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Asia | Taiwan | Crimes

Cops raid ‘killer exorcism cult’ hideout led by ‘female Buddha’ in mountains

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Cops have raided dangerous "exorcism" cult led by a "female Buddha" in a secret mountain hideout in Taiwan. Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said 19 followers were rescued from the cult’s headquarters based in a monastery, in the island’s central landlocked county of Nantou in August. Reports say followers of "Zhonghua Rixing Yishang" – or "China Daily Virtue", were prohibited from leaving or speaking without permission and one was reportedly killed in a sick ritual. The death of Taiwanese national Ms Fang, 20, in mainland China sparked police investigations acro
Asia | China | Business

Alipay is investing $145 million to grow women’s soccer in China

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China's national women's soccer team just got a big boost from online payments app Alipay. The Alibaba-affiliated company is taking the lead on a 1 billion yuan ($145 million) commitment to support Chinese women's soccer over the next decade. The foundations of Alibaba (BABA)co-founder Jack Ma and executive vice chairman Joe Tsai are also taking part in the pledge. It is the biggest investment in women's soccer in China ever, according to Alipay. Alipay wants to bring "technology, funds and resources to better support the development of women's soccer in China," a spokesman for
Asia | Japan | Activism

Only two female world leaders on stage at Osaka G20 event aimed at empowering women

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It was supposed to be an event showcasing Group of 20 leaders’ commitment to better empowering women in employment, economy and education. But only two of the world leaders on stage were women. Titled the Special Event on Women’s Empowerment, the only female world leaders in attendance were outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Still, G20 leaders on Saturday reiterated their shared recognition that “gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for achieving inclusive and sustainable society and economic growth,” according to t
Asia | Japan | Culture

Women outperform men after Japan medical school stops rigging exam scores

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Women have outperformed their male counterparts in entrance examinations for a medical school in Japan that last year admitted rigging admission procedures to give men an unfair advantage. Juntendo University in Tokyo said that of the 1,679 women who took its medical school entrance exam earlier this year, 139, or 8.28%, had passed. The pass rate among 2,202 male candidates was 7.72%. It was the first time in seven years that the pass rate among women was higher than among men, the Asahi Shimbun reported. The university attributed the exam results to its decision to “abolish the u
Asia | Kyrgyzstan | Career

Kyrgyzstan’s space women blast off from male dominance

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Having grown up in one of the poorest and most conservative regions in Kyrgyzstan, 17-year-old Begaiym Isaakova never imagined she would work in tech, let alone be part of a team of young women building the country's first spacecraft. By age 15, Isaakova was shocked to see her peers in Jalal-Abad being married off, but not too surprised. The message that girls should prioritise knowing how to serve men started early and was everywhere, including in schools and homes. Instead of being sent down the aisle in a country where early and forced marriage - including by bride kidnap - is common
Asia | China | Arts

‘Shanghai Is an Adventurous Place’: Why Dealer Almine Rech Is Opening Her Fifth Gallery in the Chinese City Next Month

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With spaces in Paris, London, New York, and Brussels, French dealer Almine Rech has quietly reached mega-gallery status, and now she’s set to add yet another location to her list: Shanghai. Rech says she has witnessed the Asian art market blossom over the last decade, so much so that it no longer made business sense to just participate in the fairs there. “The market has evolved a lot,” Rech tells artnet News. “Now, for instance, in the West Bund fair in Shanghai or Art Basel Hong Kong—which I’ve participated in for much longer as it’s an older fair—we sell mostly to Asians
Asia | China | Activism

Wife of Chinese president meets international students

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Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Thursday met with a group of international graduate students from China Women's University (CWU). Peng and the students watched a short film on their study and life in China. She also watched the students as they recited poetry and danced. As the students are about to finish their studies and return to their home countries, Peng said she believes that studying in China had helped them deepen their understanding of the country. She expressed her hope that the students will play a role as a bridge between China and their home countries, an
Asia | China | Crimes

Report claims thousands of North Korean women sold into sex slavery in China

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Thousands of North Korean women and girls are being trafficked and sold into sexual slavery in China, where many are sold as wives to Chinese men while others are forced into prostitution or to live stream sex acts against their will, a new report claims. The investigation, by the London-based Korea Future Initiative (KFI), includes shocking first-hand reports of girls as young as 12 being raped and women being forced to participate in cybersex for days without eating. Though female defectors have long been targets of human traffickers, the problem has been exacerbated in recent ye
Asia | Japan | Adventure

Marin Minamiya: The Japanese climber who scaled Everest at 19

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It was a dream that manifested for Marin Minamiya the first time she laid eyes on Mount Everest about six years ago. Minamiya was 13 and visiting Nepal on a school trip from Hong Kong. "I was trekking to the base camp of Annapurna and when I saw Mount Everest, it made me wonder what it would be like to climb this mountain? Who would I meet? What will I learn?" she said. When Minamiya returned home she could not stop thinking about one day conquering the tallest peak in the world.
Asia | Japan | Military

Answering the call: The women on the front lines of Japan’s defense

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Hirayama is one of 39 new recruits based at a women's boot camp at Yokosuka naval base on the outskirts of Tokyo. Clad in blue overalls, the women are up at the crack of dawn and their days are filled with lessons in everything from martial arts to cyber security. After saluting their unit leaders and the Japanese flag, they haul boats weighing 1.5 tons each from the docks of Yokosuka naval base and row them out to sea. "This can be a dangerous exercise if they don't pay attention so they have to concentrate really hard," Commander Hiroki Hasegawa, a pilot and navy spokesman, said from t
Asia | Korea | Corruption

South Korea’s Park Geun-hye sentenced to 24 years in jail

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A South Korean court has sentenced former President Park Geun-hye to 24 years in prison after she was found guilty of corruption. The disgraced former president was found guilty of several corruption charges, abuse of power and coercion in a verdict issued on Friday. She was also fined $16m. WATCH: Warrant issued for S Korea’s ex-president on corruption charges (2:13) It was alleged in the trial that Park, 66, colluded with a friend, Choi Soon-sil, and a former presidential aide, in pressuring big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.
Asia | Japan | Security

Japan rolls out sleek, all-female police squad to protect Ivanka

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A squad of female police have smartened themselves up to guard U.S. presidential adviser Ivanka Trump, who arrives in Tokyo on Nov. 2. Gone is the bulky body armor used when facing rioters or dangerous criminals, to be replaced by smart black suits. It is the first time that Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department has formed a female-only security team.
| Thailand | Corruption

Thailand’s Ousted Prime Minister Shinawatra Flees Abroad: The Rest of the Story

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Shortly before ousted Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was to face a court ruling for her failed populist rice subsidy scheme, she reportedly fled the country, joining her likewise fugitive brother Thaksin Shinawatra in hiding abroad. Thaksin Shinawatra was himself ousted from power in 2006 for similar charges of corruption and abuse of power. While the US and European media attempt to frame the Shinawatras as victims of powerful, democracy-adverse institutions in Thailand, sensible analysis must consider the fact that Thailand does not exist in a geopolitical or socioeconomic vacuum
Asia | Korea | Corruption

South Korea’s President Has Been Removed From Office After Court Upholds Impeachment

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South Korea's constitutional court has voted unanimously, 8-0, to uphold the impeachment of President Park Guen-hye, removing her from office after a 92-day leadership crisis and triggering a presidential election in the weeks to come. A snap election my be held within 60 days. The ruling, which was announced by the court's acting chief and televised live, made Park the nation's first democratically elected leader to be ousted. She was impeached by parliament on Dec. 9 on charges of letting a close friend meddle in state affairs, colluding with her to extort money from conglomerates, and ne

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