Japan and Kenya: Working Together to Avoid a Mercury Tragedy

It seems BTS did not only take k-pop by storm but also fashion. The K-pop group walked Louis Vuitton’s FW21 runway as their global ambassadors. The pop icons graced the show in a fashion film directed by Jeon Go-woon.

Sacks of crystal meth scooped from the sea by Myanmar fishermen who mistook it for a deodorant substance had a street value of $20 million, an official told AFP Sunday, in a country believed to be the world’s largest methamphetamine producer.

Nikita Star Maggie Q is one of Hollywood’s most powerful women. With previous roles that easily spray bullets and show no fear, the actress seems the best choice to play Anna in the action film The Protégé starring alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton.

Taiwan on Tuesday banned large gatherings after a cluster of local infections prompted authorities to raise the coronavirus alert level in a place with one of the world’s best pandemic responses.

Dozens of dead pigs mysteriously emerged on a riverbank in northern China, state media reported Monday, sparking an investigation and social media speculation about how they perished.

As the Taliban increasingly excludes women from public life in Afghanistan, some are determined to speak out despite the threat of retribution from the hardline Islamist group.

Thousands of homeless “net cafe refugees” in Japan risk being turfed out onto the streets as the coronavirus pandemic forces the sudden closure of their uniquely Japanese 24/7 comic book havens.

WeChat, or Weixin in China, is being evolved to become Facebook’s biggest rival in providing consumer communication and value-added services via the mobile app.

Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” won this year’s top Hollywood directing award Saturday — the final major guild ceremony before the Oscars, and an important late bellwether in Tinseltown’s pandemic-delayed and mainly virtual award season.

Hong Kong’s leader says using her credit cards had been “hampered” by the United States slapping sanctions on her in response to a sweeping new security law in the financial hub.

President Donald Trump’s administration is investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it doesn’t rule out that it came from a laboratory researching bats in Wuhan, China.

A synthetic antibody developed by Eli Lilly reduced the risk of contracting Covid-19 by 80 percent in a study of nursing home residents when used preventatively, the company said Thursday.

Japan’s top surfer Kanoa Igarashi is already seeing his training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics hit by the coronavirus outbreak, but he’s still hoping a “heartbreaking” cancellation can be avoided.

A cartridge of Nintendo’s classic video game “Super Mario 64” set a world record Sunday, selling at auction for $1.56 million.

Police in India are investigating how dozens of Muslim women were offered for sale in fake “auctions” online without their knowledge, in a case the victims say illustrates growing Islamophobia across the country.

From shades of startling red to hues of vivid tangerine, brightly coloured beards have become a fashion statement on the streets of Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

A British man pleaded guilty Monday to violating Singapore’s strict coronavirus rules by having a tryst with his fiancee at a luxury hotel while under quarantine.

A towering wall of sand rushed over factories and apartment blocks in northwestern China’s Gansu province as seasonal sandstorms barrelled across the country, causing air pollution and traffic accidents.

A record fine, public penitence from a tech giant and a ‘who’s who’ of digital firms warned to “rectify” their ambitions within a month — state regulators are showing no one is bigger than Beijing in Xi Jinping’s China.

Scientists have found a radiation-resistant bacteria can survive at least three years exposed in orbit, suggesting simple life forms could manage the long journey between Earth and Mars unprotected.

To cheers from colleagues, Bangladesh’s first transgender news presenter broke down in tears on Monday, but only after her word-perfect debut was beamed to the nation and the cameras were off.

On a grey and rainy morning, Chen Si patrols the Nanjing bridge soaring above China’s Yangtze river, determined to stop the desperate from jumping into the swirling waters below.

South Korea’s Bong Joon-ho is an acclaimed filmmaker known for dark and genre-hopping thrillers, and his Golden Globe-winning “Parasite” — a vicious satire about the widening gap between rich and poor — features all of his trademarks.

Hundreds of handbags belonging to Malaysia’s scandal-plagued former first lady have suffered serious damage after being seized by police, a lawyer grumbled Wednesday — prompting mockery from graft-weary citizens.

A popular Taiwanese YouTuber who specializes in flirting tutorials has found his access to China go up in smoke after a humorous video of him interviewing the island’s president went viral.

In a backroom workshop in Malaysia, goldsmiths with blowtorches and chisels sit at wooden desks as they melt and mould the precious metal into glittery jewellery.

TikTok was running again in Pakistan Saturday after a provincial court lifted suspension of the popular social media service but ordered it to address complaints that it hosted objectionable content.

Why do older Chinese politicians sport jet black hair?

A ghostly figure with wild hair and a flowing beard is haunting a small Malaysian community in a bid to ensure superstitious residents stay home during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.

The discovery of a Burberry jacket she does not recall buying proved to Chen Rui that she was right to have brought in experts to manage her out-of-control luxury wardrobe.

A Thai royal consort who was purged for “disloyalty” after running afoul of the Queen has made a sudden and unexpected comeback, with the king reinstating her titles.

Police arrested a key suspect in the attempted assassination of Maldives ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, officials said Thursday as the well-known climate change campaigner recovered in a German hospital.

A tearful reunion between a mother and her dead daughter via advanced virtual reality for a South Korean television has become an online hit, triggering fierce debate about voyeurism and exploitation.

A giant 23-meter (75-foot) whale briefly washed up near a beach in Indonesia but it was unclear how the enormous marine mammal died, a conservation official said Wednesday.

Le Minh Tuan has curled up in the bed of his deceased son every night since the young man suffocated in a truck in Britain alongside dozens of other Vietnamese migrants one year ago.

Vulnerable Pakistani brides are tricked into marrying Chinese men in China and are subjected to horrible acts such as abuse, organ extraction, and prostitution.

Dozens of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters dramatically escaped a two-day police siege at a university campus late Monday by shimmying down ropes from a bridge to waiting motorbikes, after Beijing again warned it could intervene to end the crisis engulfing the city.

Lab-grown chicken will soon be available in restaurants in Singapore after the country became the first to green-light meat created without slaughtering any animals.

For many of Pakistan’s farmers, long at the mercy of ruthless middlemen, an app enabling them to sell direct to clients could mean more money in their pockets.

Sister, adviser, and now top official: the latest promotion of Kim Yo Jong, sibling to North Korea’s leader, solidifies her position in Pyongyang’s circles of power, analysts say.

Robot versions of Japan’s Olympic and Paralympic mascots thrilled hundreds of school children in Tokyo on Monday, striking sporting poses and displaying hearts in their electronic eyes.

North Korea’s Water Park Open to tourists but with close scrutiny

Shares in Chinese video app company Kuaishou almost tripled on their Hong Kong debut Friday, following a $5.4 billion initial public offering for the TikTok rival that was the biggest for an internet firm in nearly two years.

Yamaha has warned musicians in Japan against stuffing themselves into their instrument cases to mimic the escape technique allegedly used by fugitive ex-tycoon Carlos Ghosn.

As the Paralympic Games begin, Japan’s efforts to improve accessibility and inclusion are in the spotlight, with many arguing there is still plenty of work to do.

Several countries suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on Thursday over blood clot fears, prompting Europe’s medical agency to quickly reassure the public there were no known health risks linked to the jab.

Indian authorities used drones and fire engines to disinfect the pandemic-hit city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, as virus cases surged and police clashed with migrant workers protesting against a reinforced lockdown.

Japan has quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3,711 people and was testing those onboard for the new coronavirus Tuesday after a former passenger was diagnosed with the illness in Hong Kong.

Netflix has pulled an Australian spy show from its services in Vietnam over scenes containing a map of the South China Sea showing Beijing’s claims in the flashpoint waterway.

Hong Kong customs announced its largest seizure of methamphetamine in a decade on Tuesday, 110 kilograms of ice worth some HK$77 million ($10 million) that originated in Mexico.

At a large food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, signs forbid the selling of wild animals and live fowl, while announcements calling for “victory” over COVID-19 play on a loop from speakers.