At least 30 people died and a dozen are missing after a ferry capsized and sank on Monday in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka following a collision with another vessel, rescue officials said.The Morning Bird vessel was hit from behind by another ferry around 9.30am local time during the morning rush hour, when the country’s largest river port is packed with vessels.“We have collected 30 bodies, including 20 males, seven women and three children,” said Abul Khair, a diver in the fire brigade.“There…
In Vietnam, ‘lotto’ shows help boost tolerance of marginalised LGBT community
Each night that Nha Vy steps proudly on stage in her traditional Vietnamese ao dai, or sometimes mini dress and heels, memories grow fainter of the taunts she endured as a transgender woman in her rural village.Nha Vy is one of hundreds of LGBT performers in Vietnam who have found confidence, and a way to earn a living, through lotto shows, a form of entertainment similar to bingo that dates back to the French colonial era and is now wildly popular in the south.As India’s LGBT community stays…
Bangladesh braces for monsoon floods, putting hundreds of thousands at risk
With the monsoon setting in and waters from India rushing downstream, Bangladesh is facing a serious threat of floods that could cause extensive damage to farmlands across the delta nation’s vast northern regions, officials said on Sunday.The country’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said water levels in many rivers were continuing to rise, posing threats to flood protection embankments that could burst, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people in more than 20 districts.Abdur…
Malaysian home chef S. Pavithra shoots to YouTube fame with humble meals
A 28-year-old Malaysian home chef has hurtled to YouTube fame, winning more than 740,000 subscribers and the praise of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and celebrity chef Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan.S. Pavithra and her husband M. Sugu, 29, manage the Sugu Pavithra YouTube channel, where she showcases wholesome dishes such as steamed fish, mutton curry, and sweet and sour chicken, using basic cooking implements and speaking in fluent Bahasa Malaysia, the country’s national language…
In Japan, extreme bids to help hikikomori are causing them further distress
When the mother of a hikikomori social recluse in her 30s paid a Tokyo company 5.7 million yen (US$53,300), she had hoped they would reintegrate her daughter into society.Instead, workers from Elixir Arts broke down the woman’s front door, forcibly removed her from her flat, took her money and phone, and confined her to a company-run dormitory.On June 15, another hikikomori lodged a complaint with Tokyo police over a similar case in which his parents paid 7 million yen (US$65,400) to a…
Human trials for Thai Covid-19 vaccine could start as early as October
Thailand aims to produce its own vaccine for the coronavirus disease, rather than waiting to buy inoculations from abroad, and human trials could start as early as October, according to the scientist leading one project.“We learned a very painful lesson during the H1N1 pandemic when the government signed agreements to buy vaccines, but we did not get any until the outbreak was gone,” said Kiat Ruxrungtham, head researcher at Chulalongkorn University’s Centre of Excellence in Vaccine Research…
Trump’s H-1B visa freeze: will US tech firms lose the likes of Google’s Sundar Pichai?
US President Donald Trump’s decision on June 24 to suspend the H-1B visa scheme for highly-skilled foreigners has dealt a blow to the immigrant-reliant US tech sector and Indian tech workers, who receive a majority of these visas.Officials said the sweeping executive order, which will keep visas frozen until the end of the year, would save some 500,000 jobs for US citizens instead of falling into the hands of immigrants.Indian immigrants, hired by both American tech firms and US-based Indian…
Malaysia discussing travel bubbles known as ‘green lanes’ with Singapore and Brunei
Malaysia is in talks with Singapore and Brunei to create “green lanes” for less restricted travel, as governments around the world seek to reopen their borders without a resurgence in coronavirus cases.The country is discussing guidelines with its two neighbours and has approached Australia and New Zealand also, said the Ministry of Health’s Director General Noor Hisham Abdullah, who oversees Malaysia’s Covid-19 response.Other countries with no new cases for 28 days would be considered, he said…
Japan monitoring China’s ‘alarming’ activities at sea, border with India and in Hong Kong
Japan’s defence minister on Thursday expressed concern about China’s “alarming” activities at sea, its border with India and in Hong Kong.“Obviously, China is trying to change the status quo unilaterally in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, at the Indian border and in Hong Kong. It is easy to make connections about those issues,” Taro Kono said at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo.China names undersea features amid rising territorial tension with Japan“Our fighter jets…
Coronavirus could hand Singapore Airlines a bigger share of India’s aviation market
Coronavirus is unexpectedly providing an opportunity for Singapore Airlines to grab a share of the lucrative Indian market held by rivals Emirates and Etihad Airways through a local affiliate.Vistara, which Singapore Airlines jointly owns with Indian conglomerate Tata Group, is about to get its second Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet, and expects demand for long-haul international travel from India to rise when travel restrictions lift, Chief Commercial Officer Vinod Kannan said in an interview. While…