It wasn't that long ago that Shanghaiist headed straight to Crystal Jade in Xintiandi for our regular weekend dim sum brunch. Since then, however, our new loyalties lie with two restaurants closer to headquarters. Our first impressions of Lynn back when it opened early last year was that customers were paying the bulk of the price premium for its sleek, modern decor and presentation rather than the quality of its traditional Shanghainese fare. However, dim......

Air Asia, Asia's first budget airline, has just announced its latest China destination. From now on, you can fly from Hangzhou (which is just a stone's throw from Shanghai) to Kuala Lumpur at a fraction of the price! We just did a quick check on their system and if you plan ahead of time, you can expect to pay around RMB1,115 (taxes included) for the flight. You can even select your own seats on the......

Southeast Asian pact exposes rifts [NY Times] Southeast Asian leaders signed a charter here today that was drafted as a watershed document to bind the region together as a European-style economic community but has instead exposed the sharp divisions over Myanmar and other issues among the signatories.Malaysia busts DVD lab in its biggest raid in 2007 [Reuters] Malaysia has raided a laboratory capable of churning out $52 million worth of pirated DVDs a year in......

Hong Kong Triad T-Shirt Gets Fashion Label in Hot Water [Asiaone.com] The arrest of 18 employees of a Hong Kong lifestyle and retail chain over a controversial new line of T-shirts '14K' bearing the name of a well-known triad gang spurred an apology from the store's founder.Pakistan - Besieged Musharraf plays for time [Asia Times] Having opened a can of worms by declaring a state of emergency, Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf is now in......

China urges UN support for Olympic Truce in 2008 [Bangkok Post] China asked the UN General Assembly Wednesday to adopt a resolution supporting the Olympic Truce, a time-honoured practice from ancient Greece to respect the sportive events that will take place in Beijing next year.French foreign minister in China with sensitive issues on agenda [AFP] France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner held talks with China's leaders Wednesday to pave the way for President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit......

China's growing web addiction [CBNnews.com] The Internet has revolutionized the way that millions in China communicate with the outside world. But for some Chinese teenagers the thrill of using the Internet came with a high price: addiction. China bloggers stew about Olympic pigs [Wall Street Journal] In recent weeks, news that hogs are being specially raised to feed the athletes at the next year's Beijing Olympics has spurred an outcry on the Internet. The pigs......

Selangor, Malaysia - Malaysia Finds Water Basin the Size of Singapore [Bloomberg] Malaysia has discovered an underground water basin as big as Singapore, dismissing fears that its most densely populated state Selangor will run out of water in three years, a government minister said. Islamabad, Pakistan - Deal reached for release of S. Korean hostages [Washington Post] Negotiators in Afghanistan said Tuesday they had reached agreement on a deal that will allow 19 South Korean......

The last time we heard from Air China, it was hit by an embarrassing spate of accidents. Not so long afterwards, it announced an order for 15 units of the new Boeing 767 Dreamliner. This time, Air China has proclaimed its ambitions to grow its market share in Beijing from the existing 44% up to 50%. And just how does it hope to do that? Well according to Vice-President Zhang Lan, the airline intends to......

Southeast Asia - Southeast Asian nations are battling a surge in dengue cases, amid signs that climate change could make 2007 the worst year on record for a disease that often gets less attention than some higher-profile health risks. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Malaysia's top civil court has rejected the appeal of Muslim convert Lina Joy to be recognized as a Christian in a landmark case that has been seen as a litmus test......

Thursdays just became a great night to be “here and queer”, a fag hag or our male counterpart, a stag hag. As Shanghaiist reported earlier, Mint club has recently started a gay night once a week. Its the first predominately heterosexual bar to offer such an event, at least in the past three years that we can remember. It’s only been going on for three weeks, but the intimate spot is already packed with gay......

Hong Kong fashion mecca Joyce will expand its boutiques to Shanghai and Beijing by 2007, according to managing director Adrienne Ma. Ma told Bloomberg News: "Greater China is definitely our focus, our direction, our strategy." Shanghainese style mavens will no doubt embrace Joyce, with its enviable stable of international brands such as Balenciaga, Chloé and Marc Jacobs and reputation for stocking the most exclusive styles. Joyce will be a power player in Shanghai, joining existing......

Asian Football Confederation president Peter Velappan warned that corruption could "kill" soccer in China, according to an AFP story. "The government must investigate the allegations of corruption and eliminate the scourge in Chinese soccer," Velappan said. "[T]hey have to be very serious to fight corruption. When some Southeast Asian countries had this problem, we advised them to get the help of the police. This is what we have advised China to do." Good advice. If......