1 hour ago China women pay US$14 to relax with charming men who take them on luxury car rides

Young women in southern China are spending 99 yuan (US$14) to relax with fit, handsome men who treat them to luxury car rides after work. According to the mainland media outlet Vista Hydrogen Business, a new trend called “city ride” is gaining traction in cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Xiamen. This service features so-called “man bodhisattvas,” who provide companionship rides in expensive vehicles. These men are often affluent university students who use their families’ luxury cars during...

Economics

16 h. ago ‘Panda fever’ created 19% attendance boost at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park: official

“Panda fever” has translated into a significant boost in business for Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, with the debut of several new bears leading to a 19 per cent surge in attendance year on year since their debut, according to the city’s tourism minister. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui also said in a written reply on Wednesday to lawmakers’ questions that an additional HK$121 million (US$15.4 million) had been secured from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to...

Politics

16 h. ago Malaysian ‘superdad’ keeps promise to late wife, resigns from job to raise 3 kids

A Malaysian father has captivated the hearts of many after resigning from his job to honour a promise to his late wife – single-handedly raising their three young sons, each facing significant health challenges, for seven years. In August 2018, Khairul Abdullah’s life transformed dramatically when his wife suddenly passed away due to a severe bacterial blood infection, leaving him with three sons aged four, two, and just a few months old. To provide his children with the care they needed, he...

Politics

20 h. ago Chinese man, 35, refuses to work or get married, lives in a cave for 4 years

A 35-year-old man in China who believes work and marriage are redundant notions has been living in a cave for four years. Min Hengcai from southwestern China’s Sichuan province calls home the adapted cavern in the town where he was raised. At the end of 2021, he gave up a ride-hailing driving job, which earned him 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month in the city, and returned home to live a life of seclusion. Min said he found work meaningless. He had previously worked for 10 hours a day to repay a...

Politics

27 h. ago Chinese surrender! Beijing bigwigs chowed on US fast food at London trade talks: ‘total cultural victory’

Chinese surrender! Beijing bigwigs chowed on US fast food at London trade talks: ‘total cultural victory’  New York Post

Politics

40 h. ago Thailand’s Pattaya deploys AI drones as cries grow to tackle rising crime

A city in Thailand plans to deploy AI-powered police drones to hunt down criminals and visa overstayers amid growing concerns over public safety. Authorities in Pattaya want to link the drones to a centralised AI database so they can scan faces in crowds and pick out individuals with outstanding arrest warrants or expired visas, according to local media outlet The Thaiger. The drones will be used during large-scale local events and in tourist hotspots to monitor activities and respond to...

Events

40 h. ago Extravagant Chinese TV host Li Xiang mingles with royalty, spends US$10,000 on food

A popular Chinese television host has sparked fresh online controversy after it was revealed that the sticky rice dumplings she ate during the Dragon Boat Festival cost 1,000 yuan (US$140) each. Li Xiang, 49, who was born in Hunan province, central China, first rose to fame in 1997 as the host of the hit variety show Happy Camp. In the 2000s, she won the Most Popular Host award three times and received the Golden Mic Award, the highest honour for television anchors and hosts in China. As her...

Economics

42 h. ago ‘Unacceptable’: Japan group under fire for holding combat drills for students

An organisation in Japan’s Saitama prefecture is under fire for holding combat drills featuring toy guns for schoolchildren amid public anxiety about growing militarisation in the country. At the “junior survival school” run by a general incorporated association, primary and secondary schoolchildren took part in training similar to Japan Self-Defence Force (JSDF) drills and were taught how to handle toy guns, The Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday, without naming the organisation. According...

Events

47 h. ago Kansas City high school students visit China, with focus on culture, not conflict

Kansas City high school students visit China, with focus on culture, not conflict  KSHB 41 Kansas City

Events

47 h. ago As 2 Hong Kong art chiefs step down, what’s next for city’s culture scene?

Para Site and Asia Art Archive (AAA), two long-standing independent cultural institutions in Hong Kong, are simultaneously seeking new executive directors at a pivotal moment for the city’s cultural scene. On June 2, Para Site in Quarry Bay announced that Billy Tang had stepped down as executive director and curator after concluding his three-year contract. The British-born former senior curator of Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum took over from Cosmin Costinas – who had run Para Site for 11 years...

Culture

49 h. ago Chinese soldier, famed for striking resemblance to actress Dilraba, is elite sniper

A woman soldier from northwestern China who is known for her resemblance to a famous actress has developed into an outstanding sniper. Buzainafu Yasenjiang looks strikingly similar to Dilraba Dilmurat, one of China’s top entertainers, who has more than 81 million followers on social media. The 33-year-old actress and singer is a native of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the northwest of the country. She is celebrated for her unique beauty and talent, and has even been praised by the...

Events

50 h. ago Hong Kong advocates on why church sex abuse cases take time to surface

An imbalance of power in churches, a culture of secrecy and the misuse of theology are among the significant barriers victims face in reporting sexual abuse cases, advocates have said, after a retired Hong Kong pastor was arrested in connection with an assault on a minor in the 1990s. An NGO and a Christian group on Sunday called on religious groups to establish sexual harassment policies, noting that sexually abused children took 13 years on average to seek help. They also urged authorities to...

Events

58 h. ago Hong Kong tourism sector urged to provide packages, discounts for National Games

Hong Kong’s tourism sector should consider offering promotional packages including hotel discounts to spectators at the coming National Games, which the city will co-host in November, authorities have said. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Monday that a unified ticket sales platform would be used for all Games events to be held in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau, with more details to be announced soon. She said once the Guangdong Provincial Executive...

Politics

64 h. ago China maths genius opens first social media account, gains 23 million fans in 5 days

Chinese mathematics prodigy Wei Dongyi has recently launched his first social media account, capturing widespread attention due to concerns about his appearance and dental health, while amassing an impressive 23 million followers in just five days. The 33-year-old, originally from Shandong province in eastern China, serves as an assistant professor in the mathematics department at the esteemed Peking University. Despite his remarkable achievements, Wei prefers a life centred on research and...

Economics

68 h. ago ‘Landmark kid’: Japan dad spends US$700,000 on ads featuring cute son’s photos

A Japanese father who runs a real estate company has gone viral for spending 100 million yen (US$700,000) to plaster advertisements bearing his son’s photos on footbridges, buses and convenience stores. The boy, who is known as Yu-kun, is well known in the Adachi area of Tokyo and has been affectionately dubbed “The Landmark Kid” by local residents. His smiling image is everywhere, from massive footbridge banners and parking signs to city buses. His image even appears in convenience store...

Economics

3 d. ago ‘Age is just a number’: China grandma, 71, stars in fitness contest, shares tips

A Chinese grandmother has inspired countless netizens after winning third place in a fitness competition, following four years of rigorous training. On June 1, 71-year-old Sun Minghui, who is originally from Ma’anshan in Anhui province, central China, won the bronze medal in the mixed-gender category at the 2025 Wuhan round of the National Fitness Newcomers Quality Competition. Sun was the oldest competitor at the event. Before retiring, she worked in the cafeteria of a steel factory and...

Politics

3 d. ago Malaysians resist censorship as book bans increase, include rom

Contrary to the belief that Malaysians don’t read, the activity is experiencing a resurgence in the country through book clubs, new eclectic bookshops, and individuals spending their free time in the country’s numerous public parks, immersing themselves in novels. It is one of several signs pointing to a revival in the country’s reading culture. Yet even as Malaysians flock to book fairs and devour literature in record numbers, a parallel surge in state censorship has left writers and readers...

Politics

3 d. ago 8 million Chinese viewers moved by boy, 6, who operates crane for acrobat parents

Massive numbers of people across China have watched in amazement as a thoughtful six-year-old boy operates a crane that is integral to an acrobatic show his parents perform. Xie Yule expertly worked the machine that held his parents in the air to perform in a town in eastern China’s Anhui province on a rainy evening ahead of Children’s Day. As rain fell heavily, the diminutive Xie stood on a stool as his hand never left the crane’s control panel, his eyes locked on his parents. His father, Xie...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Symbol of hope’: LGBTQ Singaporeans to seal stories of love inside time capsule

When healthcare worker V first met his partner E, a researcher, in 2000 they instantly clicked and began their relationship that spanned a little over 20 years. At the time, homosexuality was still an offence in Singapore but V, who is now in his late 40s and spoke on condition of anonymity, told This Week in Asia they were happy enjoying food, travel and what he described as “quiet activism” in the city state. To commemorate the second year of their relationship, he gifted E matching wedding...

Politics

3 d. ago Pakistan’s animal army marches to markets for haggling at annual festival

Once a year, Pakistanis mobilise for an operation that is akin to a major battle taking place in terms of scale and blood being spilled. Much is at stake – at least financially – as veritable four-legged armies numbering hundreds of thousands march on Pakistan’s population centres from farmsteads around the country. For the livestock farmers leading the sieges, the deals cut at pop-up markets for sacrificial bulls, goats and sheep – along with the occasional camel – on the Muslim festival of Eid...

Politics