Latest news with #governmentofficials
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Six arrests after nearly 250 children poisoned by lead in their food in China
Six people have been arrested in China after nearly 250 children were found to have high levels of lead in their blood, investigators have said. Another 17 individuals are also "under disciplinary investigation", including the head of a local hospital, while 10 government officials have been held "accountable". It comes after a scandal involving Heshi Peixin kindergarten in Maiji, northwestern China, emerged earlier this month. Police said staff at the private kindergarten had been adding paint powder to food in an apparent bid to make it look more appealing. Testing showed 247 out of 251 of the kindergarten's children and 28 members of staff had "abnormal blood levels". A further five children who finished attending the kindergarten in 2024 also recorded abnormal levels of lead in their blood, according to investigators. A Sky News team in Maiji had been accused of returning tests for lead showing much lower levels than at the bigger hospitals. Investigators have now found the management of the Second People's Hospital of Tianshui was "chaotic" and its laboratory department had been illegally modifying the results of the blood lead tests. The head of the hospital is one of the 17 people facing disciplinary investigation. Sky News was told how one child was found to have lead in her blood at 38 times the normal level. Read more from Sky News: Lead poisoning at high levels can cause long term injuries to the brain and the central nervous system. A mother who lived near the kindergarten said: "Now if people send children to primary school, the first thing they ask is are you safe? "Can it guarantee the personal safety of our children in the future?"
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Ten missing as boat capsizes off Indonesia's Mentawai islands
Rescuers are racing against time to find the 10 people who went missing after a boat capsized off Indonesia 's Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra province. Eight others were rescued after the boat sank due to bad weather on Monday around 11am local time, Indonesia's national search and rescue agency said. The boat had departed Sikakap, a small town in the Mentawai Islands, and was heading to another small town, Tuapejat. At least 10 government officials were among the 18 people on board the boat, according to reports. 'The boat carried 18 people; eight of them managed to swim ashore with life vests and reached Sikakap Village,' Dhio, an official from the Search and Rescue Agency, told Jakarta Globe. Authorities deployed two boats and dozens of rescuers on Tuesday to find the missing people. The Indonesian authorities were reportedly informed of the accident around 5.40pm local time on Monday, about six hours after the boat sank. Officials from the Mentawai search and rescue agency said the focus was on combing the area around the estimated accident site to find the victims. "Some of the victims were seen floating on the surface, but the team couldn't reach them in time, and they eventually disappeared from sight,' said Mr Dhio, who goes by just his first name as is common with Indonesians. 'We can't disclose the identities of the missing passengers now out of respect for their families' privacy," the official told the newspaper. Boats and ferries are a regular mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are relatively common due to bad weather as well as lax safety standards that often allow vessels to be overloaded. A ferry sank earlier this month near the island of Bali. Of the 65 people on board, 18 died, 30 survived and 17 remain missing. A national-level search, which lasted for around two weeks and involved around 500 people, including rescuers, police, and military personnel, was officially called off on Monday. A provincial-level team will continue to search for the missing people for the next seven days, an official told Reuters. In March, an Australian woman was killed following a boat accident in the rough waters of Bali. In 2018, more than 150 people were killed after a ferry sank in one of the world's deepest lakes on the island of Sumatra.
Malay Mail
15-06-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
From drug abuse to jobs, Anwar wants ministers, MPs to directly engage with grassroots to close policy gap
LUMUT, June 15 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged all ministers, senior federal and state government officials, as well as policy and project implementers, to frequently engage with the public to better understand the issues faced by the people. The Prime Minister said members of parliament should also adopt this approach to ensure local concerns are addressed more effectively and comprehensively. 'Even senior civil servants are requested to go to the ground, which is why we have initiatives like Sejati Madani and Kampung Angkat Madani. These enable senior officials, including ministers, to identify any disconnect between policy statements and their implementation at the grassroots level. 'When we engage at the ground level, we discuss issues like education, unemployment, drug abuse, healthcare facilities and economic projects. All these must be addressed thoroughly because the challenges reported may differ between federal and state levels,' he said. Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said this at the closing of the Perak-level Madani Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 held at Lumut Waterfront here today. — Bernama
Independent Singapore
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
S'poreans defend ministers' business class selfies after LinkedIn post sparks fuss
SINGAPORE: A woman caused a bit of a stir online after calling out in a LinkedIn post government officials who post selfies when they fly business class for official trips. In her post, the woman, whose bio says she is a joint managing partner at a law firm, writes an open letter to political officeholders. 'I know it's important to signal that you're hard at work and that promises made during the election period were not empty ones. I hereby clap for you. But sharing photos of you dashing about on work trips IN A BUSINESS CLASS SEAT is distinctly counterproductive. It's a humblebrag.' She added that the only acceptable situation for posting a selfie on the plane would be when one performs a heroic act, but took that back, saying it 'would not be cool either.' When a commenter on her post said that office holders could travel first class, and therefore the post had not been a humble brag, the post author doubled down, saying it was 'tone deaf from a comms angle.' Another commenter, who had seen a recent post of this nature from a top government official, wrote, 'It's literally just him with the headrest, talking about being glad to go home,' and added that the woman's post is 'so unnecessary.' The post author clarified that she was not referring to anyone in particular. 'I don't know who 'him' in your post refers to. I'm not talking about any specific POH or any specific post. I wouldn't be so cowardly as to do that without stating details. I've noticed a number of posts showing politicians doing this and think it's counterproductive from a comms perspective, and it's this trend I'm addressing,' she replied. The commenter fired back with, 'Regardless of who it is, I find virtue signalling on this or bringing this up in the tone that you did, tone deaf, when there are actual bread and butter issues Singaporeans really care about, than this. This just sounded like office water cooler gossip to me.' On Reddit, where the LinkedIn post was shared, and then later on, taken down, some of the commenters were more pointed. 'Why the snarky remarks? Only bigshot lawyers can take Business Class? Please… Stay in your own lane,' wrote one. 'I have zero issues with my taxpayer monies being used to fly a political office holder on business class for work. In fact, I want that for him. Better to have him well-rested and well-fed so that he can handle the important negotiations and discussions that affect the future of this country,' opined another. 'What is she trying to stir? Flying commercial in business class on work trips is not anywhere flaunting wealth or power lor. If the politician took selfies in a private jet, then can bring out the pitchforks and torches,' asked a Reddit user. /TISG Read also: Woman in LinkedIn post about meeting Piyush Gupta says her social media manager made up the story and demanded S$5K to take it down See also Hong Kong approves jail terms for 'upskirt' shots
CNA
30-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Milken Institute Asia Summit will continue to be held in Singapore from 2026 to 2028
The annual Milken Institute Asia Summit, which addresses pressing issues in the Asia Pacific, will continue to be held in Singapore from 2026 to 2028. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Singapore Tourism Board and Milken Institute. The event provides business leaders and senior government officials with a platform to address challenges, such as geopolitics and climate change. STB said the commitment reaffirms Singapore's position as the world's best city for the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions sector.
