BANGKOK — Lady Gaga wants to go shopping in Bangkok — for a fake Rolex. The singer made the comment to her 24 million Twitter followers, sparking a uproar Thursday in Thailand where some fans called it offensive, insulting and bad for the country’s image.

It’s the latest publicity-making turn of events as “The Born This Way Ball” travels through Asia.

“We are more civilized than you think,” tweeted Thai DJ Surahit Siamwalla, who has a ticket to Friday’s show in Bangkok but said he plans to boycott.
“She came to our home, but instead of admiring us she insulted us,” said a commentator on popular Thai web board pantip.com.
Lady Gaga posted her tweet shortly after her private jet arrived Wednesday night: “I just landed in Bangkok baby! Ready for 50,000 screaming Thai monsters. I wanna get lost in a lady market and buy fake Rolex.” It is unclear what a “lady market” is but some Thai fans assumed she meant the popular outdoor Ladies Market in Hong Kong, where she already toured — and also eyed the luxury knockoffs.
“I love this city,” she tweeted April 30 after taking a Hong Kong spin class. “You can work out & buy a fake Birkin on the same street.”
Not all Thai fans objected to the off-color comment. A screaming mob greeted Lady Gaga at the airport. Crowds thronged her 5-star hotel, where she signed autographs and hugged one female fan who left in tears. People have camped outside Rajamangala stadium for days, hoping to be first inside and win the prize of meeting the pop star in person. — AP

Taiwan’s unmarried women slam education ministry

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s unmarried women were up in arms Thursday over the education ministry’s online dictionary, which defines a “good woman” as one who focuses on her family life and adores her husband. Several women lawmakers slammed the ministry for being biased against unwed women and promoting chauvinistic attitudes.
“The characteristic of a new good woman is to focus her life on her family, adore her husband, look after her children and do her best to maintain a happy and harmonious marriage,” the dictionary states.
Lawmaker Lo Shu-lei, who is single, said the ministry “doesn’t know which year we are” and “discriminates against unmarried women”, adding that a good woman should be defined as “confident, hard-working and independent”.
Unmarried lawmaker Chen Ting-fei said: “This is male chauvinism and feudalistic thinking. I am in a bad mood, because I have become a bad woman since I don’t have a husband to adore and children to take care of.”
The ministry promised to respect gender quality and seek advice of relevant rights groups when updating the dictionary. — AFP

Filipino farmer who shot,
ate a rare eagle fixed

MANILA — Conservationists Thursday slammed the “pathetic” fine handed to a Philippine farmer who shot and ate one of the world’s rarest eagles, saying it could embolden other hunters.
In the first case brought under the country’s 2001 wildlife act, Bryan Balaon, 26, was fined 100,000 pesos ($2,300), Philippine Eagle Foundation president Dennis Salvador said. “We find the fine pathetic. He got off with a slap on the wrist,” Salvador said. — AFP

NZ teenager wins chance
to address UN summit

WELLINGTON — A New Zealand teenager was Thursday named winner of a global youth contest to address June’s United Nations Rio summit on sustainable development, saying she was “honoured” to speak at the event.
Brittany Trilford, 17, was announced winner of the global “Date With History” video speech contest on sustainability action, which was open to anyone across the world aged between 13 and 30 years of age.
“I entered ‘Date With History’ to show solidarity with youth around the world, demanding that our leaders remember we are all their children and they owe us a fighting chance at a future we want to inherit,” Trilford said. — AP