- Dispatch confirms the least messy timeline to the Han So Hee, Ryu Jun Yeol, Hyeri relationship drama, which is sorta exciting in its own way – Asian Junkie Asian Junkie
- Han So Hee replies to all malicious comments claiming her ‘image sunk to bottom’ amid dating Ryu Jun Yeol Hindustan Times
- Han So Hee and Ryu Jun Yeol’s tense date in Hawaii: A closer look at their rumored romance The Times of India
- Seven’ star Han So-hee confirms relationship with ‘Reply 1988’ actor Ryu-Jun-Yeol, plans to apologise to h The Economic Times
- Ryu Jun-yeol, Han So-hee spotted together in Hawaii; agencies decline to confirm dating rumors The Korea Herald
Tag Archives: Asian
Asian Games: Yashasvi Jaiswal Smashes T20 Century vs Nepal in Quarter-Final | The Quint – The Quint
- Asian Games: Yashasvi Jaiswal Smashes T20 Century vs Nepal in Quarter-Final | The Quint The Quint
- India vs Nepal men’s cricket, Asian Games 2023 T20 quarter-final: Match time and watch live streaming and telecast Olympics
- 1st Quarter-Final, Hangzhou, October 03, 2023, Asian Games Men’s Cricket Competition (Abinash Bohara 0*, Karan KC 18*, Shivam Dube 0/37) – RESULT, IND vs NEP, 1st Quarter-Final, Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field, October 03, 2023, ESPNcricinfo
- Yashasvi Jaiswal shines as India defeat Nepal in Asian Games opener Times of India
- Watch: Nepal Bowler Karan KC’s Surprising Strategy Against Yashasvi Jaiswal As He Bowls From Behind The Stumps Cricket Addictor
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Johnny & Associates to be renamed ‘Smile-Up’ to handle victim compensation, will create new fan-named company to manage artists + 478 victims come forward – Asian Junkie – Asian Junkie
- Johnny & Associates to be renamed ‘Smile-Up’ to handle victim compensation, will create new fan-named company to manage artists + 478 victims come forward – Asian Junkie Asian Junkie
- Johnny & Associates, Japan Talent Agency, to Split Following Sex Abuse Scandal Variety
- Johnny Kitagawa: Hundreds seek compensation over J-pop agency founder’s abuse BBC
- J-pop agency Johnny & Associates to change name amid sexual abuse scandal The Guardian
- Johnny’s to Change Name to Smile-Up; Will Reimburse Victims Siliconera
- View Full Coverage on Google News
[Update] ATTRAKT claims Warner Music Korea involved with company trying to poach FIFTY FIFTY, Warner Music Korea says that’s ‘groundless’ – Asian Junkie – Asian Junkie
- [Update] ATTRAKT claims Warner Music Korea involved with company trying to poach FIFTY FIFTY, Warner Music Korea says that’s ‘groundless’ – Asian Junkie Asian Junkie
- Fifty Fifty’s agency threatens legal action against those trying to poach members The Korea JoongAng Daily
- FIFTY FIFTY’s agency CEO, “The force behind this incident will be revealed. The case won’t end as their malicious intention” KBIZoom
- FIFTY FIFTY’s Label Accuses Outside Agency Of Attempting To Poach Group Koreaboo
- Fifty Fifty’s agency alleges Warner Music Korea attempted to steal girl group’s members The Korea JoongAng Daily
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Quick Reviews: SEVENTEEN’s “Super” puts them in familiar territory – Asian Junkie – Asian Junkie
- Quick Reviews: SEVENTEEN’s “Super” puts them in familiar territory – Asian Junkie Asian Junkie
- Seventeen makes history as ‘FML’ exceeds 3.9 million copies sold on the first day of release allkpop
- SEVENTEEN’s DK And S.Coups Tease “FML” Double Title Tracks, Talk About Group’s Endless Growth, And More soompi
- Seventeen’s ‘FML’ Mini-Album Has Arrived: Stream It Now Billboard
- “Witnessing history”: SEVENTEEN’s FML surpasses Adele’s 25 to become fastest selling album in global music industry, fans immensely proud Sportskeeda
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Some South Asian creatives disappointed Oscars’ performance of India’s “Naatu Naatu” did not appear to include Indian dancers – CBS News
- Some South Asian creatives disappointed Oscars’ performance of India’s “Naatu Naatu” did not appear to include Indian dancers CBS News
- NTR and Ram Charan Refused To Perform Naatu Naatu at Oscars 2023 Greatandhra
- “Naatu Naatu” at the Oscars: A Cultural Triumph Gone Wrong The Juggernaut
- Oscar winner for ‘Best Original Song’ appears at meet-and-greet in metro Atlanta WSB Atlanta
- ‘RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” Oscar ‘RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” Oscar Win Is Important for Indian Cinema Is Important for Indian Cinema Collider
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Elaine Chao responds to Trump’s racist attacks on her Asian American heritage
“Does Coco Chow have anything to do with Joe Biden’s Classified Documents being sent and stored in Chinatown?” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday. “Her husband, the Old Broken Crow, is VERY close to Biden, the Democrats, and, of course, China,” the former president added.
In a statement, Chao said, “When I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name. Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation. He doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.”
Politico was the first to report Chao’s statement.
Wednesday’s statement is the latest rupture between Trump, who has announced his third bid for the presidency in November, and a key insider in the Republican Party.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung, who did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment, told Politico, “People should stop feigning outrage and engaging in controversies that exist only in their heads.”
Chao served as transportation secretary for all four years of Trump’s presidency before announcing her resignation following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.
Chao’s father, James S.C. Chao, founded a successful international shipping company. She immigrated to the United States from Taiwan at age 8 without knowing how to speak English. She went on to graduate from Harvard Business School before working as a transportation banker. She also did stints as a White House fellow, at the Peace Corps, corporate boards and think tanks.
In 2001, Chao became the first Asian American woman to be named to a Cabinet post, serving as labor secretary under George W. Bush for eight years.
McConnell did not initially support Trump’s 2016 candidacy but aligned himself with the party’s standard bearer once he secured the nomination. The two men developed a working relationship that produced legislation on tax cuts and the confirmations of a bevy of judicial appointments but the alliance was severed following the attack on the Capitol and a string of election losses the senator essentially blamed on Trump.
Trump posted a racist interpretation of Chao’s last name in a social media post last October, after McConnell helped pass legislation to avert a government shutdown. In that post, Trump also said McConnell “has a DEATH WISH!”
Before that, Trump called Chao “crazy” and said McConnell helped and her “family get rich on China!”
Chao has largely avoided responding to Trump, and urged journalists not to quote his inflammatory rhetoric. The “media continuously repeats his racist taunt,” Chao told CNN in December 2022. “And so, he’s trying to get a rise out of us. He says all sorts of outrageous things, and I don’t make a point of answering any one of them.”
McConnell also issued a rare, and pointed, criticism of Trump that month, telling NBC News that some of the Republicans’ midterm losses were a result of the candidates Trump had promoted. McConnell added, “I think the former president’s political clout has diminished.”
But Chao hasn’t been the sole focus of Trump’s seemingly racist remarks about Asian Americans.
As the coronavirus pandemic amped up across the United States and the world in March 2020, Trump publicly referred to it as the “Chinese virus.” Trump’s use of the phrase “Chinese virus” on social media was linked to a spike in anti-Asian hashtags, according to a study co-written by an epidemiology professor in California.
At a campaign rally in June 2020, he added another racist nickname to the mix, this time calling covid, “Kung flu.”
“The fact that he got the crowd so riled up was just chilling,” Chris Lu, a Chinese American who served as Cabinet secretary in the Obama White House, said that summer. “In that really primal desire to get a rise out of the crowd and get that affirmation he wants, he went to this place that has such bad consequences for Asian Americans broadly and for Asian American kids in particular. It’s a joke to him but not to us.”
In November 2022, Trump attacked Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.), writing on social media that the last name of the Republican, who is talked about as a potential Trump challenger for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, “Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?”
Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan (R) said Trump’s comment — which was false, Youngkin is not Asian — was “racist,” and “Asian hate.”
Chao’s remarks Wednesday stand in stark contrast to her tenure in the Trump administration, in which she supported the president even during some of his most tumultuous moments. In August 2017, she was at the president’s side in the lobby of Trump Tower, visiting New York ostensibly to discuss infrastructure. Trump said she was doing a “fabulous job.”
Yet those remarks became infamous when Trump veered off topic to discuss far-right violence that had engulfed Charlottesville days before, saying a group of white-supremacist demonstrators included “very fine people” and that blame for the violence lay with “both sides.”
Liz Goodwin contributed to this report.
Asian American R’Bonney Gabriel crowned Miss Universe
R’Bonney Gabriel from the United States was crowned the 71st Miss Universe on Saturday night.
Gabriel, who last year became the first Filipino-American to win Miss USA, took the crown ahead of Amanda Dudamel from Venezuela and Andreína Martínez from the Dominican Republic.
The pageant was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, with 84 women from around the world competing for the crown.
Saturday night was the last day of the competition, with eliminations narrowing down the number of finalists until the last two remained.
When Gabriel entered the Top 5, she was asked, “Miss Universe recently made an inclusive change allowing mothers and married women to compete this year. What’s another change you’d like to see and why?”
Gabriel responded that she hoped the contest organizers would increase the candidate age limit.
“For me, I would like to see an age increase because I am 28 years old. And that is the oldest age to compete. And I think it’s a beautiful thing. My favorite quote is ‘if not now, then when?’ Because as a woman, I believe age does not define us. It’s not tomorrow, it’s not yesterday — but it’s now. The time is now,” she said.
Houston-native Gabriel is a model, fashion designer, and sewing instructor who prioritizes the environment in her work.
This is a developing story. More details to come.
German car giants and Asian battery kings: a match made in Hungary
BERLIN/BUDAPEST, Dec 13 (Reuters) – German automakers and Asian battery suppliers are getting together in Hungary in a multi-billion-dollar marriage of convenience to drive their electric ambitions.
The companies are flocking to central Europe, where Viktor Orban’s government is defying Western wariness of China and offering generous benefits to host foreign operations and stake Hungary’s claim as a global centre for electric vehicles (EVs).
Investment in the Hungarian auto industry is being dominated by three countries – Germany, a champion carmaker, plus China and South Korea, EV battery leaders way ahead of European rivals.
Companies from those three countries have accounted for 29 out of the 31 cash subsidies handed out by Hungary for major investments in its auto and battery sector over the past decade, according to a Reuters analysis of government data that shows the scale of German, Chinese and Korean convergence there.
“Cathodes, anodes, separators, assembly lines, the full battery supply chain is here,” said Dirk Woelfer of the German-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce in Budapest. “This is a foot in the door to Europe.”
Recipients of such subsidies included the likes of German automakers BMW (BMWG.DE) and Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE), and battery makers such as China’s BYD and Korean rival Samsung SDI (006400.KS). The median subsidy level has been 15% of investment.
In total, Hungary has received over 14 billion euros ($15 billion) in foreign direct investment into its battery sector alone in the past six years, according to government figures.
Major investments are broadly classed as those worth over 5-10 million euros, varying with factors such as jobs created.
State incentives and the opportunity for automakers and battery suppliers to work next door to each other is proving a strong pull, according to interviews with about 20 industry players and consultants in Germany, Hungary, China and South Korea.
China’s CATL (300750.SZ), the world’s No. 1 EV battery maker, and Korean battery giants SK Innovation (096770.KS) and Samsung SDI, all told Reuters that the planned proximity to German carmakers was a key factor in their decisions to invest in Hungary, as well as being able to source separators and other components there.
CATL is investing $7.6 billion to build Europe’s largest battery plant in Hungary. This plant and the $2.1 billion BMW factory will both be sited in the city of Debrecen, which is attracting an ecosystem of suppliers, ranging from makers of brakes and battery cathodes to industrial machinery.
Mercedes-Benz is converting its factory in Kecskemet to produce electric cars, while Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) Audi is making cars and electric motors in Gyor.
Such big business could present a boon for Prime Minister Orban’s government as the country faces its toughest economic environment in more than a decade, with inflation running above 20%, the economy slowing and EU funds in limbo.
Yet the Hungarian EVs project also faces stiff obstacles, according to many of the industry insiders.
One key concern is the huge demands that massive battery plants will place on the electricity grid, which needs to shift away from fossil fuels towards renewables to meet the net-zero emissions targets of much of the auto industry, the people said.
A lack of specialised workers in Hungary to work in battery cell manufacturing could also drag on capacity, they added.
HIPA, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry agency responsible for attracting investments in areas ranging from batteries and cars to logistics, did not respond to Reuters queries about the EV industry.
‘CHINA’S MADE GOOD STEPS’
Hungary’s welcome to Asian battery makers might jar with concerns expressed by Brussels and Berlin about the perils of Europe becoming too dependent on China and other foreign powers, particularly in technologies central to the green transition.
Still, for now, the need to ramp up EV output leaves the European auto industry little choice but to source from Asian players, said Csaba Kilian of Hungary’s automotive association.
“I absolutely agree that European manufacturers should have their own sources … but it’s a competition, and China has made good steps,” he added. “There is a learning curve.”
Europe should have a EV battery manufacturing capacity of 1,200 gigawatt hours (GWh) by 2031 if current plans come to fruition, outstripping expected demand of 875 GWh, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI) estimates. But of that 1,200 GWh, 44% will be provided by Asian companies with factories in Europe, ahead of homegrown firms on 43% and U.S. pioneer Tesla (TSLA.O) with 13%, according to a Reuters calculation based on BMI data.
The prospects for developing a battery sector in Germany have been set back by record energy there as a result of the loss of Russian gas, according to autos consultants at Boston Consulting Group and Berylls Strategy Advisors.
Hungary offers a comparatively stable energy system bolstered by nuclear energy, as well as high subsidies and Europe’s lowest corporate tax rate of 9%.
The entire battery supply chain has come to the country, said Ilka von Dalwigk, policy manager at the European Battery Alliance, launched by the European Union in 2017 to kick-start a homegrown industry.
“Everything is located there. When we look at the forecast for 2025 and 2030, it looks like it will have one of the largest production capacities in Europe,” she added.
“It might very well be that Hungary is in fact the next big battery production cluster in Europe.”
Asked about concerns about reliance on Asia for technology, an EU official said the bloc – which must approve member state subsidies to investors – had a system in place to cooperate and exchange information on investments from non-EU countries that may affect security.
The European Commission is currently in talks with Hungary over the size of the subsidy the country will offer to CATL for building the Debrecen plant, the official added.
‘SENDING THE WRONG SIGNAL’
For some Western companies, setting up shop in Hungary is a tough decision.
German autos supplier Schaeffler said it was on the verge of setting up its primary electric motor plant in Hungary rather than Germany in August because of the appeal of Hungary’s incentives, but decided on Germany for fear of sending “the wrong signal” to Germans who fear a loss of jobs to overseas.
Other industry players expressed a range of concerns over potential pitfalls for the burgeoning Hungarian auto industry as factories ramped up, including the power grid issue.
Batteries, in particular, are highly energy-intensive parts of EVs to produce, requiring high amounts of power for the drying the materials and machine operation.
Hungary’s sources of energy in 2021 comprised 80% fossil fuels, 14.5% nuclear and 3.6% solar, according to a Reuters calculation of data from the BP Statistical Review of World Energy.
The mix spells trouble for carmakers who will soon need to showcase carbon-free credentials across their supply chains under new German and European legislation.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto met senior executives from BMW and auto suppliers including Schaeffler and Knorr-Bremse in Munich last month, ahead of the German carmaker announcing it was beefing up its investment in the country.
Topics discussed included plans to improve logistics infrastructure in Hungary and increasing the amount of renewables energy used for the power grid, according to one of the companies that attended.
When BMW first announced its plan to build its Debrecen plant, in 2018, the government committed to spending around 135 billion forints on improving local infrastructure, according to calculations by the German-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce.
On the battery side, CATL told Reuters it was considering developing solar power with local partners in Hungary.
Despite the risks, Alexander Timmer, a partner at Munich-based consultants Berylls Strategy Advisors who has worked on several autos and battery projects in Hungary, said the country presented an appealing package.
“The combination of cost advantages, state subsidies, and closeness to automakers’ plants makes Hungary increasingly attractive to battery producers, he added.
($1 = 397.54 forints; $1 = 0.9483 euros)
Reporting by Victoria Waldersee in Berlin, Gergely Szakacs in Budapest; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang, Zhang Yan; Editing by Pravin Char
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Asian shares rise except Japan as markets eye China protests
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Tuesday as market jitters declined over protests in China set off by growing public anger over COVID-19 restrictions.
Benchmarks rose in early trading in Australia, South Korea and China, while shares fell in Japan. Oil prices fell.
Japanese government data released Tuesday showed that the unemployment rate for October was unchanged from September at 2.6%. Separately, data released by another ministry showed a slight increase in the number of available jobs per job-seeker at 1.35. The increase has continued for 10 months.
Hiring was up in anticipation of tourists returning in droves to Japan. Borders that have been basically closed during the coronavirus pandemic have reopened at a time when the declining value of the yen against the U.S. dollar and other currencies make Japan an attractive destination for tourists.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.5% in early trading to 28,016.27. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched up nearly 0.1% to 7,233.50. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.3% to 2,415.76. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1.8% to 17,612.65, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.6% to 3,096.54.
Although market sentiment has been weighed down by recent demonstrations in China, some analysts noted calm could return in coming sessions. The world’s second largest economy has been stifled by a “zero COVID” policy which includes lockdowns that continually threaten the global supply chain.
“The absence of any clear escalation in protests could aid to bring some calm to markets,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.
The unrest has stoked worries on Wall Street that if Chinese leader Xi Jinping cracks down further on dissidents there or expands the lockdowns, it could slow the Chinese economy, which would hurt oil prices and global economic growth, said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA.
“A lot of people are worried about what the fallout will be, and basically are using that as an excuse to take some recent profits,” he said.
More than 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 closed in the red, with technology companies the biggest weights on the broader market. Apple, which has seen iPhone production hit hard by lockdowns in China, fell 2.6%.
Banks and industrial stocks also were among the biggest drags on the market. JPMorgan fell 1.7% and Boeing slid 3.7%.
Several casino operators gained ground as the Chinese gambling haven of Macao tentatively renewed their licenses. Las Vegas Sands rose 1.1% and Wynn Resorts gained 4.4%.
The fallout from the collapse of crypto exchange FTX continued. Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global fell 4% and the price of Bitcoin slipped 2.1%.
The S&P 500 fell 62.18 points, or 1.5%, to 3,963.94. The Dow dropped 497.57 points, or 1.4%, to 33,849.46. The tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 176.86 points, or 1.6%, to close at 11,049.50.
Wall Street is coming off of a holiday-shortened week that was relatively light on corporate news and economic data. Investors have a busier week ahead as they continue monitoring the hottest inflation in decades and its impact on consumers, business and monetary policy.
Anxiety remains high over the ability of the Federal Reserve to tame inflation by raising interest rates without going too far and causing a recession. The central bank’s benchmark rate currently stands at 3.75% to 4%, up from close to zero in March. It has warned it may have to ultimately raise rates to previously unanticipated levels to rein in high prices on everything from food to clothing.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will speak at the Brookings Institution about the outlook for the U.S. economy and the labor market on Wednesday.
The Conference Board will release its consumer confidence index for November on Tuesday. That could shed more light on how consumers have been holding up amid high prices and how they plan on spending through the holiday shopping season and into 2023.
The government will release several reports about the labor market this week that could give Wall Street more insight into one of the strongest sectors of the economy. A report about job openings and labor turnover for October will be released on Wednesday, followed by a weekly unemployment claims report on Thursday. The closely watched monthly report on the job market will be released on Friday.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell 17 cents to $77.07 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 5 cents to $83.14 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 138.77 yen from 138.90 yen. The euro cost $1.0358, up from $1.0344.
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AP Business Writers Damian J. Troise and Alex Veiga contributed to this report.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama