What I learned in my first year as an angel investor in Greater China
Rui Ma is 500 Startups‘ Venture Partner for Greater China with a fondness for edutech. She tweets at @RuiMa. I made one of the best decisions of my entire adult life. In the beginning of 2013, I jumped …
China Mobile to investigate HKTV deal
The parent company of China Mobile Hong Kong announces investigation in regards to its subsidiary’s deal with Ricky Wong’s company
Ethiopian Migrants Expelled by Saudis Remain in Limbo Back Home
Benno Muechler Mohammed Jemal, forefront, returning home after being deportated from Saudi Arabia. By BENNO MUCHLER LEGUAMA, Ethiopia — Mohammed Jemal left Ethiopia two years ago. He wanted to be independent, to support his family — and to escape the mockery of having squandered a big chance for a better life. “I went to college and […]
Read More →Chinese icebreaker shines spotlight on polar ambitions
In the Arctic, China’s strategic goals include the opening up of a “Northeast Passage” shipping route Beijing hopes will shave days off the journey from China to Europe, its biggest export destination. And in the Antarctic, Beijing has mounted 30 expeditions and built three research bases, one at more than 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) altitude on one of the frozen continent’s highest ice caps. Experts say that, just as in the space race, China is playing a long game in polar exploration, with the expected territorial and natural resource benefits decades, even half a century, away. But while mining is banned until 2048 at the earliest under the Antarctic Treaty “some have observed China’s development of its Antarctic interests allow it to be well-positioned if there is a change in the circumstances”, he told AFP.
China’s Great Firewall blocks website of UK newspaper Guardian
UK-based newspaper The Guardian‘s website is blocked in China as of Tuesday, according to censorship monitoring activist website Greatfire.org. Tech in Asia staff in China have confirmed the block today. …
“As the Light Goes Out” rakes in HKD 12.35 million after four days
Nicholas Tse’s new movie is a box office hit after only four days of release in Hong Kong
China sets targets for curbing air pollution
China has set new targets for its provinces to reduce air pollution by 5 to 25 percent, state media said late on Tuesday, underscoring the government’s concern about a source of public anger. China regularly issues directives to try to tackle air pollution in major cities, but these have had limited effect. Former health minister Chen Zhu said air pollution in the country causes premature deaths of 350,000 to 500,000 people yearly, state media reported on Tuesday. Air quality in large parts of northern and southern China reached unhealthy levels on Tuesday.
Nintendo shares surge as China eases gaming console ban
Shares in Nintendo Co Ltd jumped as much as 7.5 percent to a two and a half-year high on Wednesday after China temporarily lifted a 14-year-old ban on selling video game consoles. The move could pave the way for Nintendo, Sony Corp and Microsoft Corp to enter the world’s third-largest video game market in terms of revenue. “Nintendo hasn’t had a catalyst for a long time, so if it can revive (via) the Chinese consumer market then it would be positive,” a Tokyo-based trader said. The most popular video games in China are often free to play with gamers only paying for add-ons such as weapons or extra lives.
Imagining a Chinese game console
Now that game consoles are officially legal in China, everyone is talking about what that could mean for the big console makers Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. But there’s another question worth asking: …
More smokers worldwide than in 1980: study
More people smoke worldwide today than in 1980, as population growth surges and cigarettes gain popularity in countries such as China, India and Russia, researchers said Tuesday. For instance, China boasted nearly 100 million more smokers in 2012 than it had three decades ago, even though its smoking rate fell from 30 to 24 percent in that span, said the findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The rise in the number of smokers comes despite overall declines in the smoking rate in recent decades, as many people have realized the health dangers of tobacco, said the report. The data was published as part of a series of tobacco-related articles to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first US Surgeon General’s report on the risks of smoking.
