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The Peak Tram: colonial indulgence turned into a weekend treat

PROBLEM: WHAT TO DO about Hong Kong’s damnable summer heat and humidity? That was the question on the mind of British colonial Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell in 1868. Click! He had a brainwave. It was several degrees cooler and significantly breezier at the of Hong Kong’s highest mountain – known as Victoria Peak. He could…

March 21, 20240Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture News

Govt struggles to get the world’s biggest savers to start spending

PUTTING A PROPORTION of your earnings into savings is normally considered a good thing. But it's bad news when government economists need that cash in circulation to keep the economy moving. That's the challenge for Beijing. Chinese people put more of their money into savings than people anywhere else on the planet. Even though…

March 21, 20240Comments ByH.C. Lu

China news Hong Kong News

US basketball star who became a China icon

A DEPRESSED, STRUGGLING US basketball player got on a plane to China—and found 5,000 people waiting to greet him at the airport. “Who are all of these people here for?” bewildered former NBA player Stephon Marbury asked his companion. “They’re here for you,” his host replied. Marbury’s jaw dropped open. He was stunned—but he would…

March 19, 20240Comments ByNury Vittachi

News Opinion

An essential news junkie’s guide to media terminology

THIS ESSAY CONSIDERS the topic of mouthpieces in "the global west". First, definitions. What is a mouthpiece? Where the Mainstream Western Media (MWM) is a primary source of our understanding of life on Earth, it is not difficult to find an answer to this question. Although slanted, it will be a clear answer. You can…

March 15, 20240Comments ByRichard Cullen

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Shortage of judges in Hong Kong may be self-inflicted

THERE IS AN ACUTE shortage of High Court judges in Hong Kong. The recent recruitment exercise yielded only four appointments, leaving still a number of vacancies unfilled. Can it be that the problem is largely internal? Self-afflicted? What if the culture within the judiciary were to change, and judges learn to act in a focussed…

March 14, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

China news Hong Kong News News

Hong Kong delegates call for boosting tourism in Two Sessions

HONG KONG'S TOURISM development has been accelerating with a rising number of Mainland visitors' arrivals in recent months. In the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held in Beijing, Hong Kong delegates called for the Central Government to further expand the Individual Travel Scheme to…

March 14, 20240Comments ByH.C. Lu

China news News

China pushes ahead with homegrown science and technology

CHINA WILL FOCUS on developing independent science and technology resources. This will provide “new productive forces”, leader Xi Jinping said at the Two Sessions, the country’s annual parliamentary meetings. The plan to upgrade the economy with Chinese homegrown technology emerged as a key theme at the series of gatherings which end today [Monday 11 March…

March 11, 20240Comments ByNury Vittachi

China news

Hong Kong ‘can host global BRI sports event’

Hong Kong ‘can host global BRI sports event’ City’s delegates are sharing ideas for the future at NPC in Beijing HONG KONG CAN USE its stadiums to host a global sports event for Belt and Road nations, philanthropist Herman Hu Shao-ming said this week. And “brain health” should be a major focus for China from…

March 8, 20240Comments ByNury Vittachi

China news News

Two sessions: China faces economic challenges as it climbs the value chain

SOME COMMENTATORS are saying that China's annual parliamentary meeting is undramatic this year. This is because they haven't seen announcements about injections of public money that some economists were hoping for. And growth targets were set modestly, at “around 5%” for GDP growth and 3% for the annual budget deficit. The BBC’s sour correspondent dismissed…

March 7, 20240Comments ByNury Vittachi

Hong Kong News News

Hong Kong to make rich pay more tax

BIG EARNERS WILL PAY more tax, Hong Kong's finance chief said in his latest budget. But the rate will still be far lower than rich people pay in other jurisdictions. In the budget announced last Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has come up with a fiscal consolidation program to slash the deficit in the…

March 7, 20240Comments ByH.C. Lu