Don't text and drive

Unsold homes big drag on developers' coffers

Punishing fees seen incentivising some to reprice projects to move sales in near term

Virginia’s “comfort women” memorial reveals Asian tensions

In Virginia, US, a memorial dedicated to “comfort women” reveals that Asian Americans are not all quite so ready to forgive and forget.

An Open Letter to the Prime Minster

I had thought to keep quiet during this period of political transition while watching events unfold. But what is happening currently has perturbed me enough to want to do another commentary. I have cast it in the form of a direct letter to the PM, to convey a greater sense of urgency.

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For One Tiananmen-Era Student, a Very Different Path to Power

A few days after the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests 25 years ago, the Chinese government filled the airwaves with a list of the 21 most wanted student leaders accused of stirring up an antigovernment rebellion. At the top of the list was a 20-year-old student at Peking University named Wang Dan, who set up an unofficial student union to mobilize his classmates to demand democracy.

Slump in China’s wine market forces shake-out, rethink

The sudden slowdown in wine sales to the mainland is forcing merchants to refine their sales strategies, attendees at last week’s Vinexpo trade show in Hong Kong said.

Documents show Japan complicit in WWII sex slavery

Activists said Monday they had a trove of documents proving the Japanese military was complicit in the wartime system of sex slavery, despite nationalist quibbles over responsibility.
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US network NBC 'cut Snowden remarks' on 9/11 and US spy agencies

Russia's state-backed broadcaster said NBC "neglected" to air "critical statements" Edward Snowden made about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks during an exclusive interview.

Oliver Stone: 'America always wins'

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Luxury homes left empty in quiet market

Sector hardest-hit by property curbs; some sellers leasing out units instead

China Vanke says property sector’s ‘golden era’ over, demand outlook solid

The days of rapid growth in China’s real estate sector are over, but the government’s urbanisation drive will continue to drive demand for the next 15 years, the country’s biggest residential property developer China Vanke Co Ltd said.

大国崛起

The fashion cycle

Roads are the new runways for a tribe of chic cyclists, who have elevated the mode of transportation into a hipster lifestyle.

Doctor exposes China's medical corruption epidemic

Ordering an unnecessary pacemaker, urging a woman to be hospitalised for a sore throat -- a doctor's allegations of corruption spotlight troubles so endemic in China's healthcare system that patients frequently turn violent.
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Irascible general close to country’s royals

Just months before his retirement, Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday took control of the country eight years after the previous military coup.

Fine Line Seen in U.S. Spying on Companies

The National Security Agency has never said what it was seeking when it invaded the computers of Petrobras, Brazil’s huge national oil company, but angry Brazilians have guesses: the company’s troves of data on Brazil’s offshore oil reserves, or perhaps its plans for allocating licenses for exploration to foreign companies.

With Spy Charges, U.S. Draws a Line That Few Others Recognize

For example, the United States spies regularly for economic advantage when the goal is to support trade talks; when the Clinton administration was locked in a high-stakes negotiation in the 1990s to reach an accord with Japan, it bugged the Japanese negotiator’s limousine. At the time, the chief beneficiaries would have been the Big Three auto companies and a smattering of parts suppliers. It is also widely believed to be using intelligence in support of trade negotiations underway with European and Asian trading partners. But in the view of a succession of Democratic and Republican administrations, that is fair game.

China warns US cyber charges could damage ties

The United States denies spying for commercial advantage, though documents released by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden said the NSA broke into the computers of Brazil's main state-owned oil company, Petrobras. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said if that was true, then the motive would be to gather economic information.
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Singapore billionaire Lim joins Asian owners

Singapore billionaire Peter Lim, the new owner of Valencia, has realised a long-held dream by buying a top European football club -- and will hope for better fortunes than some of his fellow Asian investors.
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Anton Casey goes for online makeover

Briton Anton Casey, who fled to Australia in January after being slammed for denigrating public transport commuters, has made headlines again - this time on purpose.

Meanwhile a spokesman for one website where an article entitled “Financial professional Anton Casey optimistic about Singapore Real Estate Market” was posted said it had been uploaded by a user unaffiliated with its staff. He added that the “unwanted article” was removed as it went against the site’s policy.