Huat Zai

Aunty maggie already offered free citizenship to all hk elites before they left, all they can carry already carry away, let them write lah

You're all Daft

AIA so low on budget until need to take back balloon ah

"Lightyear", the Disney animated film, has been issued an NC16 rating in Singapore for its “overt homosexual depictions”, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on June 14. This makes it the first children’s animated film to be given an NC16 rating in Singapore over LGBTQ+ content. The movie features a same-sex couple. It will be out on June 16. Disney declined releasing cut version Singapore's media regulator said Disney, the film’s distributor, opted not to release two versions of the movie under a dual-rating system, with the lower-rated version available for a younger audience to watch. Two female characters share “'Lightyear' is the first commercial children’s animation to feature overt homosexual depictions," IMDA said. It is a prequel to Pixar's "Toy Story" franchise, featuring space ranger Buzz Lightyear. The film depicts two female characters sharing a and “some depictions of a female lead character and her partner starting a family and going through different milestones of their lives”. The occurs within the first 30 minutes of the film. The movie had sparked controversy after the kissing scene in question was initially cut by Disney. It was restored following protests by Pixar staff against censorship of LGBTQ+ characters. Singapore's film classification system Singapore's Simultaneous Rating Release mechanism has been in place since 2003. It allows distributors to release different versions of the same film to “cater to different market segments”, IMDA said. The aim is to "provide consumers with choice" and open "Lightyear" to a younger audience, IMDA added. Classification guidelines IMDA said the NC16 rating for the animated movie was decided based on its film classification guidelines. A key principle was that the guidelines should be “sensitive to social norms and values that are generally acceptable to members of the public”. Views of parents with younger children and the advisory committee were considered. The chairperson of its Films Consultative Panel, Cheryl Ng, said the NC16 rating was “appropriate”. Ng said: “While it is an excellent animated film set in the US context, Singapore is a diverse society where we have multiple sensibilities and viewpoints.” “This being a children’s cartoon, a significant number of members felt that the overt depiction of same-gender marriage would warrant a higher rating.” Ng added that some members were “uncomfortable” even after they were willing to consider giving it a lower rating, as it meant the movie could be shown unedited to a broad-based audience on free-to-air TV. Movie won't be screened in some countries Reuters reported on June 14 that the movie will not be shown in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries. The odds of it being shown in China are low. This was after authorities in China had apparently asked for cuts to be made, but Disney declined. https://mothership.sg/2022/06/lightyear-nc16-singapore/

Soon, China textbooks will say that they have 5000 years of communist rule...

Hong Kong's Education Bureau has approved six new textbooks in its Citizenship and Social Development curriculum, with four saying that the Chinese city was not a British colony. Never a colony, but governed as one As reported by The Standard, the four textbooks, meant to be used in secondary schools, significantly changed the language used to describe the city's time under British rule, outright saying that Hong Kong was never a colony. One textbook explains that China had always maintained sovereignty over Hong Kong and that the British had "only exercised colonial rule". According to Ming Pao, the textbooks argued that although Britain governed Hong Kong using the model of “a colony”, subsequent Chinese governments after the Qing dynasty do not recognise “the unequal treaties”. Therefore, they never relinquished their hold over Hong Kong. All four textbooks also highlighted the following unequal treaties in order to look at the origins of the issue with Hong Kong: the Treaty of Nanking, the Convention of Peking, and the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory. In addition, the textbooks explained the difference between "a colony" and having "colonial rule" imposed over a territory, saying that if a country declares a territory as its colony, the country then holds sovereign rights over it. However, if a country simply exercised "colonial rule" over a territory, then the country only possessed the right to govern it, and not its sovereignty. China always has sovereignty over Hong Kong The textbooks also stressed that China has always had sovereignty over Hong Kong, and that Britain was "simply executing colonial governance, which means the city is not a British colony". The textbooks further claimed that in 1972, China had requested for the United Nations (UN) to remove Hong Kong and Macau from the list of colonies, and the resolution was passed by a majority of members. This has, however, been disputed, with pro-democracy advocates saying that China's claims are misleading, and do not reflect what truly happened decades ago among UN General Assembly representatives. 2019 protests are "terrorist activities" The textbooks also call Hong Kong's 2019 protests a "violent terrorist activity", claiming foreign interference. Pro-democracy former district counsellor Timothy Lee wrote in a twitter thread that criticised the new books, saying that that the entire module was designed in such a way that "brainwashes" students, calling it a "second takeover", with the first likely referring to the 1997 handover to China. 🧵1/6 HK: Government-vet sample textbooks for new subject of Citizenship & Social Development” brand 2019 protest as “serious incidents of violence”; “violent terrorist activities”; “opposition & pro-indy organisations publicly challenging PRC & SAR regimes”. (MingPao)#HongKong pic.twitter.com/HBEU5E9RuF — Timothy Lee 李軒朗 (@TimothyLee_HK) June 13, 2022 Unsurprisingly, the new textbooks were lauded by nationalistic Chinese state-backed media Global Times, which said teachers will not be able to "convey their wrong and poisonous political views to students". The textbooks are still being vetted by Hong Kong's Education Bureau. Learning to be Chinese citizens The new textbooks come as the Hong Kong government shifts its curriculum away from "liberal studies" as a core education module for secondary students, to the new Citizenship and Social Development module. It also reduces the importance of the module as compared to three other core modules: Chinese, English, and mathematics. The Standard reports that the module will be revised to make passing standards and examinations simpler, while greatly reducing the teaching time used by over 100 hours. When the change was revealed in 2021, Tin Fong-Chak from the Hong Kong Professional Teacher's Union (HKPTU) said that he considered the change drastic enough that the module should be considered a new subject. Meanwhile China's vice-minister of education Song Demin said that he hoped the revision would better teach Hong Kong students China's history and culture. The HKPTU would disband later that year, having been accused of inciting violence and promoting independence by official state media agency Xinhua. 25 years of direct Chinese rule This comes as the city prepares to commemorate 25 years since the city's handover to direct Chinese control in 1997. Chinese president Xi Jinping also recently called on Hong Kong to form a "close emotional bond" to the mainland, as reported by Bloomberg. It is expected that Xi will attend the ceremony marking the handover in person, and that up to a thousand people are preparing to isolate themselves in order to attend. This includes top Hong Kong officials like outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and a number of primary school students. https://mothership.sg/2022/06/hong-kong-textbooks-british-colony/

Was just planning to go there that day but changed my mind...

A metal strip likely dislodged from the base of a railing overlooking the escalator landed on a woman's head in City Square Mall on June 13. What happened The incident, which took place at around 8pm, was witnessed by a fellow mall goer, who alerted Mothership. The eyewitness told Mothership that moments before the woman was hit, she was on the down-riding escalator going from the fourth to third floor. The woman shouted in pain and burst into tears from shock when the metal strip bounced off her head and landed onto the escalator, the eyewitness said. The metal strip produced an audible clanging noise upon hitting the escalator. The woman was then seen staggering and holding her head in her hands as a result of the impact. The eyewitness, who was about to get on the up-riding escalator, went to assist the woman by getting ice and a chair from the nearby Watami Japanese Dining. Some Watami customers outside the eatery also saw the incident and one of them called for an ambulance. A bump developed on the woman's forehead. She also said she had "blacked out" for a moment. Not an isolated incident A passerby in the mall claimed that metal strips have been falling in the mall. The eyewitness then found that several of the same metal strips were missing from the base of the railings at the food court above Watami. A few minutes after the incident, the eyewitness saw a family of four dining at the food court tables overlooking the escalator. She said she saw one of the children kicking the ground near the railing. The eyewitness added that she goes to City Square Mall often and is quite traumatised by the incident: "Two seconds later and it might have been me." Mall management statement In response to Mothership's queries, City Square Mall said "a shopper sustained slight bruises on her head at City Square Mall due to a fallen metal strip". Its operations and security team responded immediately to render assistance to the shopper, who said that she "felt well and did not require any further assistance". The management followed up with the shopper to ensure her well-being and to provide any additional assistance. A thorough check was also conducted the same night to prevent similar incidents from happening again, according to the mall. "Once again City Square Mall Management would like to assure our shoppers and stakeholders that we view safety very seriously and is committed to provide a safe and enjoyable shopping experience and environment for all shoppers," said the statement. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Mothership that they received a call for assistance at 7:50pm. SCDF assessed a person for injuries and the person subsequently refused conveyance to the hospital. https://mothership.sg/2022/06/metal-strip-falls-on-woman-city-square-mall/

Walt Disney Co has been unable to obtain permission to show its new Pixar movie Lightyear in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries, a source said on Monday (Jun 13), and the animated film appeared unlikely to open in China, the world's largest movie market. A Lightyear producer told Reuters that authorities in China had asked for cuts to the movie, which Disney declined to make, and she assumed the movie would not open there either. The animated film depicts a same-sex couple who share a brief kiss, which prompted the United Arab Emirates to ban the film. The United Arab Emirates said the couple's relationship violated the country's media content standards. Homosexuality is considered criminal in many Middle Eastern countries. Representatives of other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Lebanon, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why they would not allow the film to be exhibited. As of Jun 14, a search on Singapore's government database on film classifications showed no results for the movie. Lightyear is a prequel to Pixar's acclaimed Toy Story franchise. Chris Evans voices the lead character, Buzz Lightyear, a legendary space ranger. In the film, Buzz's close friend is a female space ranger who marries another woman. A scene showing milestones in the couple's relationship includes a brief kiss. Disney has not received an answer from Chinese authorities on whether they would allow the film in cinemas, Lightyear producer Galyn Susman said. But she said filmmakers would not make changes to the movie. China has rejected other on-screen depictions of homosexuality in the past. "We're not going to cut out anything, especially something as important as the loving and inspirational relationship that shows Buzz what he's missing by the choices that he's making, so that's not getting cut," Susman told Reuters at the movie's red carpet premiere in London. China is not a "make or break" market for Pixar, one theatre industry source said. It contributed a mere 3 per cent to the global box office for Toy Story 4, which grossed more than US$1 billion in worldwide ticket sales in 2019, according to Comscore. Any objections to Lightyear over LGBTQ issues were "frustrating", Evans said. "It's great that we are a part of something that's making steps forward in the social inclusion capacity, but it's frustrating that there are still places that aren't where they should be," Evans said. Lightyear is set to debut in theatres in the United States and Canada on Friday. In May, Disney refused requests to cut same-sex references in Marvel movie Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness. Saudi Arabia and a handful of other Middle Eastern countries did not show the film. https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/lightyear-same-sex-couple-disney-pixar-316066

Flying to Thailand now!

Chickens in one part of Thailand have been weaned off antibiotics -- by giving them cannabis as a replacement to stay strong and healthy. The chickens are then used to make chicken rice, which have proved popular, The Nation reported. In northern Thailand A farming community in Lampang in northern Thailand conducted an experiment in cooperation with Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Agriculture to feed cannabis to its chickens, which supposedly helps improve the quality of meat and eggs. Sirin Chaemthet, president of the Peth Lanna community enterprise, said on June 11 that farmers opted for marijuana after chickens still suffered from avian bronchitis despite receiving antibiotics injections, according to The Nation. Better immunity The chickens reportedly developed higher immunity against disease in response to cannabis consumption and could withstand inclement weather. The community enterprise decided to do away with antibiotics and only feed their chickens cannabis, she said. National Farmers Council president Prapat Panyachatrak said feeding chickens cannabis also helps boost the commercial value of chicken products, The Nation also reported. He also warned that antibiotics in chicken meat and eggs harm consumers' health, such as declining immunity and allergies. Made into chicken rice The enterprise has been selling chicken meat at 100 baht (S$4) per kg and eggs at 6 baht (S$0.24) each via its website. According to Sirin, the response to chicken rice made from cannabis-fed chickens has been good. The enterprise plans to sell roast chicken in the future. https://mothership.sg/2022/06/thailand-cannabis-chicken/

Kee Song, a certified chicken supply company in Singapore, announced that the ban on kampung chickens and live black chickens has been lifted. These two types of chicken will be coming in from June 14. According to their TikTok video, these chickens will be available in markets from June 15, 2022. Here is their TikTok. The chicken ban was put in place from June 1. The export ban of chicken products to Singapore included not only live poultry but also whole carcasses, as well as chilled and frozen meat. Image from Kee Song https://mothership.sg/2022/06/kee-song-chicken-ban-lift/

Painful truths