https://www.scmp.com/rss/268736/feed Charley is SCMP's US Culture Correspondent. After years living and eating in Asia, he has recently relocated to Los Angeles where he is delighted to report that the dim sum isn’t terrible. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com President Donald Trump said his administration would “do something” within days about the situation in Hong Kong after the Chinese government decided to impose controversial national security legislation on the city. Critics said the proposed law threatened the civil liberties in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 as a highly autonomous special administrative region. On Wednesday, Hong Kong was embroiled in city-wide protests as the local legislature debated a bill... https://www.scmp.com/politics/trump-hints-action-china-over-hong-kong-security-law/article/3086311?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/trump-hints-action-china-over-hong-kong-security-law/article/3086311?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2020 12:06:43 +0000 Lawmakers in the United States on Tuesday hoped to ratchet up pressure on Beijing over moves from the Chinese government to crack down on Hong Kong’s autonomy, even as President Donald Trump told reporters his administration would soon “do something” about the situation. US senators have proposed a bill that would allow for sanctions against anyone with a role in violating “China’s obligations to Hong Kong under the [Sino-British] Joint Declaration and the Basic Law”, and on banks who do... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3086198/us-senators-move-pressure-china-hong-kong-sanctions-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3086198/us-senators-move-pressure-china-hong-kong-sanctions-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2020 20:54:51 +0000 California, the most populous US state, has been lauded for its handling of the coronavirus. Widespread moves – among the earliest in the country – to lock down the economy and keep citizens at home are credited for keeping it from seeing the devastating death tolls and overrun hospitals experienced by other densely populated areas like New York City. And, as most states rush to reopen their economies, California has emerged as a moderating voice, with Governor Gavin Newsom often saying that his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3085150/california-seen-leader-us-coronavirus-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3085150/california-seen-leader-us-coronavirus-response?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2020 22:23:53 +0000 Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States’ leading infectious disease expert, warned of “really serious” consequences if the nation pushed to reopen too soon, while offering cautious optimism on treatment and vaccine development. In testimony to the Senate Health, Labour and Pensions Committee, Fauci reminded senators repeatedly that the virus will never disappear, that new cases are inevitable even with improved testing and treatment, and that it is paramount that states show they can handle future... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3084083/coronavirus-top-disease-expert-dr-anthony-fauci?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3084083/coronavirus-top-disease-expert-dr-anthony-fauci?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2020 16:34:17 +0000 Even as confirmed coronavirus cases in some US states swell, one of the most influential models used to predict the spread of Covid-19 is revising its estimates upwards. Researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IMHE) were forced to re-crunch their numbers and release new data on Sunday, less than a week after their last revision. The move came as states like California reported unexpected upticks in confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths. The model,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3083914/coronavirus-covid-19-cases-some-us-states-swell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3083914/coronavirus-covid-19-cases-some-us-states-swell?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2020 22:52:36 +0000 Chinese researchers have found the coronavirus in the semen of a small number of men, raising the possibility that it could be spread via sex. The study at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in central China’s Henan province included 38 men who had tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and found that 6 had the virus in their semen. These included 2 men who had recovered, “which is particularly noteworthy,” according to the study, reported in JAMA Network Open – an online... https://www.scmp.com/science/coronavirus-sexually-transmitted-chinese-study-finds-traces-semen/article/3083478?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/science/coronavirus-sexually-transmitted-chinese-study-finds-traces-semen/article/3083478?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2020 10:57:40 +0000 Chinese researchers have found Covid-19 in the sperm of a small number of men, raising the possibility that the virus could be spread via sex. The study by physicians at China’s Shangqiu Municipal Hospital looked at only 38 men at the hospital who had tested positive with disease, and of that already small group found that a minority – only six – were found to have SARS-CoV-2 in their semen. Eyes are ‘important route’ for coronavirus into body, Hong Kong experts find “The virus responsible for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3083403/sperm-containing-coronavirus-raises-small-risk-covid-19-spread?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3083403/sperm-containing-coronavirus-raises-small-risk-covid-19-spread?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2020 17:38:28 +0000 US President Donald Trump will soon sign an executive order requiring federal agencies to purchase only American-made medical products, a White House official said on Monday. The order, according to Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, will help spur lagging medical manufacturing in the US. But critics say it could result in China restricting exports of desperately needed protective gear to the US as the country scrambles to battle the coronavirus. Speaking on Fox News on Monday, Navarro – who has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3082837/coronavirus-donald-trump-extend-buy-america-medical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3082837/coronavirus-donald-trump-extend-buy-america-medical?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2020 17:23:12 +0000 On April 24, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp was making headlines. Despite warnings from medical experts, pleas from his own state’s mayors and business leaders and even a rare rebuke from US President Donald Trump, the Republican state leader moved ahead with opening Georgia’s businesses including those where social distancing would be impossible, such as hair salons and tattoo parlours. Three days later, restaurants and theatres reopened. While Kemp faced widespread criticism from across the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3082549/coronavirus-many-us-states-start-reopen-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3082549/coronavirus-many-us-states-start-reopen-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2020 18:42:24 +0000 The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce approval for the emergency use of a new experimental drug after trials showed it is effective in treating Covid-19. The biopharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences said on Wednesday that clinical trials had shown its antiviral drug remdesivir improves outcomes for coronavirus patients. According to Gilead, a trial on patients with severe cases of Covid-19 found that 62 per cent of them treated early with remdesivir were discharged from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3082225/coronavirus-gilead-says-experimental-drug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3082225/coronavirus-gilead-says-experimental-drug?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:12:52 +0000 As the season’s first heatwave descended on southern California over the weekend, the area’s beaches remained eerily deserted. One exception, however, was Newport Beach in Orange county, where a massive beach party appeared to be under way, with families crowding the boardwalk and sand in numbers not usually seen outside public holidays. California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the beach crowds over the weekend during his daily press conference on Monday. “You didn’t see those images on [Los... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3081829/coronavirus-waves-people-flock-beaches-southern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3081829/coronavirus-waves-people-flock-beaches-southern?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2020 21:43:03 +0000 When Patricia Dowd, a 57-year-old auditor at a Silicon Valley chip maker, died on February 6, her death was a mystery.  She had developed flu-like symptoms but was already on the mend and working from home in San Jose, California. Her daughter found her dead in her kitchen. After flu tests came back negative, the coroner could only determine that she had probably suffered a heart attack – until Tuesday, when the Santa Clara County medical examiner announced that a postmortem tissue sample from... https://www.scmp.com/health/coronavirus-two-deaths-upended-how-america-understands-viruss-spread/article/3081445?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/coronavirus-two-deaths-upended-how-america-understands-viruss-spread/article/3081445?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2020 10:50:32 +0000 When Patricia Dowd, a 57-year-old auditor at a Silicon Valley chip maker, died on February 6, her death was a mystery. She’d developed flu-like symptoms but was already on the mend and working from home in San Jose, California; her daughter found her dead in her kitchen. After flu tests came back negative, the coroner could only determine that she had probably suffered a heart attack – until Tuesday, when the Santa Clara County medical examiner announced that a postmortem tissue sample from Dowd... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3081330/coronavirus-covid-19-us-earlier-first-thought-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3081330/coronavirus-covid-19-us-earlier-first-thought-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:59:54 +0000 Chinese agents tried to spread panic across the US in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic by pushing fake text messages to Americans’ mobile phones and social media accounts, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. The article was based on interviews with six American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The findings appear to represent an escalation by foreign powers like Russia and China in trying to capitalise on the panic surrounding the pandemic to sow confusion in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3081137/coronavirus-chinese-agents-stoked-panic-us-helping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3081137/coronavirus-chinese-agents-stoked-panic-us-helping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:56:07 +0000 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday called on China to grant the United States access to the Wuhan laboratory that has emerged as a flashpoint between the two nations in a clash over the origin and handling of the coronavirus. “We are still asking the Chinese Communist Party to allow experts to get into that virology lab so that we can determine precisely where this virus began,” said Pompeo on Fox News. Pompeo’s comment escalated conjecture surrounding the lab as US President Donald... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3080513/coronavirus-us-secretary-state-mike-pompeo-seeks-access?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3080513/coronavirus-us-secretary-state-mike-pompeo-seeks-access?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2020 19:17:13 +0000 US President Donald Trump announced a three-phase road map to reopening the country’s economy for the states to begin lifting restrictions on businesses and social gatherings. The president first alluded to the new plan in a phone call with the nation’s governors, as tensions between the White House and state governments continued to rise. Experts have cautioned that any move towards loosening social distancing guidelines would only be possible with widespread testing capabilities, and that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3080311/donald-trump-announces-guidelines-opening-america-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3080311/donald-trump-announces-guidelines-opening-america-again?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2020 22:35:03 +0000 Tensions continued to rise between Washington and Beijing with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressing China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi on Wednesday for full transparency in China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The move comes just a day after President Donald Trump announced his decision to pull US funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO), accusing the UN body of being biased in favour of China. Pompeo has been one of the more vocal critics of the WHO and of China, accusing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3080125/coronavirus-mike-pompeo-urges-china-full-transparency-call-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3080125/coronavirus-mike-pompeo-urges-china-full-transparency-call-top?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2020 18:23:32 +0000 As infection rates begin to level out in New York and California finds success in flattening the curve, other states across the US are starting to reel as their coronavirus numbers spike in communities large and small. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned three weeks ago that his state was “the canary in the coal mine” presaging outbreaks around the country, and some now fear the worst is only starting to come. According to The New York Times, while half of the 10 US counties with the highest... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079930/coronavirus-new-outbreak-hotspots-emerging-across?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079930/coronavirus-new-outbreak-hotspots-emerging-across?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2020 22:55:43 +0000 Early and widespread actions on the American west coast, especially in Washington and California, have so far allowed those states to escape the chaos and dizzying death tolls of cities and states in the nation’s east coast and southern region. Over the weekend, New York’s death toll from coronavirus topped 10,000. Two thousand new patients arrive at New York state hospitals every day, where Governor Andrew Cuomo described a “horrific level of pain and grief and sorrow”. On Sunday alone, New... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079693/coronavirus-early-actions-pay-us-west-coast-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079693/coronavirus-early-actions-pay-us-west-coast-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2020 21:37:30 +0000 As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads across the United States, reports of racist attacks and abuse have spiked. While many accounts involve the targeting of Asians and Asian-Americans, the phenomenon is not limited to them. In the past two weeks alone, two separate medical webinars on the coronavirus featuring minority health care workers were disrupted by hackers spewing profanity and racial slurs. On Wednesday, a coronavirus webinar hosted by the Washington-based Association of Black Cardiologists... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079467/coronavirus-pandemic-spreads-us-so-do-racist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079467/coronavirus-pandemic-spreads-us-so-do-racist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:24:33 +0000 When the coronavirus pandemic first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE) were soon apparent. As supplies dwindled, medical staff resorted to wearing rubbish bags on the wards, recycling masks by disinfecting them with UV radiation, and keeping their protective suits on as they slept in their hospital’s isolation areas, not knowing if there would be more when they had to go back to work. Dr Jiang Rongmeng, an infectious disease specialist... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3079420/how-wuhan-experience-could-help-coronavirus-battle-us-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3079420/how-wuhan-experience-could-help-coronavirus-battle-us-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2020 13:00:13 +0000 President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to withhold US funding from the World Health Organisation, saying the United Nations body “missed the call” and implying it knew about the dangers of the coronavirus months before taking any action. “We’re going to put a hold on money sent to the WHO. We’re going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see,” Trump said at the daily White House press briefing. “They could have called it months earlier. They would have known, and they... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3078865/donald-trump-says-who-too-focused-china-and-really-blew-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3078865/donald-trump-says-who-too-focused-china-and-really-blew-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2020 16:51:53 +0000 A Salt Lake City library is churning out 3D-printed face shields. Nurses and medical assistants in Minnesota and Arizona are being asked to take unpaid furlough because of revenue declines. Medical experts in Colorado are preparing to make choices after determining who among their Covid-19 patients they expect will live. Across America, hospitals and the communities they serve are bracing for the worst as coronavirus cases rise in every state. As the New York City area announces hundreds of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3078695/coronavirus-preparing-crisis-hospitals-across-us-struggle-under?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3078695/coronavirus-preparing-crisis-hospitals-across-us-struggle-under?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2020 20:32:09 +0000 President Donald Trump announced Friday afternoon that the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is now suggesting the use of face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus, as some US local governments had already taken the initiative to mandate their citizens to wear them in public. Announcing the new guidance during a White House briefing, Trump reiterated not to use medical masks but a basic cloth or fabric mask, either bought online or made at home. The president emphasised... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3078406/coronavirus-some-us-local-governments-mandate-mask-wearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3078406/coronavirus-some-us-local-governments-mandate-mask-wearing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2020 19:35:01 +0000 After months of saying that wearing a mask would not help the public avoid infection by the coronavirus, authorities across the United States are shifting gears. On Wednesday evening, California became the first state to offer official guidelines acknowledging that wearing a mask could help contain the spread of coronavirus. In its new “Face Coverings Guidance”, the state’s Department of Public Health said: “There may be a benefit to reducing asymptomatic transmission and reinforcing physical... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3078201/coronavirus-us-starts-change-its-thinking-wearing-protective-masks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3078201/coronavirus-us-starts-change-its-thinking-wearing-protective-masks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 16:45:32 +0000 Just one day after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new “Health Corps” initiative in his state to deal with an anticipated surge in coronavirus cases, the programme has been inundated with applications from more than 25,000 licensed health care workers. “A remarkable number of individuals stepped up and are willing to step in to meet Covid-19 head-on,” Newsom said as he opened his daily press conference on Monday. “People all across the state of California … phlebotomists,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077823/californias-new-coronavirus-health-corps-flooded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077823/californias-new-coronavirus-health-corps-flooded?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2020 21:38:34 +0000 Coronavirus infections appear to be slowing in Seattle in response to the city’s early and comprehensive restrictions on both citizens and businesses. “We made a huge impact – we slowed the transmission,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan told The New York Times on Sunday. Seattle was one of the earliest and most hard-hit of American cities; but now – at long last – the tide is turning. In Washington state, the death toll from Covid-19 – the disease caused by coronavirus – has been doubling around... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077657/seattle-restrictions-bear-fruit-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077657/seattle-restrictions-bear-fruit-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2020 19:06:42 +0000 These are tiring times. Just look at how excited people are to sleep. We have never been more focused on it nor so willing to spend money to ensure a good night’s sleep. The global sleep market now surpasses US$432 billion, and is set to hit $585 billion by 2024 – spent on everything from mattresses and sleep aids to technology that tracks your sleep and apps designed to help you sleep. Magazines and wellness journals overflow with articles about how vital sleep is to everything from health and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3077236/circadian-rhythm-isnt-just-about-sleep-it-affects-our?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3077236/circadian-rhythm-isnt-just-about-sleep-it-affects-our?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2020 23:15:17 +0000 Coronavirus cases in California continue to surge, one week after the state’s residents were told to stay at home. On Friday, the state confirmed 4,598 cases and 93 deaths, a staggering 41.8 per cent increase in the number of infections from the previous day. “Things on the ground are anxious,” said Dr Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist at the University of California San Francisco. “Covid-19 is becoming very personal. Health providers are beginning to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3077372/coronavirus-californias-hospitals-economy-and-everyday-life-upended?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3077372/coronavirus-californias-hospitals-economy-and-everyday-life-upended?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2020 20:21:11 +0000 Confirmed cases of coronavirus in California swelled to 3,894 on Thursday, up from 2,662 – alarming state officials who say that the rate of infection is now on par with that of New York, the worst-hit state in the US. At this rate, they added, cases could overwhelm hospitals in California’s largest cities in a matter of weeks. “I suspect that it will get worse in California. I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t. The writing is on the wall,” Dr Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077181/coronavirus-california-officials-alarmed-rate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077181/coronavirus-california-officials-alarmed-rate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2020 17:54:09 +0000 Even as US President Donald Trump pressed this week for an end to strict public health measures taken to curb the coronavirus spread, California officials pushed back, saying that the state was nowhere near reaching the apex of the outbreak’s impact, let alone in a position to loosen restrictions. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that his city – the nation’s second-largest, behind New York – would be in the same situation as New York, considered an outbreak epicentre, in as little as six... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077014/coronavirus-trump-wants-restrictions-eased-easter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3077014/coronavirus-trump-wants-restrictions-eased-easter?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2020 20:59:51 +0000 In an unprecedented move, the publishers of three major American newspapers have written an open letter to the Chinese government, appealing to Beijing to reverse its decision forcing out 13 of their journalists. The publishers of The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times said that the government’s expulsion of their journalists working in China was “threatening to deprive the world of critical information at a perilous moment”. “We strongly urge the Chinese government... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3076805/new-york-times-washington-post-and-wall-street?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3076805/new-york-times-washington-post-and-wall-street?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2020 19:19:04 +0000 It is an undeniable fact of being alive that we must all age and – brace yourselves – die. Growing old is part of the human condition, and in our ageing, we are all united: a postal worker in the US Midwest ultimately faces the same fate as William Shakespeare and Xi Jinping. Or do they? While nobody is seriously claiming that immortality is reasonable to expect, many experts and entrepreneurs are finding that the current generation of the middle-aged is making history, growing old in ways that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3075783/health-and-wellness-companies-target-boomers-fit-active?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3075783/health-and-wellness-companies-target-boomers-fit-active?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2020 21:00:11 +0000 A new documentary series on Apple TV+, Visible: Out on Television is an entertaining, surprising, and profoundly heartening testament to just how far we’ve come. It is a celebration of American popular culture as it is now – more diverse and vibrant than at any time in its history. The series tells the story of the American LGBT community on television. Spread over five hour-long episodes, each dedicated to both a time period and a theme, it starts with “The Dark Ages” and ends with “The New... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3073942/apple-tv-celebrates-diversity-american-popular-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3073942/apple-tv-celebrates-diversity-american-popular-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:00:13 +0000 There is a scene in the first episode of the new Apple TV+ anthology series, Little America, where a young boy, Kabir, plays cricket with his parents in the car park of the motel they own and run. They are not in their home country of India but in Utah, their adopted home of America. Ultimately, theirs is a story of a family torn apart by arbitrary immigration laws, and heartbreaking scenes soon follow. But it is that moment of the family together, playing cricket, that best reveals the quietly... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3051576/apples-little-america-series-heart-warming-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3051576/apples-little-america-series-heart-warming-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Feb 2020 01:00:13 +0000 Hotly anticipated projects from award-winning Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai have either been cancelled or delayed. Sources with ties to the director say his Amazon television show Tong Wars has been “cancelled for some time” and another project, a Chinese-language feature film and series, Blossoms, has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Neither Amazon or Hong Kong’s Jet Tone films, which produces Wong’s films, have responded to requests for comment, but it appears both... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3050455/wong-kar-wais-filmmaking-stalls-amazon-series-nixed-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3050455/wong-kar-wais-filmmaking-stalls-amazon-series-nixed-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Feb 2020 10:30:12 +0000 To say that health is on everyone’s minds lately is a huge understatement. Just look at the long queues to get face masks – or even more dire, toilet paper. But it is worth remembering that we humans were a health-obsessed species even before the threat of a coronavirus pandemic reared its head. The wellness market is a US$4.5 trillion industry worldwide and booming. The annual Global Wellness Summit (GWS) brings together movers and shakers in the industry to discuss all the things shaping the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3050614/3-exciting-new-wellness-trends-could-transform-our-lives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3050614/3-exciting-new-wellness-trends-could-transform-our-lives?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Feb 2020 09:00:09 +0000 There are YouTube celebrities and there is Roi Fabito, better known to his many fans as Guava Juice. His wholesome but off-the-wall videos have garnered him nearly 15 million subscribers and more than 6 billion individual views. Now, he is taking his stardom to the next level, bringing his particular brand of antic enthusiasm to television (or at least a television network’s YouTube channel) as the host of SpongeBob SmartyPants, an all-things- SpongeBob SquarePants quiz show on Nickelodeon’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3050371/filipino-american-spongebob-game-show-host-and-youtube-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3050371/filipino-american-spongebob-game-show-host-and-youtube-star?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Feb 2020 00:45:07 +0000 Sergei Polunin gets a lot of press. A few years ago, when the Russian-identifying dancer (he was born in Ukraine) started making headlines, he was being hailed as the “bad boy of ballet”. He was the youngest ever principal dancer to perform with the Royal Ballet, and dance critics spared no superlative – calling him the best living dancer and comparing him to ballet gods like Vaslav Nijinsky and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Then came the outrage: the breathless coverage of his unhinged, homophobic,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3048373/why-star-dancer-sergei-polunin-wont-say-sorry-his-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3048373/why-star-dancer-sergei-polunin-wont-say-sorry-his-online?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Feb 2020 10:00:06 +0000 There is a moment in Jo Koy’s 2012 stand-up special, Lights Out, when he asks the California crowd how many of them are Filipino. What sounds like most of the audience applauds. “Somewhere in Glendale …” the Filipino-American comedian quips of the Los Angeles suburb, “there’s an empty hospital.” The theatre explodes with laughter. Every Californian – or at least those who have ever been sick – would get the joke. Like good Mexican food or being allowed to make a right turn on red, depending on... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3048163/us-health-care-needs-its-filipino-nurses-so-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3048163/us-health-care-needs-its-filipino-nurses-so-why?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Feb 2020 00:30:06 +0000 In the English humorist PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster series, intellectual lightweight Bertie Wooster credits his manservant Jeeves’ considerable brainpower to one thing: “he virtually lives on fish”. Whether it’s fish for smarts or Popeye’s beloved spinach for muscles, it is human nature to try to improve our physical and cognitive lot in life. We may not want to be reminded over the indulgent festive season, but we do have some control over our bodies and our health. Watching what we eat... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3047321/brain-hacks-implants-enhancers-and-nootropics-silicon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3047321/brain-hacks-implants-enhancers-and-nootropics-silicon?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jan 2020 21:00:16 +0000 The world is in the throes of an animation boom. Audiences can’t seem to get enough of animated TV shows and films. In 2019, they raked in an astounding $250 billion. Today, three countries dominate animated film and television production and consumption: the US, Japan and – a distant third – South Korea. But a fourth player is making itself heard. China has developed an appetite for cartoons. According to the Global and China Animation Industry Report, the value of China’s animation industry... https://www.scmp.com/society/success-new-movie-has-chinese-animation-industry-hoping-renaissance/article/3047572?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/success-new-movie-has-chinese-animation-industry-hoping-renaissance/article/3047572?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2020 10:12:33 +0000 The world is in the throes of an animation boom. Audiences can’t seem to get enough of animated TV shows and films. In 2019, they raked in an astounding US$250 billion. Today, three countries dominate animated film and television production and consumption: the United States of America, Japan and – a distant third – South Korea. But a fourth player is making itself heard, and looks set to take animated productions to another level, and make them a creative and economic force. China has developed... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3047179/will-chinese-disney-or-studio-ghibli-emerge-appetite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3047179/will-chinese-disney-or-studio-ghibli-emerge-appetite?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2020 21:00:12 +0000 Ask your neighbourhood gym owner and they’ll tell you: February is the month of giving up, the time when weight rooms, freshly filled in the new year, begin to empty back out. As our desire to drop those extra holiday pounds turns to desperation, we turn to anything that promises to transform our bodies with little effort, no matter how outlandish their claims. ’Tis the season of the weight loss supplement, the fad diet, and the crash diet. Let’s be clear: extreme diets simply do not work for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3046972/weight-loss-and-fad-diets-why-keto-diet-paleo-diet-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3046972/weight-loss-and-fad-diets-why-keto-diet-paleo-diet-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2020 12:00:07 +0000 That sound can have an effect on our emotional and mental state should not come as any surprise. We know inherently that certain sounds can make us more relaxed, or more productive. That’s why we put on classical music while we work, why it is easier to go to sleep to the sounds of the ocean than, say, a construction site and why lifts play smooth jazz instead of heavy metal. But, as our understanding of the brain becomes more and more sophisticated, it is becoming clear that there is more to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3046391/how-binaural-beats-work-sounds-said-tune-our-moods-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3046391/how-binaural-beats-work-sounds-said-tune-our-moods-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2020 12:00:16 +0000 In January 2018, movie star James Franco stood on stage and accepted a Golden Globe for his role in The Disaster Artist. His win prompted an outpouring on Twitter, but probably not the response he was hoping for. Five separate women accused the actor of sexually inappropriate behaviour; a pattern emerged in which Franco would allegedly use his power to exploit women under the cover of filming sex scenes. Two actresses are now suing him and the acting school he founded for taking advantage of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3046374/how-film-and-tv-sex-scenes-are-handled-metoo-era-meet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3046374/how-film-and-tv-sex-scenes-are-handled-metoo-era-meet?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jan 2020 21:00:07 +0000 The growing voice and presence of the LGBT community in entertainment in the United States will be celebrated at the 31st annual GLAAD Media Awards, for which a record number of nominations have been announced. The awards presented by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation are intended to highlight and celebrate those names in film and television who tell LGBT stories and portray LGBT characters in a fair, complex, and non-derogatory light. With 176 nominees in 30 categories, 2019 was a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3045575/downton-abbey-rocketman-among-176-nominations-lgbt-awards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3045575/downton-abbey-rocketman-among-176-nominations-lgbt-awards?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 12:00:13 +0000 The 77th Golden Globe Awards may be over, but social media – Twitter, YouTube and Instagram – is still abuzz with reaction to the Sunday event, from the stars and their fans. Here are four of those viral moments. Awkwafina thanks grandmother Nora Lum, known professionally by her rapper handle Awkwafina, made history on Sunday becoming the first actress of Asian descent to win a best actress Golden Globe. In her speech, she thanked her family. “I’d like to dedicate this to my dad, Wally. I told... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3045013/viral-moments-golden-globes-tom-hankss-grimace-ricky?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3045013/viral-moments-golden-globes-tom-hankss-grimace-ricky?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2020 08:48:45 +0000 Languid, sultry, and imbued with a kind of ancient tropic mysticism, New Orleans is a city apart. “The Big Easy,” as it is known (or its better nickname, “The City that Care Forgot”) boasts a rich cultural heritage and vibrant public life that make it a must-visit. Still, the secret is out: tourists flock to New Orleans year-round, especially for Mardi Gras in early March and the Jazz Festival in late April. Tourists in New Orleans are also not known for being the best behaved. So if you are... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3044280/new-orleans-best-places-eat-drink-dance-and-listen-music?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3044280/new-orleans-best-places-eat-drink-dance-and-listen-music?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jan 2020 13:00:14 +0000 This hotel room in West Hollywood, dimly lit with the curtains drawn, shows no signs of film-star excess. No half-full bottles of flat champagne, no overflowing ashtrays. No powder-flecked mirrors on the countertops. No cracks in the plasma television.  Just some fresh clothes folded neatly over a chair and, on the table in front of us, a Nintendo Switch and a big bag of sour candies. And anyway, its occupant isn’t exactly a film star. At least not yet. Thirty-year-old Simu Liu clears off a spot... https://www.scmp.com/society/meet-simu-liu-actor-playing-marvels-first-asian-superhero-shang-chi-battling-global-stereotypes/article/3041206?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/meet-simu-liu-actor-playing-marvels-first-asian-superhero-shang-chi-battling-global-stereotypes/article/3041206?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2019 10:26:46 +0000