Is Harvard unfair to Asian-Americans?

For reasons both legal and moral, the onus is on the schools to make their admission criteria more transparent - not to use them as fig leaves for excluding some students simply because they happen to be Asian.

How China's shadowy agency is working to absorb Taiwan

Reuters

China, Russia and the Sinatra doctrine

For centuries, European navies roamed the world’s seas - to explore, to trade, to establish empires and to wage war.

Police probe political funding of mining magnate Clive Palmer

Australian police are investigating allegations about the misuse of A$12 million ($10.5 million) in Chinese funds during the 2013 political campaign of mining magnate Clive Palmer, The Australian newspaper reported on Monday.
Reuters

Market players welcome LTA regulation of third-party taxi apps

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday introduced a basic regulatory framework for third-party taxi-booking apps, in the latest move by a government to regulate such services that observers said have disrupted the taxi industry globally.

Philippines banning Hong Kong journalists is petty and vindictive

The Philippines has tried hard to end its diplomatic row with Hong Kong after the 2010 hostage killings in Manila. But by banning nine Hong Kong journalists from entering the country to cover next year’s Apec summit, it will only rekindle resentment and likely retaliation from Hong Kong. It is an appalling and unwise move.

Top 5 hotel buffets in Singapore

SoShiok

WWII Celebration Plans by Putin and Xi to Score Points

Russia-China agreement to jointly observe war's 70th anniversary in 2015 aims to warn Japan against historical revision and could create difficulties for US-Japan alliance.

Don’t give Japan a free pass on its shameful past

Like “Holocaust fatigue”, many people thought the “comfort women” issue was ancient history, cynically dug up by Beijing to beat Japan whenever it wanted. That may be so. But just because you distrust China doesn’t mean Japan should get a free pass on rewriting its shameful past.

Rule of law in China? Still a long way to go

President Xi Jinping has announced a far- reaching plan to bolster the rule of law in China, but his efforts could be compromised by the tacit proclamation that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) remains above the law.

White trash James George Palin road rage won't be tolerated

A district judge made it clear that road hooliganism must never be tolerated, in condemning the conduct of a motorcyclist, James George Palin who traumatised a couple in a road rage case.

Top 10 beach destinations for your year-end holiday

Link

The sweet life of expats in China won’t last

And we would long for bygone days when there was an A-yi who arranged your underwear drawer and a man who came in twice a week to water your plants.

US using fake mobile phone towers on planes to gather data

Devices nicknamed ‘dirtboxes’ can collect information from tens of thousands of mobile phones in a single flight

Specialty coffee for the corporate crowd

Coffee purveyor The New Black aims to change high-quality coffee-drinking habits in the CBD in a spectacular way.

‘Haunted’ flats a tough sell in Asia’s priciest real estate market

Unnatural deaths in Hong Kong can result in rental discounts of 10-20% and can be more than double that for sinister killings

US Is Fighting the Wrong Cyberwar Against China

The Diplomat

Paying in coins? There are legal limits

Link

A little old lady who quilts: Lee Suet-Fern

LInk

Grisly murders of 2 women spark backlash against wealthy expat bankers in Hong Kong

The murder of two young Indonesian women in Hong Kong, allegedly by a British expatriate, has sparked a backlash against wealthy Western bankers accused of treating the financial hub as their own personal playground.