Celine Dion now sings Mandarin song in China

Earlier this year, Celine Dion sang a Chinese folk song in Mandarin in Beijing. 'Popular singers and leading musicians can play an important role in cultural exchanges to enhance understanding between peoples.

M'sian journalist & friend Pak Non laid to rest

Earlier today, veteran journalist Zainon Ahmad @ Pak Non was laid to rest in Kota Baru, Kelantan. Indeed, Malaysian journalists have lost a sifu who was always happy to share knowledge and skills with novices and younger friends irrespective of company affiliation, race or faith. Pak Non and I worked closely, for example, to host a lunch talk given by Mark Robinson, the then Executive Director of the Commonwealth Press Union and a former minister, in Kuala Lumpur on '2 June, 1998.

Newsman & friend Zainon Ahmad passes away

Sad to hear that veteran journalist and personal friend Zainon Ahmad passed away just now at 70 in Kota Baru, Kelantan. Thanks for all the tips, jokes as well as experiences shared. 'May Pak Non rest in peace.

Les Miserables' concert in London also in DVD

The 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables has been available in DVD since 2008. Recently,Tom Hooper's movie has also been released in DVD.'Also available now in DVD is Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln.

Les Miserables & Lincoln movies now in DVDs

2 award-winning as well as globally acclaimed US movies, namely Les Miserables and Lincoln, have recently been produced and released in DVDs. Hopefully, the DVDs will be available in Malaysia''s stores soon.

New China president ends historic Russia trip

China's new president Xi Jinping ended his trip to Russia yesterday. It was certainly a fairly important event whose impacts and implications will be studied, assessed or analysed all over the world in many weeks to come. Meanwhile, it is quite clear that cultural exchanges between the 2 'nations have greatly deepened people-to-people understanding. Leading musicians and singers have played their roles in the process. There is no more territorial or ideological row between the neighbors that now vow to preserve fruits of the anti-fascist fight during WWII and jointly guarantee strategic balance and peace in the world today.

Suriani Abdullah ( Eng Ming Ching ) dies at 89

Suriani Abdullah ('Eng Ming Ching'), CPM's veteran and fighter against Japanese occupation and British colonialism, 'has just passed away at 89 at her home in south Thailand. May Makcik rest in peace. SALUTE!

More exciting platform for cultural exchange

The frequent exchanges of singers and musicians between China and other countries has certainly set an example of how civilisational and intercultural dialogues can be conducted on a more exciting platform.

Great songs & music from West in open China

In recent decades, many classy songs and great music from the West have entered into China's society, as the result of a surge of younger generation of singers and musicians in the increasingly open country.

Japan's PM questions Tokyo War Crimes Trials

The verdicts of the Tokyo War Crimes Trials 'have been questioned in Japan by none other than PM Shinzo Abe whose cabinet was judged to be "scarily right-wing"' in a news magazine in Britain earlier this year.

Les Miserables' books & study guide available

Also, there are several editons of Hugo''s Les Miserables books, such as 'Penguin's movie tie-in, available at Malaysia's major book outlets. Cliffs' Notes are quite useful for students of the famous masterpiece of Western literature'which has been translated into many languages. Hugo's original novel was first published in French in 1862 in Brussel.

Book & movie on Abraham Lincoln in Malaysia

A reprint of biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals': The Political Genius of Arabham Lincoln is also now 'widely available at major bookstores in Malaysia. Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln is being shown at cinemas in Malaysia and 'the reviews are pretty good. The United States of America was established in an anti-colonial war which finally liberated the thirteen settlements from 'London''s reign. In 1814, British troops returned and set fire in Washington D. C.'and damaged, among other public properties, the White House. Between 1861 and 1865, a civil war broke out in the United States that ended with the emancipation of Black slaves. 'Racial segregration in the US was abolished in 1965 after a huge protest led by Martin Luther King whose birthday is now marked as a federal public holiday in the USA.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong's biography in town

The authorised biography of Neil Alden Armstrong is now available at major bookstores in Malaysia. The American astronaut and first man who landed on the moon ('20 July 1969) died in 2012 at the age of 82. Good biographies and'autobiographies of this genry can help to make the studies of science and technology more interesting or less boring.

UK soprano Brightman no stranger to Chinese

British soprano Sarah Brightman has a fairly large pool of fans among lovers of Western songs and music in China. She is also widely known among general TV viewers of culture and entertainment programmes.

UK soprano to tour China before space travel

Britain's soprano Sarah Brightman is reportedly going to tour China in June this year before travelling into space in 2015. Brightman 'is said to be " massively popular " in China. Brightman is to visit Guangzhou.

Surge of younger musicians & singers in China

Many younger musicians and more professionally trained singers have emerged in China in recent years. Lang Lang is, of course, fairly well-known throughout the world. Zhong Liyan, among other,'is seen to be full of potential to become a very famous singer in China and beyond. Zhong Liyan, 29, is a mezzo-soprano who has won several top awards for young singers in China and 'her past foreign visits include Austria.

Eponine in Hugo's masterpiece Les Miserables

Eponine (Thénardier) is a pretty interesting character in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. In the unforgettable 10th Anniversary Concert held at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1995, the Parisan girl was played by Lea Salonga. In Hooper's movie, 'Eponine was presented by Samantha ('Jane') Barks who is a British singer and actress from the Isle of Man.