Indonesia has banned a Chinese video app for ‘inappropriate content’, and rescue efforts for the Thai boys continue as heartwarming videos of them are shared online.
World Cup more memorable in Russia than life-changing pension reform, poll shows
The Russian government plans to increase the retirement age, but most Russians said the World Cup was the most “vivid” event of the past month, an opinion poll by research organisation Levada Centre revealed Wednesday.
The Russian Times reports that, on June 14, the same day that the World Cup opened in Russia, the government said it was going to raise the retirement age for both men and women — an unpopular policy to ease pressure on state finances. The Levada poll showed that 56 per cent of the respondents rated the ongoing FIFA World Cup as the most significant event, with only 31 per cent saying this about the retirement age policy.
“Critics said the government had deliberately chosen to announce the pension plan in mid-June so the World Cup news flow would outshine reports about the unpopular measure,” Reuters reports.
A landmark moment for Tunisia
On Tuesday, Souad Abderrahim was elected the mayor of Tunis in the first municipal elections in Tunisia since 2011. The election victory makes Abderrahim the first female elected mayor of an Arab capital.
https://twitter.com/mira404/status/1014156511331774464?s=12
The Middle East Eye reports that Abderrahim ran as an independent under the Ennahda party list, and runs a pharmaceutical company in Tunis.
“Her candidacy has faced misogynistic objections, notably over the mayor of Tunis’ traditional title of sheikh, which, while having religious connotations, has no official religious responsibilities,” the report adds.
Baghdad also has a female mayor — Zekra Alwach — though she was not elected by the people.
Indonesia has banned Tik Tok, a Chinese video app
Tik Tok, a Chinese app that allows users to create short music videos, became so popular that it was the most downloaded app in the Apple store globally in the first quarter of 2018.
On Wednesday, however, Indonesia’s communications ministry temporarily banned the app for spreading “pornography, inappropriate content and blasphemy”, reports Reuters.
The Jakarta Post reports that, much like Instagram, the app has led to the rise of a new kind of social media celebrity known as “musers”.
“The Post‘s observation of the app before it was blocked found some users — some of them preteens — twerking, or dancing in a sexually provocative manner,” the report adds.
A 13-year-old boy, Bowo Alpenliebe, shot to national attention when he organised a meet-and-greet event for his 7,90,000 followers that went awry Monday. In another incident, a midwife used the face of a newborn baby to make a video for Tik Tok.
Trump has reversed an Obama-era policy for race-guided college admissions
“The Trump administration said Tuesday that it was abandoning Obama administration policies that called on universities to consider race as a factor in diversifying their campuses, signaling that the administration will champion race-blind admissions standards,” reports The New York Times.
The Department of Justice and Department of Education are essentially disqualifying using race as a measure of diversity in education — a move that has triggered criticism by Democrats and civil rights organisations. It has been described as “yet another clear Trump administration attack on communities of colour”.
The decision comes during a high-profile case in which Asian-American students have sued Harvard for systematically excluding members of the community to maintain seats for students of other races. The case will head to the Supreme Court soon.
JK Rowling points out a mistake in a Trump tweet
US President Donald Trump tweeted that he “prided” himself on his “ability to write”, having written several bestselling books. J.K. Rowling, the author of the immensely popular Harry Potter series, had something to say about his claim.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
someone told him how to spell 'pore'
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha pic.twitter.com/Gf2xxKyFlp— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 3, 2018
A woman climbed the Statue of Liberty to protest on the American Independence Day
The woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty was taken into custody. @NBCNews says she told police she wouldn’t leave until all the children detained by ICE were released.
Earlier, several protesters were arrested for holding up an "ABOLISH ICE" banner. pic.twitter.com/DLloYbJ5Lo
— AJ+ (@ajplus) July 4, 2018
A woman scaled the Statue of Liberty to protest the government agency known as ICE, which works in immigration enforcement.
Videos of Thai football team, still stuck in the cave, emerge online
The 12 boys and their coach are still in the cave, but are receiving care and attention from highly-trained doctors and seem to be in good spirits.
@thainavysealวานนี้ (3 ก.ค.61) ชุดช่วยเหลือฯ (NAVY SEAL) แพทย์ทหารบก (พ.ท.ภาคย์ฯ) และพยาบาลเวชศาสตร์ใต้น้ำกองทัพเรือ ได้ทำแผล และตรวจประเมินสุขภาพ เยาวชนทีมฟุตบอลหมูป่าอะคาเดมี่ 13 คน ที่ติดอยู่ภายในถ้ำหลวง – ขุนน้ำนางนอน อ.แม่สาย จ.เชียงราย (คลิป 1)Yesterday, the Royal Thai Navy SEAL rescue team, the Royal Thai Army medics and Nurses from the Royal Thai Navy Underwater Medicine Division were dressing the wounds and conducted health assessment for the 13 boys from the Wild Boar youth soccer team, who were trapped in the flooded cave network of Luang – Khun Nam Nang Nual, Mae Sai, Chiang Rai (clip 1)
กองทัพเรือ Royal Thai Navy यांनी वर पोस्ट केले मंगळवार, ३ जुलै, २०१८
#thainavysealวานนี้ (3 ก.ค.61) ชุดช่วยเหลือฯ (NAVY SEAL) แพทย์ทหารบก (พ.ท.ภาคย์ฯ) และพยาบาลเวชศาสตร์ใต้น้ำกองทัพเรือ ได้ทำแผล และตรวจประเมินสุขภาพ เยาวชนทีมฟุตบอลหมูป่าอะคาเดมี่ 13 คน ที่ติดอยู่ภายในถ้ำหลวง – ขุนน้ำนางนอน อ.แม่สาย จ.เชียงราย (คลิป 2)Yesterday, the Royal Thai Navy SEAL rescue team, the Royal Thai Army medics and Nurses from the Royal Thai Navy Underwater Medicine Division were dressing the wounds and conducted health assessment for the 13 boys from the Wild Boar youth soccer team, who were trapped in the flooded cave network of Luang – Khun Nam Nang Nual, Mae Sai, Chiang Rai (clip 2)
กองทัพเรือ Royal Thai Navy यांनी वर पोस्ट केले मंगळवार, ३ जुलै, २०१८
Videos of the boys, uploaded by the Royal Thai Navy, shows them saying they are healthy and receiving medical assistance. They are also reportedly being taught to dive to ease the highly complicated rescue mission.
The United States will keep a Gulf waterway open
As the Iranian President renewed threats to close off the region, which includes the major waterway Strait of Hormuz, a US army spokesperson said they will ensure the “freedom of navigation” and keep waterways open to oil tankers.
“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Tuesday hinted Iran could halt regional exports if it is stopped from exporting oil after the US pulled out of the nuclear deal with world powers,” reports Al Jazeera.
Captain Bill Urban, the US spokesperson, said US sailors and its regional allies “stand ready to ensure the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce wherever international law allows”.
China now has study groups dedicated to Xi Jinping
“A series of books, either explaining Xi’s thought in different areas or documenting his early years, have been published since May, and study sessions have been organised in universities, local governments, media organisations and among the general public to allow more people to learn about his ideas and life,” reports Global Times.
The books include one on Xi’s childhood and another on his journalistic thought. Radio documentaries have also been produced to accompany the books. Study groups have been organised among students to read his thoughts on an assortment of topics, like journalism, poverty, and development of rural China.
“A new wave of enthusiasm for the thought, teachings and life experiences of Xi, general secretary of the central committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President, has swept across China in recent months,” writes Global Times.
US report urges continued pressure against the Taliban in Afghanistan
A report titled ‘Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan’, released by the US defence department, has said that pressure against the Taliban should be maintained for success in Afghanistan, reports TOLOnews.
“Covering events from 1 December (2017) to 31 May (2018), the report stated that with the implementation of the South Asia strategy, optimism has grown that a political settlement with the Taliban is possible,” the report adds. “This reporting period marks the first campaign season to begin under the conditions-based South Asia Strategy announced by President Donald Trump in August 2017.”