The United Nations has been demanding access since its humanitarian organizations were forced to pull out of Rakhine when Myanmar’s military launched operations against Rohingya rebels in late August, causing hundreds of thousands to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.

“There will be a trip organized by the government, probably tomorrow, to Rakhine,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

“We hope above all that it is a first step toward much freer and wider access to the area,” he said at his daily news briefing.

He said the chiefs of UN agencies would take part in the trip.

The UN has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, and warned that those who fled will not be returning home soon.

“All the UN agencies together have now set a plan for a new influx of 700,000. We can cover if the new influx reaches 700,000,” the World Food Program’s deputy chief in Bangladesh, Dipayan Bhattacharyya, said on Wednesday.

‘Return will take time’

UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said that for those who have fled to Bangladesh, “return will take time, if it happens, if the violence stops.”

Myanmar’s military, under fire for imposing a news blackout on the campaign around the city of Maungdaw in the country’s west, on Wednesday organized a press tour in the Hindu village of Ye Baw Kyaw.

Mass graves containing 45 Hindu villagers were discovered in the area earlier this week, and the military has accused Rohingya militants of carrying out the massacre.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) “categorically” denied that its members “perpetrated murder, sexual violence, or forcible recruitment” in the area.

The decomposing skeletal bodies remained laid out in rows on a grassy field outside Ye Baw Kyaw as distraught relatives wailed, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.

Myanmar’s army has tried to control the narrative over the crisis, restricting press access to the conflict zone while it posts regular updates that blame Rohingya militants for the bloodshed.

Government and military reports have also sought to highlight the suffering of other ethnic groups, such as Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus, swept up in the communal unrest.

Ethnic cleansing accusations

The latest violence has intensified long-running religious hatreds and been complicated by a swirl of rival narratives from different ethnic groups.

Thursday’s visit for the UN representatives will come on the same day that the UN Security Council meets on the situation in Myanmar.

On September 13, the council demanded “immediate steps” to end the Myanmar violence and expressed concern about “excessive force” being used by the military.

The council also called on the Myanmar government to abide by its commitment to facilitate humanitarian aid in Rakhine, but until now that request has not been met.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres will address the UN Security Council during its open door session. As a former UN high commissioner on refugees, Guterres knows Rakhine and the context of the current crisis intimately.

With accusations of “ethnic cleansing” being leveled at the UN General Assembly, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said last week she was “ready” to organize the return of the Rohingyas.

The Rohingyas, the world’s largest stateless group, are treated as foreigners in Myanmar, whose population is 90 percent Buddhist.

A recent study conducted by UK-based firm, Zipjet has revealed the world’s most and least stressful cities of 2017, based on factors including air pollution, traffic levels, gender equality, unemployment, mental health, financial status of citizens including debt levels and even the amount of sun that a city gets.

Of the 150 cities ranked, the study projects most Asian cities as stressful places to live in. With global ranking of 144, Dhaka is the seventh most stressed city in the world and one of the most stressed cities in Asia. Dhaka is considered a stressful city for being densely populated and having worst traffic congestion. City’s mental and physical health is also ranked poorly.

Scoring poorly on various factors like light pollution, debt per capita and social security Karachi is ranked at 143.  With poor score across the spectrum, the India’s national capital, New Delhi has also landed a sweet spot in the most stressed cities in the World.  The other Indian cities are Mumbai and Bangalore with global ranking of 138 and 130 respectively.

The rapid urbanisation in Manila has led to fewer green spaces in the city which has reduced the air quality as well.  The city ranks badly in mental health also since suicide rate in Manila is high.  The study also takes into consideration the public transport woes of the city which contribute to the stress of the commuters.

While many call Seoul a happy city, the study states otherwise.

With the income gap being worst in Asia-pacific the physical health of the city is a determining factor in making it one of the stressful cities in Asia. Kuala Lumpur is ranked at 110 with Ho Chi Minh at 106.

Sydney, Australia (No. 8) is the least stressed city in Asia. It is followed by Singapore with a global ranking of 42. With a thriving economy and one of the world’s finest public transport systems, the habitants of the city are happy to live in it. Residents of Taipei, Osaka, Bandar Seri Begawan are most satisfied with their cities.

Tokyo  ranked at 72 has scored well on public transport, traffic situation in the city and perception of social security . Hong Kong has scored well on perception of security among the people living there and the physical health of the city.  Shanghai has very low debt per capita which makes the city financially secure and the citizenry less stressed.

Phnom Penh has the lowest official unemployment rates and therefore performs well on the index. Beijing, globally ranked at 100, has a low unemployment rate as well as debt per capita. Perception of security amongst the citizens contributes to the city being less stressful compared to other Asian cities. However fewer green spaces, public transport woes and population density dragged the ranking of the city down.

Kathmandu with longer sunshine hours and stable perception of security has earned the city a place amongst the least stressful cities in Asia. However rising unemployment, poverty and air pollution contributes to its low ranking.  Bangkok remains a happy place despite traffic jams and air pollution.

The 88-year-old, named the world’s most popular artist in 2014 by the Art Newspaper, said she had accomplished her “profound lifelong hope of having everyone be able to see my artwork”.

The first exhibition at the museum, housed in a stark white building in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, features 45 works created between 2004 and 2017, including a series entitled “My Eternal Soul”.

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (R) is escorted in front of the press during a media preview of the Yayoi Kusama Museum and Kusama’s latest works in Tokyo, Japan, 26 September 2017. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

True to form, it includes a sparkly pumpkin statue, large colourful paintings with meticulously replicated drawings of dots and eyes, and red polka dots on mirrors inside a toilet.

Kusama said in a statement she wanted visitors to “see and feel my philosophy towards life… all my love devoted to all beloved humans through a sincere, lifelong endeavour towards art.”

Born in 1929 in central Japan’s Nagano prefecture, Kusama, who suffered from psychological trauma due to feuding between her parents. She was already drawing dots and nets as a child, based on her hallucinatory experiences.

She moved to the United States aged 28 and spent 16 years in New York at the height of the sexual liberation movement.

By the time Kusama returned to Japan in 1973, she was burned out and voluntarily checked into a psychiatric ward where she has lived ever since.

It was not until the 1990s that Kusama was rediscovered. Her polka dots and pumpkins were a perfect fit for a highly commercialised art market, with collectors drawn to her instantly recognisable style.

The exhibition opens to the public on October 1.

 A visitor looks at artwork by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama during a media preview of the Yayoi Kusama Museum and her latest works in Tokyo, Japan, 26 September 2017. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

 A visitor looks at the sculpture titled ‘Starry Pumpkin’ by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama during a media preview of the Yayoi Kusama Museum and her latest works in Tokyo, Japan, 26 September 2017. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

The landmark case brought by two Uber drivers could have far-reaching implications for people employed in Britain’s “gig economy”, many of whom complain about precarious working conditions and low pay.

The US ride-hailing app may have to pay its drivers the national minimum wage of #7.50 (8.5 euros, $10) an hour if it loses the case.

Uber drivers are currently paid for each ride and are considered self-employed which means they are not entitled to benefits including paid holidays.

A ruling in the case is not expected for weeks.

The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) trade union is representing the drivers, and staged a demonstration in central London.

Yaseen Aslam, one of the claimants, said drivers “face many struggles” and “carry all the risks”.

James Farrar, the other claimant, called Uber’s business plan “brutally exploitative”.

He called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to make workers’ rights a condition for renewing Uber’s licence.

Uber responded by saying that almost all taxi and private hire drivers “have been self-employed for decades before our app existed.

“With Uber drivers have more control and are totally free to choose if, when and where they drive with no shifts or minimum hours,” it added in a statement.

“The overwhelming majority of drivers say they want to keep the freedom of being their own boss.”

 – International problems –

Transport authorities last week said they would not renew Uber’s licence to operate in London, owing to concerns about public safety for passengers and the process of registration for drivers.

Uber, which has about 40,000 drivers and some 3.5 million customers in the British capital, has 21 days to lodge its appeal and can continue to operate until that process has concluded.

The company is having regulatory issues in several countries, and threatened on Tuesday to stop services in Canada’s Quebec province in mid-October, saying proposed new ride-sharing rules aimed at levelling the field with taxis are too onerous.

Last week, the Quebec government imposed conditions that would require Uber drivers to undergo 35 hours of training — the same as taxi drivers — and a criminal background check by police while vehicles would also be required to undergo annual safety inspections.

Adding to its headaches in London, Uber is also facing a sex discrimination case from a 44-year-old female driver also going to an employment tribunal.

She claims that the way in which the company asked her to operate is putting her and other women at risk.

“We believe that Uber’s policies do not do enough to protect female drivers,” said Nigel Mackay from the law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the driver.

He said that if a driver is faced “with threat of assault by a passenger and asks him to leave, she risks complaints and low ratings, with no right of reply, and ultimately may lose her job as a result”.

An Uber spokesman said: “Drivers on the Uber app are free to log in and out as they want and can choose which trips they want to take, or cancel, without any penalty.

“If a driver doesn’t want to go to a particular area there is no obligation for them to do so,” he said.

The kingdom will issue driving licences to women from next June, in the most striking reform yet credited to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite the risk of a backlash from hardliners.

But after his recent crackdown on dissenters, including prominent clerics with huge followings, experts say the prince may face only a muted opposition.

“The lifting of a ban… will likely serve as a litmus test for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ability to introduce economic and social reforms despite conservative opposition,” said James Dorsey, a fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“If last week’s national day celebrations in which women were allowed to enter stadiums in anything to go by, the opposition is likely to be limited to protests on social media.”

On Saturday, women were allowed for the first time into a sports stadium to mark national day, a move that chimes with the Prince Mohammed’s “Vision 2030” reform plan.

Men and women also danced in the streets to drums and thumping electronic music, in scenes that were a stunning anomaly in a country known for its tight gender segregation and austere vision of Islam.

This gambit to loosen social restrictions in the ultra-conservative society was made possible partly by the latest crackdown, which was seen as a show of force by Prince Mohammed, experts say.

Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist and former government advisor who went into exile in the United States, described a new Saudi era of “fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming” in an article published in The Washington Post.

 – ‘Assertion of power’ –

Those arrests were not directly related to the driving ban, but apparently to an ongoing crisis with Gulf rival Qatar, said Jane Kinninmont from London-based Chatham House.

“But the arrests represented an assertion of power over the independent, politically influential clerics and sent a message that Prince Mohammed does not see himself as beholden to them as partners in government,” Kinninmont told AFP.

“The fact that they have been arrested without significant unrest being triggered is likely to have made the Saudi leadership more confident that it can make (social) change without much in the way of opposition.”

Prince Mohammed is set to be the first millennial to occupy the throne, in a country where half the population is under 25, when he takes over from his 81-year-old father King Salman.

“I think Prince Mohammed is ideologically committed to taking the Saudi state in a new direction: less austere, more nationalist,” said Kristin Diwan, from the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

Unlike previous rulers, he has shown a willingness to tackle entrenched Saudi taboos, and is seen as catering to the aspirations of youth with an array of entertainment options and promoting more women in the workforce.

“Women should obviously have had the right to drive a long time ago — the fact that this decision was so long in coming shows just how much has changed in Saudi Arabia with Prince Mohammed now wielding executive authority,” said Perry Cammack, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

 – ‘Discriminatory practices’ –

But hardliners could still emerge as a potent threat.

Many Saudis on social media, irked by the mixing of genders on national day, derisively compared the country to “Las Vegas”.

“Patriotism does not mean sin” became a widely used hashtag, while some called for the religious police, whose powers have been curtailed in recent years, to restore moral order.

The government has sought to downplay their influence, saying that most senior clerics in the kingdom “agree that Islam does not ban women from driving”.

But aside from religious hardliners, women also face opposition from a conservative society that is unaccustomed — or fundamentally opposed — to women drivers.

Under the country’s guardianship system, a male family member — normally the father, husband or brother — must grant permission for a woman’s study, travel and other activities.

It was unclear whether women would require their guardian’s permission to apply for a driving licence.

“If by June next year women in Saudi Arabia are driving the streets without fear of arrest, then this will be a cause for celebration,” said Philip Luther, from Amnesty International.

“But it is just one step. We also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away.”

The team are “coming early next week,” Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque told AFP, saying they would be working on the Rohingya issue but not giving further details.

A senior foreign ministry official said the team was expected to be led by Myanmar’s Minister of the Office of State Counselor, Kyaw Tint Swe.

Dhaka had earlier invited the minister for talks before the latest eruption of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state triggered one of the world’s worst refugee crisis in recent decades.

The announcement comes as the UN said 480,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh’s southeastern border region since August 25.

Between the new arrivals and some 300,000 Rohingya who were already living in the area due to previous violence in Myanmar, there are now nearly 800,000 refugees in camps around the Bangladesh border town of Cox’s Bazar that are bursting at the seams.

The situation has forced new arrivals into makeshift shelters in grim conditions, and sparked warnings that epidemics, including cholera, could easily spread.

The bilateral talks come as Dhaka mounts a huge diplomatic effort to find a permanent solution to the Rohingya problem and make Myanmar take back all the refugees to their homeland in Rakhine.

The latest military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on August 25.

Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday proposed creating UN-supervised safe zones inside Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims fleeing a military crackdown.

Hasina accused Myanmar authorities of laying landmines on the border to prevent the Rohingyas from returning and said the United Nations must take immediate measures to find a solution to the crisis.

She laid out a five-point plan that called for the protection of the Rohingyas in “safe zones that could be created inside Myanmar under UN supervision.”

The United Nations has described the military operation as “ethnic cleansing” and French President Emmanuel Macron went further, describing it as a “genocide.”

Myanmar must stop the violence and “the practice of ethnic cleansing”, agree to allow a UN fact-finding mission, ensure the return of refugees and abide by a report that recommends citizenship for the Rohingya, said Hasina. Rohingya are currently denied Myanmar citizenship.

There has been mounting international outrage over the plight of the Rohingya, prompting the UN Security Council this month to call for an end to the violence.//AFP

Industry giant Karex, which claims to be the world’s biggest condom maker, already offers an array of flavours in various pleasure-boosting textures, from grape to the pungent tropical fruit durian.

It is now set to launch a condom inspired by nasi lemak, usually translated as “fatty rice”, originally a cheap breakfast consumed at street-side stalls but which is now common across the country, including at higher-end restaurants.

The dish consists of rice cooked with coconut milk, served with anchovies, roasted peanuts, a boiled egg, sliced cucumbers and a dollop of fiery chili sauce.

“We Malaysians are divided across our political ideas, religion and race,” Karex chief executive Goh Miah Kiat told AFP from his office in Port Klang, outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

“I felt one thing that unites us all (is): ‘Where’s the best nasi lemak place you’ve been?'”

Malaysia has been beset over the years by tensions between its Muslim Malay majority and its substantial ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, with critics accusing the government of introducing policies that favour the Malays.

Karex — which sells condoms under the brand name Carex — spent six months carrying out tests before coming up with its nasi lemak prophylactic, which smells faintly of coconut and is coated with a warming lubricant.

The company is working on packaging and the limited-edition condom should hit shops in November or December.

Goh insisted the range of wacky condoms were more than just a marketing gimmick, and were about trying to encourage contraceptive use in the Muslim-majority country.

“For me, it’s about public health, and I want to get the message across to people,” Goh said.

Conservative attitudes are still common in parts of Malaysia and some people frown on the use of contraceptives in the belief they encourage pre-marital sex.

During a parliamentary debate in March, a lawmaker from an influential Islamist party proposed caning unmarried couples who had sex.

The nasi lemak condoms are aimed at the local Malaysian market but much of what Karex makes goes abroad.

The company produces five billion condoms annually from its four factories, with much of its output purchased in bulk by governments or international agencies for safe-sex drives.

Amos Yee, 18, a filmmaker turned activist who served two jail terms in Singapore for his controversial videos, was detained by US authorities when he arrived at a Chicago airport in mid-December.

An immigration appeals court in Chicago last Thursday agreed with a lower court judge’s earlier decision to grant asylum, finding that Yee had a “well-founded fear of future persecution” if returned to Singapore.

“The applicant was prosecuted for postings on social media that were highly critical of government officials,” the Board of Immigration Appeals said in its ruling.

“We agree with the immigration judge that the cumulative harm in this case rose to the level of persecution.”

Yee’s attorney Sandra Grossman expected him to be released from a jail near Chicago on Tuesday. She was critical of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for keeping the teen imprisoned.

“We decry ICE’s decision to detain Mr Yee, especially after his asylum case was granted and after DHS made no arguments, nor presented evidence, that Yee is a threat,” Grossman said in a statement.

“After a much-awaited decision, Amos Yee will likely soon have the chance to breathe the air of freedom.”

Yee, who won a filmmaking award at 13, posted an expletive-laden video in March 2015 attacking Lee amid an outpouring of grief over the founding prime minister’s death that same week.

In the eight-minute video, Yee compared Lee to Jesus, saying “they are both power-hungry and malicious but deceive others into thinking they are compassionate and kind.”

He was jailed for four weeks for hurting the religious feelings of Christians and for posting an obscene drawing of Lee and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

He served 55 days, including penalties for violating bail conditions.

In September 2016, Yee was jailed for six weeks for insulting Muslims and Christians in a series of videos posted online.

The videos were watched hundreds of thousands of times before they were taken down from Yee’s YouTube page.

They are accused of “public indecency” and “inciting immorality among young people”, the sources said following Monday’s arrests.

Egypt’s state security prosecutor has been tasked with carrying out the investigation into the incident on Friday at a concert of Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila, according to a judicial source.

Egyptian law does not expressly ban homosexuality, but gay men have previously been arrested on charges including debauchery and contempt for religion in the deeply conservative Muslim society.

In April 2016, an Egyptian court sentenced 11 men to jail terms of up to 12 years after convicting them of “debauchery and incitement to debauchery”, provoking international criticism.

Egyptian police use US-based social networking application Grindr to monitor homosexuals.

Monday’s rainbow flag incident has sparked controversy pitting conservatives against advocates of civil liberties in the media and on social networks.

Egypt’s conservative musicians syndicate said Mashrou’ Leila, whose singer Hamed Sinno is openly homosexual, would not be authorised to perform again in Egypt.

The group has previously been banned from performing in the Jordanian capital.

Wearing a black “Invictus Games” polo shirt and jeans, the British royal and American actress Markle — also dressed down in jeans and a white shirt — enjoyed the sun together as they watched the action on court.

Since the 36-year-old “Suits” actress told Vanity Fair the couple are “in love,” fans and the press have been eagerly awaiting an official appearance — with onlookers scrabbling to take pictures as they were escorted into Monday’s event.

“We’re two people who are really happy and in love,” Markle told the magazine in an interview published early this month.

The couple both attended the opening ceremony of the third Invictus Games — created by Prince Harry for disabled or wounded soldiers and veterans — on Saturday.

Markle was pictured sitting a few rows behind the royal’s seat next to US First Lady Melania Trump.

According to his schedule, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson will stay at Markle’s Toronto home for all eight days of the Games.//AFP