World Briefs: Pole dance shock at China kindergarten

Pole dance shock at China kindergarten

BEIJING • Parents attending a ceremony at a kindergarten in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen yesterday were horrified when a scantily clad pole dancer took to the stage and proceeded with a well-oiled number in plain view of their children.

Video footage of the pole dance and a burlesque performance by another dancer was widely shared on Twitter and Chinese social media.

The performance, part of a ceremony observing the start of China's school year, was quickly denounced by the local education bureau. The authority has since called for the dismissal of the kindergarten director.

REUTERS

Fire guts Brazil's national museum

RIO DE JANEIRO • A massive fire raced through Brazil's 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, probably destroying its collection of more than 20 million items.

Live television on Sunday broadcast images of the fire, which began after the end of visiting hours at 5pm, burning out of control throughout the building late into the night.

The destruction of the building, once a palace for emperors that had fallen into disrepair, was an "incalculable loss for Brazil", President Michel Temer said in a statement.

The museum houses several landmark collections, including Egyptian artefacts and the oldest human fossil found in Brazil.

REUTERS

Ukraine, Nato hold joint military drills

STARYCHI (Ukraine) • Ukraine yesterday launched joint military exercises with the United States and a string of other Nato countries as tensions with Russia remain high over the Kremlin-backed insurgency in the country's east.

The annual military exercises, taking place in the western Ukrainian village of Starychi until Sept 15, involve some 2,200 soldiers from 14 countries.

The drills start a week before Russia holds its biggest military exercises since the Cold War, in the east with the participation of China and Mongolia.

Hundreds of US soldiers have been training Ukrainian soldiers since 2015 to support them in their fight against Russian-backed rebels in the country's war-torn east.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 04, 2018, with the headline World Briefs: Pole dance shock at China kindergarten. Subscribe