*Update: Hong Kong’s government on Saturday backed down from plans to make “national education” mandatory. The scheme will now be voluntary.
Tens of thousands of people swamped Hong Kong’s government offices on Friday evening …
hong kong
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 31, 2012
Tuesday’s picks include Africa’s next megacity and used-car lots in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Divided over Plans for Patriotic Lessons in Schools
Several tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and children took to the streets on Sunday to protest plans to introduce “national education” into local schools at the behest of Beijing
“Consumers simply don’t know the realities of life at the factories supplying the London Olympics.”
Suspicious Death of a Chinese Dissident Becomes Rallying Point in Hong Kong
Police in central China say Li Wangyang killed himself. But family and friends suspect he was murdered, and 800 km away in Hong Kong, activists are calling for an investigation
On the Streets of Hong Kong, a Vast Display of Discontent
Hong Kong marked the 15th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule and the inauguration of a new Chief Executive on July 1. Despite some spectacular fireworks, the mood was far from celebratory
Hong Kong: Anger and Protest as City Marks 15 Years Since Its Return to China
On July 1 self-made millionaire Leung Chun-ying was sworn in as Hong Kong’s new top official by Chinese President Hu Jintao. The day marked the 15th anniversary of the handover from Britain to China, and tens of thousands of …
Must-Reads from Around the World, June 29, 2012
Today’s picks: Germany and the E.U.’s crunch summit, the U.S.’s Iranian oil sanctions and Hong Kong’s handover birthday looms.
Q&A: Hong Kong’s New Leader Is a Divisive Figure, but Aims to Build Bridges
Leung Chun-ying, often referred to as C.Y. Leung, is Hong Kong’s incoming Chief Executive. It’s a pressure cooker of a role that puts him at the helm of the freest and most international city of the world’s most populous …
Dragon Boat Festival Celebrations Make a Splash
The Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival and Double Fifth, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. The celebrations commemorate the death of Qu Yuan—a famous Chinese poet from the …
Fun in the Sun? The Philippines Dreams Big for Tourism
The Philippine government has plans to turn Bohol province into a major Southeast Asian tourist destination. But the country is going to have to address its violent reputation and crumbling infrastructure first
Must-Reads from Around the World, June 11, 2012
Must reads for June 11: What will Spain’s bailout really achieve? Who killed Li Wangyang? And will any of Mexico’s presidential hopefuls solve the country’s bloody narco crisis?
Amid Censorship, China’s Tiananmen Crackdown Is Remembered Online
In the years immediately following 1989, the anniversary of the deadly June 4 crackdown on demonstrators in Beijing was marked by smaller memorial protests. At universities in the northwest of the city, students would distribute …