Fans celebrate new book in Asia

Harry Potter magic hit Asia on Sunday morning as aspiring witches and wizards crowded bookstores to get their hands on the first copies of a new play that imagines the hero as an adult. Launch parties for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child were held hours after the play's premiere in London, setting the stage for a return of the series that has captivated readers and movie audiences worldwide. Nearly 300 fans rushed through the doors of Kinokuniya bookstore on Singapore's Orchard Road at 7.01 am (23.01 GMT Saturday) to become one of the first people in the world to see the new script. Student Samantha Chua, 24, who along with her boyfriend was first in line, said she had been waiting outside the fourth-floor bookstore since 5 am. "We were here so early that the mall wasn't even open yet so we had to come up through the cargo lifts," she told AFP, adding that it was "all worth it". "I grew up reading the books and I have a special place for them on my shelves but this will be my crowning glory," added Chua, who was wearing a Harry Potter-themed sweater.