WUHAN - INDUSTRIAL and commercial authorities in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, have shut down an underground workshop producing tofu products under a fake brand name.
The tofu appeared in the markets of Central China's Hubei and Hunan provinces in recent months.
Hao Jinqi, an official with the industrial and commerce bureau of Dongxihu district, Wuhan, told China Daily that they raided the illegal workshop in the city's Zhanggongdi area after receiving a report and inspecting the premises. 'There was production equipment worth more than 300,000 yuan ($58,750) and raw materials,' Mr Hao said.
Dean Fa Food Co Ltd in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, which produces Qianye Tofu, reported to the bureau that the company's products had undergone a serious decline in sales in Hunan and Hubei since May, while counterfeit tofu products had entered the market in Wuhan.
The packaging used on the tofu resembled that used by Dean Fa Food to such an extent that it even bore anti-counterfeit laser film labels. 'The laser label printing machine is worth about 8 million yuan and the printing house must be a pretty large one,' said Yang Shuaifeng, of Dean Fa Food.
The bureau sent a law enforcement team to inspect the workshop immediately after it received the report. Officials found four workers using fake packaging on their tofu products and closed down the workshop.
Source: ST Online/CHINA DAILY/ANN
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
6 held in China chemical wine scandal
BEIJING - SIX people have been detained, several wineries shut down and bottles pulled from shelves in China after authorities found wine containing several chemical additives, state media said on Monday.
The incident in Changli county in the central province of Hebei - an area dubbed 'China's Bordeaux' - is the latest food safety scare to rattle consumer confidence in a country still reeling from a deadly 2008 tainted milk scandal.
An expose broadcast by state television revealed that wineries were doctoring their beverages with sugar water, colouring agents and artificial flavourings, and then falsely using famous brand names, the Global Times said.
The newspaper quoted a leading industry expert, Huang Weidong, as saying the additives could cause cardiac irregularities and headaches, and were possibly carcinogenic.
'We are highly concerned about this behaviour. To ensure safety measures, we have already started to remove the suspected wines from the shelves,' a spokesman for Beijing area Wal-Mart stores, Zhang Tao, told the paper.
The Xinhua news agency reported that provincial authorities had shut down nearly 30 wineries. Corporate accounts with funds totalling US$427,000 (S$554,500) have been frozen, the Global Times said. More than 5,000 boxes of wine have been seized, the reports said, though it was not immediately clear how much of the adulterated wine was already on store shelves. -- AFP
Source: ST Online
The incident in Changli county in the central province of Hebei - an area dubbed 'China's Bordeaux' - is the latest food safety scare to rattle consumer confidence in a country still reeling from a deadly 2008 tainted milk scandal.
An expose broadcast by state television revealed that wineries were doctoring their beverages with sugar water, colouring agents and artificial flavourings, and then falsely using famous brand names, the Global Times said.
The newspaper quoted a leading industry expert, Huang Weidong, as saying the additives could cause cardiac irregularities and headaches, and were possibly carcinogenic.
'We are highly concerned about this behaviour. To ensure safety measures, we have already started to remove the suspected wines from the shelves,' a spokesman for Beijing area Wal-Mart stores, Zhang Tao, told the paper.
The Xinhua news agency reported that provincial authorities had shut down nearly 30 wineries. Corporate accounts with funds totalling US$427,000 (S$554,500) have been frozen, the Global Times said. More than 5,000 boxes of wine have been seized, the reports said, though it was not immediately clear how much of the adulterated wine was already on store shelves. -- AFP
Source: ST Online
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
More foreigners buying new private homes
FOREIGNERS were out in force in the property market last month, snapping up almost one in three new private homes in Singapore.
Market analysis from DMG & Partners Research shows that just under 30per cent of new private residential units were sold in November to foreigners or permanent residents (PRs).
This marks an 8-percentage point gain on the 22per cent seen in October.
The growth appears to come from Chinese buyers, who are increasingly making their presence felt.
DMG & Partners property research analyst Brandon Lee told The Straits Times: 'They really started coming in during the fourth quarter of 2007. Previously their numbers were single digit, but now we have seen their group hitting sometimes up to 20per cent.'
Indonesians and Malaysians continue to form the bulk of foreign buyers, Mr Lee added, with Malaysians making up 25-30per cent of the group and Indonesians up to 25per cent.
Mr Kenny Tay, an agent with Huttons Real Estate, said he has seen the number of his Indonesian clients grow by around 20per cent compared to two years ago.
One reason for the rise in foreign purchases last month could be the recent property cooling measures rolled out in other Asian cities, say analysts.
Ms Tay Huey Ying, research director at Colliers International, said the increased sliding scale of stamp duties and restraints on mortgage lending in Hong Kong had tempered interest in the Hong Kong and China markets.
'These buyers may not even be residing in Hong Kong or China. They could be foreign buyers who previously wanted to invest in those areas but have now diverted their attention to Singapore.'
Another factor could be that foreign buyers planning on buying HDB resale flats may have been deterred by the recent Government cooling measures. One new rule is that they cannot hold foreign property overseas at the time they buy an HDB flat.
DMG & Partners' Mr Lee suggests that some foreign buyers 'could be looking at mass market condos'.
Last month's figures also show that one-fifth of all buyers at Lakefront Residences near Lakeside MRT station were foreigners and PRs. The same proportion was seen at NV Residences in Pasir Ris.
Mr Lee said the Government's policy towards the Singapore dollar has also encouraged more foreign investors to invest here in the expectation that their property's value will rise in tandem with the Singdollar.
Unless there is another round of property cooling measures, the number of foreign buyers will continue to rise, predicts OrangeTee executive director of residential Steven Tan.
'(Foreign buyers) have confidence in Singapore's overall economy, low interest rate climate and political stability.'
Mr Tan added that some foreigners may turn towards high- end property projects like the bungalows on Sentosa or areas like Marina Bay.
He attributed this to the fact that prices for this segment have not recovered to the peaks seen in 2007.
Source ST Online
Market analysis from DMG & Partners Research shows that just under 30per cent of new private residential units were sold in November to foreigners or permanent residents (PRs).
This marks an 8-percentage point gain on the 22per cent seen in October.
The growth appears to come from Chinese buyers, who are increasingly making their presence felt.
DMG & Partners property research analyst Brandon Lee told The Straits Times: 'They really started coming in during the fourth quarter of 2007. Previously their numbers were single digit, but now we have seen their group hitting sometimes up to 20per cent.'
Indonesians and Malaysians continue to form the bulk of foreign buyers, Mr Lee added, with Malaysians making up 25-30per cent of the group and Indonesians up to 25per cent.
Mr Kenny Tay, an agent with Huttons Real Estate, said he has seen the number of his Indonesian clients grow by around 20per cent compared to two years ago.
One reason for the rise in foreign purchases last month could be the recent property cooling measures rolled out in other Asian cities, say analysts.
Ms Tay Huey Ying, research director at Colliers International, said the increased sliding scale of stamp duties and restraints on mortgage lending in Hong Kong had tempered interest in the Hong Kong and China markets.
'These buyers may not even be residing in Hong Kong or China. They could be foreign buyers who previously wanted to invest in those areas but have now diverted their attention to Singapore.'
Another factor could be that foreign buyers planning on buying HDB resale flats may have been deterred by the recent Government cooling measures. One new rule is that they cannot hold foreign property overseas at the time they buy an HDB flat.
DMG & Partners' Mr Lee suggests that some foreign buyers 'could be looking at mass market condos'.
Last month's figures also show that one-fifth of all buyers at Lakefront Residences near Lakeside MRT station were foreigners and PRs. The same proportion was seen at NV Residences in Pasir Ris.
Mr Lee said the Government's policy towards the Singapore dollar has also encouraged more foreign investors to invest here in the expectation that their property's value will rise in tandem with the Singdollar.
Unless there is another round of property cooling measures, the number of foreign buyers will continue to rise, predicts OrangeTee executive director of residential Steven Tan.
'(Foreign buyers) have confidence in Singapore's overall economy, low interest rate climate and political stability.'
Mr Tan added that some foreigners may turn towards high- end property projects like the bungalows on Sentosa or areas like Marina Bay.
He attributed this to the fact that prices for this segment have not recovered to the peaks seen in 2007.
Source ST Online
Friday, December 10, 2010
Beijing residents wonder: Liu Xiao-who?
BEIJING - LIU Xiaobo may be lauded by the international community for his tireless efforts to promote human rights and democracy in China, but the jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner's ideals remain a mystery to many in Beijing.
Ask a person the street what he or she thinks of Liu, whose award will be formally bestowed in Oslo on Friday, and the first reaction is often: 'Who?'.
That response is testament to the effectiveness of government efforts to erase the memory of the bloody crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, an event seminal to Liu's life.
'I think I saw something about that on television, but I'm not sure,' said businesswoman Ma Junpeng when asked about Liu.
Ms Ma shrugged her shoulders upon being told he had won the prize for his efforts since 1989 to push for greater political freedom in China.
'It's not rational to reward a man like that,' she said, shivering in the Beijing cold. 'Everything is different now since the revolt of 1989. People's ideas have changed. China has changed. People like Liu are irrelevant.' China jailed Liu last Christmas Day for 11 years for subversion of state power and for being the lead author of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for democratic reform in the one-party state.
Source: ST Online/REUTERS
Ask a person the street what he or she thinks of Liu, whose award will be formally bestowed in Oslo on Friday, and the first reaction is often: 'Who?'.
That response is testament to the effectiveness of government efforts to erase the memory of the bloody crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, an event seminal to Liu's life.
'I think I saw something about that on television, but I'm not sure,' said businesswoman Ma Junpeng when asked about Liu.
Ms Ma shrugged her shoulders upon being told he had won the prize for his efforts since 1989 to push for greater political freedom in China.
'It's not rational to reward a man like that,' she said, shivering in the Beijing cold. 'Everything is different now since the revolt of 1989. People's ideas have changed. China has changed. People like Liu are irrelevant.' China jailed Liu last Christmas Day for 11 years for subversion of state power and for being the lead author of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for democratic reform in the one-party state.
Source: ST Online/REUTERS
Foreign TV, media sites blocked in China
BEIJING - CHINESE government censors have apparently begun blocking reports on foreign television networks about Chinese Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo in the run-up to Friday's award ceremony in Oslo.
Both CNN and BBC were intermittently blacked out on Friday, after access to the websites of both networks and Norwegian public broadcaster NRK was interrupted on the mainland on Thursday.
When Mr Liu was named the peace prize winner two months ago, reports of the news were blacked out on CNN, BBC and French satellite channel TV5, while the state network China Central Television did not report on the prize.
Mr Liu, 54, was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges after co-authoring Charter 08, a petition calling for political reform in one-party Communist Party-ruled China.
China, which is furious over the award, has ignored any positive take on the Nobel prize given to Mr Liu, only reporting the news in state media accounts of Beijing's opposition to the Nobel committee's choice.
'CNN.com is completely blocked ... Every time our reports are broadcast about the Nobel Prize winner, the television screens black out,' CNN Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz said in comments posted on the network's website.
Source: ST Online/AFP
Both CNN and BBC were intermittently blacked out on Friday, after access to the websites of both networks and Norwegian public broadcaster NRK was interrupted on the mainland on Thursday.
When Mr Liu was named the peace prize winner two months ago, reports of the news were blacked out on CNN, BBC and French satellite channel TV5, while the state network China Central Television did not report on the prize.
Mr Liu, 54, was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges after co-authoring Charter 08, a petition calling for political reform in one-party Communist Party-ruled China.
China, which is furious over the award, has ignored any positive take on the Nobel prize given to Mr Liu, only reporting the news in state media accounts of Beijing's opposition to the Nobel committee's choice.
'CNN.com is completely blocked ... Every time our reports are broadcast about the Nobel Prize winner, the television screens black out,' CNN Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz said in comments posted on the network's website.
Source: ST Online/AFP
Protest at Beijing UN office
BEIJING - A PROTEST took place in front of the United Nations office in Beijing on Friday, Human Rights Day, a UN official said, as the Nobel committee prepared to honour peace laureate Liu Xiaobo in Oslo.
'We saw a large group of people in front of the compound, and it was larger than in previous years on Human Rights Day,' the official, who refused to be named, told AFP.
The official could not give details as to how big the crowd was, whether there were dozens or hundreds of people there, or what they were protesting about.
More than a dozen security vehicles were stationed outside the complex in the city centre, and police were asking passers-by for proof of identity, an AFP correspondent saw.
A ceremony in Liu's honour is due to take place later Friday in Oslo, but neither Liu, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence, his wife - under house arrest - nor other members of his family will be able to collect his award.
Beijing has clamped down on dissidents, the Internet and the media ahead of the ceremony, with activists missing and strong security at his wife's flat.
Source: ST Online/AFP
'We saw a large group of people in front of the compound, and it was larger than in previous years on Human Rights Day,' the official, who refused to be named, told AFP.
The official could not give details as to how big the crowd was, whether there were dozens or hundreds of people there, or what they were protesting about.
More than a dozen security vehicles were stationed outside the complex in the city centre, and police were asking passers-by for proof of identity, an AFP correspondent saw.
A ceremony in Liu's honour is due to take place later Friday in Oslo, but neither Liu, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence, his wife - under house arrest - nor other members of his family will be able to collect his award.
Beijing has clamped down on dissidents, the Internet and the media ahead of the ceremony, with activists missing and strong security at his wife's flat.
Source: ST Online/AFP
'Dyed' oranges halted
SHANGHAI - SHANGHAI authorities have ordered fruit vendors to stop selling oranges that have allegedly been dyed with a toxic wax, Chinese media said on Friday, in the country's latest food safety scare.
The Shanghai government has ordered tests on the oranges after consumers complained their skin was turning red after coming in contact with oranges sold in local markets, the Oriental Morning Post reported.
'Tissues turn red when you wipe them and if you hold the oranges in your palm, it will turn red,' a consumer surnamed Hu told the newspaper.
An unnamed seller at a wholesale agricultural products market told the newspaper that some oranges had been dyed with a toxic industrial wax so 'they look fresher and sell at higher prices'.
Shanghai authorities have ordered sellers to pull the oranges off their shelves and are conducting tests, the report said.
It was unclear whether the oranges were dyed by sellers in the city or producers in Jiangxi province in eastern China, the report said. Industrial dyes can damage people's memory, immune systems and cause respiratory problems, the newspaper said.
Source: ST Online/AFP
The Shanghai government has ordered tests on the oranges after consumers complained their skin was turning red after coming in contact with oranges sold in local markets, the Oriental Morning Post reported.
'Tissues turn red when you wipe them and if you hold the oranges in your palm, it will turn red,' a consumer surnamed Hu told the newspaper.
An unnamed seller at a wholesale agricultural products market told the newspaper that some oranges had been dyed with a toxic industrial wax so 'they look fresher and sell at higher prices'.
Shanghai authorities have ordered sellers to pull the oranges off their shelves and are conducting tests, the report said.
It was unclear whether the oranges were dyed by sellers in the city or producers in Jiangxi province in eastern China, the report said. Industrial dyes can damage people's memory, immune systems and cause respiratory problems, the newspaper said.
Source: ST Online/AFP
Monday, December 6, 2010
Web firm fined for 'online suicide'
BEIJING - A CHINESE Internet firm has been ordered to pay compensation to the parents of a university student who killed himself in a suicide pact arranged online via instant messaging, state press said on Monday.
The Internet firm Tencent was ordered by a court in east China's Zhejiang province to pay 55,600 yuan (S$10.896) for failing to block messages that led to the suicide of the student, the Global Times said.
Before his death, the student identified only as Fan, 20, had responded to an invitation to commit suicide circulated by another man surnamed Zhang through the popular messaging service QQ, run by Tencent, the report said.
Fan, a student in Shanghai, went to neighbouring Zhejiang to meet Zhang, 22, and the two burned charcoal in a sealed-up hotel room in June in an attempt to kill themselves by inhaling carbon monoxide, according to earlier reports.
Zhang, however, backed out of the suicide attempt, leaving the room, while Fan died.
Fan's parents began civil court proceedings in October to sue Tencent and Zhang for 270,000 yuan in compensation. The court ruled that Zhang should pay the parents about 111,000 yuan in damages for his involvement in the suicide, the Global Times said.
Source: ST Online/AFP
The Internet firm Tencent was ordered by a court in east China's Zhejiang province to pay 55,600 yuan (S$10.896) for failing to block messages that led to the suicide of the student, the Global Times said.
Before his death, the student identified only as Fan, 20, had responded to an invitation to commit suicide circulated by another man surnamed Zhang through the popular messaging service QQ, run by Tencent, the report said.
Fan, a student in Shanghai, went to neighbouring Zhejiang to meet Zhang, 22, and the two burned charcoal in a sealed-up hotel room in June in an attempt to kill themselves by inhaling carbon monoxide, according to earlier reports.
Zhang, however, backed out of the suicide attempt, leaving the room, while Fan died.
Fan's parents began civil court proceedings in October to sue Tencent and Zhang for 270,000 yuan in compensation. The court ruled that Zhang should pay the parents about 111,000 yuan in damages for his involvement in the suicide, the Global Times said.
Source: ST Online/AFP
Schoolboy blows whistle on tainted mushrooms
BEIJING - AN 11-YEAR-OLD Beijing boy has become a hero to consumers for revealing that mushrooms declared safe by officials in the Chinese capital were tainted with harmful chemicals, state media said on Monday.
Primary school student Zhang Hao began investigating mushrooms - one of his favourite foods - after his mother barred him from eating them following reports casting doubt on their safety, the China Youth Daily said.
Hoping to disprove the latest fears to tarnish China's scandal-plagued food industry - that harmful bleaching agents were used to whiten the fungi - Zhang in July began gathering a range of mushroom samples.
He then tested them with the help of a research student at China Agriculture University using a microscope and fluorescent lighting.
Zhang found the chemicals were used on the overwhelming majority of the mushrooms tested, the report said.
Chinese press reports have said the whitening agents can cause a range of potential health problems including liver damage, skin allergies and respiratory ailments such as asthma.
Source: ST Online/AFP
Primary school student Zhang Hao began investigating mushrooms - one of his favourite foods - after his mother barred him from eating them following reports casting doubt on their safety, the China Youth Daily said.
Hoping to disprove the latest fears to tarnish China's scandal-plagued food industry - that harmful bleaching agents were used to whiten the fungi - Zhang in July began gathering a range of mushroom samples.
He then tested them with the help of a research student at China Agriculture University using a microscope and fluorescent lighting.
Zhang found the chemicals were used on the overwhelming majority of the mushrooms tested, the report said.
Chinese press reports have said the whitening agents can cause a range of potential health problems including liver damage, skin allergies and respiratory ailments such as asthma.
Source: ST Online/AFP
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