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Shanghai now more expensive than New York
S. Korea's 2018 Winter Olympics venue: Spectacular Pyeongchang
Hong Kong TV jumps the gun on Jiang Zemin death report
Thai-made ‘Transformers’ invade the United States
Best beer gardens in Tokyo
Best chippies in Sydney, HK's green obsession, great beer gardens
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5家上海最佳自助铁板烧餐厅
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Shanghai now more expensive than New York

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 03:08 AM PDT

Tokyo is still the world's most expensive city to live in and Oslo and Osaka still make the top five, but the Worldwide Cost of Living 2011 survey just released from the Economist Intelligence Unit also revealed some dramatic changes in the last year.

Australia has become one of the biggest risers, with the strong Aussie dollar lifting costs in Sydney (6th most expensive city), Melbourne (7^th), Perth (13^th) and Brisbane (14^th) to their highest levels.

Europe accounts for half the top 50 most expensive cities, with Paris in fourth spot, Zurich in fifth and Frankfurt and Geneva in eighth and ninth.

S. Korea's 2018 Winter Olympics venue: Spectacular Pyeongchang

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 12:17 AM PDT

Figure skater Kim Yu-na may have drawn attention to South Korea with her cool choreography and winning smile, but when it comes to winter sports in the country, the world knows little else.

The good news is that Pyeongchang -- the mountain resort region with 40,000 permanent residents that's just secured its bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics -- has plenty of time to repackage itself as a world-class winter sports destination.

Hong Kong TV jumps the gun on Jiang Zemin death report

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 11:09 PM PDT

It was talk of the town on Wednesday night when Hong Kong television station ATV interrupted its regular newscast to announce former Chinese president Jiang Zemin had passed away. It said that a special report on the 84-year-old would be aired later that same evening.

Apple Daily noted that the ATV logo appearing on television screens had temporarily turned grey as a mark of respect for the passing Jiang. The station was among the first to run with the story after days of speculation.

Thai-made ‘Transformers’ invade the United States

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 09:54 PM PDT

With the box office success of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" in the United States last weekend, it should come as no surprise fans are rushing to check out a series of Autobot statues created by Thai artist Anchalee Saengtai.

Museum chain Ripley's Believe it or Not! recently acquired some of Anchalee's remarkable Transformers, all made of recycled car and truck parts, for several of its attractions around the world.

The Autobot art pieces come in 6-meter-tall and 2.5-meter-tall versions.

Best beer gardens in Tokyo

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 09:49 PM PDT

When the Tokyo summer hits it can seem beer gardens are everywhere, most of them packed and far from relaxing. So, how to choose where to sip your sunshine suds away from the suited masses braying for "just one more" as they stumble toward the restrooms?

From mountaintop to rooftop and with plenty in between, here are five of the city's best that stand out from the rest by a mile.

Tokyo Bay Noryosen

This floating party ship may not be a beer garden in the strictest sense, but the Tokyo Bay Noryosen is definitely one of the more romantic venues on offer.