The Star’s editor-in-chief Leanne Goh of Malaysia has been appointed the Asia News Network chairperson for the period 2017/2018. The appointment was made by the Executive Board of ANN, an alliance of 22 media from 21 countries over the weekend.

She succeeds Zaffar Abbas, Editor of Dawn from Pakistan.

Goh serves as a ANN Executive Board member and recently, received a lifetime achievement award in recognition of her leadership in media editorship and journalistic excellence from the World Chinese Economic Summit.”I am honoured to be appointed by my ANN colleagues to chair the board which is pursuing a number of regional media initiatives in the coming years,” Goh said.

“At a time when the West is getting more inward looking, this regional network of media groups is vital to reflect the dynamism and growth in this part of the world.

“We need to work together more closely than ever on our common ground, tell our stories from an insider perspective and hold sway at a time when fake news and unprofessional journalism are taking root,” she added.

The ANN Executive Board convened for an annual meeting in Bangkok last week in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Media Programme Asia. The meeting was highlighted by a roundtable discussion with former ASEAN secretary-general, Dr Surin Pisuwan, on the fast changing Asia’s security and economic landscapes.

Surin called on ASEAN to strengthen its global leadership in order not to be left on the sideline of dictation by major global powers.

At the ANN annual meeting, the board members acknowledged the appointment of editorial staff in Delhi, Phnom Penh and Bangkok under newly-appointed managing editor, Cod Satrusayang.

Thai-born Cod was formerly senior correspondent of Reuters news agency and DPA.

“He brings a wealth of experience in Asia reporting as we launch new services,” said Pana Janviroj, ANN’s executive editor.

The services will include state-of-the-art e-newsletter, website subscription and pan-Asia VDO series.

ANN members also discussed a number of initiatives, which they could exchange among members including new media strategy by Dawn and Jakarta Post, data syndication from Singapore’s Straits Times, video journalism from China Daily, and dealing with fake news and freedom of the press threats from Bangladesh’s The Daily Star and Philippine Daily Inquirer.

ANN members comprise The Daily Star, Bangladesh; Kuensel, Bhutan; Borneo Bulletin, Brunei; Ramei Kampuchea, Cambodia; China Daily; The Statesman, India; Jakarta Post, Indonesia; The Japan News and Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan; Vientiane Times, Laos; The Star and Sin Chew Daily, Malaysia; GoGo Mongolia; Eleven Media Group, Myanmar; Kathmandu Post, Nepal; Dawn, Pakistan; Philippine Daily Inquirer; The Straits Times, Singapore; Korea Herald; The Island, Sri Lanka; Taiwan’s China Post; The Nation, Thailand; and Vietnam News.

HÀ NỘI – In four years, from 2011 to 2015, more than 50 per cent cent of all monitored days in Việt Nam posted low air quality.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) repeatedly issued warnings that Việt Nam is among the most air polluted country in the Asia-Pacific region, while the capital city of Hà Nội is among the more polluted cities in the world.

This alarming information was presented yesterday by Đỗ Mạnh Hùng, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Office, during a seminar on the country’s air pollution sponsored in conjunction with the German- Hanns Seidel Foundation.

Studies and data presented at the workshop are expected to provide information to lawmakers in crafting legislation and ensuring environmental and climate concerns are fully considered in the process of socio-economic development.

The quality of air is also deteriorating especially in villages that recycle waste, metal, paper, plastic and battery.

Tests conducted in recent years showed that dust concentrations in these villages might be three to eight times higher than allowed.

According to national statistics, although the total forest coverage has increased and reached 40 per cent, forest quality is on a decline.

In urban areas, the coverage of green trees fails to meet set standards. Specifically, in Hà Nội and HCM City, the green space per person stayed below 4sq.m, much lower than the required standards of 10-15sq.m.

According to Nguyễn Hoàng Đức of the Department of Pollution Control of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, environmental regulations are not fully observed, and waste handling has become outdated, making the discharge of pollutants into the air a ubiquitous phenomenon.

Đức also admitted that environment monitoring activities were carried out in a perfunctory manner.

Under existing law, environmental inspections must be conducted with prior notice, leaving ample time for offenders to alter their usual operations and “inspection results fail to reflect actual conditions”, Đức added.

Delegates at the workshop also presented research on air pollution in Germany and international practices in air quality management.

They also urged the development of a separate bill on air pollution control with detailed regulations and accountability of each individual or organisation, and especially State management.

The role of the National Assembly in monitoring air pollution was also discussed.

According to the Pollution Control Department, in the long run, integrated tools to manage air quality must be developed, including promoting the deployment of economic tools in air quality management, such as the exchange of emission quotas in industry and services, and environmental protection charges for emissions, among others. 

Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama referred to himself as a defamation victim as he tried to convince a panel of five judges he was innocent of committing blasphemy against Islam during his defence plea on Tuesday.

During the hearing, the governor said he had become the victim after Buni Yani, now a hate-speech suspect, uploaded a video of him mentioning the Quranic verse Surah Al Maidah 51 in a speech made during a working visit to the Thousand Islands in September 2016.

It was not until Buni uploaded the video that the backlash against him started, Ahok said, pointing out that prosecutors had already admitted Buni’s role in the case.

To back his argument, he cited senior poet and journalist Goenawan Mohammad’s writing, which called Ahok a victim of defamation.

Read Also: Ahok’s loss may lead to Cabinet shake-up

He then told judges that as a governor, he only worked to improve people’s welfare.

Ahok spoke about his experience while watching the animated children’s movie Finding Nemo with kindergarten students at the City Hall.

During the event, he recalled telling the children that he often stood up against other to defend the truth and do good for Jakarta residents.

“I’m just a little Nemo in Jakarta who will keep helping the poor and needy, although I’m defamed and raged due to my faith and belief. I will keep serving [the residents] with love,” Ahok said.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Retail egg prices have dropped NT$3 per 600 grams, the Poultry Association of the Republic of China said on Monday, demanding that the government provide compensation for the “innocent” egg farmers.

Deputy Director of the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Livestock Department Wang Chung-shu said that the COA is closely monitoring egg prices, and that if they were to drop out of a reasonable price range, the council will initiate measures to counteract the drop, for instance by making mass purchases, or by implementing strategic export controls.

An egg containing more than twice the minimum allowable level of dioxin contamination was discovered at a retail store in Miaoli last week.

Health authorities immediately sealed off three major egg farms that had supplied the retail shop, Ho-chen store, over the past three months: Chun Yi, Hung Chang and Tsai Yuan.

Approximately 6,785 kilograms of eggs wholesaled from the three farms have been confiscated so far.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered that aside from the three egg farms that were immediately sealed off in Changhua, a further six egg farms had supplied the retail shop in Miaoli, the administration’s Director General Wu Shou-mei said on Sunday.

Investigators have begun a probe into the six egg farms, Wu said, but refused to reveal their names.

Wu also defended the FDA on Sunday against a midstream egg wholesaler’s criticism that the administration’s decision to seal off the store before identifying the source of the contamination was “reckless, thoughtless, and even defamation.”

Wu argued that the FDA acted in the public interest and to ensure public food safety, with all moves that were made following appropriate legal procedures.

However, while the three major egg farms in Changhua have been sealed off for seven days starting last Friday, the six additional farms will not be sealed off because there are no official records showing that the they have supplied the Ho-chen retail store.

Animal Feed in Question

The FDA, the COA and the Environmental Protection Administration launched a joint investigation into the source of the dioxin contamination last week, the results of which should be available by this Friday.

While authorities have yet to rule out water and air as possible causes of the pollution, animal feed has been widely considered as the most likely source of the contamination.

According to Wang Chung-shu, the council collected samples from eight animal feed manufacturers used by the nine egg farms in question on Monday.

Wang added that there are currently no laws limiting the legal amount of dioxin residue in animal feed and that the council will discuss establishing such regulations.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – A famous Taiwanese YouTuber, who goes by the handle of AmoGood (谷阿莫), is currently involved in a copyright infringement battle with local media companies KKTV and AutoAi Design (又水整合).

AmoGood is known for his “Watch a movie in under X minutes” YouTube series, where he retells an entire movie in under 10 minutes.

His videos use high-quality snippets of films edited together, with his own monotone narration overlaid on top for humorous effect.

As opposed to other similarly themed YouTube videos, AmoGood’s work tends to be uploaded shortly after the release dates of the films which he reviews, prompting speculation that illegal downloads are the source of his materials.

Furthermore, many companies have claimed that he has caused significant damage to the sales of their movies, as netizens might opt to watch the condensed version of the films for free rather than paying to watch it in the cinema.

Recently, KKTV and AutoAi Design officially filed lawsuits against AmoGood and his company.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office even presented a search warrant to AmoGood on April 19, while the YouTuber himself answered questions from authorities at a Taipei police station.

Following his interrogation, AmoGood posted a video on YouTube defending his productions, stating that his works were not dissimilar to other videos in this style.

While AmoGood said that the video was only his own perspective on the matter, and that authorities were very professional during the case, he did not address accusations of illegal downloads or the fact that he had benefitted from the videos through endorsements and investments.