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CNN —For nearly 13 million high school students across China, Wednesday marks a day that could make or break their plans for college and the increasingly competitive job market beyond. A high score in the two-day “gaokao” college entrance exam is the only way to get into the country’s top universities, and most Chinese students only get one shot at the grueling test, unlike US students who can take the SAT several times. A user on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, recalled taking the gaokao in 2000 when there were only about 3.75 million other test takers. The urban unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds hit a record high of 20.4% in April, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. And the rate could increase further, as a record 11.6 million college students are set to graduate this year.

Persons: gaokao, ”, TikTok, Fu Linghui, Xi Jinping’s Organizations: CNN, Getty, Authorities, Times, National Bureau of Statistics, NBS Locations: China, Shenyang, honking

☆ Latest news on Russia's war in Ukraine, Donetsk offensive claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, on June 2. Zelensky typically thanks specific units in his speeches, but yesterday he name-checked more than a dozen individuals, among them commanders, gunners, marines and infantrymen. "We should all remember that our defense, our active actions, and the independence of Ukraine are not something abstract. These are very particular people, particular actions of particular heroes, thanks to which Ukraine exists and Ukraine will exist," Zelensky said. Last month, Zelensky said Ukraine needed a "bit more time" — likely to allow for the delivery of more Western military aid, including much-needed air defense systems.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Sergei Supinsky, Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky Organizations: Getty, Kyiv, Wall Locations: Kyiv, AFP, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Jacinda Ardern made a dame in New Zealand
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down from her post earlier this year, has been made a dame in one of the country’s highest honors. “Having served as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2023, Dame Jacinda Ardern is recognized for her service to New Zealand during some of the greatest challenges our country has faced in modern times,” Hipkins said in a statement. The move grants Ardern the title of Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In a statement to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ), Ardern said she was “incredibly humbled” by the accolade. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.

Persons: Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Dame Jacinda Ardern, ” Hipkins, Dame, ”, Ardern, “ Organizations: CNN, Former New Zealand, Labour Party, Merit, Radio New Zealand, Kiwis, United Nations General Assembly, Harvard University, Harvard Kennedy School, New Locations: New Zealand, Zealand, Christchurch, Wellington

☆ Caged and cut open for bile: The fight to free Asia’s farmed bears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But international experts say it remains a lucrative industry in China, where domestic sales of bear bile remain legal. “They’ve got massive hair loss, they’ve often got broken teeth from (biting the bars of their cages) in frustration and pain.”But eliminating bile farming has proved difficult. But China is “the biggest market for bear bile products by far,” with roughly 15,000 bile bears in captivity and plenty of demand, he said. Ursodeoxycholic acid, one of the main components in bear bile, has been medically proven to help dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease. And there’s no internationally recognized scientific evidence showing bear bile can cure other ailments promoted in TCM.

Persons: Eve Sevim, Jill Robinson, “ They’ve, they’ve, Robinson, David Garshelis, aren’t, Garshelis, ” Robinson, ”, ” Garshelis, Tan, Qing, it’s Organizations: CNN, Animals Asia, International Union for Conservation, Nature’s, Bear Specialist Group, TCM, Animals, Forestry Administration, Farmers, China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration, State Forestry Administration, Bears, Getty, IUCN Locations: Haiphong, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Asia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hui'an, Animals Asia, Hanoi, “, Tam Dao, Hanoi –, Ma

CNN —Gelje Sherpa was on his way to the top of the world’s highest mountain when he spotted the climber clinging to the rope. The climber, from Malaysia, had “nothing” and was “about to die,” the 30-year-old Nepali mountain guide told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in an interview Thursday. The sherpa has previously carried out more than 55 rescues, some very long operations, but said this was the “hardest in my life.”Ngima Tashi Sherpa carries a Malaysian climber from the death zone at Mount Everest on May 18, 2023. In recent years, as death tolls have risen on the mountain, climbers and experts have also warned of the dangers of overcrowding. Nepal issued permits for a record 478 climbers for this season’s expeditions to Everest, according to the department’s data.

Persons: CNN — Gelje, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “, ”, Gelje, –, ” Gelje, ” Ngima Tashi Sherpa, Bigyan Koirala, There’s, Yubaraj, ” Koirala Organizations: CNN, Reuters, sherpa, Everest, Nepal’s Tourism Department Locations: Mount Everest, Malaysia, Malaysian, Everest, Nepal, Pakistan

☆ Asia's drug trade is thriving post-pandemic, UN report warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

There are other signs of the drug trade bouncing back. West African trafficking networks in East and Southeast Asia, which “all but disappeared” during the pandemic, have now resumed their activities, the report said. From Myanmar, meth and other synthetic drugs then travel out to the world, with shipments previously found as far away as Japan, New Zealand and Australia. It also pointed to the high number of drug-related arrests and admissions at drug treatment facilities as further evidence of robust trade. That figure is 167% higher than the previous year, according to the UNODC report.

Persons: ”, Jeremy Douglas, “, ” Douglas, Douglas, Inshik Sim Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United Nations Office, Drugs, “, UNODC Regional Representative, Southeast, Central America Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, East, Southeast Asia, Yunnan, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Central, Laos, From Myanmar, Japan , New Zealand, Australia, South Asia, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Cambodia, France, Poland, Indonesia, South Korea

“Everyone recognizes that Ukraine needs a modernized air force and everyone knows that. It’s going to take a considerable length of time, effort, money, to build that air force,” Milley said. Russia’s has hundreds of fourth and fifth generation fighters and bombers, dwarfing the smaller, older Ukrainian fleet or military aircraft. The flow of aerial defense systems has been effective at forcing Russia’s air force to largely remain out of Ukrainian air space and prevent Russia from establishing aerial supremacy over Ukraine. With an aerial defense system established across critical parts of Ukraine, the effort has now shifted to bolstering Ukraine’s air force with modern Western fighter jets.

Persons: Mark Milley, ”, “, Milley, ” Milley, Russia’s Organizations: Kyiv, “, Russian, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russian, France, Germany, Russia

☆ The Life and Times of China’s Pirate Queen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( E. Lily Yu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The book opens with Shek Yeung’s husband, Cheng Yat, receiving a mortal injury. To carry out that wish, Shek Yeung negotiates a marriage to his heir, Cheung Po, with the promise of a son. Despite the fearsomeness of the historical figure, Chang-Eppig’s Shek Yeung is pensive and passive. When Shek Yeung disembowels a man, we do not see, hear, feel or smell anything. Only in the last 100 pages, when the Qing emperor’s pirate hunter, Pak Ling, becomes a credible threat, does Shek Yeung blossom into her namesake and act with vitality and resolve.

Persons: Rita Chang, Ching Shih, Cheng, Sao, Yeung, Ching, Kuang’s, Bardot, ”, Larry Feign’s, ” Rita Chang, Shek, Cheng Yat, Shek Yeung, Cheung Po, Chang, Pak Ling Organizations: AS, SEA, “ Pirates Locations: South China, Caribbean

☆ China's youth unemployment hits a record high, deepening its economic scars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In this article GSBDGS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTChina's young face the prospect of dimmer economic gains amid record youth unemployment in the world's second-largest economy. "The expansion of college education in the late 1990s created this huge influx of college graduates, but there is a misalignment between demand and supply of high skilled workers. "Increasingly, college graduates are taking up positions that are not commensurate with their training and credentials to avoid unemployment," Lu told CNBC. China's young face the prospect of dimmer economic gains amid record youth unemployment in the world's second-largest economy. "But the plan was for China's economy to transform from labor-intensive industry to more technological, with a strong service-oriented, knowledge economy," Yeung added.

☆ The Anti-Woke Presidential Candidate Who Wants to Crush ESG and Gut the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Peter Rudegeair | Angel Au-Yeung | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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[1/2] Alan Leong Kah-kit, Chairperson of the Civic Party, speaks to the media announcing the party's disbandment in Hong Kong, China May 27, 2023. Today, the Civic Party is bidding Hong Kong farewell. We hope Hong Kong people will live in the moment with a hopeful and not too heavy heart. The Civic Party, founded in 2006, had been a major democratic force in the financial hub that returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, alongside the Democratic Party, performing strongly in local legislative and district polls. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities described the electoral revamp as a progressive democratic step to ensure only pro-China "patriots" govern Hong Kong.

☆ By recreating old photos, these children of immigrants step into their parents’ shoes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Visually recreating the archival photos allowed the subjects to step into their parents’ shoes — sometimes helping to mend fractures in those relationships, Lui said. Kyle Lui The series includes written reflections by participants that explore themes such as family, identity, race and nationality. Kyle Lui Some photos are taken in exactly the same place as the old ones, while others require a bit more creativity. Kyle Lui Alan's late father, pictured in front of an apartment building in New York's Chinatown. Kyle Lui Akil's father, pictured in a similar stance and setting — but with posters of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Kevin Lambert grew up in North Carolina in the 1980s, and first visited his mother's native South Korea in 2000. Courtesy Kevin LambertIt might seem an odd desire given many have never set foot in South Korea. But life in South Korea brings its own challenges – and many eventually return to the US. For Kim, it’s a relief to be back in South Korea, where the safety is “100% better.”“I plan to live (in South Korea) until I die,” he said. “If South Korea today was as impoverished as it was when I left, why would I return?” he said.

☆ Inside the ‘Great Race’ at BlackRock: Who Will Replace Larry Fink?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Angel Au-Yeung | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Larry Fink co-founded BlackRock in 1988 and has spent 35 years nursing it into the world’s largest asset manager. Now, half a lifetime later, he has one big task left: deciding who will take it over.

Tokyo CNN —Japan is in talks to open a NATO liaison office, the first of its kind in Asia, the country’s foreign minister told CNN in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, saying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the world less stable. “We are already in discussions, but no details (have been) finalized yet,” Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday. The Nikkei Asia first reported plans to open the office in Japan last Wednesday, citing unnamed Japanese and NATO officials. China, which has previously warned against NATO expanding its reach into Asia or a similar bloc emerging in the region, has already responded angrily to previous reports on the possible Japan office. Hayashi played down concerns that opening a Tokyo NATO office could further inflame tensions, saying: “I don’t feel that’s the case.”The country has had a pacifist constitution since World War II – which he argued is reflected in this move.

☆ Cheng Lei: Family urges China to release Australian TV anchor detained for 1,000 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Friends and family of Australian television anchor Cheng Lei on Monday renewed calls for her release from detention in China, 1,000 days after she was held by authorities on espionage charges. Australian authorities have expressed concern about her detention amid suggestions from analysts that strained ties between Canberra and Beijing may have provided impetus for the opaque case against her. While there were still some Australian journalists working in China, all are employed by non-Australian media companies. Cheng’s two children are being cared for by their grandmother in Melbourne, Australian public broadcaster ABC reported at the time of her original detention. “For a mother not to see her children for 1000 days is excruciating.

☆ On Long Island, an Artist’s Studio That Floats Among the Trees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Kurt Soller | Angela Hau | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Imagine a place for making things: a simple room, with little but the tools you need and the ideal never-too-bright light. They also wanted somewhere to park their car, a nearly 18-foot-long 1966 Chevy Impala Super Sport convertible. Researching bespoke garages online, the couple discovered the work of another couple, Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung, two architects in their 40s who, after meeting in their Yale graduate program, co-founded the firm Worrell Yeung in 2015. Several years ago in upstate New York, they had built a Japanese-and-Scandinavian-influenced minimalist annex with space for their clients to relax — and to store their vintage Ford Bronco. It was exactly what Burst, 62, and McDonough, 67, pictured for themselves.

☆ HSBC shareholders to vote on whether to spin off Asia business at Friday's annual meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

HSBC's senior executives faced its Hong Kong shareholders from retirees to taxi drivers as the lender seeks to fend off a push in Asia to split the bank. Last month, HSBC said spinning off its Asian business "would result in material loss of value for HSBC shareholders." "It's just a bank that has some great operations [in] Hong Kong, and other places. Shares of HSBC in Hong Kong were trading 0.6% lower on Friday. The annual meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Hong Kong time.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —For years, South Korea’s biggest annual LGBTQ pride celebration has been held in the same grassy square in central Seoul, which fills up with performers and joyful participants decked out in rainbow costumes. Organizers for both the festival and the Christian concert applied to use the Seoul Plaza venue from June 30 to July 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said in a statement Thursday. The foundation is linked with the Christian broadcaster CTS, which has vocally opposed homosexuality and the pride festival, according to Reuters. The tension between South Korea’s LGBTQ community and their conservative, often Christian critics is clearly displayed at each pride festival, where both groups show up. At last year’s SQCF festival, opponents and religious groups gathered outside the venue, displaying protest messages on banners and shouting anti-LGBTQ slogans through loudspeakers.

☆ Hong Kong: One of the world's most expensive cities raises minimum wage by 32 cents
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

So when the Hong Kong government raised the minimum wage by a measly 32 cents on Monday, activists and community workers were scathing in their response. “It cannot cover basic needs in Hong Kong.”The new minimum wage now stands at 40 Hong Kong dollars ($5.1) per hour, up from the previous 37.5 Hong Kong dollars ($4.78) per hour. But Wong said this new increase will make little difference in Hong Kong, consistently ranked one of the world’s most expensive cities. The city’s median hourly wage last year was 77.4 Hong Kong dollars ($9.86), according to the Census and Statistics Department. A demonstration from the Hong Kong Women Workers Association in front of the Central Government Office on May 1, 2023.

Bangkok, Thailand CNN —The frontrunner in Thailand’s upcoming national elections gave birth to a son on Monday, just two weeks before the polls open. The vote has been framed as a showdown between Paetongtarn, whose billionaire Shinawatra family dominates the largest opposition Pheu Thai party, and incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, head of a pro-military conservative grouping. Prayut is a former army chief who in 2014 seized power from the Pheu Thai government, after Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck was removed from power in a controversial court ruling. She was the most popular choice for prime minister, the NIDA survey found, receiving “more than double the support” of her rivals – the incumbent Prime Minister Prayut and Pita Limjaroenrat from the progressive Forward Party. This year’s election will see some 52 million eligible voters elect 500 members to the lower house in Thailand’s bicameral system.

☆ Turkey kills ISIS leader in Syria operation, says Erdogan Turkish National Intelligence Organization kills ISIS leader in Syria - President Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Gul Tuysuz Hande Atay Alam Jessie Yeung | Gul Tuysuz | Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Sunday that the country’s intelligence forces had killed the leader of ISIS in Syria as he vowed to continue the country’s fight against terrorism. In a broadcast, Erdogan said Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization had been tracking a man known as Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini Al-Qurshi “for a long time.”“This person was neutralized in the operation carried out by MIT (Turkish National Intelligence Organization) yesterday in Syria,” he said. Little was known about Al-Qurshi, but at the time of his appointment, ISIS described him as an “old fighter.”Erdogan’s announcement came after a recent absence from the public eye due to illness. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during an election rally in Ankara, Turkey on April 30, 2023. Cagla Gurdogan/ReutersMedia reports had speculated that his health was deteriorating just two weeks before a crucial election.

“And we kind of thought that they were going to take us.”They waited, well into the early hours of the morning – before finally getting an email from the US State Department. However, the US State Department has advised that American citizens in Sudan “should have no expectation of a US government-coordinated evacuation at this time” due to the security situation and the closure of the airport in Khartoum. “It is imperative that US citizens in Sudan make their own arrangements to stay safe in these difficult circumstances,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel at a news briefing last Friday. The French Embassy in Sudan was carrying out a separate evacuation for French citizens, and foreigners of other nationalities were welcome. Welker also argued that Americans in Sudan are largely there for humanitarian and educational reasons – and that the US should help retrieve all those who want to leave.

☆ Don McLean offers duet with South Korean president who sang ‘American Pie’ to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —American singer songwriter Don McLean joked on Thursday that he was planning to sing his iconic “American Pie” with the South Korean president, after the leader entertained US President Joe Biden with a karaoke rendition of the song. After watching several musical performances, Biden told the crowd a story about how his sons would sing McLean’s 1971 hit “American Pie” when driving to school. Yoon received a standing ovation for his efforts before Biden presented him with a guitar signed by McLean. The legendary singer later told CNN that he had big plans for the South Korean leader. “I intend to go over to South Korea next year and sing it with the president, so that’s probably going to be another news story,” McLean joked on Thursday.

Tokyo, Japan CNN —Move over, boomers and older millennials – Japan’s young people are stepping into office. Most members of Japan’s parliament are aged 50 to 70 – and are 75% male, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Making headlines is Ryosuke Takashima who, at 26 years old, is Japan’s youngest-ever mayor, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Shin the Hiratsuka YouTuber, who was elected to the Hiratsuka city council. Ayaka Nasuno, 25, is another Gen Z politician making her debut after winning the highest share of votes for the Kawasaki City Council earlier this month.

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