In today’s Friday sermon, Muslims were reminded of the importance of financial discipline and accountability when managing personal expenditure and debt, emphasising that Islam encourages balanced spending and firmly discourages excessive borrowing.
The sermon underscored the Islamic principle of moderation, advising the Ummah to avoid both extravagance and stinginess in spending. It stated that while taking on debt is not forbidden in Islam, Muslims must be cautious and responsible in doing so, and must make a sincere effort to repay what they owe.
Quoting various hadiths, the sermon warned that unjustly delaying debt repayment despite having the means to do so is a form of injustice and a serious sin.
It was also mentioned that dying in debt without settling it is a serious matter, potentially jeopardising one’s place in the Hereafter, even for those who die as martyrs. “A martyr will be forgiven all sins except debt,” the sermon cited from a hadith reported by Abdullah bin Amr.
For illustration only. PHOTO: FREEPIK
The sermon further advised individuals who are overwhelmed by debt to not give up, but to strive in seeking lawful means to settle what they owe. It assured that Allah the Almighty will aid those who are sincere in their intention to pay off debts and who make efforts to do so.
The sermon concluded by urging Muslims to live within their means and avoid being influenced by extravagant lifestyles. It reminded the congregation to “measure their coat according to their cloth” and that being in debt may bring temporary relief but repaying it can be extremely challenging.
Muslims were encouraged to embrace values of contentment and simplicity in daily living, and to uphold their responsibilities with honesty, especially when it involves the rights of others. – Hakim Hayat
HAVANA (AP) — For Sonia Pérez, stepping into Havana’s Doña Alicia restaurant felt like entering a movie. Even as Cuba struggles with power outages and technological scarcity, this eatery has leaped into the 21st century with digital menus, Alexa-enabled assistance, touchless bathrooms and even a food-delivering robot.
“I thought I was in a cartoon movie!” said the 64-year-old government employee, marvelling at the contrast with the technological realities outside. “I wish there were more of these in Cuba… We are really very behind in technology.”
While commonplace globally, such automation is a complex feat in Cuba due to the island’s frequent power cuts and a lack of modern technology.
Opened seven years ago, the restaurant gradually embraced technology, starting with tablets at tables, followed by Alexa services and culminating in the arrival of Doña Alicia — a food-delivering robot named after the owner’s grandmother — who now assists human waiters in the dining room.
Customers watch as a robot arrives with their food at Dona Alicia restaurant in Havana, Wednesday, April 15, 2025. PHOTO: AP
Guests are greeted with digital menus on screens at their tables, allowing them to browse and order traditional Cuban dishes such as pasta and sweet desserts. The bar further enhances the experience offering drinks such as mojitos or freshly made daiquiris. Human servers are on hand for those less tech-savvy.
The prices align with those of other private restaurants, rendering them inaccessible for the average Cuban and reflecting the island’s inflation.
Despite the challenges of limited and often unreliable internet access in Cuba (mobile internet only became widespread in 2018, and outages are frequent due to the energy crisis), Doña Alicia appears to be navigating these obstacles.
Manager Yadiel Hernández believes the technological advancements help attract customers by creating a unique and appealing dining experience in Havana.
“We’ve noticed a change,” said Hernández. “Both children and adults find it interesting to have a robotic assistant bring food to the table…it’s a novel experience.”
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) — The 20-year-old son of a sheriff’s deputy opened fire Thursday at Florida State University with his mother’s former service weapon, killing two men and wounding at least six others, investigators said.
Officers quickly arrived and shot and wounded the shooter after he refused to comply with commands, said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell.
Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting, which began around lunchtime just outside the student union, sending frightened students and parents hiding for cover in a bowling alley and a freight elevator inside the building.
The shooter, identified by police as Phoenix Ikner, is believed to be a Florida State student, investigators said. The two men who died were not students, said Florida State University Police Chief Jason Trumbower, adding that he would not release additional information about the victims.
The shooter obtained access to a weapon that belongs to his mother, who has been with the sheriff’s office for over 18 years and has been a model employee, said Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil. Police said they believed Ikner shot the victims using his mother’s former service handgun, which she had kept for personal use after the force upgraded to new weapons.
Dozens of patrol vehicles, including a forensics van, are stationed outside of Florida State University’s student union building, the scene of a shooting, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. PHOTO: AP
Shooting on FSU campus
Five people who were injured were struck by gunfire while a sixth was hurt while trying to run away, Revell said in a statement Thursday night. They were all in fair condition, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said in a Facebook post.
The alleged shooter was a long-standing member of the sheriff’s office’s youth advisory council, the sheriff said.
As of Thursday night, Ikner was in the hospital with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” according to Revell.
Witness says the suspect’s shotgun jammed
Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus just west of Florida’s capital after the university issued an active shooter alert.
Aidan Stickney, a 21-year-old studying business management, was running late to class when he said he saw a man get out of a car with a shotgun and aim at another man in a white polo shirt.
The gun jammed, Stickney said, and the shooter rushed back to his car and emerged with a handgun, opening fire on a woman. Stickney ran, warning others as he called 911.
Trumbower said investigators have no evidence that anyone was shot with the shotgun.
Shots sent students scattering
Ryan Cedergren, a 21-year-old communications student, said he and about 30 others hid in the bowling alley in the union’s lower level after seeing students running from a nearby bar.
Chris Pento said he and his twins were getting lunch at the student union during a campus tour when they heard gunshots. “It was surreal. And people just started running,” he told WCTV in Tallahassee. They crammed into a service elevator after encountering locked doors at the end of a hallway.
Dozens of patrol vehicles, including a forensics van, were parked outside the student union hours after the shooting. Officers blocked off the area with crime scene tape.
Students and staff who left behind phones, keys and other items in the rush to evacuate waited in the shade and prayed for the victims.
Shooting shocks campus and the nation
President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office that he had been fully briefed on the shooting. “It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” he said.
But Trump also suggested that he would not be advocating for any new gun legislation, saying, “The gun doesn’t do the shooting, the people do.”
People sit in front of a makeshift memorial outside the student union at Florida State University, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida, following a campus shooting. PHOTO: AP
After receiving warnings of an active shooter, students and faculty took cover and waited in classrooms, offices and dorms across campus.
University President Richard McCullough said he was heartbroken by the violence. “Our hearts go out to our students and the victims of this terrible tragedy,” he said.
As dusk fell over Florida State University, a small memorial of candles and bouquets of flowers had been set up outside the student union, while investigators’ yellow tape blocked off the nearby doors.
Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) held its Hari Raya Aidilfitri gathering and Staff Excellence Awards 2024 ceremony on Thursday at the university’s Auditorium in Gadong Campus.
Present as the guest of honour was UNISSA Rector Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal, alongside senior officials, academic staff, university personnel and students.
The event highlighted the presentation of the 2024 Staff Excellence Awards to 17 recipients across seven categories, recognising outstanding contributions in teaching, research, administration and management, as well as community engagement.
Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia Dr Hjh Romaizah binti Hj Md Salleh and UNISSA Rector Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal during the celebration. PHOTOS: UNISSAUNISSA Rector with staff and guests during the celebration.
The awards aim to inspire and encourage commitment toward delivering quality Islamic higher education and impactful research, supporting the development of the Ummah based on the principles of Maqasid Syariah.
Adding to the festive atmosphere was the presence of Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia Dr Hjh Romaizah binti Hj Md Salleh, who attended the celebration along with senior officials from the Ministry of Education, foreign ambassadors and high commissioners to Brunei Darussalam, as well as UNISSA’s strategic industry partners.
TOKYO (AFP) – A Japanese bus driver with 29 years of service lost his retirement package worth USD84,000 after being fired for stealing USD7 from passengers’ fares.
Kyoto City sacked the man, who was not named, after he was filmed by the security camera of his bus pilfering JPY1,000 (USD7) in 2022.
After he was denied his retirement money of more than JPY12 million (USD84,000), the driver sued the city but lost the case.
The verdict was overturned in his favour, with a court ruling that the punishment was excessive.
But on Thursday the Supreme Court delivered a final ruling in the city’s favour, reinstating the original penalty.
It ruled that the man’s conduct could undermine public trust in the system and the sound operation of the bus service.
In the original incident a group of five passengers entered the bus and paid him JPY1,150, according to the ruling.
The driver instructed the group to drop JPY150 worth of coins into a fare collection box, and accepted a JPY1,000 bill by hand and didn’t report it properly.
For illustration only. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Despite being caught on camera, he tried to deny it during a meeting with his superior.
The driver had been reprimanded several times during his career over various incidents, according to the ruling.
This included repeatedly smoking an electronic cigarette while on duty, albeit when there were no passengers on board.
Kyoto City hailed the decision.
“Each one of the bus drivers works alone and handles public money. We took it very seriously that embezzlement related to this area of our work took place,” Shinichi Hirai, an official at Kyoto’s public transport bureau, told AFP.
“If our strict measures were not accepted, then our organisation could become careless and it could result in eroding the public’s trust,” he said.
ROME (AFP) – Four people died and another was injured Thursday, when a cable-car fell near the southern Italian coastal city of Naples, firefighters said.
A cable broke on the link taking tourists from the town of Castellammare di Stabia, on the Gulf of Naples, to Mount Faito, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) away, reports said.
“Four lifeless bodies were found, while a fifth injured person was rescued and taken to hospital,” the fire department said in a Telegram post, adding that this was a final toll.
Over 50 firefighters took part in rescue efforts.
One cabin carrying 16 passengers was close to Castellammare and they were put down on firm ground. A second second cabin was above a precipice on Mount Faito and fog delayed the rescue effort, media reports said.
The cable car had just reopened for the summer season and prosecutors said they have launched an investigation into the accident.
In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Thursday, April 17, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy. PHOTO: AP
“The cable-car reopened 10 days ago with all the required safety conditions,” said Umberto de Gregorio, head of the cable car company.
“What happened today is an unimaginable, unforseeable tragedy,” he added.
Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who was on a trip to Washington, expressed “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims, her office said.
The cable car has been operating since 1952 and a similar accident in 1960 also left four dead.
In May 2021, a cable car crashed in the Italian Alps near Lake Maggiore, killing 14 people. In 1998, a US fighter jet flying a low level on a training flight cut a steel cable and 20 people in a cable car in the Dolomites were killed.
ANN/AFP/THE STAR – It has long been believed that ageing makes the body more vulnerable to physical exertion and slows down recovery. A major study published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity challenges this idea.
Indeed, it shows that older people recover just as well as younger people after physical activity.
Based on 36 rigorously-selected studies, this meta-analysis compares 389 young adults with 390 older people. All were observed for at least 24 hours after exercise, without recourse to external recovery aids.
The results indicate that no significant difference was observed between the two groups.
Even more surprisingly, the older participants systematically reported feeling fewer aches and pains compared to their younger counterparts.
These findings, reported by the Study Finds website, contradict the idea that ageing leads to a decline in muscle regeneration capacity, due in particular to a reduction in protein synthesis and the number of satellite cells.
Multiple hypotheses have been put forward to explain why muscles appear to withstand the impacts of time so well.
The study authors believe, for example, that greater muscle stiffness linked to collagen accumulation could make the muscles of older people less vulnerable to micro-injury.
What’s more, as the physical efforts made by seniors are often more moderate, they typically cause less damage. Furthermore, creatine kinase levels – a marker of muscle damage – are generally lower in older adults.
A difference according to sex between age groups was noted solely in men, highlighting the need for developing specific research on women. Beyond the biological aspects, this study could also help break down a psychological barrier.
For fear of injury or slow recovery, many older people are reluctant to engage in physical activity.
Yet, current data sends a clear message: age should not be a barrier to exercise.
In a world where the United Nations estimates the 60 and older population is set to double by 2050, the findings of this study serve as a major strategic tool for public health.
Physical activity, the cornerstone of successful ageing, makes a decisive contribution to maintaining independence, mental health and strengthening social ties.
So, in the fight against sedentary lifestyles, it could be worth reminding older people that their muscles are tougher than they might think.
Older people recover from exercise just as well, if not better, than younger ones. PHOTO: AFP via ANN/THE STAR
BANGKOK (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the leader of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, met in the Thai capital on Thursday for talks widely assumed to focus on efforts to restore peace in war-torn Myanmar.
Authorities had said the talks would focus on humanitarian assistance following the massive earthquake in March that devastated Myanmar, and promote the extension of a fragile ceasefire to facilitate aid delivery.
Anwar also met with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who said they discussed issues of bilateral interest and how nations in the region can respond to the new US tariff policies.
Myanmar’s state-run MRTV television reported Thursday night that Min Aung Hlaing and Anwar discussed post-quake aid by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Myanmar-ASEAN cooperation at a meeting also attended by Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Meetings may have addressed Myanmar’s civil war
But the unusual top-level contacts and rare trip abroad by Min Aung Hlaing, as well as the involvement of Thaksin, suggested a more substantive political agenda. Thaksin is an informal chief advisor to Anwar, current chairman of ASEAN.
Thaksin, who is the father of current Prime Minister Paetongtarn and seen as pulling the strings of her government, has focused on back-channel diplomacy to end Myanmar’s conflict.
Anwar posted on the X social platform that he had met Min Aung Hlaing on Thursday evening for “a frank and constructive discussion, focused on the urgent humanitarian needs of the Myanmar people including the immediate deployment of a field hospital as well as the importance of returning the country to normalcy.”
He added that on Friday he would meet with representatives of the shadow National Unity Government, Myanmar’s leading resistance group.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021, leading to armed conflict across the country.
In this photo released by Thailand’s Government Spokesperson Office, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, shakes hands with Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, right, in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 17, 2025. PHOTO: Thailand’s Government Spokesperson Office via AP
The quake worsened the country’s humanitarian crisis
The United Nations last week warned that damage caused by the March 28 quake will cause food shortages and a possible public health emergency, exacerbating the existing humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war that had already displaced more than 3 million people.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government, said on Wednesday that the death toll from the 7.7 magnitude quake had reached 3,725, with 5,106 injured.
Ahead of his Bangkok trip, Anwar announced that he would push for an extension of the soon-to-expire ceasefires declared by the Myanmar army and its foes, pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic minority armed groups, to ease aid efforts. There was no immediate announcement of such a development.
The UN Human Rights Office has accused the military of continuing airstrikes and artillery assaults after the earthquake.
Nonetheless, some experts have suggested the current ceasefires might evolve into a wider peacemaking effort where others have failed.
The 10-member ASEAN, to which Myanmar belongs, agreed soon after the army’s 2021 takeover on a peace plan, but Myanmar’s military government failed to implement it. The regional bloc has since largely barred Min Aung Hlaing and senior members of his ruling council from its high-level meetings.
Critics oppose engaging with Myanmar’s generals
Min Aung Hlaing’s attendance at the BIMSTEC summit of leaders of nations in Bangkok earlier this month was a rare exception to his limited travel and drew criticism for legitimising his rule. Thailand has been accused by the opponents of military rule in Myanmar of failing to pressure the generals to make any concessions toward a fair peace.
Thaksin claimed to Thai media that he urged Min Aung Hlaing on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit to engage in peace talks with resistance forces. He has said he met separately with ethnic minority groups fighting against the military.
Critics of the military government argue that Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Bangkok will contribute more to legitimising the military government than to securing needed aid.
Opponents of the army accuse it of weaponising aid, and say foreign humanitarian assistance should be delivered outside military channels.
WASHINGTON (Bernama-Anadolu) – More than 2 million people are trapped inside the Gaza Strip, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.
“More than 2 million people remain trapped inside Gaza. Ongoing hostilities and dwindling aid supplies have driven up stress levels — especially among children — with mental health needs growing by the day,” Stéphane Dujarric told reporters, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said humanitarian supplies are nearing depletion since Israel imposed a full closure on the entry of cargo, including humanitarian aid, into the enclave on March 2.
Children gather by the remains of a tent shelter that was reportedly hit by an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on April 17, 2025. PHOTO: AFP
The water sector has been “heavily” affected by hostilities, with almost 90 per cent of the water assets impacted, he added.
“We reiterate that Israel, as the occupying power, has clear obligations under international law, which include ensuring food, medical supplies and public health services are available, and facilitating humanitarian relief when these are not otherwise supplied,” Dujarric stressed.
Turning to the West Bank, Dujarric said thousands of residents have been displaced and are unable to return home as Israeli operations continue in the north.
More than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 (Bernama) – Sabah’s State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat said the number of flood victims remained at 155 people, involving 54 families, at the permanent relief centre (PPK) in Selagon, Beaufort, Friday morning.
Six villages are still affected by floods in Beaufort, it said in a statement.
Elsewhere in Malaysia, the flood situation in Johor is improving, with 37 people still at a relief centre (PPS) as of 8 am Friday, from 41 people the previous day.
Johor’s State Disaster Management Committee chairman Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani said the remaining victims, involving 11 families, are at the PPS at Balai Raya Kampung Batu Badak, Segamat. “The areas still affected by floods are Kampung Seberang Batu Badak and Kampung Batu 5 Jalan Muar. The weather in all 10 districts is forecast to be fine this morning,” he said in a statement.
