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SCMP

Catch up on some of SCMP’s trendiest stories this year. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. 79-year-old influencer lost 30kg and has bone density of a 20-year-old. How?
Joan MacDonald is an unlikely influencer. At nearly 80 years of age, she has garnered 2 million followers on Instagram since she began posting on the platform almost a decade ago. During that time, she has transformed her life and her health. Now she helps others to embrace ageing with strength and grace.
2. US singer unknowingly marries Malaysian sultan: ‘I deserve a proper divorce’

When American recording artist Brittany Porter met Sultan Muhammad V, ruler of the Malaysian state of Kelantan, she thought their fairy tale romance led to an engagement. A year later, she discovered that the Islamic nikah ceremony was in fact a religious marriage, a revelation that came only after the country’s former monarch had cut off contact.
3. From best actress to banned in mainland China, Hong Kong star Deanie Ip
For an acclaimed movie star whose accolades include best actress at the Venice Film Festival, Deanie Ip Tak-han has surprisingly little regard for fame and fortune. Known for standing up for her views even if it affects her career, the actress and singer is one of the most outspoken entertainers in Hong Kong.
4. Are Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image stirs debate

A widely shared image on social media depicting colour sketches of men from different regions in China has stirred debate on the physical appearance of Singaporean Chinese based on their ancestry, with online users concluding they are the least attractive of the gene pool.
5. ‘Secret to eternal youth’: Korean school head, 93, shares tips for staying young

A 93-year-old school principal in South Korea who is known for her radiant skin, sharp mind and tireless passion for work, has shared tips for staying youthful.
6. Chinese paraglider cheats death after flying to 28,000ft, gets 6 month ban
Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang found himself at 28,208ft (8,598 metres) above sea level after his equipment malfunctioned and he was lifted to a height equivalent to almost summiting Mount Everest.
7. He was once Singapore’s fastest man. Here’s how he lives a happy, healthy life

He turns 50 next July but Singaporean track and field athlete Umaglia Kancanangai Shyam Dhuleep does not look much older than he did in 2001. He tells the Post that even after retiring from sprinting in 2005, he maintains “the lifestyle of an athlete”, and that running remains central to his health and fitness routine.
8. Bali fumes at frugal tourists who spend time but less money

Locals in the Indonesian holiday hotspot of Bali have urged authorities to filter out cost-conscious travellers who spend more time but less money on the island, in a shift towards quality tourism.


Trump urged Xi to help end Ukraine war; China’s tech sanctions list: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Sharla Cheung’s film career, rise and fall of Hong Kong comics: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Chip prodigy returns to China, coal waste used for critical minerals: 7 science highlights

Japan’s Russia concern, businesses choose Malaysia over Singapore: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

US singer marries sultan, Singaporean Chinese ‘least attractive’: 8 viral stories in 2025

Brittany Porter poses with Sultan Muhammad V. Photo: Instagram/its.brook.lynn

Joan MacDonald took up her daughter Michelle’s challenge to overhaul her lifestyle, dropping from 90kg at the age of 70 (left) to 59kg at 79. Resistance training played a key part. Photo: Joan MacDonald

The viral image has sparked a debate on beauty standards in Singapore. Photo: X, source unknown

A 93-year-old South Korean school principal has shared her tips for staying young and healthy. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu/Naver

UK Shyam broke Singapore’s 100-metre sprint record in 2001 and held it until 2023. At 49, he continues to sprint “to live independently and remain cognitively healthy” as he ages. Photo: msft.collective

Tourists wander at Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia, on February 3. Photo: EPA-EFE

10 times Asia overtourism and ‘limits’ to hospitality became a problem in 2025

Foreign tourists relax on Kuta Beach on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali in November 2023. Photo: AFP


People walk along Nakamise shopping street in Tokyo’s Asakusa area. Photo: Kyodo

The viral video has stirred debate on whether he was right to be offended or overreacted to the Mandarin greeting. Photo: Handout

Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, a Russian vlogger who went viral on social media for harassing Filipinos in Taguig City. Photo: Philippines Bureau of Immigration

Tourists crowd a street near the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto earlier this year. Photo: AFP

Tourists walk past go-go bars and night clubs in Pattaya, Thailand. Photo: Shutterstock

A solo hike across America, must-try Christmas meals in Hong Kong: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Until December 31, The Astor at the Eaton HK hotel transforms into a Christmas market, with its buffet taking centre stage. Photo: The Astor

Jessica Guo quit her job to hike across America. Her trek ended on September 19, at the northern terminus of the Great Divide Trail, at the Kakwa Lake terminus marker for the 54th parallel in Kakwa Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Photo: Jessica Guo

Cynthia Rothrock in a still from Righting Wrongs (1986), a Hong Kong action film directed by Corey Yuen Kwai that draws inspiration from violent US works like the vigilante movie Death Wish. Photo: Handout

Alex Hung prepares dim sum at Hoi King Seafood, one of Peng Chau’s many popular restaurants. Head to the island at weekends to find delicious treats from Thai food to Hong Kong pineapple buns filled with ice cream. Photo: Kylie Knott

Year of the Horse forecasts, Hong Kong bar scene’s trying time: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Alan Tam at an interview with the Post in 1986. Photo: SCMP

Singer Madonna and Armenian-American film director and writer Alek Keshishian are pictured at Davé. Photo: Tai “Davé” Cheung

Leslie Cheung (left) and Tam, then the hottest male pop singers in Hong Kong, are pictured together in 1986. Photo: SCMP

The Daily Tot’s Peel Street Spirit. David Sit, head of the bar’s parent company, says the decision to close it was “purely economic”. Photo: The Daily Tot

UK film on Hong Kong immigrants, top travel trends for 2026: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Franz Ferdinand’s frontman, lead vocalist and lead guitarist Alex Kapranos remembers a “really, really good” energy with the Hong Kong crowd and loves “how international the audiences tend to be”, especially at Clockenflap, where the band headlined in 2013. Photo: Clockenflap

Sylvia Chang in a still from Soursweet (1988). Film4’s drama about a Hong Kong family trying to make a new life in London was written by Ian McEwan and directed by Mike Newell, and had almost no Chinese people behind the camera.

A one-night-only “Dangerous Dinner” revived an abandoned floating restaurant in Hong Kong. Photo: Bill Brewer, Michelle Raquel and Michael Perini

Franz Ferdinand’s lead vocalist and lead guitarist Alex Kapranos will return to Hong Kong in December with the band to perform at Clockenflap 2025. Photo: Clockenflap

Ali Abdaal, a former doctor who is now a digital creator, entrepreneur and YouTube star, sits at a cafe in Causeway Bay. Abdaal will speak at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Amphitheatre on December 8 to explain how to make 2026 “the best year of your life”. Photo: Nora Tam

Recent research suggests psilocybin, the psychedelic found in magic mushrooms, could prolong life by improving mental health, reducing oxidative stress and improving DNA repair responses. Photo: Shutterstock

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From US singer marrying Malaysian sultan to Chinese paraglider cheating death, here are our stories that have gone viral in 2025


From US singer marrying Malaysian sultan to Chinese paraglider cheating death, here are our stories that have gone viral in 2025.


US singer marries sultan, Singaporean Chinese ‘least attractive’: 8 viral stories in 2025

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From US singer marrying Malaysian sultan to Chinese paraglider cheating death, here are our stories that have gone viral in 2025

1. 79-year-old influencer lost 30kg and has bone density of a 20-year-old. How?

2. US singer unknowingly marries Malaysian sultan: ‘I deserve a proper divorce’

From US singer marrying Malaysian sultan to Chinese paraglider cheating death, here are our stories that have gone viral in 2025