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☆ The “Dune: Part Two” cast’s red carpet looks are out of this world
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Doug Peters/PA Images/Alamy Images/Sipa USATimothée Chalamet in Haider Ackermann at the London premiere. Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesLea Seydoux in an intricately-embroidered Louis Vuitton gown at the London premiere. Marc Piasecki/Getty ImagesChalamet in Prada at the Mexico City premiere on February 6. Medios y Media/Getty ImagesButler in Saint Laurent in Mexico City. Angel Delgado/Getty ImagesChalamet in Hermès at a Mexico City photocall on February 5.

Persons: ” Law Roach, Zendaya, Rick Owens, Timothée Chalamet, Alexander McQueen, Paul Atreides, Roach, Thierry, Haider Ackermann, Florence Pugh, Valentino, Lea Seydoux, Rebecca Ferguson, Louis Vuitton, Anya Taylor, Joy, Dior, Doug Peters, Chalamet, Mike Marsland, Jeff Spicer, Hannah McKay, Scott A, Thierry Mugler, Daniel Leal, Samir Hussein, Austin Butler, Gucci, Ferguson, Marc Piasecki, Geoffroy Van Der, Pugh, Butler, Angel Delgado, Jaime Nogales Organizations: CNN, Balmain, London, Getty, Reuters, Paris, Chalamet, Givenchy Haute Couture, Couture, Mexico City, photocall Locations: Mexico City, Paris, London, Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Zendaya, Roksanda, Louis, Givenchy Haute, Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt, AFP, Prada, Mexico, Saint Laurent, Hermès

LONDON (AP) — Zendaya is on a fashion roll, in a cyborg “Dune: Part Two” kind of way. The co-star of the highly anticipated film sequel stunned Thursday at its world premiere when she hit the sand-strewn carpet in a silver robot suit straight from the archive of Mugler. Zendaya's body-hugging armor outfit with sheer plexiglass inserts has built-in gloves she paired with matching silver heels. While the runway version included a matching headpiece, Zendaya opted for a short sleek hairdo and a blue diamond necklace from Bulgari. Pugh, a newcomer to the world of “Dune” as the Emperor’s daughter, plays Princess Irulan with Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha.

Persons: d’hiver, ”, Denis Villeneuve’s, Mugler, Law Roach, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Villeneuve, Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, Zendaya's Chani, Pugh, Irulan, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Walken, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Denis Villeneuve doesn’t feel like he came back to Arrakis for “Dune: Part Two.” In his mind, he never left. Photos You Should See View All 21 Images“We all walked at the beginning into this project feeling confident,” Villeneuve said. “Dune: Part Two” cost a reported $122 million to produce and is arriving in theaters not a moment too soon. Christopher Nolan recently compared it to “The Empire Strikes Back.” Villeneuve demurred, but the internet went wild. “I think that’s the way movies will survive.”

Persons: — Denis Villeneuve doesn’t, ”, Frank Herbert’s, David Lean, Alejandro Jodorowsky, David Lynch, ” Villeneuve, Greig Fraser, they’d, Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, Paul, Jessica, Rebecca Ferguson, Villeneuve, Chalamet, “ Denis, ” Chalamet, “ It’s, Josh Brolin, Sicario, Gurney Halleck, Coen, I’ve, ” Brolin, it's, “, he’s, Hans Zimmer, ’ ” Villeneuve, it’s, Christopher Nolan, ” Nolan, Herbert Organizations: ANGELES, Associated Press Locations: Arrakis, Budapest, Wadi Rum, Abu Dhabi, ”, Hollywood

☆ China’s Colossal Hidden-Debt Problem Is Coming to a Head
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Rebecca Feng | Cao Li | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

At the People’s Bank of China in Beijing, regulators are trying to address the risks of the country’s hidden debt. Photo: mark r cristino/ShutterstockChina is trying to defuse a financial time bomb that could severely damage its banking system. Cities and provinces across the country have accumulated a massive amount of hidden debt following years of unchecked borrowing and spending. The International Monetary Fund and Wall Street banks estimate that the total outstanding off-balance-sheet government debt is around $7 trillion to $11 trillion. That includes corporate bonds issued by thousands of so-called local-government financing vehicles, which borrowed money to build roads, bridges and other infrastructure, or to fund other expenditures.

Organizations: People’s Bank of China, Monetary Fund Locations: Beijing, China, Cities

☆ China Evergrande Avoids a Debt Disaster—for Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An Evergrande residential project in Nanjing, China. The company’s default in late 2021 was a watershed moment for China’s real-estate sector. Photo: Cfoto/Zuma PressChina Evergrande Group, the giant property developer whose default two years ago fueled a crisis in the country’s real-estate market, got some unexpected good news on Monday. The company, once China’s largest property developer by sales, was given until late January 2024 to reach a debt restructuring deal, after Hong Kong’s High Court postponed a hearing that could have pushed Evergrande into liquidation.

Organizations: Zuma Press China Evergrande Group, Hong Locations: Nanjing, China

☆ Review: This ‘House of Bernarda Alba’ Is on Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Matt Wolf | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The ground is breathing fire, we’re told, in “The House of Bernarda Alba,” the Spanish classic by Federico García Lorca that opened Tuesday at the National Theater in London in a ferocious new version by Alice Birch. The show runs through Jan. 6. Directed by Rebecca Frecknall and starring Harriet Walter from “Succession” in the imperious title role, it really is scorching. Lorca’s play about a tough-as-nails matriarch and her five unmarried daughters in 1930s Andalusia is regularly revived in theaters in England, but I’ve never seen an ensemble so fully committed to the play, which races toward its tragic finish with genuinely shocking force. As Frecknall has demonstrated in work including that of Tennessee Williams and the Broadway-bound revival of “Cabaret,” she has a gift for reinvigorating familiar titles as though they were brand new.

Persons: we’re, Bernarda Alba, Federico García Lorca, Alice Birch, Rebecca Frecknall, Harriet Walter, I’ve, Frecknall, Tennessee Williams, ” Organizations: National Theater Locations: The, London, Jan, Andalusia, England

☆ China Scrambles to Contain a Looming Shadow-Bank Meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Rebecca Feng | Weilun Soon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Zhongzhi last week said it was insolvent. Photo: Cfoto/Zuma PressChinese authorities are taking more forceful action to contain the growing financial troubles of one of the country’s biggest shadow lenders. Police in Beijing said over the weekend that they had taken “criminal coercive measures”—a euphemism for arrests—against multiple employees of Zhongzhi Enterprise. The privately held conglomerate operates several businesses that sold investment products to many wealthy individuals and companies in China, and has struggled for months to make promised payments to investors.

Persons: Zhongzhi Organizations: Zuma Press, Police, Zhongzhi Enterprise Locations: Beijing, China

☆ Chinese Financial Conglomerate Zhongzhi Has a $31 Billion Problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The building which houses the headquarters of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group in Beijing, China. Photo: /Bloomberg NewsChina’s Zhongzhi Enterprise Group has at least $31 billion more liabilities than assets and now faces “significant going concern risks,” it said in a letter to investors this week. The company, which caused alarm when one of its key businesses missed a series of debt payments earlier this year, said it has liabilities of $59 billion to $64 billion. Its assets are worth $28 billion, according to the letter sent Wednesday night.

Organizations: Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Bloomberg, China’s Zhongzhi Enterprise Locations: Beijing, China

☆ After closed door OpenAI drama, open source AI backed by Nvidia, Eric Schmidt, could emerge winner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Rebecca Fannin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Hugging Face website on a laptop arranged in New York, US, on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. "We should encourage all companies to build on disruption-proof AI technology that only open source can offer." To be clear, big bets made on open source AI pre-date last Friday when news first broke of Sam Altman's removal as OpenAI CEO, and those bets include an open source AI model controlled by one dominant tech company, Meta Platforms ' Llama. Open source and AI governanceFormer Google CEO Eric Schmidt is behind Mistral AI, another open source rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT. A third open source AI startup, Poolside AI, recently pulled in $126 million co-led by French telecom and internet billionaire Xavier Niel and U.S. VC firm Felicis Ventures.

Persons: Gabby Jones, Eric Schmidt, Sam Altman, Microsoft —, Mike Gualtieri, Forrester, Marc Benioff, Delip Rao, Sam Altman's, Thomas Wolf, We've, Wolf, Linus Torvalds, Paul Drews, OpenAI's, Arthur Mensch, Mistral, Xavier Niel Organizations: Nvidia, Bloomberg, Getty Images Tech, Salesforce, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Meta, IBM, Intel, Sequoia Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Mistral, alums, Lightspeed Venture Partners, French, . VC, Felicis Ventures Locations: New York, France

☆ China’s Problem With Unfinished Homes Keeps Getting Bigger
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Rebecca Feng | Cao Li | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

There are 20 million units of uncompleted and delayed presold homes across China, according to one estimate. Photo: Bloomberg NewsChina’s housing market has a big problem: millions of unfinished homes that were sold but not delivered. Solving that is crucial for a recovery, but the problem keeps getting bigger. More property developers are defaulting on their debt and adding to the logjam of construction delays and stalled residential developments across the country.

Organizations: Bloomberg Locations: China

☆ Hackers Hit U.S. Arm of Chinese Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Rebecca Feng | Matthew Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An ICBC building in Shanghai. The bank is China’s biggest. Photo: Cfoto/Zuma PressA U.S. subsidiary of China’s biggest bank was hacked this week, threatening a temporary logjam for some trades in the Treasury bond market. ICBC Financial Services, a New York-based entity owned by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China , was the victim of a ransomware attack on Wednesday. The unit largely focuses on clearing, which means ensuring that transactions previously agreed by traders go through, with the money and securities changing hands.

Organizations: Press, Treasury, ICBC Financial Services, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China Locations: Shanghai, China’s, New York

Organizations: Press, Treasury, ICBC Financial Services, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China Locations: Shanghai, China’s, New York

ICBC had $5.7 trillion of assets at the end of last year, making it the largest bank in the world. Photo: Cfoto/Zuma PressThere is a new reason to worry about the hardiness of the market for U.S. government debt: hackers. Cybercriminals held hostage this week a New York unit of the world’s largest bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China , disrupting trading in U.S. Treasurys. The impact was relatively minor, market participants said, but the fear wasn’t.

Persons: ICBC, Cybercriminals Organizations: Zuma, U.S, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China Locations: York

☆ Citrix Owner Becomes Latest U.S. Company to Retreat From China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cloud Software Group, which owns enterprise-software provider Citrix, is ceasing all new commercial transactions in China. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg NewsHONG KONG— Cloud Software Group , which owns enterprise-software brand Citrix, is ceasing business transactions in China, becoming the latest U.S. company to pull back from China. In an email to clients and partners on Monday seen by The Wall Street Journal, Cloud Software Group said it has made the decision to cease all new commercial transactions in China, including Hong Kong, on Dec. 3. It cited rising costs in the market.

Persons: David Paul Morris Organizations: Cloud Software Group, Citrix, Bloomberg News HONG, Wall Street Locations: China, Bloomberg News HONG KONG, U.S, Hong Kong

☆ China Deal Slump Sends Bankers’ Fees to Decade Low
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Dave Sebastian | Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China has become a losing proposition for Wall Street firms, forcing a reassessment of their investment-banking prospects in Hong Kong. American and European investment banks prospered in the Asian financial hub over the past decade by helping hundreds of Chinese companies raise money from international stock and bond sales. They also profited from advising on cross-border acquisitions and investments during China’s prepandemic economic boom. The money train made Wall Street an advocate of engagement with China, even as political tensions grew between Washington and Beijing.

Organizations: Wall Street Locations: China, Hong Kong ., Washington, Beijing

☆ Bond Selloff at Another China Property Giant Spurs Authorities to Action
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Cao Li | Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A China Vanke construction site in Nanjing. Photo: Cfoto/Zuma PressChina’s housing slump is shaking the foundation of another giant property developer—and the government is trying to prevent the problems from spiraling out of control. China Vanke , one of the oldest and largest real-estate companies in the country, is the latest Chinese developer to fall victim to a market selloff that has made investors worry about its liquidity. Prices of some of Vanke’s U.S. dollar bonds tumbled to distressed levels after rival Country Garden failed to pay its offshore debt in mid-October. Vanke’s Hong Kong-listed shares have also close to half their market value this year.

Organizations: Zuma Press, U.S Locations: China, Nanjing, Vanke’s Hong Kong

☆ Hey managers, we should be answering Gen Z's questions, not just complaining
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Tim Paradis | Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It's easy for older workers to complain about Gen Zers as being lazy or entitled. Yet some Gen Z workers are questioning norms that need to be reconsidered, experts tell Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementWe've all heard the complaints about Gen Z and how they're rattling older managers . People older than Gen Z created the social platforms some Gen Zers are sounding off on. 1 thing she hears from older workers is that Gen Zers ask too many questions.

Persons: Gen Zers, —, Gen, Gen Z, Zers, TikTok, Kenneth Matos, Matos, who's, Xer, " Matos, Rebecca Fagan, she's, Fagan, Maia Ervin, Ervin, it's, millennials, they're, Z Organizations: Service, Boomers, KPMG, Gen, JUV Consulting Locations: Zaria

☆ China’s Country Garden Was Given a Second Chance to Make a Bond Payment. It Failed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Rebecca Feng | Frances Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Country Garden, once seen as one of China’s most stable property developers, is now struggling financially, leaving the future of unfinished megadevelopments like Malaysia’s Forest City in doubt. Here’s how overbuilding, and a streak of bad luck, have left China’s real-estate developers in the red. Photo: Adam AdadaChinese property giant Country Garden has missed a final deadline to pay interest on a dollar bond, capping a remarkable fall from grace for a company that was once considered among the safest developers in the country. The company hasn’t made a $15.4 million interest payment on an outstanding dollar bond, according to two investors who hold the bond. Country Garden had around $15.2 billion of international bonds and loans outstanding at the end of June, according to its public disclosures.

Persons: Adam Adada, hasn’t Organizations: Malaysia’s Forest City Locations: Malaysia’s Forest

☆ China Property Bonds Looked Cheap at 20 Cents on the Dollar. They Weren’t.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Frances Yoon | Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/distressed-debt-funds-have-lost-big-on-china-property-bets-c94011df

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Risk-Advisory Firms Decide Hong Kong Isn’t Worth It
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Selina Cheng | Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/risk-advisory-firms-decide-hong-kong-isnt-worth-it-f2bde437

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ How Evergrande’s Chief Tried to Turn Things Around—and Failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Rebecca Feng | Cao Li | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/world/china/how-evergrandes-chief-tried-to-turn-things-aroundand-failed-eb28769

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Rebecca Feng — Asia Finance Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rebecca FengRebecca Feng is a Hong Kong-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and covers a broad range of finance, banking and markets stories in the region. She also writes about property, asset management and financial regulation in China. Rebecca previously worked at GlobalCapital and Ignites Asia. She has a master’s degree in postcolonial and world literature from the University of St. Andrews.

Persons: Rebecca Feng Rebecca Feng, Rebecca, Andrews Organizations: Wall Street Journal, University of St Locations: Hong Kong, China, Asia

☆ China’s Country Garden Succumbs to Debt Crisis After Sales Plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/finance/chinas-country-garden-succumbs-to-debt-crisis-after-sales-drop-84c85a79

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Evergrande Investors Warn of ‘Uncontrollable Collapse’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Frances Yoon | Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/evergrande-investors-warn-of-uncontrollable-collapse-e163fe48

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ China’s Country Garden Succumbs to Debt Crisis After Sales Drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/finance/chinas-country-garden-succumbs-to-debt-crisis-after-sales-drop-84c85a79

Persons: Dow Jones

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