South Korea's heatwave-hit scout jamboree bracing for typhoon

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SEOUL: Organisers of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea, who have been grappling with a debilitating heatwave for days, were on Monday (Aug 7) preparing for a typhoon to batter their huge campsite with wind and rain, officials said.

Hundreds of those attending the jamboree of about 40,000 scouts from 155 countries have been laid low by temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius, and some troops have pulled out.

The government and organisers have pledged that safety is top priority, and have laid on water trucks, air-conditioned spaces and medics.

But a new danger is looming with Typhoon Kanun due to reach southern South Korea early on Thursday, with strong winds and rain expected, forecasters said.

“To ensure the safety of the World Jamboree, we are discussing detailed countermeasures for the typhoon situation with relevant agencies including the interior ministry,” gender equality minister Kim Hyun-sook told a briefing.

The minister said measures would be announced later.

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Fourteen dead in floods in northeastern China

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BEIJING: Fourteen people were reported to have died over the weekend in the Chinese city of Shulan due to flooding caused by Typhoon Doksuri. Northeastern China, Beijing and Hebei province have seen heavy rainfall and floods since the typhoon made landfall in southern Fujian province two weeks ago. The deathsContinue Reading

Mystery in Dubai as mega-wheel stops turning

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“TOO SLOW” The Dubai Eye, built by a consortium of international companies, is located in Bluewaters – a man-made island designed as a retail, residential and entertainment hub. For more than a year, the main entrance to the attraction has remained closed and ticket booths abandoned. Only a slow trickleContinue Reading

Cambodian king to appoint Hun Sen's son as new PM

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PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s king on Monday (Aug 7) will appoint Hun Manet as the country’s new leader after his father Hun Sen calls time on nearly four decades of hardline rule. Days after a landslide victory in July’s election, Hun Sen – one of the world’s longest-serving leaders – announcedContinue Reading

Commentary: Japan got it wrong. There’s nothing new mothers want less than to cook, clean and give husbands massages

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But if we continue to accept these supposed norms, we do so at the expense of gender equality and women’s well-being and mental health.

“By perpetuating gender inequality and economic disempowerment, unpaid care and domestic work affect women’s health, their education and employment opportunities while also increasing their vulnerability to violence,” APEC said in the 2022 report. 

An analysis of 19 studies covering 70,310 people globally, published by The Lancet Public Health in 2022, also found that the more of this unpaid labour women do, the worse their mental health. 

This is a good reason to stop perpetuating gender stereotypes and raising generations who think it is acceptable for women to shoulder the bulk of household and caregiving responsibilities.

Gendered expectations start from young. If girls are expected to clean up after meals, while boys are allowed to slack off – because girls are more organised and well, boys are just being boys – they will grow up thinking this is the norm.

“We have to educate and advocate for mindset changes towards gender roles and ‘de-feminise’ the caregiving and household responsibilities,” said Georgette Tan, president at United Women Singapore, in the Ipsos report. “By ensuring shared responsibilities, this will allow women more time for self-care, pursue their career aspirations and contribute even more to the community.” 

TAKING THE INITIATIVE

Men need to realise that they play an equally essential role in raising their children and maintaining the household. They need to step up their game.

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At least 15 killed after train derails in southern Pakistan

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KARACHI: At least 15 people were killed when a train derailed in southern Pakistan on Sunday (Aug 6), according to local media. “The Hazara Express was travelling from Karachi to Abbottabad, eight coaches have derailed,” Mohsin Syal, a railway official, told HUM News. At least 15 people were killed and moreContinue Reading

Philippines says Beijing blocked, used water cannon on boat in South China Sea

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MANILA: The Philippines on Sunday (Aug 6) accused China’s coast guard of blocking and water-cannoning a Philippine military supply boat in the South China Sea, condemning the “excessive and offensive actions” against its vessels. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, an assertion rejected internationally, while Malaysia,Continue Reading