Hong Kong’s robust tutoring and exam drilling culture contributed to the exceptional performance of local students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, principals have said, after the city surpassed the average global score by nearly 20 per cent. At least 73 students from 17 Hong Kong schools achieved perfect scores in the latest IB Diploma…
BANGKOK, July 12 (Reuters) – The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN was told on Sunday by Myanmar’s foreign minister that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi was “a sister” who was in good health and would be looked after, ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar said. Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine foreign minister, has been pressing…
A profound demographic and economic shift is sweeping through Asia, quietly rewriting the rules of national development. The traditional paradigm of treating population ageing as a passive fiscal burden is being dismantled as Beijing makes the “silver economy” and proactive ageing strategies the pillars of national security and economic growth. China’s population aged 60 and…
For decades, warnings of Hong Kong’s terminal decline have arrived in periodic waves. When Stephen Roach, the former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, ignited a firestorm with his February 2024 assertion that “Hong Kong is over”, he pointed to a toxic cocktail of domestic and external pressures. Roach, who doubled down on his “wake-up call”…
Norman Wong sold his Hong Kong flat and relocated to a rented home in Malaysia after concluding the city no longer offered the quality of life he expected for the price. “What am I actually getting for this money in terms of quality of life?” asked Wong, a healthcare professional from Kowloon. “Space is at…
Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will undoubtedly mark a significant milestone for the city. The public consultation launched last month covers a range of issues, such as economic development, innovation and technology, housing, healthcare, education, infrastructure and regional cooperation. The exercise offers a chance not only to discuss what Hong Kong hopes to achieve by…
After just two editions in Singapore, Rodolphe Lameyse of Comexposium has pulled the plug on Singapore, committing to Hong Kong from 2027. db hears the case from other sides. Vinexpo Asia has confirmed Hong Kong as its permanent Asian home from 2027, ending the Singapore–Hong Kong alternating format introduced after the pandemic and bringing the…
Setting up a new regional chamber of commerce will “fulfil a long-felt need” to bridge the gap between the Greater Bay Area and Asean, with Hong Kong acting as a “natural connector”, the business group’s inaugural chairman has said. But given existing agreements and bilateral relations between the city and individual member states of the…
Hong Kong cannot be faulted for not working hard enough to catch up in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race. Government funding is flowing generously towards projects focused on AI adoption. In recent years, the government has pumped billions into building the necessary infrastructure, including HK$2.84 billion (US$364 million) for a semiconductor centre, HK$3 billion…
The legality of prediction markets in Hong Kong has been called further into question, with at least one international brokerage firm operating such a platform in the city, prompting the market regulator to say certain activities may be considered “financial products”. Lawyers were also split on whether the delineation between financial products and illegal gambling…