Asia Pacific

A theme park in Tokyo featuring the Hello Kitty character closed on Saturday due to a "terrorist alert" received via email, according to the operator. The Sanrio Puroland park stated on its website, "We will be temporarily closed today as we are unable to adequately ensure the safety of our customers, performers, and on-site staff at this time." Hello Kitty, created by Sanrio Co and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is one of Japan's most well-known cartoon characters. The mouthless cat-like figure is used to market a wide range of products, from plush toys to aircraft, and has even...

  A great leader doesn’t have to do everything. Go back and read that again. You can read it again if you need to, but don’t keep going until you really get the fact that as the leader, it is not your responsibility to do everything in the workplace. It’s hard to give up control but you’ll quickly find that delegating certain tasks out to others not only frees you up to be more productive on more important tasks, it’s also good for your mental health. Here are some good ways to start delegating tasks out to free yourself up...

Police on Friday arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks from at least two local monasteries, in southwestern China’s Sichuan province after they protested the construction of a dam expected to destroy six monasteries and force the relocation of two villages, two sources from inside Tibet told Radio Free Asia. The arrested individuals – both monks and local residents – are being held in various places throughout Dege county in Kardze Tibetan Prefecture because the police do not have a single place to detain them, said the sources who requested anonymity for safety reasons. Those arrested have been forced to...

Gina Balian, a former television executive from HBO who worked on "Game of Thrones," recently joined FX to help start a new limited series division. While at FX, she received a nearly 1,200-page novel from an agent - "Shogun" by James Clavell. This best-selling book tells the story of an English sailor who arrives in Japan in the 17th century and becomes a samurai. Initially, Balian remembered seeing the story adapted for TV in 1980, starring a white male lead. However, upon reading the novel, she realized there was a much deeper and wider story to be told, especially from...

European countries have recently shown interest in the Indo-Pacific region. The European Union's Indo-Pacific strategy in 2021 was mainly influenced by France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Other EU members were initially less engaged with events in this area. However, Italy and Greece have now joined the Indo-Pacific conversation. Greece, with the EU's longest coastline, is a key maritime player. Its strong naval forces and active participation in maritime security initiatives highlight its significance in the region. Greece aims to bridge Europe and Asia, with a focus on enhancing strategic ties with India. Prime Minister Mitsotakis' visits to India and participation...

Edelman reported declines in industries where clients made significant budget cuts, such as healthcare (12%), technology (8%), and financial services (14%). However, there was a 15% increase in the food and beverage sector. Among its top 100 clients, including Microsoft, Starbucks, DP World, and HP, Edelman saw 6% growth in 2023. The agency also secured projects from Mark Anthony Brewing and played a key role in the global climate conference COP28 in Dubai. One of Edelman's successful campaigns in the US was the Dupe Swap initiative for Lululemon. The agency is also assisting Allegra with the launch of Allegra Airways,...

In China, the traditional practice is for the woman to marry into the man's family. However, the live-in son-in-law service reverses this custom. Under this arrangement, the husband moves into the wife's property, and their children typically take her surname, which is usually that of his father-in-law.Although this idea has gained popularity nationally only in recent years, it has been present in Xiaoshan for decades.In China, tradition dictates that a woman should marry into a man's family, but attitudes in the country are changing. Photo: ShutterstockXiaoshan is the top-ranking district in gross domestic product among the districts of Hangzhou, one...

Chevron Chevron has gone to South Korea to upgrade a pair of LNG carriers. HD Hyundai Marine Solution has been chosen to add re-liquefaction systems, hull air lubrication and new gas compressors to the gas carriers. Chevron’s LNG fleet were all built at Samsung Heavy Industries and started delivering around 10 years ago. HD Hyundai Marine Solution, part of the country’s largest shipbuilding group, was founded in 2016 originally as Hyundai Global Service but changed its name to HD Hyundai Marine in November last year to expand its business beyond vessel after-sales services, marketing its retrofitting capabilities in particular. Source...

Just 50 days after signing a deal with the Indian government, Vietnamese automaker VinFast is set to officially start construction on a large electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu. Also Read: Thinking out loud: Are electric vehicles as sustainable as we believe? This $500 million investment is a significant move for VinFast's global expansion. With India's growing EV market, this factory aims to be a regional production center, producing up to 150,000 EVs per year. The factory plans to export EVs to South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The project is expected to create 3,000 to 3,500...

Indonesia has introduced new incentives to boost sales of local and imported electric vehicles (EVs), aiming to establish itself as Southeast Asia’s primary EV market and manufacturing center. According to a Reuters report, the new regulations, announced on Tuesday, will eliminate luxury tax on EVs for the fiscal year 2024 and import tax until the end of 2025. Additionally, the rules will reduce the value-added tax from 11 percent to just 1 percent for EV buyers this year, extending a tax break that expired last year. These incentives are designed to increase domestic demand for EVs by narrowing the price...