Commentary Symbols matter. They tells us what the organisation or society treasures. For the Christian, faith the symbol of the cross is deeply meaningful. For a soldier willing to lay down his life for his country, the national flag is a significant emblem—in Australia, its sown on their uniform. Freedom movements, political movements, and community…

A man has pleaded guilty to an offence under the Treason Act after entering the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day with a loaded crossbow. It is believed to be the first prosecution under the Treason Act since 1981, when a teenager, Marcus Sarjeant, fired blank shots at the monarch during a Trooping the…

Commentary At the turn of 2023, two pieces of news about Hong Kong caught my attention. First, the government-sponsored new year countdown celebration was reportedly watched by three billion worldwide. In contrast to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which drew more than four billion views globally, people wonder how an unimpressive countdown of an increasingly Xinjiang-…

The Royal Canadian Mint is issuing a new black-ringed toonie to honour Queen Elizabeth II. The mint says the coin’s black outer ring is intended to evoke a “mourning armband” to honour the queen, who died in September after 70 years on the throne. The mint says it will start to circulate nearly five million…

Commentary Hong Kong has long been regarded as ‘blessed’ (fudi), partially because political forces coexisted largely peacefully, despite occasional conflicts and struggles. This coexistence of peace and struggle is fully reflected in the death of leaders—Chiang Kai-shek (1975), president of the Republic of China; Mao Zedong (1976), chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and a…

Australian politicians gathered at Parliament House’s Great Hall to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy during a National Memorial Service in Canberra on Thursday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, opposition leader Peter Dutton as well as federal MPs, premiers, and other guests attended the service commencing with a minute of silence. Albanese praised the Queen as a…

Australians are waking to a national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, a monarch who declared her “constant, sure and true” love for the country. The late Queen will be remembered in a service at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday during a one-off Australian public holiday. It will be broadcast live across the…

Hong Kong actress Carina Lau Ka-ling and other Hong Kong actors posted their condolence messages to the death of Queen Elizabeth II on social platforms, but unexpectedly attracted the groups of Wumao, which literally means 50 cents in Chinese (commentators hired by the Chinese Communist Party receive 50 cents to manipulate public opinion to benefit…

Commentary The billions of people who watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on television on Sept. 19 would have been impressed with the ancient pomp and ceremony of this historic event. There is no doubt that the English are particularly good at organising grandiose events. The funeral cortege, featuring the state gun carriage that…

Sept. 19 was the day of the state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The British Consulate in Hong Kong continued to open an area for the public to mourn the Queen, and the site was constantly crowded from morning to dusk and into the night. A man playing the British national anthem was…