Latest news with #Diversion
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
‘Parents should be held accountable'
Risky behaviour: A teenager seen riding a motorcycle. Despite 16 being the minimum age to obtain a license, many teenagers can be seen riding around the country. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star PETALING JAYA: Despite alarming numbers of children riding motorcycles and thousands of underage deaths recorded over the years, warnings alone have proven ineffective – largely due to poor parental oversight and lax enforcement, says the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam). Suhakam Children's Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki said enforcement efforts are often futile without stronger laws to hold parents accountable and address socio-economic factors driving the trend in rural areas. The findings was based on the government-run Diversion pilot project between 2019-2022 in Port Dickson, Seremban and Sepang, she said. 'I did the implementation study and later the evaluation study. The police from the traffic division and Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department (JPJKK) both attest to parents' attitude towards child safety were lax,' she said. The issue resurfaced following a tragic accident in Johor on Friday, where a 14-year-old motorcyclist caused a friend's death after being flung under a lorry. Farah Nini said the situation around the issue is difficult, especially in many situations when riding a motorcycle to school is a necessity in areas where public transport is not available and transportation is expensive. In Shah Alam alone, it costs a child RM20 for a short trip, she said adding that passing laws is easy but enforcing them is another story. In Malaysia, the minimum age to obtain a motorcycle licence is 16 years old. This applies to classes A, B2, B, and C licenses. For class A1, D, and DA car licences, the minimum age is 17. Previously Farah Nini said that in a span of 13 years, about 2,900 underage persons have died while riding motorcycles. With such high numbers, there have been calls to amend the laws to require more accountability from both the children and parents for flouting the law. Suhakam Commissioner Ragunath Kesavan pointed out there is insufficient enforcement of Section 26 (1) RTA 1987, especially among unlicensed drivers or motorcyclists, as well as basikal lajak and Mat Rempits. On whether existing laws should be amended to make parents more accountable for allowing minors to ride vehicles, he said the punishment can be made more severe to allow accountability. 'There was a lack of education about the issue, which is the cause behind the rampant disobedience of the law. 'There should be strict enforcement of the existing laws, but at the same time it is very difficult to enforce,' said the former Bar Council chairman. Asked whether parents should be held for negligence under the Child Act 2001 for allowing their children to ride on motorcycles, Ragunath said there were sufficient laws in place to address the matter. Meanwhile, Malaysian Council For Child Welfare chairman Datuk Dr Raj Abdul Karim said it was high time that parents be held accountable for negligence under the Child Act 2001 if they fail to safeguard their children who ride motorcycles illegally. She said the onus is on parents as they hold the main responsibility in caring and informing their underaged children about the dangers of riding. 'Parents should take precautionary measures and be vigilant by ensuring the keys are not accessible to their children or allowing them to ride the bikes to nearby destinations. 'There is a reason children are not allowed to ride motorcycles because their reflexes have not fully developed, as such they cannot react in time,' she told The Star. Dr Raj also called on schools to take more responsibility by checking students who come in on motorcycles and teach them about road safety. She said that schools can adopt a buddy system, pairing up troubled students with a big brother to guide them to the right path. She also recommended that children who break the law be sentenced to community service as a means of punishment and to learn from their mistakes. In late 2023, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that his ministry will conduct a review on fines against underage drivers, as stipulated under the Road Transport Act 1987.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Little Jaffna,' ‘Mahabharata' Lead London Indian Film Festival Lineup (EXCLUSIVE)
The London Indian Film Festival will open its 16th edition with the U.K. premiere of 'Little Jaffna.' Directed by Lawrence Valin, the film, which he also co-wrote and stars in, explores the Tamil diaspora experience in France through the prism of gang culture in the area of central Paris known informally as Little Jaffna, named after the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war, which ravaged the island nation from 1983 to 2009. The film has had considerable festival play including at Venice and Toronto. More from Variety Rotterdam Winner 'Bad Girl,' Venice Selection 'Little Jaffna' Bookend IFFLA 2025 as Fest Expands Industry Programming (EXCLUSIVE) Yao Chen's Bad Rabbit Pictures Plots 'Fleabag'-Style Premium Short Drama About Chinese Sea Goddess (EXCLUSIVE) Rima Das' Berlin-Bound Busan Winner 'Village Rockstars 2' Boarded by Diversion for World Sales (EXCLUSIVE) The festival's central gala will be the restored version of Peter Brook's legendary interpretation of Indian epic 'The Mahabharata.' The screening at BFI Imax aligns with the 100th birth year of Brook, with expectations that some of the original cast will attend from France. Director Rima Das returns to the festival with Busan debuting 'Village Rockstars 2,' continuing her exploration of rural Indian life through the story of an Assamese teenager who clings to childhood dreams while confronting contemporary challenges facing young people in rural India, from flood threats to family responsibilities. The program also features Lakshmipriya Devi's 'Boong,' which tells the story of a disobedient schoolboy in Manipur who naively risks his safety crossing into Myanmar to search for his missing father in an attempt to mend his broken family. Set against the Himalayas, Vinod Kapri's 'Pyre' offers a sumptuously photographed narrative about an elderly couple deeply in love but struggling to survive in a changing mountain society. Beyond film screenings, the festival will celebrate emerging British Asian talent through a new industry event developed in collaboration with RIFCO Theatre. The initiative aims to encourage more U.K. South Asians to enter the film industry while exploring co-production opportunities. This professional component will be accompanied by the festival's popular program of British-Asian shorts. The London Indian Film Festival runs July 16-23 at BFI Southbank and BFI Imax. The Birmingham Indian Film Festival runs July 17-23 at the Midlands Arts Centre. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Western Massachusetts towns to collect prescription drugs this Saturday
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – On Saturday, communities across western Massachusetts will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Three charged in Boston for drug trafficking conspiracy, two face deportation Saturday is the 27th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, an effort on both a local and national level to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of prescription drugs. Local law enforcement and area district attorney offices are encouraging residents to drop off any prescription or over-the-counter drugs for humans or pets. Since 2010, Take Back Days have removed 19.2 million pounds of unused medications from across the country, including nearly 650,000 pounds in Massachusetts. 'It's kind of a collective effort to save lives by preventing misuse and accidental ingestion, and also while keeping those medications out of our water resources and landfills,' said Maria Pantoja, the Director of Drug Diversion and Treatment Program of the Northwestern DA's Office. There are take-backs scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee, the Wildwood Elementary School in Amherst, the Worthington Fire Station, Smith Vocational in Northampton, and the Belchertown Town Common. Officials say medicines can remain in their original containers with labels. They're asking you not to bring liquids, syringes, IV equipment, or chemotherapy drugs, but prescription and non-prescription drugs, vitamins, and veterinary meds are accepted. To find a collection site near you, visit WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Indianapolis weekend events: Furniture sale, Mutt Strut, MC Lyte and more
If you're looking for furniture and home goods but don't want to break the bank, check out Diversion's warehouse sale this weekend. Why it matters: You'll be supporting a good cause. How it works: Diversion is a nonprofit that collects high-quality furniture from partnering designers and individuals and uses the items to help those who have recently secured housing furnish their new home. Eligible individuals are allowed to shop the warehouse and pick whatever items they need at no cost. According to Diversion's website, the organization has helped more than 1,300 people. Where the public comes in: Once a month, Diversion opens its warehouse to the public with pieces priced at significant discounts to make space for future items and raise money. 💭 Lindsey's thought bubble: I went to the March sale and was impressed with the selection. I left with a globe, dessert tray and piece of home decor. Two items didn't have prices marked, and I was told to pay whatever I wanted to donate for them. It was shopping that made me feel good. If you go: 10am-1pm Saturday, 1625 Southeastern Ave. Here are the rest of our picks for the weekend: 🎤 Rock the mic with hip-hop legend MC Lyte at The Vogue, 8pm Friday. Tickets start at $30. ⚾ Take yourself out to the ballgame as the Indianapolis Indians take on the Iowa Cubs all weekend. Games start at 6:35pm Friday and Saturday, and 1:35pm Sunday. Tickets start at $15. 🏀 See the Pacers try to strengthen their playoff position when they play the Utah Jazz at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 7pm Friday. Tickets start at $14. 🎹 Hear top-tier pianists compete during the 2025 American Piano Awards Finals at Hilbert Circle Theatre, 7pm Friday and 5:30pm Saturday. Tickets start at $13. 🐕 Witness the"greatest spectacle in dog walking" when IndyHumane's Mutt Strut fundraiser hits White River State Park, 8am Saturday. 🩰 Experience the storytelling power of dance when Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre presents Spring Equinox at The Tarkington in Carmel, 7pm Friday and 5pm Saturday. Tickets start at $55. 🏒 Hit the ice with the Indy Fuel for a little in-state showdown when they play the Fort Wayne Komets at Fishers Event Center, 7pm Saturday. Tickets start at $24. ⚽ Hit the pitch to cheer on the Indy Eleven as they battle North Carolina FC at Carroll Stadium, 7pm Saturday.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Under the Flags, the Sun,' About Paraguay's 35-Year Dictatorship, Acquired by Cinephil Ahead of Berlinale Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
World sales outfit Cinephil has boarded 'Under the Flags, the Sun' by Paraguayan filmmaker Juanjo Pereira. The film is set to world premiere in Berlinale's Panorama strand as one of the few documentaries in this year's selection. In 1989, the fall of Alfredo Stroessner's 35-year dictatorship in Paraguay marked the end of one of the world's longest authoritarian regimes, but also the abandonment of the audiovisual archives that had cemented its power. This footage, crafted to shape a national identity and celebrate the regime, was left to fade from memory. More from Variety Rima Das' Berlin-Bound Busan Winner 'Village Rockstars 2' Boarded by Diversion for World Sales (EXCLUSIVE) Supernatural Horror 'Bury the Devil,' Shot in One Take, Lands at Blue Finch for Global Sales (EXCLUSIVE) European Film Market Chief on Shielding Sales Agents as They Face Challenges: 'I'm Really Mindful of Their Cost Sensitivity' Decades later, a trove of unseen and long forgotten footage—as newsreels, public television broadcasts, propaganda films, and declassified documents—has been recovered from Paraguay and abroad, revealing the hidden mechanisms of power behind Stroessner's rule. 'The found Paraguayan footage reflects the appropriation of the past to indoctrinate, the construction of a national imaginary, and the cult of Stroessner,' according to a press statement. Pereira comments: 'In primary and secondary school in Paraguay, they don't teach about that period or the many other dictatorships that occurred in the country. I made this documentary to discover how this period affected the formation of a society, my contemporaneity and how it has forged my thoughts and feelings. That is why I chose to investigate the different filmic representations that have taken place in Paraguay throughout the 20th century.' 'Juano Pereira's film is more than just a historical documentary,' Suzanne Nodale and Shoshi Korman, co-managing directors of Cinephil, state. 'It's an urgent examination of how media shapes power and collective memory. Through a creative use of archival material interwoven with a modern perspective, the film exposes mechanisms of control that still resonate today. It's a powerful work.' 'Under the Flags, the Sun' is produced by Ivana Urízar for Cine Mío, Paula Zyngierman and Leandro Listorti for MaravillaCine, Gabriela Sabaté for Sabaté Films, and Juanjo Pereira. It is co-produced by Bird Street Production and Lardux Films. Welt Film is the associate producer. Cinephil secured worldwide sales rights. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
