Singapore jails Indian-origin man
Singapore, Sep 22: A 36-year-old Indian-origin man in Singapore will spend two weeks in jail for wearing the country’s flag like a cape and shouting at patrons at a coffee shop earlier this month, according to a media report. Roy Ravi Jaganathan, who pleaded guilty on Thursday to one charge of creating public nuisance is facing his second conviction after he committed a similar offence in July this year. Earlier, he was sentenced to five days in jail on a similar charge of creating public nuisance after shouting aggressively and gesturing with an umbrella to people at another coffee shop in July, according to a report by The Straits Times on Thursday. Addressing his most recent offence, State Prosecuting Officer Ting Nge Kong said that on September 5, Ravi headed to the coffee shop wearing a green T-shirt with Singapore flag draped over his shoulders and tied around his neck, wearing it like a cape. Ravi arrived at the coffee shop and started shouting at patrons there. “He went from table to table shouting loudly and proclaimed that he was God. At times, he ranted incoherently and intentionally lifted up his T-shirt to expose his torso to the patrons,” said Ting.(PTI)
Teachers protest in Nepal against education bill
Kathmandu, Sep 22: Schools for millions of students in Nepal were closed on Friday as tens of thousands of teachers protested in the capital against an education reform bill in parliament. Teachers have been demonstrating in Kathmandu since Wednesday against the School Education Bill while teachers’ groups negotiate with government leaders over changes to the legislation. The teachers oppose provisions that would shift government-run schools to local control, saying it would lower their status, and that would scrap many temporary teacher positions. The teachers blocked the main street leading from the parliament building to key government ministries, disrupting traffic in the heart of the capital. Hundreds of police in riot gear blocked the road leading to parliament with barbed-wire barricades. The teachers have threatened to bring more protesters to Kathmandu if their demands are not addressed. “Our key demand is we teachers should be kept under the central government like any other government professionals and not in the control of local authorities,” said Badri Dhungel, a high school teacher. (AP)
Chinese dissident seeks asylum
Taipei, Sep 22: A Chinese dissident known for posting pictures on social media commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown said Friday he had fled to Taiwan and pleaded for help seeking asylum in the United States or Canada. In a video that appeared to be self-shot and posted on X, Cheng Siming said he was in the transit area at Taoyuan International Airport. “In order to hide from China’s political persecution, I have now arrived in Taiwan,” Cheng said in the video, which was posted about 7 am. He added that he hopes to get asylum in the US or Canada. Chen said he took the opportunity to transit in Taiwan because it’s a “democratic and free country” and that it was safer than going through Thailand or Laos. (AP)