FEATURED STORIES
Bollywood lowdown: What we think of Kangana’s ex-BF Adhyayan’s hot interview
India’s focus should be peace with China, not US military ties linked to sea row
Fear and loathing in Hong Kong: Purging and expanding Ming Pao
TOP NEWS
Russia, China slam US meddling in Koreas, South China Sea
(From AP)
Denouncing what they see as outside interference in the South China Sea and Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministers of Russia and China voiced mutual support Friday as they seek to counter the influence of Washington and its allies, particularly in Asia.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system
Following talks in Beijing, Russia's Sergey Lavrov and China's Wang Yi ...
ASIA UNHEDGED
China fund used to bailout stock markets lose 12% in value
Fifty brokerages that spent billions to stabilize the market last summer say the loss will not affect their bottom-lines
(From Caixin Online)
By staff reporter Zhang Yu
Securities firms that invested 220-billion-yuan with state-backed China Securities Finance Corp. (CSF) to buy shares at the ...
Beijing makes biggest yuan rate move in 11 years
(From BBC)
China has raised the exchange rate for its currency, the yuan by 0.56% against the US dollar, from the previous day
The central bank - People's Bank of China (PBOC) - fixed the yuan rate at 6.4589 to the US ...
China’s Xi says economy had good start to 2016 but faces pressure: Media
(From Reuters)
China's economy has had a good start to 2016 and continues to operate within a reasonable range, but still faces relatively large downward pressure, President Xi said on Friday according to state radio.
Xi reiterated that the country will maintain ...
Yen’s best week since 2008 crisis hits stocks and dollar
(From Reuters)
The yen hit an 18-month high on Friday as investors wagered the Bank of Japan might be done adding fresh stimulus to the economy, culminating in a sharp rise on the week that dragged stocks around the world lower.
With ...
ASIA TIMES NEWS & FEATURES
Asia’s new battlefield: The Philippines’ South China Sea moment of truth
(From the National Interest)
A specter is haunting Asia—the specter of full Chinese domination in the South China Sea. Latest reports suggest that China could soon ...
Philippine polls: Remullas drop Binay, vow big win for Duterte in Cavite
(From Inquirer.net)
Saying they listened to the clamor of the people, members of the Remulla political clan of Cavite province on Friday said they will support Davao City ...
Xi move on faction suggests China elite struggle: Experts
(From AFP)
Allies of Chinese President Xi Jinping are moving against a Communist organisation that is the power base of Premier Li Keqiang, in what analysts ...
Concern over China clampdown on foreign nonprofits
(From AP)
China passed a law Thursday tightening controls over foreign non-governmental organizations by subjecting them to close police supervision, a move officials say will help ...
North Korea sentences American to 10 years hard labor: Xinhua
(From Reuters)
North Korea's Supreme Court sentenced a Korean American man to 10 years of hard labor on Friday for subversion, China's Xinhua news agency reported, ...
Revered Chinese monk mummified and covered in gold leaf
(From AP)
A revered Buddhist monk in China has been mummified and covered in gold leaf, a practice reserved for holy men in some areas with ...
Asia Times Top Writers
-
Xi signals new party stance on religion via subtle change in words: Sisci
on in
President Xi Jinping delivered a very significant speech on religion on April 23. His oratory is expected to guide relations between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the country’s religious groups in the future. The CCP has made similar pronouncements… Read More ›
-
Turkey blackmails Europe with its own instability: Spengler
on in
This is the sort of thing that happens in Mel Brooks movies, but not–at least until now–in geopolitics: Turkey’s claim upon the support of Western Europe comes from its own propensity to collapse. If it does so, the Europeans fear,… Read More ›
-
Out-of-the-box thinking needed to ease the pain of Taliban takeover in Afghanistan
on in
“The international community must keep their attention on Afghanistan. It’s far from being over. It’s not the time to switch off”. Sadly, the plaintive voice of Jean-Nicolas Marti, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in… Read More ›
Fashion, Lifestyle, Sports, Travel, Food, Tech
(From Jing Daily)
With a K-pop obsession and love for traveling to South Korea, Chinese consumers’ demand for Korean products is creating big competition for Western brands in the areas of beauty and fashion.
Korean cosmetics exports to China surged 250% last year, and accounted for almost ... Read More
The obsession with 'perfect body' seems to be a never-ending affair with Chinese women.
After the much-touted #A4waist challenge and #iPhone6 legs, another body flaunting hashtag in trending on Weibo, the Chinese social media site. And this time, it is a ... Read More
(From Fiba)
Canada will begin shortlisting the final 12-player roster for the 2016 Rio Olympics when they open a training camp on 21 May in Edmonton, Basketball Canada (BC) announced on Wednesday.
But before they host China in a three-game series from ... Read More
(From Travel Pulse)
Sambo, a middle-aged elephant giving rides to tourists in the Cambodian heat at Angkor Wat, collapsed and died. The elephant’s owners at Angkor Elephant Company said that the elephant died of heart failure as well as stress and ... Read More
The Japanese are perfectionists. Be it the work they do or the food they eat, they prefer an organized approach.
When Japanese mothers pack food for their loved ones, they spend time and effort to make the portion appealing. For this, ... Read More
Fake is the new real. And for many, it’s good news.
Remember the time we made make-believe friends? Not every parent was forthcoming in accepting this ‘pretend pal.’ It scared the bejesus out of them.
Several psychologists were consulted. Some blamed it ... Read More