Veteran writer KS Maniam mourned by literary community
Tributes are pouring in for veteran writer KS Maniam who passed yesterday aged 78 at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.Born as Subramaniam Krishnan in Bedong, Kedah in 1942, he succumbed to cancer of the bile duct.His novels included The Return (1981), In A Far...
Pompeii restoration unearths ‘surprise’ treasures
Pompeii (Italy) (AFP) - Vivid frescoes and never-before-seen inscriptions were among the treasures unearthed in a massive years-long restoration of the world-famous archeological site Pompeii that came to a close Tuesday. The painstaking project saw an army of workers...
Report reveals the 10 best countries for kids to grow up in now
Climate change, conflict, and inequality target one demographic in particular — one that is also uniquely hindered from being able to protect itself: children.And if you are a child in the United States, your odds of thriving in these uncertain times may not be as...
Afghan artist brushes aside disability to open arts centre
Kabul (AFP) - Unable to use her hands, arms, or legs, Afghan artist Robaba Mohammadi has defied unlikely odds in a country that routinely discriminates against women and disabled people.Denied access to school, as a child she taught herself to paint by holding a brush...
Bare-faced robbery: thieves steal 6,000 hygiene masks in Japan
Tokyo (AFP) - Thieves in Japan have made off with some 6,000 surgical masks from a hospital, with the country facing a mass shortage and a huge price hike online due to the coronavirus.Four boxes containing the face masks disappeared from a locked storage facility at...
Actor Ashraf Sinclair dead at 40
Popular actor Ashraf Sinclair has passed away, aged 40 in Jakarta, Indonesia.The sad news was confirmed by Doddy, who is the manager of Bunga Citra Lestari, the Indonesian singer to whom Ashraf was married.He told Kompasthat Ashraf had suffered a heart attack.Ashraf,...
A place to turn for help
Recent data from the Mental Health Department has shown that there are 1 million young Thais dealing with clinical depression and around 2 million at risk of developing this and other mental illnesses.This situation along with the increase of suicide rates among Thai...
‘Tiger widows’ shunned as bad luck in rural Bangladesh
Shyamnagar (Bangladesh) (AFP) - Abandoned by her sons, shunned by her neighbours and branded a witch. Mosammat Rashida's crime? Her husband was killed by a Bengal tiger. Women like her are ostracised in many rural villages in Bangladesh, where they are viewed as the...
Taiwan embraces cute mascots for virus prevention campaign
Taipei (AFP) - While China deploys stern communist slogans in its battle against a deadly new coronavirus, democratic Taiwan has embraced cuddly mascots and humour to ease public anxiety and educate on best practices.Images of cute animals have featured in daily...
People without the smelling part of their brain can still smell — and it’s puzzling scientists
Think about the last time you had a cold. Think how weird it felt to not be able to smell or taste anything just because your nose was clogged up. That is, to an extent, the life of people with anosmia: the term for not being able to smell.Some patients are born with...
Unchained melody: Traditional music revived as security improves
Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) - For years the distinctive twang of Pashtun music was drowned out by rattling gunfire and deafening explosions as musicians in Pakistan's northwest were targeted by militants. But, as security improves, a centuries-old tribal tradition is...
Why is Hong Kong full of white elephant monuments and what can we do about them?
By Eric WongThe landslide loss of seats by the so-called “loyalist” district councillors in November’s District Council Elections was followed by queries over whether they have faithfully served the community over the years while in power. One of the areas most...