Month: July 2023

Khiew Hoe Yean sets new national record in Fukuoka, diving setup revamp underway

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Khiew Hoe Yean sets new national record in Fukuoka, diving setup revamp underway

Swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean achieved an outstanding feat by breaking his own national record in the men’s 800-meter freestyle event at the World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan today.

The 20-year-old clocked a solid 8:05.11s to win his heat (heat 1) and emerge as the fastest Southeast Asian swimmer in the event, finishing ahead of Vietnam’s Tran Tuan Anh (8:08.56s), Singapore’s Glen Lim (8:09.90s) and Thailand’s Ratthawit Thammananthachote (8:14.87s).

Hoe Yean’s timing bettered his former national mark of 8:05.38s which he had previously set in December and placed him 29th overall from 39 swimmers in the event at the world meet.

He will take to the pool for the 200m backstroke event on Thursday.

Andrew Goh, who was the only other Malaysia swimmer in action today, placed 37th from 62 swimmers in the men’s 50m breaststroke event after clocking 28.75s in his heat.

Jayden Tan will compete in the men’s 200m individual medley tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Malaysia Swimming Federation (MAS) are set to revamp the setup for the national diving programme following a poor showing from the national senior divers in Fukuoka last week.

NSC Athletes Division director Jefri Ngadirin said a technical director, high performance manager and head coach will be appointed, mirroring what is already implemented in sports such as badminton.

“We have received a number of resumes from locals as well as foreigners. The interview for them will be done on Aug 1 and those selected will begin work in September,” said Jefri yesterday.

“The technical director will oversee the big picture while the head coach will be in charge of the elite team. The high performance manager will head our talent development efforts.

“We hope their appointment will help improve the performance of our divers.”

Malaysia failed to win a medal in diving at the world championships this year. The last time Malaysia went home empty handed was during the 2011 edition in China.

While the senior divers lacklustre performances were cause for concern, youngster Bertrand Rhodict Lises, 18, did well to reach the final of the men’s 10m platform individual event and secure qualification to next year’s Paris Olympics.

Source: New Straits Times

Singapore now has the most powerful passport in the world

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Singapore now has the most powerful passport in the world

Singapore has the world’s most powerful passport in 2023. The recently released third quarter Henley Passport Index revealed a major shake-up, with Germany, Italy and Spain coming in second and Japan sharing the third rank with six other countries.

After evaluating all countries of the world, Henley creates a ranking of all the passports on the basis of the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free with inputs from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), updating the report every quarter.

According to the release, Singapore passport holders get visa-free access to 192 countries out of 227 in the world. The nation has climbed over five ranks in the last ten years.

Just missing the top 10 mark, Malaysia made it to the 11th spot allowing passport holders to travel visa-free to 180 countries. Hong Kong shared the 17th spot with Andorra with visa-free access to 170 countries. Thailand ranked at 64th place with visa-free travel option for 79 countries. India took the 80th spot on the list with visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel option for 57 countries.

The weakest passport in the world is Afghanistan, with visa-free access to only 27 destinations.

The most powerful passports in the world, according to Henley Passport Index 2023.

RankVisa-free access toCountries
1192Singapore
2190Germany, Italy, Spain
3189Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden
4188Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, UK
5187Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland
6186Australia, Hungary, Poland
7185Canada, Greece
8184Lithuania, US
9183Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia
10182Estonia, Iceland
11180Liechtenstein, Malaysia
20166Brunei
6479Thailand, Belarus, Lesotho
6973Indonesia, Tanzania
7466Philippines, Armenia, Cape Verde Islands
82 55Cambodia, Vietnam, Guinea-Bissau, Mali
8750Laos, Turkmenistan
8947Myanmar, Ethiopia
Source: Henley Passport Index

World’s Largest Permanent Menorah

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World’s Largest Permanent Menorah

When you envision the world’s largest, permanent free-standing Menorah, your thoughts might not immediately turn to Indonesia. However, that’s precisely where this remarkable sight can be found! Surprisingly, the biggest permanent Menorah in existence is not situated in Israel, America, or Europe; it proudly stands in the world’s most populous Muslim country.

Nestled in the city of Manado, on the picturesque Indonesian island of Sulawesi, this extraordinary Menorah serves as a beacon of hope and resilience for a community of less than 25 Jews (yes, you read that right – barely 0.000001% of Indonesia’s massive population of 238 million). Despite their small numbers, this tight-knit community has left an indelible mark that defies all expectations. Let us celebrate their spirit and unity, shining brightly like the Menorah during Hanukkah and beyond!

Jewish settlers arrived in the East Indies along with other Dutch settlers in the 17th century. Largely associated with the Dutch exploratory and mercantile efforts, the Jewish community was never large. It peaked at perhaps 2,000 during the early 20th century. After Indonesia became independent and the country Muslim-majority, most of the Jews converted or fled. Between 1945 and the 1960s, their numbers dropped to less than 100. A herculean effort of the Jews in the city of Manado, along with help from Christian neighbors, keeps the community alive.

In 2009, in a powerful if strange show of survival and community solidarity, the Jews of Manado erected a 62-foot Menorah on a mountainside overlooking the city. Featuring an interesting blend of Jewish and oriental artistic stytles, it is now a dominant fixture on the skyline. Although it is only a seven-branch candelabra, it is a popular rallying place for Jews gathering for the Hanukkah celebration.

The Manado Menorah is located on the outskirts of Manado, which is located on the northeastern most tip of Sulawesi, approximately 750 miles (mostly over open ocean) northeast of Jakarta. It is an open site. Web: www.north-sulawesi.org (official tourism website of North Sulawesi)

Singapore Tops as Southeast Asia Reports Record Investments in Fintech

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Singapore Tops as Southeast Asia Reports Record Investments in Fintech

The investments channeled to the fintech sector in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, increased to USD4.3 billion in the first nine months of 2022. The amount is higher than the total investments in the sector between 2018 and 2020.

According to a joint report released today (Friday) by the professional services firm PwC Singapore, the Singapore Fintech Association (SFA), and the Economic Development Board (EDB), Singapore attracted most of the investments in the region from the fintech sector.

“Singapore serves as an excellent bridge for companies to reach the neighboring countries,” the report explained. “The city-state also boasts a diverse, multilingual talent pool and a wide range of funding sources for companies.”

In 2022, in a separate report published by PwC Singapore, the Singapore Fintech Association, and United Overseas Bank, as quoted by The Strait Times, Singapore and Indonesia received approximately 65% of the total fintech investments channeled to the sector in ASEAN.

The ASEAN region recorded an increase in investments toward fintech companies despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, the report added. The investments in the global fintech sector dropped to USD75 billion last year compared to USD139 billion in 2021. However, the sector is projected to grow by a compound annual rate of 16% between 2023 and 2028 to more than USD400 billion.

Digital Payment Systems

On top of that, the report disclosed that the most performing segment of the global fintech industry is in digital payments. The segment is projected to reach transactions valued at about USD9 trillion by 2023, with the number of users expected to rise to 5 billion next year.

Finance Magnates reported about a week ago that Singapore’s market regulator, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), had introduced new measures for the Digital Payment Token (DPT) service providers.

One of the measures is that the DPT service providers operating in the region must safely keep customers’ funds in a statutory trust before the end of the year. Besides that, the regulator wants the service providers to separate customers’ funds from their own.

Source: Finance Magnates

Malaysia hosts first international kebaya design competition

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Malaysia hosts first international kebaya design competition

Women of all races were dressed in their kebaya best at the launch of the Kebaya Heritage Design Competition as it got off to a glamorous start at the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex yesterday.

Hosted by the International Conference on World Cultures, the event was officiated by Tourism, Arts and Culture Deputy Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan with designers, diplomats, celebrities and government officials in attendance.

“Being the host country of Kebaya Heritage Design Competition, I am honoured to have us all under one roof united to achieve the goal of recognising the significance of our culture and protecting it,” said Khairul in his speech.

“I appreciate everyone coming together to participate in the KHDC as it casts a wider net for the Malaysian market on tourism, arts and culture.”

Highlights of the launch included a traditional Malay dance by students from the Sekolah Seni Malaysia and a kebaya fashion show by reigning beauty queens Miss Globe Malaysia Manvin Khera, Miss Global Malaysia Taanusiya Chetty, Miss Star Malaysia Kash Bhullar, Miss Eco Malaysia Tisya Ong and Carolyn Wee, finalist of Ratu Wanita Malaya 2023.

The Kebaya Heritage Design Competition which began its run on June 15 has so far seen about 100 participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines submit their sketches and drawings.

The last day of submission is July 30, after which judges will narrow it down to 50 semi-finalists who have to produce a prototype kebaya before the deadline on August 30.

The 50 semi-finalists will also have to do a presentation on the details and cultural significance of their design.

A gala dinner will be held on September 9, where judges from all the five countries will select 25 finalists who get to showcase their designs in a fashion show on the same night.

Only three of the finalists will be declared winners and have their designs auctioned off for charity to support local designers.

The first prize winner will receive US$5,000 while the second and third prize winners will receive US$3,000 and US$2,000 respectively.

“As you know, we are doing this to support the listing of the kebaya as a tangible cultural heritage in Unesco,” said ICWC president Azmi Mustapha at the press conference.‘

“We want to show the world the kebaya is here to stay, it’s not something that will go away.”

He also added that they hope to send the winner of the competition to Cannes, France for a fashion show.

Kebaya ambassador of ICWC 2023, Wanna Ali, head judge Juita Jalil and competition coordinator Asfarena Samion Mon were also at the press conference.

“We hope to reach our maximum target of 500 entries before the end of the month,” said Asafarena. “The kebaya is worn by people from all the five participating countries. So, it’s a symbol of tradition and heritage of not just Malaysia but a big part of Asean.”

“As ambassador, I will promote kebaya heritage by of course, donning it and by being the face of the competition and getting as many participants as possible,” said Wanna who looked radiant in an elegant white kebaya.

On what she wants to see from competitors, Juita said: “Show us something we’ve not seen before but still has culture and tradition steeped in it.”

She added that with all the women looking beautiful in their kebayas at the event, there’s no way kebaya is not trendy and not stylish or sophisticated.

“Give us something that will excite us enough for us to say to the world hey, the kebaya is here to stay.”

Source: Thestar.com.my