Australia & Asia

SINGAPORE: Imagine you're thirsty and you'd love a cold soft drink. You see a vending machine, but have no change. Luckily, you don't need money. Hug the machine and you get a can of Coke for free.

AUSTRALIA: Being a mother and working part-time is a "double whammy“ for women with hopes of reaching the top of the career ladder. A mentoring organization in Australia aims to change that.

AUSTRALIA: A new bottled-water company offers a refreshing drink for thirsty Australians. But its real purpose is to provide fresh water to people in developing countries.

AUSTRALIA: Move over, mate. The number of women in Australia’s corporate boardrooms has risen significantly in the past year — there are now 140 female directors.

JAPAN: Traditionally, young people have left farms for the city in search of work. Now, facing an economy that offers less job security, some are returning to rural life.

AUSTRALIA: Five years after Western Union discontinued its telegram services, an Australian company is doing good business with this new old way of sending messages.

JAPAN: A team of Japanese scientists have found large deposits of rare-earth elements in the Pacific. The discovery could be good for the economy, but bad for the environment. 

ASIA: A national Chinese news magazine named him the "most influential foreign figure of the year”. Hundreds of thousands of fans watch his television show. Tickets to his live appearances in China, Japan and Korea sell out quickly. Is he a rock star? Sort of.

AUSTRALIA: During the financial crisis and recession, people bought fewer luxury goods, including jewellery. Now diamonds and gems are again growing in popularity in Australia, and not only as gifts of love.

TOURISM: Sometimes, all you really need from a hotel is a comfortable bed and a hot shower. Oh, you'd like a towel after that shower? At Tune Hotels, you'll pay extra for that.