Subdued web

SINGAPORE: Chinese New Year decorations adorn Pagoda Street in Chinatown which, for a Wednesday (Jan 27), is busy with browsing shoppers. Customers are still buying - anything from bright red paper cuttings to snacks and pomelos - but stallholders who spoke to CNA said the crowds are a far cry from previous years. Around this time of the year, the market around this central node of Chinatown usually transforms into a festive hub thronging with people and bustling with stalls peddling Chinese New Year goods. This year, with COVID-19 restrictions still largely in place, the mood is noticeably subdued. Although street lights for the Year of the Ox are up, the opening ceremony and light-up on Saturday was a closed-door affair that was streamed online. There will be no festive street bazaar and no countdown party. Authorities had announced last week that families celebrating Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 12 and 13 this year, must only have a maximum of eight … [Read more...] about Chinatown businesses brace themselves for a subdued Chinese New Year amid COVID-19

TAIPEI: Months after eliminating a popular challenge to its rule in Hong Kong, China is turning to an even higher-stakes target: Self-governing Taiwan. The island has been bracing for conflict with China for decades, and in some respects, that battle has now begun. It's not the final, titanic clash that Taiwan has long feared, with Chinese troops storming the beaches. Instead, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), China's 2-million-strong military, has launched a form of "grey zone" warfare. In this irregular type of conflict, which stops short of an actual shooting war, the aim is to subdue the foe through exhaustion. Beijing is conducting waves of threatening forays from the air while ratcheting up existing pressure tactics to erode Taiwan's will to resist, say current and former senior Taiwanese and US military officers. The flights, they say, complement amphibious landing exercises, naval patrols, cyber attacks and diplomatic isolation. READ: Taiwan says faces daily threat … [Read more...] about China launches ‘grey-zone’ warfare to subdue Taiwan

Streaming shows made for targeted audiences may be the future. Sitcoms are making a comeback on video-streaming sites, which are now producing their own series. The shows are especially popular among people in their 20s and 30s, who prefer to watch sitcoms on mobile devices such as iPads and smartphones, experts say. Elohim Zheng, chief analyst at the research institute of Sootoo, a website that monitors the Chinese Internet industry, predicts that video-streaming sites will have produced more than 1,000 episodes by the end of the year. "According to the current figures, we predict that sitcoms will account for more than 30 per cent of the series produced by video-streaming sites by the end of 2014," Zheng says in an e-mail to China Daily. "The viewing landscape is changing. Sitting in front of a television is a traditional way to relax for an elderly audience, but not for the young generation. Meanwhile, the high cost of purchasing TV dramas is pushing websites to produce … [Read more...] about Web offers ‘new life’ for sitcoms in China

LONDON: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and US oil companies see a limited rebound in shale oil supply this year as top US producers freeze output despite rising prices, a decision that would help OPEC and its allies. OPEC this month cut its 2021 forecast for US tight crude, another term for shale, and expects production to decline by 140,000 barrels per day to 7.16 million bpd. The US government expects shale output in March to fall about 78,000 bpd to 7.5 million bpd. The OPEC forecast preceded the freezing weather in Texas, home to 40 per cent of US output, that has shut wells and curbed demand by regional oil refineries. The lack of a shale rebound could make it easier for OPEC and its allies to manage the market, according to OPEC sources. "This should be the case," said one of the OPEC sources, who declined to be identified. "But I don't think this factor will be permanent." While some US energy firms have increased drilling, production is … [Read more...] about OPEC, US oil firms expect subdued shale rebound even as crude prices rise

TAIPEI - Various children and youth welfare groups held a press conference yesterday urging that the government should improve the current gatekeeping system for R18 (restricted for persons under 18 years of age) content on the Internet. As technology and the Internet develop, it is getting easier for children and those under 18 to view inappropriate content. Therefore, the government attempted to prevent this phenomenon by categorizing online content and setting up an R18 gatekeeper. However, Cheng Wei-sheng (成瑋盛), a representative from a children and youth counseling centre, claimed that the government's efforts are not effective. According to Cheng, children and youth can pass the gatekeeping system simply by claiming to be over 18 years old. He also said that if violent and pornographic contents are spread by social networks like Facebook, it will be even easier for children and youth to access the information. Yeh Da-hua (葉大華), secretary-general of The Taiwan Alliance for … [Read more...] about Minors able to easily view adult Web content: study