
Two schools left to run without headmasters
SJK(T) Ladang Kalumpang's headmistress retired and was sent off with a small celebration in March.
However, the parents did not expect to be still waiting for a replacement nearly four months later, the daily reported.
Meanwhile, SJK(T) Ladang Kerling's headmaster was transferred three weeks ago but the position still remains empty.
Both schools' assistant headmasters were left in charge but they are not authorised to make any decisions and have to rely on the district education office.
> Twenty-two trained Carnatic students gathered for a record setting seven-hour concert on the steps of the Batu Caves Temple, Malaysia Nanban reported.
The event was organised by Ipoh-based Swaralaya Sangeetha Kalalayam.
They sang 272 verses from the 14th century Tamil hymns known as Thiruppugazh, one for each of the 272 steps of the iconic temple.
The above article is 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 this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
Russian passenger plane crashes in far east, 50 feared dead
MOSCOW: A Soviet-era Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday, with initial reports indicating no survivors. Emergency services confirmed the aircraft, operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, was found burning in a forested area near Tynda. The plane, built in 1976, was en route from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda when it disappeared from radar. Regional governor Vasily Orlov stated there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board. However, the emergencies ministry reported a slightly lower figure of around 40. Debris was located approximately 15 km from Tynda, a remote town near the Chinese border. Yuliya Petina, an emergency services official, said a Mi-8 helicopter spotted the burning fuselage. 'Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident,' she wrote on Telegram. Authorities have launched an investigation into the crash. Unverified footage from a helicopter, circulating on social media, showed the wreckage in a densely wooded area. – Reuters


The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
St Anne's feast expects global crowd this weekend
Holy days: Devotees offering floral garlands and prayers before the statue of St Anne and the Virgin Mary inside the Minor Basilica of St Anne in Bukit Mertajam. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star BUKIT MERTAJAM: St Anne's feast celebration is underway, with the highlight being the main celebration featuring novena, open-air mass and a candlelight procession this Saturday. Some 100,000 pilgrims from the country and abroad are expected at the Minor Basilica of St Anne, with the weekend likely drawing the largest crowd of the 10-day celebration ending on Sunday. Rev Deacon Lazarus Jonathan said besides Malaysians, pilgrims from China, India and other South-East Asian countries would also be attending the annual feast. 'This year, the main celebration falls on a weekend, so we anticipate a significantly larger turnout. 'The open-air mass and procession, acts of reverence to St Anne, the grandmother of Jesus, form the spiritual centrepiece of the celebration. 'It will be held within the church compound and is expected to be presided by the Catholic Bishop of Penang, Cardinal Datuk Seri Sebastian Francis, alongside other clergy and religious leaders. 'The mass will begin at 7pm, in multiple languages, followed by the procession at 8.30pm. 'We pray that all pilgrims, whether they travel from near or far, arrive and return home safely, blessed and uplifted,' said Deacon Lazarus, adding that the masses will be conducted in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil to ensure inclusivity for the diverse congregation. Themed 'Celebrating, Listening and Walking as Pilgrims of Hope,' this year's celebration focuses on compassion, unity and encouragement in times of hardship. He said the chosen theme reflects the church's commitment to walk alongside all people – regardless of race or religion – on their journey of faith, struggle and joy. 'We want to listen, not just speak. We want to hear the hardships people face, console them and offer hope.' He stressed that this year's prayers would be offered not only for the Christian community but for all people. 'The message of hope is universal. The Mother of Jesus and St Anne are praying for everyone.' He added that St Anne is traditionally associated with family and stability, and this year's pilgrimage places strong emphasis on the role of the family in building a peaceful and joyful society. 'When families are strong, the nation is stable and the world becomes a better place.'


The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Feature: Empty stalls, hollow stomachs -- Gaza's markets in age of blockade
GAZA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At noon in Deir al-Balah's market square, Mohammed Nassar's shadow stretched thin across the bleached wood of empty stalls. His fingers trembled as they wiped sweat -- not from labor, but from exhaustion. "I've been walking here since six in the morning," the 35-year-old from the city of central Gaza told Xinhua. "And there is simply nothing to eat." "For over three weeks, my children and I haven't tasted bread. No vegetables, no fruit, no flour. I can hardly speak to you because of the hunger," he said. Where spices once perfumed the air, only dust swirled. Where vendors once haggled, silence hung like a shroud. The markets in Deir al-Balah and other places in Gaza, such as Khan Younis and Gaza City, once arteries of commerce, have become synonyms for absence. Fifteen more people, including four children, died from starvation in the past 24 hours, whereas 101 people, including 80 children, have lost their lives to hunger and malnutrition since March, the Gaza-based health authorities said Tuesday, adding that "the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate amid the ongoing Israeli blockade." The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on social media platform X on Tuesday that "People in Gaza, including UNRWA colleagues, are fainting due to severe hunger. They are being starved." "Meanwhile, just a few kilometers away from Gaza, supermarkets and shops are loaded with food and other goods. Lift the siege. Allow UNRWA to bring in food and medicines," it said. The numbers are telling a story of cruelty, and the faces another one of desperation. Saleem al-Hato, a 50-year-old father of seven, was displaced from Gaza City and now resides in a makeshift shelter in Deir al-Balah. "Yesterday, my daughter cried all day because she had nothing to eat. We asked our neighbors for help and received two cans of peas. That's all we had for the entire family," he lamented. Even chroniclers of this crisis are crumbling. "Famine has reached a terrifying level. The markets are almost entirely empty, and whatever is available is far beyond the reach of ordinary people. A kilogram of flour now costs more than 200 shekels (over 50 U.S. dollars). I haven't been able to buy any for three days," Mohammed Odwan, a 39-year-old journalist and father of three, confessed. "I am dizzy, weak, and can barely move. I cannot focus on reporting. My body is exhausted, and my children are hungry," Odwan said, voice fraying. 37-year-old photographer Abdel Hakim Abu Riash, 20 kilograms lighter, documented his own decline in a tent in Gaza City: "My wife and I skip meals just so our children can eat something, usually just one meal a day, and often not even that." "The famine is not just taking lives; It's stripping people of their dignity. I can barely hold my camera anymore. Many of us go two days without eating a single thing. This is the reality for most Gazans now," he told Xinhua. Bahaa Abu Sultan, a former trader, now lives as an unemployed, displaced person in a southern Gaza shelter. "Before the war, life was stable. We had food, water, jobs, shelter," he told Xinhua. "Now, everything has collapsed. Hunger defines our lives. We are no longer the people we once were. I haven't eaten for two days. I try to sleep during the day to escape hunger. Most of us can barely stand on our feet anymore," he said. As dusk falls, children would sleep on clothing piles, startled awake not by hunger pangs but Israeli airstrikes. Their parents, in the meantime, would whisper the same question: "Will tomorrow be the day we find bread?"