Wider Image: No money, no hope: South Korea's 'Dirt Spoons' turn against Moon

27 November, 2019

SEOUL - Hwang Hyeon-dong lives in a 6.6-square-metre (71-square-foot) cubicle near his university campus in Seoul, which comes with a shared bathroom and kitchen plus all the rice he can eat, that he rents for 350,000 won ($302) a month.

The sparsely furnished rooms, in premises called goshi-won, were previously mostly used by less well-off students to temporarily cut themselves off from the outside world while they studied for civil service job tests.

Now they are increasingly becoming permanent homes to young people like Hwang, who identifies himself among the "dirt spoons", those born to low-income families who have all but given up on social mobility.

How Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing went from friend of China to punching bag

27 Nov 2019

HONG KONG: In January of 1993, an ambitious Chinese Communist Party boss, a 39-year-old official with chubby cheeks and a mop of black hair, visited Hong Kong.

He was seeking out the city’s rich among the shimmering skyscrapers, hoping to secure investment in Fuzhou, the second-tier city he ran in mainland China. His name was Xi Jinping.

That August, Xi received a guest back home. Hong Kong’s most famous tycoon, Li Ka-shing, known locally as “superman” for his business acumen, had come to town. A photograph from the event shows Xi grinning as he walked beside Li, who held a bouquet of flowers in his hand. In the background, a long banner hung with the message to “warmly welcome” Li Ka-shing.

During those days, in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen incident, Beijing was desperate to fire up a languishing economy. National leaders and provincial potentates were courting Li for his cash and the star power his name brought to development projects on the mainland. That time has passed.

Hong Kong democrats romp to local election landslide after months of protests

25 November, 2019

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's democrats romped to a landslide and symbolic majority in district council elections after residents turned out in record numbers on Sunday to vote following six months of anti-government protests in the embattled city.

In a rare weekend lull in the unrest that has rocked the financial hub, democratic candidates across the city of 7.4 million people secured more than half of the 452 district council seats for the first time against a strongly resourced and mobilized pro-establishment opposition.

When the results began trickling in after midnight, including upset wins for democrats against heavyweight pro-Beijing opponents, some voting centers erupted in loud cheers and chants of "Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution Now" - a slogan used by many protesters on the streets over the past six months.

Some winning candidates said the result was akin to a vote of support for the demonstrators and could raise the heat on Hong Kong's pro-Beijing chief executive, Carrie Lam, amid the city's worst political crisis in decades.

"This is the power of democracy. This is a democratic tsunami," said Tommy Cheung, a former student protest leader who won a seat in the Yuen Long district close to China's border.

Why my attitude towards free speech has changed

By Aun Koh

22 November, 2019

The terms “free speech” and “Singapore” don’t exactly go hand in hand. That’s something that, as a Western-trained (former) journalist who worked at The Straits Times, the International Herald Tribune and Newsweek, among others, I have had a hard time reconciling for the past three decades.

Today, I remain a big believer in civil liberties, press freedom and free speech. But certain circumstances have made me adapt my thinking and slightly amend my belief system. One of these is becoming a parent.

Once you have children, you start to think about how you want your kids to be raised and the influences that will affect them as they mature. You try your best to educate them, teach them how to appreciate, understand, and digest information and opinions.

In many ways, building and running a country is akin to parenting millions of people.

After electoral loss in Hong Kong, Beijing points finger at US

27 November, 2019

BEIJING — The Chinese government, still coming to terms with a stunning electoral victory for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, is directing its ire at a popular foe: the United States.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the American ambassador to Beijing on Monday (Nov 25), a day after the local elections in Hong Kong that were seen as a rebuke to the authoritarian policies of President Xi Jinping.

Chinese officials warned the ambassador, Mr Terry Branstad, that the United States should “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs,” according to the ministry. They also criticised Congress for passing a bill recently to support the protesters.

Plastic bottles vs. aluminum cans: who'll win the global water fight?

17 October, 2019

LONDON - Global bottled water giants are ramping up trials of easily recyclable aluminum cans to replace plastic that pollutes the world's seas. Sound like a slam-dunk for the environment? Not entirely.

Aluminum cans might indeed mean less ocean waste, but they come with their own eco-price: the production of each can pumps about twice as much carbon into the atmosphere as each plastic bottle.

French group Danone has become the latest company to make a move, telling Reuters it had started to replace some plastic bottles with aluminum cans for local water brands in Britain, Poland and Denmark.

The shift, previously unannounced, comes as multinational rivals like Coca-Cola Co , PepsiCo and Nestle are also launching some canned versions of water brands.

Singapore’s prime minister spoke uncomfortable truths that both Beijing and Hong Kong’s protesters need to hear

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has been treated
as a hero on Chinese social media since he said the Hong Kong
protesters were trying to “humiliate and bring down”
the Hong Kong government. Photo: AFP

Alice Wu

29 Oct, 2019





Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has recently offered
extensive comments on Hong Kong’s situation. At a time when repeating slogans sadly passes for public discourse and tweets are rampant, such thoughtful comments – which essentially require that they be more than 280 characters – without all the hyperbolic dressing are refreshing.

Countries are pushing back against China’s overbearing influence campaigns

07 November, 2019

Russia’s efforts to influence elections in the United States and Europe were a wake-up call about the threat of foreign influence in domestic public opinion and politics, blatantly violating norms of non-interference.

China is not guilty of Russia’s excesses, but Beijing’s information and influence campaign has affected countries from Singapore to Sweden, causing many to take countermeasures.

China’s campaigns range from overt diplomacy and public messaging disseminated through propaganda organs, to covert cyber exercises by specialised hackers and the “50-cent trolls” on social networking sites.

Its capabilities are built into the government’s vast propaganda apparatus, including the People’s Liberation Army, intelligence departments, and the foreign education and culture ministries.

The influence mission is integral to the Communist Party, most notably in the United Front Work Department, which is responsible for engaging intellectuals, including overseas and ethnic Chinese.

Qatar Says Jewel Changi Airport’s Design Was Theirs, CAG Refutes Claims

Qatar said they designed it first but their math didn't add up.

By Arista Lim

4 Nov 2019

Changi Airport Group Refutes Claims That Jewel Was A Stolen Design For Qatar

Being accused of plagiarism is no laughing matter. But what happens when the accuser’s “evidence” is not even correct?

On 22 Oct, the CEO of Qatar Airways tried to shade Singapore at the unveiling of Hamad International Airport’s (HIA) expansion plan by saying Jewel was an imitation of their design which was “on the table nearly 6 years ago”.

Source

However, Jewel’s design had come from a “competitive process” in 2012, 7 years ago.

Yesterday, Changi Aiport Group (CAG) chief executive Lee Seow Hiang refuted Qatar’s claims. He told The Straits Times (ST) that “we respect intellectual property rights and expect the same of all our partners.”

Qatar Airways CEO says Jewel is a copy

At the press conference 2 weeks ago, Qatar Airways’ CEO Akbar Al Baker apparently made an implicit jab at Jewel by saying that “somebody copied our design”.

ST also quoted him claiming that people from “that country” had stolen their design and went ahead with construction.
According to ST, the plans for HIA do show some familiar traits. HIA tweeted that expansion plans include an indoor water feature and a “stunning” tropical garden.

[However, the airport has been criticized for copying the infrastructural designs of other airports around the world, such as Ben Gurion Airport and Singapore Changi Airport.]

As a result, the artist’s impression of HIA looks very similar to Jewel.

[So... Jewel is a copy of an artist's impression? Impressive!]

Source

CAG proves innocence

CAG and Jewel’s architect Mr Moshe Safdie have since refuted Qatar’s allegations. Mr Lee emphasised that they “value the originality and creativity of ideas as [they] innovate to elevate the Changi experience”.

Jewel’s design was picked in July 2012 after a “competitive process”. Safdie Architects was then awarded the contract in May 2013 for its “compelling” design.

Source

Mr Safdie explained that they have been “pursuing the concept of gardens as a focal point… for many decades”. Their findings then inspired them to create what has now become Jewel Changi’s centerpiece.

To substantiate their point, Mr Lee shared that Safdie Architects has never done any projects in Qatar.
Thus, it seems like Qatar has little proof to back up the argument they started.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery

The mind behind Jewel, Mr Safdie, commented:

We are delighted that Jewel’s uniqueness and originality has been well-recognised by the international community and resulted in many wanting to emulate it.

Imitation is indeed the highest form of flattery, so maybe all Qatar Airways wanted was a little bit of recognition.

Nevertheless, this teaches us that it’s important to get your facts straight before making such a serious allegation.

Featured image adapted from Capitaland and Twitter.

[Was going to comment that I have lost all respect for Qatar. Then realised it is just one egotistical CEO who can be ignored.]

Solar Singapore

[There has always been talk about solar power in sunny Singapore. Here are two articles from 2016 and 2018. So this is not a sudden development. 

The problem is Solar requires considerable amount of land or space for installing solar panels, and even in sunny SG, solar is intermittent. As I type this, it is cloudy.

The reason why solar panels need so much land or space is because solar power is very energy diffused. Even with more than half of all HDB flats installed with solar panels, it would only produce about 10% of our needs. Even if we solar panelled EVERY roof in SG, we MIGHT get 20% of our energy. 

Here's the working of the various options. 

And here's a YouTube video on how Renewable energy is a scam:




Anyway, Singapore going Solar? It's nice, but it's not the real solution.

Singapore to ramp up solar energy production, with 1 in 2 HDB rooftops having solar panels by 2020

By Low Youjin

29 October, 2019

SINGAPORE — By next year, Housing and Development Board (HDB) residents can expect to see one in two flats sporting solar panels on their rooftops.

And by 2030, Singapore aims to produce at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar energy, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday (Oct 29).

That would be enough to power around 350,000 Singaporean households a year — more than 10 per cent of the peak daily electricity demand today, said Mr Chan, who was speaking at the opening of the Singapore International Energy Week conference.



The 2030 target is more than five times the current target of 350 megawatt-peak (MWp) of solar energy by 2020. As of the second quarter of this year, some 260 MWp of solar capacity has already been installed.

[SG use about 6000 to 65000 MW of energy. 350 MW is about 1/15 or so of our needs.]

Singapore is on track to meet its 2020 target, said Mr Chan, who added that “one in two HDB rooftops” will be fitted with solar panels by then.

OVERCOMING SPACE CONSTRAINTS

Given Singapore’s space constraints, the Republic needs to come up with ways to maximise the number of solar panels installed here, said Mr Chan.

He said that solar panels can be deployed on reservoirs, on top of rooftops or even on the vertical surfaces of buildings.

"If we can do that, we will be able to significantly double the amount of space (available)," said Mr Chan.

The Government is currently studying setting up floating solar panels in Bedok Reservoir and Lower Seletar Reservoir.

For its part, national water agency PUB also announced in June that it intends to deploy Singapore’s first single large-scale 50 MWp floating photovoltaic (PV) system on Tengeh Reservoir by 2021.

It was also reported last year that Sunseap will be building a sea-based floating photovoltaic system, a five-hectare development located north of Woodlands Waterfront Park, along the Straits of Johor.

Other initiatives to support solar adoption include the use of vacant state land that is not required for development in the near future.

This was started by JTC Corporation in May.

The project, called the SolarLand initiative, uses mobile substations and solar PV systems that can be relocated to alternate sites, should the land be needed for other uses.

In a factsheet released on Tuesday, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) said that Jurong Island made an “ideal location” for the first SolarLand project due to the availability of vacant land that was large enough to accommodate it.

The current system deployed at Jurong Island can produce about 6.6 GWh of solar energy per year, said the EMA.

In his speech, Mr Chan added that Singapore will also support research and development into solar energy, and also streamline regulations to make it cost-competitive to deploy solar panels.

For example, research is ongoing for building-integrated photovoltaics, said the EMA. This could mean that solar panels could soon be integrated directly into a building's facade, rather than as separate rooftop installations.

STORING ALL THAT SOLAR ENERGY

In order to “do solar energy well”, Singapore will also need technology to store it, added Mr Chan.

However, the adoption of such energy storage systems (ESS) here is still “nascent”, and there is less than 1 MW of such systems installed currently, said the EMA.

Hence, Singapore aims to deploy 200MW of storage systems beyond 2025, said Mr Chan.

The EMA noted that the production of solar energy fluctuates due to weather conditions such as cloud cover, and this could lead to imbalances between electricity demand and supply.

Having adequate storage support will help overcome this, it added.


[And now let's see what the experts have to say about this plan.]

New solar targets ‘good start’, but unlikely to have significant impact, say experts

By Low Youjin

30 October, 2019

SINGAPORE – A recent announcement to ramp up Singapore’s solar energy production by 2030 is a step in the right direction, but the new targets are still too low to have much of an impact in the fight against climate change or on consumers’ electricity bills, experts said.

On Tuesday (Oct 29), Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing announced that Singapore now aims to produce at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar energy by 2030.

This is more than five times the target that the Republic previously set, of producing 350 megawatt-peak (MWp) of solar energy by 2020, which it is on track to meet, he said.

Scientists have repeatedly warned that carbon emissions need to be drastically reduced by 2050 to keep global warming below 2°C — failing which there will be disastrous effects on global economies and societies — and one way to do that is through the use of more green energy such as solar power.

Professor Anthony Owen, a principal fellow at the National University of Singapore's Energy Studies Institute, said Tuesday’s announcement is a good step towards greening the Republic’s energy sector, but it will likely have “very little” significance for the climate as the solar targets are “so small by global standards”.

“However, in principle it’s a good start,” said Prof Owen, whose research interests include environmental impact of alternative power generation technologies.

[Recognise that under SG's unofficial "rules of engagement", non-government "authorities" are required to...  not undermine government initiatives. "In principle it's a good start" is actually a meaningless statement. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. Does that mean that if you take a step you are beginning a journey of a thousand miles? Sometimes a step is just a step. ]

Agreeing, Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, executive director of Nanyang Technological University’s Energy Research Institute, said that 2 GWp of solar energy represents only a small percentage of Singapore’s electricity demand.

[Damning with faint praise?]

According to this year’s energy consumption statistics from the Energy Market Authority, solar power currently meets less than 1 per cent of the country's energy demand.

The new targets will represent about 4 per cent of Singapore’s current total electricity demand.

[See? From 1% to 4%. That's a 400% increase! Or a 300% increase? Whatever. It's impressive right?!??!]

Added Prof Subodh: “It is unlikely, even by 2050, that we will be in a situation where we have more electricity (generated) by solar than what we need.”

[What a wet blanket!]

MINOR PRICE FALLS

The addition of more green energy to Singapore’s power grid may reduce the demand for electricity generated by non-renewable sources such as natural gas, but experts warned that this might not necessarily lead to drastic reductions in household electricity bills.

Solar is one of the cheapest sources of electricity today, noted Ms Kohe Hasan, a specialist energy and commodities lawyer at law firm Reed Smith.

For example, a new 60-megawatt solar farm project in Cambodia has announced a tariff rate of 3.877 US cents (5.283 Singapore cents) per kilowatt hour, the lowest power purchase tariff recorded in Southeast Asia, she said.

“It is hoped that in increasing (solar’s) contribution towards Singapore’s energy mix from less than 1 per cent to about 4 per cent, there will be a concomitant reduction in the tariff rate,” she said.

Prof Owen, however, expressed his doubts that this would happen.

He acknowledged that rooftop solar “effectively reduces market demand” for electricity during daylight hours, which consequently means that wholesale price of electricity should fall at these times.

But, he also pointed out that there are various factors that affect the operation and price-bidding behaviour of natural gas facilities.

“I would expect, on balance, that any retail price falls would be minor,” he said.

 GOING BEYOND SOLAR

Singapore is working on ways to maximise the number of solar panels that can be deployed here, but space will remain an issue in this land-scarce country, experts noted.

One solution Mr Chan alluded to in his speech on Tuesday is the Asean Power Grid, an initiative conceptualised in the late 1990s that could see greater electricity integration in the region using renewable energy.

“Today in Southeast Asia, some countries have an abundance of hydro and other renewables,” said Mr Chan. “If we can connect the regional grid, it will provide greater resilience and stability for the entire system.”

Ms Kohe said that this is a feasible solution as cross-border power grid connections “could relieve burdens” related to excess power generation capacity.

However, she stressed that this is dependent on participating parties agreeing to support one another and work together to deal with technical issues, such as synchronising the various countries’ respective grids.

She added: “(The Asean Power Grid) offers the dual benefits of stronger energy and economic ties among member states, and the expansion of Asean’s influence in the global economy and environment.”

[It will depend on how the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) is structured and organised. If it ends up with Singapore drawing on power generated in Malaysia, we would have gotten out of our dependence on Malaysia for water to a dependence on Malaysia for power. That does not bode well for SG. If the APG is structured more transnationally - that is, even tho the power is generated by say Malaysian hydroelectric generators, the power is sold to SG by a transnational ASEAN organisation that is apolitical - then the APG may work for SG.]

Meanwhile, Prof Subodh believes that a better alternative would be a future where solar energy is used to contribute to the production of hydrogen.

He said that hydrogen is the “ultimate clean fuel”, especially if it is “green hydrogen” generated from renewable energy sources that have zero carbon footprint.

Hydrogen itself, he said, produces water as a by-product when it is burnt.

Mixing hydrogen with natural gas would require little physical infrastructure changes, and it will also “burn a lot cleaner” than just natural gas alone.

He added that safety should not be something to be concerned about if a dedicated hydrogen power plant is ever built in the future. Prof Subodh explained that unlike natural gas, hydrogen is not combustible on its own.

“If we can handle LNG (liquid natural gas), we can handle hydrogen,” he said.

[All these seems to me to be attempts to dance around the idea of nuclear power. For now. ]

Pig DNA found in cuttlefish and prawn balls: NUS researchers

By Janice Lim

02 November, 2019

SINGAPORE — The genetic material of pigs was found in cuttlefish and prawn balls manufactured by a particular seafood brand in Singapore, a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) found.

Their discovery of arguably the most serious case of mislabelling of seafood products for a multi-religious society such as Singapore came about after they tested 105 samples of seafood products bought from six supermarkets and two seafood restaurants.

They also found that more premium seafood such as prawn roe, wild-caught Atlantic salmon and halibut have been replaced with lower-value ingredients such as fish roe, Pacific salmon and arrowtooth flounder respectively.