Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Mosque takmir committee members held National Family Day and Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations at the mosque recently.
The event strengthened friendship between the officers, staff, takmir committee members, Syababus Salam Youth Group, ‘Pedikir’ Group of the Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Mosque, muslimah and family members.
Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Mosque superintendant Zulkifli bin Haji Murat was among those present. – Azlan Othman
Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah organised a nationwide talk yesterday to discuss its Education Intervention Programme (PIP) highlighting its objectives in fostering a well-educated community and establishing a collaborative network to enhance the standard of living.
Topics of discussions included the tuition class project, Tahsin Al-Quran and Amali classes and a motivational camp.
The talk in the Belait District was held at Anthony Abel College and Perdana Wazir Secondary School where students in the company of their parents and guardians.
The programme began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa Selamat, led by Abdul Malik Al-Amin bin Janaji, followed by a briefing from PIP supervisor Siti Norlina binti Damit. – Daniel Lim
His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah, President of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BDNOC) attended the final day of the 1st Brunei International Wushu Championships yesterday. His Royal Highness also presented prizes to winners of female nanquan and male duilian categories.
Brunei Darussalam’s wushu team finished first place in the 1st Brunei Internatioanl Wushu Championship after ammassing a haul of 29 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze medals.
Australia finished second with 13 golds, four silvers and six bronzes, while Malaysia Wushu Sport Academy in third with nine golds, nine silvers and two bronzes.
National wushu coach Li Hui said, “Our Brunei team has a total of 32 athletes, the youngest being five. We won 29 gold medals, 13 silver, and 13 bronze, demonstrating that our young athletes have performed well in the competition. I am very satisfied with their performance, and I am very proud as a coach.”
Hong Kong’s Thirteen Dynasties Competitive Wushu Association Team were fourth with eight gold, seven silver and 13 bronze medals, followed by Malaysia’s Ding Feng Wushu Academy with four golds, three silvers and three bronzes.
Indonesia’s North Sumatra Wushu obtained two golds, two silver and one bronze to finish sixth, followed by China’s Wen Zhou Yi Tao Quan with one gold, three silvers and two bronzes, and Indonesia’s Wushu Aceh with two silver medals.
“This event has achieved its objectives where athletes from all participating countries have enhanced friendship and learned from each other,” Li Hui said.
“This has also helped the development of our young athletes, and provided us the experience to organise competitions. We will find the shortcomings in this event and sum up experience to improve in the future.”
The three-day tournament, organised by the Brunei Darussalam Wushu Federation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, hoped to enhance skills of local wushu judges and technical personnel’s knowledge, while also improving the standard of wushu in the Sultanate.
Through it, Li Hui said athletes will be selected to represent the country in the World Junior Competition. – James Kon
The Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) hosted an annual general meeting at Mulia Hotel yesterday, attended by president Jake Goh along with BBA’s executive committee.
The meeting focused on 2023’s secretariat general report and the adoption of executive report and financial report for 2022-2023.
Photo shows BBA’s president, deputy president Lim Boon Teck and secretary general Lim Fung during the meeting. – James Kon
The Bangladesh High Commission in Brunei Darussalam celebrated ‘Bangla New Year 1431’ or Pahela Baishakh at its chancery yesterday.
The festivities kicked off with the mangal shovajatra, a signature procession marking the Bangla New Year.
Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Nahida Rahman Shumona, in her welcoming speech, expressed gratitude to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s recognition of the mangal shovajatra as an intangible cultural heritage since 2016. The event featured activities such as musical chairs, pillow passing and balloon puncturing with children participating in jamon khushi tamon shajo and biscuit runs.
The event’s highlights were a fashion show of different nationalities and cultural performances.
Acting Director of Museums Department at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Pengiran Haji Rosli bin Pengiran Haji Halus was the guest of honour. – Lyna Mohamad
KUCHING (BERNAMA) – Malaysia’s Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) will assess whether the 20-year-old woman who was reportedly raped by her father since she was 12 could care for her child.
Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said KPWKM will ensure that the victim’s child gets the protection they need if the woman is unable to care for her three-year-old offspring.
“The mother (victim) is already 20 years old… she may have plans… (but) we need to investigate to see her capability and choose the best solution to this issue.
“If the victim needs protection, we are always ready (to provide it) because it is our responsibility,” she told reporters at the Aidilfitri open house held at her residence in Kuching yesterday.
It was reported that the victim was raped in Kampung Chuah, Port Dickson until she gave birth to two children, where one died during childbirth.
According to Nancy, the ministry is awaiting a report from the police before taking further action.
Nancy said the incident was an eye-opener and underscores the importance of sex education and cross-ministerial cooperation to ensure that underage children know what action should be taken if they find themselves in such situations.
“This is something sickening to hear, it deeply pains us at the ministry, (we are) sad and angry… we must find ways to prevent things like this from happening and it involves all relevant ministries,” she said.
Port Dickson district police chief Superintendent Aidi Sham Mohamed, in a statement, said early investigations found that the crime occurred from 2016 until this year in the same house.
He said the victim’s parents, both in their 40s, were arrested on Friday at 11.40am at the Port Dickson District Police Headquarters to assist in the investigation.
The suspects were found to have criminal records involving drugs, and they are being remanded for five days from Saturday, he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 376B of the Penal Code for incest.
NEW DELHI (AFP) – Afghanistan’s top diplomat in India resigned days after she was reportedly caught by airport authorities smuggling nearly USD2 million worth of gold into the country.
Zakia Wardak, the Afghan Consul-General in India’s financial capital Mumbai, posted a statement on social media platform X announcing her resignation.
Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut down in November, more than two years after the Taleban returned to power in Kabul following the collapse of the Western-backed government, leaving Wardak as the country’s most senior representative in India.
“It is with great regret that I announce my decision to step away from my role at the Consulate and Embassy in India, effective May 5, 2024,” Wardak said on Saturday.
Indian media reports said Wardak last month was stopped by financial intelligence authorities at Mumbai airport on arrival from Dubai – along with her son – carrying 25 kilogrammes of gold.
She was not arrested because of her diplomatic immunity, the reports said, but the gold – worth around USD1.9 million – was confiscated. Wardak’s resignation leaves thousands of Afghan nationals, including students and businessmen, without any consular representation in India.
Most foreign nations – including India – do not officially recognise Afghanistan’s Taleban government, but acknowledge them as the de facto ruling authority.
In many Afghan missions, diplomats appointed by the former government have refused to cede control of embassy buildings and property to representatives of the Taleban authorities.
Wardak said in the statement that she had “encountered numerous personal attacks and defamation” over the past year.
Such incidents “have demonstrated the challenges faced by women in Afghan society”, she added.
The Taleban authorities have full control of around a dozen Afghan embassies abroad – including in Pakistan, China, Turkiye and Iran.
Others operate on a hybrid system, with the ambassador gone but embassy staff still carrying out routine consular work such as issuing visas and other documents.
For the ambivert, navigating the delicate balance between social engagement and solitary retreat is a perpetual dance. Yet, nestled within the cosy confines of their living space, the allure of the couch holds a unique charm, offering a sanctuary that caters to both extroverted and introverted tendencies.
Following an extended stretch of social engagements, courtesy of the Raya festivities, I embarked on a brief but much-needed retreat to my sanctuary, seeking to replenish my social reserves and recharge my batteries in solitude.
Embracing the rare luxury of solitude, I settled onto the couch, eager to immerse myself in a marathon of horror films. With time typically a scarce commodity, this indulgent escape promised a welcome reprieve.
In that fleeting window of time, I successfully devoured 10 horror films – a feat that might strike some as peculiar or amusing, yet left me with a profound sense of accomplishment.
In this article, I’ll be spotlighting my top three picks from the eclectic mix.
THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016)
Now, I know this movie came out in 2016, but a colleague of mine put me on it as homework to watch while I was away from work and because it was a horror film, I thought – why not? So, the movie’s a chilling horror film that follows a father-son coroner duo played by Brian Cox as Tommy (the father) and Emile Hirsch as Austin (the son, duh) as they dissect the mysterious body of an unidentified woman. Naturally, the movie kicks off with the police stumbling upon a crime scene: the grisly discovery of a body beneath the residence of a murdered elderly couple – intriguing.
Anyway, back to the father-son duo. As they dove deeper into the autopsy, they uncover unnerving secrets that defy scientific explanation – queue chilling sounds of horror.
I know most English horror movies aren’t that scary to us Southeast Asians, but the twists in this flick is definitely worth watching if you haven’t. The jump-scares really are jump-scares, and I like the fact that they blend suspense and supernatural elements together very well to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. With each forbidden truth they unearth from the woman’s body, disturbing consequences unfurl, casting a sinister shadow over their investigation.
PAMALI (2022)
Next up is an Indonesian horror flick that came out in 2022. Marthino Lio as Jaka Sunarya – a journalist who had recently lost his job and was in an economic slump – and Putri Ayudya – who plays his heavily pregnant wife Rika Retnosari.
They travel back to Raka’s family homestead that he left two decades back to fix it up before selling it off. It’s tucked away in the heart of the village and is in a state of disrepair of course, so they have to stay there for a few nights to fix and clean things up.
Well, guess what? They stumble into some seriously spooky stuff, especially when the sun goes down.
Now, you know about those pregnancy taboos we Southeast Asians are always warned about? This movie dives headfirst into those, with Rika breaking every rule in the book.
And let me tell you, Taskya Namya, who plays Nenden Sunarya (the ghostly apparition), really nails the creep factor, especially with her laughing.
You’ve got to hand it to Indonesian horror movies these days – they’re seriously stepping up their game when it comes to scares and visuals. They’re like a magnet, pulling you in and keeping you hooked from start to finish.
DEATH WHISPERER (2023)
Now it’s time for the horror movie that really takes the cake for me. Of course it’s a Thai supernatural horror film that dominates.
Also known as Tee Yod in Thai, Death Whisperer was adapted from Krittanon’s novel of the same name, and it’s set in the remote Kanchanaburi province of Thailand in 1972.
The film opens with a couple foraging in a forest at what looks like dawn or dusk when they hear screams coming from their home. It’s their daughter. They run to her with the speed of light and she’s screaming and writhing in pain before she dies. The mysterious death of this young girl sends shockwaves through the community, and soon a Thai-Chinese family deeply rooted in the village life finds themselves entangled in the supernatural. With six children – three sons, Yak, Yos, Yod, and three daughters, Yad, Yam, Yee – they were navigating their rural existence until horror strikes.
As the daughters encounter a ghostly woman in black, strange occurrences plague them, from Yam’s mysterious illness to Yad’s unsettling midnight encounters. When faced with this otherworldly threat, former soldier Yak returns home to confront the darkness looming over his family.
A bit of a spoiler, but Peerakit Patcharabunyakiat who plays Yod really did her thing scaring me with her facial expressions when she was possessed.
According to the author, Krittanon is based on a true story that unfolded within his mother’s family when she was just a 15-year-old teenager living in a province in the central region of Thailand.
The majority of the filming for Krittanon took place in Kanchanaburi province, which the film claims to be the actual setting of the events. The eerie tree, haunted by the woman in black dress, is indeed a real tree. However, the art directors’ team enhanced its lower part to give it a more ominous appearance.
Well, that wraps up our top three horror films for now. But before we sign off, let’s talk about one last thing: the knack horror films have for keeping us glued to the screen until the very end.
With their talent for suspense and surprise, they often deliver a jaw-dropping plot twist that leaves us reeling and hungry for more. Watch out for those twists! – Izah Azahari
TEL AVIV (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his government has voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera, escalating Israel’s long-running feud with the channel at a time when cease-fire negotiations with Hamas – mediated by Qatar – are gaining steam.
According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the decision goes into effect immediately. It could include closing the channel’s offices in Israel, confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites, among other measures, the statement said.
Israeli media said the vote allows Israel to block the channel from operating in the country for 45 days, according to the decision.
“Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against soldiers,” Netanyahu said in the statement. “It’s time to remove the Hamas mouthpiece from our country.”
The extraordinary move is believed to be the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet, although its government has taken action against individual reporters in the past. The statement from Netanyahu’s office said that under a law passed last month, the government can take action against a foreign channel seen as “harming the country”.
There was no immediate comment from Al Jazeera headquarters in the Qatari capital of Doha. But several Al Jazeera correspondents went on air to give their understanding of how the decision would affect the channel.
An Al Jazeera correspondent on its Arabic service said the order would affect the broadcaster’s operations in Israel and in east Jerusalem, where it has been doing live shots for months since the October 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
It would not affect Al Jazeera’s operations in the Palestinian territories, the correspondent said.
Another correspondent, on Al Jazeera’s English channel, said the order barred the channel from “holding offices or operating them” in Israel. He said the broadcaster’s websites would be blocked, though they were still accessible by Sunday afternoon in Jerusalem.
The decision threatens to heighten tensions with Qatar at a time when the Doha government is playing a key role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza, along with Egypt and the United States.
Qatar has had strained ties with Netanyahu in particular since he made comments suggesting that Qatar is not exerting enough pressure on Hamas to prompt it to relent in its terms for a truce deal. Qatar hosts Hamas leaders in exile.
The sides appear to be close to striking a deal, but multiple previous rounds of talks have ended with no agreement.
Shortly after the government’s decision, Cabinet members from the National Unity party criticised its timing, saying it “may sabotage the efforts to finalise the negotiations and stems from political considerations”. The party said that in general, it supported the decision.
Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias. Relations took a major downturn nearly two years ago when Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank.
Those relations further deteriorated following the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas on October 7.
