While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 2 edition

An anti-protest onlooker is being carried away by police after scuffling with protesters in Yuen Long district of the New Territories in Hong Kong Sunday. -- PHOTO: EPA
An anti-protest onlooker is being carried away by police after scuffling with protesters in Yuen Long district of the New Territories in Hong Kong Sunday. -- PHOTO: EPA

Number of arrests in Hong Kong anti-mainland march rises to 33

Hong Kong police arrested 33 people and fired pepper spray during clashes with demonstrators that disrupted traffic Sunday, as a protest at the rising number of visitors from mainland China turned violent.

Local residents are becoming increasingly angry at border-crossing Chinese traders, whom they say have disrupted their daily lives and clogged public transport.

The so-called parallel traders typically travel to Hong Kong by train and stock up on everything from iPads to milk powder, taking advantage of the lower prices, wider choice and better quality of goods in the city while dodging hefty tariffs on their return.

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Nepal convicts Canadian orphanage volunteer of sexual assault of disabled boy, 15

A Nepalese court convicted a Canadian orphanage volunteer on Sunday of sexually abusing a 15-year-old disabled boy and sentenced him to seven years in prison, an official said.

Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh, 71, arrived in the Himalayan nation on a tourist visa last August and approached the Jesuit-run St Xavier's Social Service Centre for homeless children with an offer of donations.

A court statement released after his conviction said MacIntosh repeatedly molested the boy, who has only one arm and was living in the orphanage, after offering him gifts and money and promising to pay for a prosthetic arm.

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Samsung launches Galaxy S6 with dual curved screen

Korean electronics maker Samsung has unveiled two versions of its flagship Samsung Galaxy S6 Android smartphones. Aside from the regular 5.1-inch one, the company will launch the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, which has a curved display on both the left and right edges of the screen.

Both S6 devices will also mark the first time that Samsung is moving away from using plastic polycarbonate to make the frame on its flagship Galaxy S phones. Instead, the front and rear panels of both phones will be made of Gorilla Glass 4, while the borders will be made of metal.

Highlights on both devices include the improved 16MP camera, with the option to activate the camera by double tapping the Home button twice, a new touch fingerprint sensor, built-in wireless charging as well as a reduction of pre-loaded Samsung Android software on the company's TouchWiz user interface.

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Rugby: Ireland take big step towards retaining Six Nations title with England win

Ireland took a major step towards retaining their Six Nations title with a pulsating 19-9 victory over England on Sunday to become the only side to win their opening three games.

With both sides unbeaten going into a game billed as a potential title decider, Johnny Sexton kicked the hosts into a first-half lead before an acrobatic Robbie Henshaw try sent Ireland travelling to Cardiff dreaming of a grand slam.

Ireland, who equalled their longest ever winning stretch with a 10th successive victory, play Wales in Cardiff on March 14 before facing Scotland at Murrayfield a week later.

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Will Smith's Focus whips Fifty Shades of Grey at US box office

Will Smith's new action drama Focus booted the kinky sex tale Fifty Shades of Grey for its perch atop the US and Canadian weekend box office charts, racking up US$19.1 million (S$26.03 million) in ticket sales.

Smith, in his first leading role since 2013's After Earth, plays a seasoned con artist who meets up with an aspiring con artist, played by Margot Robbie, in the romance-caper film hybrid.

Kingsman: The Secret Service, an adaptation of a popular comic series which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Firth about a spy agency's training program and a global threat by a tech genius, also outpaced Grey to claim second place with US$11.8 million.

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