Thousands rally in Oz for indigenous rights

Sydney: Thousands rallied in Australia on Sunday to back a campaign to recognise the country’s indigenous people in the constitution ahead of a referendum later this year, after a recent dip in support for the change. The referendum, likely to be held between October and December, seeks to amend the constitution and establish an advisory body, called the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a direct say in policies that impact them. Reuters

Taiwan celebrates linguistic diversity

Taipei: Taiwan celebrated linguistic diversity at the Golden Melody Awards late Saturday with big wins for singers who primarily sing in Mandarin, at one of the most prestigious entertainment events in the Chinese-speaking world. The awards celebrate not only Mandopop but also artists singing in Taiwanese – also known as Hokkien – Hakka and indigenous languages, a visible sign of the government’s efforts to promote tongues other than Mandarin. Veteran star Julia Peng was named best singer in Hakka, despite never recording an album in the language before. Reuters

Transgender seeks Miss Venezuela pageant entry

Caracas: Venezuelan’s enthusiasm for beauty pageants is unparalleled, and Miss Venezuela may be the only event able to unite the deeply divided country. Sofia Salomon, the influencer and Instagram model, has applied to take part in this year’s Miss Venezuela contest. If accepted, she will be the first transgender woman to participate. “I think it is a great platform to bring visibility to my community and show people the reality of transgender women,” Salomon said. AP

Ailing Thai elephant returns home from Lanka

Bangkok: An ailing elephant that Thailand had presented to Sri Lanka more than two decades ago returned to his native land for medical treatment Sunday following allegations that the animal was badly abused while living at a Buddhist temple. The male elephant, known in Sri Lanka as Muthu Raja, and as Sak Surin, or Mighty Surin, in Thailand, was flown directly from the South Asian island nation’s capital to Chiang Mai province in Thailand on a Russian Ilyushin IL-76 plane. AP