Asia

Hong Kong’s government unveiled HK$19.1 billion (US$2.44 billion) worth of economic relief measures and downgraded its growth forecasts on Thursday as the international hub reels from simmering pro-democracy protests and the US-China trade war. Last week city leader Carrie Lam warned that 10-weeks of anti-government protests were hitting businesses like a “tsunami”. On Thursday, financial […]

Taiwaness actress Puff Kuo is becoming very popular lately among Korean netizens due to her similarity to a number of popular Korean celebs. A viral Korean community post is circling around the web, pointing out the popular star’s similarity to multiple Korean celebrities including Park Shin Hye, IZ*ONE’s Sakura, Son Dambi and Lee Chae Young. […]

Hong Kong TVB actress has just recently passed away. According to Mingpao, the news of her passing was announced 13 August by Leung’s grandson Nicholas Yuen. He shared that she passed away in the hospital accompanied by her family. “I would like to thank the medical staff for their careful care. I am also grateful […]

President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to link a trade deal with Beijing to the “humane” resolution of a standoff with Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters while seeming to suggest a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. “Millions of jobs are being lost in China to other non-Tariffed countries. Thousands of companies are leaving. Of […]

After Versace, Givenchy and Coach, Swarovski is the latest luxury brand that caused outrage in China for its labelling of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Swarovski also lost the support of its brand ambassador, Chinese actress Jiang Shuying. The Austrian jewellery company apologised on Tuesday for “hurting the feelings” of the Chinese people after calling Hong Kong […]

Cathay Pacific said Wednesday two pilots had been sacked, as the Hong Kong carrier comes under huge pressure from Beijing to clamp down on staff supportive of anti-government rallies. “One is currently involved in legal proceedings. The other misused company information on Flight CX216/12 August,” the airline said in a statement. Hong Kong has been gripped […]

by M. Jegathesan Malaysian authorities Wednesday conducted a post-mortem examination on the body of a Franco-Irish teen found in the jungle after she disappeared from a resort, as her family mourned the “unbearable” loss. The unclothed body of Nora Quoirin, 15, was discovered Tuesday in a ravine in dense rainforest after a 10-day hunt involving […]

Facebook has paid hundreds of contractors to listen to and transcribe snippets of users’ conversations, US media reported on Tuesday, amid heightened scrutiny of the social network’s data collection practices. Facebook acknowledged the transcriptions, which were first reported by Bloomberg, telling the news agency in a statement that they were made with users’ permission, but […]

Operations resumed at Hong Kong airport on Tuesday morning, authorities said, with flights due to start departing and arriving a day after protests shut down the major travel hub. “We have resumed check-ins,” a spokesman for the airport told AFP, confirming flights would be resuming within the next hour at one of the world’s busiest […]

Versace’s Chinese brand ambassador have just called it quits. Chinese actress Yang Mi said she will end her cooperation with the designer label after a controversy erupted online over claims that its T-shirt design defied the ‘One China’ policy. She is Versace’s first Chinese brand ambassador and she issued a notice to Versace to end […]

Tensions in Hong Kong have rippled across Australian universities, as supporters of the pro-democracy protests have been targeted and harassed by “patriotic” mainland students — with the tacit backing of Beijing. Public rallies and other acts of solidarity have been staged at several campuses during the Asian financial hub’s two months of civil unrest, including the emergence of […]

Armed with balloons and strollers, several hundred families took to the streets in Hong Kong on Saturday to show support for pro-democracy protests that are now in their third month. The colourful and calm atmosphere at the rally was a far cry from the increasingly violent confrontations that have marked recent demonstrations by activists calling for […]

The head of a major South Korean cosmetics firm resigned Sunday after facing heavy backlash for forcing his staff to watch a YouTube video praising Japan during a raging trade war between the two nations. The clip, played at a monthly meeting of some 700 employees of Kolmar Korea last week, slams President Moon Jae-in’s […]

by Miwa SUZUKI Must-have 80s gadget and one-time icon of Japan electronics cool, Sony’s Walkman turned 40 this year and like its now middle-aged fans, is clinging to its youth with high-tech updates. On July 1, 1979, as the global economy suffered through the second oil shock, Sony unleashed on the world a dark-blue brick […]

In conjunction with their third anniversary, BLACKPINK released a special video showing moments from their past three years and messages for fans. Watch the video with English subtitles below! The South Korean girl band BLACKPINK is now three years old! The four-member group debuted on 8 Aug 2016 with their single album, Square One. BLACKPINK’s […]