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TEHRAN – Many firefighters were killed and others missing under the rubble after the Iranian capital’s oldest high-rise building collapsed Thursday following a blaze, officials said.
Rescue workers, soldiers and sniffer dogs were desperately hunting for survivors in the debris of the 15-storey Plasco building, which contained a shopping centre and hundreds of clothing suppliers.
There was no official confirmed death toll several hours after the collapse.
The capital’s mayor, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, rowed back on an earlier statement that “more than 20” firefighters were known to have died.
“Around 20 of my colleagues in the fire brigade managed to save people but went back to make sure nobody is inside,” he told state television.
“Before they managed to get to the lower floors, the building collapsed and some of my colleagues were martyred.”
Fire brigade spokesman Jalal Maleki said: “About 20 are under the rubble for sure, and definitely some have been martyred.”
Dramatic images showed flames pouring out of the top floors of the 55-year-old building, which then collapsed live on television after a four-hour blaze.
The fire was initially contained but was then reignited by an explosion on the 10th floor, fatally weakening the building’s steel structure, Ghalibaf said.
A Red Crescent aid official said 13 teams of sniffer dogs and four robot search devices were working at the scene.
A tunnel had been dug from an adjacent car park to reach the basement of the building where survivors may still be trapped, a city councillor told the ISNA news agency.
President Hassan Rouhani said the “nation of Iran mourns and praises those sacrificing firefighters”, and he asked citizens to pray for their families and the injured.
Condolences came from around the world, with the London Fire Brigade tweeting: “Our thoughts are with the friends and families of the firefighters who have died” in Tehran.
Some 78 people – mostly firefighters – were injured during the initial stages, the head of Tehran’s emergency services told state television, and six were still in hospital by late evening.
“I was inside and suddenly I felt the building is shaking and is about to collapse. As we gathered colleagues and got out, a minute later the building collapsed,” said Ali, a firefighter at the scene.
Local media said the workshops were especially full of clothes in the build-up to Nowruz, the Iranian New Year which falls in March.
Rouhani demanded an immediate investigation.
“More than 30 times we warned the building’s owners that it was not safe, but unfortunately they did not pay attention,” said municipality spokesman Shahram Gilabadi.
The fire brigade spokesman said the building was known to breach safety standards.
“Even in the stairwells, a lot of clothing is stored and this is against safety standards. The managers didn’t pay attention to the warnings,” Maleki told state television, adding that the building lacked sufficient fire extinguishers.
Dozens of Tehranis queued to donate blood, with one young man telling state television: “This is the least we could do for those who take their lives into their hands to rescue others.”
Tehran’s tailors’ union said there were around 400 clothing suppliers inside.
“They were preparing clothing for the New Year and that’s why all supply units were full of clothes,” its head said.
The Plasco building was Tehran’s first shopping centre and Iran’s tallest building when it was finished in 1962, before being dwarfed by the construction boom of later years.
It was built by Habibollah Elghanian, a prominent Iranian-Jewish businessman who was arrested for ties to Israel and sentenced to death and executed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
INDIA – A 42-year-old American has been arrested in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad on suspicion of circulating child pornography on the internet, police said on Thursday, adding that they were investigating whether any of the victims had been trafficked.
The man, working for a multinational law firm in Hyderabad since 2012, was arrested on Monday after police were alerted by Interpol to an IP address linked to online images and videos of children being sexually abused.
Ukkalam Rama Mohan, the police superintendent in charge of fighting cyber crime in Telangana state, whose capital is Hyderabad, said the suspect had confessed to publishing and transmitting obscene images electronically.
“We found several thousands of pornographic images and videos on his laptop and iPhone which he had collected since long,” Rama Mohan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.
Soumya Mishra, Telangana’s Inspector General from the Crime Investigation Department, said police were going through the large repository of images and videos seized and would be working with Interpol to check if the children were trafficked.
“We will give the entire data to Interpol to find out who are these children in the videos and trace them. This is a big amount of research,” Mishra said.
The man, who is from New Jersey in the United States, could not be contacted. The US Embassy in New Delhi could not confirm the arrest or provide any details.
Indian police said if found guilty, the American national could face up to five years imprisonment, and a fine of up to one million rupees ($14,665).
News of the arrest comes days after the Indian government announced plans to establish a national alliance with charities and police to stem a surge in images of children being sexually abused on the internet.
There is no accurate data on the number of Indian children being exploited in pornographic material – either being forced to show their sexual organs or engage in sexual acts – as many victims do not go to the police due to fear and shame.
There were 96 reports of children in India being sexually exploited in online imagery in 2015 – a rise of 140 per cent from 2014, according to National Crimes Records Bureau data.
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SINGAPORE: Sustainable light art festival i Light Marina Bay will return for its fifth edition from Mar 3 to 26, organiser Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced on Friday (Jan 20).
Formerly a biennial event, URA in 2016 said it would be held yearly. The 2017 edition will for the first time introduce three themed festival hubs for visitors, as well as 20 light art installations with the theme “Light and Nature”.
The Urchins. (Photo: Choi+Shine)
The installations are aimed at getting the public to “consider the relationship of light with nature and the city, and how light reconciles the push and pull between the constructed and the natural”, URA said.
The first of three hubs at this year’s festival, named The Fantastical World of eco.me, aims to promote sustainable living in Singapore. It will feature a recycling and upcycling marketplace, a kinetic energy playground, as well as an urban farming showcase. Taking place at The Promontory, weekend visitors to this hub can enjoy live music and workshops as well.
Colourful Garden of Light. (Photo: TILT)
Over at The Float @ Marina Bay, the second hub is called Art Zoo – an inflatable playground set in an imaginative zoological garden. The third hub, named Gastrobeats, will feature food options as well as live music performances at Bayfront Event Space.
Passage of Inner Reflection by Raffles College of Higher Education
Of the 20 installations that will be on display, five are designed by students from the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore University of Technology and Design, LASALLE College of the Arts and Raffles College of Higher Education – the highest participation from local educational institutions to date, URA said.
Zhu Xiaoping, the national rhythmic gymnastics coach who led her charges to a historic gold at the 2015 South-east Asia (SEA) Games on home soil, died yesterday morning. She was 56.
She leaves behind husband Lin Zhenqiu and daughter Vanessa Lin.
Zhu made the headlines at the SEA Games, not just for her technical expertise that propelled her team to the gold medal, but also for her spirit and dedication, battling stage-four cancer while coaching the team.
Her sacrifice paid off, as the Republic won its first SEA Games gold in the group all-around event. It was also the first medal won by Singapore’s rhythmic gymnasts at a major tournament.
Her husband Lin issued a statement saying: “Our family is deeply saddened to inform you that my wife has passed away in her sleep on Thursday at 5.05am.
“As many of you know, she has been suffering from cancer for some time now. We are relieved that her passing was peaceful and painless.”
Zhu inspired more than just the gymnastics fraternity.
Her steely resolve also moved S.League club Hougang United, who jumped in to offer her assistance last year.
In June, upon learning of Zhu’s struggles, the Cheetahs visited her home and even committed $50,000 in assistance to her family.
Hougang general manager Matthew Tay offered the club’s condolences yesterday.
“Hougang United is saddened by the passing of Zhu Xiaoping. We were encouraged by her fighting spirit and love for her sport as she battled her illness and at the same time continued to train our Singapore athletes to challenge for honours for the country,” he said.
“The club’s management and staff visited her in early October last year, and we were heartened that despite her condition, she remained brave and was very positive in her views on life.”
A memorial service will be held at Block 403, Fernvale Lane, at 8pm tonight.
The cremation will take place tomorrow morning at 8.45am at Mandai Crematorium Hall 1.
shamiro@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on January 20, 2017.
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THE world appears to be experiencing a globalisation backlash with an assault coming from both economic and societal fronts. In this changing world, the two defining characteristics of globalisation – increased global trade and greater economic participation in trade – now look poised for an extended downward trend.
While leaders, bankers and economists meet in Davos this week to extol the virtues of a globalised world, their favoured view of the global approach is not one that is shared the world over.
Global trade is no longer driving global growth like it once was. It grew last year at just 1.7 percent, lagging world economic growth for the first time in 15 years and for only the second time since 1982, according to the World Trade Organisation, which expects a further slowdown in 2017.
The decline in world trade, cross border lending and foreign direct investment, and the increase in protectionist measures together will have profound implications for cross border global flows. And reversal of these multi-decade dynamics is likely to be have an impact in Asia.
The rise of anti-globalisation
Globalisation has become deeply discredited in parts of the developed world, as a result of the 2009 financial crisis.
The job cuts, house repossessions and instability that came with it left a swathe of the population marginalised and disenfranchised.
The predominantly white working class in both Europe and the U.S., unhappy with their current standing, has shown a growing lack of willingness to tolerate the status quo. While globalisation has certainly been massively influential in lifting millions of people out of poverty around the world, for many in the west, the benefits aren’t evident.
While the affluent central bankers, CEOs, celebrities and leading economists who are congregating in Davos this week have undoubtedly benefitted from the global economy and the breakdown of national borders, their standpoint, and lifestyle, could not seem further from reality for those they leave at home. And the push for global, rather than national, solidarity does not resonate with much of the populace.
(File) Participants sit at a bar during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Jan 21, 2016. Source: Reuters/Ruben Sprich
Backlash to a system that doesn’t work for everyone is almost inevitable, and that’s exactly what we seem to be seeing here.
Wage stagnation, insecure jobs and widening inequality between rich and poor are just some of the factors that are laying the foundations for the rise of narrow nationalist policies, populist politicians and anti-globalisation sentiment that we are seeing throughout western politics.
Political Backlash
Donald Trump embodied this sentiment in his election campaign, tapping in to the concerns of the frustrated working class, acknowledging the damage that globalisation had done to their communities and America’s standing on the world stage, and promising to do something about it. His slogan – Make America Great Again – alone harps back to a time when America was prosperous and dominant in the world.
His campaign also stuck to the common pillars on which the populist movement appears to be built – bring manufacturing back, keep imports out and send foreigners home.
So far, from what we can glean from the president-elect’s comments, he appears to be sticking to them. His continued reference to trade protectionism, his threats to raise taxes on American companies that manufacture abroad, and his escalating attacks on China all point towards a step back from global trading.
But it is not just the United States who has been pushing policy in this direction.
While business ties between the United States and China were once considered the bedrock of the two countries’ relationship, of late they have become a major source of friction. And not only due to Trump’s rhetoric.
SEE ALSO: Xi stresses global need for China, US stable relationship
While China’s President Xi Jinping was making a vigorous defence of free trade in Davos on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that fear was rising within the American business community that Xi’s sentiment was not being transferred to policy back home.
Xi argued that “pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room” in the hope of avoiding danger but, in doing so, cutting off all “light and air.”
And stated that “no one will emerge as a winner in a trade war.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 17, 2017. Source: REUTERS/Ruben Sprich
However, there is the opinion amongst some businesses that, while Xi may be talking the talk, he isn’t walking the walk.
According to a recent study by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), and reported by the Washington Post, many American companies are not happy with the reception they are receiving from the current Chinese administration.
The annual survey of business conditions in China found that four out of five companies feel less welcome in China than they did last year, with many feeling that Xi is himself turning towards more protectionist policies.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump accuses China of ‘raping’ US with trade policies
AmCham chairman, William Zarit, said in a statement, “it is becoming apparent that the benefits of globalisation are being taken for granted or even forgotten, as the challenges of managing a complex, modern economy increase.”
And it’s not just America who feels this, it is also felt in other economies, with German Ambassador Michael Clauss saying in a statement on Monday that “It often appears that somewhere down the line, political assurances of equal treatment give way to protectionist tendencies.”
“There is a growing worry by European companies that some line ministries and possibly local actors are trying to tilt the playing field towards purely domestic companies.”
Business Backlash
And this cooling of sentiment towards globalisation is having an impact in the business world.
The top 5,000 multinational enterprises have been pulling back on direct capital investment and overseas acquisitions in the environment of political uncertainty and dramatically rising protectionist barriers to trade in recent years. Global Trade Alert has found that protectionist measures rose from almost zero in 2008 to over 6,300 trade restricting measures in 2016.
According to their latest forecasts, UNCTAD expects the world’s largest companies to invest 10 to 15 percent less in their overseas operations in 2016, effectively trimming foreign direct investment by around US$250 billion.
With the cross border flow of finance, people and physical capital decreasing, globalisation is facing its biggest challenge yet.
Technology
The advances in technology that the world has seen over the last decade also pose its own threat to globalisation.
The allure of cheap labour in developing countries is not the draw it once was. With advancements in automation and digitisation, the advantage of low-wages has been undermined as companies are now able to manufacture products at home with minimal workforce.
Not only will this see an increase in new companies setting up in their western countries, but will also see many leaving the emerging economies and “reshoring” to where the technology originates.
The draw of low-wage labour is no longer the advantage it once was for developing nations. Source: AP.
According to a report released by the Reshoring Initiative in the United States, the bleeding of manufacturing jobs to other countries has stopped, with the U.S. seeing a total of 249,000 manufacturing jobs returning home from offshore between 2010 and 2015.
Manufacturers are now able to generate the same workflow without being labour intensive. As Richard Yetsenga, ANZ Chief Economist, points out, these days, due to the rise in automation, it takes just five workers to create US$1 million worth of output in contrast to the 25 workers needed back in 1980.
While this trend of “reshoring” won’t necessarily fulfil Trump’s promise of bringing many manufacturing jobs back to America, it will enable American companies to run their factories on home soil, removing their reliance on labour intensive factories in developing nations.
So where does this leave Asia?
The cooling sentiment on globalisation and the rise of technology could have profound consequences for emerging economies that have built their fortunes on exports.
The old growth model of labour intensive manufacturing-for-export that worked for so many countries in the past won’t work anymore.
Asian economies that have successfully used this model to industrialise, develop the skill set of their population and in the process ascend the value chain into middle or high income nations, will likely be safeguarded from the downturn in markets.
For example, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and the development of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) should ensure its members some protection from the unpredictability of international trade.
Should the U.S. adopt anti-trade policies “the strategic significance of both the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and AEC would increase,” Pradumna Rana, associate professor of the international political economy program at Nanyang University, told the China Daily Asia Weekly.
“ASEAN countries have tariffs on 76.85 percent of their tariff lines, with tariff rates of 0-5 percent being applied on 99 percent of these lines,” he said. “This has led to an increase in intra-regional trade which has enhanced the region’s resilience to adverse global headwinds.”
Hidetoshi Nishimura, president of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, shares his optimism. “The current anti-globalisation sentiment will force ASEAN to enhance the atmosphere of their own economic integration further,” he told China Daily Asia Weekly.
The main concern is raised for those emerging economies that are yet to take full advantage of the manufacture-for-export model.
SEE ALSO: Despite tension, India eyes trade with Pakistan
Countries such as India that are taking the first steps towards industrialisation could see their process disrupted, or possibly halted, by the threats of anti-globalisation.
They will face the prospect of factory jobs drying up, leaving the 10 million new young people entering the workforce each a year with uncertain futures.
Unemployment will likely go up as the workforce that was geared towards the manufacturing techniques of old will be ill-prepared for the changing tides of automation and be left behind.
India has lofty aspirations to increase the share that manufacturing contributes to the economy from its current point of 16 percent to 25 percent; a feat that seems difficult in the changing times.
With automation undercutting their labour costs, “Asia needs to be worried,” said Serguei Netessine, professor of technology and operations management at graduate business school INSEAD in Singapore. “It needs to be sowing the seeds now. It cannot afford to wait until it is too late,” he told Asia Weekly.
Without being able to rely on the old methods, we could start to see the emergence of a divided Asia; one characterized by those economies that have used trade and industrialisation to scale the value chain, and another group of economies who will have to engineer different and more imaginative models if they are to do the same.
Birdies and bogeys were “the least of my worries” for local pro golfer Quincy Quek at the SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course yesterday.
After all, the 29-year-old had just welcomed the birth of his first child, Olivia, on Saturday.
In fact, when asked about his plans for the second round today, he misunderstood the question and expressed his desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter.
Still, Quek posted an impressive three-under-68 at the US$1 million (S$1.42m) event, ahead of big names such as three-time champion and world No. 7 Adam Scott, four-time Major winner Ernie Els and world No. 15 Sergio Garcia.
“Olivia is feeding well, my wife is recovering well, everything is in a good place and I’m feeling nothing but joy,” Quek told The New Paper.
“I sat in the delivery room and I was so nervous. Just seeing her with 10 fingers and 10 toes and crying, it’s just a whole new level of happiness.
“I haven’t really slept since she was born on Saturday. I have lost track of time since, actually.
“My wife and daughter are such an inspiration and motivation for me.
“I’m happy to be back playing in front of family and friends, so of course I want to do well, too.”
He managed to squeeze in only one practice round on Monday, but that did not stop Quek from making a blistering start from the 10th hole to rack up four birdies – only Tadahiro Takayama matched his 31 on either the front or back nine.
Some of the top golfers found the going tough though, with quite a few affected by the two-and-a-half-hour delay due to inclement weather; 69 players from the field of 156 did not complete the first round before play was suspended at 7.16pm due to fading light.
Scott carded a triple-bogey on the par-five seventh after finding water and was one-under through 15 holes. Els also struggled with water and sand and was two-over through 16 holes while his flight mate, Singapore No. 1 Mardan Mamat, was four-over.
MATCHING 65S
Two golfers who managed to avoid the disruption were Japan’s Hideto Tanihara and South Korea’s Kang Kyung Nam, who shot matching 65s.
Despite a bogey on the first, Tanihara conjured seven birdies, while Kang had an unblemished scorecard with one eagle and four birdies.
“My back is a little stiff from the long flight, and the ground at my previous tournament was hard so my feet are a little tired,” said Tanihara, who flew in from Hawaii.
“But when you are playing well, it does not bother you.”
LEADERBOARD
(Completed scores only)
SELECTED:
*Round 1 to resume today at 7.30am, Round 2 to start at 8.35am.
davidlee@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on January 20, 2017.
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In a small town on the outskirts of central Nepal stand three greenhouse farms.
Vegetables and tomatoes, as well as high-value crops like shiitake mushrooms and herbs, are grown there.
The farms were built thanks to $31,000 raised by two Singaporean students.
Mr Xu Jiakun, 24, and Miss Lim Xin Tong, 22, are final year undergraduates at Duke University in the US.
They were spurred into action after travelling to Nagarkot town in 2014 to teach English to lower secondary students as part of a university programme.
But they found that some of the 180 students from Shree Janakalyan Lower Secondary School would skip school to work on family farms, while others were too hungry to focus during lessons.
“Most do not have lunch and the few that do, bring some dry grains,” Mr Xu told The New Paper.
Many students live in houses of tin sheets or mud, and few have electricity.
Miss Lim said: “I see so much potential in each of these children, and I want to do whatever I can to help them get closer to realising their ambitions.”
MEALS
Concerned, the pair decided to raise money to fund meals for the students.
They were turned down by the many businesses they approached, and so took to crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.
They also made postcards and donation boxes which they set up at shops near their campus for contributions.
After raising $20,000 and travelling to Nepal several times to set up a meal programme and liaising with school staff members, the greenhouse idea sparked.
Mr Xu said: “The farming idea came to us as it is a common source of income in rural schools around the world and farms can be used for many purposes such as teaching science classes.”
The $31,000 raised from both campaigns covered the costs of farming equipment, irrigation, and seeds for the greenhouses.
Crops at the greenhouses will play a dual role. High-value crops, such as the mushrooms and European herbs, are sold to hotels in Nagarkot, while other vegetables and tomatoes are meant for the students.
They worked together with a non-governmental organisation to build the greenhouses next to the school, which span the area of a basketball court, and which became fully functional last month.
The Nepalese students have organised themselves to take turns tending to the crops.
Mr Xu and Miss Lim now hope parents will be encouraged to send their children to the school.
Having returned from their self-funded third visit there, Mr Xu and Miss Lim are trying to make the farm more self-sustainable, hoping it becomes a model for other schools.
“They suffer from poverty, minimal infrastructure and even climate change.
“This is within our capacity as individuals to help them,” said Mr Xu.
Those who wish to contribute can do so at bit.ly/project-sapana
leeganjp@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on January 20, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – An “under-sized” drain in Upper Thomson that is currently being expanded to help with flood management was not enough to prevent yesterday’s downpour from flooding the area again.
A joint statement from PUB and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it would take until the third quarter of this year for contractor Sato Kogyo to widen the existing canal located along Upper Thomson Road and Jalan Keli.
The statement said Sato Kogyo has been widening it to enhance the drainage system and improve overall flood resilience in the area.
“LTA has also instructed the contractor to expedite the completion of the canal widening along Jalan Keli,” it said.
In the meantime, Sato Kogyo has changed the drain covers to facilitate the flow of water, and placed sandbags at several locations to prevent the water from flowing into the shophouses in the area.
Read also: PUB takes action against contractor responsible for Upper Thomson flood
PUB had earlier said it would be taking action against Sato Koygo as the temporary diversion drain constructed by the contractor within the worksite of the upcoming Thomson-East Coast Line was found to be under-sized, and the contractor did not inform PUB prior to the commencement of these works.
Yesterday, heavy rain occurred from 3.10pm to 4pm, recording a total rainfall of 59.2mm.
Even with the anti-flood measures, a flash flood occurred at the junction of Upper Thomson Road and Jalan Lembah Thomson for about 20 minutes.
No shops were affected.
Store manager of Tomoe Japanese Cuisine, Miss Susan Poon, said several cars parked outside her shop were affected by the knee-high water.
Read also: Choked drain at MRT work site caused flash floods
She told The New Paper: “We are lucky our restaurant is on high ground. We see a lot of floods here recently. If there is heavy rain, it is bound to flood. Business is also affected because customers cannot come if there is a flood.”
The statement said the flood was from 3.44pm until 4.05pm.
The shops near Jalan Keli that were affected by the flood on Christmas Eve, which are located on lower ground, were not affected yesterday.
‘NOTHING WE CAN DO’
An employee at ice cream parlour Salted Caramel told TNP their shop has not taken any precautionary measures despite being affected by the flood last month.
She said: “We are worried because if there is a flood, there is nothing we can do. Maybe we will try to use something to block the gaps under the doors.”
Read also: Heavy rain causes commuters to be stranded in flooded bus
Mr Jamal Mohammed, 50, an employee at The Roti Prata House, said yesterday’s flood was about ankle-deep, but it did not flow into their eatery.
“The rain last month was much heavier (compared to yesterday’s), so we knew it wouldn’t flood. If the rain is heavier, we would get worried and start moving goods up.”
Mr Jason Tan, store manager of Tom Yum Mama, a Thai eatery located along the same stretch, said the restaurant had just opened on Dec 30.
“The flood last month affected the construction (of the shop), but LTA said they would take precautionary measures to prevent floods, so we are not too worried,” he said.
Mr Erwin Budiawan, 27, store manager of cafe Badoque, said the sandbags placed by Sato Kogyo had lessened his worries.
Read also: Orchard’s anti-flood works 50 per cent complete
He said: “Of course we are scared of flood, but compared to last time, there are more people taking care of it now. We know what to expect.
“But we are still worried that sales will be affected.”
None of the shops that TNP spoke to had taken precautionary measures of their own.
bxliew@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on January 20, 2017.
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