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Hong Kong’s lawmakers have postponed a reading of the controversial extradition bill for the third time on Thu (13 Jun) in the wake of clashes between the police and the tens of thousands of protesters in Admiralty a day before. South China Morning Post reported that a circular has been issued by the secretariat on behalf of president Andrew Leung …

After over a week of postponing its decision on the legality of same-sex marriages, Ecuador’s apex court has issued a ruling in favour of same-sex marriages on Wed (12 Jun), following two lawsuits by two same-sex couples intending to wed. Five out of the nine judges presiding over the closed hearing in the Latin American nation’s constitutional court voted to …

Editor-in-chief of Southeast Asian affairs platform New Naratif Kirsten Han took to her Facebook on Tuesday (11 June) to call out Singapore’s Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam for taking a cheap shot at the LGBT issue. She was referring to the Minister’s Facebook post where he commented on an incident in the UK where a gay couple got …

Botswana has joined the ranks of two other African nations Angola and Mozambique in decriminalising same-sex relations through a landmark High Court ruling yesterday (11 Jun). Justice Michael Leburu, in delivering his judgement, said that a democratic society is characterised by “tolerance, diversity and open-mindedness.” He added that “societal inclusion is central to ending poverty and fostering shared prosperity”, and …

MARUAH, a human-rights NGO, asks the Government to provide more for older people in Singapore, including those who are 55 and above. This is because there have been studies and reports on how seniors in the country are just not coping well, financially, and in some instances, in self-management. The latest study, using the Minimum Income Standards (MIS), was released …

Less than a year after its neighbour India repealed a colonial-era law which criminalised homosexuality for centuries, the kingdom of Bhutan’s National Assembly had almost unanimously passed an amendment to the nation’s Penal Code on Fri (7 Jun). Local dailies Kuensel and The Bhutanese reported that only one parliamentarian in Bhutan’s lower house of Parliament voted against the amendment to repeal …

The final day of the DBS Marina Regatta saw fierce competition as dragon boaters raced against time in the 200-metre final. Reigning champions, the DBS Bank women’s team, successfully defended their title in the DBS Corporate Women race. Eveline Lau, Captain of DBS Asia Dragons Ladies’ Team said, “We’re beyond happy that we defended our title! The team has been training …

(Content warning: Homophobic and transphobic violence) by Nabilah Husna Singapore’s first report on LGBTQ women‘s experiences of violence and discrimination was met with crickets from the government and mainstream media. Prejudice and hatred shape LGBTQ lives, but their stories are often drowned out by state silence. 377A and marriage equality — likely the go-to topics when you bring up LGBTQ issues to a random …

In a speech in 1996, then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) urged young Singaporeans to go out into the world and seize opportunities. He said, “There is a glorious rainbow that beckons those with a spirit of adventure”. “To the young and not-too-old I say, look at the horizon, find the rainbow, go ride it”. More than two decades …

Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) conducted the second edition of the Kindness Carnival, which celebrated and promoted kindness on the road through educational and fun-filled activities suitable for the whole family. The family-friendly carnival is the first event organised by SKM to focus on kindness on the roads through various games such as the hourly circuit game where participants were reminded …