Author: Desk Team

When I told my daughter, Em, the other day that I was heading over to our local park to see what might be happening in its stormwater-management pond, she was very understanding. She didn’t roll her eyes and wonder what could possibly interest me there. That’s because she knows, like I do, that stormwater ponds are wonderful things in our dense urban environment. They reduce flooding after heavy rains, reduce erosion caused by high volumes of flowing water, and clean that water by allowing pollutants and solids like sand and dirt to settle out. There’s something else about these engineered ponds. Birds and other animals didn’t get the memo that these small bodies of water were made by humans; they flock to them for feeding, bathing, drinking, mating and loafing, just as if the ponds were

SEA Games to light up Hanoi after Covid delay Malaysia's Nur Dhabitah Sabri won the first gold at the SEA Games in Hanoi. HANOI: The SEA Games open in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Thursday after a six-month Covid delay with Southeast Asian pride at stake in everything from football to bodybuilding and eSports. More than 5,000 athletes including Olympic champions are vying for over 500 gold medals in the event, which is staged every two years, in what should be packed arenas. The 11-nation Games include traditional Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming and boxing, but also regional ones like sepak takraw, an eye-catching volleyball-style game where teams kick a rattan ball. Thailand's taekwondo world number one Panipak Wongpattanakit and Philippine weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, wh...

British Columbia will overhaul its Mental Health Act amid rapidly rising involuntary admissions and years of human rights concerns raised by patients, families and advocates, Attorney General David Eby told The Tyee today. The province introduced amendments to the legislation Thursday to create an independent service to advise people detained involuntarily about their rights. That same day, an all-party legislative committee examining the Police Act recommended a “broad review” of the Mental Health Act, echoing calls from the B.C. Office of the Ombudsperson and legal advocacy organizations. Eby said Thursday’s amendments are the first step in what will be a “significant modernization” of the legislation, which has been largely unchanged for nearly three decades as British Columbians’ me

Boxers bag four titles as event draws to end Snooker star Wattana Pu-ob-orm kisses his gold medal on the podium. Snooker star Wattana Pu-ob-orm won his first SEA Games gold medal while the women's volleyball team were crowned champions for the 15th time at the biennial tournament in Hanoi. On the last day of competition before Monday's closing ceremony, former world No.3 Wattana claimed his maiden SEA Games title, beating young Lim Kok Leong of Malaysia 4-2 in the best-of-seven frames final. Wattana has now added one of the very few prizes which had been missing from his trophy cabinet. The 53-year-old rallied twice after losing the first and third frames before winning the fifth and sixth frames to seal the match 24-75, 88-34, 25-70, 48-65, 83-33, 67-42. Thailand's Passakorn Suwanna...

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. - A historic fishing neighbourhood in Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital is renaming of one its buildings less than a month ahead of a visit by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the city confirmed Thursday. The Quidi Vidi Village Plantation is being renamed the Quidi Vidi Artisan Studios to better reflect its current vocation as an arts incubator, St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen said in a statement. “While this facility operated as a fishing plantation in the past, individuals may be confused or offended by the name,” the statement read. “The facility is used as an art incubator, from which many successful artisan businesses have developed, and the new name will reflect its use.” The heir to the throne and his wife are set to visit the Quidi Vidi area when their tour

Scholz urges wider alliance against Russia to thwart Putin German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacts after addressing the assembly during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Thursday. (AFP photo) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for more countries to join international efforts to isolate Russia, saying President Vladimir Putin must not be allowed a victory in Ukraine that could embolden other warmongers. Scholz’s plea came as the European Union struggles to maintain a united front in talks over further sanctions against Moscow, and many emerging powers in Asia, Africa and South America show little readiness to criticise or even punish Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. “Putin wants to return to a world order in which the stronger dictate what is right; in which n

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — More than three decades after a largely peaceful “People Power” revolt overthrew Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his son and namesake has emerged as the top contender in Monday’s presidential election based on most voter-preference surveys. Here are some key facts about the major issues, the leading candidates and election concerns: WHAT’S AT STAKE If Ferdinand Marcos Jr. triumphs, it will be a stunning reversal of the 1986 pro-democracy uprising that booted his father out of office into global infamy. Many Filipinos remember the human rights atrocities and plunder that unfolded under his dictatorship and would likely push back against any perceived threat to democracy or Marcos Jr.’s attempt to recover his family’s assets that were seized by the governm

Downtown Beijing goes quiet as zero-Covid policy smothers capital Attempts to fend off a Beijing Covid-19 outbreak have seen creeping restrictions on movement in the capital. BEIJING: Millions of people in Beijing stayed home on Monday as China's capital tries to fend off a Covid-19 outbreak with creeping restrictions on movement. Beijing residents fear they may soon find themselves in the grip of the same draconian measures that have trapped most of Shanghai's 25 million people at home for several weeks. Officials there have said the eastern powerhouse is winning its battle against the country's worst outbreak since the pandemic began. Yet the Shanghai lockdown has intensified, causing outrage and rare protest in the last major economy still glued to a zero-Covid policy. That policy...

SINGAPORE - For the past 12 years, Mr Sockalingam Ramalingam would comb the campus of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) on foot two to three times a day, with each trip taking up to half an hour. The 63-year-old senior patient greeter would check basement carparks, specialist clinics, wards and other common areas across the hospital's three tower blocks, each with six storeys, to retrieve unused wheelchairs and bring them back to the hospital's main lobby and other areas where patients might need them. Now, instead of relying on his instincts and guessing which area might have an excess of wheelchairs, Mr Sockalingam can consult a dashboard on his mobile phone which tells him exactly where to look, cutting the time needed for this critical task in half. In April last year, KTPH began a pil...

SK's Yoon uses Biden summit to push global agenda US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol arrive for a state dinner at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Saturday. REUTERS South Korea's new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, used a largely successful summit with US President Joe Biden over the weekend to lay the foundation for his goal of enabling South Korea to play a more active role around the world. Inaugurated on May 10, Mr Yoon has said his main foreign policy goal will be to make South Korea a "global pivotal state" with a focus on promoting freedom, peace, and prosperity based on its liberal democratic values and cooperation. That closely mirrors Mr Biden's call for "like-minded" democracies with shared values to work together, allowing the pair to co...