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5050
The latest news, analysis and opinion on 5050. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Autonomous vehicles

Opinion | Embracing autonomous vehicles can revolutionise Hong Kong transport

Infrastructure upgrades, clear regulations, public engagement and cross-border collaboration can help establish the city as a leader in next-generation mobility.

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Digital currencies

Opinion | How Hong Kong can win race to become world’s tokenisation hub

Asean

Opinion | Myanmar crisis demands Asean rethink on regional diplomacy

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Hong Kong property

Hong Kong mortgage loans hit 12-month high of US$3.4 billion

Refinancing loans drive the increase, rising 33.7 per cent to HK$3 billion, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority says.

A view of Cheung Sha Wan on May 28, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong politics

Opinion | Why reaction to Angel Chong’s Miss Hong Kong bid is hypocritical

Treating beauty pageants as too tawdry for Hong Kong politicians is rich, given the many superficial selection processes in our own lives.

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Korean peninsula

Opinion | How Trump’s Iran strikes doomed his North Korea strategy

Trump, who sold himself as the answer to deadlock on the Korean peninsula, has sabotaged his chances of a breakthrough by attacking Iran.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong is bouncing back just at the right time for John Lee

Cathay Pacific and the airport’s return to form are good Hong Kong stories for Xia Baolong to take back to Beijing.

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A Cathay Pacific aircraft takes off from Hong Kong International Airport on June 6. Photo: Nora Tam
Hong Kong culture

Opinion | How Shanghai visit is next step for Hong Kong as global cultural hub

West Kowloon Cultural District’s first large-scale event outside Hong Kong is a carefully planned dialogue with a friendly peer city.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hotpot over hot dogs? Hong Kong cinemas need new ideas to survive

Even in the streaming era, people are still drawn to the immersion and interaction of live performances, something cinemas can offer.

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China-EU relations

Opinion | Why Europe must end its strategic drift by working with China

Whether via bilateral channels or broader coalitions, Europe must craft a China policy that reflects pragmatism and enhances its resilience.

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A visitor looks at pictures during the 2025 Budapest China Tourism and Culture Week in Budapest, Hungary, on May 23. Europe’s engagement with China should be framed not as distance from Washington but as a pursuit of European resilience. Photo: Xinhua
China-Africa relations

China to remove tariffs on nearly all goods from Africa as both criticise US

Plan expands on policy announced last year granting 33 least-developed African countries zero-tariff treatment.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Y reads a letter from President Xi Jinping to a FOCAC meeting in Changsha on Wednesday. Representatives of China, 53 African countries and the African Union Commission attended the meeting. Photo: Xinhua
Wellness

Are you better off single? It halves dementia risk, study finds

Widowed, divorced and never-married individuals in a US study had roughly 50 per cent or lower dementia risk compared with married people.

International Property

Bangkok’s housing glut spreads to Phuket as developers eye tourist demand

Unsold inventory in Phuket rose to 4,982 units across 16 projects at the end of the fourth quarter last year, Colliers said.

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Wellness

Why SkinnyTok TikTok trend and others glorifying thinness are so bad

Young women and girls are far more likely to suffer from illnesses like anorexia and bulimia as social media pushes thinness, experts say.

The percentage of people worldwide who have had some kind of eating disorder during their lives rose from 3.5 per cent in 2000 to 7.8 per cent in 2018, a timeframe that captures the rise of social media. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Opinion | Trump’s war on Harvard shows no sign of stopping

The US administration’s attacks on higher education are having a chilling effect across academia and eroding American prestige.

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Protesters march during the Harvard Students for Freedom rally in support of international students at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Wellness

A stroke at 21? How this survivor recovered and now empowers others

Molly Buccola was young and fit when a blood clot in her brain caused a stroke. Now her podcast helps other survivors learn and grow.

Wellness

Why running a race is like making a deal for Hong Kong investment banker

For Sophia Lai, who entered her first aquathlon as a bet after losing drinking games, event prep is about allocating and managing resources.

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Food and Drinks

4 rising Asian chefs in Vancouver and the secrets to their success

Talented Asian cooks are pairing the best of British Columbia’s produce with recipes and cooking styles from home.

Stir fried chicken in steamed rice paper dumpling from Baan Lao. Photo: Handout
Music

She recorded glaciers melting and infused the sound into her music

Musician and activist Madame Gandhi visited some of the most intimidating places in the world to record nature at its most extreme.

Australia

Opinion | How Australia can use the Trump tariff pause to stabilise ties with China

A clear long-term strategy, reframed political narrative and revitalised people-to-people ties can help mend years of distrust and antagonism.

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Wellness

She used to run away from things. Now she teaches how not to

Procrastination is a coping mechanism to avoid a task we’re uncomfortable with. Hong Kong life coach Sonia Samtani shows ways to overcome it.

Sonia Samtani, Hong Kong-based hypnotherapist and life coach, will be holding a workshop to help people learn what is keeping them from getting things done – and to do them. Photo: Edmond So
Kazakhstan

Opinion | Why countries cannot afford to turn inward on climate security

While Kazakhstan is taking steps towards mitigating climate change’s effects, the world needs major actors to step up and lead the way.

People ride paddle boats on the Ishim River in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan, on October 1. Water scarcity is a consequence of climate change that requires urgent global attention. Photo: Reuters
Books and literature

A reading rebellion? The rise of no-pressure ‘silent book clubs’

Groups like Silent Book Club and Reading Rhythms reject traditional formats and let people just enjoy what they want to read – in peace.

Hong Kong society

Opinion | Ignoring primary school stress a ticking time bomb for Hong Kong

A recent survey reveals families of primary school children are the least happy, highlighting the need for mental health support to start early.

Wellness

How social media can be terrible for teens and the people fighting back

Phone and social media use have led to a youth mental health crisis and transformed teens’ lives but schools and governments are stepping in.

Children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to the US Office of the Surgeon General. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Explainer | Hate cold sores? Herpes breakthrough could lead to stopping outbreaks

New research gives hope to potentially preventing the herpes simplex 1 virus from waking up and activating immune responses in the body.

Symptoms of oral herpes, which is caused by the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), can include painful blisters (cold sores) or open sores (ulcers) in or around the mouth or lips. A new study has found that a protein in HSV-1 is required to activate the immune system and reawaken the virus when it is dormant. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | What a 33-year-old congee chain’s closure says about Hong Kong

The restaurant chain’s sudden collapse is emblematic of Hong Kong businesses’ struggle to find their feet after the pandemic.

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Wellness

Daughter’s love for mother with dementia captured in emotional memoir

Dominica Yang’s new book recounts the rapid development of Alzheimer’s disease in her mother and gives important advice for primary carers.

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