Wednesday #sgroundup: Literary judges quit as Singapore gay book row escalates

By Nurul Azliah Aripin | What's buzzing? – 

Here are today's top trending stories in case you missed them.

Literary judges quit as Singapore gay book row escalates
 Two online petitions have been launched, calling for the NLB to reinstate two children's books, which had …
A censorship row in Singapore escalated Wednesday when judges of a literary prize quit over the national library's plans to destroy three children's books deemed to be pro-homosexual.

In a statement, the three judges of the non-fiction category of the biennial Singapore Literature Prize condemned a National Library Board (NLB) decision last week to pulp three titles that went against its "pro-family" stance.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/literary-judges-quit-singapore-gay-book-row-escalates-072757459.html

Pirates attack Malaysian oil tanker in South China Sea
 Chinese ships are seen on the horizon guarding the Haiyang Shiyou 981, known in Vietnam as HD-981, oil rig (2nd …
Pirates attacked a Malaysian oil tanker in the Malacca Straits and siphoned off its load, the Malaysian navy and officials said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of hijackings raising tension in Southeast Asia's busy sea lanes.

The attackers stole 2,500 metric tonnes of oil and damaged the navigation equipment of the MT Oriental Glory late on Tuesday.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pirates-attack-malaysian-oil-tanker-south-china-sea-084407624.html

Thousands flee as typhoon batters east Philippines, heads to Manila
 A delivery truck negotiates flooded roads as Typhoon Rammasun batters suburban Navotas, north of Manila, Philippines …
Thousands of people in the Philippines fled from their homes on Tuesday as the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year made landfall, toppling trees and cutting power as it made its way straight towards the capital, Manila.

Parts of the Philippines are still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan, one of the biggest cyclones known to have made landfall anywhere, which killed more than 6,100 people last year, many in tsunami-like sea surges, and left millions homeless.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/philippines-evacuates-coastal-areas-typhoon-aims-manila-035902711.html

Israel: Hamas to pay price for its 'no' to truce
 Smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 16, 2014. …
Israel resumed its heavy bombardment of Gaza and warned that Hamas "would pay the price" after the Islamic militant group rejected an Egyptian truce plan and instead unleashed more rocket barrages at the Jewish state.

Late Tuesday, the military urged tens of thousands of residents of northern and eastern Gaza to leave their homes by Wednesday morning, presumable a prelude to air strikes there.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/israel-hamas-pay-price-no-truce-194817399.html

Chinese oil rig moved away from disputed waters off Vietnam
 A Chinese Coastguard ship (R) uses a water cannon to attack a Vietnamese Fisheries Surveillance boat near the site …
A Chinese oil rig has finished drilling near the disputed Paracel islands in the South China Sea after finding signs of oil and gas and is being moved away from the area, more than two months after its deployment damaged relations with Hanoi.

The Vietnamese coastguard said the $1-billion rig had been towed from contested waters. China's official Xinhua news agency said the rig would be relocated off the southernmost island province of Hainan. It gave no timeframe.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/chinese-oil-rig-moved-away-disputed-waters-off-083621470--finance.html

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/wednesday--sgroundup--literary-judges-quit-as-singapore-gay-book-row-escalates-091357576.html