Mad rush for last batch of tickets for Olympics

Mad rush for last batch of tickets for Olympics

Chua Chin Hon
The Straits Times
Publication Date : 26-07-2008
ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Olympic mania arrived early in Beijing yesterday as tens of thousands of people queued, pushed and jostled for the last batch of Games tickets to go on sale.

At stake for these ordinary Chinese was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch mainland sporting heroes, such as hurdler Liu Xiang and diver Guo Jingjing, in action and possibly win an Olympic gold on home soil.

The overwhelming demand sparked angry exchanges between frustrated ticket buyers and the edgy security forces at the most crowded ticketing station in Beijing, located south of the National Stadium, the main Olympic venue nicknamed the 'Bird's Nest'.

This station, which sold tickets for events at the National Stadium and the 'Water Cube'' stadium, drew a 50,000-strong crowd yesterday morning. Some people had been queuing since Wednesday.

Pandemonium broke out when ticket sales began at 9am. The police's badly organized attempts at crowd control resulted in queue-cutting and ill-tempered shoving matches between ticket buyers, many of whom appeared severely worn out by the long wait.

Several middle-aged men were hauled away for rowdy behavior. That did not stop the crowd from jeering at the security forces and giving them the thumbs-down sign.

Adding to the chaos was a scuffle between the police and several Hong Kong journalists who tried to film the unruly scenes.
Footage on Hong Kong television, which swiftly made its way to YouTube, showed one reporter being pushed to the ground while another was detained and held in a police van.

A police spokesman admitted that they had underestimated the number of ticket buyers.

'The queue was orderly at first, but once sales began, some members of the public got very excited, so we must maintain order and safety,' he said.

The Games' organizers announced on Tuesday that the last batch of tickets would go on sale yesterday. A total of 6.8 million tickets have been made available for domestic and foreign sales.

About 820,000 tickets were up for grabs yesterday in Beijing and several co-host cities such as Tianjin, Shanghai and Shenyang. The most coveted ones were undoubtedly the 250,000 tickets for events to be held in the Chinese capital.

Some hardcore fans, such as Zhao Yufeng, said they had been queuing for nearly 40 hours. They had roped in friends and family members to help keep their place in the queue, survived on bottled water, biscuits and instant noodles as well as slept in the open.

The hardship was well worth it, a jubilant Zhao told reporters as she waved two tickets priced at 150 yuan ($22) each for the diving competition.

Undergraduate Sun Jia-ao, who obtained tickets for the same event, said, 'It was definitely well worth the wait. This is a big event for our country, and I naturally want to be a part of it. It won't be the same if you just watch it on television.'

A woman who wanted to be identified only by her surname Liu said she was in a queue for nearly 36 hours, but was squeezed out early yesterday morning when the police began cordoning off some areas near the ticketing station.

Another man complained that he lost his place in the queue after leaving for two minutes to buy a bottle of mineral water.

Ticket sales at the other co-host cities were reportedly brisk, though not as intense as the scenes seen in Beijing.

Ticket scalpers also appeared to have kept a low profile, after police warned a day earlier that they had nabbed 60 such suspects in the past two months. These scalpers could face up to 15 days in detention if found guilty.

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Jordan marks Eid Al Adha

Jordan marks Eid Al Adha
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Children at a sheep bought to be slaughtered ahead of Eid Al Adha in the Sahab area, south of Amman. According to Islamic tradition, two-thirds of the udhiya’s (slaughtered animal) meat goes to the poor (AFP photo by Awad Awad)

AMMAN (JT) - Jordan today joins other Arab and Islamic countries in celebrating the Eid Al Adha feast marking the end of hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Kingdom started a five-day holiday Tuesday, with the closure of government agencies, banks and educational establishments. Bridge crossings to the West Bank and Israel are also closed.

The eid rituals start with special prayers at 7:00am, usually performed in open spaces like football fields or public parks, weather permitting.

Eid prayers in some parts of the Kingdom are likely to be performed inside mosques as the Jordan Meteorological Department announced Tuesday that wet and cold weather will prevail during the holiday as a result of unstable weather conditions.

After the prayer, people, by the virtue of tradition rather than religion, visit cemeteries to pay tribute to the dead, and those who can afford to slaughter sheep do so. According to Islamic teachings, they have to distribute at least two-thirds of the meat to the poor in a gesture of social solidarity.

The Greater Amman Municipality and other municipal councils around the country have designated places for pens to sell sheep, which are confined to locations removed from residential areas.

Over the past several days, Amman and major cities witnessed traffic jams as people were shopping for the eid, buying mainly sweets, coffee and new clothes.

In preparation for the feast, the Public Security Department (PSD) announced earlier in the week that it would intensify security procedures during the holiday season culminating in New Year’s Eve.

PSD Spokesperson Major Mohammad Khatib said the measures will include increasing the number of uniformed and plain-clothed manned patrols and rangers.

On the occasion, His Majesty King Abdullah received cables and exchanged over phone congratulations with several leaders of Arab, Islamic and foreign countries and senior officials and officers. Also yesterday, King Abdullah received cables from Christian communities in the Kingdom congratulating him and the Arab and Christians in the Arab world on the occasion of Eid Al Adha, Christmas and the New Year.

ASIA: Food Crisis Adds to Women’s Burden

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

BANGKOK, Apr 29 (IPS) - As if the burdens they shoulder are not enough, Asia’s women are being compelled to bear the additional weight of rising food prices, say women’s rights activists from across the region.

‘’With increasing prices of rice, oil, fuel transport and all basic commodities, women workers in Asia are the worst hit,’’ declared the Committee for Asian Women (CAW), a regional non-governmental organisation (NGO), at the launch of a campaign here Monday to seek higher wages for female workers.

‘’Workers who produce society’s food, shelter and clothing are, themselves, in a perennially vulnerable hand to mouth existence,’’ added CAW in its statement to push for better incomes for women in the formal and informal sector. This ‘Wage Campaign 2008’ is being backed by women’s organisations in 14 Asian countries, among which are Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

‘’Women are definitely the worst affected when food prices go up. They will have to bear additional burdens for their families,’’ Lucia Jayaseelan, CAW’s executive coordinator, told IPS following the campaign’s launch. ‘’They also end up making huge sacrifices, such as being the last to eat in a family that is suddenly faced with limited food at home.’’

In addition, women are driven to seek additional jobs in the informal sector, often compelling them to work for longer hours, she added. ‘’They take on more work, like tailoring or packing things into small packages in their homes. Some women end up having to do three jobs.’’

Compounding the problem is the lack of a basic minimum wage for such female workers, Jayaseelan said. ‘’In many Asian countries there is no minimum wage. And where they do exist, they do not take into account the rise in inflation.’’

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), women make up 38.7 percent, or some 730 million, of the Asia-Pacific region’s total workforce, currently estimated at 1.9 billion people. But close to 65 percent of female workers earn a living in the ‘’vulnerable’’ and ‘’informal’’ sector, where there are no steady wages or social benefits.

Typical among those in the vulnerable and the informal sector are women who are self-employed, working in homes to produce goods for sale, or the millions who works as food vendors in the streets of Asia’s major and minor cities and towns. South Asian women account for the largest share of these vulnerable women across the continent, some 82 percent, ILO’s research reveals.

‘’The women who work as street vendors are being directly hit by the increase in food prices, because they have no social protection nor benefits in times of trouble,’’ says Steven Kapsos, a labour economist at the ILO’s Asia-Pacific regional office, based in Bangkok. ‘’Even women working in the region’s garment sector will be vulnerable despite getting a wage, because they do not enjoy benefits to deal with such a spike in food prices.’’

Asia is also home to a large body of the working poor, some 900 million people, who live on less than two US dollars a day. ‘’This food crisis will hit many of them, living in poor households in urban areas,’’ Kapsos said in an interview. ‘’The average poor family in Asia spends a minimum of 50 percent of the household budget on food.’’

The Geneva-based labour organisation is calling for governments to respond to the galloping rise in prices of staples such as rice through both short-term and long-term measures. ‘’In the short term, governments must provide cash transfers to poor households or subsidise the price of food for them,’’ says Kapsos. ‘’In the long term, governments must invest more in rural areas, including in labour productivity for agriculture.’’

The food crisis in the Philippines, one of the worst affected countries in the region, is drawing much attention. After all, it is the world’s largest importer of rice, depending on the paddy fields of South-east Asian neighbours like Vietnam and Thailand. It needs to import some 2.2 million tonnes of the grain this year. Consequently, it has been hit by the rapid rise in the price of rice being traded in the world market.

And to be a female worker in such times is to shoulder a larger burden, Jurgette Honculada of the National Federation of Labour in the Philippines, said at the conference in Bangkok. ‘’Nearly 40 percent of the Philippines labour force is either unemployed or under-employed. They are under constant assault.’’

Women make up the majority of those in the informal sector, some 27 million, in the Philippines. ‘’They have no social security, no protection and have to find small jobs that keep them afloat,’’ she added. ‘’Workers in this sector are eating less and less these days.’’

Female workers in Thailand, the world’s largest rice exporter, are not immune from the hike in food prices either. ‘’Women working in the informal sector are concerned about the rise in the cost of living. The cost of one meal with rice has almost doubled in some places,’’ said Wilaiwan Seta, chairperson of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee. ‘’Some women say they cannot afford to give birth to a second child because they worry that milk powder will be beyond their reach.’’

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China's Growing Boom

China's Growing Boom

Dated: 1 October 2007
By Rabbi Donneal Epstein, Head (Asian Desk), OU Kosher

The spectacular growth of the Chinese economy has been news for some time. The real story is that it is about to grow even bigger. This year China will overtake the US as the world’s second-largest exporter. Many experts have expressed the opinion that next year it will overtake Germany as the world’s number one exporter.
The growth has brought on even more foreign investment. To encourage this, the Chinese government has invested heavily in developing infrastructure, to the extent that China, with its 486 airports, is now one of the easiest countries in the world to travel around. And the easier it is to get around, the easier it is to do business.
One of the main areas of Chinese exporting enterprise affects kosher consumers, namely, food additives. These additives are substances added to food either to preserve flavor, or improve its taste and appearance. Food additives, for example salt and vinegar, have been used since ancient times. Over the last century many more have been discovered, of both natural and
artificial origin. There are many hundreds, if not thousands, of food additives on the market. The following is a partial list of categories of food additives:
acids, anti-caking agents, antioxidants, antifoams, bulking agents, flavors, flavor enhancers, flour-treatment agents, preservatives, and thickeners.

China’s new role
Due to China’s economic prowess as well as its genius in creating efficient mass products, it is becoming the major source of supply in the food-additive arena. It has, moreover, increased its monitoring of product safety in order to maintain a qualitative edge in the market.
Amongst the almost 300 OU-certified plants we have in China, several are located in the lovely province of Jiangsu, located in the middle of China’s Eastern coast line along the lower part of the famed and fabled Yangtze River. It is a region known for its lakes and rivers, as well as mountains. It is also very historic.

New market demands
One of the “smaller” cities in China is Wuxi, with a mere 4,000,000 inhabitants. Wuxi is also the home of three OU-certified food additive plants: DSM Citric Acid, Wuxi Bio Products and Wuxi-Syder Bio Products.
Another area in which China is growing by leaps and bounds is the dehydrated-vegetable business. Dehydration techniques have improved dramatically over the last decade or so. The old fashioned method left approximately 30 percent of the moisture in the dehydrated items. Newer methods have pushed these numbers down dramatically. The drier the item, the longer the shelf-life.
Chinese companies have been very involved in developing and trying new methods on an industrial scale. The results have been dazzling, as the world market cannot purchase Chinese dehydrated vegetables fast enough.
The Eastern Province of Shandong, besides being historic and attractive, also hosts some two dozen OU-certified dehydrated vegetable facilities. In the city of Qingdao alone there are 13 and in the city of Linyi there are eight. Relevant data shows that the economy of the province is keeping its momentum, especially Qingdao, where attractive incentives attract foreign investment.

Conclusion
Just over a decade ago, the concept of kosher was almost unheard of in China. Today however, it is almost a household word in the food industry. From Qingdao Huajie Food we hear, “It seems that we have already entered the gate of world buyers…Our export value is increasing rapidly since certification.” As the Chinese market continues to grow, the OU’s goal is to be there to help it along.

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HALAL FOOD: Kitchen of the World Goes Halal

HALAL FOOD: Kitchen of the World Goes Halal

Science and taste come together as Thailand eyes the lucrative Islamic food sector.
Dated: 1 May 2008
BY TANIDA DISYABUT

All across the world, populations of Muslim people can be found in almost every society and country. Comprising over a quarter of the world’s 6.4 billion population, or about 1.8 billion, the demographics and profile of Muslim consumers differ greatly from one market to another. The number who have migrated to developed countries and boosted their incomes with economic development is rapidly growing.

It is this segment of upwardly mobile Muslims that has attracted the attention of Thailand’s forward-moving food industry.

AFJ talks to Associate Professor Winai Dahlan, director of the world’s first Halal Science Center and dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at Chulalongkorn University. He is also the committee chairman responsible for drafting the Thailand Halal Standards which came into effect last year.

AFJ: We have seen an increase in the export volume of halal foods in recent years. Where are these key markets?

Halal food defines all foods that are permitted for consumption under Islamic law. In 2007, global consumption of halal food in more than 148 countries reached as much as 18 to 20 percent of the US$1.323 trillion in global food value.

This is a huge market. Food manufacturers all over the world, including those in Thailand, recognise its value.

However, we have to analyze the main markets where this consumption comes from. Regions of dense Muslim populations, such as the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia, are not necessarily profitable markets because these countries import mostly food commodities, not premium products.

Certainly, we can’t just look at population size. Purchasing power is important. While food consumption is US$6 a day for American Muslims and US$5 for the six million Muslims in France, in Indonesia this is only 30 cents, or 20 times lower. This is even lower in Africa, where there are as many as 350 million people (excluding North Africa), or about half the total population.

AFJ: What issues does one have to bear in mind when developing a halal food product?

Each market has a different demand. We have to study and analyze the different markets to understand how best to tap on the potential of key importing countries.

In some countries and for some products such as commodities, semi-raw materials or animal feed, the importer needs only a guarantee from the exporter, and not the certification label on the package. Ironically, this makes products look inferior in some markets because consumers think the halal-certified label is only for products that are not genuinely halal. But in many countries and especially for niche products, the certification label is a must and lends a value-add to products.

To be competitive, pricing is also important and products need to be developed at the best possible cost. Getting certified is not the only way to add value to products. We also have to understand the nature of the markets and invest in good logistics that can enhance cost cutting.

AFJ: Thailand is still growing its share in the halal food market. What is in it for Thai food businesses and what are our competitive advantages?

At present, the value of halal foods worldwide is over US$265 billion. Considering that Thailand is a major exporter of halal food, we are holding only a minor market share of 0.65% of global halal food value.

In 2007, 1,200 Thai manufacturers exported halal products worth US$1,711 million. Twenty percent of this went to the Middle East and the rest were exported to Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries in South-east Asia. Some have to be halal-certified but many products are halal by their processes, such as rice, fl our, salt and sauce. Our main competitor for halal food exports is Brazil. Malaysia, our neighbouring country, has been hastily developing halal products for export. But I do not believe that they are our competitors for now although they have strengths in non-food products such as medicines.

There is still a lot of room for improvement for Thai exporters of halal food. What they need is market knowledge and to understand the sensitivities of consumer demands in importing countries. These are mainly countries with high export-market potential, such as the US, Canada, European countries, Australia and New Zealand. Consumers there have a much higher purchasing power compared with our existing buyers.

To enhance Thai halal food exports and achieve our goal of becoming the "Kitchen of the world", the government’s strategy is to build confidence among importers in the quality of Thai halal food products. To achieve this, the government has provided vigorous support to lifting its standardization procedures and embarked on greater consumer protection for Muslims in Thailand.

We strongly believe that the Halal Science Center (HSC) showcases this strength in Thai export products. This also adds to a better image of trust and credibility, as buyers make decisions based on the psychological factor that science stands for safety.

AFJ: Tell us more about the HSC and its recent activities to promote the export potential and credibility of Thai halal food products.

We are the first laboratory for halal food in the world, established in 2003 with support from the government. It’s managed under the Faculty of Allied Health Science at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand’s best-known state university. The priority is on standardisation and lifting the high quality standards of Thai halal foods in accordance with Islamic law and the Codex Alimentarius. In addition, all Thai halal products must be certified for nutrition and hygiene, and be export qualified.



HSC is also well-equipped with modern and advanced scientific devices including LC/MS/MS, GS/MS, HPLC, GC, ICP, AA, FTIR, UC and realtime-PCR among others. These specifically provide all analytical services and research for the detection of contamination detrimental to halal food manufacturing, such as trans-fatty acids, animal proteins/DNA, gelatin, alcohol and microbial contamination. The services include a full-cycle halal factory system called Hal-Q, and a halal kitchen system called NPB Halal Kitchen or non-pork buffer. We also provide laboratory services for monitoring, investigation and authentication. On the business front, we provide training on science-based concepts in the halal business to entrepreneurs, auditors and employees.

Together with 19 staff, we have developed a curriculum for other universities on halal processes, conducted research and development of products, organize exhibitions and meetings, and publish trilingual journals on halal food.

HSC, in cooperation with the Faculty of Allied Health Science, offers the Bachelor programme in Nutrition and Dietetics. Our graduates are well trained and equipped with specialized skills in halal food standards, food manufacturing and certification. We have been developing a traceability system called Halal ICI Superhighway and Halal logistics.

Recently, the Halal Science Center together with the South Borders Province Administrative Center Engagement (SBPAC) researched and developed 81 bio-halal and organic food products. The products are marketed as ‘Halal and Good’, which refers to food safety and Islamic law compliance. In the past, we have addresses these two issues differently, but here we have integrated both into one process.

Products such as gotu kola (Centella asiaica) chips, sweet dried garcinia, dried mushroom chips, coconuts chips and black mushroom pizza, were successfully launched at a food fair in France. They were well accepted by European buyers.

Such feedback from the market increases our confidence. Thai cuisine is often perceived as a luxurious food because of its rich use of herbs, modern technology used to produce ready-to-eat Thai meals, social responsibility and ethnic flavour.

AFJ: Share with us some of the challenges faced by the halal business in Thailand.

The market needs quality. We have to continue developing unique products that meet buyers’ demands. As this center is non-profit, it carries a public service approach. And as scientists, we are evidence-based. All our data and tests have to corroborate not just from the business point of view, but confirm quality standards.

Our newly developed Halal food products can be sold as raw materials for further processing, as a side dish or combined with other foods. Many buyers from big retailers in Europe have told us that our products are at the high-end and deserve higher margins.

However, the biggest challenge in this business is not only product development but also human resource capacity. Halal food production is unique in its processes, from management and auditors to workers. Each part of the organization needs specific and different knowledge to develop the business. Transparency and the participation of staff at every level are keys to its success.

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Mission of the Halal Science Center

• Establish halal laboratories fully equipped with modern analytical and preparative scientific devices.

• Provide analytical services for the detection of any contamination against Islamic law (haram and najis) in raw materials and finished products supplied for the halal food market.

• Conduct R&D on new methodologies, product innovation and reagent kits for halal food verification.

• Prepare lists of chemicals, raw materials and products that accommodate halal food manufacturers and consumers.

• Maintain and update a website to provide key scientific information and networks for halal food manufacturers and consumers.

• Provide scientific support where needed to the Institute for Halal Food Standards and Islamic organizations involved in the certification of halal foods.

• Advise halal food manufacturers and restaurants in the use of Halal-GMP/HACCP/ISO 22000/QHS.

• Provide training programmes in halal science for manufacturers, consumers and the public.

www.halalscience.org

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New regulatory guide on nutritional products

New regulatory guide on nutritional products

Dated: 4 July 2008

Food and nutrition policy consultancy EAS has released its latest, easy-to-follow regulatory guide to help companies launch nutritional products in 10 Asian markets.

The guide gives an up-to-date analysis of national rules relating to health supplements, fortified and functional foods; the addition of vitamins and minerals to food and food supplements; herbs and other functional ingredients; and health claims in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei.

Developed by scientific and regulatory experts at EAS, the first edition of the guide ‘Marketing Health Supplements, Fortified and Functional Foods in Asia: Practice 2008/2009’ has been developed to help nutritional product manufacturers navigate Asia’s regulatory maze and to support the development of new product strategies.

The guide gives an up-to-date analysis of national rules relating to health supplements, fortified and functional foods; the addition of vitamins and minerals to food and food supplements; herbs and other functional ingredients; and health claims in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei.

“Our research has shown that the functional food markets in the US, Western Europe and the Asia Pacific was estimated to be worth more than US$ 70 billion dollars in 2007 with an expected annual growth rate of around five and a half percent – and forty percent of this market is from the Asia Pacific region,” said Wei Wen Lim, EAS Senior Adviser and one of the authors of the guide.

“Our guide gives companies the necessary information to understand the existing and emerging legislative regulatory frameworks in the Asian markets, so that their regulatory strategies ensure the commercial success of their products.”

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New Rodent Discovered at Asian Food Market