any member state by force, coercion, or economic strangulation has the right to determine Venezuela's…

January 6, 20260Comments ByJeffrey Sachs

Chinese history Culture

China revives sky lantern tradition, after making them safe and non-polluting

THE BEAUTIFUL TRADITION of flying lanterns has been revived in China. To avoid pollution and fire hazards, the lanterns contain LED "candles" and are tied to the users. This 27 Dec 2025 video (below) is from Gexian Village in Jiangxi province, home of a mountain immortal from the Taoist faith. China developed the first hot…

January 6, 20260Comments ByNury Vittachi

Features News Opinion

War and peace

The surge in China’s military capacity, especially over the last decade, has been the focus of increasing Western commentary, some of it measured, much of it alarmist. Many alarmists believe it is a truth universally acknowledged that any large nation possessed of a significantly upgraded stockpile of advanced martial equipment will want to use it…

December 31, 20250Comments ByRichard Cullen

Culture Hong Kong News Opinion

Yes, you’re half of a couple, but the law says that isn’t your spouse

While gay couples are welcome in Hong Kong, the city’s legal statues define “marriage” as the union of a man and a woman (as is true in communities which cover 80 per cent of humanity). So when one gay couple married overseas asked for legal “spousal rights” in Hong Kong, the answer could have been…

December 19, 20250Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News Opinion

How I fell out of love with the Hong Kong pan-democrats

I SUPPORTED THE so-called pro-democracy party in Hong Kong for many years. I knew the main members personally and happily stuffed my hard-earned cash into their collection boxes. But I increasingly felt something wasn’t right. Then I did some digging. And then I backed off as fast as I could. Here’s the story. A NEW…

December 15, 20250Comments ByNury Vittachi