ByteDance-owned international short video-platform TikTok has reported total revenue of US$4.6 billion in 2023, an increase of nearly 75 per cent from a year earlier, in markets excluding the United States, Asia and Oceania. TikTok, which has more than 1 billion users worldwide, attributed that rise to “the continued growth of [its] user base”, “enhanced … Read more
One of the biggest home design trends in the last 25 years is the rise of the open kitchen. Watch any home renovation TV show and the most frequent advice given by the construction expert is to tear down the walls separating the cooking space from the living and dining room to create one large, … Read more
Russia and North Korea have deepened their ties following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, culminating in a defense pact signed between the two countries in June when President Vladimir Putin visited the Asian country for the first time in 25 years. The pact, which represents a sign of the strongest partnership between the two since … Read more
Growing up in mainland China, Ting Ma never felt happy with the way she looked. At 1.73 metres (5 feet 8 inches), she was considered too tall and too thin. “I was bullied when I was a little kid,” she says. “People called me a giraffe because my neck is too long, my arms are … Read more
There is a saying among chefs: if you can make it in Hong Kong, you can make it anywhere. Hong Kong has one of the highest densities of restaurants per capita in the world. And according to the 2019 Time Out Index, 92 per cent of people had dined out in the week leading to … Read more
The way people travel has undergone dramatic change in recent years. In consideration of the evolving behaviour of guests, the Wharf Hotels hospitality group has unveiled its own transformation, with a rebranding of its Marco Polo Hotels that incorporates a series of new pillars: enrich, connect and responsible. The group, which has operated in mainland … Read more
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Iran this week amid blossoming ties between the two countries. Iran has provided Russia with drones for its war in Ukraine, and Russia has become more closely linked to Iran. The two countries have had decades of ties, but their increasing warmth is due to their shared anti-Western … Read more
Three people were killed and 15 injured in a knife attack at a Shanghai supermarket on Monday evening, just as the country gears up for its National Day holiday week. All of the victims were taken quickly to hospital, where three succumbed to their wounds. The remaining injured are not in life-threatening condition, according to … Read more
Meanwhile, Vietnam has been allocated seed funding worth $2 million by the U.S. for semiconductor development initiatives, and there’s been increasing cooperation between Vietnamese and American companies on chip manufacturing. Not to be left behind, Infineon has also decided to expand hiring by hundreds in its Vietnam office as well. All this sounds positive — … Read more
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘3 exempts’: economic rally cry by China’s Xi aims to … Read more
