Religion

On a Sunday morning, former NTV7 and 8TV editor-in-chief Mohsin Abdullah suddenly sent me the video of the song " We're getting old, brothers " sung by Chinese singer Chen Min. I clicked and listened. Other than the singer's clean and almost ethereal voice, what stirred my emotions was the lyric that smoothly flowed into my ears. Time passes by quietly, Only the memories remain, Looking back, my brothers, It's already half a century! Our youth is slowly fading away, All that's left is remembrance, Thinking of my brothers in my dream, Life has not been easy. We're getting old, brothers, Take good care of your health in the remaining years, Let go of all the unhappiness, Don't keep it inside you, Brotherhood lasts the whole life, And we may not see one another again the next life, Let's find time to meet regularly, Have some wine and pour out our feelings, Understand more and show less temper. Time passes by quietly, Only the memories remain, ... » Learn More about Enough is enough!

KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank Islamic Bhd launched its comprehensive Islamic wealth management (IWM) solution on Wednesday covering wealth creation, accumulation, protection, purification and distribution. In a statement on Wednesday, it said the bank will provide a single touch point for its customers’ wealth management requirements as they progress through life. “From Shariah-compliant accounts and fixed deposits services, investment products, takaful, zakat and waqf contributions to estate planning, all these will all be under one roof within the Maybank Group,” it said. Maybank Islamic said the IWM client will be assigned an Islamic financial planner-certified wealth advisor, saving the client’s time and resources in finding the suitable products and services for their respective needs under each pillar. Maybank Islamic CEO Datuk Mohamed Rafique Merican (pic, above) said: “The core of our offering is the assurance that our solution is approved by our Shariah committee comprising ... » Learn More about Maybank Islamic launches wealth management plan

The violence that spread from Jerusalem to cities across Israel and the Palestinian territories, leaving at least 60 dead so far , has both historical and contemporary roots. In recent weeks, tension has flared over the eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities blocking access to the important Damascus Gate plaza during Ramadan, and a march of thousands of Israeli ultra-nationalists through the city on May 6, 2021, in celebration of “ Jerusalem Day ,” which marks the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967. But the one incident that led to a significant escalation involved Israeli security forces firing rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at worshippers gathered at Al-Aqsa mosque on May 7. As a scholar of global Islam , I teach introduction to Islam and include a discussion about Al-Aqsa as part of the syllabus. That’s because Al-Aqsa has deep religious significance for Muslims around the world. But, ... » Learn More about Why the Al-Aqsa Mosque has often been a site of conflict

KUCHING: Medical staff and volunteers at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) vaccination centre dressed up in colourful traditional attire to celebrate Sarawak Day on Thursday (July 22). Unimas vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said this was an opportunity to showcase Sarawak's unity in diversity amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "We are celebrating Sarawak Day by wearing Sarawak traditional costumes, including Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Chinese, Malay and Indian. "There is no question that the patriotic spirit is still strong despite the challenges of the pandemic. "Everyone at this vaccination centre is contributing their time and energy, regardless of their background, race or religion. "The harmony and unity among all races in Sarawak remain strong and can be seen here," he said. Sarawak Day, which falls today (July 22), commemorates the state's attainment of self-government from the British in 1963. It was declared a state public holiday in 2016. Nurse ... » Learn More about Staff, volunteers at Unimas vaccination centre dress up to celebrate Sarawak Day

LHASA, Tibet (Bloomberg): Xi Jinping has made his first visit to Tibet as Chinese president, affirming Beijing’s control over a region where its military build-up and ethnic-assimilation polices have drawn international criticism. Xi arrived in the regional capital Lhasa on Wednesday (July 21), the official Xinhua News Agency said on social media on Thursday. He inspected the operations of the Sichuan-Tibet railway during his visit, China Central Television said. State media showed Xi being greeted by enthusiastic Tibetans and riding a train with Liu He, China’s economic czar, and Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. Robert Barnett, a British academic who has written about Tibet, posted videos showing the Chinese leader speaking to locals. "All regions and people of all ethnicities in Tibet will march toward a happy life in future,” Xi says in one video. "I am full of confidence as you all are. Lastly, I will not delay your dancing. Let me say this: ... » Learn More about China’s Xi makes first official Tibet visit amid border tensions

MANILA, Philippines – Miss World Philippines 2018 Katarina Rodriguez apologized to fans after her Beauty with a Purpose video failed to make it as a finalist in the competition. The Beauty with a Purpose the Miss World charity arm. Each candidate is required to do a video to share about their advocacy. For Katarina, she chose to talk about Project Become , which focuses the kids of Marawi. In her post, Katarina said that she was sad that her video did not qualify as one of the finalists for a "violation." She said she did not know of the specific provision, which she did not mention. " It hurt me that I did not qualify for BWAP more than anything else has in the past because I wanted the world to see what war and violence does to real life people. Miss World has guidelines and sadly, I had no briefing about them before creating my BWAP, other than the time limit. I owe an apology to Mrs. Morley and the Miss World Organization as well for not having followed ... » Learn More about Katarina Rodriguez fails to win Miss World’s Beauty with a Purpose award

On Monday, August 31, 2020, Workers' Party Secretary-General Pritam Singh delivered a speech in Parliament, his first since being designated Leader of the Opposition after the 2020 general election. Singh touched on his role as Leader of the Opposition, the role and future of the opposition in Singapore politics, as well as the way forward for Singapore. The speech was divided into three main portions: things that have changed in Singapore since the last General Election, things that must not change, and suggestions for things that should change. Here, we reproduce the transcript of his speech in full: *** Delivered by Pritam Singh Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the motion thanking the President for her address. My speech will cover a variety of topics organised into three main areas. First, I will speak about certain things that have changed in Singapore. Second, I will talk about things that must not change. And third, I will suggest some ... » Learn More about Full text of Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh’s maiden speech as Leader of the Opposition

If Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap could go back and give his seven-years-younger self one piece of advice, it would be to prepare his wife for what was to come. "The mistake back then is that I didn't actually get my wife to understand better." It was a bit of a challenge for her, he admits, remembering that she had mixed feelings when he was elected as an opposition Workers' Party (WP) Member of Parliament in the historic 2011 General Election. In the years since, the 43-year-old went on to assume several more positions of leadership within the party — most recently, chairmanship of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) — and at each point, conversations with his homemaker wife had to be had. "She always has this mixed feeling lah — she knows that I have to do what I have to do, you know. But again, of course as a wife and as a mother to our kids right, she has a bit of concern lah. Especially in terms of the AHPETC thing right? ... But I told her that you ... » Learn More about Muhamad Faisal Manap: The quiet but stubborn power of a humble, “average” family counsellor

A Russian court on Wednesday, June 30, sentenced two Jehovah's Witnesses to 7 and 8 years in jail on extremism charges, with the latter sentence the longest ever handed to one of the group's adherents in the country. The verdict, issued by a court in the far eastern city of Blagoveshchensk, comes amid an ongoing crackdown on the group, which Russia branded extremist and banned from operating in the country in 2017. The defendants, identified by the group as Alexei Berchuk and Dmitry Golik, were found guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. Both maintain their innocence and were under house arrest prior to their convictions. Yaroslav Sivulsky, spokesperson for the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, said in a statement that Berchuk's eight-year sentence marked "a new record in the cruelty of sentencing peaceful believers". Russia's Supreme Court ruled that the group was an "extremist" organization and ordered it to ... » Learn More about Russia jails Jehovah’s Witnesses for record 8 years over extremism

PETALING JAYA: Johor MCA has lodged a police report over baseless and libellous claims aimed at sabotaging the party’s effort to help the needy during the Covid-19 pandemic. The MCA publicity bureau said that in a time when many require pandemic assistance, people should stop creating baseless racial issues out of nothing. “While all MCA leaders are working hard to assist people who have been impacted by the pandemic, our genuine efforts attracted the attention of irresponsible parties who intend to create rifts and instigate racial tension. “On July 11, party president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who is also Ayer Hitam MP, organised two different aid programmes in his constituency. “First was a food basket programme for the needy. The second was a special aid programme by generous donors benefiting 1,000 families in Ayer Hitam. “Unfortunately, photos of the charity programmes were misused by those with malicious intentions, who captioned the photo to imply that the Malays ... » Learn More about Johor MCA lodges police report over racial claims