Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia www.atlaff.org
November 15-30, 2013 Vol 10 No 22
Filipino community in metro Atlanta pitches to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan
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November 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
Georgia Asian Times November 15-30, 2013
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GAT Calendar of Events (For latest & updated events, visit www.gasiantimes.com)
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Exporters Forum Presented by UPS and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Date: Friday, November 15, 2013 Time: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm Venue: UPS World HQ, 55 Glenlake Parkway For more info: www.metroatlantachamber.com
Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia’s Annual Gala Date: Friday, December 6, 2013 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: KTN Crystal Ballroom, 4675 Rivergreen Parkway, Duluth GA 30096 For more info: laccga@gmail.com or 404-542-5950
Partnership Gwinnett - Gwinnett Global Business Meeting (Q4) Date: Wednesday November 20, 2013 Time: 8:30 am - 10:00 am Venue: Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth
2013 Election Season Celebration Presented by Asian American Legal Advocacy Center Date: Tuesday December 10, 2013 Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Venue: I Luv Pho #3 Buford Highway 5145 Buford Highway For more info: 404-585-8446
“Doing Business with China: The Empirical Perspective” Georgia State University-China Week Date: Thursday, November 21, 2013 Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Venue: 100 Auburn Auditorium, GSU For more info: https://doing-business-with-china.eventbrite.com Thanksgiving & Fundraising Luncheon Organized by Good Shepherd Services of Atlanta (GSSA) Date: Saturday, November 23, 2013 Time: 11:30 am Venue: 2426 Shallowford Terraces, Atlanta GA 30341 For more info: 770.986.8279
Portfolio Show Showcasing Design, Media Arts and Fashion Presented by Art Institute of Atlanta Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013 Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Venue: 6600 Peachree Dunwoody Road, NE For more info: www.aii.edu
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November 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
METRO ASIAN NEWS Key results from local elections Atlanta, November 5, 2013 — Atlanta’s Mayor Kasim Reed retain his seat for a second term after he polled 85 percent of the votes against several candidates in the local elections. Mayor Reed secured 39,665 votes in the race.
Filipino community in metro Atlanta pitches to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan Duluth, November 11, 2013 — Members and leaders of Atlanta’s Filipino community gathered at a Filipino food court to coordinate efforts to assist and to fund raise for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Several of the Filipino community members have friends and family members living in the Tacloban area and Leyte Province. P1020851“Many of them have no direct communications since the typhoon hits several days ago,” says Ray Donato, Honorary Consul General of the Philippines in Georgia. Several community leaders including Willie Bonus, President of Makabayan, a local Filipino non-profit group, are seeking ways to effectively channel the cash and help to the needy victims. “The victims are in dire need of basics such as water, food, and medicines. It is important that they receive the help in a timely manner to avoid a human tragedy,” said Elsie Vidanes, President of Filipino American Association of Georgia.
Members of the public and the Filipino community are encourage to make monetary donation through Makabayan Foundation’s website. The contribution is tax deductible as Makabayan Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization. The Philippines Embassy in Washington DC have also listed seven official organizations on its website that can effectively disburse the funds and help the victims, according to Consul General Donato. Several church mass are being planned to honor and to fund raise for the victims on Thursday, Nov 14 and Saturday, Nov 16. “We are very grateful for the Atlanta’s community and the Asian community in Georgia for expressing their desire to help in the relief effort,” said Consul General Donato. Philippines Embassy Washington DC Website: http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org
Asian American candidates have mixed results in the local race: Alex Wan retained his seat in the Atlanta City Council District 6 with 3,183 (76 percent) of the votes. Hang Tran, a Vietnamese American candidate won the Morrow City Council Large 1 post with 66 percent of votes over Jeff DeTar. Tran is the first Vietnamese American candidate to win a local political position in Georgia history. First time candidate Louis Tseng came in respectable third in his bid for Duluth City Post 1 with 214 votes. Incumbent Marshar Bomar will face David Cossette in a run off. Listed below are highlights of local election results: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed 39,665 (85%) Al Bartell 2,521 (5%) Glenn Wrightson 2,319 (5%) Fraser Duke 2,093 (4%)
Clayton County Morrow City Council at Large 1 Hang Tran 352 (66%) Jeff DeTar 180 (34%) DeKalb County Chamblee Annexation Yes 640 (61%) No 408 (39%) DeKalb County Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson 467 (100%) DeKalb County Clarkson Mayor Ted Terry 239 (53%) Ibrahim Sufi 128 (28%) Emanuel Ransom (Incumbent) 86 (19%) Gwinnett County Duluth City Post 1 Marshar Bomar (Incumbent) 541 (47%) David Cossette 391 (34%) Louis Tseng 214 (19%) Gwinnett County SPLOST Yes 21,647 (58%) No 15,499 (42%) Gwinnett County Peachtree Corners Redevelopment Powers Law Yes 1,669 (65%) No 897 (35%)
Atlanta City Council District 6 Alex Wan (Incumbent) 3,183 (76%) Mike Boyle 587 (14%) Tracey Austin 394 (9%) Makabayan Foundation Georgia Website: http://makabayangeorgia. com Red Cross Philippines Website: http://www.redcross.org.ph/ Church Mass Honoring the Typhoon Haiyan Victims: Date: Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 Time: 8:00 pm Venue: Cathedral of Christ the King 699 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
Date: Saturday, Nov 16, 2013 Time: 5:00 pm Venue: St. John Newman Catholic Church 801 Tom Smith Rd, SW Lilburn GA 30047
Georgia Asian Times November 15-30, 2013
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FEATURE Philippines buries some dead as US carrier arrives TACLOBAN, November 14, 2013 - A huge US aircraft carrier arrived off the coast of the typhoon-hit Philippines Thursday, offering hope of a dramatic uptick in aid to destitute survivors as officials buried scores of rotting corpses. The USS George Washington, with 5,000 sailors aboard, headed an eightstrong flotilla of US vessels bearing badly needed equipment, supplies and expertise for the thousands left homeless and hungry by one of the strongest storms in history. But almost a week after Super Typhoon Haiyan swept through the country’s central islands, killing thousands and leaving a lawless security vacuum in its wake, desperation was still apparent and many of the dead remained unburied. “I do feel that we have let people down,” conceded United Nations humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos, who had visited the shattered city of Tacloban on Wednesday. “Those who have been able to leave have done so. Many more are trying. People are extremely desperate for help,” she told reporters in Manila. “We need to get assistance to them now. They are already saying it has taken too long to arrive. Ensuring a faster delivery is our... immediate priority.” Around 110 corpses were interred in a mass grave Thursday before heavy-digging machinery broke down, Tacloban mayor Alfred Romualdez said. They were placed at the bottom of a huge pit that was expected to be several layers deep by the time it is covered over with earth.
“There are still so many cadavers in so many areas. It’s scary,” said Romualdez, adding that retrieval teams were struggling to cope. “There would be a request from one community to collect five or 10 bodies and when we get there, there are 40,” he said, describing aid agencies’ response to the crisis as too slow.
devastation that has been left by Typhoon Haiyan is quite simply remarkable. We are so grateful for the huge amount of donations which are vital to fund the work done by our emergency teams,” DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said.
An atmosphere of fear and depression But on the ground, the meagre aid that was getting through was still inadequate, with distribution hampered by fears of armed looters and by broken infrastructure.
President Barack Obama urged Americans to donate generously to their former Asian colony. US officials said relief channels were slowly opening up with the reopening of a main road.
Sick or injured people lie helplessly among the ruins of buildings, while those with the energy try to leave a place that resembles hell.
Ships and planes from Asia-Pacific nations and Europe are also converging on the Philippines, bearing food, water, medical supplies, tents and other essentials to a population in dire need of the basics of life.
Efren Nagrama, area manager at the civil aviation authority, said conditions were “very dire now” as he surveyed the filthy stream of humanity at Tacloban’s battered airport clamoring to get a flight out.
Prime Minister David Cameron dispatched the biggest vessel in Britain’s own fleet, a helicopter carrier, while heavy transport planes carrying equipment such as forklift trucks have already arrived.
“You see hundreds coming to the compound every day. People who have walked for days without eating, only to arrive here and be made to wait for hours or days under the elements,” he said.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a coordinating body for British aid charities, said it had raised 23 million pounds ($37 million) in the first 48 hours of launching an appeal for the Philippines.
“People are pushed to the tipping point -- they see relief planes but cannot get to the food nor get a ride out. There is chaos.”
“The public’s reaction to the sheer
Mayor Romualdez said the people of Tacloban needed an “overwhelming response” from aid organizations and the government.
“We need more manpower and more equipment,” Romualdez pleaded. “A six-day-old body is quite heavy. You would need three or four people to carry it. “I cannot use a truck to collect cadavers in the morning and then use it to distribute relief goods in the afternoon,” he added. “Let’s get the bodies out of the streets. They are creating an atmosphere of fear and depression.” City officials estimate that they have collected 2,000 bodies but insist many more need to be retrieved. The UN fears that 10,000 people may have died in Tacloban city alone, but President Benigno Aquino has described that figure as “too much”. The Philippine coastguard on Thursday confirmed the death of a 69-year-old Dutch tourist, whose body was found on Monday near the western Philippine island of Palawan. While the retrieval of the dead gets going, there are growing fears for the health of those who survived. The World Health Organization says there are significant injuries that need to be dealt with -- open wounds that can easily become infected in the sweltering tropical heat. Experts warn that a reliable supply of clean drinking water is vital if survivors are not to fall victim to diarhoea, which can lead to dehydration and death, especially in small children.
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November 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
BUSINESS
China Internet firms sue Baidu in piracy battle BEIJING, November 13, 2013 - Two major Chinese Internet firms -- backed by Hollywood -- are suing the Asian giant’s leading search engine Baidu over copyright violations, they said Wednesday, in a rare internal challenge to the country’s rampant piracy. The two firms -- leading Web portal Sohu and top online video company Youku Tudou -- are seeking as much as 300 million yuan ($49 million) in compensation from Baidu, which they say has committed a “serious violation” of their rights by letting users access pirated material online. “We cannot keep competing because where thieves and robbers are having their way, law-abiding companies cannot survive,” Sohu Group chairman and CEO Charles Zhang said in a statement. If such practices continue, he added, “nobody will invest in content, and China’s online video industry will face the (same) sad situation as the music industry, which has already been destroyed by piracy”. The Motion Picture Association of America is backing the move, as are Chinese Internet titan Tencent, Wanda Films and TV producer Huayi Brothers. In a statement, Baidu defended its anti-piracy efforts, noting that it filters out unauthorized content through an automated mechanism and also aims to take down pirated material within 24 hours of users flagging it. “Piracy is a difficult problem in the domestic video industry,” it said in the Chinese-language statement. “In the
future, Baidu will continue to step up its efforts to support the development of legal video.” Baidu, founded in 2000, held more than 80 percent of China’s search market in the first quarter of this year, according to a recent report by independent analysts iResearch. The search giant has in recent months moved to consolidate its position in China’s mobile internet, but faces accusations from online video firms that it is “distributing content without authorization while engaging in activities that are beyond the scope of a search engine”. In a joint statement, the video and film companies accused Baidu of harming their business by using links that allow users to directly access content without having to visit third-party sites. They also charged that Baidu has profited from advertising revenue-sharing agreements with illegal online video sites. “It’s very technical, but we have to explain to the public that (Baidu’s) behavior is 100% piracy,” Zhang told AFP, adding that the online video industry will be “completely destroyed” if the current trend continues. China has the world’s largest online population, with 564 million Internet users at the end of last year according to authorities.
GM moves international operations HQ to Singapore from Shanghai SINGAPORE, November 13, 2013 - US auto giant General Motors (GM) said Wednesday it would move the headquarters of its international operations to Singapore from Shanghai, boosting the city-state’s status as a regional business hub. Detroit-based GM said in a statement that the relocation of its consolidated international operations would take place in the second quarter of next year. The new headquarters “will oversee key parts” of GM’s business in Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, India, South Korea and the Middle East as well as Chevrolet and Cadillac in Europe, the statement added. There will be 120 employees in Singapore. GM will keep 250 employees in Shanghai and 245 in Seoul. GM said the move would allow it to focus on China, the world’s biggest vehicle market, while strengthening its presence in other countries in the region. The Singapore headquarters will “lead the company’s umbrella strategy for the region”, GM said. It said Singapore offers several advantages, including “greater proximity” to key international markets like Southeast Asia and India, the Middle East and Africa. “We are heartened that GM has chosen to set up its international headquarters,” said Lim Kok Kiang, an assistant managing director at Singapore’s Economic Development Board.
Kelly Teoh, market strategist at IG Markets in Singapore, said the move signaled a growing perception that the city-state was “trumping” Shanghai and Hong Kong as the preferred location for regional offices. “Singapore is now being seen not only as a purely Southeast Asian hub, but also an Asian hub with wide networks,” said Teoh. Singapore’s clear regulatory framework and low corporate and personal income taxes also made it favorable for multinational corporations, she said. The decision “reflects Singapore’s strong competitive advantage as the Asia-Pacific’s leading headquartering hub for management functions”, said Rajiv Biswas, regional chief economist at global consultancy IHS. “However GM will remain strongly committed to its production operations in China, which has become the world’s largest auto market since 2010,” he said. But while GM further cements its presence in China, it must also gain market share in other Asia-Pacific markets such as Indonesia, India and Vietnam which are forecast to grow strongly in the next decade, Biswas said. Singapore hosts thousands of multinational corporations which have set up regional or global operations. Shanghai has sought for several years to lure foreign companies by offering financial subsidies which effectively reduce their tax payments.
Georgia Asian Times November 15-30, 2013
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BUSINESS
Putin in Seoul pushes new ‘Silk Road’ via North Korea SEOUL, November 13, 2013 (AFP) Russian President Vladimir Putin was in South Korea Wednesday, pushing a pet project for a new trading route linking Asia and Europe by rail that requires prying open North Korea. The ambitious scheme envisages an “Iron Silk Road” uniting the rail networks of South and North Korea and connecting them to Europe via the Trans-Siberian Railway. But it faces huge political obstacles, given the volatility of inter-Korean relations and the international community’s struggle to contain the North’s nuclear ambitions through UN sanctions. Speaking to a South Korea-Russia business conference during his one-day visit, Putin acknowledged the difficulties but said they were outweighed by the project’s potential advantages. “I hope political problems will be solved at an early date, as South Korea, North Korea and Russia will reap great economic benefits when it’s completed,” Putin said, urging South Korean investors to come on board. “This project, if accomplished, will help make a great contribution to the establishment of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula,” he added Russia took a first step in September, when it completed a 54-kilometre (33mile) track from its southeast border town of Khasan to the North Korean port of Rajin. Located in the far northeast, where the borders of North Korea, Russia and China converge, Rajin offers a warm-water port for the North’s two giant neighbours. Putin wants to see the rail link extended through North Korea, across the world’s last Cold War frontier, and all the way down to the southern South Korean port of Busan. Media reports say Russia is looking
for South Korea to take a 34 percent share in the project, with Moscow holding 36 percent and Pyongyang 30 percent. Steelmaker Posco, train operator Korail and Hyundai Rotem have been suggested as possible members of a consortium to take on the South Korean share. Putin’s visit saw the two sides sign a memorandum of understanding in support of the project, but Andrei Lankov, a Russian expert on North Korea who teaches at Seoul’s Kookmin University, said he remained “very skeptical” about the entire undertaking. “The idea itself makes perfect sense from a trade and economic viewpoint,” said Lankov. “But this is clearly going to cost billions of dollars and what companies are going to risk that much investment with North Korea in the current climate?” “I’m sure North Korea will be keen, because once it got started, it would provide Pyongyang with a new project to manipulate and use to pressure others,” he added. Lankov said the same financial and political risks applied to plans to build a pipeline to supply both Koreas with Russian natural gas. Observers highlight the precedent of the Kaesong industrial zone jointly run by North and South Korea, which Pyongyang unilaterally shut down in April as military tensions surged.
Chinese film market will surpass Hollywood in 10 years, says Ang Lee TAIPEI, November 12, 2013 (AFP) - Oscar-winning director Ang Lee on Tuesday said that Chinese-language cinema could earn more revenue than Hollywood in ten years’ time and does not need to broaden its appeal. Speaking ahead of the Golden Horse Film Awards in Taiwan, Lee said: “(The) Chinese-speaking group is probably four times more than English-speaking people. “So I think as long as we are influential in the Chinese-speaking world, I think we will prevail, we will ripple out.” The 50th edition of the prestigious award ceremony, seen as the Chinese-language equivalent of the Oscars, will take place on November 23 in Taipei. Taiwan-born Lee, who will this year chair the jury for the festival, added:
The zone reopened in September, but South Korean factory owners said they lost a small fortune during the fivemonth closure.
amid signs that Pyongyang, despite UN sanctions, is moving ahead on all fronts to acquire a credible nuclear deterrent.
Both the rail and gas projects were brought up in Putin’s talks with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.
Russia is a member of the stalled six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, along with China, the United States, Japan and the two Koreas.
The two leaders also discussed North Korea’s nuclear weapons program
“I think in ten years’ of time maybe our market will be bigger than the Hollywood market. Things will come naturally. “It’s important that we keep doing it, it will have ups and downs but eventually it will pay back.” Industry analysts have predicted that China -- which collected an estimated $2.8 billion in box office takings last year, compared with Hollywood’s $10.8 billion -- will at the current rate of growth become the world’s dominant market by 2020. Lee, who is now based in New York, was hailed as the “glory of Taiwan” after becoming the first Asian to win a best director Oscar for the 2005 gay cowboy drama “Brokeback Mountain”. He won a second best director Oscar for the 3D adventure “Life of Pi” in February.
China and North Korea have been pushing to get the dialogue back on track and Putin told a joint press conference with Park that Moscow also favored an “early resumption” of the talks. Seoul and Washington insist Pyongyang must first show some genuine commitment to denuclearization.
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November 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
ART
Under-fire Germany moves to shine light on Nazi art trove BERLIN, November 12, 2013 - Germany sought Tuesday to calm a row over art looted during the Nazi era by posting images online of 25 paintings including long-lost works by Matisse, Delacroix and Rodin with the aim of finding their rightful owners. After a week of uproar over the revelation that German customs police had more than a year and a half ago seized about 1,400 treasured works stashed for decades in a Munich apartment, the government took a few steps toward transparency. Public prosecutors in the southern city of Augsburg had been in charge of the investigation against Cornelius Gurlitt, the elderly son of Hildebrand Gurlitt, a powerful Nazi-era art dealer and collector who acquired the paintings in the 1930s and 1940s. They had commissioned a sole art historian to catalogue the works, and insisted on discretion for their ongoing probe into charges of tax evasion and misappropriation of assets. But when the case was blown open in a magazine report last week, Jewish families who believe the haul may include paintings stolen or extorted from them under the Third Reich and museums whose holdings were raided demanded to see a full inventory in order to make possible claims. Amid angry accusations of foot-dragging and obfuscation, the
German government said Monday it and the state of Bavaria had assumed responsibility for the provenance research and commissioned a task force of at least six experts to speed up the process. It chose as a first step to post images on its official online database www. lostart.de 25 paintings “for which there is strong suspicion that they were seized as part of Nazi persecution”. The website, which crashed repeatedly Tuesday apparently due to massive demand, is to be updated “regularly”.
Time for transparency The works shown included an undated dream-like allegorical scene by Chagall, a Delacroix sketch, the iconic 1901 work “Two Riders on the Beach” by Max Liebermann, a sumptuous portrait of a seated woman by Henri Matisse from the mid-1920s, and an undated nude drawing by Auguste Rodin. The German government said investigators now believe that of the hundreds of works found professionally stored in Gurlitt’s trash-strewn flat, around 590 may have been stolen from Jewish owners or bought from them under duress. About 380 works are believed to have been seized from museums amid
a crackdown under Adolf Hitler on avant-garde, or so-called “degenerate”, art. German authorities had already lifted the veil on some of the works at a news conference last Tuesday, showing slides of priceless gems in the collection including unknown Chagall and Otto Dix canvases to slack-jawed reporters. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Germany’s hard-won international reputation for facing up to its Nazi past was on the line with the extraordinary discovery of the paintings. “We have to make sure that we don’t fritter away the trust built up over long decades. It’s the time for transparency now,” he said on a visit to India, according to press reports. The Munich daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said Tuesday in a front-page story that the outrage triggered by the case had embarrassed Chancellor
Angela Merkel. Her spokesman Steffen Seibert had attempted to contain the damage Monday, telling reporters that Berlin “can well understand why representatives of Jewish groups in particular are asking questions -- they represent elderly people who were grievously wronged, or their families”. Hildebrand Gurlitt, who died in a car crash in 1956, was one of a small group of art dealers tasked with selling looted and “degenerate” art for the Nazi brass in exchange for hard currency. He was selected, despite the fact he had a Jewish grandmother, for his broad expertise and top-drawer connections in the art world. After World War II, US troops known as “Monuments Men” investigating looted art confiscated part of his collection but returned it to him in 1950 after clearing him in a probe.
Georgia Asian Times November 15-30, 2013
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LIFESTYLE
South Korea’s growing ‘kimchi deficit’
SEOUL, November 14, 2013 - It’s kimchi-making season in South Korea, with households across the country preparing and laying down stocks of the ubiquitous spicy side-dish for the coming winter.
Despite such prodigious feats of production, Korean kimchi is not that easy to come by in the country of its birth -- to the extent that it imports more of the pungent dish than it exports.
But many foreign visitors, including the most intrepid foodies, will probably leave without ever tasting a Korean-made version of the national dish of fermented, chili-soused cabbage.
Apart from upscale restaurants, most food outlets in Seoul and other cities serve Chinese-made versions of the side-dish which, in its classic form, comprises salt water-marinated cabbage flavored with a mix of powdered chili, salt, garlic, ginger and spring onion.
That might be hard to believe for those who watched Wednesday as around 3,000 women wearing surgical hats and masks with rubber gloves and aprons, gathered outside Seoul city hall for a mass kimchi-making exercise. In just four hours, they churned out 250 tons of kimchi that will be distributed to low-income families throughout the city.
This is because Chinese kimchi is far, far cheaper, with a wholesale price of around 800 won ($0.75) a kilo (2.2 pounds) compared to 3,000 won for the homemade version. And that huge price differential is largely responsible for what, since 2006, has become known as South Korea’s “kimchi deficit.” Last year, South Korean kimchi exports totaled a record $106.6 million -- 80 percent of it bound for Japan, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. (KAFTC). But imports were even higher at $110.8 million -- with 90 percent coming from China -- for a deficit of $4.2 million. That figure is expected to double in 2013, and already stood at $10 million at the end of September, partly due to a fall in exports to Japan because of the weak yen and strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo. With the exception of 2009, South Korea has run a kimchi deficit every year since 2006.
Many see this state of affairs as an affront to the cultural heritage of a country where pride in the national dish cannot be overestimated. South Korea boasts a global kimchi research centre, a kimchi museum and an annual kimchi festival -- and a fermented serving was even blasted into space with the country’s first astronaut in 2008. “It’s regrettable that the locally made kimchi is disappearing at local restaurants,” said a KAFTC official. “There have been concerns about food safety regarding made-in-China kimchi, and some restaurants fake the origin of their kimchi to customers,” he said. While something of an acquired taste, the side-dish has begun to make inroads overseas, beyond established Asian markets like Japan and China. A flush of national pride was triggered in February when US first lady Michelle Obama tweeted a recipe for White House kimchi. And the dish is widely expected to be given the official UNESCO stamp of honor as an “intangible cultural
heritage” when the UN cultural body meets in Baku next month. But for the women involved in Wednesday’s event at City Hall, such advances are overshadowed by concerns that the tradition of communal, homemade kimchi production is in danger of dying out. For generations, families and neighbors have gathered together in November to make the winter kimchi and share out the fruit of their joint efforts. But changing family and social structures in a rapidly modernizing country mean that the practice is becoming less prevalent, especially among younger South Koreans. “It’s sad that our traditional culture is disappearing like this,” said Jin Hae-Kyung, her plastic gloves glistening with red chili sauce. “I’d like our children to learn how to make it, just so they know this is how their grandmothers and ancestors have made delicious, fresh homemade kimchi for centuries,” she added.
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SPOTLIGHT as the sweeping reforms implemented since junta rule ended in 2011.
considered as Myanmar entered independence.
Queen Suphayalat’s tomb in Yangon is barely marked. When the family tried to place a simple sign there to inform visitors of the pedigree of the occupant, the former junta immediately removed it.
But one episode when the military tried to enlist the royal family to help it counter communist insurgents ended the generals’ enthusiasm for the monarchy, Shah said.
From demi-god to prisoner Thibaw was born into a courtly lifestyle steeped in incredible luxury and his fall was bewilderingly sudden.
Lost kingdom: Myanmar’s forgotten royals YANGON, November 8, 2013 – In a modest Yangon apartment, the granddaughter of Myanmar’s last king lives poor and unrecognised by her neighbours — a far cry from the power and riches of her ancestor.
Some settled in India while others made their lives in Myanmar, which remained part of the British empire until 1948 and came under junta rule in 1962.
Princess Hteik Su Phaya Gyi said the childhood days when her family had a bevy of servants and retained some of its royal status were now a distant memory.
A cloak of silence was thrown over the monarchy by successive Myanmar regimes that viewed it as a potential rival, while army leaders sought to evoke much earlier warrior royals.
The British colonial regime dethroned her grandfather King Thibaw in 1885 and later the military junta, which ruled the country for decades, kept the family out of the public eye.
“Most of Myanmar has forgotten about the king,” said deputy culture minister and royal historian Than Swe, who has spearheaded a campaign to return Thibaw’s body to Myanmar.
“They didn’t want us to be somebody,” said the silver-haired princess, swathed in a shimmering purple shawl worn especially for the rare interview.
A visit by President Thein Sein to Thibaw’s tomb in Ratnagiri during an official trip to India last December reignited interest in Myanmar’s monarchy.
“I have lived as an ordinary person for 60 years,” she said.
But Than Swe said Myanmar’s government had more immediate priorities, such
“Of course I repent a little over the glorious times that we had when we were young,” she said, displaying a lively wit undimmed by her 90 years. The demolition of the monarchy, at the end of the third and final war that brought the nation firmly under the colonial yoke, smashed centuries of royal rule in the country then called Burma. Thibaw and his wife, Queen Supayalat, were swiftly and unceremoniously removed from Myanmar and deposited in the small Indian seaside town of Ratnagiri. Thibaw died in India aged 56 in 1916, shortly after suffering a heart attack, and the family eventually fractured.
The royals lived a lavish and isolated existence within the walls of their gilded teak palace in Mandalay. They could only be approached by people crawling on their knees. “This man was a demi-god in Burma. He was worshipped by his people,” said Sudha Shah, author of “The King in Exile: The Fall of the Royal Family of Burma”. “Suddenly he was controlled like a puppet on a string by the British.” The British wanted Thibaw off the throne to appease business and Christian missionary interests in the country, Shah said. They opted for complete destruction of the monarchy, partly due to fierce resistance to their incursion which saw the country flooded with British forces. There were also doubts over finding a pliant royal heir that the British could rule through — Thibaw and his queen notoriously executed dozens of potential rivals for the throne. Restitution of the royal line was vaguely
Local people thronged to catch a glimpse of the family and women knelt and spread their hair on the ground for the family to walk on. “So taken aback were the generals by the depth of public sentiment demonstrated for the royal family, that they no longer involved the family in any further campaigns,” Shah said. The family had a brief period of public activity when the princess and her siblings set up the “Miss Burma” beauty contest — she was in charge of catwalk training. The eldest brother, Prince Taw Phaya Gyi, also became involved in the Olympics before he was assassinated by insurgents in 1948. Princess Hteik Su Phaya Gyi and her younger brother Prince Taw Phaya, the 89-year-old potential heir of the Konbaung dynasty, are the only surviving grandchildren. royals3Living with snakes and leeches The royals, refusing the small allowance offered after the British left, were forced to make their own way in the world. The princess used the impeccable English she learned as a child studying in a Catholic school in the southern city of Mawlamyine to land positions at both the Australian and US embassies before settling as a teacher — a job she still does today. But a family quarrel in the late 1990s saw her lose her inherited home and end up living “in a hut”. “During the rain the water was up to here,” she said indicating knee-deep flooding. “The snakes come into the house. And leeches.” She now lives with her daughter, who works at a burial association, and said none of her six children, 20 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren showed an interest in reviving the royal line. She is “grateful” that Thein Sein took the time to visit Ratnagiri but believes her grandfather should not be moved.
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EAT OUT Winter sake recommendations by sake sommelier Norcross, November 8, 2013 — With the weather changes to colder temperature, it is time to soothe the body with a cup of warm sake. Koji Aoto, Certified Sake Sommelier, shared his expertise on several new variety of sake that Atlantans should enjoy this coming winter.
Alcohol content: 15-16% Suggested retail: $32.00 / 720 ml.
Sujin – Junmai Super Dry “God of Water” Produced in Iwate, Tohoku Prefecture. It has a fragrant and extra dry taste. It has more “acidity” and rice flavor. Ideal for pairing with cooked spicy and warm food. Alcohol content: 16.5% Suggested retail: $36.00 / 720 ml.
Kikusui Perfect Snow Originate from Niigata Prefecture, it is 100% unfiltered and has a milky white color reminiscent of pure snow. It has a clean finish that perfectly complement to intense flavors and spicy cuisines. Ideal pairing for sushi, yakitori, BBQ ribs, and spicy Korean tofu stew. This is a perfect substitute for red wine as it goes well with meat dishes. Alcohol content: 21% Suggested retail: $13.00 / 300 ml.
Kubota Sengju Sake Originate from Niigata Prefecture. Natural alcohol is added to achieve its clean and crisp flavor. It has an elegant aroma that is comforting. It is best served chilled to enjoy the clear flavor. However, when it is warmed to about 95F, it evolves to a mellow flavor.
Banzai Bunny Sparkling Sake Originates from Nara Prefecture. The sparking sake comes with natural, white peach and blueberry flavors. It is produced with added fresh fruit juices and no sugar added. A very popular sake among the ladies. A perfect pairing with light snacks and hors d’oeuvre. Alcohol content: 7% Suggested retail: $12.00 / 300 ml.
Nihon Sakari Banshaku Karakuchi Sake Produced in Hyogo Prefecture. With a clever packaging of a small individu-
al cup, this sake is popular for everyday consumption. It has a dry, rich and clean flavor. This is an enjoyable sake with a bowl of hot ramen noodles. Alcohol content: 13.5% Suggested retail: $5.00 / 200 ml.
Koji has a few simple tips on sake: 1. Sake is best consumed while it is fresh. Sake does not age well like wine. 2. Avoid storing sake in direct sunlight or high temperature. 3. Store in a cool dark place. 4. Upon opening, keep a tight lid and store in cold refrigerator. 5. Sake is best consume within three weeks of opening.
6. If leftover in a big bottle, transfer to smaller container of bottles and stored it in cold refrigerator to minimize oxidation.
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TECH Twitter customized timelines offer new perspective SAN FRANCISCO, November 12, 2013 - Twitter said Tuesday it would offer its users the ability to create custom “timelines” for fresh perspectives on the Twittersphere. In addition to a standard timeline, users can craft new ones designed to follow new topics on the messaging platform. “Today we’re introducing custom timelines to give you more control over how tweets are organized and delivered on the Twitter platform,” Twitter’s Brian Ellin wrote on the company’s developer blog.
Australia reveals innovative ‘video stamp’ SYDNEY, November 12, 2013 Australia’s mail service has injected modern technology into the simple postage stamp -- creating a “video stamp” to deliver a personal message that recipients can view on their mobile phone. Australia Post said the Video Stamp, to be distributed for free on some parcel services in the pre-Christmas period, was the world’s first to allow users to send a 15-second personalized video along with their packages. “Christmas is a time when people want to be with their loved ones but more and more friends and family are scattered across the country and around the globe,” said Richard Umbers, executive general manager of parcel and express services. “Australia Post has always helped people connect. This year we are doing more than ever to eliminate the tyranny of distance. The Video Stamp lets you send a little piece of yourself with your gift this Christmas.”
The stamp, distributed free with Express Post and Express Courier International products before Christmas since Monday, can be accessed through a smartphone. To use it, senders scan the stamp, attach it to their parcel and record a personalized greeting using their smartphone and the free Australia Post Video Stamp app within 12 hours of posting. When the parcel is delivered, the recipient scans the stamp with their phone and it will play the message. The personalized messages are available for viewing for 90 days after recording, via smartphones and online, and can be shared through social media and email.
“Custom timelines are an entirely new type of timeline -- one that you create. You name it, and choose the tweets you want to add to it,” he explained. “This means that when the conversation around an event or topic takes off on Twitter, you have the opportunity to create a timeline that surfaces
what you believe to be the most noteworthy, relevant tweets.” The timelines are public, with their “own page on twitter.com, making it easy to share so others can follow along,” Ellin added. Some examples offered would be timelines to follow a television program, to follow an online forum or to follow specific sports events. In another example, “Twitter #music has created new timelines that present the very best Tweets from superstars, best songs with tracks you can play right in the Tweet, and the best music Vines,” Ellin said. “We’re excited to see what you’ll do with custom timelines, and are just getting started.” Twitter last week raised some $1.8 billion in one of the largest public share offerings in the tech sector.
India Mars mission back on track after engine glitch: scientists NEW DELHI, November 12, 2013 India’s Mars spacecraft was “successfully” raised into a higher orbit around Earth early on Tuesday, after a brief engine failure during an earlier attempt, the space agency said. The Mars Orbiter Mission, which blasted off on November 5 for a 11-month trip to the Red Planet, is being launched on its way via an unusual “slingshot” method for interplanetary journeys. Lacking a large enough rocket to blast directly out of Earth’s atmosphere and gravitational pull, the Indian spacecraft is orbiting Earth until the end of the month while building up enough velocity to break free. On Tuesday, the spacecraft completed a fourth repositioning to take it 100,000 kilometers (62,000 miles) from Earth, after the thruster engines failed during an attempt on Monday, leading the auto-pilot to take over.
“Fourth supplementary orbit raising maneuver of Mars Orbiter Spacecraft... has been successfully completed,” the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said in a statement. The first three maneuvers, which involve firing additional fuel into the rocket’s engine, were successfully performed last week. The ISRO said the brief engine failure on Monday was not a setback to the ambitious low-cost mission. India has never before attempted interplanetary travel and more than half of all missions to Mars have ended in failure, including China’s in 2011 and Japan’s in 2003. The cost of the project, at 4.5 billion rupees ($73 million), is less than a sixth of the $455 million earmarked for a Mars probe by NASA which will launch later this month.
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SPORTS
Hurdle, Francona named year’s top managers Braves leaving Turner Field for new ballpark ATLANTA, November 11, 2013 - The Atlanta Braves will leave their home ballpark, the former 1996 Olympic Stadium, for a new $672 million (500 million euros) suburban venue after the 2016 Major League Baseball season, the team announced Monday. The stadium where iconic boxing legend Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch was renovated after the Centennial Games and scaled down to become the Braves’ home ballpark since 1997. But the team’s 20-year lease with Turner Field expires after the 2016 campaign -- the 50th season since the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966.
The Atlanta Braves won their only World Series title in 1995 at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, the same ballpark where Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run to break Babe Ruth’s all-time record in 1974. That stadium, used for Olympic baseball, was torn down to create a parking lot for the Braves’ current ballpark. The Braves said Turner Field needs about $150 million in renovations, including seat replacement and lighting upgrades, and as a result will join Cobb County in being major investors in constructing the new stadium. Work is set to begin in the second half of 2014 and finish in time for the start of the 2017 season in April.
NEW YORK CITY, November 13, 2013 - Clint Hurdle, who guided the Pittsburgh Pirates to their first playoff berth since 1992, and Cleveland’s Terry Francona were named Major League Baseball’s Managers of the Year in voting revealed on Tuesday. A media panel voted on both awards, with Francona getting the nod after his club won its final 10 games of the regular season to reach the playoffs, becoming the first Indians’ manager to claim the honor since Eric Wedge in 2007. Francona did not win the award in 2004 or 2007, seasons when he guided the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series titles since 1918. Hurdle captured the National League award, becoming the first Pirates bench boss so honored since Jim Leyland in 1992, after Pittsburgh won 94 games, taking his three-year mark with the long-moribund club to 245-241 since his arrival in November of 2010.
Hurdle’s enthusiasm helped inspire a young squad. He matched former Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum with the most ejections of any major league manager this season with six. But he also installed confidence in a young squad that slowly built a season such as had not been seen by US Steeltown fans in two decades. “Sometimes you’ve got to believe in things other people can’t see,” Hurdle said. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly finished second with Atlanta’s Fredi Gonzalez third in NL voting. Oakland’s Bob Melvin and John Farrell of 2013 World Series champion Boston were the other AL finalists.
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SPORTS Upbeat Woods targets Major success in 2014 BELEK, November 11, 2013 - Tiger Woods, third in the Turkish Open on Sunday, has one event remaining this year but he’s already focussing on next year’s Majors and returning to three of four venues where he has tasted success in the past. Woods left Istanbul with a share of third place,four shots behind surprise winner, Victor Dubuisson of France. The world No. 1 could look back to the disappointment Thursday’s weather-delayed opening round when he shot a two under par 70 in a round whee he managed to find only three fairways. And while Woods’ driving improved marginally he averaged 66 over the next three days. Woods will not play again to his final event of the year when he hosts the December 5 commencing World Challenge at Thousand Oaks in Los Angeles, an event he has captured five times since its inception in 1999. The 14-time Major winner will then make his 2014 debut in the 25th anniversary Dubai Desert Classic starting on January 30. Next year will be six years since Woods last won a Major Championship in capturing the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines. However Woods remains quietly confident of moving closer to Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record of 18 Majors given the Masters, the British Open at Royal Liverpool and PGA Championship at Valhalla will be staged in 2014 on venues where he has won in the past. Woods has won four times at Augusta National while he won the 2006 British Open when last staged at Royal Liverpool and he defeated fellow American Bob May in a play-off to capture the PGA Championship at Valhalla when last staged on the Kentucky course in 2000. The US Open will be held at Pinehurst where Woods was runner-up in 2005 to New Zealander Michael Campbell. “Next year is really good for one for me in the Majors, and on top of having won at three of the four venues, I’ve had a third and a second at Pinehurst and hopefully I can keep improving there,” he smiled. “I’m looking forward to the four venues.
I like them and obviously I’ve played well on them.” And Woods played down criticism in not having captured a 15th Major arguing he won five times this season on the PGA Tour as well as returned to No. 1 in the world. “Compared to this time last year, I’ve got, what, five more wins since then, so I think my game has gotten a little better,” he said. “So the way I have played this year as a whole has been very encouraging. “A couple of years ago, there were a lot of guys, so many guys here (in the media) that were saying I could never win again. I’ve got eight wins since then, so it’s been good and I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made. “I’ve won on some venues that were very tough this year, and also being a part of the Presidents Cup with Freddie (Couples) and winning that point, too, was another special moment.” While Woods sounds upbeat current European No. 1 Henrik Stenson faces an anxious few days to ascertain if his right wrist will be alright ahead of the final event of the 2013 European Race to Dubai. Stenson is considering pulling out of the World Tour Championship starting on Tuesday as he had to do at the recent BMW Masters in Shanghai. “The problem with the tendons in my wrist is going to affect my preparations
but it’s been like that for the last three weeks,” he said. “My only concern is that long-term, I just hope I’m not damaging anything that’s going to take longer to get fixed later on. “But I am going to speak to my physio and see what he wants me to do.” Stenson shared seventh in Turkey but with the Swede seeing his lead cut from 343,866 euros to 213,468 euros while the leading four contenders for the European No. 1 title are now separated by 343,906 and with this week’s event carrying a first prize of 1.14 million euros.
Video ref trial at Superseries Finals KUALA LUMPUR, November 8, 2013 - Badminton will trial line-call review technology at next month’s Superseries finals, the world body said Friday, bidding to raise excitement and stamp out faulty decisions which have caused rows in the past. Following similar moves in tennis, cricket, football and rugby, players will have two challenges per match during the December 11-15 season finale in Kuala Lumpur. The system, using ultra-slow motion cameras, will be set up on the televised show court. Reviews of line-calls, or whether the shuttlecock has dropped in or out, will be judged by the match referee. “We know players have been eagerly awaiting the introduction of instant reviews and we are pleased to unveil one of the options and to see how it works,” Badminton World Federation (BWF) secretary general Thomas Lund said in a statement.
“We have done lots of testing during this year’s OSIM BWF World Superseries to finalize how this system works and we are confident it will add to the drama and excitement of the Superseries Finals -- both for players and fans. “The BWF looks forward to feedback from the players and obviously, if everything goes well, the plan would be to implement instant reviews as soon as possible.” Video reviews were originally slated to be introduced earlier in the season but they were put on hold after some last-minute hitches. Line-calls are a common flashpoint in badminton, with players sometimes accusing officials of making erroneous or biased decisions. In one famous incident in 2006, Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat stormed out of a match against China’s Lin Dan in Hong Kong after claiming the line-judging was unfair.
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HEALTH Researchers find HIV’s ‘invisibility cloak’ PARIS, November 6, 2013 - Scientists said Wednesday they had found an “invisibility cloak” that allows the AIDS virus to lurk unnoticed in human cells after infection and replicate without triggering the immune system. And they managed to “uncloak” the virus with an experimental drug in lab-grown cells -- a feat that may lead to new and better HIV treatments, the team wrote in the journal Nature. “The hope is that one day we may be able to develop a treatment that helps the body to clear the virus before the infection is able to take hold,” the study’s lead author Greg Towers of the University College London said in a statement by the Wellcome Trust, which co-funded the study. The body’s immune system is the first line of defense against infection, with an “alarm system” in each cell for detecting invading bacteria or viruses. When the alarm is triggered, the cell activates an anti-viral response and alerts surrounding cells, which do the same. But the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects vital white blood cells of the immune system and replicates undetected for a while before triggering the alarm system -- a trait that scientists have battled to understand. “HIV is extremely adept at hiding from our body’s natural defenses, which is part of the reason the virus is so dangerous,” said Towers. “Now we’ve identified the virus’ invisibility cloak and how to expose it, we’ve uncovered a weakness that could be exploited for new HIV treatments.” Towers and a team identified two molecules inside human cells that are “recruited” by HIV after infection to help shield it and thus delay the immune response. They then administered an experimental drug, based on Cyclosporine, which is widely used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients because it dampens the immune system, according to the statement. The drug prevented the virus using the molecules as a cloak, they found.
Japan research could lead to oral diabetes treatment TOKYO, October 31, 2013 (AFP) – Japanese researchers said Thursday they had moved a step closer to an oral treatment for diabetes, offering hope of a breakthrough against a disease racking an increasingly obese world. Scientists at the University of Tokyo said they have created a compound that helps the body to control glucose in the bloodstream. Glucose is a fuel that is vital to the functioning of organs all over the body, but too much of it is bad news. In some people it leads to Type 2 diabetes, a condition that can cause heart disease, strokes and kidney failure. Doctors say the incidence of Type 2 diabetes has rocketed over the last few decades, a factor they blame largely on the growing number of overweight people. Studies have shown that obese people tend to have lower levels of adiponectin — a hormone that regulates glucose and increases the effectiveness of insulin. Now researchers in Japan have developed a compound they named AdipoRon that mimics the effects of the hormone. Crucially, unlike adiponectin, which is broken down as it passes through the gut, AdipoRon survives unscathed all the way to the blood. AdipoRon could be “a lead compound” in a possible oral treatment for diabetes, according to Toshimasa Yamauchi, a member of the research team and lecturer at the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. “We aim to launch clinical tests in a few years,” he said. Doctors advise people with Type 2 diabetes to eat healthily and exercise, but the researchers said that sometimes proves too much of a challenge.
“Dietary therapy is not easy even for healthy people, no matter whether or not they are obese or have disease,” they said in a press release. “The opportunities for exercise have inevitably reduced drastically as society has become more automated. “A compound that could imitate dietary and exercise treatments and realise health benefits” has long been a desired goal in the field, said the team, whose work was published in the online version of Nature.
A firefighter or goal keeper in the body Researchers found the four-month survival rate for obese and diabetic mice fed with high-fat food was only 30 percent against 95 percent for the same kind of mice on a normal lowfat, balanced diet. Similar overweight and diabetic creatures on the high-fat diet that were given the compound showed a four-month survival rate rising to 70 percent. The team’s repeated experiments “have showed mice given the compound lived longer even though they were fed with high-fat food and did not lose weight”, Yamauchi said. He noted some people have difficulty exercising because of heart or other physical problems, or may find it difficult to cope with restrictions on the intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The compound could eventually supplement exercise or dietary restrictions for those people, he said, adding it also had potential as a weight loss medicine because of an increase in energy consumption that had been noted.
Yuji Matsuzawa, the doctor whose research team found and named adiponectin in humans in 1995, said the latest findings marked “major progress” in the study of the protein. “More research needs to be done on adiponectin as it is a multi-potent hormone that could prevent cancer, arterial stiffening and many other problems — a firefighter or goalkeeper in the body, so to speak,” Matsuzawa said. “There also could be another approach aimed at increasing production of adiponectin itself as it derives from fat cells,” he said. As the study proceeds, “we will see whether the approach to invigorate the hormone receptor could outstrip the effect of self-made adiponectin”, said Matsuzawa, who heads Sumitomo Hospital in Osaka. According to the World Health Organisation, around 347 million people worldwide have diabetes. The less common kind, Type 1, is characterised by the body not producing enough insulin. It can be treated by daily injections, but cannot be cured. Around 90 percent of global sufferers have Type 2, a form the WHO says is “largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity…. (a) growing global problem”. Half of all diabetes sufferers die of cardiovascular disease, according to the WHO.
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Misc Asia Cambodia welcomes UN ruling on territorial dispute PREAH VIHEAR, November 11, 2013 - Cambodia welcomed and Thailand accepted a UN ruling Monday awarding most of the disputed border land around an ancient temple to Cambodia -- an issue which sparked deadly clashes in the past. Nervous Cambodians had dug bunkers or evacuated homes earlier Monday in anticipation of trouble following the International Court of Justice ruling at The Hague, while many Thai schools along the border were shut for the day. Following the ruling Cambodia’s strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen addressed his nation on television, reiterating a pledge to work with Thailand to keep the border peace and “not do anything that will lead to tension”. But he added: “This is a significant step forward... towards a peaceful resolution.” At least 28 people have been killed in outbreaks of violence since 2011 over the ownership of a patch of land next to the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. The issue inflames nationalist sentiment in both countries -- not least because both governments, experts say, have used it to drum up support or as a distraction from domestic politics. The UN’s top court ruled that most of the area around the 11th century temple belongs to Cambodia and that any Thai security forces there should leave. Despite the apparent blow Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra agreed to hold talks with Cambodia, adding she would protect her kingdom’s interests.
“The government has asked the military... to take care of peace along the border,” she said in a television address, reflecting the importance of the ruling to patriotic Thais. Tens of thousands of people were displaced in the 2011 fighting, leading Cambodia to ask the ICJ for an interpretation of the original 1962 ruling on ownership of the contested parcel of land. Thailand does not dispute Cambodia’s ownership of the temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but both sides claimed an adjacent 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) piece of land. The mood on both sides of Preah Vihear temple had been tense before the ruling. “We have already prepared our bunkers in case Thai troops open fire,” said So Phany, a Cambodian vendor near the temple.
China shoppers embrace online spending spree for singletons BEIJING, November 11, 2013 - Chinese shoppers spent billions of dollars online Monday, data showed, as they took advantage of discounts offered on Singles Day, a festival created by e-tailers to persuade the loveless to console themselves with retail therapy. November 11 -- or 11.11 -- was proclaimed as “singles’ day”, because of the number of ones in the date, with sellers promoting discounts to the nation’s singletons. “Male and female singles are no longer depressed now because all their attention is focused on the Internet to buy stuff,” said one skeptical poster on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. “But afterwards they will realise their problems have not been resolved.” China has the world’s biggest online population and its annual online sales are forecast to reach between $420 billion and $650 billion by 2020, by which time it will be the world’s largest online retail market, consulting firm McKinsey estimates. Sales on Tmall, the business-to-consumer platform of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba, hit 19.1 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) by 1pm on Monday, figures from the company showed.
That was around six times the combined average daily turnover on both Tmall and Taobao, Alibaba’s consumer-to-consumer arm, last year, according to Chinese media reports. The $3.1 billion figure was the same as the total for the whole day in 2012, Alibaba said in a statement. Chinese bricks and mortar retailers are also trying to cash in on the spending spree this year, with department stores and supermarkets offering special prices at the weekend, Chinese media reports said. But there were doubts over the size of the event’s heavily-advertised discounts, with consumer research groups saying retailers quietly raise prices before announcing a dramatic markdown, the state-run Global Times said Monday. By the end of 2012, China had 242 million online shoppers, up 24.8 percent in a year. They spent nearly 1.26 trillion yuan in 2012, up 66.5 percent from 2011, the semi-official China Internet Network Information Centre said in an April report.
Other villagers along the border with Thailand left their homes altogether, fearing the worst. Dozens of locals near the temple complex crowded around grainy television screens in coffee shops as the ICJ began the live broadcast of its deliberations. The ruling has heaped further pressure on Yingluck’s government, which is already grappling with mass street demonstrations against a controversial political amnesty bill. Last year the ICJ ruled that both countries should withdraw forces from around the ancient Khmer temple, which is perched on a clifftop in Cambodia but is more easily accessed from the Thai side.
Prah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Misc Asia Batman son of Suparman can’t escape jail in Singapore SINGAPORE, November 11, 2013 - A Singaporean whose superhero-sounding name turned him into a social media celebrity was jailed for nearly three years on Monday for theft, housebreaking and drug offences. Batman bin Suparman, an unemployed 23-year-old whose name translates to “Batman son of Suparman”, was arrested on August 19 after security videos showed him sneaking into a store at night on two separate occasions. He stole a total of Sg$500 ($400) from the store, court documents seen by AFP showed.
Batman also pleaded guilty to various other charges, including stealing his brother’s ATM card to make withdrawals amounting to Sg$650, and consuming heroin. He was sentenced to a total of 33 months in jail. Batman became a social media sensation after an image of his identity card with his unusual name was circulated online. A “Batman bin Suparman Fan Club” page on social networking site Facebook has garnered nearly 11,000 likes so far. -AFP
Dalai Lama potential successor tells China to clean up Tibet NEW DELHI, November 11, 2013 - A potential successor to the Dalai Lama Monday warned that Chinese military installations and other projects in Tibet could have disastrous environmental consequences for Asia. Urgyen Trinley urged India to voice its concerns over Chinese development activities in his Himalayan home country. “During the more than 50 years since China took over Tibet, there has been a great deal of development and activity including military installations by the Chinese that have impacted the Tibetan environment,” said Trinley. “The fact China has control of Tibet does not mean they have the right to do whatever they want to the Tibetan environment,” Trinley, who fled Tibet to India in 2000, said. India, which fought a brief but bloody border war with its giant neighbor in 1962, accuses China of large scale construction of military infrastructure on its frontiers. “A great deal of mining and dams are in Tibet now,” the Buddhist monk, who
resides in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, said in an interview in New Delhi. “Whatever happens to the Tibetan environment will definitely impact its neighbors and also eventually all of Asia,” Trinley said through an interpreter. “India has the deepest connect with Tibet and I would hope for a more clear expression of concern for the Tibetan environment from India,” the spiritual leader added. Trinley said he was in the national capital to educate “monks and nuns who live in monasteries in the Himalayan region” on environmental issues. Tibetans have long chafed at China’s rule over the vast Tibetan plateau, accusing Beijing of curbing religious freedoms and eroding their culture and language. Trinley is recognized by both China and the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the Karmapa Lama, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, one of Tibetan Buddhism’s four major schools.
Taiwan tycoon grilled over food scandal TAIPEI, November 7, 2013 - The head of a leading Taiwanese food company has been questioned in a widening food scandal involving several major cooking oil retailers, prosecutors said Thursday. Wei Yin-chun is chairman of Wei Chuan Foods Corp, the Taiwanese unit of Ting Hsin International Group which owns the Master Kong instant noodle brand. He was released on bail of Tw$10 million (US$340,000) following an overnight interrogation on suspicion of fraud and violating the food safety law, prosecutors said. Wei and five company executives are being investigated after a supplier that makes Wei Chuan-brand cooking oil was accused of using adulterated oil obtained from Changchi Foodstuff Co, which is at the centre of the growing scandal. Wei has insisted that his company was unaware until recently that the oil purchased from Changchi contained the banned coloring agent copper chlorophyllin. The Taiwanese-owned Ting Hsin International Group apologized on Tuesday after its Taiwan units were ordered to recall tens of thousands of bottles of cooking oil tainted with copper chlorophyllin.
The agent can legally be added to some processed foods, but is banned from use in cooking oil. Ting Hsin was fined Tw$3 million for failing to provide health officials with the list of adulterated oil items during their recent check of a plant. It will face an additional fine of Tw$300 million if it is found to have known beforehand that the oil from Changchi was laced with the banned agent. Wei has said that all the oil used by Master Kong to produce instant noodles in China was palm oil from Malaysia. Master Kong is the biggest instant noodle brand in China, selling hundreds of thousands of packets a year. The Changchi food scandal surfaced last month, after it was found to have adulterated olive oil with cheap cottonseed oil and the banned coloring agent for many years. Changchi chairman Kao Chen-li has been charged with violating the food safety law and making huge illegal profits through false labeling.