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· Carl Samson
Pastor freed from China after Trump’s appeal to Xi
Pastor Jin Mingri, the founder of Beijing’s underground Zion Church, has been released after nine months in detention and reunited with family in Los Angeles, less than two months after President Donald Trump raised his case directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. How it…
· Carl Samson
Jimmy Lai will not appeal his 20-year Hong Kong conviction
Jimmy Lai, the jailed founder of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, has decided not to appeal his 20-year sentence under the city’s national security law, leaving diplomacy as the primary avenue for his release. Catch up: Lai, 78, built Apple Daily into one of Hong Kong’s most widely read…
· Ryan General
Andrew Schulz emerges as the weakest link in ‘Street Fighter’ live-action cast
As the “Street Fighter” film enters its marketing phase following the teaser trailer debut at the 2025 Game Awards, renewed scrutiny has fallen upon a casting decision announced earlier in the year. While the film embraces a fun, self-aware tone with campy action and…
· Ryan General
Jimmy Lai convicted as Hong Kong’s last major pro-democracy party votes to disband
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement sustained its most serious legal and political setbacks in years over the weekend. Jimmy Lai, the outspoken founder of Apple Daily, was found guilty Friday on three charges related to foreign collusion and sedition, following a 118-day trial…
· Ryan General
Hong Kong targets contractors and critics in deadly fire probe
Hong Kong officials say noncompliant plastic netting used on the Wang Fuk Court scaffolding failed fire resistance tests after the blaze killed at least 159 residents on Nov. 26. Investigators have seized samples from multiple towers and arrested 15 people, including company…
· Carl Samson
Hong Kong lawmakers reject own government’s same-sex partnership bill
Hong Kong legislators delivered an unprecedented rejection of their own government last Wednesday, voting down a bill that would have extended limited recognition to same-sex couples who married abroad — a setback for the territory once considered a regional leader on civil…
· Carl Samson
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists granted asylum in the UK, Australia
Two Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have been granted asylum in the U.K. and Australia over the weekend, representing rare acknowledgments of persecution under the city’s national security law. Catch up: Civil liberties in Hong Kong have been severely curtailed since Beijing…
· Editorial Staff
Trump vows to ‘save’ Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai as trial nears end
President Donald Trump has pledged to advocate for the release of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, whose national security trial resumed this week amid judicial skepticism over sedition charges. Catch up: Lai, a 77-year-old British citizen who founded the now-closed…
· Ryan General
CDC issues travel alert as chikungunya outbreak surges in China
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 travel alert on Aug. 14 warning of an “elevated risk” of chikungunya virus exposure in China’s Guangdong province. About the virus: The mosquito-borne virus causes high fever, rash and severe joint pain and is…
· Editorial Staff
Chinese K-pop idol told to ‘go back’ after pushing One China policy on fans
Xinyu, a Chinese vocalist of the 24-member K-pop girl group tripleS, is facing backlash after echoing her support for Beijing’s “One China” policy. The controversy erupted on fan platform Fromm, where the Beijing-born performer reportedly wrote, “Macau is Chinese from the…
· Ryan General
COVID-19 surges in East and Southeast Asia
COVID-19 cases are climbing across East and Southeast Asia, with notable increases in Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Health authorities attribute the rise to new Omicron subvariants and waning immunity. Thailand and China report sharp increases
· Bryan Ke
Behind ‘Wicked’s’ majestic hats is a Filipino milliner
Harvy Santos, a Filipino milliner based in the U.K., helped create the stunning hats worn by Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande), Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and other characters in Jon M. Chu’s two-part film adaptation of “Wicked.” In a Universal Studios featurette, Santos shared…
· Bryan Ke
Japanese police obtain arrest warrant for Chinese teen accused of defacing controversial Tokyo shrine
Japanese police have obtained an arrest warrant on Thursday for a Chinese teenager accused of vandalizing a Tokyo shrine with graffiti, seemingly mimicking an act at the same site earlier this year. The alleged vandal was captured on security camera writing the word “toilet” in…
· Carl Samson
Global outcry as Hong Kong jails 45 pro-democracy activists
Forty-five pro-democracy activists, journalists and ex-lawmakers were sentenced to prison terms of four to 10 years on Tuesday in Hong Kong’s largest national security trial. The case, rooted in their participation in a 2020 unofficial primary election, has drawn international…
· Carl Samson
Pro-democracy tycoon says he wanted Trump to stop Hong Kong’s national security law
Pro-democracy advocate and media mogul Jimmy Lai revealed in his trial in Hong Kong on Wednesday that he had hoped Donald Trump could intervene to stop the imposition of Beijing’s national security law in 2020. Catch up: Lai, 77, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to…
· Carl Samson
Undocumented Chinese among the first Trump will target for mass deportation: report
Undocumented Chinese immigrants reportedly stand to be among the first targeted by President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan, raising alarm among immigrant advocacy groups. Driving the news: Sources close to the Trump campaign indicate that undocumented Chinese…
· Michelle De Pacina
‘Hello, Love, Again’: Kathryn Bernardo returns to her rom-com roots in sequel made for OFWs
“Hello, Love, Again,” might just be what Philippine cinema’s “Box Office Queen” Kathryn Bernardo is saying to herself as she steps back into romantic comedy. After surprising fans with her darkly thrilling role in “A Very Good Girl” alongside Golden Globe nominee Dolly de Leon —…
· Carl Samson
Hong Kong police bust love scam that duped victims out of $46 million using deepfakes
Hong Kong police dismantled a cross-border fraud syndicate that allegedly used deepfake technology to swindle over $46 million from victims across Asia through cryptocurrency romance scams. With 27 individuals arrested, the bust includes one of the largest fraud centers ever…
· Ryan General
Michelin-starred Japanese chef in Hong Kong admits to filming upskirt videos
Eisaku Hara, the head chef at Tempura Uchitsu in Hong Kong’s Four Seasons Hotel, admitted to using a pen camera hidden in his backpack to film upskirt videos of three women at a Don Don Donki store in April 2022. The 50-year-old Japanese chef, who also worked at the restaurant’s…
· Carl Samson
Young Chinese couples are now saying ‘I do’ at McDonald’s
A growing number of young couples in China are reportedly choosing fast food chains like McDonald’s as wedding venues. The trend reflects broader shifts in wedding preferences, particularly among Gen Z who are embracing simplicity and affordability over traditional and lavish…