Starbucks Corp on Wednesday named its first chief executive officer for China and said it plans to more than double its store count in that country to 5,000 by 2021.
The world’s biggest coffee chain promoted Belinda Wong to the title of CEO of Starbucks China. Wong, who had been president of that operation, will continue to report to John Culver, group president of Starbucks Global Retail.
Among other things, Wong will oversee the opening of Starbucks’ first international Roastery and Reserve Tasting Room in Shanghai in 2017.
Starbucks opened the first of its sprawling roasteries in Seattle in 2014 to showcase super-premium coffee beans and brewing methods. It was a move by the company to assert itself as a player in an upscale niche being defined by newer cafe chains such as Blue Bottle and Intelligentsia.
Starbucks has operated in China for 17 years. The world’s fastest-growing major economy has been a key development market for the coffee chain, which now has more than 2,300 cafes in 100-plus cities there.
Starbucks also promoted Leo Tsoi to the role of chief operating officer for Starbucks China. He was most recently vice president of store development and design for the division.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has defended the introduction of chemical castration for paedophiles, saying in an interview published Wednesday there can be “no compromise” when it comes to tackling sex crimes.
Widodo introduced a series of tough punishments for child sex offenders in May through an emergency decree, including chemical castration and the death penalty, following an outcry over the fatal gang-rape of a schoolgirl.
Parliament last week voted to put the new regulations permanently on the statute book, as had been widely expected.
In an interview with the BBC, Widodo defended introducing chemical castration, a decision that has sparked anger from human rights activists and the Indonesian Doctors Association, which has said its members will not perform the treatment.
“Our constitution respects human rights, but when it comes to sexual crimes there is no compromise,” he said, adding that the government “will hand out the maximum penalty” for such crimes.
“In my opinion… chemical castration, if we enforce it consistently, will reduce sex crimes and wipe them out over time,” he said.
Indonesia is among a small group of places worldwide which use the measure, including Poland and some states in the USA. In 2011 South Korea became the first Asian country to legalise the treatment.
Chemical castration involves using drugs to reduce libido and sex drive.
Widodo was spurred into action after the murder and gang-rape in April of a 14-year-old girl. She was set upon by a gang of drunken men and boys as she walked home from school on the western island of Sumatra.
The leader of the gang was sentenced to death last month after being found guilty of premeditated murder, a crime already punishable by death before the new laws were introduced. Other members of the gang have been jailed.
Singapore signed an agreement on Wednesday to start testing self-driving buses, as the city-state pushes ahead with its vision of using autonomous technology to help deal with the challenges posed by its limited land and labour.
Countries around the world are encouraging the development of such technologies, and high-density Singapore is hoping driverless vehicles will prompt its residents to use more shared vehicles and public transport.
“They say big dreams start small, so we are collaborating with NTU (Nanyang Technological University) on an autonomous bus trial, starting with two electric hybrid buses,” Singapore’s transport regulator said in a Facebook post.
The Land Transport Authority hopes eventually to outfit existing buses with sensors and develop a self-driving system that can effectively navigate Singapore’s traffic and climate conditions.
It did not specify when the trial would start.
Earlier this week, Singapore said it would seek information from the industry and research institutes on the potential use of self-driving vehicles for street cleaning and refuse collection.
Self-driving vehicles are also being tested in another western Singapore district, where a driverless car collided with a truck on Tuesday when changing lanes. Developer nuTonomy, which started trials of the world’s first robo-taxis in August, said it was investigating the accident.
Juggling acting and school since the age of seven has taken its toll on South Korean teen actress Kim So Hyun, 17.
She barely had time to study in middle school and sat examinations unprepared. She missed out on school activities with friends.
Resolute about not giving up either acting or academic pursuits, Kim found a solution last year. She chose to be home-schooled, instead of enrolling in high school.
Explaining her choice, she says in an e-mail interview with The Straits Times: “My ambition in acting has grown bigger and I don’t think I can give up the roles that I’ve been given. Yet, I was unable to pursue my studies like others. This way, I will be able to have time to study well and to film.
“I will even have time to watch movies and read books, which I was unable to do before. I discussed the issue with my mother and she gave me full autonomy. I made the decision, so that I will have no regrets in future.”
Spending the last decade working alongside adults has rubbed off on the teen, turning her into a precocious lass who sounds mature beyond her years.
Well aware of the sacrifices that come with the job, she reveals that she “got injured and scarred” during the process of honing her craft and feeling her way around the film set.
“Those incidents have become valuable life lessons for me and I think I’ll be able to smile at my scars later in life,” says Kim, who grew up in the industry with friends and fellow teen actors Kim Yoo Jung, 17, and Yeo Jin Goo, 19.
Learning from the school of hard knocks early in life, she also treasures the advice “not found in books” offered by her seniors on set. What keeps her hooked on acting, she says, is the chance to experience “a variety of different lives”, adding: “There’s the charm of getting viewers to feel my emotions through acting.”
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Kim So Hyun in Singapore to promote her latest drama
The versatile actress has tried her hand at both villainous and goody-two-shoes roles. She made audiences livid when she played a jealous princess scheming to win the prince’s love in hit fantasy period drama Moon Embracing The Sun (2012).
In recent supernatural romance Bring It On, Ghost (2016), she endeared herself to audiences as a lively schoolgirl, albeit a dead one. Her ghost character was entangled in a love-hate relationship with a suave exorcist, played by actor Ok Taecyeon, 27.
Dapper Ok of boy band 2PM is one of many young celebrities that Kim counts as her co-stars and workmates.
She shared a kiss with teen actor Yeo Jin Goo in melodrama Missing You (2013). She also used to host music programme Show! Music Core with boy band members – Block B’s Zico and Shinee’s Minho.
While she admits to being much envied for working with popular and handsome actors, she says: “I’ve yet to meet my own idol. “But when working with these actors, I can understand why fans would idolise these stars.”
Perhaps all the make-believe romance on set has sparked Kim’s desire to date in real life.
It is clear that she shares the desires of young people when she says: “I want to experience romance like everyone else my age. My ideal type has to be kind and very thoughtful. If he’s someone I can learn a lot from, it would be great.”
Catch actress Kim So Hyun in dramas such as Bring It On, Ghost and Moon Embracing The Sun on South Korean entertainment streaming platform Viu. Viu is available on viu.com and the Viu app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
This article was first published on October 19, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
The Philippines is set to negotiate a deal with China to jointly explore energy sources in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
According to The Inquirer, officials of the Duterte administration were holding talks with their Chinese counterparts to finalize a deal that could see both governments work hand-in-hand to find oil or natural gas in what is also known internationally as the South China Sea.
“What we are looking at is a deal that will first cover exploration activities in the uncontested areas,” said an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as sensitive discussions were still ongoing.
When questioned about which potential areas would be considered uncontested, given that China’s so-called nine-dash line territorial claim encompasses most of the South China Sea, the official stated that these may be “areas closer to the Philippines, including the Recto Bank,” that are firmly under the Philippine government’s control.
Forum Energy Plc. holds the license for Service Contract 72, which covers the Recto Bank, known internationally as the Reed Bank. The company is a subsidiary of Manuel Pangilinan-led Philex Petroleum Corp.
Pangilinan is one of the business tycoons joining the official business delegation of Duterte’s four-day state visit.
Forum Energy was licensed a few years ago by the Department of Energy to conduct a drilling survey in a petroleum exploration area, but the territorial dispute later prompted the government to issue a moratorium on exploration activities.
“We’re still finalizing it, but we will finish this deal in time,” the administration official said.
Another member of the delegation of President Duterte’s state visit said the proposed deal called for Philippine-China co-operation to start work closer to the Philippines and away from the disputed reefs and islets as a confidence-building measure between both sides.
“The issue of sovereignty will not be touched,” he said, adding that once a more comfortable working relationship has been established, both sides can proceed to discuss the more sensitive areas around the South China Sea.
If sealed successfully, the joint energy exploration agreement would mark one of the most dramatic foreign policy turnarounds in recent Philippine history.
Under the aegis of the US support, the Philippine government had sued China in The Hague-based International Court of Arbitration, winning a unanimous decision that struck down China’s nine-dash line claims. China does not recognise the decision.
“It’s always good to build stronger partnerships with our neighbour China,” said Victor Manhit, managing director of think tank Stratbase.
“However, any joint exploration deal must be based on the existing laws,” Manhit remarked.
Manhit noted that the Constitution, which empowered the executive branch to deal with China, was specific in its mandate that the territorial integrity of the country must not be compromised in any way.
Manhit cautioned against using a formula first proposed under the Arroyo administration in which the Philippine and Chinese governments would conduct joint seismic explorations as a prelude to possible commercial energy deals while sidestepping sensitive sovereignty issues.
“We have to be careful because sovereignty is a non-negotiable,” he said.
“It would open a lot of doors [to other potential claimants] if we give in,” he emphasised.
Manhit added that the current talks between the Philippine and the Chinese governments would reveal the true nature of China’s intentions toward the Philippines.
“This is a test to see if they are really our friends or are just bullying us,” he said.
SINGAPORE – Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums closed mixed at the end of the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday (Oct 19), with only premiums for the small cars and goods vehicles and buses going down. Here are the numbers at a glance: Cat…
Zombie shows are spreading across the globe with the same speed those undead monsters are attacking humans.
Like the wordless slapstick humour of Mr Bean, zombies make for an ideal international movie genre – visceral fear of rampaging hordes needs no explanation in any culture.
The zombie movie – which originated from the United States with the film White Zombies (1932) and popularised by classics such as Night Of The Living Dead (1968) – has indeed gone well beyond North American shores, infiltrating European and, more recently, Asian film industries as well.
This week, audiences will see a new zombie flick from Japan: I Am A Hero, which is a live-screen adaptation of Kengo Hanazawa’s popular manga series.
It stars Yo Oizumi as meek manga artist Hideo Suzuki, who attempts to rise to the occasion and become a hero in zombie-infested Japan and not just in his imagination.
The movie comes hot on the heels of South Korea’s zombie blockbuster Train To Busan, starring Gong Yoo, which clawed its way to the top of the box office not only in its domestic market, but also internationally, earlier this year.
In Singapore, the film directed by Yeon Sang Ho did so well that it is now the highest-grossing Korean film here to date, making more than $5.35 million.
These films add to the growing list of Asian zombie flicks, which includes Bollywood’s Go Goa Gone (2013), the Hindi film industry’s first foray into the genre; Thailand’s Sars Wars (2004); and Taiwan’s Zombie 108 (2012).
Singapore also made its own zombie movie four years ago – Hsien Of The Dead, directed by first-time film-maker Gary Ow on a budget of $350,000.
According to Mr Leslie Tan, course chairman for the diploma in film, sound and video at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies, zombie flicks will continue to become more popular the world over because of what they represent – a common fear that citizens of any country have of everything from mass infections to terrorism in this globalised world.
He says: “Fear transcends culture, race and nationality, and the threat of global destruction through a pandemic such as Sars or H1N1 is so real that zombie films tap the fascination that people have with it.
“Many new zombie films even eschew the traditional term ‘zombie’ in favour of ‘infected’, giving it a more identifiable slant for audiences in the light of these looming threats.”
The idea that zombies are infected versions of modern-day human beings also makes them instantly more relatable than other old-fashioned movie monsters such as Bigfoot or the Chinese jiangshi, or the hopping zombie.
Nanyang Technological University assistant professor Liew Kai Khiun, who has research interests in pop culture, says: “The Chinese jiangshi, dressed in Qing dynasty imperial robes, hark from a distant past.
“And unlike zombies that can be physically destroyed by humans, jiangshi can be contained only by spirit mediums.”
Also in the works are a host of new zombie movies, including Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the latest instalment in the hit franchise; World War Z 2, the sequel to the 2013 film starring Brad Pitt; and The Forest Of Hands And Teeth, based on the best-selling novel of the same name that will star Game Of Thrones’ Maisie Williams in the lead.
Television hit The Walking Dead, one of the most-watched shows in the world, has also just been renewed for an eighth season earlier this week.
While zombie movie tropes are well-worn and done to death, it is up to the individual film-maker to make his movie unique and befitting local contexts.
Mr David Lee, 37, vice-chairman of the Singapore Film Society, says: “The rules of the game in terms of what zombies can or cannot do come from Western movie conventions.
“But film-makers are creative in adding their own social or political commentary to their films. I Am A Hero, for example, is very Japanese – it depicts the working class in Japan and how they cannot get out of their jobs. In a way, the living state for many of the movie’s characters is already a zombie state.”
In the same vein, home-grown director Ow borrowed the look and manner of his monsters in Hsien Of The Dead from American genre conventions – the rotting flesh of their bodies, the incoherent growling as they move and their eagerness to devour living humans.
But his film is, nonetheless, very much about the Singapore experience. That is because the zombies in his movie carry on with their day jobs and start preying on living flesh only if the human breaks some kind of rule, such as littering or jaywalking.
Ow, 36, says: “It’s a humorous take on Singapore’s sterile environment, featuring very obedient and compliant zombies.”
REVIEW / HORROR
I Am A Hero (M18)
When Tokyo is infested by zombies, manga artist Hideo Suzuki (Yo Oizumi) ends up protecting a schoolgirl. Photo: Shaw Organisation
127 minutes/Opens tomorrow/ ***½
The story: A manga artist, Hideo Suzuki (Yo Oizumi), is going nowhere in his career and his girlfriend is on the verge of dumping him. When a mysterious virus turns citizens across Tokyo into zombies, he must try to become the hero he has always imagined himself to be. Adapted from Kengo Hanazawa’s best-selling manga series.
For a gory zombie movie, I Am A Hero contains a surprising number of laughs – albeit not the kind one gets from straight-up zombie film parodies such as British film Shaun Of The Dead (2004), where everything from the genre is exaggerated and mocked.
First and foremost a horror movie – and one filled with some of the bloodiest and most satisfying gut- spilling scenes in the genre – I Am A Hero trades in humour through meticulous details, such as a sumo-sized zombie barging down the road, threatening to do more harm to the protagonist with his weight than his teeth.
If there were a zombie apocalypse, of course there should be an obese one in the mix – it is an element most other zombie movies and television shows have omitted.
Most subtly funny of all is leading man Hideo, who is the opposite of the typical hero in zombie flicks, never mind that his name written in Kanji literally means hero.
He is certainly a far cry from the slick and macho Gong Yoo, the lead actor of South Korea’s recent mega-hit zombie movie Train To Busan (2016).
While Gong’s Seok Woo throws himself at zombies to protect his daughter – and looks good doing it – the well-meaning but cowardly Hideo chooses to escape into his wild fantasies as much as he can.
He keeps coming up with excuses to get out of doing the expected heroic thing and, more than once, gets saved by two women he befriends along the way.
There are no surprises as to whether he rises to the occasion to do the right thing, but his journey to get there is believable.
Evolution of the undead
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
Director: George A. Romero
Synopsis: When a zombie apocalypse breaks out, Barbra (Judith O’Dea) seeks refuge in a rural house with a group of strangers. While trying to protect themselves against being eaten by zombies, the humans must also deal with dissension among themselves.
What is different: White Zombies (1932) may have been the first movie made about creatures known as zombies, but it was Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead that gave audiences the modern-day idea of the zombie – as flesh-eating and resurrected from the dead after getting bitten. Previously, zombies were portrayed on film as having been transformed that way by witch doctors.
Considered by film experts as one of the most important horror movies of all time, Night Of The Living Dead spawned five more zombie films between 1978 and 2009 to make up what is known as Romero’s Living Dead series.
This film is so iconic, it also inspired several remakes, including one in 1990 by Tom Savini and another in 2012 by James Plumb. Two more reboots of the film are reportedly in the works, including Matt Cloude’s Night Of The Living Dead: Genesis, which will reportedly bring back actress O’Dea.
Resident Evil (2002)
Photo: Mediacorp
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Synopsis: Based on the popular video game of the same name, amnesiac Alice (Milla Jovovich, left) and a group of commandos fight off hundreds of zombie- like scientists at a secret underground facility, while trying to contain the mysterious virus that mutated them from spreading to the outside world.
What is different: Not usually the top choice in a film critic’s library, but Resident Evil is nonetheless worth mentioning simply because of its female lead Alice. An original character created for the film, she is an amalgamation of strong female characters taken from the video game and has since become one of the most iconic female action stars in film history.
28 Days Later (2003)
Photo: Facebook/28 Days Later
Director: Danny Boyle
Synopsis: Jim (Cillian Murphy, above) wakes up from a month-long coma to discover that London has been overtaken by zombie-like victims of a virus.
What is different: Boyle’s movie changed the game by making zombies move fast, really fast. That upped the stakes and thrills so much more, given how much harder it is for humans to run away from them.
Now, it has almost become the norm for zombie movies to feature fast zombies, from World War Z (2013) to the recent Train To Busan from South Korea and I Am A Hero from Japan.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Director: Edgar Wright
Synopsis: Shaun (Simon Pegg) is an electronic shop salesman who leads a dull life until a zombie apocalypse occurs. He teams up with his friend, Ed (Nick Frost), to get his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), from her house and lead her to safety.
What is different: This parody has all the signature dry wit of Pegg and Wright (who also made the hilarious Hot Fuzz, 2007, and The World’s End, 2013). They know their zombie movie tropes well and play with them for laugh-out-loud moments. Shaun, for example, does not notice there is a zombie apocalypse at first because he has a hangover.
Even though the film is meant to be a comedy, it does not stint on the gore, with one scene showing zombies disembowelling a human.
Warm Bodies (2013)
Photo: Shaw
Director: Jonathan Levine
Synopsis: Zombie R (Nicholas Hoult) encounters human girl Julie (Teresa Palmer, both above) and falls in love with her. So instead of eating her, he does the non-zombie thing and saves her life.
What is different: Here we have a romantic zombie comedy – a rom-zom-com. This one made lead zombie R more intelligent than usual, giving him the ability to have minor communication with his human crush and even the chance to become more human himself. It gave the usual star-crossed love story that much more, well, bite.
Train To Busan (2016)
Photo: Golden Village Pictures
Director: Yeon Sang Ho
Synopsis: Divorced fund manager Seok Woo (Gong Yoo, above) takes his daughter on a trip from Seoul to Busan to see her mother. Chaos ensues when zombie-like passengers start re-populating in the small confines of the train they are on.
What is different: This is certainly not the first Asian zombie movie, but it is the Asian zombie movie that took the world by storm.
Beyond its domestic South Korean market, where it shattered box-office records, it has done exceptionally well overseas, becoming the highest-grossing South Korean film in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In Western markets such as the United States, rave reviews have also poured in for the movie, with trade rag Entertainment Weekly calling it “first-class throughout”.
As with successful films, producers are looking to shoot a sequel and A-listers Song Joong Ki and Lee Min Ho are rumoured to star in it.
yipwy@sph.com.sg
Follow Yip Wai Yee on Twitter @STyipwaiyee
This article was first published on October 19, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
K-pop boy band B.A.P may be gearing up for a return to the spotlight.
The group released a cryptic teaser image asking the question “Who is X?” via its official social media channels Tuesday morning.
At the bottom of the poster is the word “Noir,” which may be hinting at the title of the boy band’s upcoming album or track.
Additionally, given the dark concept behind the image, the six-member group — best known for its upbeat dance tracks “Feel So Good” and “That’s My Jam” — may be returning with a new look, according to speculation from fans online.
Since debuting with hit single “Warrior” in 2012, B.A.P — an acronym for Best Absolute Perfect — has gained wide global popularity, releasing its first full-length Japanese album, “Best.Absolute.Perfect,” in March.
Most recently, the boy band wrapped up a three-month world tour in July.
SINGAPORE – Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums closed mixed at the end of the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday (Oct 19), with only premiums for the small cars and goods vehicles and buses going down. 
