Shops in Itaewon closed for 3 days as Seoul mourns Halloween victims
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
Restaurants and cafes in Seoul’s Itaewon area will stay closed for three days to mourn the over 150 people who died in a fatal stampede on Saturday night, a police officer said on Sunday.
“Some stores have already stopped operations. Whether the temporary closure is extended depends on how the situation unfolds,” a police officer told Korea Herald on condition of anonymity.
The closures are voluntary and some businesses are operating as usual.
On Saturday night, at least 151 people died in a crush as a Halloween crowd rushed into a narrow alleyway near the neighbourhood’s landmark Hamilton Hotel. Officials say most of the victims were young adults in their 20s.
As of noon Sunday, many stores not located near the site of the tragedy have also temporarily closed as a gesture of respect.
Park, 41, who runs a coffee shop on the other side of the district where the stampede occurred, said “there has been no disaster like this in the neighbourhood over the past few years. My store is closed today”.
Electric motorbikes in Tokyo can swap batteries as part of net-zero scheme
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
A battery-sharing service for electric motorcycles with removable batteries was launched in Tokyo last week as part of a bid to promote electric vehicles that have a low environmental impact.
Fifteen battery stations will be set up around Tokyo by the end of this fiscal year, allowing registered users to exchange a low battery for a fully charged one. The number of sharing stations is expected to increase over time, allowing electric motorcycles to travel further afield.
Batteries that conform to standards agreed by four key motorcycle manufacturers, including Honda Motor Co, can be charged at the stations.
Swappable batteries are currently used only in vehicles for corporate use, but the local government will introduce models for personal use in the future. Tokyo metropolitan government aims to make all new motorcycles sold in the capital to be gasoline-free by 2035.
“We hope that supporting the instalment of battery stations will accelerate the wider use of electric motorcycles,” Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said at a launch ceremony held in Shinjuku Ward on Tuesday.
Travelling takes courage, especially when it comes to trying out new food in a foreign country.
Although basic ingredients such as meat or vegetables are universal, the differences in seasoning and the resulting aroma of each dish can take a traveller by surprise.
But in Singapore, those with even the most fastidious tastes have nothing to fear.
Known as a melting pot of Asia for its mix of history, culture and arts, Singapore’s food options offer epicures endless variety.
From quick bites at a street stall to elaborate meals in fancy restaurants, the Merlion city’s dishes carry flavours that blend Southeast Asian cuisines with Chinese, Japanese and Indian influences.
Singaporeans take pride in their hawker centres – wide outdoor halls with dozens of food stalls that sell popular dishes at affordable prices.
For travellers, these al fresco buffets are a place to eat like locals and discover the culinary delights of Singapore.
Just make sure you have some cash on hand, as most stalls do not accept credit cards.
Kaya toast
One of the most commonly enjoyed breakfast bites in Singapore is kaya toast.
Its origins date back to the 19th century, when Hainanese immigrants who worked as cooks on British ships and homes, adapted what they had served at work during the Straits Settlement Period. British breakfasts with western-style fruit-based jams morphed into kaya toasts in the early 20th century.
Kaya spreads are traditionally made of coconut cream, sugar, whole eggs and pandan leaves.
At 8am on weekends, the line grows at Ya Kun Kaya Toast eatery, a famous kaya toast shop that has been serving customers for 70 years.
The choice is simple: Milk tea or black coffee and a small bowl of soft-cooked eggs served with the toast.
While waiting for their toast, some simply slurp up the egg in a bowl, while add soy sauce and pepper before attacking with a fork.
A generous amount of light green kaya jam and a slab of cold butter is sandwiched between the two slices of toasted bread.
With just the right amount of sweetness, kaya toast will fuel you through the hot and humid morning until lunchtime – even more so with a bitter coffee alongside it.
Singapore prawn noodles
After bread in the morning, noodles make a good midday meal.
At lunch hour, Blanco Court Prawn Mee, located in the hip Haji Lane, is packed with a mix of tourists and young people.
There are several types of noodles from which to choose – kway teow, vermicelli or thick bee hoon. With a dry or soup option, the jumbo prawn toppings are its signature.
Singapore’s vermicelli is often yellowish as curry powder is used in the recipe.
There are mixed views on its true origins, but most believe them to be from Hong Kong, inspired by Indian-Chinese influence.
Meat lovers can have pork ribs and pork tail added.
In the soup version of the noodle dish, the buttery prawn oil gently spreads into the dark brown broth, giving it an earthy flavour with a natural sweetness.
A few more spoonfuls of the soup bring home its spicy kick, which comes from the fried onions and pepper used in the recipe. Those who want a spicier version can add Malaysian sambal sauce or red chilli pepper slices.
Char siu rice
A trip to Singapore is incomplete without a serving of rice.
Char siu is a Cantonese style of roasted barbecue pork.
Char siu is crispy on the outside and juicy and chewy on the inside.
The cooking method and the sauce that blends into the meat are what make char siu unique.
Although the dish originated in China’s Guangdong Province, Singapore has one of the most famous char siu eateries in the world.
The restaurant Hawker Chan in Chinatown received a Michelin star in 2016 and although the restaurant did not make the Michelin guide list for two consecutive years starting in 2021, families and office workers still stand in long lines to get char siu with a simple option of rice or noodles.
Its signature home-made rich caramelized soy sauce coats the crispy shell of the pork belly. The meat itself is salty and sweet in flavour, so it goes well with a bowl of plain white rice.
Char siu can also be ordered with egg noodles or bao (steamed bun).
Somber atmosphere in Itaewon in aftermath of crowd surge disaster
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
The area around Itaewon, central Seoul, full of excited Halloween partygoers on Saturday night, turned into a catastrophic scene instantly. At least 151 people died and more than 80 were injured in a crowd crush in a narrow alley near the neighbourhood’s famous Hamilton Hotel.
The celebratory scene quickly turned into a nightmare as screams and cries for help erupted from the crowd, and the sounds of ambulance sirens mixed with loud music continued to flow out of the neighbourhood’s many bars and clubs.
Firefighters and police joined random people giving CPR to unconscious people laying in the streets – many dressed in Halloween costumes – massaging their limbs and trying their best to revive them. But it was no use.
Hours later, Marwan, a 24-year-old Moroccan who has lived in South Korea for six years, was walking around the neighbourhood still trying to process what had happened. “Three of my friends died today. I used to hang out with them every weekend in Itaewon and now they’re dead. There were no bodyguards or owners trying to stop the situation.”
“I wasn’t at the site of the accident, but I later saw people being carried away (in stretchers) and it was so heartbreaking,” said Lee Hyun-se, 23, dressed as the Joker.
Yet, though one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters in history had occurred only blocks away, some parties were still being held in some parts of the nightlife district.
Paramedics transport an injured patient in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, at around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)
A bar filled with customers at 4 a.m. on Sunday, just hours after a crowd surge killed at least 149 people in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. (Jung Min-kyung/The Korea Herald)
At 4 a.m. on Sunday morning, bars located just a 5-minute walk from Itaewon Station were full of energetic Halloween revellers.
“I came out to play (today) so I crossed over (to this side of the neighbourhood) because I didn’t feel like going home,” a 20-year-old female said on the condition of anonymity.
Halloween stampede in South Korea leaves at least 151 dead
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
At least 151 people, mostly teenagers and young adults in their 20s, were killed in a crush when a huge crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley in a nightlife area of the South Korean capital Seoul on Saturday night, emergency officials said.
A further 82bpeople were injured in the melee in Seoul’s Itaewon district, Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said in a briefing at the scene.
Nineteen of the injured were in serious condition and receiving emergency treatment, the officials said, adding the death toll could rise.
It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted Covid restrictions and social distancing. Many of the partygoers were wearing masks and Halloween costumes.
“A number of people fell during a Halloween festival, and we have a large number of casualties,” Choi said. Many of those killed were near a nightclub.
Choi said all the deaths were likely from the crush in the single narrow alley.
Many of the victims were women in their twenties, Choi said.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes moments before the stampede, with the police on hand in anticipation of the Halloween event at times having trouble maintaining control of the crowds.
Moon Ju-young, 21, said there were clear signs of trouble in the alleys before the incident.
“It was at least more than 10 times crowded than usual,” he said.
Social media footage showed hundreds of people packed in the narrow, sloped alley crushed and immobile as emergency officials and police tried to pull them free.
Other footage showed chaotic scenes of fire officials and citizens treating dozens of people who appeared to be unconscious.
Fire officials and witnesses said people continued to pour into the narrow alley that was already packed wall-to-wall, when those at the top of the sloped street fell, sending people below them toppling over others.
An unnamed woman who said she was the mother of a survivor said her daughter and others were trapped for more than an hour before being pulled from the crush of people in the alley.
A Reuters witness said a makeshift morgue was set up in a building adjacent to the scene. About four dozen bodies were carried out later on wheeled stretchers and moved to a government facility to identify the victims, according to the witness.
“We came here around 10:00 p.m., then we saw a scene from a movie in front of the hotel over there, like things happening during a war. It was indeed happening. They were doing CPR here and there and people were rushing in as if nothing was being controlled. It was completely out of control,” Park Jung-hoon, 21, told Reuters from the scene.
Another witness said there was a “lack of preparation” by authorities.
“Seeing this incident, I think the police were not prepared enough. There were way too many people and it was too crowded. I know the policemen and rescue workers are working hard, but I would say there was a lack of preparation,” said 21-year-old witness Moon Ju-young.
Two foreigners were among the dead, and others were transferred to nearby hospitals.
US President Joe Biden and his wife sent their condolences and wrote: “We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a quick recovery to all those who were injured.” read more
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.”
With the easing of the Covid pandemic, curfews on bars and restaurants and a limit of 10 people for private gatherings were lifted in April. An outdoor mask mandate was dropped in May.
Authorities said they were investigating the exact cause of the incident.
The disaster is among the country’s deadliest since a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people, mainly high school students.
The sinking of the Sewol, and criticism of the official response, sent shockwaves across South Korea and prompted widespread soul-searching over safety measures in the country that are likely to be renewed in the wake of Saturday’s crush.
President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency meeting with senior aides and ordered a task force be set up to secure resources to treat the injured and to launch a thorough investigation into the cause of the disaster.
It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted Covid restrictions and social distancing. Some witnesses described the crowd becoming increasingly unruly and agitated as the evening deepened.
The Itaewon district is popular with young South Koreans and expats alike, its dozens of bars and restaurants packed on Saturday for Halloween after businesses had suffered a sharp decline over the three years of the pandemic.
Iran’s Guards head warns protesters: ‘Today is last day of riots’
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
THE NATION
The head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards warned protesters that Saturday (October 29) would be their last day of taking to the streets, in a sign that security forces may intensify their fierce crackdown on unrest sweeping the country.
“Do not come to the streets,” Guards commander Hossein Salami said in some of the toughest language used in the crisis, which Iran’s clerical leadership blames on its foreign enemies including Israel and the United States.
Iranians have defied such warnings throughout the popular revolt in which women have played a prominent role. There were more reports of fresh bloodshed and renewed protests on Saturday.
Human rights group Hengaw reported security forces shooting students at a girls’ school in the city of Saqez. In another post, it said security forces opened fire on students at Kurdistan University of Medical Science, in the Kurdistan provincial capital of Sanandaj.
Several students were injured, one of them shot in the head, Hengaw said. Reuters could not verify this report.
Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police last month, posing one of the boldest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution.
Salami was speaking at a funeral of victims killed in an attack this week claimed by Islamic State. He promised revenge for the attack.
Dozens in cardiac arrest in Itaewon amid Halloween celebrations: officials
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022
THE NATION
More than 50 people were in cardiac arrest after being crushed in a large crowd in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, during Halloween festivities on Saturday evening, according to multiple news reports and sources. No deaths were reported as of 1:20 a.m.
korea herald Reported : Authorities say the number of people injured could reach up to 100, many of whom are reportedly women in their 20s.
At around 11:30 p.m., rescue workers were conducting CPR on dozens of people that went unconscious near the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, reports said. Initial reports said there were around 50 patients experiencing cardiac arrest at the scene.
Fire authorities said they had received 81 reports of people experiencing breathing difficulties, as of 11:30 p.m.
Around 100,000 people were in the entertainment district throughout the day on Saturday to celebrate the first Halloween weekend without mask and social distancing measures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following reports of the incident, President Yoon Suk-yeol said, “All related ministries and agencies, led by the minister of public administration and security, should make every effort to promptly provide aid to the victims,” according to Lee Jae-myung, a deputy presidential office spokesperson.
The president also called for safety measures to deal with emergencies that could be triggered at Halloween events taking place throughout the country. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has also decided to return immediately from his business trip in Europe, according to reports.
Bicycle taxi businesses creating income opportunities for young Zambians
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022
Xinhua
In the Petauke district of eastern Zambia, bicycles are a popular mode of transport used to ferry people and goods from one place to another.
A visit to Petauke district, located in the eastern part of Zambia, is incomplete without one experiencing the excitement of being on a bicycle.
It is because bicycles are a popular mode of transport in the district used to ferry people and goods from one place to another.
But the use of bicycles as taxis did not start because of the need to promote environmental awareness in Petauke, as is the case in many parts of the world. Instead, it was financial challenges that pushed residents to seek out cheaper modes of transport.
Bicycle transport fares in the district are about four to five times cheaper than those of ordinary taxis. The fares start from 3 Zambian Kwacha (about 0.19 U.S. Dollars). Riders earn around 60 Zambian Kwacha (about 3.8 U.S. Dollars) per day.
“I have made it a point to use a bicycle taxi whenever I am going to work or running errands. Doing so has helped me reduce expenses,” said Sara Nyirenda, a 28-year-old Petauke resident.
And Genesis Zulu, who has been in the bicycle transport business for about a year, pointed out that many of the district’s young people have escaped extreme poverty by working as bicycle taxi riders.
“Most of those involved in this business are able to afford necessities. They have even stopped looking for jobs because they use the bicycles to meet financial needs,” he said.
The 24-year-old Zulu explained that the trend of using bicycles as a mode of transport started in Chipata, the capital of Zambia’s Eastern Province, and spread to other districts in the province.
shows bicycle taxi riders waiting for customers in Petauke district, Eastern Province, Zambia.
While bicycles for sale are readily available in Petauke, some youths lack resources to buy them. To help young people in such situations, some bicycle traders and owners hire those youths to work as bicycle riders for a specific period, after which they give them bicycles as payment.
Prices of bicycles vary depending on the type and model. However, one can get a considerably good pre-owned utility bicycle with 5000 Zambian Kwacha (about 315 U.S. Dollars).
“I was engaged as a bicycle taxi rider for ten months, after which I was given the very bicycle I was using. It is a common way of acquiring a bicycle for many youths in Petauke,” said Allan Sakala, 27.
Sakala revealed that he has been a bicycle rider for about two years and is now looking forward to owning a fleet of bicycles to empower younger youths.
Civic leaders observed that the use of bicycles for transport has not only created employment for many youths in the district but also enhanced Petauke district’s environmental awareness programs.
“Studies show that places, which encourage using bicycles as a mode of transport, have cleaner air. This is good for our town,” said Geoffrey Daka, a councilor for Nyakawise ward in Petauke.
Daka further observed that bicycles take up far less parking space than motor vehicles. “Fewer motor vehicles means less congestion in busy trading spaces and more space for people to move about,” he added.
shows a bicycle taxi rider and a passenger in Petauke district, Eastern Province, Zambia.
Thailand’s public debt for 2022 still within projection, says govt
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
Thailand’s public debt as of August stood at 60.72% of the GDP, which is still within the projection for fiscal 2022, the government spokesman said on Sunday.
Spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri said the ratio is within a range that allows the government to continue launching stimulus measures.
Citing the medium-term fiscal plan for 2023-2026, Anucha said the public debt to GDP ratio should come in at 62.69% this year, far lower than the 70% ceiling.
“Since the economy and society have not fully recovered in the post-Covid era, public debt against the GDP is expected to rise to 64.02% in 2023 and 67.15% in 2026,” he said.
Anucha added that the government’s interest burden is still within control when compared to income, insisting that this government alone was not to be blamed for the surge in public debt.
“The public debt should be compared to the size of the GDP and economy,” he said.
BoI okays 26 EV manufacturing projects worth THB80bn so far: DES Ministry
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022
Thailand’s electric vehicle manufacturing industry alone has attracted 80 billion baht worth of investment, the government said, rejecting rumours that no new foreign investment has come into the country recently.
Noppawan Huajaimun, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry’s spokesperson, said on Sunday that government opponents are sharing “fake news” that the state has failed to attract foreign investment over the past eight years.
She said new foreign investments had come to Thailand every year, and the Board of Investment (BoI) has been regularly offering new tax benefits to foreign investors.
She said the BoI has approved 26 EV manufacturing projects from 17 companies this year alone. The projects have a combined investment value of 80.21 billion baht, not including the value of the land and circulation of capital, she added.
Noppawan said the BoI has, so far, approved tax benefits for the production of 838,775 EVs and issued promotion certificates to 16 projects, including six for manufacturing sedans, two for pick-up trucks and three for motorcycles.
Apart from these projects, BoI has also approved supporting packages for three data-centre projects located in Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) industrial estates, Noppawan said.
Close to 25 billion baht will be invested in the three data centres, which will be built by Amazon Data Services (Thailand) Co Ltd.
The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) is also cooperating with state and private agencies to develop 30 smart city projects in 23 provinces.
These include 15 new smart city projects in 14 projects that were approved on August 5 by a subcommittee chaired by DES Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Noppawan said.
Paramedics transport an injured patient in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, at around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)
shows bicycle taxi riders waiting for customers in Petauke district, Eastern Province, Zambia.
shows a bicycle taxi rider and a passenger in Petauke district, Eastern Province, Zambia.
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