15 h. ago Japanese tattoo artists still face stigma despite landmark legal victory

Walk into any public bath in Japan, and you are liable to see a sign banning any visible tattoos. Even as Japan opens up to more international tourists and residents, body art remains taboo, not only at baths but gyms, swimming pools and other businesses. The strong stigma, which also extends to tattoo artists and can result in difficulties finding jobs, comes from its historical link with the yakuza and other criminal elements of Japanese society, dating back to the Edo period (1603-1868). The...

Politics

22 h. ago BTS’ comeback concert sees South Korean city’s hotel prices soar by up to 10 times

BTS’ long-awaited full-group comeback concert in Busan is still months away, but hotel prices in the South Korean southeastern port city have already hit exorbitant levels, rekindling anger over “rip-off” room rates whenever mega-events come to town. Some properties have reportedly hiked prices by up to 10 times and even asked guests with existing bookings to cancel so they could resell at higher prices. The K-pop group is returning as a full act for the first time since all members completed...

Politics

26 h. ago Strategic Tensions and Talent Flows: China’s Reverse Brain Drain and UIBE’s Exit from Israel

Strategic Tensions and Talent Flows: China’s Reverse Brain Drain and UIBE’s Exit from Israel  Modern Diplomacy

Politics

34 h. ago Making U.S. biotech more competitive with China's could help rare disease patients, experts say

Making U.S. biotech more competitive with China's could help rare disease patients, experts say  CNBC

Science

36 h. ago China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

China trimmed its holdings of US Treasuries in November to the lowest level since 2008, diverging from a global trend that saw total foreign ownership of the debt instruments hit a record high. Analysts say the prospect of a politicised Federal Reserve chairmanship under Donald Trump’s presidency has deepened Beijing’s concerns over its exposure to American debt, with more cuts expected. Beijing’s stockpile fell to US$682.6 billion in November, down from US$688.7 billion in October, according to...

Politics

39 h. ago Number of registered companies in Hong Kong reaches record 1.56 million in 2025

Hong Kong’s corporate landscape expanded to unprecedented levels last year, with the total number of local registered companies reaching a record of nearly 1.56 million by the end of 2025. “By the end of 2025, the total number of local companies and redomiciled companies registered under the Companies Ordinance increased by 96,609 compared with 2024, reaching 1,557,103,” the Companies Registry said in a statement on Friday, noting that it was “an all-time high figure”. Among the total in 2025,...

Politics

46 h. ago ‘Turning point’: Canada's Mark Carney meets Xi Jinping for top level talks in Beijing after eight

‘Turning point’: Canada's Mark Carney meets Xi Jinping for top level talks in Beijing after eight-year freeze  WION

Politics

49 h. ago China pushes slow bull run with tightened margin financing rules to fight overheating

China’s move to raise margin requirements for leveraged stock trading signalled regulators’ push to steer clear of boom-and-bust cycles, while strengthening the stock market’s role in funding the country’s tech self-sufficiency efforts, according to analysts. “The signal from regulators was crystal-clear: guide the market towards a stable transition to a slow bull run,” said Wang Jun, a strategist at BOC International in Shanghai. “Investors should reduce their leverage levels to guard against...

Politics

52 h. ago Why China’s next development priority must be secondary education

If you were asked which middle-income country has one of the lowest levels of educational attainment, very few would say China. We continually hear stories about mass university expansion, record numbers of annual graduates and elite institutions that rank among the world’s best. Despite these impressive strides, gaps in education remain a large roadblock for China’s further economic development. The country remains largely undereducated for its level of economic development: only about 31 per...

Politics

3 d. ago Chinese dealers call for auto brands to balance inventory levels to help ease glut

Chinese dealers call for auto brands to balance inventory levels to help ease glut  Reuters

Economics

3 d. ago BGI, Roche roll out diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's in China

BGI, Roche roll out diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's in China  Reuters

Politics

3 d. ago Mainland Chinese money to drive 10% rise in Hong Kong commercial property deals: Colliers

Surging mainland Chinese investment in Hong Kong’s commercial real estate sector has helped set the stage for a “measured recovery” in 2026, according to Colliers. In the luxury residential segment, mainland capital accounted for about 80 per cent of transactions exceeding HK$100 million on The Peak and in Southern district, according to Centaline Property Agency. Investment from the mainland rose to the highest level in five years in the last quarter of 2025, and deal value in 2026 was set to...

Economics

4 d. ago Nearly 1 in 4 Hong Kong students can’t finish homework without AI, study shows

A leading Hong Kong think tank has called for a centralised platform for AI in schools, revealing that while 95 per cent of students use the technology, nearly one in four struggle to finish homework without it, putting their problem-solving and analytical thinking skills at risk. Our Hong Kong Foundation on Tuesday also said a more comprehensive AI curriculum should be formulated to cover students at all academic levels. The think tank surveyed 1,200 primary and secondary teachers and students...

Society

4 d. ago China’s SciNeuro, Novartis sign US$1.7 billion licensing deal to develop Alzheimer’s drugs

A partnership between China’s SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Monday has revived hopes for treating Alzheimer’s disease. The deal, worth nearly US$1.7 billion, grants Novartis exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise SciNeuro’s antibody candidates to develop drugs for the progressive brain disease. SciNeuro’s novel amyloid beta targeted antibody programme leverages proprietary blood-brain barrier shuttle technology to help more of the drug cross...

Economics

4 d. ago Hong Kong stocks climb as yuan hits strongest level in nearly 3 years

Hong Kong stocks opened higher on Tuesday as global investors broadened their focus beyond US markets, fuelling gains across Asian equities, while the yuan advanced to its strongest level against the US dollar since May 2023. The Hang Seng Index surged 1.8 per cent to 27,074.42 as of 9.45am, the Hang Seng Tech Index rallied 1.6 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index edged up 0.3 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.1 per cent. Chinese pharmaceutical and healthcare shares...

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong stocks climb as yuan strengthens and investors broaden focus beyond US

Hong Kong stocks rose on Tuesday as global investors broadened their focus beyond US markets, fuelling gains across Asian equities, while the yuan advanced to its strongest level against the US dollar since May 2023. The Hang Seng Index closed 0.9 per cent up at 26,848.47, after earlier gaining more than 2 per cent to 27,143 – its highest since last November. The Hang Seng Tech Index was little changed after advancing more than 2.4 per cent in the morning. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index and...

Economics

5 d. ago Novartis Makes $1.5B+ Alzheimer’s Play With China’s SciNeuro

Novartis Makes $1.5B+ Alzheimer’s Play With China’s SciNeuro  BioSpace

Politics

5 d. ago Wang Yi cites ‘severe risks’ after Somalia dropped from Africa itinerary at last minute

Authorities in Mogadishu had cleared the roads for a historic visit, yet on Friday Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to Tanzania instead of his planned visit to Somalia. It would have been the first high-level Chinese mission to Mogadishu in four decades. The last-minute decision not to include the capital on Wang’s itinerary came as Somalia seeks shows of diplomatic support after Israel recognised the breakaway region of Somaliland last month. A source at the presidential palace told...

Events

5 d. ago China nurse suspended after posting photos of boyfriend writing reports, sorting IV bags

A nurse in China has been suspended from work for letting her boyfriend accompany her during night shifts and publicly showing off how he helped her. The nurse, who works at the privately-run Singde Brain Blood Vessel Hospital in Qingdao, Shandong province, eastern China, came under fire after she shared a video on social media on January 2. She apparently intended to show how considerate her boyfriend was, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported. “Me and my night-shift buddy,” the nurse, whose...

Politics

6 d. ago Hong Kong’s driving licence bottlenecks undermine its car travel scheme

If Hong Kong’s Transport Department couldn’t see that road signs needed to be at eye level when it opened the Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass, it makes sense that it couldn’t anticipate the increased demand for test-free driving licences with the launch of the southbound travel scheme. Under the scheme, drivers of Guangdong vehicles can enter via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to either park at a designated car park – transferring to the airport for a flight or to local...

Transport