What’s lost when sacred objects are stolen from Bali’s temples? More than one may think

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SINGARAJA, Bali: Before sunrise every morning, Mangku Borden Cahyadi walks from his home to the nearby Mas Penyeti Temple in Singaraja, a waterfront city in northern Bali.

As the Hindu temple’s priest, Cahyadi ensures the compound is ready to welcome worshippers looking to offer prayers to the gods before their morning commute to work.

On Apr 7 last year, Cahyadi arrived to find the contents of a drawer where he kept his keys disturbed, and the door to the temple’s storage room improperly shut.

“I immediately rushed to the storage room to make sure everything was there,” the 45-year-old priest told CNA. His heart sank when he realised some items were missing.

Among the stolen artefacts were two ceremonial plates made of silver, a centuries-old kris dagger and 12 figurines of Hindu gods and goddesses – all of which were adorned with jewels, gold and ancient coins.

“(The theft) has been very devastating for us, because (these objects) have been passed down for many generations. And now they are gone,” said the temple’s caretaker Putu Bagus Arya.

Cases of artefact theft like the one at Mas Penyeti Temple are rampant in Bali, a Hindu-majority island where every village has its own temple and every household, its own family shrine. According to some estimates, there are at least 10,000 temples in Bali. 

The vast number of temples  – most of which are outdoor and not well-guarded – and the countless artefacts they contain make Bali more prone to theft than other parts of the country, where similar objects can only be found in museums and historical sites.

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A 5-year-old moves in with new foster parents. This is what happens in the first month

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Fostering provides these children with a secure family environment, with the aim of returning them to their birth families eventually, once the latter are assessed as safe to resume care for them.

Foster care applicants undergo suitability assessments, which include interview sessions, home visits, medical screening and reference checks. After approval, foster parents need to attend foundational and intermediate training courses to equip themselves with skills for supporting their foster child.

As to Ong and Chia’s approach to fostering? That would be to take things one step at a time.

“There’s a first for everything, so we didn’t know what to expect,” said Chia, who is a civil servant. “For the first night together, we’ve heard stories of kids who can’t sleep or (who) start crying and vomiting.”

To their relief, Isaac not only showed up cheerfully at their door, but also slept through the first night.

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Singapore’s Youth Charter launched, new SG60 grant to fund youth-led community initiatives

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Mr Wong was joined at Saturday’s event by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and for Health Janil Puthucheary. Also present were Ang Mo Kio GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Nadia Samdin and Jurong GRC MP Xie Yao Quan, members of the PAYM Council’s panel of advisers.

On how the success of the charter will be gauged, Dr Puthucheary said during a media briefing ahead of Saturday’s launch that “we don’t necessarily want to be so prescriptive”.

In response to a question from CNA, Dr Puthucheary, who is advisor to the PAYM, said: “Of course, when it comes to the governance and accountability of specific funding and specific projects, there is a framework for that.

“That process has been going on for some time, and we will apply the same type of governance. But I think that’s distinct and different from the aspirational nature of the Youth Charter.”

Mr Ng Shi Xuan, MacPherson Youth Network’s vice-chairperson, said the point of the Youth Charter is to get young people to go from being consumers to change makers.

He had, together with chairperson Rachel Lee, organised an Eco Day at MacPherson MRT station to raise awareness of sustainability efforts like e-waste recycling programmes. It was one of the examples Mr Wong highlighted in his speech on Saturday.

“I think that’s a very important part of the Youth Charter, where we want the youth to actually lead such projects and lead such conversations,” Mr Ng said during the media briefing.

“If you look at schools and workplaces, you have very structured CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes, you have very structured volunteering programs.

“But with the Youth Networks, actually, there is a third space where you can come out and explore your own projects and causes that you’re passionate about.”

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Hotel Tour: Inside Raffles Sentosa Singapore, with private pool villas, lush greenery and diverse dining experiences

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Facilities include 13 treatment rooms, a fitness centre, a 22m lap pool, steam rooms, outdoor whirlpool and more. The wellness programmes offer a personalised journey through five unique programmes that address physical, emotional and mental needs, aligned with the pillars of Movement, Nourishment, Restorative Wellness and Connection. 

“The spa offers a holistic range of treatments designed to nurture and restore, from mindfulness practices and rejuvenating massages to fitness sessions, hydrotherapy, and salon services. Every element of the spa, from its architecture to the carefully curated treatments, is crafted to promote tranquility and help our guests reconnect with themselves,” said Terra.

In addition, the resort’s newly-minted well-being butlers will be on hand to assist guests in curating their wellness journey, from arranging spa treatments to recommending the best wellness experiences based on their needs and preferences. 

A DINING DESTINATION

The dining experience offers a diverse array of choices for both guests and non-guests. Among the resort’s five dining and bar concepts is its signature Italian restaurant Empire Grill, helmed by cluster director of culinary, chef Bjoern Alexander, who also helms The Cliff at neighbouring Sofitel.

At Royal China, diners can enjoy expertly crafted Cantonese cuisine, while Iyasaka by Hashida showcases an exquisite omakase experience. At Iyasaka, chef Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida – renowned for his eponymous restaurant Hashida on Amoy Street, a staple in Singapore for over a decade – crafts inventive creations in his signature omakase style.

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Controversy over Malaysia’s proposed Urban Renewal Act: PM Anwar says Malay land rights won’t be affected

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PUSHING OUT THE HARMFULLY, SAY Competitors

Before its parliamentary presentation, the act has previously drawn criticism from politicians and some home owners.

Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, a deputy chairman of PAS and Kubang Kerian MP, argued that the current policy was enough. &nbsp,

He said,” There is no need to create a new rules for development; what matters is more is ensuring that urban populations are not monopolized by a single race.”

The damaged areas may be redeveloped when this Act is passed. He added that those who recently purchased homes for more than RM100, 000 won’t be able to repurchase them for more than RMRM500,000.

Tuan Ibrahim continued,” The chancellor wants capitalists to monopolize the process,” claiming that a secretary had stated lenders are accessible to lend money. This tactic is used sparingly to attract people who can’t afford it, especially Malays and Indians.

Although Malaysia is the country’s largest ethnic group, a sizable proportion of house developers in Malaysia are led by ethnic Chinese.

Tuan Ibrahim made his remarks at a press event on February 19th, according to reports agency Malaysiakini. &nbsp,

His remarks echoe those of PAS Youth’s Hafez, who claimed that the costs” will implicitly claim the voice of minorities, destroy socio-economic balance, and oppress the rights of some groups.”

Hafez said in a speech on February 25 that” this bill is also perceived as putting pressure on industrial residents, particularly the Asian community who are less capable.” Programmers who are interested in the name of metropolitan registration are favored by this new constitutional delivery. Minorities did suffer oppression. They will be forced to leave and renounce their property against their will.

Chang Kim Loong, the National House Buyers Association secretary-general, is another outspoken defender of the legislation.

The partnership, which supports homebuyers ‘ rights, opposes the bill or reconstruction in itself, and not the decreased consent threshold. &nbsp,

Chang argued in a conversation with CNA that the plan to reduce the acceptance threshold violates property rights protected by Article 13 of the Federal Constitution. &nbsp,

He continued, noting that he disagreed with the cultural tone the conversation has adopted because it forces a majority of owners to renounce their property rights against their will.

He added that despite developers offering a one-to-one system exchange, the practice could lead to urbanization and densification. &nbsp,

” Picture a five-storey wall with 200 masters being replaced by a 3, 000-unit highrise.” According to him, a compaction of this size would put pressure on existing infrastructure beyond its capacity, and traffic congestion would get worse. &nbsp, &nbsp,

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About 50 individuals excluded yearly from acquiring ‘soldiering’ skills due to security screening: Ng Eng Hen

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As a result of the screening procedures in place by the&nbsp, Ministry of Defence ( MINDEF), about 50 people are annually prohibited from acquiring” soldiering” skills or placed in positions where they may gain access to equipment that poses a threat.

Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP ) Leong Mun Wai, the minister for defense, responded to a question in parliament by Progress Singapore Party’s ( Feb. 28 ) Minister for Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen.

Mr. Leong had a question about the proportion of National Service ( NS ) enlistees who the Military Security Department had identified as “individuals who may pose security threats” for the years 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2024.

” At the current levels of testing, there are only about 0.1 percent of people who have been picked up for study and isolation each year, or about 50, for an average of about 30 000 pre-enlistees screened each year,” said Dr. Ng.

MINDEF confirmed in January that screening procedures were in place to ensure that security threat holders weren’t placed in positions where they could” soldier” skills. &nbsp,

This was done in response to the Internal Security Act’s arrest of three radicalized Singaporeans, all people. &nbsp,

National servicemen could use their skills acquired in the Singapore Armed Forces ( SAF ) to commit criminal acts or acts of terrorism, according to a spokesman for the ministry, who then told CNA.

According to Dr. Ng, the Military Security Department’s ( MINDEF’s ) security screening system has been in place to identify military personnel who might pose a security risk. &nbsp,

” It is standard organizational capability for forces around the world to reduce the risk that their trained soldiers harm their classmates or civilians,” he said.

These screenings occur both during and after enrollment as federal servicemen, with the department working closely with other government security organizations to accomplish this function, according to Dr. Ng.

People who are picked up by the testing efforts are exempt from “roles where they can get knowledge or access information or products that poses a risk”

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Malaysia’s previous king urges all to end ‘unnecessary’ debates on his royal order over Najib’s house arrest bid

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Malaysia’s past king has demanded that all events” stop more debate” regarding a imperial order he had issued regarding former prime minister Najib Razak’s request to serve the remainder of his prison sentence while he is on house arrest. &nbsp,

Otherwise, Pahang’s king Sultan AbdullahRi’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah emphasized that the case is before the courts and demanded that all parties adhere to the “legal approach” &nbsp, &nbsp,

According to Malaysiakini, Sultan Abdullah said at a religious gathering in Pahang’s state mosque on Thursday ( Feb 27 ) that” this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the responsible and trustworthy parties.” &nbsp,

” Thus, all parties must honor the procedures and rules that have been established. Avoid creating distress or unwanted disputes”, he reportedly said.

The Pahang sovereign appears to have spoken out about issues relating to the clause order for the first time.

Najib claimed that Sultan Abdullah had ordered him to be under house arrest during a Jan. 29. 2024 conference of the Pardons Board in an application for judicial evaluation in April of last year. The meeting took place one moment before Sultan Abdullah’s era ended as king of Malaysia.

This comes after the Pardons Board announced on February 2 that Najib’s prison sentence for bribery would be reduced from 12 to six years. The board also reduced his RM210 million ( US$ 47.1 million ) fine to RM50 million. &nbsp,

CNA was the first to report on Najib’s limited royal pardon on January 31 of last year, citing options including senior government officials.

The Indonesian government earlier this month challenged a Court of Appeal’s most recent decision regarding Najib’s request for home imprisonment.

The government requested permission to bring an elegance to the Federal Court in response to the Court of Appeal’s decision on January 6, 2025 to give Najib permission to start judicial evaluation proceedings so he can serve the rest of his six-year word at home. &nbsp,

A rumored notice from the Pahang state house that confirmed the existence of a royal decree allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his prison term at home was produced by his attorney.

Malaysian politics have been tangled up by the royal addendum saga, which has sparked conflict in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, which is made up of four coalitions, including the one led by the United Malays National Organization ( UMNO ).

Najib was formerly UMNO’s leader. &nbsp,

The current king, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, is currently facing other 1Malaysia Development Berhad ( 1MDB)-related corruption charges in the Malaysian authorities, and UMNO officials have called for the leader to grant the jailed politician a full pardon. &nbsp,

The unity government’s another companions, who claim that Najib had received a fair test before he was found guilty, have also been harmed by the decision.

In January, the Attorney-General’s Chambers had likewise sought a gag order to ban public discourse of Najib’s criminal evaluation say that the royal clause order existed.

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Crew member reportedly injured after ‘unauthorised boarding’ of tanker outside Singapore waters

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SINGAPORE: A Singapore-registered chemical tanker was boarded without authorisation in the Singapore Strait on Friday ( Feb 28 ) morning, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore ( MPA ) said in a media release. Around 7 a.m., the vehicle, Basset, was escorted from Singapore’s regional lakes in the SingaporeContinue Reading

Vets, researchers dispute claims of lanosterol eye drops curing cataracts in dogs

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SINGAPORE: Pet owners and professionals are concerned about claims that off-the-shelf eye drops may treat dogs with glaucoma. &nbsp,

The vision drops, which contain the substance lanosterol, are readily available online and in Singaporean animal centers, and are being marketed by different companies as a safe glaucoma treatment. &nbsp,

Glaucoma occur when the glass of a dog’s vision becomes cloudy, blocking light from reaching the eye, possibly leading to deafness. &nbsp,

There is no conclusive scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of lanosterol vision drops in reversing the problem, according to researchers and veterinarians who spoke to CNA.

The acceptance of lanosterol, a chemical element, as a possible cataract care stemmed from a 2015 study suggesting it could break cataracts.

Nonetheless, Dr Sara Thomasy, a professor at the University of California, Davis, told CNA that the research used a” personal scoring program” and lacked solid scientific verification.

Dr Thomasy, who is in the school’s division of obstetrics and vision research, also pointed out that&nbsp, lanosterol has poor solubility in water, limiting its ability to reach the eye and approach the lens where cataracts develop.

Additional research also refuted the effectiveness of lanosterol, said Singapore-based clinical physician Gladys Boo, adding that a 2019 study demonstrated that the mixture “failed to recover glass clarity”.

Despite these findings, lanosterol-based eye drops remain widely available under brand names such as Lanomax, CatarClear and LumenPro, with prices ranging from S$ 87 to S$ 159 ( US$ 65 to US$ 120 ) for a 10ml bottle. They are sold on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Lazada and Shopee.

” DID NOTHING TO Clean THE CATARACTS”

CNA spoke to four dog owners in Singapore who used lanosterol-based eye drops, all saying the items did not improve their dogs ‘ problems. &nbsp,

Ms. Audrey Bong, who is in her 40s and runs for a professional service company, purchased lanosterol eye drops from her veterinarian in 2020.

” At that time, I did have my doubts because the patient’s judgment of my dog’s eye seemed to easy”, Ms Bong said. “( There was ) no special eye examination, no documentation” .&nbsp,

In mid-2021, after she had used the gaze drops for a while, she noticed a “visible light position” in her animal’s eye and decided to seek a second opinion. This additional veterinarian confirmed that the gaze drops “did nothing” to help with cataract removal. &nbsp,

By therefore, her dog’s state had worsened, requiring more extensive surgery.

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Pop duo M2M on revisiting their music and friendship after 20 years: ‘Something so beautiful and raw’

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Before it even started, Marit Elise Ravn, much known as Marion Raven, and Marit Elisabeth Larsen accidentally stoked the “meeting your younger self for coffee” pattern.

The Scandinavian singer-songwriters from M2M, a fundamental combo in early 2000s music, ran into each other in a shop in Oslo, Norway in April 2024. The chance meeting revived a relationship that had once shaped an entire generation while largely absent from their youth after more than 20 years of limited contact.

M2M’s unique sound was marked by softly, gentle singers and airy rhythms. Their 2000 debut album Shades Of Purple, which was released in 2000, was largely a success thanks to its lead one Don’t Say You Love Me, which was featured on the soundtrack for the first Pokemon film, catapulting the band to international recognition.

When their follow-up song The Big Room did not perform properly enough, they disbanded in 2002. And there were no homecoming plans up until their unexpected meeting last year.

Larsen and Raven, who are now mothers in their first 40s, are however grotesquely shocked by how life has changed since that time.

” It was like a magnetic field. It felt like – and we don’t really feel in any of that – it was almost manipulated”, Larsen shared over Zoom with CNA Lifestyle.

” Yeah, it felt really meant to be. Nobody else was present at the coffee store. It was just the two of us”, added Raven.

Subtly TIMING THE REUNION TO THEIR LYRICS

They were reminded of their simple but powerful collaboration at the time when they realized there were still over a million Spotify users listening to M2M each month, evidence that their tunes had been kept “alive after all that time.” The amounts piqued their interest.

” We really wanted to see what transpired if we sent a fire online, which we did last year,” said the company. We sent out a little clip of the song The Day You Went Away, recorded in Marion’s living room– and it ( caught ) fire”, recalled Larsen.

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