Author: viking

A contest at a leading Malaysian university seeking ideas to “convert” gay students sparked anger on Wednesday, with activists warning it could drive people in the Muslim-majority country to suicide.
It was the latest example of what rights groups say is growing intolerance towards Malaysia’s gay community as religious fundamentalism increases, eroding the multi-ethnic country’s traditionally moderate Islam.
The contest organised by the Muslim Students Association at…

Telecoms companies installing new fibre broadband networks in England will not have to pay business rates on impacted land under new laws set to come into force later this month.

Businesses in Scotland may be refused permission to sell alcohol on their premises if the person submitting the application for a licence is not entitled to work in the UK, under new legislation that has been proposed.

The new Philippine consul in Hong Kong has assured his compatriots that their personal data will be protected during tough security measures to screen prospective guests at a meet-and-greet with the country’s president Rodrigo Duterte next week.
Duterte will hold a six-hour meeting with members of the city’s Filipino community on April 12, and online registration has been extended to this Friday to accommodate as many people as possible at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the likely venue,…

Kuwait will recruit Ethiopian nationals to make up for a “deficit” in domestic workers, authorities said Tuesday, following the grisly murder of a Philippine maid in the Gulf state. The Philippines banned its citizens from working in Kuwait after the body of 29-year-old Joanna Demafelis was found in a freezer earlier this year, bearing signs of torture. “We aim to open the door to the recruitment of Ethiopian workers to fill the deficit of domestic servants and reduce…

Filipino community leaders in Hong Kong have expressed concerns over the arrangements for President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to the city, saying the suspected venue is difficult to reach, and the collection of attendees’ personal information is a step too far.
On April 12, Duterte will visit the city for the second time in just 10 months, after he attends the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference set for April 8-11 in Boao, Hainan Province in China.
The president’s April 12…

Malaysia’s government on Monday pushed a law through parliament that makes “fake news” punishable with a maximum six-year jail term despite an outcry from critics worried it will be used to stifle dissent before elections.
The law targets foreign as well as local media, and is seen in part as an effort to silence criticism of the scandal surrounding sovereign wealth fund 1MDB that has rocked the administration of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The election is expected within…

Sixteen people have been killed in Indian Kashmir in some of the fiercest fighting this year in the restive Himalayan region, police said on Sunday, as authorities braced for more violence.
A total of three Indian soldiers and 11 suspected militants died in several clashes south of Srinagar, the main city of the region divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.
Two civilians were also killed and dozens injured when police opened fire on thousands of demonstrators who poured…

A Kuwaiti court on Sunday sentenced in absentia a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife to death by hanging over the murder of a Filipina maid, a judicial source said.
The court issued the sentence in the first hearing in the case of Joanna Demafelis, the 29-year-old maid whose body was found in a freezer in Kuwait earlier this year.
The sentencing can still be appealed if the couple returns to Kuwait, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The Demafelis murder triggered a diplomatic crisis…

While he was growing up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Dennis Yeung was unaware of the differences between himself and the other boys. Sure, he was known as “Ching”, but even here he may have caught a break. One white classmate was known as “Buddha” because he was fat. Another kid was “Fungus” owing to wad of peach fuzz on his face.
Now, 68, the jovial retired mechanical engineer recalls that it wasn’t until he started shaving that the difference…