Asia Briefs: Tencent studying 'digital contracts' on playtimes

Tencent studying 'digital contracts' on playtimes

BEIJING • Chinese Internet giant Tencent is looking to introduce a new feature for its video games - "digital contracts" that would allow both parents and their children to agree on reasonable playtimes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The firm's chief executive Pony Ma was quoted as saying on Saturday that children can exchange their playing time by doing housework or reaching certain academic scores with the proposed feature.

Tencent was blamed in Chinese state media last year for causing children to stay up too late playing its mobile games and neglecting their homework. Following the criticism, the firm moved to impose restrictions on playtimes.


Pakistan elects first female Dalit senator

ISLAMABAD • Pakistan elected its first female senator from the lowest Dalit caste over the weekend, in polls which also saw the ruling party strengthen its hand ahead of general elections in the Muslim-majority country.

The surprise victory of opposition candidate Krishna Kumari Kohli in the Senate election stirred a wave of optimism on social media, as Pakistanis celebrated the rare success for a woman from a marginalised community at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy.

Pakistan's Hindus, who make up around 2 per cent of the country's 200 million people, have long faced economic and social discrimination.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE


Nabbed for bid to steal Johor sultan's Ferrari

JOHOR BARU • Malaysian police have remanded the man who trespassed into Istana Bukit Serene and attempted to steal a Ferrari belonging to the Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.

Johor police chief Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd yesterday said the 31-year-old suspect was arrested and remanded for four days until today to allow investigations to proceed.

He said initial checks revealed that the suspect tested positive for methamphetamine and had previous criminal records for theft and drug offences.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 05, 2018, with the headline Asia Briefs: Tencent studying 'digital contracts' on playtimes. Subscribe