This is one road race every foodie might rush to register for.
The main lure for finishing this particular race in Taiwan, which comes in three distances of 22.3km, 10.3km and 2,8km, isn’t so much a fancy medal, finisher t-shirt or attractive cash prize.
It’s a whole roast chicken. Yes, you heard right.
A Taiwanese race organiser is dangling the sumptuous treat from a famous brand to entice people to take part in the charity run held in Yilan county in eastern Taiwan on May 21.
Every finisher at the Run For Dream race will receive a box of chicken from popular brand Rose Golden Chicken, according to race listing website iBodyGo.
That’s not all. There’s a line-up of sweet treats being offered to boost depleted sugar levels of finishers too.
These including macaroons, snow cakes, Chinese taro cakes and brown sugar cakes.
Is this for real? Apparently so.
This year’s event follows a successful inaugural run last year which saw 4,300 participants enjoying the roast chicken at the end of their race.
The Genesis Social Welfare Foundation (GSWF), a charity organisation that runs homes nation-wide for patients in a persistent vegetative state, hopes to attract 5,000 runners and raise NT$4 million (about S$183,000) from the event this time.
Some health nuts might raise their eyebrows about giving away chickens as a reward at a fitness event. But those familiar with Taiwan’s ‘golden’ chicken know that it’s indeed a healthy food.
According to Taiwan government’s agriculture council, Taiwan-bred chicken contains lower fat, mostly unsaturated fatty acid. It boasts a higher amount of protein but lower levels of cholesterol, thus making it favourable for a healthy diet.
Veteran Taiwanese actor Jin Chao-chun has reportedly undergone an operation to remove a 10cm tumour from his brain.
The 65-year-old actor is best-known for his role as Justice Bao in the 1990s TV series.
Sina Entertainment reported that the operation done a few months ago was a success, with the actor recuperating in Shanghai. However, a source close to the actor said he intends to return to Taiwan in the future.
The source added that the surgery has left him with an L-shaped scar on his head, and significant weight loss.
The actor became a household name thanks to his role in the popular TV series.Photo: YouTube screengrab
According to Sina Entertainment, Jin had deliberately put on weight for his role in Justice Bao, but found it hard to shed the extra kilos.
He developed high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as diabetes among other ailments. But under the watchful eye of his wife, a former nurse, he managed to keep his weight under 100kg.
Despite the high-risk operation, the source added that Jin has remained upbeat and positive. The actor is also under a strict diet and wears a breathing apparatus when he sleeps to control his obstructive sleep apnea.
The actor shot to fame 24 years ago playing the legendary Song Dynasty government official with the signature crescent moon-shaped scar on his forehead.
The role made him a household name among Chinese-speaking audiences and even nabbed him a Golden Bell award – Taiwan’s equivalent of the Emmys, for Best Actor.
His popularity enjoyed a resurgence in 2010, when Jin reprised the iconic role for another three seasons.
According to reports, Jin has constructed a studio on China’s Qingdao island to continue shooting the series, for which he is the producer.
He had wanted to make his swansong in 2015, with plans to appear as a ‘white-haired Justice Bao’, but shooting took a backseat due to his illness.
Teacher Yusrina Ya’akob has a second chance to give Singapore the present she had been planning for its 50th birthday.
Two years ago, she was the co-leader of Aluminaid Team Singapura Everest, which saw its ascent up the mountain cut short by an avalanche. Her team wasat the 5,500m mark, more than halfway through the 8,848m climb.
In June, Ms Yusrina and two friends are hoping to become the first Singapore team since 2009 to reach the summit of the world’s tallest mountain and plant the country’s flag.
The 30-year-old is currently pursuing a postgraduate diploma at the National Institute of Education (NIE). She will be joined by Dr Arjunan Saravana Pillai, a teaching fellow at NIE, who has more than a decade of climbing experience, and 26-year-old Nanyang Technological University sports science and management graduate Jeremy Tong.
“We hope this will encourage others to take the first step and achieve their dreams,” said Dr Saravana, 47.
Mr Tong, an events company executive, added: “Our expedition is also about inspiring various age groups to pursue a healthy lifestyle.”
The 2015 avalanche, which forced Ms Yusrina’s team to abort its climb, killed more than 15 other mountaineers. Her new team is not underestimating the task and will count on the members’ experience and preparations.
Since last January, they have trained up to five times a week by climbing up 40-storey buildings and carrying 20kg backpacks while hiking around the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, said Ms Yusrina, who is also aiming to become the first female Malay-Muslim Singaporean to reach the top of Everest.
“You can never be trained enough for Mount Everest,” she stressed. Still, their attempt could be derailed by poor weather.
All three have taken between two and three months of unpaid leave for this mission, which Dr Saravana described as the “epitome of achievement” for all mountaineers.
The team also managed to raise more than $190,000 through two runs and from sponsors.
Overall, 52 per cent of those surveyed in the two weeks after the 30 per cent hike was announced were supportive of the Budget, with more than two-thirds backing measures on housing, social support and jobs, Reach said yesterday.
But 43 per cent of those polled disagreed that it was reasonable to increase water prices to fund higher costs of production and encourage conservation. Only 32 per cent agreed while 24 per cent indicated that they were neutral.
The price of water will go up by 30 per cent in two phases, starting in July.
“The results show that Singaporeans largely welcomed the social measures in Budget 2017, in particular the initiatives to assist families with the costs of raising a family,” said Reach chairman Sam Tan.
“We also hear the suggestions of some Singaporeans to improve communication on the water (price) increase, and to do more public education so that everyone can work collectively to understand the need for water conservation,” added Mr Tan, who is Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Manpower.
Reach also said many Singaporeans at its listening points – feedback booths for people to find out more about policies and give views – had voiced their unhappiness over the water price hike.
But after various agencies and political office holders explained the reason for the move, more people at these booths said at the end of February and this month that they supported the hike.
“They understood the rationale behind the move and accepted that water is vital to our country’s survival and that it should be priced properly,” Reach said.
Mr Tan said: “We understand Singaporeans’ concerns.” He noted that there are steps to help households cope with rising costs through extra U-Save rebates.
One- and two-room HDB households will not see any rise in their water bill on average while bills for other HDB households will go up by $2 to $11 a month.
Reach conducts a telephone poll on the Budget each year. This year’s survey was done from Feb 22 to March 3, after the Feb 20 Budget, and involved 1,111 randomly selected citizens aged 20 and above. The sample was weighted by gender, age and race to make it representative of the national population.
The poll also found other Budget measures were strongly supported:
80 per cent agreed enhanced post-secondary education bursaries would better support lower- and middle-income households.
72 per cent agreed the increase in the CPF Housing Grant to up to $50,000 for couples buying their first resale flat would provide young families with significant support.
66 per cent agreed an increase in the number of infant-care places will make Singapore a more conducive place to raise a family.
72 per cent agreed that the third Enabling Masterplan, a road map to better support those with disabilities, will help these citizens integrate better.
66 per cent agreed that enhancements to Adapt and Grow and training support under SkillsFuture will help create better job opportunities.
58 per cent agreed that the extension of the additional Special Employment Credit will encourage employers to keep on hiring older workers.
Reach contributors suggested that the integration of persons with disabilities could begin in schools.
Said Mr Tan: “Building an inclusive society is a continuous effort, and we should strive towards a society with no pre-conceived notions on issues such as disabilities.”
Hong Kong will select a new leader on Sunday in a vote skewed towards Beijing that has once more opened up the city’s political divisions.
Pro-democracy campaigners describe the election process as a farce and predict weekend protests as the prospect of political reform in the semi-autonomous city appears more unattainable than ever.
Hong Kong’s next leader will be chosen by an electoral committee rather than the general public and the person selected has to be formally approved by Beijing.
The majority of the 1,194 representatives on the committee belong to pro-establishment special interest groups such as agriculture and real estate which lean towards China. Only a quarter come from the pro-democracy camp.
It is the first leadership election since mass rallies in 2014 calling for Hong Kong residents to have the right to vote for the city’s highest-ranking official failed to win change, and comes as concerns grow that Chinese authorities are tightening their grip.
Former deputy leader Carrie Lam is seen as Beijing’s favourite for the job, and some pro-establishment members of the electoral committee say they have come under pressure to vote for her.
Hong Kong’s chief executive candidate Carrie Lam gives a thumbs-up sign as she speaks during the Chief Executive Election Forum in Hong Kong on March 19, 2017.Photo: AFP
Lam is intensely disliked by the pro-democracy camp after promoting the Beijing-backed political reform package which prompted 2014’s “Umbrella Movement” that paralysed parts of the city for more than two months.
The proposal had promised a public vote for city leader in 2017, but said candidates must be vetted. It was dismissed as “fake democracy” by opponents and rejected in parliament by pro-democracy lawmakers.
Since then the political reform process has been shelved.
‘Selection, not election’
Those opposed to Lam cast her as just another version of unpopular current leader Leung Chun-ying.
Her main rival is ex-finance chief John Tsang, perceived as a more moderate establishment choice and the public’s clear favourite in opinion polls.
Former financial secretary John Tsang speaks at a press conference held to announce his election platform in Hong Kong on February 6, 2017.Photo: AFP
Known as “Mr Pringles” for his resemblance to the moustachioed crisp brand mascot, Tsang has cast himself as a unifying candidate.
Most pro-democracy members on the electoral committee will vote for Tsang to keep Lam out and did not field their own candidate for fear it would split the anti-Lam vote.
That leaves the third and most liberal nominee, former judge Woo Kwok-hing, who is unlikely to make a dent.
Former judge Woo Kwok-hing.Photo: AFP
But many young activists reject the vote outright.
Pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong, the face of the 2014 protests, says he does not endorse any of the candidates and will join protests outside the harbourfront voting venue.
“Hong Kong is just implementing a selection, rather than an election,” 20-year-old student Wong told AFP, describing all three nominees as pro-establishment.
“No one will deny that Carrie Lam is the worst one and a nightmare for us – but it doesn’t mean we can put aside our principles and endorse any pro-China candidate,” he said.
Long-term battle
Lam has questioned whether the environment is right for reintroducing the political reform debate, while Tsang says any changes must adhere to the unpopular framework laid down by Beijing.
There was little scope for any new leader to diverge from Beijing’s script, said Yvonne Chiu, assistant professor at Hong Kong University’s department of politics and public administration.
“The chief executive internally can do a lot of things, but at the same time will always have an eye on what Beijing is interested in and what Beijing is willing to accept,” said Chiu.
China is taking an increasing interest in the way Hong Kong is governed after a turbulent five years under Leung, added Chiu.
Following the failure of the “Umbrella Movement” to win reform, a new brand of activist advocating a split from the mainland rather than just greater autonomy has emerged, sparking fury from Beijing.
Hong Kong is governed under a semi-autonomous “one country, two systems” deal since being handed back to China by Britain in 1997.
China’s premier Li Keqiang shut down any notion of Hong Kong independence last month, saying the idea “would lead nowhere”, and each of the three candidates has also rejected the idea.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Hong Kong described Sunday’s vote as not only a concern for the city “but also the central government’s exercise of sovereignty and governance over Hong Kong”.
Although Lam is a divisive figure, some say Beijing sees her as a softer touch than Leung but still able to deliver hardline policies.
“It’s really a sexist view in Beijing’s eyes I think – a ‘woman’s touch’,” said Suzanne Pepper, honorary fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Pepper said Lam’s decision to focus on social issues reflected Beijing’s wishes for the city leader to downplay big-picture politics.
But for activist Wong, the fight for a more representative political system remains a priority.
“Without democracy, political struggle and instability will still continue in the future,” he said.
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Hundreds of anti-China protesters rally in Hong Kong as vote looms
Singapore’s headline consumer price index in February rose the most in more than two years on the back of increased private road transport cost, data showed on Thursday.
The all-items consumer price index (CPI) in February rose 0.7 per cent from a year earlier, matching the median forecast in a Reuters poll, the highest since September 2014.
Headline CPI rose at 0.6 per cent in January after climbing for the first time in two years in December.
Singapore’s core CPI rose to 1.2 per cent in February from a year earlier, also matching the Reuters poll.
SINGAPORE: As part of an annual observance for founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, MPs for Tanjong Pagar GRC held a tree planting event on Thursday (Mar 23) to mark Mr Lee’s second death anniversary.
The event, which was organised by the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru Grassroots Organisations (GROs), involved the planting of 10 species of plants at the Tiong Bahru Community Club and the Duxton Plain Park.
It was attended by Grassroots Advisers to Tanjong Pagar GRC GROs and Radin Mas SMC – Ms Indranee Rajah, Mr Sam Tan, Dr Chia Shi-Lu and Mr Melvin Yong, along with some 100 residents, students and grassroots volunteers.
At Tiong Bahru Community Club, residents planted the Bread Flower, which can be found on the Istana grounds and was a favourite of Mr Lee’s wife, Madam Kwa Geok Choo.
The flower has an intense sweet fragrance and its flowers grow directly out of the woody stem.
Some of the other species planted at Duxton Plain Park were also designed to attract butterflies and create a butterfly garden.
NATIONAL COMPETITION FOR YOUTHS
Ms Indranee also announced on Thursday that the constituency will organise a national competition between September and November this year for “younger people” as a tribute to founding Prime Minister Lee.
“We want to have a national competition where you (young people) source ideas for the future of Singapore: ideas on technical innovation, on social innovation, thinking of Singapore’s place in the world internationally,” she said.
More details on the competition will be announced in the coming months.
Home-Fix will be having a warehouse sale from 23-26 March 2017 with discounts of up to 80% off. Brands include 3M, Bosch, ifan, Megaman, Philips, Yale and many more. There are tons of bargains up for grabs with prices starting from as low as $1.
The cringeworthy moment has since garnered international news coverage.
But in an interview with CNN published Wednesday, Anas said this is all a big misunderstanding.
“My family knows that I call my daughter my girlfriend. That’s what I was talking about. I don’t have a girlfriend,” said the suddenly famous football star.
Are the events that have happened in Yishun in recent years too strange to ignore?
If you think so, you’ll probably like the new promotional clip for sci-fi horror show Stranger Things posted by Netflix on its Facebook page. But don’t expect everyone to appreciate the humour.
In the 11-second clip shared on Mar 22, the entrance of Yishun MRT Station is pictured as an eerie place very much like the “Upside Down” parallel universe in the Netflix series. Just when you think that nothing much is happening, an unknown shadow dashes across the screen.
The caption on the post reads: “Is #Yishun cursed, simply unlucky, or struck by something stranger? We’ll leave you to decide…”
Singaporeans were quick to pick up the obvious reference to online jokes about Yishun’s “bad reputation”, garnering the clip over 28,000 views in just 18 hours.
Many were amused and tickled by Netflix’s jab at Yishun. One Facebook user identified as Yong Jian Lee commented: “New show ” Yishun Things”.
Stuart Kuek also jumped on the bandwagon, writing: “Even Netflix is making fun of Yishun…..time to build a wall around Yishun”.
Despite a strong show of “likes” for the post (476 at last count), some netizens who identified themselves as Yishun residents said they did not see the humour in the post.
Netizen Shawn Siau wrote: “I’m an Yishuner and I feel offended by this post”.
Another netizen Joseph Lo also voiced his displeasure by commenting: “Lame not funny…been living here my whole life, wasn’t so bad like 10 years ago….who to blame?”.
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Cats found dead in Yishun and other parts of Singapore
Since last year, online jokes about negative news surrounding Yishun have been rife. There have even been satirical sites and articles created to poke fun at the neighbourhood for its cases of neighbourly spats, cat killings and murders.
But experts interviewed by The Straits Times in February said that public perception had been shaped by media reports and confirmation bias, instead of facts.
Last month, MP Lee Bee Wah voiced her concerned over the jokes that refer to Yishun as a dangerous place.
“People are cherry-picking incidents to fit the myth, including some that were not in Yishun or done by Yishunites, but victimised innocent Yishunites,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
She added that some residents have been upset by these jokes, and warned that the skewed perception could affect the morale of police and community partners in Yishun.
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