https://www.scmp.com/rss/14789/feed Hari Kumar is a journalist based in Hong Kong since 2003. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com One of the world’s best known epidemiologists has a stark warning: mass vaccination will not stop a virus, and achieving herd immunity by giving jabs to billions of people is just a dream. Dr Larry Brilliant should know. He was at the forefront of the campaign that eradicated smallpox – the only disease the human race has managed to eliminate so far – and he wants health authorities to change tack and try a time-tested method known as “ring vaccination” to contain Covid-19, a process that... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/3144486/larry-brilliant-eradicator-smallpox-proposes-ring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/3144486/larry-brilliant-eradicator-smallpox-proposes-ring?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Aug 2021 23:15:07 +0000 Obesity is a major health problem that society is fighting against as it can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular issues and other illnesses. Following a strict diet regimen is the usual prescription, but surgery is sometimes needed to remove fat in extreme cases. Recently, researchers in New Zealand and the United Kingdom unveiled a novel remedy that is simply jaw-dropping. Called DentalSlim Diet Control, it is a locking system that can be attached to the teeth and restrain the user from opening... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3140039/how-lack-medical-research-regulation-raises-risk-fraud-and-harm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3140039/how-lack-medical-research-regulation-raises-risk-fraud-and-harm?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jul 2021 20:00:17 +0000 Warnings that Covid-19 is an airborne disease and governments should focus on precautions to stop the coronavirus spreading through the air are gaining momentum after a group of interdisciplinary experts published an article in The Lancet, listing 10 reasons for their arguments. Experts who are pushing for more focus on this route of transmission say a number of studies have reinforced this argument. Linsey Marr, an environmental engineer at Virginia Tech who specialises in aerosol studies, said... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131623/hong-kong-coronavirus-fight-must-not-overlook-airborne-transmission?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131623/hong-kong-coronavirus-fight-must-not-overlook-airborne-transmission?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 May 2021 00:00:19 +0000 It was just before the turn of the 19th century that vaccinations were first put into use in England. There has been a constant stream of anti-vaxxers ever since, recent among them the lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jnr, a nephew of former United States president John F. Kennedy. Last month, Kennedy Jnr was banned from Instagram for sharing debunked Covid-19 conspiracy theories. In 2019, the World Health Organization declared “vaccine hesitancy” one of the top global health threats. And then, at the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3125999/anti-vax-movement-old-vaccinations-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3125999/anti-vax-movement-old-vaccinations-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Mar 2021 20:15:14 +0000 The Hong Kong government has relaxed some of the restrictions imposed due to the fourth wave of Covid-19 as the number of new cases come down. Still some of the curbs imposed to reduce the risk of transmission, like gathering of large groups, remain in force. It is understandable that, given Hong Kong is a densely populated city, we have to be alert to be one step ahead of the virus. But as we go past the one-year mark since such policies started, they are also having a telling effect on the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123231/hong-kong-heading-coronavirus-fatigue-if-suppress-and-release?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123231/hong-kong-heading-coronavirus-fatigue-if-suppress-and-release?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Feb 2021 13:00:05 +0000 At the beginning of this millennium, experts and analysts had written reams about how the balance of power and trade was shifting from the West to the East. China and India were seen as propelling this, and the two countries were spoken in the same breath as future powerhouses that will be pivotal in a new economic order. By then, China had firmly established itself as the factory of the world, whereas India was moving up as a provider of back-end services as multinationals outsourced their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117658/modis-mistake-trying-turn-indian-economy-chinese-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117658/modis-mistake-trying-turn-indian-economy-chinese-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jan 2021 13:00:07 +0000 The approval of vaccines against Covid-19 by a handful of governments has signalled the start of what many have called the biggest inoculation effort in human history. Among the front runners, the vaccine co-developed by the United States’ Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech looks most promising on paper but the cost would put it beyond the reach of many poorer nations. Moreover, its transportation would involve protocols similar to those used for moving gold out of Fort Knox. China can play a key... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3114320/world-trust-chinese-covid-19-vaccines-transparency-vital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3114320/world-trust-chinese-covid-19-vaccines-transparency-vital?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Dec 2020 17:30:18 +0000 For the past couple of years, 62-year-old Stella had made sure that she got vaccinated against influenza every winter. She will be doing it this year too. But she says she may hold off for a while if a vaccine for Covid-19 is offered this year. She is worried that the Hong Kong government will bring in vaccines produced by Chinese companies which she doesn’t trust. Such fears about vaccine safety and scepticism about government policies are bound to become hurdles for the authorities, not just... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3112530/shot-vaccine-trust-will-really-help-fight-against-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3112530/shot-vaccine-trust-will-really-help-fight-against-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Dec 2020 01:45:21 +0000 The numbers that one associates with the Indian movie industry are always mind-boggling to those outside. But even in a country that churns out hundreds of movies every year, the numbers that singer Kattassery Joseph Yesudas have racked up are impressive. Even more so, when you consider that a major portion of his works are not associated with the Hindi language movies that make up the main output of Bollywood. Popularly known as Yesudas, he has recorded more than 40,000 songs since he started... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1581709/indian-film-singer-yesudas-perform-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1581709/indian-film-singer-yesudas-perform-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2014 14:13:26 +0000 It has been around for less than three decades, but the internet has changed our lives vastly. But even as we laud the progress the worldwide web has bestowed on us, every now and then we are reminded of its dark underbelly. The announcement by Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams, that she is quitting social media because of troll attacks is a prime example of this. The veil of anonymity has allowed the internet to bring out the beast in many people who until now had no platform to air... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1574445/trolls-highlight-dark-underbelly-internet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1574445/trolls-highlight-dark-underbelly-internet?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2014 18:45:00 +0000 It was a claim that was bound to go bust in the face of scientific evidence. A local company's assertion that its dietary supplement drink can help women develop a perfect heart-shaped chest has been deflated by experts, who say there is no scientific evidence to support this. The distributor of this made-in-Japan potion, suggestively named Push Up Drink, claims that a study undertaken by Thailand's medicinal plant research institute found that some ingredients contained in the drink do help... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1573757/push-drink-was-bound-be-bust-its-breast-boosting-claim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1573757/push-drink-was-bound-be-bust-its-breast-boosting-claim?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2014 19:40:16 +0000 The suspected case of Ebola in Hong Kong turned out to be a false alarm, though the person in question came from one of the affected countries and displayed symptoms similar to the deadly disease, like vomiting and diarrhoea. While that is a relief, what scares one is the way our health workers handled things. Until the individual tested negative, they should have taken all precautions while handling the case, but that did not appear to have happened. The patient was first taken to Queen... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1572317/hong-kong-unprepared-ebola-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1572317/hong-kong-unprepared-ebola-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2014 20:19:45 +0000 When the UN General Assembly adopted the international treaty on discrimination against women in 1979, it was hailed as the bill of rights for women aimed at ending all acts of prejudice by persons, organisations or enterprise. In Hong Kong, a Women's Commission was set up in 2001 to advise the authorities on how to go about it. More than a decade later, rather than being known for its achievements, it finds itself in the headlines for not doing anything. Former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1570835/hong-kongs-womens-rights-body-appears-have-lost-its-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1570835/hong-kongs-womens-rights-body-appears-have-lost-its-way?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:08:26 +0000 The way things are going, one shouldn't be surprised if cyberspace ends up as empty space soon. From one end it is leaking like a sieve. Emails and documents are falling off the web into others' laps while a whole set of hackers is prowling around, draining it of all kinds of information. Disputes about copyright have seen pictures and clips vanishing off the net, replaced by messages that say a link is no longer available. On top of this, people are taking to the courts to pull information they... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1569545/could-cyberspace-turn-empty-space?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1569545/could-cyberspace-turn-empty-space?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2014 20:15:00 +0000 Business owners in Hong Kong will have to find another HK$1.4 billion if the minimum wage goes up by HK$3 an hour. Wait a minute. You are saying the business owners will dip into their own pockets to find this money? You must be from some other planet if you think so. They will promptly pass the buck to you and me and blame the increased wage for the price rise. So what are business owners worried about? According to the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, if the minimum wage is raised beyond... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1568729/ordinary-hong-kong-people-will-be-paying-minimum-wage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1568729/ordinary-hong-kong-people-will-be-paying-minimum-wage?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:59:06 +0000 Hong Kong is a safe place to live, if nothing else. Our police force has kept crime rates relatively low and maintained law and order without an intimidating presence. Generally seen as an efficient bunch, our police force is one of few in Asia not to have been tainted by major allegations of human rights abuse and violence. Until recently, the Hong Kong Police Force was seen as apolitical too. But the brouhaha that has been going on between the Occupy Central movement and their equally vehement... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1566483/occupy-central-issue-putting-police-impartiality-under?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1566483/occupy-central-issue-putting-police-impartiality-under?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2014 20:30:45 +0000 This is the last thing we need in Hong Kong right now. Soaring political temperature, skyrocketing rents, pollution - and now a rising nuisance of monkeys has been added to the list. From their country park habitat around Kam Shan, these macaques are now venturing into urban areas in search food, posing a threat to the people living there. Experts say the macaques are losing their natural instinct of foraging for food in the wild as people feed them. These monkeys - and I don't mean the ones... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1565676/marauding-macaques-monkey-business-we-could-do-without?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1565676/marauding-macaques-monkey-business-we-could-do-without?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2014 18:45:45 +0000 One suspected Ebola case in Hong Kong turned out to be a false alarm. But officials say they will still be on high alert. Such prudent steps are needed as thousands of passengers pass through Hong Kong and an outbreak of any disease anywhere can easily reach our shores. There is no cure in sight yet and Ebola is most contagious during the terminal stages. Even the disposal of victims' bodies has to be done carefully. Despite having all the required protection, medical professionals have... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1564493/time-spend-money-ebola-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1564493/time-spend-money-ebola-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:45:45 +0000 A word of caution to those heading to a new eatery which opened yesterday. It's owned by the famous "Naked Chef". But Jamie Oliver doesn't really walk around nude while cooking, unlike our own Flora Cheung Ching-sze, who used to host a cooking show in the buff on a local adult channel a couple of years back. Oliver wanted to strip down the cooking process and that's how his television programme got the name. But the title probably did attract a few who weren't particularly interested in pots and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1562182/titillation-takes-new-taste-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1562182/titillation-takes-new-taste-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2014 21:15:00 +0000 As millions of Muslims celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday, a pall of gloom hangs over a world that has been witnessing the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza by the Israeli army. Harrowing pictures of children with shattered limbs and images of homes reduced to rubble have clearly conveyed the unequal battle that is going on between the Israeli Defence Force and Hamas militants. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear Israel will not cease its operations even though it is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1561366/why-brutal-war-gaza-can-have-no-long-term-winner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1561366/why-brutal-war-gaza-can-have-no-long-term-winner?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2014 21:24:09 +0000 Not sure whether it was his penchant for investigative journalism or mere pangs of hunger which drove him there. But a colleague ventured into a local McDonald's outlet last week, only to be utterly disappointed. Chicken was completely off the menu as expected. But even his favourites like Big N Tasty burger had taken on a stripped-down form. No onions, cucumber or tomatoes. So it is not only tainted meat they can't find in their warehouse; it seems they can't find veggies to slip into the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1560693/mcdonalds-delay-over-tainted-meat-scandal-hard-swallow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1560693/mcdonalds-delay-over-tainted-meat-scandal-hard-swallow?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2014 19:08:22 +0000 Champagne corks were doubtless popping in the California headquarters of Gilead Sciences on Thursday as its quarterly earnings were announced. The firm's second-quarter revenue was a whopping US$6.5 billion, far ahead of market expectations. The star performer for the company was its hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi, which generated US$3.5 billion in sales. Sales this year are expected to hit US$10 billion, making it one of the world's best-selling drugs. It offers a complete cure for hepatitis C, a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1559319/despite-huge-profits-gilead-sciences-defends-price-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1559319/despite-huge-profits-gilead-sciences-defends-price-its?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2014 21:00:30 +0000 There's nothing like going on a sightseeing trip to have a blast. Whatever your beliefs and convictions, this holds true. That's probably why the newly founded Islamic State, the caliphate declared in some parts of Iraq and Syria, is now into that business too. They are running twice-weekly tours from Raqa in Syria to Anbar in Iraq in sleek-looking minibuses that are adorned with the group's black flag. For entertainment they play jihadist songs. Don't brush this off as a dream of adrenaline... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1558496/taking-unusual-holiday-islamic-state-syria-and-iraq?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1558496/taking-unusual-holiday-islamic-state-syria-and-iraq?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2014 20:45:30 +0000 The crash of a Malaysian passenger jet over eastern Ukraine has brought into focus the horrors of a conflict in which powerful countries play proxy games. From all indications, Flight MH17 was hit by a land-based missile and the blame game is now on between the West and Russia as to who was responsible for the tragedy. US President Barack Obama and other Western leaders have blamed Moscow for supplying heavy weapons to the rebels who are battling the government in Kiev. But claims and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1557446/mh17-crash-wake-call-stop-supply-weapons-insurgents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1557446/mh17-crash-wake-call-stop-supply-weapons-insurgents?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2014 04:45:00 +0000 If you are reading this at your breakfast table, with a bunch of bananas in front of you, you should consider yourself lucky. Because bananas may soon disappear from your life, say some scientists. They are predicting a "bananageddon" in which 90 per cent of the bananas you see in the market today will be wiped out. The culprit is a fungus called Panama Tropical Race 4, which affects Cavendish banana trees. There are many varieties of banana, but the Cavendish commands more than 90 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1497822/panama-tr4-virus-threatens-wipe-out-90pc-worlds-bananas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1497822/panama-tr4-virus-threatens-wipe-out-90pc-worlds-bananas?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Apr 2014 21:00:15 +0000 An announcement of a cure for a disease that affects millions across the globe is naturally greeted with relief and enthusiasm. So when California-based Gilead Sciences said last December that its Sovaldi tablet had been approved to treat hepatitis C, the reaction was enthusiastic. Hepatitis C affects 185 million people and is a bigger killer than Aids in some countries. The blood-borne disease can go undetected for years, which means it might be more prevalent than official statistics... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1489467/debate-price-new-medicines-middle-ground-needs-finding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1489467/debate-price-new-medicines-middle-ground-needs-finding?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Apr 2014 21:53:13 +0000 You can call him Vlad the bad, you can ridicule his penchant for bare-chested bravado and criticise his lack of tolerance towards any opposition. But Russian President Vladimir Putin is proving to be the top dog on the world stage as he moves in to snare Crimea. While the main reason he cites is the protection of Russians who live in Crimea, it is not too hard to figure out Putin's main concern is losing absolute control of Russia's key naval base there. Though its lease is valid until 2042, it... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1448078/vladimir-putins-strongman-tactics-make-barack-obama-look?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1448078/vladimir-putins-strongman-tactics-make-barack-obama-look?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2014 21:00:15 +0000 Going to the zoo on a Sunday with your children is usually a pleasant activity – unless you were in Copenhagen recently. The children who went there on a recent Sunday were witness to the carcass of a culled young male giraffe skinned in front of them. The killing of Marius, an 18-month-old giraffe, evoked outrage across the globe as the zoo authorities ignored the pleas of thousands who joined online petitions against the cull. The authorities said that the genes of the young animal were too... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1429658/culling-animals-conservation-fails-morality-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1429658/culling-animals-conservation-fails-morality-test?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Feb 2014 10:15:00 +0000 Technology getting too invasive is a complaint that has been around for a while. The weird gadgets that were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show that just concluded in Las Vegas do little to belie this refrain. What else can you say when they put technology right into your mouth, through a toothbrush which collects and sends data about the way you brush to your smartphone? Some products at the show are designed to help you analyse your sleep patterns. It may well end up with you losing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1404224/new-apps-will-keep-us-night?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1404224/new-apps-will-keep-us-night?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jan 2014 20:45:45 +0000 A Russian ship with more than 50 passengers from different countries gets stuck in ice on an Antarctic expedition. An Australian ship and a French ship rush to its rescue but both find the ice too thick. Then a Chinese ice breaker joins the rescue mission. Finally a Chinese helicopter rescues the passengers, but the Chinese vessel runs into trouble. The United States then dispatches an ice cutter to help them. Luckily the ice melted soon enough for all ships to break free and solve the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1402706/send-worlds-squabbling-leaders-space-out-box-solutions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1402706/send-worlds-squabbling-leaders-space-out-box-solutions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2014 15:50:35 +0000 When the FBI was formally launched in the 1930s, its brief was to fight crime. But under J. Edgar Hoover it stretched much further beyond that until finally a US Senate investigation was ordered in 1975 to rein in its powers. The group of people who broke into an FBI office in 1971, stole its files and alerted the media about the agency's activities has now identified themselves and recounted how they did it and why. Unlike Edward Snowden, who last year leaked details of the National Security... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1401780/why-whistle-blowers-edward-snowden-must-use-drastic-measures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1401780/why-whistle-blowers-edward-snowden-must-use-drastic-measures?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2014 21:00:15 +0000 It is getting tricky choosing a holiday destination for this coming Lunar New Year. The top destinations that Hongkongers flock to are all not exactly welcoming places right now. Parts of the United States and Canada are colder than the South Pole, with a polar bear in Chicago zoo even needing extra protection. Going on a holiday and ending up shovelling snow and sitting in the dark without power and heat is not a very uplifting thought. Another favourite destination, Britain, is not faring much... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1400970/tricky-choice-would-be-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1400970/tricky-choice-would-be-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jan 2014 20:59:12 +0000 With Janet Yellen as the US Federal Reserve chief and Christine Lagarde as IMF boss, the banking world will hopefully become more genteel. The confirmation of Yellen to the post of Fed chair has also brought hope to some that the glass ceiling for women will be truly broken in the financial world. But others have gone beyond that and have wondered for a while if men have become obsolete. A recent blog on Time magazine's website by Hanna Rosin, author of The End of Men, argues that men are indeed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1400149/have-men-indeed-become-obsolete?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1400149/have-men-indeed-become-obsolete?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2014 21:30:15 +0000 How many studies do we need before we accept something is true? Yet another study came out last week - this time by Virginia Tech researchers who wired up the subjects and their cars with video cams and sensors - to say texting while driving is dangerous. Duh! Even reading road signs can send some drivers off track, let alone trying to check that Facebook update from your mum on a tiny screen. While it is a no-brainer to find texting while driving is a bad idea, it does come as a jolt when you... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1399303/curse-citys-text-mad-zombies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1399303/curse-citys-text-mad-zombies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jan 2014 19:00:30 +0000 An expensive car belonging to a well-connected family crashes late in the night. The news is sketchy but triggers some chatter on the internet. A few weeks later the real picture emerges, despite an apparent effort by some people to keep the incident under wraps and very few media reports on it. The accident on March 18, 2012, in Beijing was like this. Only after internet gossip portals circulated their versions of the event, did it finally emerge that the youngster who died in the Ferrari crash... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1398609/when-media-steers-clear-car-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1398609/when-media-steers-clear-car-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jan 2014 21:37:37 +0000 A poignant picture emerged from South Africa during US President Barack Obama’s first state visit to the country. The world’s most powerful leader was photographed, standing alone and looking out from a tiny prison cell where Nelson Mandela spent more than two decades of his life. The view from the cell was narrow but Mandela emerged from it with a much wider vision to lead his country successfully into a transition from apartheid. The pressure on Mandela must have been enormous, as he was at... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1397053/obama-must-look-bigger-picture-weighing-calls-pardon-snowden?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1397053/obama-must-look-bigger-picture-weighing-calls-pardon-snowden?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2014 19:45:00 +0000 The next time your Microsoft Word document file crashes and that irritating window pops up, asking you whether to send a crash report, read it carefully. Maybe you will get lucky and come across the joke that National Security Agency hackers wrote saying the warning was an alert about their hacking. Recent reports that revealed the work of an elite NSA hacking unit read like a movie plot. Doctored cables that could record what you were typing, USB sticks fitted with radio transmitters,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1396289/nothing-funny-about-nsas-jokers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1396289/nothing-funny-about-nsas-jokers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jan 2014 19:41:33 +0000 The film world and the financial world are not getting along well these days. Days before Feng Xiaogang’s big budget movie Personal Tailor was released in China, some institutional investors dumped the shares of producer Huayi Brothers Media, sparking a run on its shares. The movie then got panned by most critics and an angry director took to social media, blasting the critics. But despite the row, or maybe spurred by it, the movie broke box office records on opening day, contrary to what the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1395132/film-directors-stoke-controversy-then-make-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1395132/film-directors-stoke-controversy-then-make-money?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jan 2014 13:45:15 +0000 The dawn of a new year brings with it promises of better and happier times. It is natural to hope for this in your personal and professional lives. But you have to be a hardcore optimist if you hope such changes will come about in the political sphere of our societies. From one of the world's oldest democracies in the United States to the Communist Party-ruled China and poverty-stricken sub-Saharan Africa, the story is the same. Leaders are getting more distant from the common people and getting... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1394335/leaders-must-connect-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1394335/leaders-must-connect-people?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Dec 2013 18:49:13 +0000 Another day and another year ends. Except for a change of the calendar on the table, not a lot will change immediately. But you never know. People lined up in New York last weekend on Good Riddance Day to get rid of unlucky things in their life and many more around the world will be resolving to change the course of their lives. New Year's resolutions are notoriously fragile and seldom last more than a few weeks. It is even difficult sometimes to recall what last year's resolutions were. But... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1393419/even-online-elderly-are-losing-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1393419/even-online-elderly-are-losing-out?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Dec 2013 21:06:35 +0000 The art world had a fabulous year with a number of paintings fetching record prices in auctions held around the world. The top 10 lots auction raised US$752.2 million this year, a 27 per cent increase from last year and an 82 per cent jump from 2011, according to Bloomberg. While it was the well-known names that drew the top dollar, works by some surprising artists also raked in hefty sums. Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of China's leading e-commerce giant Alibaba, sold a painting for more... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1392719/when-real-art-making-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1392719/when-real-art-making-money?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2013 20:45:30 +0000 The maid in USA row between Washington and New Delhi rumbles on with media on both sides adding to the din with some shrill voices and jingoistic claims. The few facts that have not been disputed so far are that India's deputy consul general in New York, Devyani Khobragade, had employed a live-in maid from India and did not pay the minimum wage as required by US law. The New York police acted on the basis of the maid's complaint and Khobragade was arrested, strip searched and put in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1391315/maid-usa-row-reeks-hypocrisy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1391315/maid-usa-row-reeks-hypocrisy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Dec 2013 20:45:00 +0000 Sport can be a great positive influence even in the most trying conditions. The spirit of camaraderie and a level playing field it ensures can even help spur change in societies. Look at Russia. President Vladimir Putin is suddenly turning into a champion of human rights and compassion as the country gets ready to host the Winter Olympics. Kremlin pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the tycoon-turned-Putin-foe after he was kept in the slammer for a decade. Human rights activists and many world... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1390629/olympics-makes-anyone-good-sport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1390629/olympics-makes-anyone-good-sport?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Dec 2013 19:31:01 +0000 With the tree in place and gifts all wrapped, I guess we are all waiting for the arrival of dear old Santa. The old dude in the red coat is generally welcomed everywhere even if you are not into religion. But I can't say if the man in the white frock from the Vatican will get a similar welcome, even from the faithful, given his recent pronouncements on capitalism and markets. Pope Francis wants governments to implement effective policies to guarantee people's fundamental rights and described... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1389351/bah-humbug-critics-pope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1389351/bah-humbug-critics-pope?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Dec 2013 20:22:57 +0000 Banking authorities in China and elsewhere are cracking down on use of the bitcoin. Among other reasons, financial authorities point out that this virtual currency is not traceable and so is being used for dubious activities such as the drug trade. Really? How traceable are the currency notes then? For all you know, the hundred dollar note in your wallet may well have been a part of some dubious transaction a few hours ago. Currency notes are the favoured means of payment for drug cartels,... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1388521/cash-not-any-cleaner-bitcoin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1388521/cash-not-any-cleaner-bitcoin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Dec 2013 20:00:49 +0000 The gang rape of a photo journalist in Mumbai has again brought the state of women in India into focus amid the clamour for more punitive action. After the mass protest against a similar incident in New Delhi last year, new laws were enacted against sexual harassment and rape. But, as the new case indicates, stricter and more stringent laws are not much help in a society where the chauvinistic attitudes of men remain deep-rooted and even sanctioned in the name of tradition. Women's role is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1307072/indias-bias-against-women-workplace-saps-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1307072/indias-bias-against-women-workplace-saps-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The king of sleaze from Queens has done it again. Anthony Weiner, a New York mayoral candidate, is caught in a new sexting scandal. An earlier one cost him a seat in Congress. In 2011, when the scandal broke, he tried to fend off allegations by claiming his Twitter account was hacked. This time the evidence, pardon the expression, has been laid bare and it may force him out of politics. But he is trying the usual escape route - the spouse parachute. Weiner can't obviously use "my wife did it" or... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1291565/new-york-mayoral-candidate-anthony-weiners-last-line-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1291565/new-york-mayoral-candidate-anthony-weiners-last-line-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 One thing that you can safely predict about fortune tellers is they will step up to the plate whenever there is a chance to garner media attention. No sooner had the royal baby appeared in London than they were out with their take on the future king of England. You can be assured that local practitioners of fung shui have it all sewn up. They predict the newborn will, in future, go overseas, maybe with the army, or to some boarding school. He will be a big hit with the ladies and find a romantic... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1290676/fortune-tellers-should-see-it-all-coming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1290676/fortune-tellers-should-see-it-all-coming?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Concerns raised by Executive Council member Cheng Yiu-tong about the flaws of unrestrained democracy have attracted a lot of comments. He was worried that some sex symbols might get elected if we adopt a "Western style" democracy. It was not clear if he had Ilona Staller, aka Cicciolina, in mind. She was a porn star who was an Italian MP between 1987 and 1992. Famous for delivering political speeches with one breast exposed, she continued to make hardcore pornographic films, which in fact was... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1289943/elections-can-give-paws-thought?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1289943/elections-can-give-paws-thought?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Property tycoon Ronnie Chan Chi-chung's tirade against Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah's policies has again brought into focus the wisdom of freely giving away government money. Reams were written in 2011 when the government paid every permanent resident HK$6,000 in one-off relief. In a society that is peppered with HK dollar millionaires - one in six on the Hong Kong Island side - that did sound like an odd policy. Despite outrage in some quarters, most promptly signed up and gladly... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1289365/lose-weight-and-fatten-your-wallet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1289365/lose-weight-and-fatten-your-wallet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000