Condominium developers upping the stake

It is no longer enough for condominiums to boast a pool, gym, clubhouse and tennis court. Developers are adding fancy facilities such as a spa, sports bar, rock-climbing wall, luxury dining room and even a bird-watching tower to make their projects stand out.

Assets of corrupt officials on the run to be seized

Mainland courts may soon have the power to confiscate ill-gotten gains under a new law

China Uses Rare Earths to Lure Manufacturing Plants

China has long used access to its giant customer base and cheap labour as bargaining chips to persuade foreign companies to open factories within the nation’s borders.

Buyers, sellers get around curbs

Couples fake divorce or even sacrifice marriage to obtain more property, and developers are happy to throw in extras to keep cash coming in

A brief history of Chinese porn

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China rail firm boss, blamed for crash, dies of heart attack

The head of a Chinese railways technology firm blamed for faulty signalling gear that caused a high-speed rail crash last month died of a heart attack while the company was being inspected, Chinese media said Tuesday.

Look for cracks in axles, metal fatigue expert says

Railways ministry complains that German ultrasonic detector used to inspect trains is too sensitive

Law exposes unease at state of modern marriage

Experts say controversy over new interpretation reveals deep sense of social and moral insecurity

The sex trade

Lust will and testament

The earliest recorded wills in Hong Kong show that a group of highly-successful women had one thing in common ... they were all working in the sex trade

To fully legalise the profession or not - it’s a dilemma

It may make sense from a welfare point of view but the economic argument suggests otherwise

Taiwan’s court strips Chen’s son of position

The son of Taiwan’s jailed former president, Chen Shui-bian, has been stripped of his position as a city councillor in Kaohsiung after being sentenced on Wednesday to three months in prison for perjury.

Police seize 'high-quality' fake 100 yuan notes

Police in Zhejiang province have seized an undisclosed number of high-quality counterfeit yuan notes said to look more realistic than any fake cash in recent memory.

Merchants enlisted sham bird’s nest ‘experts’

Mainland bird’s nest merchants accused of selling fake or tainted products staged a press conference with Malaysian officials to defend their reputation. But the event itself was a sham and the officials were bogus.

Yunnan plant dumped toxins for 20 years

A Yunnan chemical plant was exposed for disposing more than 280,000 tonnes of uncontained toxic chromium residue near the source of the Pearl River, dating back about two decades and causing health risks to millions of Guangdong residents.

New Chinese Marriage Law Protects Men’s Assets, Angers Women

New Chinese Marriage Law Protects Men’s Assets, Angers Women

Manchester United’s IPO Looks Offside

You’ve got the replica shirt, now buy the shares. That may be Manchester United’s pitch if the U.K.’s leading soccer team pursues plans to raise up to $1 billion through an initial public offering in Singapore. With two-thirds of its 333 million global fan base based in Asia, looking East to raise capital is an understandable move by United’s American owners, the Glazer family. But investor faith in United shouldn’t be as blind as that of its fans.

New set of measurements for white-collar foreigners

Significant changes to Singapore’s employment pass (EP) framework will kick in from January 2012, further tightening the inflow of white-collar foreign workers and potentially raising businesses’ wage costs by an average of one to 2 per cent.

Red Devils may erase debt with Singapore IPO

Man U said to be raising US$1b in Q4; with Credit Suisse hired as book runner

US credit crisis shocks Chinese consumers

Spurred on by state media which have let rip at the “debt-riddled” United States, the Chinese have listened with wide-eyed amazement to tales of American people living well beyond their means.

The US credit crisis has brought to light a fundamental difference between thrifty consumers in China -- the largest foreign holder of US debt -- and their credit-loving US counterparts.