Auction house Sotheby's said Wednesday that rare and precious gemstones are generating a strong following in the Asian region. This as Sotheby's unveiled a 72-carat, flawless white diamond set to be hammered off for $10 million to $12 million in the upcoming Asian sale. Quek Chin announced that this D-color, white stone will be the third largest "pear-shaped" stone ever auctioned globally and the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction in Asia.

Excitement, enthusiasm, and national pride are running high among local Chinese in anticipation of the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, a survey released Monday revealed. The survey 'Project 2008 Poll, conducted for public relations and advertising company Ogilvy in China and Milward Brown ACSR, showed that 74 percent of Chinese were "excited or very excited" about China hosting its first Olympics and a high degree of "national pride" in the games, prevails among 72 percent who said they were proud of China.

The latest look at shopping comes from Shermans Travel, which has put together its list of the top spots for "shopaholics. " The Thai capital Bangkok topped the list for its reputation as one of the best shopping destinations in Asia. Good finds in the city are high-quality silk, jewelry, and traditional crafts for a reasonable amount of money. Buenos Aires in Argentina is cited for its low cost leather products. Denmark's Copenhagen is among the top five for its wide-range of merchandise especially home accessories and glassware such as Holmegaard and Royal Copenhagen Porcelain.

A rare colorless diamond found in the South African is set to be auctioned off in Hong Kong in late May. The 101. 27-carat gem, which was unveiled on Tuesday, is the largest colorless diamond to appear at auction in twenty years and will reportedly fetch no less than $6 million.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Chiang Mai University are conducting a workshop in Thailand about insect consumption, collection, harvest, processing and marketing. The workshop aims to impart to forest managers the knowledge on insects and insect management possessed by traditional forest dwellers and forest-dependent people. It also aims to provide income and jobs in rural areas for people who capture, rear, process, transport and market edible insects.