Public protests in Hong Kong date back to British colonial rule and have evolved from the bloody riots of the 1960s into the recent protests of up to two million people marching. Here is a look back at some of Hong Kong's biggest civil movements and an explainer about what citizens are demanding in these most recent demonstrations.

The hundreds of young Hong Kong protesters who rallied on July 1, 2019, protesting the now stalled extradition bill used innovative hand signals to communicate with each other.

Hong Kong has one of the world’s top-ranked medical services, providing the city’s 7.4 million people with care that has a good reputation for availability, affordability and quality. 

Major US agriculture states including Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois are bracing for one of the wettest planting seasons in more than a hundred years. For Lake Benton, a small town of 683 people in southern Minnesota, the stress is compounded by a plunge in prices and an escalating US-China trade war that has grounded the soybean trade to a virtual halt. The double blow of flooding and tariffs has hit farmers like Jon and Bob Worth, but they say they are willing to endure the short-term pain to support President Donald Trump.

Intense debates among lawmakers and growing public protests have focused on a proposal by the Hong Kong government for a bill that would amend the city’s extradition laws.

Ieoh Ming Pei, commonly known as I.M. Pei, died on May 16, 2019, at age 102. The Chinese-born US architect became famous for his modern designs and high-profile projects,  including the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.

When imperial rule collapsed in China at the beginning of the 20th century, the emperor’s Forbidden City home was turned over to the public and transformed into the Palace Museum. Fierce fighting that rocked the country for years after the leadership change posed a grave threat to the palace treasures – considered one of the world’s greatest collections of art and artefacts. To protect them, the Palace Museum director decided to evacuate a large number of items and set them on a 14-year, 75,000km (46,600-mile) journey.

Australia’s federal election is scheduled for May 18, 2019, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison faces an uphill battle to keep his conservative coalition in government and retain the top job himself. Should the opposition Labor party win enough seats to form government, Bill Shorten would become Australia’s eighth prime minister since 2007. What explains this revolving door, given Australia is one of the world’s most prosperous, stable countries?

India, the world’s biggest democracy is holding its national election. Voting is taking place over seven phases spanning a total of 39 days. Some 900 million eligible voters will be electing 543 members of the country's lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha. Surveys leading up to the start of polling suggested the ruling BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, still enjoys strong support but the main opposition and former ruling party, the Indian National Congress led by Rahul Gandhi also appears to be making a comeback. Here's what you need to know about India's epic democratic exercise.  

The presence of eunuchs in the Chinese court was part of a long-standing tradition. These emasculated men frequently served as menial workers, spies and harem watchdogs in ancient society. Over time, eunuchs serving in government roles began to exert enough influence with emperors that they could control state affairs or even orchestrate the fall of a dynasty.

All women living in imperial China’s Forbidden City were carefully sequestered in quarters deep inside the palace. Most were employed as maids and servants, but there was also a select group of concubines tasked with bearing children for the emperor – as many as he could father.

China’s government has started developing a “social credit system” which some observers believe will increase the collection and sharing of data about Chinese citizens, public officials and companies. Meant to improve governance and market order, the system is being tested using “blacklists” – or, in some communities, point “scores” – to incentivise citizen and corporate behaviour.

For ancient Chinese emperors, life in the Forbidden City was not as opulent as one might imagine. While each dynasty claimed the emperor was heaven’s earthly representative, the role was in truth a single link in a giant bureaucratic chain which compelled those involved to follow rigorous traditional protocols.

The Forbidden City complex in the centre of Beijing was the royal residence and seat of the Chinese government for five centuries. The impressive complex contains more than 8,700 rooms, in buildings constructed without a single nail or drop of glue. In the first part our special series on this architectural wonder, we look at the durable construction techniques that have allowed the Forbidden City to withstand the test of time.

The long-running territorial dispute over Kashmir dates back to the partition of India in 1947, when Pakistan and India each staked claims to portions of the Himalayan region. The Muslim-majority territory has been the focus of three wars between India and Pakistan. Since 1962, China has also occupied a part of Kashmir along its border, a situation that also led to a short war with India.  

As the world rings in a new year, five major elections are set to take place in Asia in the first half of 2019. The poll results could dramatically change the political landscape of the region.

When six Chinese fishing trawlers with huge nets arrived off the coast of Madagascar in 2017, local fishermen were already struggling with foreign competition for the island nation’s precarious marine resources.

China has launched a lunar probe that is heading toward the far side of the moon. The ambitious plan, a first in moon exploration, would send the probe on a mission to explore the surface facing away from Earth. The far side is believed to have a thicker crust and is pockmarked by relatively more and deeper craters than the near side. If successful, the Chang-e 4 will unlock valuable clues to the mysteries about the moon and the universe.

China’s astonishing economic growth over the past four decades since its open-door policy provided substantial resources to boost the country’s military research and development. Chinese military is making strides in building up its capabilities, and is on its way to becoming a world-class force.

Chinese researcher, He Jiankui, has claimed to be the first person in the world to use an editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9 to genetically engineer a pair of twin babies. This technology is relatively fast, simple and inexpensive and opens doors to potentially lucrative biotech and medical advances, as well as sparking intense ethical debate.

Bombs so powerful they lit up the night sky. Countless bodies strewn on the battlefields. They are memories from more than six decades ago that are still crystal clear in the minds of the men and women who served in the Korean war. An estimated 2.8 million people were killed during the three years of fighting. Sixty-five years after the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities, we speak to South Korean and Chinese veterans about their memories of the war and what they think about present day relations between China and South Korea, and the prospect of peace on the Korean peninsula.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is hosting the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. PNG is the poorest nation of the entire 21-country bloc. Hoping to improve its economy by organising the meeting, Port Moresby is also witnessing a growing Chinese influence across the Pacific.

Did you know that the shuttlecock, or the badminton birdie, is the fastest moving object in sport?

China’s economy has developed more rapidly than any other country in history. It went from a poverty stricken nation in the late 1970s to the engine of growth it is known as today. The rapid economic growth emerged from the vision late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who introduced capitalist reforms into a communist planned economy in 1978. In the 40 years since Deng’s ‘reform and opening up policy,’ China has completely transformed. But the development has come with a price and created new challenges.

Against a backdrop of historical grievances, territorial disputes and geopolitical rivalry, China and Japan seem to be moving from competition to cooperation. But what’s behind this effort to improve ties after decades of animosity? (Photo: Reuters)

The air disaster involving a Lion Air plane on October 29 happened just four months after the US and the European Union had lifted a decade-long ban on Indonesian airlines. The crash, the second-worst accident in the history of Indonesian aviation, has revived concerns about the country’s poor air safety record.

Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam has unveiled a 1,700-hectare reclamation blueprint off Lantau to ease the city’s long-standing housing problem. The government plans to build several artificial islands to the east of the city’s biggest island around Kau Yi Chau and Hei Ling Chau. However, the initiative now faces public backlash over environmental impact, lack of consultation and cost.

The much anticipated mega bridge connecting Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai will open on October 23. Here are five things you need to know about it.

HSBC, Standard Chartered and several other Hong Kong banks have raised their prime lending rates for the first time in 12 years. The move comes after the Hong Kong Monetary Authority raised the base lending rate in lockstep with a move by the US Federal Reserve. Here’s what the rate hike means for people who have mortgages in the city.

US President Donald Trump is poised to levy punitive tariffs on almost all Chinese imports, following Beijing’s announcement on Tuesday that it would respond to Washington’s latest escalation of the trade war by imposing duties on US$60 billion of US imports. Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to say that any further action by China targeting US farmers and industrial workers would result in “great and fast economic retaliation” from the US.