Indian lingerie model, 52, hopes to inspire inclusivity, change

A 52-year-old Indian lingerie model is pushing e-commerce firms to hire older women for their advertising campaigns, challenging what she says are the ageist norms practised by many companies. Geeta J, a former teacher who took to modelling when she turned 50, says she wants innerwear companies in India to be more inclusive and avoid featuring...

‘Selling vulgarity’: Property developer in China slammed for turning models’ bodies into floor plan brochures

A property sales company used woman’s bodies as a gimmick to sell real estate, but the promotion has backfired in China.Weibo A real estate developer in central China has been accused of ‘consuming women’ and ‘selling vulgarity’ and halted from making sales after using female models as human brochures with floor plans painted on their backs,...

Heavy rains in Australia’s east bring worst floods in 50 years

  Heavy rains along Australia’s east coast over the weekend have brought the worst flooding in half a century in some areas, authorities said on Sunday, forcing thousands to evacuate and damaging hundreds of houses. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the downpour across the state, Australia’s most populous with 8 million people, was worse than...

Dozens of Thai protesters injured after rally near king’s palace

Riot police beat a protester (C) during anti-government protests in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 20, 2021.Reuters More than 30 civilians and police were injured in anti-government protests in Thailand, an emergency medical centre said on Sunday after police used water cannon, teargas and rubber bullets to disperse the rally the night before. Video circulated on social media...

Singapore monitoring trials on Covid-19 vaccine effect on kids: Lawrence Wong

Singapore is closely monitoring ongoing trials on the effect of Covid-19 vaccines on children.The Straits Times file Singapore is closely monitoring ongoing trials on the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines on children, and hopes to be able to certify and administer them on students here in the near future. For now, the vaccines that the Government...

Man gets stuck in chest-deep water in drain along hiking trail, rescued by SCDF officers

A man was found stuck in a drain — with water up to his chest — at a hiking trail along the Bukit Timah Expressway near Mandai Road on Sunday (March 21). He was later pulled out by officers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) using rescue ropes, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF). After receiving...

France has biggest one-day jump in coronavirus cases since second lockdown in November

A medical staff member works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for Covid-19 patients at Pasteur hospital in Nice, France, on Feb 19, 2021.Reuters France saw the biggest one-day jump in coronavirus cases on Wednesday since its second lockdown in November and the government prepared to further tighten limits on people’s movement. The health ministry reported 38,501...

China’s iQIYI to develop regional stars for Southeast Asia push

A sign of Chinese video-streaming platform iQiyi Inc is pictured at the Beijing International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo, in Beijing, China May 29, 2019.Reuters Chinese online video platform iQIYI plans to launch a talent agency in Southeast Asia to cultivate its own entertainers as it pushes to become Asia’s dominant streaming platform, a senior executive...

NKorea ignores US offer for talks, citing its hostile policy

  FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2021, file photo State Secretary Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are heading to Japan and South Korea for four days of talks starting Monday, March 15, as the administration seeks to shore up partnerships with...

Japanese regulators say TEPCO nuclear plant prone to attack

FILE - This Sept. 30, 2017, aerial file photo shows the reactors of No. 6, right, and No. 7, left, at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, on the northern Japanese coast in Niigata prefecture. Japanese nuclear regulators said Wednesday, March 17, 2021 that the world's largest nuclear power plant, owned by the utility behind the Fukushima...