Blog Band – Page 19 – Fridayeveryday

Will the Gaza war amplify conflict for another 50 years?

If brutal ruthlessness against civilians engenders long-running wars, then Israel's merciless campaign in Gaza is seriously bad news for any hope of peace for decades - or even half a century, warns one senior military specialist. Richard Cullen reports. BEN WALLACE WAS THE UK defence secretary from 2019 to 2023. Originally appointed by…

January 4, 20240Comments ByRichard Cullen

Culture

A herdsman in Tibet just won a top literary prize

A FORMER HERDSMAN on the remote Qinghai-Tibet steppes has won a top literary prize in China—even though he left school at the age of 12. Suonan Cairang (索南才讓) first encountered modern storytelling as a child—when people set up tents in which rural people could watch videos. The organizers would sometimes play the videos so loud…

December 29, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Why is Hong Kong’s recent same-sex marriage case a western debate?

A recent court case over same-sex marriage in Hong Kong was troubling; Not because it argued in favor or against such a development, but because it was based on a law that said nothing whatsoever on the subject. Furthermore, the debate spun itself off into areas that were clearly part of a very western discussion…

December 28, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

Chinese history Culture

The quiet Taoist who stood up to legendary slaughterer Genghis Khan

AS CHINESE AND other diplomats urge a halt to brutal wars raging in Israel and elsewhere today, this may be a good time to remember one of the most extraordinary meetings between a peacemaker and a ruthless warrior. The two characters in this story are Qiu Chuji (丘處機), a Taoist master, and Genghis Khan, the…

December 28, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese history Culture News

Business cards found, 18 centuries old

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND wooden business cards 18 centuries old, it was revealed this week. Searching in ruins and abandoned wells in Chenzhou, Hunan province, they located nearly 10,000 thin wooden strips. These would have been ordinary throwaway documents at the time they were written—but today provide a priceless window into how people lived 1,800 years ago,…

December 28, 20230Comments ByNury Vittachi

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Is the separation of powers a dead letter in Hong Kong?

Critics say that it has become harder to become a District Councillor in Hong Kong. But that was precisely the point. When we look at the dramatic change in the council's activities in recent years, the alterations make sense, say some observers. Nevertheless, the recent legal challenge to the revisions was problematic, as…

December 18, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Hong Kong election brings in younger, fresher faces

THE NEW DISTRICT COUNCILS in Hong Kong will be characterized by having more young newcomers and professionals after the latest council election was held on Sunday. With a turnout rate of 27.54%, the composition of the new District Council underlines the fact that Hong Kong is an open and pluralistic community. Steven Ho Chun-yin is…

December 12, 20230Comments ByHenry Ho

Culture Features Hong Kong News

Monet steals the show at extraordinary Hong Kong art exhibition

WANT TO LEARN the history of western art in a single afternoon? The Hong Kong Palace Museum is showcasing the UK National Gallery's prestigious painting collection - with 52 of the world’s finest masterpieces painted by fifty influential artists over a 400-year period. All the big names are there, including Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt,…

December 12, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Features Hong Kong News Opinion

Citizens Radio: a cautionary tale from the Magistrates Court

An ultra-simple magistracy-level case in which the facts were not in dispute was blown up into a years-long string of high level hearings by the improper injection of headline-friendly concepts from the west. Below, top legal commentator Henry Litton looks back at a notorious lawsuit which illustrates how Hong Kong's legal sector has been…

December 10, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

News Opinion

Is America a normal country?

If one country out of the 200 nations on earth starts behaving in an erratic, anti-social way, it shouldn't worry the entire planet. But when it's the United States of America, which is following its "God-given right" to lead the world, the rest of humanity is understandably concerned, and growing more so by the day.…

December 5, 20230Comments ByRichard Cullen

Will the Gaza war amplify conflict for another 50 years?

A herdsman in Tibet just won a top literary prize

Why is Hong Kong’s recent same-sex marriage case a western debate?

The quiet Taoist who stood up to legendary slaughterer Genghis Khan

Business cards found, 18 centuries old

Is the separation of powers a dead letter in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong election brings in younger, fresher faces

Monet steals the show at extraordinary Hong Kong art exhibition

Citizens Radio: a cautionary tale from the Magistrates Court

Is America a normal country?

Trump’s Department of War and China’s forgotten letter

The hidden message in the names of China’s new military weapons

Is God antisemitic?