A Philippine Cinderella: from domestic worker to Miss Universe?
Jessarie Dumaguing has set her sights on winning a crown at Binibining Pilipinas, the country’s biggest beauty pageant, which would propel her onto the international s...

Jessarie Dumaguing worked as a domestic helper when she was just 11 to help her aunt make ends meet. Now she wants "to have a crown".

LIKE BOXING IS FOR MEN 

"For a lot of the girls, there’s a lot riding on it, for them to get ahead in life."

What’s behind the Philippines' obsession with beauty queens?
A shallow, exploitative spectacle in an image-obsessed society? Or a valuable opportunity for young women to get ahead? The beauty pageant has deep roots in the Philip...

VIDEO 

HONG KONG PROTESTS

The clashes have now been declared a "riot" by the police chief. This carries serious implications for anyone arrested.

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Scenes from the ground after police fired tear gas at Hong Kong extradition bill protesters, sending crowds running for cover in scenes reminiscent of Occupy days of 2014.

Follow our live blog for more updates: http://sc.mp/iy8y

📸: SCMP/Sam Tsang, Nora Tam, Felix Wong, Edward Wong

A policeman is holding up a red banner which reads: "Stop charging or we use force."

Police fire pepper-based solution in renewed clashes with Hong Kong extradition bill protesters
Familiar sight at government grounds in Admiralty three days after historic march against legislation turned ugly

Protests against the controversial extradition bill brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill on Wednesday.

Thousands of people gathered outside the government headquarters in Admiralty, blocking major roads including Harcourt Road and Lung Wo Road.

Many of the protesters had taken the day off work and wore goggles and masks to protect themselves from potentially being sprayed by pepper-based solutions.

📸: SCMP/Dickson Lee

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VIDEO REPORT ON CHILD LABOUR IN HINDUTVA INDIA
 Hiring anyone under 14 is illegal in India, but millions of children are still subjected to child labour.

The protests in Hong Kong have been declared a "riot". Such a declaration never happened during the Occupy protests. VIDEO

Identifying judges who spoke of extradition bill fears would be ‘dangerous’, say lawyers
Legal professionals criticise pro-Beijing lawmaker Priscilla Leung for suggesting judges be named and shamed, and possibly disciplined.

"Judges also have their freedom of speech."

Why Pikachu was at the Hong Kong protests
Protesters held up signs and carried plushies of the famous yellow Pokémon.

This isn't the first time that the famous yellow Pokémon has emerged as a protest symbol in Hong Kong. (via Goldthread)

THE PROTESTERS ARE KIDS WHAT DID YOU EXPECT



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Malaysian minister condemns gay sex video as attempt to ruin his reputation

Economic affairs minister Azmin Ali claims a video that purportedly shows him having sexual relations with a party member is the latest in a series of attempts to assa...

“This is nothing but a nefarious plot to assassinate my reputation and character in an attempt to destroy my political career.”

SODOMY, RUM AND THE LASH
WELL NOT QUITE, RUM IS BANNED IN MALAYSIA A MUSLIM COUNTRY
ONCE FAMOUS FOR IT'S PIRATES
IN MALAYSIA THE STATE USES THE LAW OF SODOMY TO SMEAR OPPOSITION POLITICIANS

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash | Piracy, Sexuality, and Masculine Identity ...

https://nyupress.org/books/9780814782248/

Despite, or perhaps because of, our lack of actual knowledge about pirates, an immense architecture of cultural mythology has arisen around them.

The series of illicit videos is taking the country down an all-too familiar route.

Malaysian cabinet minister implicated in viral gay sex video
PKR politician Muhammad Haziq Abdul Aziz said he was the other man in the video, with the case prompting comparisons to the sodomy rumours that hounded party leader Anwar Ibrahim for years.

Protesters used technology to get organised, but without giving themselves away. (via Abacus)

How technology fuels Hong Kong's protestors
People are using encrypted chat apps and ditching transportation cards to avoid detection while protesting Chinese extradition bill

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Hong Kong's biggest pro-democracy union for educators has announced it will boycott classes on Thursday and Friday.

Teachers’ union in Hong Kong calls for class boycott over extradition clashes
Professional Teachers’ Union announced it would skip classes on Thursday and Friday. Education Bureau opposes the call, saying politics should be kept off school campu...

Hong Kong’s education authority says there are safer and less disruptive ways of expressing views than striking.

Education chief condemns teachers and students for plotting extradition strike
Largest teachers’ union in city calls for suspension of classes so staff and pupils can join mass protest, but senior officials urge them not to disrupt learning.

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Chinese users are beating the censors to talk about Hong Kong
Chinese netizens can only discuss the Hong Kong protests on two Weibo posts, but they make it count

Chinese netizens get creative to find ways to comment on the protests in Hong Kong. (via Abacus)



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China slams US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for condemning Hong Kong extradition bill

Beijing demands Washington stop interfering in China’s internal affairs after US POLITICIAN SAYS CONGRESS WILL HAVE TO REASSESS WHETHER HONG KONG HAS ‘SUFFICIENT AUTONOMY

“The affairs of Hong Kong are purely the internal affairs of China. No other nation, organisation and individual can intervene.”

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