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5050
The latest news, analysis and opinion on 5050. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Sempervirens Falls in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The park in the US state of California was 97 per cent burned in 2020 when fire erupted in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Tourism

Fire ravaged this US state park. Now it offers unique hikes

A trek through California’s Big Basin Redwoods State Park reveals towering charred trees whose branches are greening again with life.

Education

‘Baby hatch’ boy, now grown up, teaches kids to love life

Hong Kong culture

Opinion | Hong Kong’s new culture push will fail without fixing old problems

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Art

Chinese-American artist Walasse Ting’s vibrant, flamboyant paintings

A new Hong Kong exhibition shows how Ting’s artistic tendencies evolved and how he married both Chinese and Western influences in his works.

Detail from Charming Ladies (1990s), by Walasse Ting. Photo: Alisan Fine Arts
Music

How Gen Z, Tinder and Spotify are disrupting clubbing capital’s rhythm

Berlin’s nightlife scene is under threat, with the number of clubs dropping by almost half in 10 years and many more considering closing.

China food security

Opinion | China’s ‘Food Silk Road’ holds key to thwarting Trump tariffs

Policymakers in Beijing have taken steps to address supply chain vulnerabilities and the weaponisation of imported food supplies.

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China economy

Opinion | How China can achieve its next wave of economic growth

Beijing needs to eliminate the legacies of the restrictive planned economy, allowing a more market-driven allocation of land, money and labour.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Art

Contemporary art’s biggest selfie takers face off at Hong Kong’s M+

The American and Japanese artists known for masquerading as women from movies to critique society have their works up for comparison at M+.

Hong Kong property

More Hong Kong shops to close, as retail shifts online

Local beauty brand JaneClare is an example of a firm that is making money online, but still values real-world spaces.

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K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

What impact will K-pop have on humanity and music? A professor ponders

An Oxford University professor is teaming with a pioneering K-pop songwriter to look into the enduring effects of the Korean music genre.

Fans of K-pop megastars BTS attend the BTS 10th Anniversary FESTA @ Yeouido in Seoul, South Korea, on June 17, 2023, to mark the 10th anniversary of the group’s debut. Photo: AFP
Wellness

Explainer | Why ‘growing snakes’ – shingles – is so painful and how to prevent it

Shingles causes a rash that can feel like ‘being burned and electrocuted’ at the same time. We look at its symptoms, treatment and vaccine.

That snake-like shingles rash can appear anywhere - not just on the trunk, but also the face where it can affect the eyes and vision. Photo: Shutterstock
Books and literature

China’s ‘most famous woman’ on a career spent introducing it to the world

Her TV shows gave US viewers tastes of Asia and brought the world to Chinese homes. Yue-Sai Kan talks bridging the gap between East and West.

Food and Drinks

Women-only cafe in Germany a ‘place of retreat’, says teenage owner

18-year-old Sumeja Zumberi’s cafe Baresha offers women in Bremen, many from countries where sexes meet separately, a rare space of their own.

China society

Opinion | Novelist Chiung Yao’s death rekindles discussion on euthanasia in China

The popular author’s passing has sparked debate on a matter weighed down with stigma despite years in the public consciousness.

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Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao, who died at the age of 86. Photo: Weibo/@会火
Food and Drinks

What is Pei Pa Koa and why is Ariana Grande adding it to her ‘vocal box’?

The Chinese cough syrup, loved by singers like Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey, is also finding its way into cocktails around the world.

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Ariana Grande arrives at the fourth annual Academy Museum Gala on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Hong Kong politics

Opinion | Minister reshuffle shows Hong Kong’s leader knows time is of the essence

The move should not be a surprise given the hints dropped and the clear need for the pace of change to accelerate.

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Hong Kong property

New World CEO Huang has task cut out to set Hong Kong developer’s house in order

Company insider has a solid background, but will have to prove to investors that she is the right person for the job, analysts say.

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Fintech

Time running out for 250 Hong Kong-listed firms to get women on board: HKEX

At least 250 Hong Kong-listed companies do not have at least one woman on their boards despite the compliance deadline just a month away.

HKEX CEO Bonnie Chan Yiting said companies are making progress on appointing women to their boards. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Hong Kong transport

Opinion | Hong Kong’s public transport subsidies should be tied to green investment

Pushing public transport operators to embrace green energy faster could accelerate the city’s progress towards its carbon neutrality goals.

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China-Germany relations

Opinion | EV tariffs and Ukraine war weigh heavily on Germany-China relations

Domestic political and economic woes, the prospect of greater geopolitical uncertainty and a trust deficit are hampering ties.

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Food and Drinks

If you have this type of spatula, throw it out immediately

Household items made of black recycled plastic could contain dangerous levels of flame retardants and other toxic chemicals, study finds.

Everyday household items made of black recycled plastic, including kitchen utensils, takeaway containers, toys and hair accessories, have a high chance of containing dangerous levels of flame retardants and other toxic chemicals, a new study finds. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Books and literature

Cormac McCarthy’s ‘secret muse’ was 17 when they first had sex, she says

American author Cormac McCarthy was 42 when he met 16-year-old Augusta Britt, who she says inspired characters in some of his famous novels.

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Pulitzer Prize-winner Cormac McCarthy, pictured here in 2011, was the author of books including Blood Meridian, The Road, No Country for Old Men, All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain, The Passenger, Suttree and The Orchard Keeper. Photo: TNS
Tourism

Sex workers and ex-addicts show tourists Czech capital’s dark side

Social enterprise Pragulic tackles ‘myth and prejudice’ around people living on Prague’s streets, using tour guides who have all been there.

Wellness

How weight loss surgery and exercise helped 25-year-old lose 68kg

‘Morbidly obese’ Ese Milan tried weight-loss drugs, then had surgery; 68kg lighter, these days she works out and is still shedding the kilos.

American cinema

Jennifer Lawrence-produced film shows women’s torment in Afghanistan

Apple TV+ documentary Bread & Roses, co-produced by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, was shot entirely on smartphones.

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(From left) Bread & Roses producers Malala Yousafzai, Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi, and director Sahra Mani, attend the Los Angeles premiere of the documentary at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles on November 14, 2024. Photo: AFP
Wellness

She would drink until she passed out. Now she is a new woman

Corporate high-flier Julie Landau beat an alcohol addiction and in the process overcame her bulimia. Now she’s helping other women.

Having given up alcohol and broken free of bulimia’s grip, Julie Landau says she feels “lighter, freer and more like myself than ever before”. Now, instead of getting black-out drunk, she is into fitness and coaches women in power. Photo: Julie Landau
Wellness

How a marathon runner survived after tearing her body’s largest artery

Things could have turned out very different for Amber Williams, who was diagnosed with aortic dissection days after running a marathon.

US-China trade war

Opinion | How Asia can strengthen its trade, manufacturing as Trump returns

Staying ahead will require diversifying in hi-tech sectors, boosting workforce resilience and advancing sustainable supply chains.

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