China's Olympic outfits spark sexism accusations from citizens

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News

Asian business owners in Portland feel targeted by ADA lawsuits

Asian-owned businesses in Portland suspect they are being unfairly targeted by two lawyers who have filed multiple Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuits in the past nine months. They believe they have become targets due to language barriers and lack of legal knowledge.

By the numbers: Lawyers Jessica Molligan and David Foster reportedly filed 47 lawsuits against small businesses — including restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations — in the Portland area from September 2023. Of these, 22 — nearly half — are Asian-owned, according to KGW. Responding to the outlet, Molligan denied targeting Asian businesses, while Foster said he had withdrawn from the cases and was replaced by Molligan.

The big picture: The ADA is a 1990 federal law that protects people with disabilities against discrimination. The situation in Portland, however, is not the first time a significant number of Asian-owned businesses have had to deal with related lawsuits. In April 2022, former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin reported that over 250 businesses in the city, many located in Chinatown, were hit by ADA suits from Potter Handy LLP, which reportedly collected millions in settlements.

News

Son of Asia’s richest man gets married after lavish 6-month pre-wedding celebration

Anant Ambani, the 29-year-old son of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who has an estimated net worth of $123 billion, and Radhika Merchant, the 29-year-old daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant, tied the knot at the Jio World Convention Center on Friday. While details of the ceremony held in Mumbai were kept under wraps, the theme of the celebration was reportedly an “Ode to Varanasi.”

The guests: The Friday ceremony was attended by politicians and A-list celebrities, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair, David Beckham and his wife Victoria, Shah Rukh Khan and Kim and Khloé Kardashian, to name a few. Kareema Sethi, a 26-year-old resident of Mumbai, described the massive wedding to The Guardian as like a combination of “the Oscars and a royal wedding,” adding, “It’s amazing for the world to see this rich, cultural side of India for once, rather than just a place of poverty.” After the big event on Friday, the Ambanis continued with the festivities with a divine blessings ceremony on Saturday, followed by a final reception on Sunday.

Months-long celebration: The Ambanis organized a six-month-long celebration soon after Ambani proposed to Merchant at a temple in northern Rajasthan on December 29. Some of these celebrations included a party in March for 1,200 guests, attended by Bollywood stars, Western celebrities and tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. The couple also held a European cruise party in May, where the Backstreet Boys, Pitbull and David Guetta performed on the deck of a luxury chartered ship. Additionally, they hosted a masquerade ball at the Chateau de la Croix des Gardes mansion in Cannes, with Katy Perry taking the stage.

China

China's Olympic outfits spark sexism accusations from citizens

Last month's unveiling of China's national Olympic team outfits for Paris 2024 has ignited criticism from Chinese netizens. Many are calling the designs ugly and outdated, with men receiving a red suit jacket and white trousers, while women have a jacket, skirt and high heels.

Outdated and uninspired: Critics on Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese platform, are particularly frustrated by the lack of choice for female athletes. One user commented, "Having a skirt isn't a problem, but not giving the option for trousers is a big problem." The criticism extends to the overall design, with many calling the suits uninspired and reminiscent of past Olympic outfits. 

Comparison to other countries: The outfits, which will be worn at the opening ceremony on July 26 and the closing ceremony two weeks later, were also compared to other countries' more empowering looks. Mongolia garnered praise for its traditional outfit, which incorporates national and Olympic symbols. Meanwhile, Taiwan features local craftsmanship, highlighting the colors and symbols of the nation's mountain and sea scenery.

Japan

Japanese diaper companies turn to adult market amid demographic crisis

Some diaper companies in Japan are now shifting their focus to the adult market as the demographic crisis continues. Research firm Fuji Keizai predicted that Japan’s adult diaper market is expected to grow by 16% to 98.9 billion yen ($626 million) in the next few years up to 2027, while the baby diaper market is likely to decline by 8% to 84.6 billion yen ($535 million) during the same period.

Shifting resources: Daio Paper, a diaper factory in the Fujinomiya region of Shizuoka Prefecture, has already begun this shift for its products. “We can expect the market for adult diapers to continue to grow, and therefore we are devoting our company's resources to that market with a view to expanding these products,” Daio Paper marketing manager Kenji Nakata said, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, Oji Holdings announced in January that it would stop producing baby diapers and focus on adult ones instead.

Continuous decline: Japan’s birth rate fell for the eighth consecutive year in 2023 to a record low of 1.2, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare announced. The ministry estimated that there were 727,277 births in 2023, 43,482 fewer than the previous year. Additionally, Japan’s death rate has far surpassed the country’s birth rate, reaching 1,575,936 last year. While the issue persists, many Japanese seniors are returning to the workforce, as a report in January revealed that the number of elderly looking for work has doubled in the past 10 years.

Crime

Ex-NASA engineer accused of illicitly filming sex with his glasses

Former NASA engineer Eric Sim, 37, who is facing seven counts of sexual assault, is now accused of filming his sexual encounters without his partners’ consent. An affidavit claims he recorded them using a camera “hidden in a pair of black framed eyeglasses,” which were purportedly positioned on a table near his bed.

What authorities found: Houston police seized devices from Sim’s home upon his arrest in February. Last month, they executed another search after forensic analysis of a hard drive revealed a folder labeled “sex tapes” and other folders named after women. Aside from alleged videos of Sim’s encounters, they reportedly found an Excel spreadsheet listing 437 women with details such as their first and last names, ethnicity, year of meeting and locations of sexual encounters. Police confiscated 14 pairs of sunglasses in their recent search.

What’s next: Sim is currently out on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on July 23. The district attorney's office has not commented on the new evidence and no additional charges have been filed based on the videos.

Entertainment

Fans split over AI-enhanced youthful Jackie Chan in new film

Chinese netizens are commenting on the apparent de-aging of Jackie Chan in his new film "A Legend." The 70-year-old action star appears decades younger in the movie thanks to the use of AI technology. 

Netizens split: Some praise the film's daring use of AI but many moviegoers found Chan's digitally altered face distracting and even unsettling. Comments ranged from "AI Jackie Chan made me lose interest in the movie completely" to "Jackie Chan's face is completely changed by AI. I am really speechless."

Desire to innovate: Director Stanley Tong defended the decision, telling Chinese media that he “wanted to be bold and create an AI Jackie Chan.” Initially hesitant, Chan said he finally agreed after seeing a few test clips.

More Asian News

Man smuggles 104 snakes in his pants into mainland China: A man was caught at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border trying to smuggle 104 live snakes in his pants, Chinese customs officials said on July 9. The traveler, who claimed he had “nothing to declare,” was found with six canvas drawstring bags in his trousers filled with various exotic snakes, including corn snakes, milk snakes, western hognose snakes, Texas rat snakes and bullsnakes, four of which are non-native to China. While none of the reptiles were venomous, their presence violated strict biosecurity laws. The incident is also part of a larger trend of animal trafficking in China, which happens to be the world’s largest destination for illegal wildlife trade.

AirAsia’s “first cabin crew” retiring at age 60 looks a youthful 35: Nordin Razali, AirAsia’s “first cabin crew” who began working for the company 35 years ago, has retired at 60. His last flight was a 90-minute trip to Kuching, Malaysia. The Malaysian airline uploaded a video of the staff celebrating Nordin’s retirement to TikTok on July 1. Nordin, who has been complimented for his youthful appearance in comments, delivered a heartfelt speech to the passengers during his last flight, saying in part, “Thank you all for being part of this one-hour-and-30 minutes flight. It's been an honor and a joy to serve you as your crew-in-charge. From the bottom of my 60-year-old heart, I wish you safe travels and happy landings for many more years to come."

@airasiacabincrew

Nordin Razali, our first cabin crew who is still flying at 60. He still looks so young! 😲

Are late sleepers smarter?: New research from Imperial College London involving over 26,000 participants found that late sleepers consistently outperformed early risers on cognitive tests measuring intelligence, reasoning and memory. While the study disputes the stereotype that night owls are less mentally sharp, lead author Dr Raha West noted that adequate sleep (7-9 hours) is still essential for optimal brain function. Experts, however, cautioned potential confounding factors such as education level and testing times.

Jeremy Lin, Simu Liu host annual celeb basketball match: Basketball legend Jeremy Lin and "Shang-Chi" star Simu Liu headlined a celebrity basketball match organized by the Canadian Chinese Youth Athletic Association (CCYAA) in Canada on Saturday. The event was livestreamed on Disguised Toast's Twitch channel.