Taxi! Companies line up to overhaul Japan’s staid cab sectorWith their white-gloved, greying drivers and lace-covered seating, Japan's taxis seem to belong to another era, but as the 2020 Olympics approach, the sedate sector is facing a quiet revolution. This...
S. Korean cosmetics lay foundation to seduce EuropeSouth Korean cosmetics brands, wildly successful at home and across Asia, now have their eye on the European beauty market where their penetration is, for now, only skin-deep. Picking luxury goods pow...
China, voracious buyer of foreign agricultural landA Chinese tycoon's purchase of vast wheat fields in France highlights China's increasing acquisition of foreign farmland as the Asian giant seeks to keep up with its massive population's growing appet...
Chinese billionaire sees baguette goldmine in French fieldsIn the peaceful French village of Thiel-sur-Acolin, retired farmer Marc Bernardet is ambivalent about having a Chinese billionaire for a neighbour. Over the past four years Hu Keqin has quietly snappe...
Anbang mess tightens state grip on China Inc: analystsBeijing's unprecedented takeover of private insurer Anbang confirms that toxic risks lurk in the world's second-largest economy while signalling the state's tightening grip on China Inc. despite refor...
Czech schoolboy maps his life from disabled to designerThe toy cars, double-deckers, stuffed toys and pillows on his bed are meticulously ordered into neat rows, but Matej Hosek still inspects his room with a frown, looking for shortcomings. He pushes one...