Compiled by JUNAID IBRAHIM and C. ARUNO

       SONGTRESS Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza (pic) has decided to stop competing in contests to make way for younger talent, Mingguan Malaysia reported.

       Siti Nurhaliza said “I no longer want to compete, especially with the young ones. I just want to maintain what I have, such as my singing and good performances.

       “I also want to give my best in my performances so that the fans can remember me as a singer who has always been a good role model to them.

       “I want to be closer to the community by being a successful entrepreneur and even help make them financially successful,” she said.

       The mother of two, who has been in the entertainment industry for 25 years also revealed that she planned to hold a special concert for her fans to celebrate her silver jubilee in the industry but this is on hold due to Covid-19 restrictions.

       “Once the government allows such activities, I will start thinking and planning the concert,” said Siti Nurhaliza, who embarked on her career after winning the talent show, Bintang RTM.

       > BH Ahad quoted the son of national laureate, Datuk Seri A. Samad Said as saying that his father would often write late into the night and even until morning.

       Helmy Samad said he and his siblings would often go to sleep at home with the sound of his father’s typewriter.

       “Sometimes, when we wake up in the morning, the sound of the typewriter can still be heard,” he said.

       The 86-year-old, according to his son, really likes to read and would often underline the part that interests him in red.

       “Most of the books my father reads have red underlines. Dad also likes to write on paper and sometimes, even on tissue. Often, Dad would give this to me and I’ve kept most of it,” he added.

       Helmy said his father is a simple man, who only owns a few shirts that he would wear most of the time.

       “Once, he had to attend an official ceremony and I bought him a batik shirt. But my father only wore it once because it was uncomfortable,” he said, adding that his father later donated the shirt.

       Helmy said among his siblings, no one has inherited his father’s talent except his sister, Siti Senja, who loves to write poetry.

       The above articles are 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 a >, it denotes a separate news item.