Like all football connoisseurs, Shanghaiist loves nothing better than a good derby. Games like Feyenoord v Ajax where travelling supporters are banned. The sheer evil of Rangers v Celtic. The Latin heat of Real Madrid v Athletic Madrid. The Manchester United v Liverpool grudge match. The Superclásico of Boca Juniors v River Plate. And Shanghai Shenhua v Inter Shanghai lacked the history but not passion before one half upped sticks and moved to Xi'an. But......

People who made the news this week Kim Jong-Il, the President of North Korea, has met up with Wang Jiarui, the head of the international department at the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party, in Pyongyang on Wednesday. According to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, when Wang voiced his explicit dissatisfaction with the DPRK's failure to meet its nuclear disarmament deadline, Kim said, “The present difficulties are temporary and can be conquered.” Kim also made a......

Yen Falls as BOJ's Fukui Says No Preset Time for Rate Increase [Bloomberg] The yen fell against all 16 of the most-active currencies as Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said there was no set time for raising interest rates.Survey shows Singapore is Asia's most desirable city to live in [Channel News Asia] According to the latest Country Brand Index, Singapore is the top Asian city to live in. It was also ranked third globally......

We told you about the lavish homecoming party that was thrown by Pizhou (邳州) in our neighbouring Jiangsu province for its party secretary Li Lianyu (李连玉). John Kennedy of Global Voices Online informs us that Chinese netizens have reacted strongly to the series of pictures we showed you. On one particular forum, 800 comments were received on one single afternoon. Here's a kickass selection of comments that he picked up, followed with his translations:太牛的场面 让我呕吐了好久......

Asia's papers keep newspaper flags flying [Asia Times] With a little help from the Internet, the future of newspapers looks bright in Asia where seven of 10 of the world's best selling dailies are published, with China, India and Japan accounting for more than half. Advertisers, the lifeblood for newspapers, are also smiling.Asian mega-cities to be swallowed up by sea [Asian Offbeat] They include Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Shanghai (gosh!)......

A crack opens in the Korean wall [Asia Times] The big question on the opening Tuesday of the North-South Korean summit in Pyongyang was whether or not North Korean leader Kim Jong-il would condescend to welcome South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in person, or whether he would delegate that ceremonial chore to his much lower-ranking No 2. Myanmar's neighbours have little influence: Singapore FM [AFP] Myanmar's neighbours have little influence over internal developments there, said......

Bangkok, Thailand - Backpacker blues on Khaosan Road [Asia Times] For years, Bangkok's venerable Khaosan Road has been a welcome, low-priced respite for the throngs of backpackers crisscrossing Southeast Asia. But changing times are pushing out the street vendors and budget inns in favor of upscale establishments that are also attracting another element - more of Bangkok's notorious sex trade. Ulaanbataar, Mongolia - School represents a slice of North Korea [Eurasianet] There is little that......

Pyongyang, North Korea - Two Koreas to hold first summit in seven years South Korea's President Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il will meet in Pyongyang from August 28-30 -- their first summit in seven years to promote lasting peace on the peninsula, divided for 60 years by minefields and barbed wire. Kabul, Afghanistan - Taliban offer women hostages for female Afghan prisoners The Taliban said Tuesday they were willing to swap women......

Marriage offices are going to be busy today.Last year there were 912 cases of bribery involving 171,950,000 RMB in Shanghai.A local exhibition of Shanghai Spring Festival rituals and customs is on at the San Shan center.More boob-fondling and kissing at Madame Tussauds.China Law Blog tells us about a Wall Street Journal article about how foreigners and Chinese get along (or sometimes don't) at the office.China Law Blog has a take on the debate between the......

On the same day that the "Dear Leader" of our friendly northeastern neighbour decided to press ahead with nuclear tests, a brave Singaporean entrepreneur announced his decision to invade the reclusive commie state with his brand of -- guess what -- sushi! According to Douglas Foo, who owns Sakae Sushi, a highly successful regional chain that has also found its way into Shanghai: There is a vast amount of untapped opportunities there... [there is] almost......

Seems to be accessible in Shanghai ... for now. Get in there while you can! Also on Shanghaiist You Bastards! Wikipedia inaccessible in Shanghai Extra! Extra! Wikipedia, Starbucks and Kim Jong Il Extra! Extra! Wikipedia, Jia Zhangke and streetgirls......

Kim Jong Il visits Shanghai! Or maybe not.A 19.305-carat diamond is expected to fetch US$1.25 million at a Shanghai auction January 16, making all men in Shanghai look cheap.Katie bar the door! Ten million visitors headed to Shanghai for Spring Festival.Bird flu (remember that?) kills two more humans in China.The Shanghai Road Directory has 447 pages and costs 150 yuan. It's available in Chinese now, with an English version due in 2009.Print is dead. Shenzhen......

Wikipedia still blocked in China. Use this instead.Train ticket prices in China will increase during Spring Festival to "control passenger flow." Meanwhile, more than 8,400 flights will be added in China during the holiday. Poor people are screwed.Did you notice that Starbucks has raised its prices in Shanghai? They blame higher rents. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf said their prices will remain the same.Will Kim Jong Il visit Shanghai? If so, we'd check the golf......