South Korea says Jeju Air jet black boxes stopped recording 4 minutes before crash
By Agence France-Presse
The black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the crashed Jeju Air flight that left 179 people dead stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea’s transport ministry said on Saturday.
The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on December 29 carrying 181 passengers and crew when it belly-landed at the Muan airport and exploded in a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier.
“The analysis revealed that both the CVR and FDR data were not recorded during the four minutes leading up to the aircraft’s collision with the localiser,” the transport ministry said in a statement, referring to the two recording devices.
The localiser is a barrier at the end of the runway that helps with aircraft landings and was blamed for exacerbating the crash’s severity.
The damaged flight data recorder had been deemed unrecoverable for data extraction by South Korean authorities, who sent it to the United States for analysis at the US National Transportation Safety Board laboratory.
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By Agence France-Presse
The black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the crashed Jeju Air flight that left 179 people dead stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea’s transport ministry said on Saturday.
The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on December 29 carrying 181 passengers and crew when it belly-landed at the Muan airport and exploded in a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier.
“The analysis revealed that both the CVR and FDR data were not recorded during the four minutes leading up to the aircraft’s collision with the localiser,” the transport ministry said in a statement, referring to the two recording devices.
The localiser is a barrier at the end of the runway that helps with aircraft landings and was blamed for exacerbating the crash’s severity.
The damaged flight data recorder had been deemed unrecoverable for data extraction by South Korean authorities, who sent it to the United States for analysis at the US National Transportation Safety Board laboratory.
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German firms hire private detectives to investigate if sick staff are genuinely unwell
By Yating Yang
German companies are hiring private detectives to investigate whether employees on long-term sick leave are genuinely ill, viewing it as an effective way to dismiss unproductive workers during economic hardship.
The practice has sparked a heated discussion on social media in China.
One such private detective agency, Lentz Group, located near Frankfurt’s main railway station, is experiencing a surge in business in this niche market, according to AFP.
Marcus Lentz, the founder of the agency, revealed that the company receives approximately 1,200 commissions annually, around double the figure of a few years earlier.
According to the federal statistics agency Destatis, German workers averaged 15.1 days of sick leave in 2023, up from 11.1 days in 2021.
This high rate of absenteeism is estimated to have reduced Germany’s GDP by 0.8 per cent in 2023, contributing to an economic contraction of 0.3 per cent.
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By Yating Yang
German companies are hiring private detectives to investigate whether employees on long-term sick leave are genuinely ill, viewing it as an effective way to dismiss unproductive workers during economic hardship.
The practice has sparked a heated discussion on social media in China.
One such private detective agency, Lentz Group, located near Frankfurt’s main railway station, is experiencing a surge in business in this niche market, according to AFP.
Marcus Lentz, the founder of the agency, revealed that the company receives approximately 1,200 commissions annually, around double the figure of a few years earlier.
According to the federal statistics agency Destatis, German workers averaged 15.1 days of sick leave in 2023, up from 11.1 days in 2021.
This high rate of absenteeism is estimated to have reduced Germany’s GDP by 0.8 per cent in 2023, contributing to an economic contraction of 0.3 per cent.
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Hong Kong minister says unvaccinated child, 4, sent to intensive care with flu
By William Yiu
An unvaccinated four-year-old child has been admitted to an intensive care unit with flu and a pneumococcal infection, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, stepping up pressure on schools to join the city’s vaccination drive.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also stressed that the pupil’s school had not arranged for on-site flu vaccinations offered by health authorities, arguing institutions had no justifiable reason to opt out of the government scheme.
“The child did not receive the flu shot and the child’s school did not join the [government’s] flu vaccination programme,” he said on a radio programme on Saturday.
Lo warned that six children died during last year’s flu season and had been among 35 severe cases admitted to hospital.
The minister said the latest data showed the public hospital admission rate for flu cases had already exceeded the flu season threshold.
The vaccination rate had increased by 5 per cent from the previous flu season, he noted.
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By William Yiu
An unvaccinated four-year-old child has been admitted to an intensive care unit with flu and a pneumococcal infection, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, stepping up pressure on schools to join the city’s vaccination drive.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also stressed that the pupil’s school had not arranged for on-site flu vaccinations offered by health authorities, arguing institutions had no justifiable reason to opt out of the government scheme.
“The child did not receive the flu shot and the child’s school did not join the [government’s] flu vaccination programme,” he said on a radio programme on Saturday.
Lo warned that six children died during last year’s flu season and had been among 35 severe cases admitted to hospital.
The minister said the latest data showed the public hospital admission rate for flu cases had already exceeded the flu season threshold.
The vaccination rate had increased by 5 per cent from the previous flu season, he noted.
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Hong Kong urged to spend ‘smarter’, after IMF backs city’s saving efforts
By Kahon Chan
Hong Kong lawmakers and experts have called for “smarter” spending after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recognised the government’s gradual financial consolidation path was appropriate for sustaining an economic recovery.
They issued the call on Saturday, a day after a report from the UN agency lauded the local government’s efforts to create a digital finance ecosystem and a green finance landscape that would safeguard the city’s international status.
The IMF said Hong Kong’s economy was “recovering gradually after a protracted period of setbacks” and projected GDP growth of 2.7 per cent for both 2024 and 2025.
But the organisation cautioned that the pickup of domestic demand would likely be offset by weakening external demand, including from mainland China.
“A sharper-than-expected slowdown in mainland China, due to the escalation of trade tensions or a deeper and more protracted adjustment in the property market, would further weaken confidence,” the IMF said.
“Slowing growth in major economies will weaken external demand for Hong Kong’s services and goods.”
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By Kahon Chan
Hong Kong lawmakers and experts have called for “smarter” spending after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recognised the government’s gradual financial consolidation path was appropriate for sustaining an economic recovery.
They issued the call on Saturday, a day after a report from the UN agency lauded the local government’s efforts to create a digital finance ecosystem and a green finance landscape that would safeguard the city’s international status.
The IMF said Hong Kong’s economy was “recovering gradually after a protracted period of setbacks” and projected GDP growth of 2.7 per cent for both 2024 and 2025.
But the organisation cautioned that the pickup of domestic demand would likely be offset by weakening external demand, including from mainland China.
“A sharper-than-expected slowdown in mainland China, due to the escalation of trade tensions or a deeper and more protracted adjustment in the property market, would further weaken confidence,” the IMF said.
“Slowing growth in major economies will weaken external demand for Hong Kong’s services and goods.”
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Australian court nullifies marriage after bride says she thought it was Instagram ‘prank’
By Business Insider
A couple in Australia had their marriage annulled after the bride testified in court that she thought the ceremony was part of a “prank” video orchestrated by the groom for social media clout.
In a family court judgment from October, which was made public this month, a judge declared the couple’s December 2023 marriage void.
The bride, 24, filed for the annulment in May 2024, arguing that the marriage to the groom, in his 30s, was a sham because she did not offer real consent.
She said she thought she was merely playing the role of a bride for a video that the groom, a social media influencer with over 17,000 followers, would post on Instagram.
The Guardian Australia was the first to report on the judgment.
The couple, both originally from the same country, met on a dating platform in September 2023.
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By Business Insider
A couple in Australia had their marriage annulled after the bride testified in court that she thought the ceremony was part of a “prank” video orchestrated by the groom for social media clout.
In a family court judgment from October, which was made public this month, a judge declared the couple’s December 2023 marriage void.
The bride, 24, filed for the annulment in May 2024, arguing that the marriage to the groom, in his 30s, was a sham because she did not offer real consent.
She said she thought she was merely playing the role of a bride for a video that the groom, a social media influencer with over 17,000 followers, would post on Instagram.
The Guardian Australia was the first to report on the judgment.
The couple, both originally from the same country, met on a dating platform in September 2023.
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University of Michigan ends Chinese partnership after intense pressure from US lawmakers
By Bochen Han
The University of Michigan is ending its long-standing partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, becoming the latest major United States research institution to sever ties with a Chinese counterpart under pressure from lawmakers.
The announcement was made on Friday, three months after the House select committee on China sent a letter to the University of Michigan’s president, Santa Ono, arguing that the Chinese university played a “critical role in the Chinese Communist Party’s military-civil fusion strategy”.
The joint institute drew the attention of US lawmakers when five Chinese University of Michigan students were charged in October with misleading authorities about their activities near a remote military site.
In a statement, Ono said the University of Michigan must “prioritise our commitment to national security” even as “international academic partnerships have deeply enriched our academic offerings and strengthened the global education of our students”.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, known for its strength in science and engineering, is not on any US government blacklists, although the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think tank, listed it as “high-risk” in its defence-related tracker of Chinese universities.
The partnership between two top-ranking public universities involved a joint institute that placed American students in China and Chinese students in the US. Established in 2005, the institute offered English-language engineering degree programmes.
The provost’s office at the University of Michigan said the institute had offered global learning experiences to over 1,000 undergraduates, and would work to ensure current students can complete their degrees without disruptions.
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By Bochen Han
The University of Michigan is ending its long-standing partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, becoming the latest major United States research institution to sever ties with a Chinese counterpart under pressure from lawmakers.
The announcement was made on Friday, three months after the House select committee on China sent a letter to the University of Michigan’s president, Santa Ono, arguing that the Chinese university played a “critical role in the Chinese Communist Party’s military-civil fusion strategy”.
The joint institute drew the attention of US lawmakers when five Chinese University of Michigan students were charged in October with misleading authorities about their activities near a remote military site.
In a statement, Ono said the University of Michigan must “prioritise our commitment to national security” even as “international academic partnerships have deeply enriched our academic offerings and strengthened the global education of our students”.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, known for its strength in science and engineering, is not on any US government blacklists, although the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think tank, listed it as “high-risk” in its defence-related tracker of Chinese universities.
The partnership between two top-ranking public universities involved a joint institute that placed American students in China and Chinese students in the US. Established in 2005, the institute offered English-language engineering degree programmes.
The provost’s office at the University of Michigan said the institute had offered global learning experiences to over 1,000 undergraduates, and would work to ensure current students can complete their degrees without disruptions.
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Hong Kong scientists turn kombucha ingredient into plastic substitute
By Sammy Heung
The laboratory at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s department of chemistry is filled with the rich aroma of tea as Professor Ngai To and his students get down to work.
They produce copious quantities of kombucha, the fizzy, fermented drink made from sweetened black tea which has become popular with claims of health benefits.
But the team’s focus is not on the trendy drink itself or concocting new flavours.
Ngai and his students hope an essential ingredient for brewing kombucha can create a new environmentally friendly material to replace plastic food packaging and even natural leather.
Kombucha is made by fermenting tea and sugar with bacteria and yeast, a days-long process that uses a pancake-shaped gelatinous mass called “Scoby” – which stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”.
The team has used that to produce bacterial cellulose, a type of polymer that can be used as a biodegradable packaging material that disintegrates in soil within three to five months.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Sammy Heung
The laboratory at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s department of chemistry is filled with the rich aroma of tea as Professor Ngai To and his students get down to work.
They produce copious quantities of kombucha, the fizzy, fermented drink made from sweetened black tea which has become popular with claims of health benefits.
But the team’s focus is not on the trendy drink itself or concocting new flavours.
Ngai and his students hope an essential ingredient for brewing kombucha can create a new environmentally friendly material to replace plastic food packaging and even natural leather.
Kombucha is made by fermenting tea and sugar with bacteria and yeast, a days-long process that uses a pancake-shaped gelatinous mass called “Scoby” – which stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”.
The team has used that to produce bacterial cellulose, a type of polymer that can be used as a biodegradable packaging material that disintegrates in soil within three to five months.
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Storm brewing in China’s solar-panel sector threatens to spiral out of control
By Yujie Xue
Within days of a nascent Opec-style agreement by Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers to end a bruising price war and curb oversupply, the pact was on the brink of unravelling.
At the annual meeting of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) in early December, 33 top PV makers signed a self-discipline pledge loosely based on the cartel of the world’s biggest oil producers. Manufacturers agreed on production quotas based on their capacity and pledged to follow the recommended price floor previously set by the association.
A fortnight later, the CPIA issued a rare open letter criticising a Xinjiang-based solar project for flouting the agreement. The subsidiary of China Energy Investment Group set a maximum bidding limit significantly below the CPIA’s price floor of 0.68 yuan (US$0.09) per watt and chose the winning candidates with the lowest prices.
“Are you trying to stop the industry’s vicious competition, or exacerbate it?” the CPIA asked.
That episode has further damaged industry morale, as industry insiders and analysts had considered the Opec-like pact as one of the last realistic efforts to save China’s 1 million plus solar-related firms that have been scarred by a year-long price war and overcapacity that even Beijing finds troubling.
The sector’s problems began after a round of capacity expansion in 2021, after President Xi Jinping unveiled the country’s 2060 net-zero emission goals, and a target of at least 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind capacity by 2030. Companies, including those from outside the energy sector, rushed to produce solar panels.
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By Yujie Xue
Within days of a nascent Opec-style agreement by Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers to end a bruising price war and curb oversupply, the pact was on the brink of unravelling.
At the annual meeting of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) in early December, 33 top PV makers signed a self-discipline pledge loosely based on the cartel of the world’s biggest oil producers. Manufacturers agreed on production quotas based on their capacity and pledged to follow the recommended price floor previously set by the association.
A fortnight later, the CPIA issued a rare open letter criticising a Xinjiang-based solar project for flouting the agreement. The subsidiary of China Energy Investment Group set a maximum bidding limit significantly below the CPIA’s price floor of 0.68 yuan (US$0.09) per watt and chose the winning candidates with the lowest prices.
“Are you trying to stop the industry’s vicious competition, or exacerbate it?” the CPIA asked.
That episode has further damaged industry morale, as industry insiders and analysts had considered the Opec-like pact as one of the last realistic efforts to save China’s 1 million plus solar-related firms that have been scarred by a year-long price war and overcapacity that even Beijing finds troubling.
The sector’s problems began after a round of capacity expansion in 2021, after President Xi Jinping unveiled the country’s 2060 net-zero emission goals, and a target of at least 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind capacity by 2030. Companies, including those from outside the energy sector, rushed to produce solar panels.
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Winds fuelling Los Angeles wildfires calm down as accusations fly: ‘we’re underfunded’
By Agence France-Presse
Winds calmed on Friday around Los Angeles, providing a fleeting window of opportunity for firefighters battling five major blazes, as official recriminations began over responsibility for the disaster.
At least 11 people have died as flames ripped through neighbourhoods and razed thousands of homes this week in a disaster that US President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene”.
As the scale of the damage to America’s second-biggest city came into focus – one new estimate suggested the bill could hit US$150 billion – Angelenos grappled with the heart-rending ruin.
“I lost everything. My house burned down and I lost everything,” Hester Callul, who reached a shelter after fleeing her Altadena home, said.
With fears of looting and crime growing, California Governor Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard to bolster law enforcement.
A nighttime curfew has been imposed in evacuated areas, and dozens of arrests made.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Agence France-Presse
Winds calmed on Friday around Los Angeles, providing a fleeting window of opportunity for firefighters battling five major blazes, as official recriminations began over responsibility for the disaster.
At least 11 people have died as flames ripped through neighbourhoods and razed thousands of homes this week in a disaster that US President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene”.
As the scale of the damage to America’s second-biggest city came into focus – one new estimate suggested the bill could hit US$150 billion – Angelenos grappled with the heart-rending ruin.
“I lost everything. My house burned down and I lost everything,” Hester Callul, who reached a shelter after fleeing her Altadena home, said.
With fears of looting and crime growing, California Governor Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard to bolster law enforcement.
A nighttime curfew has been imposed in evacuated areas, and dozens of arrests made.
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Chinese firms face stumbling blocks abroad: old competitive mindsets may be their undoing
By Ji Siqi
This is the third in a three-part series looking at efforts by Chinese companies to step out of their comfort zone and expand abroad amid mounting domestic competition, and how this has resulted in learning curves, labour scandals and more diverse supply chains.
When a BYD executive claimed “foreign forces” and some domestic media were “deliberately smearing Chinese brands and the country” on social media in response to a Brazilian investigation that found 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like conditions” at the EV giant’s construction site, veterans in China’s outbound investment field said it seemed like the real problem was being handwaved off.
Some contended that the race to the bottom is so deeply rooted in Chinese business soil – with low costs and low prices forever the golden rule – that it is spreading overseas amid the rapid global expansions of Chinese companies.
Their mindset often entails outcompeting others by submitting the lowest bid, then cutting costs to make that bid financially viable, according to Liu Tanghua, China region general manager of the Terra Regia Industrial Park in Mexico. The BYD saga reminded Liu of his experience more than 20 years ago when he went abroad for the first time to India and Sri Lanka, working as a translator for construction projects under Chinese companies.
“Two decades later, as China is getting much stronger, people think there should be improvements in all aspects,” Liu said. “But such a routine remains the same.”
As more and more Chinese companies build factories overseas amid insufficient domestic demand and persistently elevated trade barriers, experts have warned that transplanting the vicious-competition approach to foreign lands will only serve to backfire, hamper their local operations and hurt the reputation of Chinese firms as a whole.
“Chinese companies have to adapt to the local context: you cannot go to other countries with a certain Chinese way of doing things,” said Dominique Turpin, a professor of marketing and the European president of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai.
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By Ji Siqi
This is the third in a three-part series looking at efforts by Chinese companies to step out of their comfort zone and expand abroad amid mounting domestic competition, and how this has resulted in learning curves, labour scandals and more diverse supply chains.
When a BYD executive claimed “foreign forces” and some domestic media were “deliberately smearing Chinese brands and the country” on social media in response to a Brazilian investigation that found 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like conditions” at the EV giant’s construction site, veterans in China’s outbound investment field said it seemed like the real problem was being handwaved off.
Some contended that the race to the bottom is so deeply rooted in Chinese business soil – with low costs and low prices forever the golden rule – that it is spreading overseas amid the rapid global expansions of Chinese companies.
Their mindset often entails outcompeting others by submitting the lowest bid, then cutting costs to make that bid financially viable, according to Liu Tanghua, China region general manager of the Terra Regia Industrial Park in Mexico. The BYD saga reminded Liu of his experience more than 20 years ago when he went abroad for the first time to India and Sri Lanka, working as a translator for construction projects under Chinese companies.
“Two decades later, as China is getting much stronger, people think there should be improvements in all aspects,” Liu said. “But such a routine remains the same.”
As more and more Chinese companies build factories overseas amid insufficient domestic demand and persistently elevated trade barriers, experts have warned that transplanting the vicious-competition approach to foreign lands will only serve to backfire, hamper their local operations and hurt the reputation of Chinese firms as a whole.
“Chinese companies have to adapt to the local context: you cannot go to other countries with a certain Chinese way of doing things,” said Dominique Turpin, a professor of marketing and the European president of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai.
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Japan, Indonesia plan a joint warship amid China tensions at sea
By Julian Ryall
In a move that analysts see as emblematic of Tokyo’s shift towards broader security alliances – and Jakarta’s quest to bolster its maritime defences – Japan and Indonesia are on the cusp of a landmark agreement to co-develop a warship for the Indonesian Navy.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was expected to move the project forward on Saturday during talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta.
Although details remain under wraps, experts speculate the design of the warship could draw on the advanced destroyers of Japan’s s Maritime Self-Defence Forces, retooled to meet Indonesia’s operational needs.
The collaboration, analysts say, signals Tokyo’s shift towards more strategic partnerships with Southeast Asian nations facing territorial disputes with Beijing.
“In the last two or three years, in a strategy laid out by [former] prime minister Fumio Kishida, Japan has been working to strengthen its alliances with like-minded countries, particularly countries in Southeast Asia, to create a coalition against the growing potential of China,” said Masayuki Masuda, director of Chinese studies at the National Institute of Defence Studies in Tokyo.
These partnerships align with Tokyo’s push for “more robust security cooperation”, Masuda told This Week in Asia.
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By Julian Ryall
In a move that analysts see as emblematic of Tokyo’s shift towards broader security alliances – and Jakarta’s quest to bolster its maritime defences – Japan and Indonesia are on the cusp of a landmark agreement to co-develop a warship for the Indonesian Navy.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was expected to move the project forward on Saturday during talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta.
Although details remain under wraps, experts speculate the design of the warship could draw on the advanced destroyers of Japan’s s Maritime Self-Defence Forces, retooled to meet Indonesia’s operational needs.
The collaboration, analysts say, signals Tokyo’s shift towards more strategic partnerships with Southeast Asian nations facing territorial disputes with Beijing.
“In the last two or three years, in a strategy laid out by [former] prime minister Fumio Kishida, Japan has been working to strengthen its alliances with like-minded countries, particularly countries in Southeast Asia, to create a coalition against the growing potential of China,” said Masayuki Masuda, director of Chinese studies at the National Institute of Defence Studies in Tokyo.
These partnerships align with Tokyo’s push for “more robust security cooperation”, Masuda told This Week in Asia.
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Learning to celebrate Lunar New Year in deepest, darkest Devon
By Dionne Thompson
While the world agonised over the political correctness of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” I had a far smaller, if also urgent, dilemma: how to “correctly” celebrate Lunar New Year so my mixed-raced daughters know what it is.
When we lived in Singapore, my husband made sure they knew their English heritage. Now that we live in England, it’s my job to keep their Singaporean identity alive. And celebrating Lunar New Year in a tiny Devon village is hard work. My husband may not agree with how Christmas is celebrated in Singapore but at least it’s a public holiday.
Where we are, it’s school, business, indeed, life as usual. In the midst of the pandemic lockdown, in the bitterly cold winter, I wondered darkly: does anyone here know it’s Lunar New Year?
The problem with being the sole source of Singaporean Chinese culture for my children is I’m neither very traditional nor do I agree with everything in my culture. My attempts at teaching them Mandarin and Teochew have failed spectacularly, and I’m not interested in passing on the conservative Chinese values I was raised with; I don’t want absolute obedience, my children’s sexual proclivities, whatever they turn out to be, are none of my business, and I want them to find their place in the world, not be put in their place by outdated ideas about daughters, wives or mothers. The only area I feel I could transmit culture in is food.
So, Lunar New Year means bak kwa (a juicy jerky), pineapple tarts (in the style of Singapore bakery Bengawan Solo), kueh bangkit (coconut cookies) and curry leaf salted egg yolk biscuits – the last not terribly traditional but I like them and, importantly, it’s among the few festive foods I can make. Because if I didn’t make it, there would be no festive food. (If we lived in London, with their festive pop-ups, things would be easier.)
My first attempt at grilling bak kwa was an absolute disaster. My girls hated it; I was devastated. Then my sister took pity and sent us some from Singapore’s Bee Cheng Hiang. The girls decided it was the world’s best thing. In desperation, I once emailed Bee Cheng Hiang begging it to deliver to Britain; I received a nice but firm no.
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By Dionne Thompson
While the world agonised over the political correctness of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” I had a far smaller, if also urgent, dilemma: how to “correctly” celebrate Lunar New Year so my mixed-raced daughters know what it is.
When we lived in Singapore, my husband made sure they knew their English heritage. Now that we live in England, it’s my job to keep their Singaporean identity alive. And celebrating Lunar New Year in a tiny Devon village is hard work. My husband may not agree with how Christmas is celebrated in Singapore but at least it’s a public holiday.
Where we are, it’s school, business, indeed, life as usual. In the midst of the pandemic lockdown, in the bitterly cold winter, I wondered darkly: does anyone here know it’s Lunar New Year?
The problem with being the sole source of Singaporean Chinese culture for my children is I’m neither very traditional nor do I agree with everything in my culture. My attempts at teaching them Mandarin and Teochew have failed spectacularly, and I’m not interested in passing on the conservative Chinese values I was raised with; I don’t want absolute obedience, my children’s sexual proclivities, whatever they turn out to be, are none of my business, and I want them to find their place in the world, not be put in their place by outdated ideas about daughters, wives or mothers. The only area I feel I could transmit culture in is food.
So, Lunar New Year means bak kwa (a juicy jerky), pineapple tarts (in the style of Singapore bakery Bengawan Solo), kueh bangkit (coconut cookies) and curry leaf salted egg yolk biscuits – the last not terribly traditional but I like them and, importantly, it’s among the few festive foods I can make. Because if I didn’t make it, there would be no festive food. (If we lived in London, with their festive pop-ups, things would be easier.)
My first attempt at grilling bak kwa was an absolute disaster. My girls hated it; I was devastated. Then my sister took pity and sent us some from Singapore’s Bee Cheng Hiang. The girls decided it was the world’s best thing. In desperation, I once emailed Bee Cheng Hiang begging it to deliver to Britain; I received a nice but firm no.
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By Fran Lu
The number of marriages in China has decreased again, with 4.747 million marriages recorded in the first three quarters of 2024, a drop of 16.6 per cent year on year.
But according to the Chinese matchmaking website Jiayuan, the dating market remains strong as younger generations were more open to that culture.
Among potential dates, a new “monkey-type man” has become a hot pick.
The definition first appeared on mainland social media describing male celebrities with fit bodies and big eyes like monkeys, such as actor Wu Lei, actor and singer Wang Hedi, and talk show performer Fu Hang, in contrast to “mouse-type man” and “dog-type man”.
“Monkey men might not look serious because of their good sense of humour, but they are reliable when you really need them,” one online observer said.Women in China appear to be more inclined to date a fit man who makes them laugh. Photo: Shutterstock
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Malaysia’s Asean chair to-do list, from turmoil to tariffs – and Trump
By Hadi Azmi
Malaysia takes the helm of Asean at a time of see-sawing threats and opportunities, with Donald Trump’s tariff-wielding return to the world stage, peaking tensions in the South China Sea and the deepening bloodshed in Myanmar all set to test the diplomatic skill of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
For Anwar, 77, this is a crowning moment in a career that has weathered persecution, imprisonment and decades in opposition. Since taking office in late 2022, he has worked to restore Malaysia’s global reputation after years of domestic political turmoil and introspective government.
His international outreach has seen him rattle through visits to China, the US, India, Russia and Turkey – to name but a few – signalling his administration’s focus on foreign relations and an acute awareness of the security and economic challenges ahead.
But will it be enough? Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comes with responsibilities that are both symbolic and strategic – hosting key meetings, setting the agenda on pivotal issues including trade, security and disputes, and acting as the region’s face in global diplomacy.
Taken as a whole, the bloc represents the fifth-largest economy on Earth with a combined gross domestic product of US$3.6 trillion, growing at a combined 4.5 per cent in 2024.
Yet its effectiveness remains constrained by consensus-driven decision-making that can render it toothless when it comes to the most pressing issues. Critics have derided Asean as a “talking shop” incapable of decisive action, and Malaysia’s year in charge is unlikely to escape the same scrutiny.
“Chairs will be judged by how they manage – or mismanage – hot button issues, of which there are plenty for Malaysia to juggle this year,” Thomas Daniel, a foreign-policy analyst from Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies, told This Week in Asia.
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By Hadi Azmi
Malaysia takes the helm of Asean at a time of see-sawing threats and opportunities, with Donald Trump’s tariff-wielding return to the world stage, peaking tensions in the South China Sea and the deepening bloodshed in Myanmar all set to test the diplomatic skill of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
For Anwar, 77, this is a crowning moment in a career that has weathered persecution, imprisonment and decades in opposition. Since taking office in late 2022, he has worked to restore Malaysia’s global reputation after years of domestic political turmoil and introspective government.
His international outreach has seen him rattle through visits to China, the US, India, Russia and Turkey – to name but a few – signalling his administration’s focus on foreign relations and an acute awareness of the security and economic challenges ahead.
But will it be enough? Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comes with responsibilities that are both symbolic and strategic – hosting key meetings, setting the agenda on pivotal issues including trade, security and disputes, and acting as the region’s face in global diplomacy.
Taken as a whole, the bloc represents the fifth-largest economy on Earth with a combined gross domestic product of US$3.6 trillion, growing at a combined 4.5 per cent in 2024.
Yet its effectiveness remains constrained by consensus-driven decision-making that can render it toothless when it comes to the most pressing issues. Critics have derided Asean as a “talking shop” incapable of decisive action, and Malaysia’s year in charge is unlikely to escape the same scrutiny.
“Chairs will be judged by how they manage – or mismanage – hot button issues, of which there are plenty for Malaysia to juggle this year,” Thomas Daniel, a foreign-policy analyst from Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies, told This Week in Asia.
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Education University of Hong Kong puts non-local students on notice over visas
By Wynna Wong
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdU) will review its mechanism for reminding non-local students about submitting their visa details to the institution after finding more than 900 had failed to do so.
The Immigration Department said on Friday it was seriously concerned about the matter, calling the 934 students involved a “significant” number.
EdU said it would create a task force to review the mechanism for reminding students to submit visa information in a timely manner after a recent check uncovered the scale of the problem.
“Applying for a visa and submitting the relevant documents is the personal responsibility of each non-local student,” a spokesman said.
“EdU has always emphasised the importance of law-abiding behaviour and adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal activities.”
The review came after the university notified authorities in September of last year that a non-local student was no longer studying at the school. In October, the department informed the university the student had overstayed.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Wynna Wong
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdU) will review its mechanism for reminding non-local students about submitting their visa details to the institution after finding more than 900 had failed to do so.
The Immigration Department said on Friday it was seriously concerned about the matter, calling the 934 students involved a “significant” number.
EdU said it would create a task force to review the mechanism for reminding students to submit visa information in a timely manner after a recent check uncovered the scale of the problem.
“Applying for a visa and submitting the relevant documents is the personal responsibility of each non-local student,” a spokesman said.
“EdU has always emphasised the importance of law-abiding behaviour and adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal activities.”
The review came after the university notified authorities in September of last year that a non-local student was no longer studying at the school. In October, the department informed the university the student had overstayed.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Los Angeles like ‘war scene’ after wildfires, Biden says amid looting reports
By Agencies
US President Joe Biden on Friday likened Los Angeles to a “war scene” as multiple major wildfires continued to devour neighbourhoods around the city.
Biden added that there was “clear evidence” of looting during the mayhem, while also slamming “demagogues” for spreading rampant disinformation about the deadly blazes.
“It reminded me of more of a war scene, where you had certain targets that were bombarded,” Biden said as he received a briefing on the fires in the Oval Office of the White House. “It’s almost like a battle scene.”
Authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew in parts of Los Angeles hit by the fires amid fears of looting, and Biden said the government was providing security from the military to the National Guard.
“There’s clear evidence that there’s looting. There’s clear evidence that people are going into these survivors’ communities … and looting,” Biden said.
Biden also took a veiled swipe at incoming president Donald Trump, who has spread misinformation over the flames that has then been amplified on social media.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Agencies
US President Joe Biden on Friday likened Los Angeles to a “war scene” as multiple major wildfires continued to devour neighbourhoods around the city.
Biden added that there was “clear evidence” of looting during the mayhem, while also slamming “demagogues” for spreading rampant disinformation about the deadly blazes.
“It reminded me of more of a war scene, where you had certain targets that were bombarded,” Biden said as he received a briefing on the fires in the Oval Office of the White House. “It’s almost like a battle scene.”
Authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew in parts of Los Angeles hit by the fires amid fears of looting, and Biden said the government was providing security from the military to the National Guard.
“There’s clear evidence that there’s looting. There’s clear evidence that people are going into these survivors’ communities … and looting,” Biden said.
Biden also took a veiled swipe at incoming president Donald Trump, who has spread misinformation over the flames that has then been amplified on social media.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
