Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, ALLISON LAI and R. ARAVINTHAN

       A GROUP of concerned taxi drivers got together to raise RM10,000 for a teenager striving to continue her education despite being a wheelchair user, Makkal Osai reported.

       Thaneswari Thangaraju, 19, became a paraplegic after sustaining a spinal cord injury in a car accident 10 years ago in Sepang, Selangor. Doctors said she may eventually regain some mobility through continuous physical therapy.

       The girl who was attending SJK (T) Ladang Tumbuk at the time of the accident did not let it stop her from pursuing her education despite having to depend on a wheelchair to get around.

       Thaneswari, who is due to sit for her SPM exam this year, is also well-known in her school for being a good painter.

       Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, taxi driver N. Nedunchezhiyan found her determination admirable and decided to help her and raised the RM10,000 with donations from his relatives and taxi driver friends.

       > Tamil Nadu, India, has seen an increase in the number of child labourers being rescued from dangerous manual labour during the pandemic, Makkal Osai reported.

       India’s National Child Labour Project task force’s Coimbatore division identified and raided 77 places in 2020-2021 in that district alone.

       This is an increase from 2019-2020 which saw 55 cases, 50 in 2018-2019, 36 in 2017-2018, and 29 in 2016-2017.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.