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We sigh and swoon over the adorable Year of the Tiger Starbucks goods sold in the rest of Asia

Don’t get us wrong, Starbucks Japan has great merchandise, but have you seen Starbucks Singapore?!

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Is Ariana Grande “Asian Fishing”? Japanese netizens weigh in on the drama

What do people in Japan think of the star’s controversial new look? 

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Japanese sake KitKats feature controversial package design in Australia

Pssst, Nestlé — that character’s not Japanese and you’re playing into problematic Asian stereotypes.

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Japan GO! Pokémon GO finally available in Japan!

After weeks of speculation Pokémon GO is finally officially available to download in Japan and here are some of the links you need.

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Here’s what Japanese people think of Hollywood’s recent “whitewashing”【Video】

What do Japanese people think of Caucasian—not Asian—actors being cast in Hollywood adaptations of Japanese anime?

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Taiwanese student self-immolates after argument with father over video games

A Taiwanese college student tragically chose to set himself on fire recently after an apparently pretty harsh argument with his father over video games.

Xue Zhenjun, a student of Taiwan’s Chienkuo University of Technology, reportedly chose to end his own life in one of the more horrific ways imaginable because his father told him to get some sleep instead of staying up all night playing an online game.

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10 things we love about living in Asia

If you have friends who moved to Asia and you can’t figure out why, this article is for you. If you’re the one who moved to an Asian country and you have a hard time explaining why to people back home, then this article is for you too. If you’ve visited Asia and absolutely loved it, then we think we know why, so please read on. And lastly, if you’ve never visited Asia, then you should read this article to find out why you should get your butt over here without delay!

A little while back, we listed 10 things we love about Japan. But we realized that many Asian countries have similar awesome traits. So today, we’re going to expand our love and share 10 things we absolutely adore about Asia!

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The giant iPhone 6 Plus is most popular in Asia

Asian consumers are in love with the iPhone 6 Plus, according to a report published Thursday by AppLovin, a mobile ad network.

AppLovin looked at data from the more than 25 ad requests it processes every day, and found that the global split between iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users is about 80/20 right now.

But in some Asian countries, the 6 Plus is much more popular.

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Thai video claiming corruption at the 2014 Asia Games goes viral

Readers in the West may not have heard much about it, but the 17th Asian Games were held between September 19 and October 4 in Incheon, South Korea. As the largest multi-sporting event after the Olympics, the Asian Games bring together athletes from all across the Asian continent only once every four years. By the end of this year’s competition, China had racked up the highest medal count, followed by host South Korea and Japan. However, this year’s Games were also plagued by rampant rumors of suspicious refereeing, fixed matches, and host country favoritism, leaving many nations with a bitter aftertaste upon their conclusion.

In response to the multiple stories of alleged corruption, one irate Thai viewer created a parody video to vent his frustrations. As of this writing, the video, with its scornful lyrics yet surprisingly bubbly nature, has been replayed over 2 million times on YouTube, despite having been published less than a week ago. Judging by the comments, it seems the rest of the world seems to sympathize with its message…

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Share your photos with us! RocketNews24 is now accepting submissions for Pic of the Week

Hey, you! You like taking pictures don’t you? Well how would you like to have your best snaps up on RocketNews24 for all the world to see?

Every Wednesday, we’re running a fun little contest called Pic of the Week. All you have to do to enter is send us an Asia-related photo that you’re especially proud of or think your fellow readers would enjoy. If we like it, we’ll feature it on our site and maybe even say nice things about you.

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From children to netizens: Asian international relations have a long way to go

We here at RocketNews24 occasionally get hit with accusations of having an anti-China or anti-Korea slant. And while we don’t think a story about a young Chinese man getting a seatless bicycle wedged in his butt is inherently anti-Chinese, we can see how it might be interpreted that way. We can also see how we get labeled as anti-other-Asian-countries since we largely get our information from Japanese sources, and it would be naive to say there aren’t anti-Chinese and anti-Korean forces at play within the Japanese media. You couldn’t hope for a better example than the following story that was said to have been posted by a Chinese person on a message board. The anecdote has a lot to say about how Chinese children are raised to view Japan. However, the reaction to the story itself is more revealing about what it’s like on the other side.

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【Partner applications now open】Want to publish your site’s content on RocketNews24?

RocketNews24, the home of all things weird and wonderful from Asia, is currently looking for partners to join our expanding network. If you’d like to share your site’s Asia-related content on RocketNews24, get in touch today!

We are currently working with sites such as America’s Business Insider to provide our readers with the best in fun and entertaining news content from Asia, and our network is growing fast.

For more information about partnering, contact us at: info[at]en.rocketnews24.com

Measure Asia’s Air Pollution with a Map Based on the Length of Your Nasal Hair!

In recent years along with many other developing Asian nations, China has been increasing its level of industrial manufacturing as it readies itself for remarkable industrial growth. However, neglecting its environment for the sake of industry has brought with it the problem of dense smog pollution, with microscopic smog particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less having been detected in overwhelming large amounts in China’s air in recent days.

The smog is the same as that found in factory exhausts, car fumes and the like. Measured per cubic meter, at one instance the observed value of pollution in Beijing reached levels 10 times the Chinese government’s recommended safety level. If one were to go by the Wealth Health Organization (WHO)’s recommended value, the figure rises to 40 times greater than normal. When it comes to pollution, it is thought that of the asian nations undergoing remarkable growth, 70% of nations are reaching a critical level. The toxic substances that seep out into the environment cause asthma, pneumonia and even in some cases death.

Of course, those living in highly polluted areas will surely want to know how their air compares, but measuring the levels each time can prove tiresome and expensive. With this in mind, one innovative company called Clean Air Asia has stumbled upon a way determine just how polluted your air is, and has designed an interactive map based on – wait for it – nostil hair.

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