Quirky lobby art at Opposite House Beijing, sets it apart from others. Photo: Vijay Verghese
Brand on the run:
bewildering new
choices for beds
VIJAY VERGHESE, HONG KONG
Mite is right. Boutique buzz lures guests away from luxury stays. Thus upended, big hotel names churn out sub-brands and mini-brands from luxe lite to twee lumpen, at once bedazzling and bewildering gawping travellers. more…
How safe is it on
cloud nine?
Channel 4 crash-landing stunt in Oct 2012. Photo: Channel 4
VIJAY VERGHESE, HONG KONG
We examine airline crash data records to find some oddly surprising, and some expected, results. It's not always easy to separate statistics from science and stunts. more…
Borderless world
in CinemaScope
Life of Pi is a perfect example of cross border collboration.
ROSHNI MULCHANDANI, HONG KONG
Despite ham-handed censorship by political curmudgeons, cinema is bringing Asia closer together. Can cultural diplomacy survive? more…
Does China's rise stunt freedom?
Chinese labourer in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. - Photo: Getty Images
GRAEME MAXTON, SINGAPORE
China's hunt for the planet's remaining resources could be undermining democratic government and stunting the future prospects of African and Asian countries. more…
Hong Kong yields to
“Western” influence
Sunset over Hong Kong. Is the party over? Photo: Vijay Verghese
STEPHEN VINES, HONG KONG
The governance of Hong Kong has slipped into a “two systems one master” format with Beijing calling the shots. Is the free-wheeling neon party finally over? more…
Asia’s casino gamble
Asia’s casino revenues are tipped to reach US$79.3 billion by 2015. Whatever happened to those straitlaced Asian mores as governments race to the gaming table? Read more
Smartphones on speed dial
With prices set to fall, smartphones will be the way of the future in Asia. Yet the winners are not as clear-cut as one might imagine. The free-for-all continues. Read more
A global high
While USA currently claims the lion’s share of illicit drug consumption, this global blight is inexorably moving towards Africa and Asia. Read more
More sunny
days ahead?
Chinese production surplus has brought solar panel prices crashing.
BILL BARNES, LONDON
Surplus Chinese solar panels create a price-drop ripple effect from Asia to Europe. Who benefits most? And what becomes of the industry as prices plummet? more…
- BUSINESS
- Brand on the run
- Made in China, the fear factor
- Asian consumers are changing the world
- Microfinance in Asia: greed or goodwill?
- DEVELOPMENT
- Ne Win to win win
- China's rise could undermine freedoms
- One size doesn’t fit all
- Pakistan’s gridlocked travails
- India needs rapid economic gain to alleviate Maoist pain
- ENERGY
- Fukushima nuclear clouds one year on
- Solar energy: more sunny days ahead?
- Oil rush comes East
- ENVIRONMENT
- Saving the Earth
- HEALTH
- Assessing the travel health risks in Asia
- From whence the next outbreak?
- INFORMATION
- Print vs Web dust-up: Should we pay for online news?
- SHIPPING
- New shipping laws could make for greener seas
- SOCIETY
- Voices from the Underground
- Women: Afghanistan’s forgotten second war
- TRAVEL
- Airline safety records
- Myanmar poll impact on travel and tourism
- Online travel agents and airlines clash as carriers go direct
- TRENDS
- Borderless world in CinemaScope
- One man’s meat is another’s poisson
- POLITICS
- India-China war: 50 Years After 1962
- Hong Kong yields to "Western" influence
- A glacial impasse
- Hong Kong: Wolf in CEO’s clothing?
- See the shiny new CEO
- Burma spring signals change
- A Benevolent Big Brother brand
- Politics, parochialism and power in India
- Fast work – Anna’s true Balance Sheet
- Hong Kong freedoms: Now the kowtowing gets serious
- Why the Kashmir story needs retelling
- HK democracy push led by young, Internet-savvy generation
- India caste woes: time to talk about the elephant in the room
- BLATHER
- Stay fit or fake it
- A fright for sore eyes
- Gorilla case: are your bags tough enough?
- Once in a babymoon and daft buzzwords
- VOICES
- Calling the shots in North Korea
- An Apple a day brings lawsuits your way
- Egypt’s election sparks jubilation and fears
- Maldives: cold deeds in sunny places
- North Korea options
- Libya introspection
- A post-Bin Laden world
- Khamsin in the desert
- Japan's AWOL atoms
- Darkness in Pakistan
- Syria crackdown
- BY THE NUMBERS
- Asia’s casino gamble
- Smartphones on speed dial
- Asia up in arms
- A global high
- Greenbacks for green
- Math by numbers
- Nuclear safety risks
- Just don’t breathe
- Presidential salaries
- Thailand after deluge
- Commuter pain index
- Soaring suicide rates
- Asian corruption index
- Cyber crooks playtime
- Asia arms race
- Hotels go green
- Battling inflation
- Rare earths fears
- Travel will triumph
- Waste not want not
- HOME
- BUSINESS
- DEVELOPMENT
- ENERGY
- ENVIRONMENT
- HEALTH
- INFORMATION
- POLITICS
- SHIPPING
- SOCIETY
- TRAVEL
- TRENDS
Two Koreas confrontation
China needs to turn the screws on an unpredictable Kim Jong-Un as he asserts control in North Korea. See world opinion
Stay fit or fake it
Body sculpting is the new pursuit for beach-bound travellers. So what does this have to do with the Taliban? more…
