BEIJING (AFP) – A lesbian coming to terms with her sexuality, a village covering up abuses and a dissection of the three-child policy – an explosion of Chinese podcasts are wrestling with social issues considered taboo under the country’s strict media controls. More than 7,000 new podcasts came online last year with an audience tipped […]
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Rescuers in Japan waded through mud, rock and splintered wood in search of 24 people still missing on Tuesday (July 6) after heavy rain triggered massive landslides in the seaside city of Atami three days ago, killing four people. Police, fire fighters and military personnel resumed rescue operation, suspended for the night […]
HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) – Hong Kong’s national security department has arrested seven people on suspicion of planning an assault with explosives, broadcaster TVB said, citing people it didn’t identify. The Hong Kong police announced plans for a news conference at 11am on Tuesday (July 6) for an arrest operation regarding suspected violations of the national […]
SEOUL (REUTERS) – Israel agreed on Monday (July 5) to provide about 700,000 expiring doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine to South Korea, the Haaretz newspaper reported, citing Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Delivery of the doses is to begin later in July, and as part of the deal Israel will receive in September and October […]
NEW DELHI (AFP) – An 84-year-old rights activist and Jesuit priest detained for nine months without trial under Indian anti-terrorism laws died on Monday (July 5), ahead of a bail hearing, officials said. Father Stan Swamy, who campaigned for marginalised tribal communities, was arrested last year for allegedly inciting violence between different Indian castes in […]
SINGAPORE – Eleven people who were neither citizens nor permanent residents in Singapore have received exemption to fly into the Republic from India after border control measures were tightened on April 24. Transport Minister S. Iswaran said on Monday (July 5) that these people were allowed to enter upon appeal, “due to exceptional circumstances, such […]
SINGAPORE – While it is essential that people in a multiracial society like Singapore highlight issues based on their views and experiences on race, they must be careful about assuming the mantle of a spokesman for the community too easily. Such a position would be untenable, said Nominated MP Raj Joshua Thomas on Monday (July […]
SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) on Monday (July 5) said the next two days would be “absolutely critical” in deciding whether a two-week anti-coronavirus lockdown in Sydney, set to end on July 9, will have to be extended amid rising Delta variant case numbers. With more than five million Sydney residents under […]
SINGAPORE – After two successful pilot workshops teaching robotics to students with visual impairment, SG Enable is looking into offering such workshops to people with intellectual disabilities. A collaboration between Curious Squirrels, iC2 Prephouse and The Lego Group, the workshops were held in November 2020 and March this year. They are part of SG Enable’s […]
BEIJING (AFP) – A Chinese city near the border with Myanmar has imposed a lockdown and started mass testing after three coronavirus cases were reported on Monday (July 5), with officials rushing to curb another outbreak. It is the second time in four months that Ruili, home to more than 210,000 people, has been locked […]