Compiled by C. ARUNO, RAHIMY RAHIM and R. ARAVINTHAN
MALAYSIAN actor-singer Alvin Chong, who has more than 1.34 million followers on Instagram, complains that he often receives indecent pictures from fans, both male and female.
Sin Chew Daily reported that the 31-year-old was appalled at what he called an “unhealthy trend”.
“Whenever I reply, they send even more (photos of their private parts).
“What has Malaysia become?” the annoyed singer said during an interview.
Chong added that while there is no way to control what is being posted on social media, young people must be taught what is acceptable and what is not.
“If I have a child someday, I will tell them that pornography is not good for us,” he said as he urged the public to use social media in a mature way.
> An advertisement on social media claims to be recruiting “rental girlfriends” with a side income of up to RM5,000 a month, China Press also reported.
The advert, which garnered attention from Internet users recently, says candidates can earn RM100 or more by spending just an hour with clients.
“You can earn money by going out for a meal and chatting with others! This job is real and 100% safe!” it claims.
The company calls itself “Malaysia’s first social media platform for rental girlfriends”.
When contacted, a member of the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department urged the public to be wary of such advertisements as they could be a scam.
However, it has yet to receive complaints about rental girlfriend services.
Date rentals have grown exponentially across the world in recent years as more and more people yearn for companionship, though many including legal experts have questioned the morality and legality of the business.
> A primary school mathematics textbook in China drew flak online after drawings of children in the book were deemed to be “uglifying the Chinese”, reported China Press.
Online users denounced illustrations of children in the textbook – shown to have small eyes and knobbly faces – as fuelling stereotypes of the Chinese.
A state-owned media outlet ran an op-ed saying that it is no small matter, arguing that while a piece of art may not meet everyone’s expectations, the designs in primary school textbooks should be accepted by the majority.
After the pictures went viral, online sleuths traced the design to a studio by Beijing-based Wu Yong, who was revealed to be a graduate of the Academy of Arts and Design at the prestigious Tsinghua University.
A spokesperson from the Chinese Education Ministry said they are probing the matter.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
