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Ever since the advent of Uber and Grab, the ride-hailing industry has never been more exciting.
I say ‘exciting’ as a consumer and observer, however, for many taxi drivers, the presence of these competitors is anything but.
On an Uber trip back home recently, the driver revealed to me that he used to get horned at, and also death glares from taxi drivers who realised he was an Uber driver.
“How did they know you’re from Uber? There isn’t a decal for that, isn’t it?”
“I used to have my phone (used to pick up riders and navigation) placed up on my dashboard – that’s how they saw it.”
Of course, the taxi drivers who express their frustration in such aggressive ways are just a few of the many, but it’s also fully understandable why they feel such animosity to the new kids on the road.
We reached out to 6 local taxi drivers, and found out what they really feel about Uber and Grab.
Responses have been edited for clarity and coherence
Mr Ong
Actually, it was a good idea at first, because they could fill in the demand gaps that the taxis couldn’t fulfil. It was an overall increase in the service quality of professional drivers.
But that was until they starting going crazy with the hiring and quantity of their drivers on the road. This resulted in lower business volume…and Comfort Delgro was late to the promo code party.
And the thing is, these part time drivers just seem to have very mediocre driving skills. There’s a lot of illegal stopping and dangerous road driving practices…like lane changing and sudden stopping.
Unlike taxi drivers, who have been driving around Singapore for many years, these part time drivers are also very unfamiliar with road, and tend to go against traffic.
Because they follow GPS most of the time, they also drive blindly a lot.
Mdm Fauziah
I don’t hate them. When Grab and Uber started, I didn’t like the idea of it because it somehow slowed down my business.
Last time in Singapore, there were 3-4 taxi companies, but now there’s Uber and Grab too…and it made me worried.
But when Grab and Uber started, the stress and pressure on cab companies did lessen. More cars and vehicles on the road meant more consumer satisfaction…which is good, right?
I’m quite lucky, but now I’m still earning the same amount as compared to last time. The only downside now is that the waiting time for passengers is longer.
But I don’t need to work extra hours to cover up, because it’s just according to my own time, own target.
Have I considered hopping over to the other side? Of course.
But right now, I feel that Grab and Uber is losing out, and I saw it coming already. Due to low prices and all those incentives given to drivers, they are bound to lose a lot in the long run – that’s what I feel.
Mr Loh, 55
I feel that Uber and Grab made me change the following.
First, I changed to cheaper rental taxi, and saved 40 per cent from it.
Next, I changed my work strategy by taking only street flag down, and NOT the booking by call or apps passenger. This method saved 2 hours of work. The increase in productivity also led to better income.
Thirdly, I have more time to rest with family. Almost 40 per cent time saved.
Lastly, I have better mental health due to having more rest.
Overall, I feel better.
Mr Teo, 50s
It’s like that lor. Business is affected because a lot of people are taking Grab as compared to cab.
But I think we need to see how we can use Grab to help us as well.
Overall, I am just upset that the [taxi] company isn’t helping us more, like by reducing cost of rental or being more flexible with the arrangements.
Mr Tan, Late 40s
If given a choice of a lower fee or cheaper price, a consumer’s choice is naturally the lower one.
So to claim that Uber and Grab has no impact on taxi drivers is to lie out loud. To back the claim up with a survey…that is to deny the reality and is ultimately fake.
An allegory – there was a cake and it was shared by taxi companies. Now, there are two rats in the house. Certain shares are gone, taxi drivers got a pay cut and the authorities said it’s just normal market forces.
These are the same people who said private taxis are illegal.
Every time a Uber or Grab has a passenger, it’s a lost opportunity for the taxi driver.
To prove this, go to One Raffles Quay in the morning to count how many arrive by taxi versus how many by Uber and Grab. With every one Uber and Grab car arriving, the taxi driver has lost an earning opportunity.
Given the numbers of returned taxis to the taxi company, it has been so demoralising to some who have given up taxi driving entirely.
It’s no longer worth the effort nor risk to drive anymore.
For others, no choice, as they need to pay bills and they have mouths to feed.
Mr Albert, Late 60s
I didn’t have to go through so many checks previously. Now, I’m over 60, and I still need to go get a license every few years to prove that I can drive.
Of course, business is also not as good as before.
And even with an app now, how many know how to use it? If we don’t know how to use it, how to get customers and earn money?
Some Very Angry, Some Not As Much
Given that we’ve only asked 6 out of the thousands of taxi drivers in Singapore, our sample size isn’t big enough to capture all the emotions, and the nuances that come with it.
But it’s still clear as day that to them, the playing field isn’t as levelled as the new policies are trying to convince us.
Are you a taxi driver yourself, or do you know any with opinions about the emergence of Uber and Grab? Let us know!
Vulcan Post is all about living life with a digital edge, up and coming startups, and people who inspire conversations.
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LOS ANGELES – “Last time I saw you, I was covered in dirt and blood,” Amy Schumer recalled our interview last year on the set of “Snatched” in Hawaii, which subs for Ecuador and Colombia.
“You know what I learned about dirt, it’s great contour,” she joked as she pretended to apply dirt like makeup to highlight and define her face.
“It’s like oh, I’ll put some on the cleavage,” she cracked, mock-applying dirt on her chest.
Amy and Goldie Hawn were playing kidnap victims in the comedy directed by Jonathan Levine.
Amy, never the fussy kind, talked to us on the Honolulu set in her grimy costume and appearance, and even allowed us to take photos. Other actresses would have flatly said, “No way!”
But that afternoon at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, California, she looked all scrubbed up and pretty in an Alexander McQueen floral dress.
“Thank you for saying I’m not dirty right now,” she jested.
The actress has been dating furniture designer Ben Hanisch for over a year now.
She opened up about that relationship in our talk, as well as her reaction to the controversy that erupted after South Shore Swimwear owner and designer Dana Duggan slammed Amy on her InStyle swimsuit cover.
Amy’s fans came to her defence in reaction to Dana’s comment under South Shore Swimwear’s Instagram handle: “Come on now! You could not find anyone better for this cover? Not everyone should be in a swimsuit.” Dana posted her comment with a vomit emoji.
Excerpts from our interview:
Aside from the chance to work with Goldie Hawn, why was this project important to you?
I had an interest in communicating a love letter to my mother, just to say, I know I can be an a**hole (laughs), that like every other daughter, I have taken you for granted.
But I really wanted to say thank you and I’m sorry, and I know you did your best.
I’m also looking at it from a mom’s perspective, highlighting the fact that-in America-you are with your mother mostly for 18 years. Then, you’re supposed to be like, “Mom, I’m an adult. OK, bye!”
So, I wanted to highlight that relationship.
Speaking of cleavage, you have a scene where your character had a wardrobe malfunction. Was that improv or it was really in the script?
Improv? Yeah, I just whipped my right tit out (laughs).
Have you had those malfunctions in real life? I feel like every day is a wardrobe malfunction for me. I added that scene to the script. I just thought it’d be funny, so we filmed it.
Can you talk about the controversy over your swimsuit photo on the cover of InStyle magazine?
I don’t think anyone is impervious, but I don’t read it. So I feel like I don’t have complete ownership over who I am and things that get printed about me that aren’t true.
[On] the InStyle cover … I felt great in it. I was in that sweet spot of the month where I wasn’t super bloated (laughs).
In the movie, I’m in a bikini and, when I look at it, I don’t cringe. I go, ‘Oh, I look good. Good job, b**** (laughs)!’
But with that specific thing, there was this one woman who wrote this thing. I’m sure she’s a good person, but then the story got picked up-and she got so much flak for it.
But, it’s also very sweet that people wanted to defend me. I have no ill will toward that woman.
There’s a lot of body shaming going on, but you have such confidence. When you were a teenager, what was it like?
Being a teenager, for anyone, is a complete nightmare. Growing up, you see little girls and their bellies are out, and they don’t think about sucking in or whatever.
I think I never had the moment where I lost that little girl. As a young woman, you feel good until somebody tells you otherwise.
In the movie, you were dumped by a Korean boyfriend (played by Randall Park).
Yes (laughs).
First of all, I think Randall Park is the most talented, hilarious person. But that breakup, I’ve always had the idea of a guy just being so honest.
What makes your relationship with your boyfriend, Ben, different from the ones you had before?
I feel lucky.
As for my relationship now, the difference is, with the other guys I’ve dated, there was always this feeling of me dragging them up a hill.
There was none of that with Ben. We’re so in love some days and other days, we want to kill each other (laughs).
But he was just ready to be a partner. He’s kind. He’s not ever mean.
Is marriage still a goal?
I never had marriage as a goal, or having children. But I have an interest in making a commitment and saying, I’m going to stick with you and I’m not going to have sex with anybody else ever again (laughs).
I think I want kids. If you have kids, you have somebody else to worry about.
What do you and Ben enjoy doing together? We have lived together for over a year. I love his taste and sensibilities. We decorated our home together.
We’ll get a new chair or something, and we’ll both be excited about it. It’s cool to date somebody with a job (laughs).
In your book (“The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo”), you wrote about how your relationship with your mom (Sandra) wasn’t always easy. What made you overcome those issues? Do you see your mom in yourself?
Yes, of course. [As] with my mom, it’s a constant negotiation in our relationships with our parents until it’s not.
I really appreciate that because my dad (Gordon) is sick (he has multiple sclerosis). It’s like you don’t know what’s going to happen.
My mom and I have such a connection. The emotional scenes in this movie that I wrote-they’re based on my relationship with mom, where it’s like, if I have a nightmare, I will just want to talk with my mom.
I call, and she always answers. She’s just there.
I just want to be the best daughter I can be. You can feel so entitled and take your parents’ love for granted.
[My mom and I] saw the movie together, and she loved it. We were both laughing, crying and holding hands.
Thrill-seekers on Thursday (Wednesday in the US) lost their calm upon seeing Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, greet them inside a “Pirates of the Carribean” ride in Disneyland, California.
Instead of Sparrow’s animatronic version, startled visitors interacted with the actor himself, who was fully clad in his buccaneer ensemble.
Depp recited some of his lines from the upcoming film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the series’ fifth instalment.
Videos of Depp’s kooky gig have flooded Twitter and Instagram over the past few days.
In the movie, Sparrow voyages to locate the almighty artifact Trident of Poseidon and dismantle the vicious reign of Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem).
Salazar, who hails from the Devil’s Triangle, leads a syndicate of ghost pirates whose mission is to massacre all living pirates including Sparrow.
Sparrow will be aided by Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally), Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) and Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites).
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” will cruise into Philippine cinemas in May.
Second-guessing the psychology of prospective presidents is always a difficult task, and can result in misconceptions.
Kim Tae-hyung, psychologist and author of “Psychology in Choosing a President,” told The Korea Herald in an interview that he had until recently held to the principle of not analysing a public figure’s psychology while they were still alive.
However, the extensive corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye changed his mind.
When asked to define the psychological status of Park in April 2015, the expert chose to keep his statement as brief as he could.
“President Park is psychologically dependent on others, but due to her distrust of people, she ends up turning heavily reliant on the few who actually know how to handle her,” Kim said at the time.
This terse description was later bring him into the spotlight, when the activities of presidential confidante Choi Soon-sil were revealed to the public late last year.
Psychological analysis of political leaders is a meaningful qualification tool that helps the public understand and predict leaders’ course of action, he now says.
Living up to expectations
Moon Jae-in, candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea and currently front-runner for the upcoming May 9 election, is a rare character who has been forced into power, according to the psychologist.
“All throughout his political career, Moon has been quite clear on his lack of will for power,” Kim said.
“Though he is now speaking of governmental change and election victory as the leading candidate, at heart, he is still indisposed to the whole idea of state governance.”
Moon said it was his loyalty to late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun that dragged him into politics, first as a presidential aide in 2003 and later as a presidential candidate in 2012.
Moon chose the term “fate” to describe his political decision, as well as the title of his autobiographical essay, published just ahead of his initial presidential bid.
“The very term ‘fate’ reflects the passive and idealistic character of Moon, quite in contrast with that of his late friend and mentor Roh,” Kim said.
“Roh was the kind of man who would never surrender to fate, but rather create his own path, which is probably why Moon was strongly attracted to him.”
Yet, another part of his self wanted to defy such expectations, Kim said, which explains his career choice as a human rights lawyer — a job that can make one’s parents proud and simultaneously fulfil one’s own mission to reform the world.
“Moon’s deeply rooted desire to become and to be seen as a ‘good person’ indeed makes him the kind, compassionate, courteous person that he is widely seen as,” Kim said.
“But it is also this kind of desire which created his biggest weakness as political leader — a fear of being criticised by the public, of being antagonized by his enemies.”
Wanting to be right
For Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, the greatest political motive is his desire for honour, or his ambition to be recognised as a “great man,” according to Kim.
“Ahn was a man who practically had it all — academic achievement, economic success, social recognition and social status as a professor — yet he chose to take the risk and try a new path as a rookie politician,” he said.
The official cause was his desire to contribute to the creation of a better world, but Kim cited Ahn’s attachment to high self-esteem, which is based on achievements and consequent social recognition.
“For Ahn, the characteristic keyword is ‘vestige,’ reflecting his desire to leave his mark in this world, to be recognised by his contemporaries, and to be remembered by generations to come,” Kim said.
Ahn shares a strong compulsion to live up to social standards and to other people’s expectations, with his rival Moon, he explained.
“But what marked the two figures apart was that Ahn’s walk of life has been full of diversions and new challenges, which encouraged him to envision himself as a successful pioneer,” Kim said.
The teenage Ahn was obedient enough to give up his interests in technology to major in medical studies at the request of his father. Later in his life, however, he moved into information technology by developing the nation’s first anti-virus software V1 in 1988 and founding AhnLab in 1995.
Once Ahn chose to devote himself to politics, it meant he absolutely had to achieve something tangible — in this case the presidency — and is not likely to give up easily on his determined path, according to Kim.
“After all, he already had to retreat twice, first in the 2011 Seoul mayoral by-election and then in the 2012 presidential election,” he said.
“The straight-A student that he is, Ahn has become more resolute than ever to get his way and to prove his qualities to the audience.”
Such strong target consciousness explains his recent acquisition of an aggressive vocal tone and speech manner, reflecting his efforts to “grasp victory at all costs.”
The psychologist also suggested his views on other candidates — Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party, Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party, and Sim Sang-jeung of the Justice Party.
“Hong is an ‘arsonist’ type of character, mostly motivated by personal anger, which makes him more fit for a prosecutor than a politician,” he said.
He described Yoo as an “elite sniper” type who is used to being second-in-command, and Sim as a champion who struggles against society and its inequalities.
May 9 election
Public sentiment always seeks to eliminate the most oppressive issues in society. In the early 20th century, it was Japanese colonial rule, and in the 1960s-80s it was the military dictatorship.
But for those living in 2017, the greatest pain is the loss of dignity, Kim explained.
“The state scandal last year set off the public’s complaints over discrimination and disrespect,” he said.
“Facing the revelation that a corrupt few monopolized power and placed the burden on the majority, the people took to the streets in vexed protests.”
The monthslong candlelight protests urging for the ouster of Park, as well as the consequent earlier-than-planned presidential election, are all part of the process of “healing” the wounded national pride of the Korean people, he explained.
“What now remains during the upcoming weeks leading to Election Day is for the people to clearly face their options and make a choice which may redeem the past setbacks.”
BAYOMBONG, NUEVA VIZCAYA-A former beauty queen on Tuesday said her family was preparing to sue police in Solano town for the death of her father, who had been reported to have committed suicide on April 18 while in the custody of policemen.
In a news conference here, 2015 Miss Philippines-World Hillarie Danielle Parungao said she had coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Police Commission in Nueva Vizcaya province about the family’s plan to file criminal and administrative charges against policemen for the death of Edmundo Parungao II, her father.
2015 Ms Philippines-World cries justice for slain dad, plans to sue cops
But forensic evidence had established that the elder Parungao took his life at a Solano police station, dousing speculation that he was rubbed out, according to a report released by Chief Insp. James Bag-ey, Nueva Vizcaya crime laboratory chief.
Buy-bust operation
Parungao, 46, had been arrested in a police drug buy-bust operation and taken to the police station where he allegedly snatched the gun of PO2 Mark Baccay and shot himself in the mouth.
“He died at the supposedly safest place in town,” Hillarie said, adding that her father’s supposed suicide was “improbable and hard to believe.”
She also said her father lost P300,000 in cash when he was taken by police.
“There is no truth to that. We recovered only P8,800 from her father, aside from the contraband. This had been declared and inventoried,” said Chief Insp. Billy Mangali, Solano police chief.
According to Hillarie, police did not provide her family with copies of the forensic and ballistic test results from the crime laboratory.
She said she would demand a reenactment of her father’s death to shed light on “the true story about the matter.”
Drug rehab
Mangali said the town police would submit to an impartial investigation. “We would be willing to answer [Hillarie’s charges] once we receive the documents so that we could prove our innocence,” he said.
Hillarie said her father had just completed a drug rehabilitation programme and was managing a palay trading business when he was treated for emphysema, a debilitating lung disease, on April 7 at a Nueva Vizcaya hospital.
On April 9, police searched Parungao’s hospital room “without a warrant,” Hillarie said.
Parungao was arrested in a drug operation on April 18. But Hillarie said: “What person, in his right mind, will still peddle and keep in his possession illegal drugs when he was already illegally searched a few days before the incident?”
WASHINGTON – A Singaporean man was sentenced on Thursday to 40 months in a US prison for his role in exporting to Iran radio frequency modules, some of which were later found in bombs in Iraq, the US Justice Department said in a statement.
Lim Yong Nam, also known as Steven Lim, 43, pleaded guilty in December to illegally exporting the modules through Singapore, and later to Iran, knowing that the export of US goods to Iran was a violation of US law, the statement said.
Of the 6,000 modules that Lim and others routed from the United States to Iran in 2007 and 2008, 14 were later recovered in Iraq being used to remotely detonate improvised explosive devices, it said.
Lim (below) was extradited in 2016 from Indonesia, the department said.
Related
Full statement by US Justice Department
Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 43, a citizen of Singapore, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the US to Iran, at least 14 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, US Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Secretary of Export Enforcement Richard Majauskas for the US Department of Commerce, Acting Director Thomas D. Homan of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Assistant Director Bill Priestap of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The sentence was issued by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan.
Lim was extradited in 2016 from Indonesia, where he had been detained since October 2014 in connection with the US request for extradition. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2016, to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the US by dishonest means. Lim will be deported upon completion of his sentence.
Lim and others were indicted in the District of Columbia in June of 2010 on charges involving the shipment of radio frequency modules made by a Minnesota-based company. The modules have several commercial applications, including in wireless local area networks connecting printers and computers in office settings. These modules include encryption capabilities and have a range allowing them to transmit data wirelessly as far as 40 miles when configured with a high-gain antenna. These same modules also have potentially lethal applications. Notably, during 2008 and 2009, coalition forces in Iraq recovered numerous modules made by the Minnesota firm that had been utilized as part of the remote detonation system for IEDs. According to the plea documents filed in the case, between 2001 and 2007, IEDs were the major source of American combat casualties in Iraq.
In a statement of offence submitted at the time of the guilty plea, Lim admitted that between August 2007 and February 2008, he and others caused 6,000 modules to be purchased and illegally exported from the Minnesota-based company through Singapore, and later to Iran, in five shipments, knowing that the export of US-origin goods to Iran was a violation of US law. In each transaction, Lim and others made misrepresentations and false statements to the Minnesota firm that Singapore was the final destination of the goods; at no point in the series of transactions did Lim or any of his co-conspirators inform the company that the modules were destined for Iran. Similarly, according to the statement of offence, Lim and others caused false documents to be filed with the US government, in which they claimed that Singapore was the ultimate destination of the modules. Lim and his co-conspirators were directly aware of the restrictions on sending US-origin goods to Iran.
Shortly after the modules arrived in Singapore, they were kept in storage at a freight forwarding company until being aggregated with other electronic components and shipped to Iran. There is no indication that Lim or any of his co-conspirators ever took physical possession of these modules before they reached Iran or that they were incorporated into another product before being re-exported to Iran.
According to the statement of offence, 14 of the 6,000 modules the defendants routed from Minnesota to Iran were later recovered in Iraq, where the modules were being used as part of IED remote detonation systems.
This investigation was jointly conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Boston and Los Angeles; FBI agents in Minneapolis; and Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security agents in Chicago and Boston. Substantial assistance was provided by the US Department of Defence, US Customs and Border Protection, the State Department’s Directorate of Defence Trade Controls, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, particularly the Justice Department Attache in the Philippines, as well as the FBI and HSI Attaches in Singapore and Jakarta.
US law enforcement authorities thanked the governments of Singapore and Indonesia for the substantial assistance that was provided in the investigation of this matter.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant US Attorney Ari Redbord of the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
A 380-seat theatre by local company Wi!d Rice, supermarket chain FairPrice Finest and a flagship store by local designer Carolyn Kan.
These are some of the latest anchor tenants at Funan, announced by its owner CapitaLand Mall Trust yesterday.
The mall, previously known for being a hub for IT products, will have an entire floor dedicated to technology.
Previous tenants such as Newstead Technologies will take up 15,000 sq ft of space with multiple concept stores, and AddOn Systems will set up a Lenovo flagship and Service Centre.
The $560 million project, which will also consist of two office towers and 279 service apartments, will allocate 11,800 sq ft of “short-term and casual” space for designers and makers to conduct workshops and sell their crafts, offering leases as short as a few hours.
Cinema chain Golden Village and food court chain Kopitiam were previously announced as anchor operators.
The retail mall will have 200 shops over six storeys, and is targeted for completion in the fourth quarter of 2019.
At a media preview at their swanky show suite located at the junction of Hill Street and High Street yesterday, Mr Wilson Tan, CEO of Capitaland Mall Trust Management, told The New Paper: “This is an opportunity for Funan to rewrite the parameters, to redefine how a mall of the future will be.
“Every time we look at an existing mall, we can only (change) small parts of it. The easy way out would be to create a ‘cookie-cutter’ mall, but we want to be a differentiated mall.”
There will also be a covered linkway connecting City Hall MRT station to the mall’s basement.
Mr Tan said they will be leveraging on technology to tackle the challenge of online retail.
For instance, customers can collect online purchases, as well as return them, at the mall.
Retailers, too, agreed that a physical retail space is still important.
Ms Carolyn Kan, who is behind homegrown artisan jewellery brand Carrie K. and design collective Keepers, will be signing a three-year lease for a 2,600 sq ft space at the mall.
She said the store would allow her to interact and build a relationship with customers and fellow designers.
“You can do it online, but it is not personal. If someone is very passionate about something, it’s always great to be able to meet like-minded individuals,” she said.
linheng@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 28, 2017.
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More people increasingly willing to pay for quality content on the internet, including novels and music – a change in behaviour that could promote copyright protection and tackle online piracy, according to a new report.
The 2016 Annual Report of Copyright Protection on the Internet in China was released at the National Conference on Copyright Protection in the Digital Environment in Beijing on Wednesday, the 17th World Intellectual Property Day.
Copyright holders, internet companies, government departments, international organisations, industry researchers and observers gathered to share opinions and experiences on copyright protection in the digital environment.
With improvements in the IP environment and the convenience of online payment, “users are more willing to pay for digital content – and did so last year”, said Liu Duo, director of the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, a research institute of information and communication technology, which released the report.
“Users paid for more types of digital content, including online games, soap operas, music and literature,” she said.
Last year, the South Korean drama Descendants of the Sun attracted 5 million paid users on iQiyi, a major online broadcasting platform, the report said.
Nearly 200 million yuan ($29 million) was paid to the company.
In 2016, users spent 212.3 billion yuan on digital content online, a year-on-year increase of 28 per cent, according to a separate report released in October by Blue Lotus Research Institute.
With the rapid development of digital technology, it is easier to access content online, including novels, music and TV dramas.
The lower threshold also caused trouble: “One of my works published by a newspaper in 1998 has been widely spread and shared on WeChat, which I did not give permission to,” said Zhang Kangkang, a well-known writer, referring to the social media app.
“The title of my work has also been tampered with to attract attention.
“Both behaviours violate my rights. But I do not know what to do or who to talk to protect the copyright of my work in this digital world. Do I just write a notice and put it on my WeChat account too?”
Although concerns still exist, China has been working to tackle online piracy for more than a decade.
For example, the National Copyright Administration of China initiated an annual crackdown campaign dubbed Sharp Sword to go after pirated music, videos, games, animation and software online.
The campaign aims to create a good online copyright system and has been carried out for 12 consecutive years.
Copyright protection is also one of the country’s top development strategies, said Zhou Huilin, the administration’s deputy director.
“China’s copyright development has wooed the world and made real progress,” said Chen Hongbing, head of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’ China office.
He added that copyright protection improvements have been seen in many fields in China, including amended laws and regulations and more strict legal practices.
SINGAPORE: Prices and rentals of retail and office space in Singapore fell in the first quarter, according to data released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Friday (Apr 28).
Prices of retail space decreased by 4 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year, after rising 0.2 per cent in the previous quarter. Rentals declined by 2.9 per cent, after falling 1.2 per cent in the previous quarter.
As of the end of March, there was 606,000 sqm gross floor area of retail space from projects in the pipeline, up from the 595,000 sqm in the previous quarter.
Occupied retail space decreased by 41,000 sqm, after increasing 66,000 sqm in the fourth quarter of last year. The islandwide vacancy rate of retail space rose to 7.7 per cent at the end of March, up from 7.5 per cent at the end of December 2016, URA said.
Prices of office space similarly declined by 4 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the January to March period, after falling 0.6 per cent in the previous quarter. Rentals declined by 3.4 per cent, after declining 1.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2016.
As of end-March, there was 826,000 sqm gross floor area of office space in the pipeline, up from 786,000 sqm in the previous quarter.
Occupied office space decreased by 6,000 sqm, after increasing 1,000 sqm in the previous quarter. The islandwide vacancy rate rose to 11.6 per cent as of end-March, compared with 11.1 per cent as of the end of December 2016, URA said.
