Overlooking Hanoi’s deserted streets, tiny balconies have become places of refuge during the coronavirus lockdown as city residents squeeze desks, yoga mats and chairs into the spaces to get their share of fresh air. Below them, everyday objects – bamb…
Driven by livestreams, consumer spending in social apps to hit $17.2B in 2025
The livestreaming boom is driving a significant uptick in the creator economy, as a new forecast estimates consumers will spend $6.78 billion in social apps in 2021. That figure will grow to $17.2 billion annually by 2025, according to data from mobile data firm App Annie, which notes the upward trend represents a five-year compound […]
Alibaba sexual assault case dropped as China police say ‘forcible indecency’ not a crime
Manager accused of rape released after 15 days, the maximum punishment for someone who molests anotherProsecutors in China have dropped a case against an Alibaba manager accused of sexually assaulting an employee, saying he committed “forcible indecenc…
Home affairs: New Zealanders forced to turn to dating sites to find a mortgage mate
Tinder profiles reveal desperate reality of trying to buy a home as survey shows housing is the number one concern for Kiwis, ranked above Covid“It is a truth universally acknowledged,” Jane Austen wrote in 1813, “that a single man in possession of a g…
Newly discovered Napoleon hat with his DNA up for auction
Buyer at small German auction house did not know bicorne had belonged to the French emperorA newly discovered hat with DNA evidence proving it belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte has gone on display at auction house Bonhams in Hong Kong.Described by Bonham…
Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong media group Next Digital files for liquidation
Publisher of shuttered Apple Daily says it hopes to be allowed by government to authorise previously banned payments to creditors and former staffHong Kong media group Next Digital Ltd has announced that it aimed to go into liquidation and its board of…
The hunt for Tommy Baker: on the trail of Papua New Guinea’s most-wanted man
Baker, sought for alleged murder, robbery and piracy, has eluded PNG police for nearly a decadeAs the sun set over the coast of Alotau, a town in the east of Papua New Guinea, on a Friday night in April, four boats zoomed from the beach into the night….
Speed, decisiveness, cooperation: how a tiny Taiwan village overcame Delta
Rural community with an under-resourced health system came together to take on the virus, but anger at the authorities remainsSee all our coronavirus coverageThe work day in Fangshan starts before dawn and finishes at midday, when fishers or farmers of…
New Zealand reports 20 new Covid cases as spread of Delta slows
The country has now recorded 801 infections in the outbreak, with one death and 38 people in hospitalNew Zealand has reported 20 new cases of coronavirus in the community, bringing the total number in the outbreak of the highly infectious Delta varian…
New Zealand stabbings: officials tried for years to deport terrorist prior to Auckland attack, Jacinda Ardern says
Jacinda Ardern says ‘every legal avenue’ was used to detain Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen until his refugee status was resolvedNew Zealand had tried for years to deport the terrorist who stabbed shoppers in an Auckland supermarket on Friday before be…