Rafayel’s girlfriends went all out to celebrate their lover’s birthday, renting malls across China for parties, decorating high-speed trains with his photos, and even staging a dazzling drone show.But the birthday boy was absent from every event — he’s a virtual character in the romantic mobile game “Love and Deepspace” that has won over millions of young women in China and beyond.Launched last year, the game blends monster-hunting action with sometimes-raunchy cutscenes in a futuristic world where “love knows no bounds”, according to Shanghai-based developer Papergames.And players are hooked on its realistic 3D character modelling, immersive narratives and the chance to build relationships with five distinct virtual boyfriends.Since its release in January 2024, the game has earned more than $500 million worldwide on the Google Play store and Apple’s App Store.About 40 percent of its revenue comes from overseas, market research firm Sensor Tower told AFP.For many, these virtual companions offer more than entertainment — they provide emotional fulfilment.Liu Xue, a 25-year-old office worker, likens her connection with Rafayel to a real-life romantic relationship.”To myself, or to my inner circle of close friends, I would say that we are lovers,” she told AFP at a birthday event in Beijing.”I don’t think I need company in real life.”He accompanies Liu daily, comforts her when she’s down — and even keeps her up-to-date on her menstrual cycle.”It’s like emotional sustenance,” she said.This attachment, however, comes with a price tag.While “Love and Deepspace” is free to download, players often spend heavily on in-game purchases to unlock additional storylines and interactions with their favourite characters.The game does not offer women partners, though there are similar games that do — but few with the same reach and popularity.Third-party surveys suggest that about five to 10 percent of those playing “Love and Deepspace” are male.- ‘Better than real life’ -Wang Yaya, a 23-year-old university student, has spent over 70,000 yuan ($10,000) on the game and related merchandise.”I’m happy to pay for the emotional value,” she told AFP.Fans pool their money to organise events — such as those to celebrate Rafayel’s birthday — where they pose for photos with cardboard cutouts of the heartthrob and exchange homemade merchandise.A seven-year veteran of games like “Love and Deepspace”, Wang attributes the willingness of her and her peers to spend to a lack of emotional support from their parents as children.”Many of my friends are the same,” she explained.And for some players, the virtual romances are much more enticing than real-life dating. Since discovering games like “Love and Deepspace”, Liu said she has lost interest in dating real men. “Playing otome games is an especially nice experience and even better than real life,” she said, referring to the wider genre of romantic games, originally developed in Japan.Student Liu Yuxuan, 22, sees her bond with Rafayel as a central part of her life. “Because everyone can have their secrets, some of which you cannot tell others. When you open the game, you can talk to him,” she said.”I can reveal myself to him without reservation, and he will show me his love without reservation,” she said.Rafayel’s love is firm and faithful — something she says is rare in real life.Another player, who goes by Zaylia, summed up the game’s appeal for her peers: “It fulfils our fantasy of being in a relationship.””Isn’t the greatest use of a relationship itself to provide emotional value?”

Most Asian equities rose Thursday after US Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell suggested any increase in consumer prices caused by tariffs would likely be short-lived, even as the central bank slashed its growth outlook and hiked inflation expectations.Markets have been seized by volatility recently as US President Donald Trump embarks on his hardball trade policy that has seen him impose painful duties on imports from major partners, stoking recession fears.Some observers have also warned his pledges to slash taxes, regulations and immigration will reignite inflation and force the Fed to reassess its monetary policy, with some even fearing rate hikes.After a closely watched meeting on Wednesday, the US central bank stood pat on borrowing costs for the second time in a row and said “uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased”. It also predicted the economy would expand 1.7 percent this year, compared with 2.1 percent estimated in December, and tipped core inflation to hit 2.8 percent as opposed to the 2.5 percent previously seen. However, its dot plot estimate for rate cuts still showed officials saw two this year.Powell said: “We do understand that sentiment has fallen off pretty sharply, but economic activity has not yet and so we are watching carefully.”I would tell people the economy seems to be healthy.”He added that inflation had “started to move up” and officials think that is “partly in response to tariffs. And there may be a delay in further progress over the course of this year”.Any increase would be “transitory”, Powell said, but warned it would be hard to determine how much of a factor the levies — as opposed to other factors — would play in lifting prices. The remarks were taken as market-supportive and 10-year US Treasury yields, a proxy of monetary policy, dropped. That was also helped by news the Fed would slow its pace of balance sheet reduction — the bank ramped up bond-buying during the pandemic to keep rates low and has been offloading them in recent months to normalise monetary policy.- ‘Do the right thing’ -Trump late Wednesday called on decision-makers to cut rates now, urging on his Truth Social platform to “do the right thing”.Kerry Craig, global market strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management, said: “The Fed doesn’t have all the answers but faces plenty of questions about how it is interpreting the shift in the US economy and policy impacts.”For now, the market seems reassured that the Fed is ready to act if needed.”But he added: “Overall, the outlook remains uncertain.”All three main indexes on Wall Street rallied.And most of Asia followed suit, with Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Wellington and Manila all up. Jakarta gained almost two percent to extend Wednesday’s gains, but the index remains under pressure — it has dropped 10 percent in 2025 — on concerns about Indonesia’s economy, Southeast Asia’s biggest.Hong Kong, however, retreated after a breathtaking run-up this year that has seen the Hang Seng Index pile on more than 20 percent. Shanghai also dropped.Tokyo was closed for a holiday.The yen extended Wednesday’s gains after Powell’s dovish comments, while the dollar was also softer against the pound and euro.But lingering tariff fears and geopolitical developments helped safe-haven gold to another record above $3,056.Oil rose again following a fresh upsurge in Middle East hostilities after Israel launched its most intense strikes on Gaza since a ceasefire with Hamas took effect.Traders are also keeping tabs on eastern Europe after Trump told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States could own and run his country’s nuclear power plants as part of his bid to secure a ceasefire with Russia.Zelensky said he was ready to pause attacks on Russia’s energy network and infrastructure, a day after Vladimir Putin agreed to halt similar strikes on Ukraine.- Key figures around 0250 GMT -Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 24,525.12Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,419.55Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: UP at $1.0912 from $1.0903 on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3010 from $1.3002Dollar/yen: DOWN at 148.27 yen from 148.71 yenEuro/pound: UP at 83.88 pence from 83.82 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $67.50 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.4 percent at $71.06 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.9 percent at 41,964.63 points (close)London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 8,706.66 (close)

To sow or not to sow? Canola farmers in Canada’s vast western Prairies region have found themselves in the crossfire of trade wars with both the United States and China.”We have two economic superpowers of the world having a trade war with us at the same time,” Rick White, head of the Canadian Canola Growers Association, told AFP.”We’ve had our challenges but nothing of this magnitude. This is the worst of all scenarios,” he said, weeks before planting is to begin.Canada, a major agricultural economy, is among the world’s top producers of canola — an oilseed crop that is used to make cooking oil, animal meal and biodiesel fuel.But the bulk of canola exports go to just two customers, the United States and China, two countries with which Ottawa is now in standoffs over tariffs.A few days ago, Beijing announced 100 percent tariffs on canola oil and meal in response to Ottawa’s levies on Chinese electric vehicles, which align with those imposed on China by the United States under former president Joe Biden.Meanwhile, since coming to office in January, US President Donald Trump has threatened widespread tariffs on imports of Canadian goods into the United States.The price of canola has plunged as a result of the Chinese tariffs, dragging the price of European rapeseed down with it.- Seeding soon -All of this must be sorted out in the coming weeks, fumes Jason Johnson, a farmer from Manitoba province in Canada’s agricultural heartland.”We’re going to be seeding in about a month and once we do, we can’t change crops,” he said, while waiting for a call from a seed dealer about possible alternative crops.China accounts for nearly one third of Canadian canola exports, mainly canola seeds, while the United States is the largest market for canola oil and meal.Johnson believes it was wrong for Canada to impose tariffs on China.”We should go back to China and say, ‘We’ll lift our tariffs if you lift yours,’ basically doing a Trump by threatening tariffs and then retracting them,” he told AFP.On his 2,500-acre farm just north of the Canada-US border, he grows canola each year on about 1,000 acres, and feels certain the United States will ramp up tariffs against Canada that will be widespread and hit hard.Those tariff threats have already sent shockwaves through Canada, as more than 75 percent of its exports go to the United States. A trade war between the two neighbors, with Canada retaliating, would cause significant damage to the Canadian economy.- ‘Engage with China’ -Canola Council of Canada chief executive Chris Davison is urging the Canadian government “to immediately engage with China, with a view to resolving this issue.”Ottawa and Beijing have been at loggerheads for several years, relations having soured after Canada detained a senior Huawei executive on a US warrant in December 2018 and Beijing retaliated by holding two Canadians. A deal was reached that saw all three detainees released in September 2021, but bad blood remains, with Beijing criticizing Ottawa for aligning itself with Washington’s China policies and Canadian authorities regularly accusing China of interference.As this goes on Canadians wonder if bright yellow fields of canola will be seen in the Prairies this spring.Johnson says switching from canola to alternative crops at the last minute wouldn’t be easy. Markets for other crops are mostly smaller and if canola farmers switch to cultivating them it would lead to an oversupply and a drop in prices for those agricultural commodities too.He noted also that Canada has “invested a lot in the last 20 years in infrastructure” to crush canola into oil and meal.