PHNOM PENH — In November 2020, Linda Nguon, a French woman of Cambodian and Vietnamese origins, launched Banh Mi Media, an online platform celebrating Asian identities and cultures. "After eight years working in Asia, I felt the need to create a space that highlights the diversity of Asian identities, which are often overlooked in their uniqueness in France."

Caption: French Cambodians who recently took part in a talk in Phnom Penh on French and Canadians of Cambodian heritage. From left, Adana Mam Legros, Tifanny Doche, FONKi, Davy Chou, Linda Nguyon and Sok Visal. Photo: @Banh Mi media

She also wanted to enable a conversation on the importance of celebrating all identities equally, as well as create a space for the French-Asian community to share views. And she meant to give a voice to the children of Asians who grew up in Western countries but carrying their Asian or Southeast Asian heritage.

"Avoiding generalizations, breaking away from stereotypes, and celebrating diversity,” Nguon said, were her goals for launching Banh Mi Media. This, and enabling a dialogue on the importance of viewing all identities equally, she added. So, in addition to podcasts, the platform also involves blog articles and in-person events. She has interviewed French Cambodian film director Rithy Panh and entrepreneur Sok Visal.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A couple from Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district has been arrested for allegedly killing their “adopted” 4-year-old daughter, an official said on Friday. 

Sillod residents and accused Fauzia Shaikh (27) and her husband Faheem Shaikh (35) also tried to hush up the alleged crime by attempting to carry out the child’s final rites hastily, he said. 

The couple has told the police that they had adopted the child, Aayat, six months ago. 

The kid was taken to the sub-district hospital around 3 am on Wednesday, but doctors declared her dead.
However, someone from their locality tipped the police that the child did not die of any natural causes, like an illness or some health condition, the ofcial said. 

Police moved swiftly and stopped Fauzia and Faheem from burying Aayat’s body, which was sent for post-mortem. 

A couple has been arrested on charges of murdering a minor girl, who reportedly was 'adopted' by them from her biological father.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:Police on Thursday arrested a couple from Maharashtra's Sillod on charges of murdering their four-year-old adoptive daughter. It is being suspected that the victim, Aayat Fahim Sheikh, died after being beaten and struck on the head with some heavy object.

While the motive behind the alleged murder is yet to be ascertained, the legal status of adoption has come under scrutiny now as accused claimed the girl was bought through a middleman.

As per reports, one Sheikh Fahim Sheikh Ayyub and his wife Fauzia Sheikh Fahim have been arrested by police in connection with the case. Police are also verifying the legality of the victim's adoption, as the accused claimed she was bought for Rs 5000.

Police sources said, the accused couple staying in Sillod already had four children but they wanted a daughter, which is why they adopted Aayat from her biological father Sheikh Naseem Abdul Qayyum of Jalna six months back. However, the accused have now revealed that the girl was bought from Sheikh Naseem through a middleman from Jafrabad, claiming that they have the written documents confirming the transaction.

The incident occurred in Mogalpura area in Sillod city on Wednesday afternoon. The police have arrested the cruel couple identified as Fauzia Faheem Shaikh (27, Mogalpura, Sillod) and Shaikh Faheem (35). The deceased girl has been identified as Aayat Faheem Shaikh (4).

A couple purchased a four-year-old girl for Rs 5,000 as they had four sons. However, they killed the girl by severely beating her, breaking her limbs and branding her with hot rod.

The incident occurred in Mogalpura area in Sillod city on Wednesday afternoon. The police have arrested the cruel couple identified as Fauzia Faheem Shaikh (27, Mogalpura, Sillod) and Shaikh Faheem (35). The deceased girl has been identified as Aayat Faheem Shaikh (4).

Faheem and Fauzia are native of Ajanta and were presently living in Mogalpura in Sillod city. They had four sons and wanted a daughter. Hence, they purchased Aayat for Rs 5,000 from Shaikh Naseem Abdul Qayyum, a resident of Jalna around six months back. The transaction was noted on an affidavit. Faheem is a labourer and he came to Mogalpura with his family around fifteen days back. However, Fauzia did not like the adoption of Aayat and she used to quarrel with Faheem over it frequently.

Tip off by unidentified person

Introduction What can Australian and New Zealand school students and teachers learn from a relationship with a small orphanage in rural Cambodia? Would it be inspiring and fascinating or tragic and depressing? Would students be interested and engaged or would it make extra work for busy educators already overwhelmed with the realities of classroom management, curriculum and extra-curricular activities? These are questions I recently asked staff in fi ve schools and the answers were surprising. Unanimously, without hesitation, they indicated that their schools had already adopted an orphanage, were considering doing so or would welcome the opportunity!

I am happy that the Open Society Foundations have achieved so much over the years in the field of early childhood development. But I think it is also worth remembering how we got involved in the first place—a story that shows how sometimes the best ideas come from keeping an open mind, so that you can find things you didn’t know you were looking for.

In 1993, due to the success of my business strategies, I was able to expand significantly my philanthropic work, which was largely directed at the time to supporting the transformation underway in the former Communist countries of East and Central Eastern Europe. My predominant concern was launching what was to become Central European University, with the idea that it would help develop the new generation of leaders that the region so needed after decades spent under the deadening weight of Communism.

I wanted the new university, with its focus on post-graduate studies in the social sciences, to have the best academic minds we could locate, and I devoted myself to talking to everyone I could find who had ideas to contribute— including Dr. Fraser Mustard, the great Canadian teaching doctor who was one of the founders of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Dr. Mustard was famous as a cardiologist. But at the time

he was becoming increasingly focused on raising what were then new questions about the socioeconomic determinants of human development and health, starting with early childhood (work that was to help to lead the evolution of the concept of community care that has spread far beyond Canada). 

When I told him about my vision of the transformative impact of Central European University, he cited new research on the unprecedented development of the brain in the first few years, and then told me I had to start younger. Instead of focusing on university students, I should look at pregnancy and the critical first six years of childhood. 

What are institutions?

Institutions are long-stay residential facilities that segregate and confine people with disabilities. They are characterized by a regimented culture. Institutions process people in groups and discourage individuality, impose mass treatment, and rely on a status imbalance between staff and residents. Institutions limit personal possessions, and have fixed timetables for activities like eating and walking—irrespective of residents’ preferences or needs.

Residents of institutions have no privacy or personal space, must live with people they have not chosen and may not like, and cannot pursue personal interests or relationships. An institution is not defined by size: even small-scale facilities can perpetuate these conditions.

What is deinstitutionalization and why is it necessary?

Deinstitutionalization is the gradual relocation of residents to regular, community-based housing. It is accompanied by the development of services that support inclusion and participation in the community, and that offer flexible and personal assistance, support, and coordination so people can live the lives they want.

Korea and Norway agreed Thursday to cooperate on investigations into intercountry adoption irregularities and support the rights of affected adoptees, as both nations conduct separate probes into past adoption practices.

Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Chairperson Park Sun-young met with Camilla Bernt, head of the Norwegian Investigation Committee on Intercountry Adoption, in Seoul, where the two sides agreed to share their respective investigative findings.

Their meeting took place a day after the TRC announced the initial findings of its yearslong probe into adoption misconduct from the 1960s to 1990s, which unearthed the Korean government's mistakes and oversights in the process.

The investigation found that inadequate government supervision and administrative failures led to widespread misconduct, falsified documents and corrupt practices.

"Korea is the country from which there has been the highest number of adoptions to Norway, totaling more than 6,500 children. For the Norwegian committee, TRC’s investigation is therefore highly relevant. The report will be an important source for our investigation and evaluation," Bernt told The Korea Times in an email.

Parents kill adopted daughter over ‘property disputes’, accused remanded to judicial custody

Police detected the case and arrested the couple, and they were produced in the court on June 9, the offence occurred on June 6

In a gruesome murder case, a nine-year-old girl, Puchakayala Venkata Sanvy Reddy, was allegedly killed by the parents who adopted her, P. Lakshmi Padmavathi and her husband, Venkata Ramana Reddy, over ‘property disputes’ in Ardhaveedu village of Prakasam district.

Police detected the case and arrested the couple, and they were produced in the court, which remanded them to judicial custody on June 9 (Sunday). The offence occurred in their house at Kummaraveedhi in the village on June 6.

Renowned Sindhi poet Dr. Akash Ansari was allegedly killed by his adopted son, Latif Akash, after brutal torture. Police arrested both suspects. The case is under investigation.

Ashiq Siyalo, the arrested driver of legendary poet Dr Akash Ansari, has revealed that he was killed by his adopted son Latif Akash. The arrested driver in his preliminary statement claimed that Latif Akash killed his father after brutally torturing him at his rented house and doused his body.The police teams from Hyderabad reached Badin and arrested both suspects. 

The renowned Sindhi revolutionary poet Dr Aakash Ansari was found dead  in a mysterious fire at his residence  in Citizen Colony, Hyderabad,in the early  hours of Saturday. His body was shifted to Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences for a postmortem. The sudden and unexplained circumstances surrounding his death sparked  the widespread debate on social media, which called for a thorough investigation. Hyderabad SSP Dr Farrukh Lanjar, however, announced an official probe into the incident. He formed a five-member committee under supervision of Masood Iqbal, the SP Hyderabad City,  to investigate the matter after his family members, friends and hundreds of fans demanded a thorough probe into the death of Dr Akash Ansari.  

One of the doctors, who performed the postmortem sharing details  to the media claimed  that "  what I saw with  my own eyes  at Hyderabad Civil Hospital  (LUMHS) during the post-mortem was totally devastating" he said that Dr. Ilimuddin, Advocate Inderjeet Lohano, Zulfiqar Qadri, Izhar Soomro, Dr. Bekha Ram, Zulfikar Ali Halepoto., Arbab Ahsan, and other companions were continuously present." he said . " We personally examined all the X-rays. One leg bone was fractured, and fingers were broken. A deep cut was found on the side of the neck. There were deep, two-inch wounds above the chest. Flesh was torn, and blood was oozing from the wounds. A sharp weapon had inflicted a cut on the back, from which blood was continuously flowing. The abdomen also had injuries" he added. Dr Abdul Hameed Mughal, who was also part of the medical team spoke to the media and confirmed the multiple torture marks on various parts of his body. " He was mercilessly tortured before his body was burnt" Dr Mughal added.