Batam Free Trade Zone authority plans to close 26 illegal pig farms near Duriangkang Dam, the biggest reservoir in Batam on which residents rely for clean water, after reports that pig waste has contaminated the water.
Batam authority spokesperson Andiantono Purnomo told The Jakarta Post there were about 1,800 pigs roaming around the reservoir, which had the production capacity of 80,000 cubic meters per second.
“We have reported the illegal pig farmers to the police because they have disrupted the water source,” he said Wednesday.
He said there had been no research about the extent of the pollution from pig manure dumped into the reservoir.
“So far, the water is still safe because the water goes through treatment before being supplied to the water company,” he said.
He said the authority notified the pig farmers to vacate the area by the end of this month.
Batam’s Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) head, Usman Ahmad, said the MUI would investigate the pollution to determine whether they needed to deliver an edict that declared the water was haram, or prohibited in Islamic law.
SINGAPORE — Those who commute to Tuas for work or business can look forward to a smoother journey this year, with a new 4.8km viaduct to open from Feb 18 and four new MRT stations to begin operations from the second quarter of the year.
The viaduct, Singapore’s first “twin-tier road-rail integrated viaduct”, will provide a faster route to Tuas South by allowing motorists to bypass the busy Pioneer Road, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a news release and Facebook post on Thursday (Jan 19).
The completed viaduct, part of the Tuas West Extension project, “provides better transport connections for the future Tuas Port, and other upcoming industrial developments within the area,” LTA added.
Motorists using the viaduct can by-pass up to six traffic junctions at Pioneer Road. Motorists can enter the viaduct via two up-ramps at Tuas South Ave 3 and Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim. There will be three down-ramps along the viaduct.
(Click to Enlarge)
LTA also disclosed that construction of the four MRT stations on the Tuas West Extension – Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road and Tuas Link – have been completed. The four stations are expected to be opened for passenger service in the second quarter of this year.
English proficiency is the key to the international market for many Chinese stars.
In this respect, their success in the West is built upon hard－sometimes humorous－lessons.
Jackie Chan, the kung fu master who has starred in more than 100 movies, admits the toughest step on his long journey to Hollywood fame was jumping the language barrier.
He didn’t speak a word of English when he arrived in California in the 1980s.
“It would be a very long story to talk about my English-learning experience,” the 62-year-old said, grinning broadly, during a recent Beijing event.
“But I can say that now Hollywood needs me, while, in the past, I needed Hollywood.”
Chan soared to fame as a martial-arts master in Asia in the mid-70s.
But his employer, Golden Harvest, hoped he could break into the larger US film industry.
So, the company purposely arranged for him to fly alone to the United States to immerse himself in the English-speaking world so that he could learn the language as quickly as possible.
Later, a classic scene in his smash hit Rush Hour, which also stars US actor Chris Tucker, features Chan as a Hong Kong inspector, who flashes a silly smile when Tucker, who plays a detective, asks if he speaks English.
It harks to Chan’s actual Hollywood experience, his close friend, director Frankie Chan, revealed during a recent interview with China Central Television.
Another time, Jackie Chan made an urgent call to his Hong Kong agent, Willie Chan, in the middle of the night because he mistook a menu for an important document, the Guangzhou-based Yangcheng Evening News reports.
Jackie Chan spent a great deal of effort solidifying his status in Hollywood at a time when Chinese faces weren’t as prevalent there as now.
To do that, he made gaining fluency in English one of his top priorities.
To improve his English, he says, he listened and practiced as much as possible.
Jackie Chan, who’s also a singer, used US folk songs, films and TV series to study.
He listened to them repeatedly and imitated the pronunciation.
He improved his listening comprehension by covering the bottom of the television so he couldn’t read the subtitles.
At his peak, he hired four English teachers and spent nine hours a day studying.
He also practiced while appearing in such blockbusters as Rumble in the Bronx and the Rush Hour franchise.
He recited the scripts before shoots and communicated with US actors on set.
Eventually, he became fluent.
Never too late to learn
Jackie Chan’s success through striving in Hollywood inspired more demand for Chinese stars in North America.
This, in turn, inspired more Chinese celebrities to begin learning English.
Award-winning actress Li Bingbing is known for diligence in her language studies.
Photo: Sony Pictures
She was an A-lister on the Chinese mainland before starring in such US blockbusters as Resident Evil: Retribution and Transformers: Age of Extinction.
She has long incorporated English study into her daily routine to become fluent.
Li was recently on site for the shooting of the Sino-US sci-fi coproduction Meg with British action star Jason Statham in Auckland.
“I began studying English at 36. I’ve caught up with other foreign actors with different accents. It’s never too late to learn English,” she says.
Li’s method depends on intensive practice.
She stays home on her days off to focus on her lessons.
She jots down unfamiliar words and regularly reviews them at home and on the road.
“As an actress, I don’t have a lot of time to focus on learning English. But I do it during most of my spare time, like when I’m on a plane or waiting on set,” she says.
Li believes confidence and daring are crucial for beginners.
“My family didn’t believe I could learn a foreign language in my 30s, since most fluent speakers begin as teenagers or even younger. But you have to believe in yourself and never be too shy to speak loudly. I’m the kind of person who will dare to say eight words, even if I know only 10,” she says, giggling.
She found reciting the lines of her English-language scripts－including other actors’ dialogues－helpful, she says.
“That way, I don’t need to translate what he or she says in my mind. It makes my performance more natural.”
She has just memorized the 213-page script of Meg, a tale about a prehistoric predator terrorising today’s world.
Persistence is key
Pianist Lang Lang, who’s one of the most active Chinese musicians on the global stage, says his interest in English was aroused by the alphabet song he was taught in primary school.
Photo: The Straits Times
“I felt very happy and accomplished when I was able to use 26 letters to spell simple words and then simple sentences,” the 35-year-old recalls.
But one of the most challenging parts was learning English grammar, he says.
“The system of English is totally different from Chinese. I had to memorize lots of grammar rules, such as those about auxiliary verbs and tenses,” Lang says.
Lang started playing the piano at age 3 and soared to stardom by 13, when he won the top prize at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians’ Competition.
In 1997, at age 15, Lang began his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Like many young overseas Chinese students, he found it difficult to communicate in English at first.
“I was nervous when I spoke English. But I adjusted to my new life quickly, and my level rapidly improved because I’m extroverted, learn fast and have a good memory,” he says.
He recalls listening to radio programs every day.
He watched the news.
And he chatted with his classmates in English as much as possible.
“It took me around three months to speak fluent English,” he says.
As the first Chinese pianist involved with the Berlin and Vienna philharmonics, Lang, who gives recitals worldwide and collaborates with international musicians, says mastering English opened a new world to him.
He’s not just an internationally celebrated soloist but also a UN messenger of peace with a special focus on global education.
He has published a piano book for beginners and owns a perfume brand.
He released his latest crossover album in November. New York Rhapsody comprises 10 tracks featuring 10 collaborating guest artists, including Herbie Hancock, Kandace Springs and Sean Jones.
“I’m now able to communicate with many talented people from different cultures. It makes my life interesting and rich,” says Lang.
SINGAPORE: The Tuas viaduct, a 4.8-km stretch linking Tuas South Avenue 3 to Tuas Road, will open on Feb 18 at 6am, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Thursday (Jan 19).
Built at a budget of S$3.5 billion over five years, the viaduct is the first in Singapore to integrate road and rail, and is aimed at enhancing transport connectivity to businesses in Tuas.
The stretch forms part of a 7.5-km rail viaduct linking the MRT stations of Tuas Link, Tuas West Road, Tuas Crescent and Gul Circle – slated to open in the second quarter of this year – with Joo Koon station on the East-West Line. Once opened, commuters to the Tuas area can save up to 35 minutes in travelling time, LTA said.
From Tuas West Road station to the area around Tuas Road, the rail viaduct runs directly above the road viaduct. The road viaduct in turn runs two lanes in each direction above the busy Pioneer Road over a 2.4-km stretch, with capacity for conversion to three lanes depending on future traffic needs.
(Image: LTA)
LTA’s director of the Tuas West Extension project Andrew Yap said the design of the integrated road-and-rail structure was a key challenge of the project.
“This integrated structure includes close to 100 columns. Each of the columns is designed to withstand up to 13,000 tonnes loading,” said Mr Yap. He added that heavy lifting works for the construction project were carried out in the evenings, with lane closures and road diversions implemented to minimise inconvenience to motorists.
One business in the area told Channel NewsAsia that it hopes the new viaduct will help reduce congestion, and drive further investment in the area. Mr Thomas Tan, general manager of Motiva Products and Services, said he expects more factories to shift to Tuas with the completion of the stretch.
“Without the expressway I think nobody will come, because the most important thing (is) traffic in Singapore is always jammed,” he said.
The price of renting a boyfriend to take home with you is surging to as high as 1,500 yuan (S$215) a day as Spring Festival approaches, chinanews.com reported on Wednesday.
Some single women, who are pressured by their parents to marry, choose to rent a boyfriend for home to soften or dispel parents’ dissatisfaction with their singledom.
Catering to the market, men are advertising their availability at higher prices on social networking platforms.
In a 1,000-people group chat on Tencent’s QQ, many advertisements give personal data about the “boyfriends” for rent, including height, weight and educational background, as well as services the “boyfriends’ can provide, such as “coping with questions concerning marriage from parents and relatives”.
The starting price to rent a “boyfriend” is 1,000 yuan.
The manager of the chat group said that the daily price ranges from 1,000 yuan to 1,500 yuan during Spring Festival season, compared to a regular fee of 600 yuan to 1,000 yuan.
Besides the rental fee, the woman renting a boyfriend has to pay for his round-trip tickets if travel is involved and other costs, such as dining out and outings.
A man who used the alias Guo Yi, a post-85 Hubei native, has been a rented boyfriend several times.
He said that if he meets a woman’s requirements, such as educational background, job and looks, they sign an agreement and the woman makes a down payment in advance.
To prevent being caught in a lie, both parties learn about each other.
This also means they can answer questions from the woman’s parents and relatives.
“I played the role very well and has never been caught,” Guo said.
As to the question as to how the couple sleep at night, Guo said he sticks to the principle of “green rent”, which means sleeping in different rooms.
He also added that he does not worry about the problem, as the woman’s parents usually arrange separate rooms.
He said that he works at a law firm and the income is not high, so he rents himself out to make some money.
Zhang Li, also an alias, is a post-90 from Fujian province who also supports “green rent”.
In his latest boyfriend appearance last month, the two parties not only slept in different rooms, but also signed a supplemental agreement to ensure safety.
Waiting for his Spring Festival job, he said, “I don’t want to go home during the Spring Festival, as I don’t have a girlfriend and I’m afraid of being pressured to marry by my parents.”
“I hope I can take an order and just regard the experience as a tour experience,” Zhang said.
Many think parents who pressure their children to marry are to be blamed for a drastic measure like renting a boyfriend, while an expert says the problem lies in singles themselves.
Zhou Xiaopeng, chief marriage and dating expert at dating website Baihe.com, said renting a boyfriend or girlfriend reflects the fact that some singles avoid difficulties when they face emotional problems.
Though no law bans renting a boyfriend, a law expert warns that the act may pose risks and may even lead to unexpected situations that break the law.
If both parties behave according to the law and rental agreement, such as paying on time and respecting each other’s privacy, it does not violate the law, said Li Hongzhao, deputy secretary of the criminal law commission of the Beijing Lawyers Association.
But it is hard to define the boundary between intimate behaviour and infringement, and sexual assault may happen, Li said.
Some people with ulterior motives may even commit criminal indecency and rape under such circumstances, and some intermediate agents may provide sexual services in the name of renting friends, he said.
SINGAPORE: A taxi crashed into the void deck of a housing block in Jurong West on Thursday morning (Jan 19) and ended up wedged in a walkway between two HDB blocks.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at Block 816, Jurong West Street 81, at about 8.10am.
An ambulance was dispatched to the scene but no injuries were reported and the ambulance’s assistance was not required, SCDF said.
Photos of the incident posted on social media showed police at the scene of the incident, with curious onlookers surrounding the yellow ComfortDelGro cab and some taking photographs on their mobile phones.
These reports, which indicate that graduates from Singaporean schools are years ahead of their western counterparts, provide sufficient evidence to declare Singapore a 21st Century education superpower.
And Singapore’s educational prowess is not confined to high schools; the National University Singapore has been the highest ranking university in Asia for the past two years, competing head-to-head with world-renowned institutions from England and the U.S.
What makes Singapore’s record all the more impressive, is that this progress has been achieved in just a matter of decades. When Singapore gained independence from Malaysia in 1965, the country’s per capita income was US$500, and the education system was segregated according to ethnicity and religion.
To tackle these inequalities, the country’s leaders promptly introduced a universal state-funded education system which promoted the ideals of meritocracy. Since then, education has remained at the forefront of Singapore’s vision for development and has been instrumental in the country’s per capita income growth, which has now reached US$55,000.
An inside view of the “The Hive” learning hub at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Singapore spent S$75 mil to implement the flipped classroom model whereby students access course content on their own before class so lesson time is spent on discussions. Source: Vasin Srethaphakdi/Shutterstock
Singapore’s educational success is widely attributed to three factors; curricula, pedagogy, and teaching standards.
In the aftermaths of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapore embarked on its most successful series of reforms, with the adoption of a new educational vision, ‘Thinking Schools, Learning Nation’, which emphasised innovation, creativity and lifelong learning.
Singaporean students’ solid foundation in literacy and numeracy can be attributed to two highly successfully innovations introduced during this period, the STELLAR approach to English, which was developed to ensure the country’s multilingual learners received a solid foundation in literacy, and the Mastery Method for Mathematics.
Singapore’s Mastery Method proved so successful that it has increasingly been adopted elsewhere, becoming particularly popular in the U.S. Central elements to this approach include giving students ample time to focus on core mathematic principles through a range of problem-solving exercises which utilise visual and hands-on aids, and ensuring students become proficient at each step of their learning – they do not progress until they have thoroughly mastered each skill.
Alongside the successful implementation of modern pedagogies, Singapore has also benefited from investing in the development of proficient educators. This has been achieved by selecting teachers from the top third of high school graduates and then providing them with intensive teacher training at the National Institute of Education (NIE). During a graduate’s first few years in the actual classroom, there remains a close working relationship with NIE to support the new teacher.
Another educational challenge which Singapore has been able to tackle successfully is reforming vocational training for the 21st Century economy.
Previously, societal prejudice towards vocational education had made many students reluctant to follow this line of education, considering it inferior to traditional university. Recognising the importance of quality vocational learning, the Institute for Technical Education (ITE) revamped the country’s vocational curricula and developed new courses with a greater focus on advanced skills. Vocational education was rebranded as ‘hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on’ applied learning and the sector is now recognised as a legitimate career path which learners can be proud of.
(File) Science Faculty of the National University of Singapore. Source: e X p o s e/Shutterstock
Research and development at Singaporean universities has also been prioritised by the government and the National University of Singapore (NUS), in particular, has benefited from far-sighted policies which have given institutions the necessary levels of autonomy and adequate funding to be able to innovate.
Lifelong learning is another area in which Singapore has set examples that other nations are now following. In 2016, the country introduced the SkillsFuture educational initiatives, to provide Singaporean adults with the incentive, and economic support (credits, worth S$500 (US$378)), to develop new skill. The aim of the programme is to support the country’s aspiration to become an advanced economy with advanced technological infrastructure, higher standards of living and a highly developed economy.
While Singapore’s educational successes have been examined and admired by educators and policymakers worldwide, imitating the city-state has proved problematic.
Monitoring academic standards and implementing education reforms in a country with just over 500,000 students and less than 400 state schools, is more easily managed, and more likely to reap rewards, than in larger countries. Furthermore, the stability of the Singaporean government with its shared commitment to equity and meritocracy, has given the city-state a degree of stability rarely experienced elsewhere.
Singapore’s unique location, at a centuries-old international trading crossroads, has created a diverse and rich culture which supports personal development. Much of the Singaporean population adhere to Confucian ideals, which value education and diligence. Most parents in Singapore take their children’s education very seriously, and will strive to give their children the best possible opportunities, providing them with books and private tuition.
Given Singapore’s unique circumstances, the city-state’s status as a education superpower looks secure, and unlikely to be challenged for the foreseeable future.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not reflect the views of Asian Correspondent
Despite suffering serious spinal fractures, Hong Kong actor Andy Lau insisted on keeping his injury a secret so that his wife would not worry, Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily has reported.
The 55-year-old star was reportedly thrown off a horse during a filming accident in a town not far from Bangkok, Thailand early this week.
Upon finding out about his injuries, Lau’s wife, Carol Chu, 50, immediately took a flight to Thailand to look after him.
According to Apple Daily, Lau was transferred to a hospital in Hong Kong via air ambulance on Wednesday (Jan 18) night.
LONDON – Manchester United’s relative failure on the pitch has not been reflected off it as for the first time in over a decade they top Deloitte’s Football Money League for revenue in the 2015/16 season.
United – who were last on top in the 2003/04 campaign – earned record revenue of 689m euros (S$1.1 billion) – and dislodged Champions League holders Real Madrid who have ruled the roost for the past 11 years.
United’s topping of the revenue table – in a season where they failed to sparkle under Louis van Gaal in the league or the Champions League leading to him being sacked – is largely down to one thing according to Tim Bridge, Senior Consuiltant at Deloitte.
“It is the commercial power of Manchester United that takes them to the top of the league,” he told AFP.
More galling perhaps for Real is that despite passing the 600m euros barrier for the first time they also found themselves edged into third by bitter rivals Barcelona, who bettered them by just 100,000 euros – 620.2m euros to Real’s 620.1m – although the Catalan side have yet to top the table.
The top trio also filled the first three positions when Deloitte’s first published the league in the 1996/97 season with United topping then on £88m – pretty much the amount they spent on Paul Pogba almost 20 years later.
United’s reign, though, could be short-lived as they failed to qualify for the Champions League this season, even when figures from the huge Premier League TV deal that came into force this season are taken into account, according to Bridge.
“The TV deal will counterbalance some of it but much depends on where they finish in the league,” said Bridge.
“The truth is it will be a three-way battle next year mainly because United are not in the Champions League and the impact of the exchange rate (it was 1.33 euro to the pound when Deloitte did the 2015/16 table as opposed to Wednesday’s rate of 1.15) and weakening of the pound following the decision to leave the European Union.
“It will be challenging for them to stay on top next year.”
German champions Bayern Munich and Manchester City fill out the top five – French giants Paris Saint Germain dropping out of the leading quintet to sixth.
City’s appearance in the top five for the first time is on the back of reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
In all the top 20 clubs generated revenue of 7.4 billion euros, a rise of 12 per cent on the previous year.
The English Premier League’s commercial attractiveness compared to other European leagues is reflected with eight teams appearing in the top 20 – five in the top 10 – and generating total combined revenue of 3.2bn euros.
Champions Leicester break in for the first time and are 20th with revenue of 172.1m euros whilst rivals West Ham also crept into the top 20 in 18th spot with recorded revenues of 192.3m euros.
However, thoughts of the EPL being an unstoppable force and all 20 clubs entering the Top 30 next year should not be taken for granted, says Bridge.
“When the new TV deal was announced two years ago we might well have thought more there would be more English clubs coming into the Money League for 2017/18,” said Bridge.
“But with the rise of their European competitors it might not be as great as one thought.
“It is a testament to European football generally and it has to be said clubs are operating in a more financially sustainable manner now.
“The introduction by UEFA of European Fair Play (EFP) has seen a huge reduction in losses.”
The decline of Serie A continues.
Although there are four teams in the top 20 – Juventus the highest at 10th – Deloitte think there is a real danger they could just have one representative next year.
“I think it certainly reflects the situation in Italy,” Bridge said.
“AC Milan were in the top five in 2002/03 so their decline (they are 16th and even passed by rivals Roma) has been relatively steady over the past 13 years.
“It kind of reflects the inability to generate new revenues in Italy both commercially and matchday, antiquated stadia being one of the issues.
“Inter Milan (19th) are almost certainly going to drop out and there is a real danger the same can happen to AS Roma and AC Milan.”
