The Sun Daily-160523 25 SYAWAL 1444H

PETALING JAYA: The Social Welfare Department is urging the government to enact special laws to protect the elderly from being abandoned by their families. Its director-general Norazman Othman said: “Currently, there are no legal provisions allowing for action against families who abandon their parents and other elders. It is time that such laws are enacted to protect these people.” He said having such laws is important considering 3,865 elderly people were placed in old folks homes between 2020 and 2022. “While the numbers may be small considering our 32 million population, the fact remains that sending an elderly person to an old folks home should be the last thing to do. “Last year alone, a total of 1,187 elderly people were left at old folks homes, with 97 of them being abandoned by their families. This is very sad because our elders deserve our love and support in their old age. “The existence of old folks homes is not an invitation for families to abandon their responsibilities to their parents and other elders who would prefer to be with their families in their last days,” he said. Norazman added that responsibility aside, filial piety should at least make them care for their parents. But since this is not always the case, the government has had to step in and provide shelter for such elders in the form of old folks homes. He said the government has also provided several initiatives to ensure children who are too poor to look after their parents could obtain monthly financial assistance from the department, adding that this would allow parents to continue living with their children. He said the department constantly strives to improve the quality of life for the elderly through various social support services for those who need care and protection. “We established Rumah Seri Kenangan, which is for elderly people who are poor and above 60 years, have no heirs, guardians or a permanent residence, are free from infectious diseases and can look after themselves. “We also have Rumah Ehsan (RE), which provides care, treatment and protection to those who are sick, poor, don’t have heirs and need long-term care in a comfortable and peaceful environment. “Hence, RE is more suitable for the elderly who are bedridden and without family.” Elderly people who are homeless are usually also jobless, unable to contribute to the family or society and live on the streets, he added. “It cannot be denied that one of the factors that causes homelessness among the elderly is family neglect.” However, National Council of Senior Citizens Organisations Malaysia (Nacscom) president Datuk Dr Soon Ting Kueh said his organisation will not support legislation to force children to pay for the upkeep of parents who have been abandoned. Instead, he suggested that children be taught the meaning of filial piety. “The issue of the elderly being abandoned by their families can be quite complex. One possible reason is the lack of financial means to pay for medical bills and other expenses that the elderly may require,” he said, adding that there are two types of old folks homes in the country. “The first is free of charge and operated by civil society or charitable organisations like Nacscom. These homes generally take in homeless elderly people who have no income or dependents. “The second are aged-care homes run by societies or organisations that charge a fee. So, anybody who is willing to pay can live there.” Soon said one should instil the Asian culture and tradition, which call for children to always support their elderly parents. “Parents who abandon their children are frowned upon, but when a child does the same to their parents, there isn’t much of a reaction as sending them to old folks homes is oSocial Welfare Dept wants laws to protect elderly from being abandoned by their families █ BYTHARANI NAIR newsdesk@thesundaily.com TELLING IT AS IT IS ON TUESDAY MAY 16, 2023 No. 8268 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) www.thesundaily.my PREMIER CHOICE ... Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail serving lemang during the ministry’s Hari Raya celebration at the Malaysia Agricultural Expo Park in Serdang yesterday. Also present was Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. – BERNAMAPIC considered normal. “While I don’t condone such acts, I believe children would one day become parents themselves. When that happens, they would understand the struggle and sacrifices of their parents. However, regretting it then would be meaningless.” Parents dumping INSIDE Socso to amend Act to allocate childcare grants 2 page Reclamation project no threat to fishermen, food security 3 page

2 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Socso to amend Act to allocate childcare grants KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Security Organisation (Socso) will amend the Employment Insurance System Act 2017 this year to provide allocation of childcare grants to women returning to work, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri. She said this one-month grant, equalling 80% of the insured monthly salary, would be provided to about 136,800 women who return to work after long maternity leave, amounting to RM290 million. “Continuous efforts are being taken by the government to close the gender gap, starting with protection and benefits for women in the workforce,” she said in her opening address at the 2023 World o80% of insured monthly salary to be provided to about 136,800 women returning to work after long maternity leave: Minister Women Economic and Business Forum here yesterday. Nancy said the Employment Act (Amendment) 2022 has introduced several significant changes to the previous Act aimed at benefiting both employees and employers in Malaysia, which include increasing women’s participation in the workforce. The amended Act has increased the length of paid maternity leave from 60 days to 98 days. The Act also introduced a new section that prohibits an employer from terminating the service of an employee who is pregnant or is suffering from an illness arising out of her pregnancy, Bernama reported. “The ongoing legislative reforms, policies and plans reflect the government’s commitment to support women by building a society of equal opportunities.” Nancy added that under the 12th Malaysia Plan, the government aspires to increase female labour participation to 59% by 2025. “This is important as it sends a signal that women can make it to the top, challenging stereotypes such as only women need to balance career and family commitments, the deep-rooted bias that men should have more power and privilege than women, and the belief that women are more emotional, thus hindering the promotion of women.” The World Women Economic and Business Forum aims to further highlight and celebrate women’s achievements. It gathers women leaders from the government, business, media, women’s associations, global official institutions and non-governmental organisations under one roof, thereby facilitating access to distinguished women leaders. Federal govt to solve Kelantan, Sabah water woes A specialist installing a tube well at Kampung Dewan Kecil in Labok, Machang to alleviate water supply woes. – BERNAMAPIC Parties pledged not to sabotage unity govt: PM PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said all political parties in the unity government have expressed their commitment not to entertain any attempt to sabotage the government led by him. He said the support was shown by the leaders of Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah during the Unity Government National Convention held at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. “The assembly (convention) has given an assurance that at least for years to come, no attempts of sabotaging will be entertained,” he said yesterday at the Prime Minister’s Department monthly assembly here. Anwar said the convention provides a clear indication that the unity government is strong and stable. He added that the government’s journey is now more organised and some of the programmes implemented have helped to strengthen the country. Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the existing political stability in the country had contributed to several good performances, including the betterthan-expected gross domestic product (GDP) increase of 5.6% in the first quarter of 2023. “If you look at the figures from the Statistics Department, the first quarter is much better than what was projected in November and December last year. Inflation decreased, the number of unemployed also decreased and investment increased.” On Friday, Anwar said the government is confident of achieving its economic growth forecast of 4.0% to 5.0% for 2023 despite global economic challenges and uncertainties, supported by strong economic fundamentals and the implementation of Budget 2023 measures. He said the increase in investment in Malaysia required all parties at the central and state levels to work simultaneously to enable a smooth investment process. “States and municipalities must work together so that the approval level can be accelerated. This will ensure that we can maintain a more convincing pace of growth and highlight commitment and seriousness.” Anwar had previously said investment projects from China, involving Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely) and Rongsheng Petrochemical Co, are expected to start by May, Bernama reported. Geely’s investment projects are in Pahang and Tanjung Malim, Perak, while Rongsheng’s projects are in Pengerang, Johor and Terengganu. PUTRAJAYA: The federal government will try to resolve the water supply problems in Kelantan and Sabah although it involves huge expenditure, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. “The water issues in Kelantan and Sabah need to be addressed because it is a fundamental problem and not a political matter,” he said at the Prime Minister’s Department monthly assembly for May 2023 yesterday. Anwar said he had negotiated the matter with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob and informed the Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V that the federal government has to take over the responsibility of solving the problems despite the huge expenditure. On Sunday, the prime minister said he would meet Hajiji and Ahmad Yakob within the next two weeks to find a solution to the water supply problems faced by both states for many years. Anwar, who is also finance minister, added that based on planning, efforts to overcome the water issues in Kelantan and Sabah would take too long under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) and Budget 2023. He said the government is in the midst of preparing the mid-term review of the 12MP. Anwar said he would also hold discussions at the Economy Ministry and Finance Ministry levels to address the water supply issue in Kelantan and Sabah. Problems involving basic facilities, such as roads with potholes in some cities need to be resolved, he added. Anwar said RM1 billion had been allocated for that purpose this year. “(In addressing this,) civil servants need to adjust a little from the (existing) plan or policy,” he said. – Bernama Importance of Youth Day KUALA LUMPUR: The celebration of National Youth Day 2023 is more than just a celebration, as it boosts the enthusiasm of young Malaysians and gives them space to speak out more effectively. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the celebration also reminds the group that they are the current and future leaders. “This National Youth Day is an opportunity to raise the dignity of youths, remind them that they are the leaders of the present and the future, and afford them the space to present problems to responsible parties. “As young people they have responsibilities, they have to think and evaluate, they have to realise that in order to be useful to the family and country, they have to start with preparations of faith, knowledge of giving and action,” he said in a video recording of his speech in conjunction with National Youth Day 2023. – Bernama ‘Satisfactory job by Azam’ PUTRAJAYA: The decision to extend the service of Tan Sri Azam Baki as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner is due to his satisfactory performance, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The prime minister said he had given Azam and Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun full authority to carry out their duties. “From what I see, they have done a satisfactory job. He (Azam) takes action without taking any sides,” he told a media conference after chairing the National Economic Action Council meeting here yesterday. On May 10, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, in a statement, announced the reappointment of Azam as MACC chief commissioner effective May 12. – Bernama Good news on the way for teachers MALACCA: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek hinted at some good news to be announced in conjunction with the national-level Teachers’ Day celebration which will take place at the Malacca International Trade Centre in Ayer Keroh today. She said the announcement is expected to boost spirits and impact the entire national education ecosystem. “God willing, there are some things that may be announced tomorrow that could uplift the spirit of teachers and the entire education ecosystem and the country,” she said at the McDonald’s 2023 Inspirational Teachers’ Award presentation ceremony in Ayer Keroh yesterday. – Bernama

3 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 GEORGE TOWN: The Penang South Island (PSI) development project will neither affect fishermen nor threaten food security as most fishing activities take place much farther from the reclamation site. Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC), which is a special purpose vehicle to ensure smooth implementation of the project, said in a statement that the fishing zone for southern Penang Island coastal fishermen is a vast area some 14km from the coastline. “Local fishermen usually operate in areas located beyond the project site. We received this information from local fishermen and we verified it by conducting a physical boat count and by using satellite images that captured the movements of fishing boats in the area. “As most of the fishing activities took place far from the reclamation site, the state government decided to provide fishermen with larger boats equipped with powerful engines, sonar, GPS and net haulers to make it more convenient for them, as part of the project’s Social Impact Management Plan.” The plan also offers financial aid, new jetties with proper facilities, training, job and business opportunities, education support for their children, a home ownership scheme and a 250m wide navigation channel that enables fishermen to go to sea regardless of the tide, Bernama reported. PIC also denied allegations that the project would have widespread impact, adding that it was an exaggeration on the part of certain parties to allege that a reclamation project in Penang waters could affect conditions as far as Kedah and Selangor. It said mitigation measures would confine the impact to the project site, based on the approved Environmental Impact Assessment report, that states reclamation works would be done in phases, with its effects occurring gradually and in a controlled manner. “A hydraulics study, that was approved by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage last year, shows that even without any rigorous implementation of mitigation measures, the sediment dispersion would be closely limited to the reclaimed area. “The PSI layout was optimised to ensure minimum impact on the surrounding environment while silt curtains would further prevent the dispersion of sediment,” it said, adding that the project will be monitored by the Department of Environment. On ecology recovery and carbon reduction, it said the project will implement the PSI Ecology Offset Masterplan, that aims to minimise the impact on marine life and create new habitats that boosts the sustainability of the fisheries sector, which includes planting mangrove trees, building eco-friendly shorelines, releasing fish and shrimp fries, deploying artificial reefs and placement of fish aggregating devices as well as providing funds for marine-related research. “PSI is designed with the future in mind, and that means it must be adaptable to climate change and other challenges that may come. This is why the PSI development project is important to the state economy. “The project does not spell the end for any group or community. It is a new beginning for Penang. It is a project that will give us the opportunity to build a better and more economically resilient future for the generations that come after us.” Mainstream media still relevant in digital age: Academician KUALA LUMPUR: Mainstream media is still relevant in today’s digital age as it plays a very important and significant role in disseminating information to the people, said Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Faculty of Leadership and Management senior lecturer Dr Sofia Hayati Yusoff. She said this was because mainstream media consists of a group of professional and trained individuals. “We have a group of media practitioners who are very professional. They are well-trained, well-credentialed, licensed and authoritative. So, the dissemination of news is based on authentic sources. “Malaysians should place high trust in mainstream media because they produce news in accordance with the law and they understand journalism ethics as outlined by the Society of Professional Journalists,” she said when appearing as a guest on the Bernama TV Apa Khabar Malaysia programme yesterday. Sofia Hayati added that mainstream media also played a significant role in countering the spread of fake news on social media, as was the case when the country was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. “We could see the role of mainstream media at the time to repel fake news that was being spread on social media. “So, the role of mainstream media is not only to convey what is authentic and true, but they also have a big role to ward off fake news that can lead to slander.” – Bernama Reclamation project no threat to fishermen, food security oSteps taken to ensure controlled effects at work site, with marine life and fisheries sector sustainability plan ready Improve efforts, Anwar tells enforcement agencies SERDANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday reminded all enforcement bodies under the Home Ministry to improve their performance, apart from assisting the government in conducting a shift in administration governance. He said the services by the groups should be able to help drive national economic growth and ensure fair distribution of the country’s wealth. “I have always called for improvement at our airports and borders in Cabinet meetings. We also had discussions at the National Economic Council with (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) as smuggling is still rife. We lose RM10 billion worth of diesel every year. “This (RM10 billion) could be used to build universities, repair police and armed forces quarters and prisons. I am asking the enforcement bodies to find ways to improve services with more effective operations,” he said in his speech during a Madani Hari Raya event at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang yesterday. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Tourism, Art and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing. Anwar, who is also finance minister, said reprimands do not mean no good had been done by the enforcement bodies, but it was rather only to drive them towards better efforts. “The government appreciates the services of all enforcement agencies in this country. So far, the country is peaceful and the institutions are running well compared with some countries. But we as humans must have the desire to do better and strive for excellence. “(Even if) the reports received were all good, there is still room to improve. (Whether it is) in politics, careers, enforcement, immigration, prisons, police ... we have to do better,” he said. He added that all parties need to emulate the approach of the unity government through Malaysia Madani in bringing about change, especially involving a shift in governance. “It is impossible if we have a new government with a new approach but there is no change. Corruption is still there. If it is still there, whoever becomes a minister, becomes richer and richer. So, I seek such cooperation so that the services of our comrades can bring about a shift in the service.” – Bernama State-level unity govt convention proposed CYBERJAYA: On seeing the display of goodwill among various political parties at the 2023 Unity Government National Convention, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday suggested that the unity government convention be held at the state level as well. “A state-level convention is proposed to be held so that the grassroots can also participate, not only to listen but to give diverse views, and we should open it up to the public to participate,” said the Umno president. Ahmad Zahid added that the compatibility seen among the parties at the convention on Sunday, which was attended by more than 3,500 invitees from the 19 parties that form the government, would become an important element in facing the state elections later. “The leaders shared the same stage and representatives from various parties listened to and interacted with one another other. What we will face later is the state polls, so this compatibility is important for us to continue promoting,” he said. – Bernama PN seat allocation almost finalised MARANG: Perikatan Nasional (PN) will finalise next week the seat distribution among its component parties for the six state elections. Terengganu PN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the presidential council will finalise the matter after obtaining the results of the discussions from the interparty consultation committee. “What I can say is that our discussions at the state level are going well and the meeting will decide the number of seats that PAS, Bersatu and Gerakan will contest,” the PAS vice-president told reporters yesterday. Meanwhile, Ahmad Samsuri, who is also Terengganu menteri besar, said PN would also announce some big names from various political parties, who will join the coalition early next month. Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan must hold elections this year as they did not hold their state polls during last year’s general election. – Bernama RELIABLE RELIEF ... Batu Maung residents fetching water from a 125-year-old well at Masjid Jamek Kampung Binjai in Penang yesterday after the area was affected by a supply disruption. – BERNAMAPIC

4 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Star students share award winning experiences KUALA LUMPUR: Three students made the country proud in recent years by bringing home medals and awards from international academic competitions. Sharing their experiences, Arman Iskandar Asrul Akmal, 16; Muhammad Al Amin Amran, 22; and Ameerul Atef Mohammad Nazir, 20, hope their success would motivate others to keep Malaysia’s flag flying high. Arman Iskandar was crowned champion in the Bee 8 Oscar’s category at the Eurasian Spelling Bee Lexical Skills Competition at Gdansk, Poland in November last year. He represented Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Pondok Upeh, Penang. He said he was motivated to participate in more similar competitions when he saw his school flag on stage. “I also hope my success would inspire other friends from rural schools.” Arman Iskandar said selection was based on his school examination results and English proficiency. The competition was divided into four stages, namely preliminary, quarter-final, semi-final and final. “However, I was able to divide my time to study and practise because the first three phases were during the movement control order,” he added. Meanwhile, Muhammad Al Amin won a bronze medal by beating competitors from 10 countries in the secondary school category at the 13th International Standards Olympiad in South Korea in 2018 while he was a student at SMK Baroh Pial, Kelantan. The biology student at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam said the competition was designed to provide opportunities for students around the world to demonstrate their knowledge and to share new ideas on standards and technology. “I was selected to enter the competition after winning the first place in a national-level essay writing competition organised by the Standards Malaysia Department in 2017.” Muhammad Al Amin said if he was given a chance, he would enter more international programmes. Former Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah Putrajaya student Ameerul Atef participated in a parliamentary debate competition at the Hwa Chong Model Asean Summit in Singapore in March 2019. Ameerul Atef returned home with the Best Delegation award and Honorable Mention award. “After a week of socialising with students from the Asean region, my confidence to speak and socialise in English improved and the love for our homeland strengthened,” he said. – Bernama Govt honoursroad safety advocate KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences lecturer Prof Dr Kulanthayan K.C. Mani has received the Road Safety Icon award from the Road Transport Department. He was recently honoured by Transport Minister Anthony Loke for “outstanding services and contributions in promoting road safety in the country”. Born in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Kulanthayan was also a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award recipient in 2017, a National Road Safety Council of Malaysia member since 2013, and a Road Safety Affiliate of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research Loke presenting the award to Kulanthayan. – PIC COURTESY OF PROF DR KULANTHAYAN K.C. MANI oUniversity professor grateful to be recognised for contributions in promoting safe practices █ BY SIVANISVARRY MORHAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com since 2020. “His dedication to improving road safety has not gone unnoticed. This also shows that the government takes road safety seriously with continued efforts to reduce the number of road accidents in the country,” said Loke at the 77th RTD Day celebration. Kulanthayan graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Resource Economics from the then Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, now known as Universiti Putra Malaysia, in 1995, followed by a Master of Science Degree in Transport Planning from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 1997. He also earned his doctoral degree in Transport Engineering from UPM in 2002. In 2007, he obtained his Diploma in Traffic Safety from Lund University in Sweden. “I am happy to be recognised by national policy makers from the Transport Ministry and RTD for my contributions to road safety since 1997, Kulanthayan told theSun. “Encouraging the public to adopt safe practices can be quite challenging, particularly when they are used to unsafe habits,” he said.

5 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 Appeal hearing of ex-rural ministry sec-gen postponed PUTRAJAYA: The hearing of the appeals by former rural and regional development ministry secretarygeneral Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and his son against their conviction and jail sentences for bribery charges scheduled yesterday was postponed. A Court of Appeal three-member bench comprising justices Datuk Hanipah Farikullah, Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allowed the duo’s lawyer Datuk Rajpal Singh’s application to postpone the hearing after he informed the court that his clients were unwell and could not attend court. Rajpal said a letter had been submitted stating that Mohd Arif, who had chest pains on Saturday, was suffering from coronary artery disease and receiving treatment while his son Ahmad Zukhari tested positive for Covid-19. DPP Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar did not object to the application. The court then fixed Aug 21 for the hearing of their appeals. On Nov 14, 2018, the Sessions Court found Mohd Arif, 66, guilty of abetting his son Ahmad Zukhari in accepting S$200,000 (RM672,000) from Syarikat Wazlina Sdn Bhd director Mohd Safian Mohd Salleh. He was charged with accepting the money as gratification for him and his son over a hybrid solar system project at four remote islands off Sandakan, Sabah, worth RM57.5 million, which was awarded to Syarikat Eramaz (M) Sdn Bhd, an associate company of Syarikat Wazlina. The court sentenced Mohd Arif to three years’ jail and fined him RM3 million, in default three years imprisonment, Bernama reported. Ahmad Zukhari, 41, a businessman, was sentenced to five years’ jail and fined RM9.6 million, in default 10 years’ jail, after the court found him guilty of four counts of soliciting and accepting bribes for several projects involving the Rural Development Ministry in 2016. They lost their appeals, which were dismissed by the High Court on March 23, 2021, prompting them to appeal to the Court of Appeal. Mother denies sexually assaulting two underage sons KLANG: A mother pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court yesterday to three charges of committing physical sexual assault on her two sons, aged 12 and 14, in November last year. The 33-year-old woman was alleged to have committed the offence at 8pm in their apartment unit in Puncak Alam. She was charged under Sections 14(a) and 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provides imprisonment of 20 years and whipping. The mother of five also pleaded not guilty to another charge of directing the making of child pornography at a hotel in Sungai Buloh between Feb 17 and 18 last year. For that, she was charged under Section 5 of the same Act, which also carries the same punishment. Meanwhile, car repossessor Haddad Mohd Radhi, 22, who is the woman’s acquaintance, was also charged with committing physical sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl at the same hotel on the same date. Judge Syafeera Mohd Said did not grant bail for the woman, who was not represented, and set June 26 for mention. For Haddad, who was represented by lawyer Mohd Azali Ibrahim, the judge allowed bail of RM15,000 in one surety and ordered him to report to police on the first day of each month and barred him from contacting the girl. The man’s case was set for mention on June 14. DPP Nurul Izzati Mohamad and Nur Ayuni Jamri prosecuted. – Bernama Meth, ganja worth RM3.3 million seized in Kelantan since 2019 KOTA BHARU: The Customs Department in Kelantan succeeded in confiscating RM3.32 million worth of methamphetamine and compacted ganja since 2019, said its director Wan Jamal Abdul Salam Wan Long. He said all the seizures were from eight cases recorded at various locations near the Malaysia-Thai border. He said among the drugs seized were 271,305 methamphetamine pills valued at RM2.7 million and 248kg of compacted ganja worth RM620,000. “In each case, the drugs were brought in through the country’s borders due to the demand.” Wan Jamal added that his department has been intensifying monitoring and patrols as well as intelligence at all the entry points and borders to curb drug smuggling. He said the public is requested to cooperate by channelling information related to any smuggling activities by contacting the Customs toll-free line 1-800-88-8855 or the nearest Customs office, adding that the identity of the informant will be kept confidential. – Bernama Police chiefs reminded to uphold pledge KUALA LUMPUR: District police chiefs have been reminded not to treat lightly the “Integrity Pledge” signed every month to eradicate gambling in their respective administrative districts, said Bukit Aman CID director Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. He said this was because he received information that some among the Kuala Lumpur police contingent were not satisfied when the Bukit Aman CID D7 Task Force was sent to take action. “All OCPDs who sign the pledge should not have any gambling activities in their respective districts and have to stick to that promise. “Don’t treat the pledge as tissue paper that has no value, and no more warnings will be given,” he said. – Bernama Income boost for fishermen from cockle farming project MANJUNG (Perak): At 3am, Mohd Salleh Yunus is already up and on the way to his cockle farm located in the Strait of Malacca off the Lekir Valley, which he operates with seven other fishermen. He gets into his boat and heads for his farm equipped with a lift net attached to a pole, which he uses to scoop up the cockles, that are likened to “black gold” by the fishing community. The farm is a five-minute boat ride from the Kuala Kayan jetty but the 57-year-old fisherman is in a hurry to get there as he has to get his work done before sunrise and the high tide begins to recede. Life was hard for him before he ventured into cockle farming because he only managed to earn RM1,000 a month at the most. “Each month, I can now make a net income of about RM2,800 from selling the cockles, without having to go out to sea to catch fish,” Mohd Salleh said. Opened three years ago, the 21ha cockle farm is part of the Kebun Kerang Lekir (Lekir Cockle Farm) project overseen by the Perak Fisheries Department. The entire project has 25 lots, one of which is headed by Mohd Salleh. Each lot is operated by eight fishermen. He said hauling up the farmed cockles is far from an easy task as the lift net they use can only scoop up a small amount. “Selling them is not a problem for me. Wholesalers and restaurant owners come to the jetty as early as 8am. This is why I have to go to my farm early,” he said, adding that he sells his catch at about RM8 per kg, depending on demand. The project is aimed at improving the income and standard of living of B40 fishermen and is part of the Lekir Food Valley plan involving an area Mohamad raking in cockles at his farm. – BERNAMAPIC oInitiative launched to raise earnings of B40 group, with training, equipment and assistance given equivalent to 4,538ha. Mohd Salleh said he ventured into cockle farming with the training, equipment and assistance provided by the department. During the training, conducted over one to three days, the participants are taught how to collect, grade and clean the cockles. “I certainly have no regrets. I am now able to breed and harvest cockles systematically, and it has provided me with a stable and regular income stream. “In the past, my income was unpredictable as it would depend on the fish I catch. Sometimes, I would earn more if I could collect cockle seeds at the water edge (on the beach) and my income would be less when there were no seeds. “But I am better off now after participating in the project,” he said. Another individual who has benefited from the project is coastal fisherman and prawn rearer Mohamad Mohamed Idris, 48, who heads one of the cockle farming lots and makes about RM7,000 a month, Bernama reported. “Not only did the department equip us with the knowledge to produce cockles but also provided us with the necessary facilities. For example, our previously small and rickety jetty has been upgraded and now comes complete with a cockle grader and icebox,” he said, adding that youths from nearby villages were also involved in the farming project. Commenting on the project, Perak Fisheries Department deputy director Albert Apollo Chan said it is among the biggest in the country and generates enough cockles to meet more than 50% of market requirement in Peninsular Malaysia.

6 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS /thesundaily FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK SCAN ME Thai opposition parties agree to form coalition oAmendments to royal insult law will be pursued, says Move Forward leader BANGKOK: Thailand’s two main opposition parties agreed yesterday to form a ruling coalition after they trounced in a weekend election military-backed rivals that have controlled government for nearly a decade. The Move Forward party and opposition heavyweight Pheu Thai dominated Sunday’s ballot in a stunning rout of army-backed parties, but they could face challenges in mustering enough support, with parliamentary rules drafted by the military after a 2014 coup skewed in favour of its allies. Their alliance would need to ensure its efforts to form a new government would not be stymied by a junta-appointed Senate, which gets to vote on the prime minister in a bicameral sitting of the 750-member legislature, and has a record of favouring conservative parties led by generals. Pita Limjaroenrat (pix), Move Forward’s 42-year-old leader proposed an alliance of six parties that would command 309 seats, with him as prime minister. That would be short of the 376 seats needed to ensure he was elected to the top job. Asked about the upper house Senate, he said all sides must respect the election outcome and there was no use going against it. “I am not worried but I am not careless,” he told a press conference. “It will be quite a hefty price to China cities broil in heat, brace for more record temperatures Myanmar city cut off after deadly cyclone B R I E F S PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s polls body said yesterday it has disqualified the sole opposition Candlelight Party from contesting upcoming elections in July, over its failure to submit proper registration documents. Though other parties have signed up to contest, the Candlelight’s disqualification means the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) looks set to run virtually unopposed. Asked for comment on the disqualification, spokesman for the CPP Sok Eysan said the election would be free and fair, adding that more than 10 parties had registered. The Candlelight Party is a reincarnation of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), a popular opposition that the Supreme Court disbanded in 2017 ahead of an election that was swept by CPP. Scores of former CNRP members have been detained or convicted of crimes, many in absentia having fled into exile amid a sweeping crackdown by long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen. Hun Sen has said the CPP will dominate politics for up to 100 years. Human Rights watch last month accused Cambodia’s government of stepping up attacks on the opposition with rhetoric that had led to assaults on members of the Candlelight Party. It said foreign governments should send a clear message that “dismantling opposition parties and disqualifying, assaulting, and arresting their members before election day means that there won’t be any real election at all”. The government has denied targeting its opponents, saying legal cases against them were enforcement of the law. – Reuters Residents walking past fallen trees in the town of Kyauktaw in Rakhine state yesterday. – AFPPIC pay if someone is thinking about debunking the election result or forming a minority government.” Pheu Thai, controlled by the billionaire Shinawatra family, said it agreed with Pita’s proposal and wished him luck in efforts to become prime minister. The party had won most seats in every election this century, including twice in landslides, but met its match against Move Forward as it came close to a sweep of the capital Bangkok and made gains in some Pheu Thai and conservative strongholds. “Pheu Thai has no plan to form any other government,” leader Chonlanan Srikaew told reporters. Asked about the possibility of their coalition being thwarted by the upper house, he said: “In principle, senators will have to respect the people’s voice.” Though the results appear to be a big blow for the military and its allies, with parliamentary rules on their side and influential power-brokers behind them, they could determine the shape of a new government. Move Forward was galvanised by a wave of excitement among the youth over its liberal agenda and promises of bold changes, including breaking up monopolies and reforming a law on insulting the monarchy. The party added a new dimension to the battle for power that was for years centred on the polarising Shinawatra family and a pro-military establishment, that brought two decades of on-off tumult. Pita said Move Forward would press ahead with its plan to amend strict lese majeste laws against insulting the monarchy. – Reuters BEIJING: Major Chinese cities have issued heat advisories, with Beijing expected to swelter in 36°C temperatures as China braces for record-breaking heat that could threaten electricity supply, crops and a fragile economy. China has suffered from heat waves in several regions since March. Yunnan province in the southwest, which is known for its mild weather, recently suffered temperatures of more than 40°C, putting a huge burden on the power grid as millions of homes switched on air conditioners. The eastern province Shandong and the capital Beijing have issued heat warnings while Jinan and Tianjin in the north and centrally located Zhengzhou, are expected to see temperatures soar to as high as 37°C. The heat waves are occurring ahead of the regular summer season, which is particularly worrying for agriculture. Crop damage could drive up food prices, exacerbate inflation and put pressure on the economy as it tries to rebound from a three-year zeroCovid policy that stunted growth. Yunnan had only 35mm of rain for the year to April 20, state broadcaster CCTV reported recently with rainfall in the provincial capital of Kunming less than 8mm, the lowest since records began. The heat could again put pressure on water reserves. Last year, a two-month stretch of record-breaking temperatures caused major rivers and waterways to dry up, severely impacting the Yangtze River. Experts point to global warming for the extreme weather. – Reuters CRYPTO ASSETS STOLEN FROM JAPAN TOKYO: Hacker groups affiliated with North Korea have stolen US$721 million (RM3.2 billion) worth of cryptocurrency assets from Japan since 2017, Nikkei business daily reported yesterday, citing a study by UK blockchain analysis provider Elliptic. The amount is equal to 30% of the total of such losses globally, it said. The report comes after G7 finance ministers and central bank governors said in a statement on Saturday that they support measures to counter growing threats from illicit activities by state actors, such as the theft of crypto-assets. According to Elliptic, North Korea has stolen a total of US$2.3 billion in cryptocurrency from businesses between 2017 and last year. – Reuters CHINESE COURT JAILS U.S. CITIZEN FOR LIFE BEIJING: A 78-year-old US citizen has been sentenced to life in prison for espionage, a China court said yesterday, but revealed few details about the case that had previously gone unreported. Such heavy terms are relatively rare for foreign citizens in China, and the jailing of American passport holder John Shing-wan Leung is likely to further strain ties between Beijing and Washington. Leung, who is a Hong Kong permanent resident, “was found guilty of espionage, sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life”, said a statement from the Intermediate People’s Court in the eastern city of Suzhou. – AFP Cambodia polls body disqualifies sole opposition party YANGON: Tens of thousands of people in a major Myanmar port city were cut off from contact yesterday after a deadly cyclone tore through the west of the country and neighbouring Bangladesh. Cyclone Mocha made landfall between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Myanmar’s Sittwe packing winds of up to 195kph, the biggest storm to hit the Bay of Bengal in years. By Sunday night, the storm had largely passed, sparing the refugee camps housing almost a million Rohingya in Bangladesh, where officials said there had been no deaths. Three people were killed in Myanmar, the junta said yesterday, two in Rakhine state and one in southern Ayeyarwady region. “Some residents were injured” in the storm, the statement said, without giving details. It added that 864 houses and 14 hospitals or clinics had been damaged across the country. Communications were still down yesterday with Rakhine’s capital Sittwe, home to around 150,000 people and which bore the brunt of the storm, according to cyclone trackers. The road to Sittwe was littered with trees, pylons and power cables, AFP correspondents said, with vehicles full of rescuers and locals trying to reach the city and their relatives forming queues. “We drove all the way through the cyclone yesterday and cut trees and pushed away pylons ... but then the big trees blocked the road,” said an ambulance driver trying to reach Sittwe. He and others were using a chainsaw to cut through branches of trees blocking the road. “I want to go home as fast as I can because we don’t know the situation in Sittwe,” a man from the town told AFP, requesting anonymity. “There is no phone line, there is no internet. I’m worried for my home and belongings.” Mocha made landfall on Sunday, bringing a storm surge and high winds that toppled a communications tower in Sittwe, according to images published on social media. “Everything has been damaged in Sittwe,” said one resident who was in the city. Junta-affiliated media reported that the storm had put hundreds of base stations, which connect mobile phones to networks, out of action in Rakhine state. On Bangladesh’s Shah Porir Dwip island, residents began repairing damaged homes, searching through debris and retrieving scattered possessions. Bangladesh officials said they had evacuated 750,000 people. – AFP

7 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 Wagner chief dismisses report on offer to betray Russia KYIV: Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner private militia, yesterday dismissed a report in the Washington Post, sourced to a US intelligence leak, that he had offered to reveal the positions of Russian troops to the Ukrainian government. Wagner’s soldiers have been at the forefront of a bloody Russian offensive to take the city of Bakhmut. The Post reported that Prigozhin in January offered to tell Ukrainian intelligence the positions of Russian forces, with which his militia has frequently been at loggerheads, in exchange for Ukraine pulling back from the area. The newspaper said Ukraine had rejected the offer. In an audio message posted by his press service on Telegram yesterday, Yevgeny Prigozhin called the allegations “nonsense”, and suggested that unnamed residents of Moscow’s Rublyovka suburb, home to many of the business and political elite, were orchestrating an attack on him. Prigozhin also denied having met Ukrainian military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov in an unnamed African country, saying he had not been in the continent since the start of the Ukraine conflict and portraying the idea of a phone call with him as laughable. Last week, he publicly threatened to withdraw his mercenaries from Bakhmut, where they have led the Russian offensive for months at enormous cost in casualties, unless they receive more ammunition from the Defence Ministry. But Prigozhin also said he and his men would be seen as traitors if they did so. He has also accused the regular army of failing to defend Wagner’s flanks as it had promised, and has repeatedly suggested that top Russian defence officials and business elites are undermining the military effort in Ukraine. The Post reported that Prigozhin’s offer had come through his contacts with Ukraine’s intelligence service. A White House spokesman declined to comment on the report, which was based on secret US documents leaked to the group-chat platform Discord. – Reuters Muted protests end week of unrest in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: A week of tumult in Pakistan ended quietly on Sunday as protests largely failed to materialise for former prime minister Imran Khan, whose arrest and brief detention last week sparked days of deadly unrest. But more demonstrations could erupt in the coming days, with the opposition leader facing more court cases, pledging to restart campaigning and an arrest embargo due to expire. Imran – a one-time cricket superstar – was manhandled into custody on graft charges by paramilitary Rangers during a routine appearance at Islamabad High Court on Tuesday. The arrest brought his supporters onto the streets with government buildings set ablaze, roads blocked and damage to property belonging to the army, which they blame for Imran’s downfall. On Friday, Imran was freed on bail after his detention was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court and claimed he was “treated like a terrorist”. Since being released, the 70-year-old has vowed to continue campaigning for snap elections. He also called for nationwide protests to take place on Sunday evening, but they largely failed to materialise in Imran’s home city of Lahore, where he travelled after his release. “I was ashamed to see that no one came out in our neighbourhood, so I came out here to a main road to be seen,” said 48-year-old Lahore housewife Aisha Asif. “We just want the country’s betterment.” – AFP B R I E F SSENIOR BRAZILIAN COP KILLS FOUR COLLEAGUES BRASILIA: A Brazilian police inspector shot and killed four colleagues on Sunday at the station where they worked, according to the department. The incident occurred on Sunday morning at a civil police station in the city of Camocim, in the northeastern state of Ceara, the force said in an Instagram post. The suspect, who was off duty at the time, fled in a police vehicle and later surrendered at a military police station, a local security official told the G1 news outlet. The situation – including any potential motive – remains under investigation. The mayor of Camocim – which is approximately 350km from the state capital of Fortaleza – declared three days of mourning in remembrance of the victims. – AFP NAVAL OFFICER FOUND GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE OSLO: A Norwegian naval officer was found guilty yesterday and sentenced to a two-month suspended jail sentence for negligence leading up to the 2018 collision between a warship he commanded and an oil tanker in which the military vessel sank. Building a replacement for the lost Helge Ingstad frigate would have cost up to 13 billion crowns (RM5.6 billion), the armed forces estimated in a 2019 report. The early-morning crash between the Ingstad and the fully loaded Sola TS crude carrier near a major North Sea oil export terminal also triggered shutdowns of parts of Norway’s petroleum production. The defendant was the officer in charge on the bridge of the Ingstad at the time. – Reuters Missing Australian presumed dead after shark attack CANBERRA: A surfer missing since being attacked by a shark off the southern coast of Australia at the weekend is “presumed dead”, police said yesterday, as a search turned up fragments of wetsuit-like material. The surfer, identified by media as teacher Simon Baccanellow, 46, was attacked on Saturday off Walkers Rock Beach, South Australia’s state police said in a statement. Teams scouring the area for signs of the man on Sunday had located two “items of interest”, police said. “One item appears to be a piece of wetsuit material, and the other items appear to be small pieces of white polystyrene (possible surfboard material).” Police said the fragments would be sent for forensic examination. Teams will carry on searching beaches in the area after high tide “in the coming days”, police said, following consultations with the man’s family. An emergency services official in the area told public broadcaster ABC that as many as 16 people were near the surfer on Saturday, some of whom “saw evidence of the attack”. – AFP Turkiye faces election runoff ANKARA: Turkiye braced yesterday for its first election runoff after a night of high drama showed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan edging ahead of his secular rival but failing to secure a first-round win. Erdogan sounded triumphant as he emerged before a sea of supporters shortly after midnight to proclaim himself ready to lead the nation for another five years. Almost complete results from Turkiye’s most important election of its post-Ottoman era showed Erdogan – in power since 2003 and undefeated in more than a dozen national votes – falling just short of the 50% threshold needed to win. “I wholeheartedly believe that we will continue to serve our people in the coming five years,” the 69-year-old said to huge cheers. He also claimed his ruling AK party and its ultranationalist allies had captured a clear majority in parliament. Figures from the Anadolu state news agency showed Erdogan picking up 49.3% of the vote. Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu was trailing with 45% – a disappointing outcome after late pre-election polls had shown him in the lead. Turkey’s first presidential runoff in the mostly Muslim but officially secular state’s 100-year history is planned for May 28. Kilicdaroglu’s camp had initially contested the vote count and claimed to be ahead. But the 74-year-old looked slightly Erdogan supporters waving flags outside the AK Party headquarters after polls closed in Ankara. – AFPPIC oErdogan leads in first round, ruling alliance claims parliamentary majority despondent as he faced reporters yesterday and admitted that a runoff seemed inevitable. “If our nation says second round, we will absolutely win in the second round. “The will for change in the society is higher than 50%.” The lira fell against the dollar and euro on investor disappointment that Erdogan’s era of unconventional economics may not be over. Reported turnout approached 90% in what has become a referendum on Turkiye’s longest-serving leader. Erdogan has steered the nation of 85 million through one of its most transformative and divisive eras. Turkiye has grown into a military and geopolitical heavyweight that plays roles in conflicts from Syria to Ukraine. The Nato member’s footprint in both Europe and the Middle East makes the election’s outcome as critical for Washington and Brussels as it is for Damascus and Moscow. Much of the attention will now focus on a little known independent candidate who has turned into a kingmaker by picking up 5% of the vote. Sinan Ogan was expelled from an ultranationalist party that has since joined forces with Erdogan and entered the campaign a few months before the vote. “We will not say if we will support this or that candidate,” Ogan said on Sunday. “We will hold consultations with their representatives and then decide.” – AFP

8 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 SPEAK UP ON this revered occasion of Mother’s Day, let us embark on a fascinating voyage of introspection, where we unravel the extraordinary roles that mothers gracefully fulfil in our lives. They are the pillars of our families, embodying the essence of love and strength, whether as stay-at-home nurturers or indefatigable conquerors of the professional realm. From grandmothers to mother figures, they shape the foundation upon which our society stands. Today, we shall bestow our deepest admiration and pay homage to these remarkable women, who devote their lives to raising and nurturing the seeds of the next generation. Mothers, the unwavering beacons of love, strength and guidance, cast a radiant light that guides us through the darkest storms and the most perplexing of times. From the moment we take our first breath, they assume the roles of our champions, our protectors and our eternal wellsprings of solace. Motherhood is also a profound journey connecting women across generations, creating a powerful legacy that resonates within us. Today, as we honour their invaluable role in our society, we dive into the joys, challenges and wisdom that multigenerational motherhood brings. Like the interwoven strands of a vibrant mosaic, we celebrate the strength and resilience embedded beyond time and space. In the course of my own journey, I have witnessed mothers from diverse generations, each leaving their indelible mark. My late mother, born in 1936 in India, often reminisced about a simpler time when cooking was a cherished ritual, nourishing both body and soul. Her mother, I was told, would infuse into their daily diet herbs and condiments that nurtured good health. And for every minor ailment, there was a home remedy that was readily available and it always worked. With ingredients harvested from their own farm and garden, a healthy lifestyle was ingrained following a natural balance that now aligns with the inverted food pyramid. When my mother arrived in Malaysia after her marriage in 1963, she embraced the local flavours influenced by her Malaysian in-laws. Over the years, she skillfully adapted and modified recipes to suit the local palate. The result? Mouthwatering dishes that delighted the taste buds but deviated from the health-focused approach of her upbringing. In my own generation, the luxury of a mother and a live-in maid combo spoiled me to the core. Cooking and household chores were foreign concepts, as my mother’s expert hands effortlessly created culinary masterpieces. Attempting to replicate her dishes never yielded the same satisfaction. As I raised my own children, I followed the wisdom passed down by my mother, dictating strict mealtime routines and prescribed food choices. Looking back, those mealtimes were often met with resistance and struggles with a sense of horror for both the children and the feeding entourage. Now, I observe my nieces, the new-age mothers are driven by the knowledge acquired online, guidance from expert pediatric nutritionists and innate wisdom. Their approaches differ greatly from the past, embracing a generously democratic way. Their toddlers are empowered to choose what they want to eat and when, and learn to feed themselves with occasional messes that are considered part of the learning process. Some practices of this new generation may sound peculiar to those from my era. For instance, newborns were not given water until the age of six months, and sugar and salt are withheld for even longer periods. No candies or chocolates until who knows when. Having said that, the babies grow up just as healthy, if not better and they are self-enabling from an early age. On this occasion, I must mention a busy colleague of mine who talks about her twins who are just 12 and how they both mother her, including tucking her into bed and so on. This is a true reversal of roles, and I would tell my colleague that such pleasure was a rarity and that she should relish and enjoy the pampering while it lasts. Multigenerational motherhood weaves together the threads of love, wisdom and experience, forming a vibrant mosaic that intricately shapes the lives of mothers and their children. As we commemorate the diverse perspectives and journeys of mothers spanning across generations, we cultivate a profound connection that spans the continuum of time. Let us wholeheartedly embrace the power inherent in multigenerational motherhood, acknowledging and honouring the immeasurable contributions of mothers throughout the ages. Together, we celebrate the enduring legacy they bestow upon us all. Happy Mother’s Day. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com Mobilising networks for gender equality THE IMO (International Maritime Organisation) International Day for Women in Maritime is observed annually on May 18 as a manifestation of support for women in the maritime industry, with the goal of promoting the recruitment, retention and long-term employment of women in the sector. The day also aims to enhance the visibility of women in maritime, improve IMO’s commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) and encourage efforts to address the industry’s current gender imbalance. The theme for 2023 is “Mobilising networks for gender equality”, which emphasises the significance of leveraging networks of individuals and organisations in removing barriers to women’s participation in the maritime field. The maritime industry is an extensive field that welcomes people of different backgrounds and skills. Working in the maritime discipline is an excellent approach to creating a long-term career because it keeps evolving, is dynamic and is demanding. A thriving maritime business necessitates access to a diversified pool of talent, which includes encouraging more women to seek employment. Malaysia, as a member state of the IMO, a United Nations specialised agency, remains dedicated to promoting sustainable development in order to empower women and tackle the prevailing gender imbalance in the maritime industry. It is critical to educate the public and raise awareness about the need to promote gender equality. The maritime industry is predicted to make enormous strides in the future decade by expanding job options for women in order to embrace diversity and change societal and cultural biases against them. Through this effort, women in the industry will be able to become more visible and inspire others for a sustainable future. Therefore, it is essential to spotlight women’s success stories, provide mentorship and advice, and create opportunities for them to develop in their jobs. Greater mentorship and empowerment of women in the maritime profession may be the best strategy to achieve greater gender equality in the future. To be relevant in the maritime industry, women must be courageous enough to reach out and engage new circles of connections, as well as build on the momentum of networking. Essentially, networking can be an opportunity to leverage strategy, creativity and interpersonal connections to progress towards future endeavours and enable women to flourish in the maritime field. Transformative change requires establishing solid connections, being proactive and effectively conveying your career aspirations, which can lead to the establishment of a professional network with a similar goal. The benefits of networking include a better reputation, higher visibility, a stronger support system and more influential connections towards a more inclusive and equal society. Attending industry events, joining professional organisations, and connecting with others on social networking sites can all help one build connections with others in the sector. There are numerous international networking organisations whose mission is to attract and support women at the management level in the maritime, trading and logistics sectors, such as the Women in Maritime Association and the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association. Dear ladies, mobilising means moving. Therefore, begin to expand your network for a greater cause. You can not mobilise your network if you have a fear of being rejected and are hesitant to ask for support. Keep yourself motivated to overcome both external and internal obstacles. You never know who you will be able to connect with or where that connection may go. Let prominent individuals in your network act as inspiration for career advancement and enthusiasm. I wish you all a happy International Day for Women in Maritime. Dr Izyan Munirah Mohd Zaideen is a senior lecturer at the Maritime Studies Faculty, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, and a Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association Malaysia committee member. COMMENT by Dr Izyan Munirah Mohd Zaideen Embracing the power of multigenerational motherhood

9 SPEAK UP theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 Do words alone matter that much? I WISH to offer my two cents after reading a recent report titled “Lawyer: No to ‘sayang’ or ‘dear’ in line with cases in court”. The report was based on comments by several people, including a lawyer – whose opinion was sought – the Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor executive director and the Congress of Union of Employees in the Public and Civil Services secretary-general. While I concur that using words such as sayang or dear in the written form could easily be used as proof of sexual harassment, I wish to point out that the same words could have different and even opposite meanings, when uttered in different tones. It is the tone of our voice that giveaway our true feelings, not the choice of words, as most of us are not lawyers and do not always use words accurately, especially in normal conversations. In truth, it is not what you say but how you say it. Remember the phrase “Sayang sayang, sayang sayang sayang. Sayang sayang sayang?” When each sayang is given a different tone, the same word strung together would mean: “My dear, I love you so much. Do you love me as much?” And in face-to-face communication, it is our body language that includes facial expressions, hand gestures and body postures that are more important than the tones of our voice or choice of words. A landmark study by the University of California in Los Angeles gave only 7% weightage to the verbal element in interpersonal communication, 38% to the vocal element and a massive 55% to the visual element. Hence, the powers that be should not be overly fixated on the words used. In Malaysia, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 was recently passed and came into force on March 28 and defines sexual harassment as any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature in any form, whether verbal, non-verbal, visual, gestural or physical, directed at a person which is reasonably offensive or humiliating or is a threat to his or her well-being. The Public Services Commission followed up with a circular dated April 7 that office romance and affairs constitute sexual harassment, whether verbal, physical or visual. Among the listed forms of sexual harassment is referring to colleagues as sayang or dear. And “sexting” has been classified as visual sexual harassment. YS Chan Kuala Lumpur LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com Reimagining higher education excellence AS we move towards the next milestone of advancement for humanity and the future of global development, the role and impact of higher education and universities have never been more profound and the stakes for tertiary institutions have never been higher. In measuring a university’s success as it progresses to the next frontier, using rankings as the ultimate way of recognising and assessing achievement continues to draw debate. Students and parents have relied heavily on the rankings and recognition of the best universities in selecting the universities they wish to join. Researchers and academia also rely on rankings to assess strength in their chosen fields and avenues for further growth and support. In their expertise, rankings also help them gauge the potential for advancing knowledge and breakthroughs. The university community takes pride in their university’s achievement of a position in the rankings and the ensuing recognition as an excellent research and education institution. Suppose a university is high in the rankings. In that case, it can impact the government, general society and the private sector through a chain of effects, from the students it produces to new research outcomes that will save lives and propel the nation to greater heights. On almost all occasions, rankings continue to dominate the ambition and drive of the university to seek the best avenue for the maximisation of growth, the building of potential and the cultivation of talent and knowledge. While it would be easier to avoid the potential pitfalls of the rankings game, doing so would lead, in the long term, to missed opportunities for real and in-depth progress and improvement. This would nullify any attempts at moving forward. In the core elements of institutional excellence, recognition and repute, relying on rankings has rarely been the ultimate measurement and index in pursuing preeminence. The first indicator of importance is the implacable focus on strengthening inner resilience and excellence in raising the bars high enough to warrant natural recognition and rankings. This is reflected in the core vision and purpose of many top universities worldwide, including Harvard University and our neighbouring National University of Singapore. The pursuit of self-renewal and rejuvenation of institutional progress catalyses crafting strategies earmarked towards inner excellence, agility, resilience and sustainability in anticipating and facing the needs and challenges of tomorrow. With rising global challenges from diseases to wars that increasingly affect the future of civilisations, the role of universities has never been more crucial and relevant, with a constant pressing need for change, growth and the reimagination of purpose and values. Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) is an Energy University focused on transforming visions and plans towards the next energy great leap. They are also focused on the internationalisation and industrialisation of Uniten. Revitalising their strategic manoeuvres and embracing the spirit of transformation for the better. The path for upward mobility in rankings and increased global recognition, underscored by the focus on the building of internal capacities and strength, will be derailed if there is no projected and consistent support, and investment in the appropriate structure and phases of growth, as well as maintenance of what has been accomplished. This is especially stark in relation to a university’s three critical focal points of research, academics and services through talent empowerment, all of which aim to impact humanity and the world positively. Generating this kind of impact gives credence and value to achieve the desired position in the rankings and sets the bar high. The absence of a focused and well-defined financial aid programme will negatively affect the university’s ecosystem and hinder Malaysia’s efforts to become a leading education hub. The journey has been challenging and the support needed is massive and multifaceted in ensuring an agile, resilient and sustainable drive towards this end. The top tier league offers the highest of standards from the world’s best universities, reflecting different ball games in their sources of funding support, systemic structures of growth and the sustainable cultivation and maximisation of resources in maintaining crucial success levels. In the rankings system, competition among universities and the barometer of assessment in different categories remain highly competitive and selective. A plateau is hard to escape when a particular stage is reached as maturity sets in. The competitive nature of the indicators at play starts to settle into a potential trough unless a formidable push is initiated into injecting the significant changes needed. While many question the need for the ranking system as the ultimate yardstick of a university’s success, we argue that it remains fundamental in elevating the university in reaching for the right impact on society in general. We will need to seriously rethink and remake archaic development models and structures of finance to fuel our acquisition of the necessary capital to fund expansion and progress, which is crucial to make the giant leap into the elite tier of the world’s best universities. This requires not only the participation of the entire campus community and its immediate circle of stakeholders but, more importantly, also needs future-driven and visionary insights and commitments from the main contributors and backers in ensuring that the process is given consistent attention and impetus to enable us to cross the finish line with our heads held high. A university well recognised in the rankings will have the advantage of being fuelled by exceptional incentives to be at the forefront of knowledge, despite the overwhelming competition to lead. Visibility and branding power on the global stage is the first edge to be gained. Elite universities such as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others, fully utilise this established magnetism of brand power to their full advantage in galvanising and attracting research expertise and funding, the world’s brightest talent and the best technology and resources. Rankings will provide a clear pathway for benchmarking against the world’s best, particularly in the quest to improve vulnerabilities and enhance areas that will need further improvement. The absence of a central evaluation and assessment tool in comparing the data, achievements and aspects of growth will deny us the opportunity for a holistic overview and strategic planning of the vision ahead to outline the steps that must be taken for improvement and progress. A university’s status, values and worth are not degraded by striving for proper fundamental steps in gauging its performance and using existing guides, inspirations and best practices from the best in shoring up its capacities and readiness to achieve the highest bars set. From saving lives to charting new frontiers in space, universities and academic institutions will always be at the forefront of humanity’s renewal and progress. They will always be at the centre of reference and knowledge authority for the benefit of humankind. Being in a favourable position and with the proper support to climb further in the rankings builds and complements confidence levels not just among the various stakeholders ranging from the community to the researchers but also among both public and private sectors, in gaining the high expectation of a lasting positive impact on the community as well as national and global development. In terms of outcome negotiation, with more excellent bargaining chips from the higher rankings and the subsequent positive implications, an increased level of favourable deals and partnerships for the benefit of the university and the community will be in the picture. Specific and broad-based strategic tie-ups and partnerships with global and regional firms and institutions, especially in the critical areas of development, creation of tools of tomorrow’s drivers of growth through science and technology, and ideas and innovations that will change lives and feed the hungry, will create new openings and ventures that will have an immense and monumental impact for the country. From human capital advancement to the inflow of high technology and research eminence from various quarters of the globe, the monumental impact and spill-over effects with the positive chain reaction encompassing all layers of society and the stakeholders in the nation’s progress will be immeasurable. Meeting the highest indicators of a worldclass university involves having the courage and conviction to embark on a transformative and future-driven strategic and visionary revitalisation of internal strength and readiness to embrace the changes of tomorrow. Success without due support and necessary investment in the right and critical growth platform is next to impossible. Time and urgency with the right systemic endeavours and support are paramount in ensuring that this leap to the top tier of worldclass universities in a context where funding and injection of capital for the necessary closing of the gaps with the elites will be significant and productive. With sheer vigour in shaping the quintessence of academic leadership and knowledge creation underscored by a mission-led and purpose-driven core of passion and resilience, the university has been. It will always be at the forefront of leading the national hope for global excellence and recognition with the aim of a lasting impact and legacy for the nation, people and the world. The journey has been challenging, and the support needed is massive and multi-faceted in ensuring an agile, resilient and sustainable drive towards this end. With significant challenges of the changing times and demands of the future in the increasingly competitive and changing field of higher education, the great leap forward requires a bold reimagination of purpose and values, propelled by the proper focus and resources that will embody the rejuvenation and transformation of culture, capacity and capability. This is the period of reckoning for making the big leap. The opportunities to make that happen are here and now, for this is a critical juncture in our joint quest to make Malaysia stand tall in the eyes of the world through our legacies, impact and contributions to the future of the world and humanity. The writer is the vice-chancellor of Universiti Tenaga Nasional in Putrajaya, a professor at the Faculty of Engineering in Universiti Malaya and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com COMMENT by Prof Ir Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman “Meeting the highest indicators of a world-class university involves having the courage and conviction to embark on a transformative and futuredriven strategic and visionary revitalisation of internal strength and readiness to embrace the changes of tomorrow.

10 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 MEDIA & MARKETING GET ready to raise your glasses as the ultimate bartender’s test is back once again! With its passion for consumers and a commitment to excellence, HEINEKEN Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) is setting the standard for bartenders with the return of Star Academy 2023 through its new and improved 2023 National Star Academy Championship and Regional Quality Training. With a mission to educate, recruit, challenge, and crown the 2023 champion, the brewer is calling all bartenders across the nation to join the elite ranks and take their skills to the next level. Vasily Baranov, Sales Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia said: “At HEINEKEN Malaysia, our commitment goes beyond the brewery as we train and empower our partner bartenders to deliver exceptional consumer experiences. “Through our yearly Star Academy programme, we want to equip bartenders across Malaysia with the product knowledge and technical know-how to serve the perfect glass of beer while inspiring them to strive for excellence, and in turn, raise the bar for the industry.” Star Academy 2023 This year’s new and improved HEINEKEN Malaysia’s National Star Academy Championship and Training will be more comprehensive than ever before, as the brewer will be combining both its Heineken Star Quality and the Guinness Perfect Pour programmes to be held in Selangor, Johor, Penang, Perak, Sabah, and Sarawak. Bartenders will go through an immersive experience as they engage their senses in mastering beer taste profiling, as well as perfecting the Get a jump start today on creating a successful tomorrow! For the best in local and international higher education institutions, catch theSun's fortnightly Education Focus. FOCUS 2023 EDUCATION Contact us now for special deals on digital, video and print advertising. oHEINEKEN Malaysia is proud to bring back its Star Academy for the year 2023 VIPs flag off World Vision run for Children RECENTLY, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports YB Adam Adli and the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, represented by YBhg Datuk Haji Azmi Abdul Hamid, Executive Director of Social Economic Development, DBKL flagged off the World Vision Malaysia Run for Children held at Dataran DBKL, Kuala Lumpur . Also, present at the flag-off were Terry Leong, World Vision Malaysia CEO; Tan Chor Sen, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad CEO and Datuk Naim Mohamad, Chairman of the KL Car-Free Morning Implementation Committee. The World Vision Run for Children is an annual run to advocate for child rights. This year, the theme is Behind Every Scar, There is a Story, a reminder that although the trauma may fade over time, it leaves an indelible mark on children. Thus, everyone has a role to play to ensure that our children grow up safe and protected. Unlike other runs that require runners to complete a specific distance, participants of World Vision’s Run for Children are required to clock in a total of 42 minutes (to advocate for the 42 Rights of Children as outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). The Run is a hybrid event where participants can choose to run in person at the official event or virtually at a venue and time of their choosing. Approximately 2,500 participants signed up for the Run, of which 50% including families and children were at Dataran DBKL this morning. Employees from OCBC Malaysia, Valiram and Mastercard also joined the Run to support child rights. Funds raised will go towards child protection projects in Malaysia and overseas to help and protect children from abuse, neglect, and other forms of violence. To date, World Vision Malaysia has raised more than RM180,000. Those interested to participate and donate towards the Run can do so by visiting worldvision.com.my/ On your mark, get set, go ... VIPs and participants at the starting line Heineken Star Quality Pour and Guinness Perfect Pour. The training will empower bartenders with newly acquired skills, allowing them to earn their credentials and excel in serving the perfect glass of beer. As a result, bar-goers will be able to enjoy the best-tasting glasses of Heineken and Guinness when they order their favourite beers. Beyond the training sessions, bartenders will also be competing to be crowned as the 2023 champion by showcasing their skills in the taste profiling tests and executing the Heineken Star Quality Pour and Guinness Perfect Pour flawlessly. This competition will not only test the bartenders’ ability to identify a quality draught beer but also enhance their understanding of the diverse range of taste profiles offered by HEINEKEN Malaysia’s extensive selection of beer styles. The National Star Academy Champion will then be crowned at the finale in September 2023. The winner will walk away with an all-expenses paid trip to Amsterdam, where Heineken was first brewed, for both the champion bartender and the bar owner or a representative. Taking things up a notch this year, Star Academy is also introducing the Star Academy Mastership public event a day after the finale, where beer enthusiasts can also try their hand at mastering the perfect pour. Regional Master Class HEINEKEN Malaysia’s commitment to quality is the driving force behind Star Academy’s approach to excellence. To ensure that the highest standards were met across all regions, Star Academy kicked off the year with a series of Regional Master Class held in non-urban areas, including Langkawi, Alor Setar, Kluang, Muar, Segamat, Sandakan, Bintulu, Melaka, and Sitiawan. This meticulous approach to quality assurance reinforces HEINEKEN Malaysia’s dedication to delivering exceptional experiences to its consumers in Malaysia. Star Academy 2023 Challenges For the first time ever, Star Academy is also rolling out innovative challenges for bartenders to push their boundaries and showcase their Where passion meets precision culinary creativity through beerinfused food and drink creations. Challenges include: Beer Mixology Throwdown Challenge: Bartenders are called to showcase their mixology skills by creating cocktails, infused with HEINEKEN Malaysia-branded beers. The winning cocktail will be awarded a recognition plaque and travel voucher. Guinness Food Infused Challenge: Chefs are called to unleash their imagination and create exciting, original, and inventive ways to infuse Guinness in their meals. The winning dish will be awarded a recognition plaque and travel voucher. Book Your Spot To participate in this year’s Star Academy training, bartenders at participating HEINEKEN outlets, including restaurants, pubs, and bars, may register their interest at the Star Academy website at staracademy.heinekenmalaysia.com. As for beer enthusiasts, stay tuned for the Star Academy Mastership event in September and take on the challenge of mastering the Heineken Star Quality Pour and Guinness Perfect Pour. For more information, please visit heinekenmalaysia.com. en/get-involved/run-for-children. Supporting partners of the 2023 World Vision Run for Children are OCBC Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur), KL Car-Free Morning Multigreen Events Sdn Bhd while sponsors include Chek Hup Sdn Bhd, FIFFY Sdn Bhd and Etika Group of Companies (Bleu and Revive).

KLCI 1,417.37 STI 3,214.72 6.17 HANG SENG 19,971.13 343.89 SCI 3,310.74 38.38 NIKKEI 29,626.34 27.31 TSEC 15,475.05 3.93 KOSPI 2,479.35 S&P/ASX200 7,267.10 10.40 TUESDAY MAY 16, 2023 Editorial Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: sunbiz@thesundaily.com Advertising Tel: 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: advertise@thesundaily.com 5 MOST ACTIVES May 15, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (sen) +/– (sen) VSOLAR 17,652,600 0.5 UNCH JADEM 14,495,800 26.5 -0.5 HSI-CLQ 12,495,600 15.0 +3.0 BSLCORP 11,501,400 5.0 +0.5 REVENUE 63,233,400 31.5 -1.0 EXCHANGERATES MAY 15, 2023 Foreign currency Bank sell Bank buy Bank buy TT/OD TT OD 1 US DOLLAR 4.5570 4.4230 4.4000 1 AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR 3.0460 2.9250 2.9210 1 BRUNEI DOLLAR 3.4020 3.3040 3.3010 1 CANADIAN DOLLAR 3.3560 3.2670 3.2580 1 EURO 4.9520 4.7920 4.7810 1 NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR 2.8330 2.7280 2.7470 1 SINGAPORE DOLLAR 3.4020 3.3040 3.3010 1 STERLING POUND 5.6810 5.5030 5.4980 1 SWISS FRANC 5.0570 4.9400 4.9530 100 UAE DIRHAM 125.5600 119.0700 118.3300 100 BANGLADESH TAKA 4.3150 4.0480 3.8310 100 CHINESE RENMINBI 65.5000 63.0000 N/A 100 HONGKONG DOLLAR 58.7200 55.8100 55.3900 100 INDIAN RUPEE 5.6400 5.2900 5.0700 100 INDONESIAN RUPIAH 0.0320 0.0289 0.0239 100 JAPANESE YEN 3.3570 3.2510 3.2550 100 NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR 15.9000 N/A N/A 100 PAKISTAN RUPEE 1.6600 1.5300 1.3200 100 PHILIPPINE PESO 8.2800 7.8000 7.5800 100 QATAR RIYAL 126.4300 120.0200 119.4300 100 SAUDI RIYAL 122.8800 116.6500 116.0100 100 THAI BAHT 14.0700 12.4700 12.0300 Source: Malayan Banking Berhad/Bernama KL MARKET SUMMARY May 15, 2023 INDICES CHANGE FBMEMAS 10,376.60 -39.00 FBMKLCI 1,417.37 -5.55 CONSUMER PRODUCTS 572.32 -0.88 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 165.72 -1.40 CONSTRUCTION 160.75 -1.00 FINANCIAL SERVICES 15,489.30 -23.80 ENERGY 827.39 -2.00 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 613.43 -6.86 HEALTH CARE 1,800.21 -16.40 TRANSPORTATION 899.67 -2.23 PROPERTY 691.57 -0.99 PLANTATION 6,891.72 -64.90 FBMSHA 10,727.50 -48.30 FBMACE 4,981.01 -3.47 TECHNOLOGY 58.53 -0.46 TURNOVER VALUE 2.662 BIL RM1.410 BIL 5 TOP GAINERS May 15, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM NESTLE 18,700 135.00 +0.50 AJI 41,600 14.82 +0.22 NSOP 200 3.60 +0.20 PPB 302,300 16.40 +0.18 SFPTECH 4,238,100 2.55 +0.14 5 TOP LOSERS May 15, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM PETDAG 107,900 21.72 -0.40 HAPSENG 3,221,300 4.53 -0.21 NDX-H7 200 0.24 -0.19 YNHPROP 128,700 4.82 -0.18 HEIM 109,300 28.04 -0.16 238.04 5.55 Eversendai estimates tender book at RM11b with major projects in 3 countries KUALA LUMPUR: Eversendai Corporation Bhd’s tender book is estimated at RM11 billion with interesting and highly prospective iconic landmark projects in the pipeline, especially in Saudi Arabia and India, group managing director Tan Sri AK Nathan said. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, he said the group anticipated a gradual and steady recovery in 2023 with the current backlog of new order books secured and the overall positive market outlook in key geographical regions the group operated in. He said the group has embarked on a comprehensive and thorough internal review of cost estimates and margins of all the ongoing projects to ensure prudent recognition of profits and further strengthening operational and management controls. “The focus has been on solidifying the business and concentrating on the geographies where we have a strong competitive advantage and opportunities for growth,” he said. He also said that the group is confident to overcome the challenges to recover with a strongly committed team in becoming a stable and sustainable group going forward. “With the new projects, opportunities in the respective regions will further enhance our growth,” he said. Eversendai said it has secured nine new projects worth RM1.1 billion from its subsidiaries in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), India and Singapore. “Despite many challenges, the Eversendai group foresees the year 2023 as a year of recovery and resilience after the onslaught of the Covid-19-related impacts on the group,” it said. – Bernama Malaysia to ride on Industry 4.0 wave KUALA LUMPUR: The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Malaysian government yesterday established a centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Malaysian Centre for 4IR) in Malaysia. The centre will focus on digital transformation and fast-growing sectors including green energy transition. The centre was jointly launched by Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and World Economic Forum president Borge Brende. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who delivered a video address before the launch said he hoped the centre will prioritise two key areas – digital transformation and GovTech and energy transition. “It is my wish for this centre to further accelerate Malaysia’s transformation into an inclusive, digitally enabled and technology-driven high income nation and a regional leader in digital economy,” said Anwar in his pre-recorded speech during the event. “The Malaysia Centre for 4IR will further strengthen Malaysia’s human-centred policy towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution and contribute towards our target of entering the Top 20 in the Global Innovation Index. We are confident that a resilience-oriented approach will also improve the nation’s People’s Wellbeing Index score and enhance productivity to create inclusive, balanced, responsible and sustainable economic growth,” Anwar added. The centre which comes under the aegis of MyDIGITAL Corporation will also focus on areas to accelerate Malaysia’s digital transformation and also the digital From left: Brende, Rafizi and Fabian at the launch. oMalaysian Centre for 4IR set up jointly with WEF will focus on digital transformation and green energy transition sectors, among others █ BYRANJIT SINGH sunbiz@thesundaily.com transformation of the Asean region. There are 19 centres of 4IR in the world currently with the Malaysian outlet being the latest and the only one in the Asean region. The Malaysian Centre for 4IR will play a crucial role in driving the advancement of the digital economy in Malaysia, with a focus on supporting the country’s digital transformation and advancements in fastgrowing sectors including green energy transition. The centre will serve as a public-private platform, bringing together leaders from government, business, civil society, academia and other sectors to advance new partnerships and initiatives that can unlock the value of technology for Malaysia’s economy and society. The centre is hosted by a national initiative aimed at transforming Malaysia into a digitallydriven, high-income nation and a regional leader. Meanwhile, Rafizi said, “Today’s launch reflects a critical insight in Malaysia’s innovation journey: Innovation is a team sport and collaboration is essential. The economic case for innovation has become indisputable through the decades. The Malaysian Centre for 4IR shall act as a necessary impetus, starting with a dual focus of energy transition and digital transformation.” Addressing the leaders at the launch event, Brende said: “Malaysia’s leadership in the region and commitment to driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution is commendable. Through the centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Malaysia, we are excited to work together with the government, business, and civil society leaders to unlock the value of technology for the benefit of all Malaysians. This partnership will not only drive transformation but also help build a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for Malaysia and the region.” MyDigital CEO Fabian Bigar said, “MyDigital team is proud to be entrusted with the responsibility of making centre for 4IR Malaysia a success in achieving its goals. Prior to this, we have been dedicating our efforts to driving quality growth in Malaysia’s digital economy guided by the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint and National 4IR Policy to spur Malaysia’s transformation into a high-tech nation by 2030. The establishment of the centre for 4IR Malaysia aligns with and further fortifies our initiatives to catalyse homegrown technology development by enhancing collaborative opportunities among stakeholders to unlock value in 4IR technologies, with a focus on supporting the country’s energy transition and digital transformation.” Participation 41.1 30.8 28.1 100.0 Institutions Retail Foreign Bought RM m 612.9 433.1 364.6 1410.6 Sold RM m 545.5 436.9 428.2 1410.6 Net RM m 67.4 -3.8 -63.6 0.0 % Preliminary stats (excluding trade amendments). For final data, please refer to www.bursamalaysia.com Source: Bursa Malaysia A Participating Organisation of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad A Trading Participant of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad SECUR ITIES S D N. B H D. 197201001092 (12738-U) 15/05/2023

12 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 SUNBIZ /theSunMedia FOLLOW ON YOUTUBE SCAN ME Good response to OCBC’s online unit trust platform KUALA LUMPUR: Newbie investors are warming up to OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd’s recently introduced online unit trust platform which features the industry’s lowest investment amount of RM10 alongside the convenience of investing digitally. According to OCBC Bank managing director and head of consumer financial services Anne Leh, over 80% of the investors using the OCBC online unit trust platform are entirely new to unit trust investments with OCBC Bank. “We are pleased with the speed at which these newbie investors have responded to the innovation which continues to see good takeup from those who have come to enjoy its speed, convenience and manageable entry-level investment amount,” she said, adding that the entry level cost is about a hundred times lower than the usual entry level of RM1,000. The platform is premised on the bank’s overarching digital banking drive which has seen them focus on greater convenience to customers that goes beyond CASA deposits to encompass investments as well. “The trend of banking online has long caught on; so, we figured the oMore than 80% of investors using the facility are entirely new to such transactions with the lender in Malaysia time was right to apply the learnings to the beginner investor’s investment journey with unit trusts as a further step along our digitalisation journey. So, now, from as low as RM10 – a sum unique to us at OCBC Bank – newbie investors can embark on their investment journey. While the younger set does tend to recognise the role of unit trusts in managing their wealth and achieving their financial goals, taking the first step can admittedly be daunting,” said Leh. By lowering the minimum investment amount, she said they are allowing their customers to start, understand and experience investing without risking too much of their capital. “Letting our customers understand and get comfortable with investments is essential to the journey towards better money management and achieving their financial goals,” she added. In the first four months, 74% of the total buy transactions were investments featuring amounts below RM1,000. And 28% of the online unit trust customers who invested under this amount subsequently made larger transactions, indicating they are receptive to the lower minimum investment amount to get them going. OCBC online unit trust offers 11 funds and is available on the OCBC Mobile Banking app where a list of funds is available to suit the bank’s customers’ various risk appetites. Leh said that a growing number of millennials are taking the leap in this direction as well as they embark on their own digital banking journey. “The platform is easy enough to engage in. Customers are provided with a brief description of the funds of their choice. As the customer navigates through the pages, they are presented with an interactive chart and may also see the asset allocation of the fund, country diversification and its top 10 holdings. They also have access to the funds’ prospectus and product highlights sheet. These are simple tools and materials that help customers make the right decisions on their investment. “It is exciting that more than 80% of customers who invest through our OCBC online unit trust are newto-product. This is an affirmation of the acceptance of our approach to reach out to the younger set which has its own set of comfort levels,” she added. This digital convenience for investing in unit trust was recently recognised when the bank won the Malaysia International Business Awards 2023 in the banking category. The awards programme, presented by Asian Business Review, celebrates the achievements and success of companies in Malaysia in their pursuit of revolutionising their industries and leading amongst their competitors. “Clinching this award just a few months after the rollout of OCBC online unit trust is an encouraging sign that tells us we are on the right path,” Leh said. Suzuki Jimny Corner at Naza Skylounge in Subang launched PETALING JAYA: Naza Eastern Motors Sdn Bhd has launched Jimny Corner at the Naza Skylounge in Subang Skypark, which features Suzuki Jimny branding, known for its rugged off-roader and adventurous travels, and additional car information to raise awareness among visitors. Naza Automotive Group CEO Mohd Rizal Jailan, who officiated the launch said that it marks an important milestone for Naza Eastern Motors, the official distributor and after-sales service Mohd Rizal (centre) officiating the launch of Jimny Corner, together with Mohamad Irwan (left) and Eight Valuations Sdn Bhd head of company Nadia Adni. HeiTech Padu, ACO Tech to put vehicle parking system in Proton cars PETALING JAYA: HeiTech Padu Bhd has signed a memorandum of collaboration (MoC) with ACO Tech Sdn Bhd to integrate Penang Smart Parking System into Proton cars. This integration enables Proton car owners to locate available parking spots and make payments through their Infotainment Head Units (IHU). Heitech president and executive deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hilmey Mohd Taib said the collaboration is a milestone for both HeiTech and ACO Tech as it demonstrates its commitment towards the innovation and excellence in mobility-enhancing technology. “The Smart Parking Solutions is an advanced parking management platform that utilises technologies such as sensors, mobile apps and cloud computing to provide real-time information on parking availability, location and pricing. “Hence, this improves Malaysian drivers’ quality of life. We are confident that the integration of the Penang Smart Parking system into Proton cars will be a game-changer for the automotive industry in Malaysia,” he added. Developed by HeiTech, the Smart Parking Solutions is currently the first parking system integration of its kind in Malaysia and has been implemented in Penang and Kulim, Kedah. “The smart parking solution is our contribution to the Smart Mobility component of the Malaysian Smart City Framework which is aligned with our vision in empowering local councils to become smart cities,” Mohd Hilmey said. HeiTech has also developed smart solutions that provide local councils with tools to manage tax and rental collection, communications channels, reduced over-the-counter services operations, enhanced delivery of bills and statements as well as promote tourists’ attractions in the states. “The HeiTech Group is positioned to move beyond our current core competencies of system integration and maintenance services and capture a portion of the emerging technologies. “We have started our journey to expand our offerings via transactionalbase solutions within the mass market. Our smart parking solutions, e-know your customers, payment gateway, smart applications for local councils, smart applications for co-operatives, school management solutions and teaching portals are some of the examples that are already in the market. “We have also moved into the cybersecurity realm by offering enterprise-based solutions that are customised to suit the respective safety requirements of any organisation,” he added. provider of Suzuki Cars Malaysia, as it aims to strengthen its brand and reputation. Naza Eastern Motors COO Mohamad Irwan Shahril said, “We are thrilled to introduce the Jimny Corner at the Skylounge, a bespoke space designed to elevate our guests’ travel experience. Our aim is to provide the ultimate in comfort and convenience, while simultaneously reinforcing our position as the official distributor and after-sales service provider of Suzuki cars in Malaysia. This new addition is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences.” He added, “From the moment guests step into the Jimny Corner, they are transported to a world of comfort and relaxation. In addition to its inviting atmosphere, the Jimny Corner also features informative displays and materials that showcase the features and capabilities of the Suzuki Jimny. Visitors can learn about the car’s off-road capabilities, its advanced safety features, and the latest technology that enhances the driving experience.” Foreigners remain net sellers, outflow totals RM46.4m PETALING JAYA: Foreign investors remained net sellers last week for the fourth consecutive week on Bursa Malaysia with a total net foreign outflow of RM46.4 million, according to MIDF Research. In its weekly fund flow, the research house said that the week started off on a positive note with net foreign inflows of RM9.5 million on Monday and RM81.8 million on Tuesday. “Foreigners started net selling from Wednesday to Friday with outflows amounting to RM137.6 million. Foreign funds have been net sellers of Malaysian equities for 13 out of 19 weeks this year with outflows amounting to RM2.18 billion,” it said in a statement yesterday. MIDF said that the top three sectors that saw net foreign inflows were telecommunications and media (RM62.9 million), utilities (RM26.4 million) and plantation (RM12.1 million), while the top three sectors that saw net foreign outflows were financial services (RM84.5 million), industrial products and services (RM32.6 million) and construction (RM17.6 million). “Local institutions remained net buyers for the third consecutive week to the tune of RM49.9 million last week. Every trading day was a net buying day by the local institutions except for Tuesday, which saw an outflow of RM63.9 million,” it said. In addition, the research house said that the bulk of the inflows came in on Friday at RM72.3 million when Bank Negara Malaysia announced a betterthan-expected expansion of the domestic economy at 5.6% year on year in the first quarter of 2023. Local institutions have been net buyers for 14 out of 19 weeks this year with inflows totalling RM2.09 billion. Malaysian rubber market higher on bullish regional leads KUALA LUMPUR: The local rubber market ended higher yesterday, tracking gains in regional rubber futures markets. A dealer said that a weaker ringgit against the US dollar, following China’s pro-business policy, also made the rubber market higher. “Japanese rubber futures reclaimed lost ground on Monday, tracking strength in the Shanghai market amid supply fears. “The market players are expected to monitor the upcoming Chinese industrial and retail data while awaiting a host of US Federal Reserve officials to speak to vindicate market pricing of rate cuts this year,” she told Bernama. At 5.06pm yesterday, the ringgit fell to 4.4995/5030 against the greenback from last Friday’s closing of 4.4765/4835. At 5pm yesterday, MRB’s closing price for SMR 20 stood at 610.5 sen a kg, while latex-in-bulk was at 489 sen a kg.

13 * SUNBIZ theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 AirAsia strengthens China network with 3 additional routes PETALING JAYA: AirAsia Group Bhd has added three new routes connecting Kuala Lumpur to the southern regions of China, following the country’s recent reopening and robust pent-up demand. New services to Quanzhou and Guilin operated by AirAsia Malaysia (AK) and to Chengdu (Tianfu) operated by AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) have been added to the network of 15 routes with over 129 flights weekly between China and Malaysia. Flights to/from Quanzhou will recommence twice weekly starting June 18; Flights to/from Guilin will restart thrice weekly beginning July 18 and flights to/from Chengdu (Tianfu) will start twice weekly from July 1 and increase to thrice weekly starting July 4. AirAsia is the largest foreign carrier serving China. Recently, AirAsia Malaysia resumed daily services from Kota Kinabalu to Wuhan, strengthening its position as the Malaysian carrier with the most connections and capacity in China. AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said: “Following the recent opening of China to the world and strong pent up demand, our rapid expansion into China continues and we are proud to connect millions of guests not only to major destinations but also to underserved second-tier cities and launch unique routes such as Quanzhou and Guilin. “China remains a key market for our future growth and we will continue to review a number of other potential Chinese routes that we hope to be in a position to announce soon,” Riad said in a statement. AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail said China has always historically been one of its core destinations for medium haul air travel and the newest route to Chengdu (Tianfu) serves as the foundation for more AirAsia X flights to China in the near future, which will significantly boost their North Asia network. “As China is rapidly bouncing back, we expect to launch even more flights to/from the country as well as increasing frequency on the most popular and profitable routes within our network in the short to medium term,” he said. Hong Leong Bank names new group managing director/CEO PETALING JAYA: Hong Leong Bank Bhd (HLBB) yesterday announced that Kevin Lam Sai Yoke will succeed Domenic Fuda as group managing director/CEO effective July 1, 2023. Lam brings with him over 30 years of banking, technology and leadership experience across regional and international banks in several geographies. Prior to joining HLBB, he served as the head of TMRW Group Digital Banking of United Overseas Bank Ltd, covering its key regional markets based in Singapore. Lam said he is looking forward to leading the bank to its next phase of growth. “With the strong support from the quality and experienced management team and the stewardship of its chairman and board of directors, I believe the bank is well positioned for strong sustainable growth domestically and regionally,“ he said in a statement. Meanwhile, the bank said that under Fuda’s leadership, the organisation has seen transformation in delivery channels, strong compliance and risk management foundations and industry leading strategic initiatives in ESG, as well as leading financial metrics in productivity and consistent returns. B R I E F SECOFIRST CONSOLIDATED COMPLETES SALE OF EQUITY STAKE IN ECOFIRST HORIZON PETALING JAYA: Ecofirst Consolidated Bhd (ECB) has completed the sale of its entire equity interest in Ecofirst Horizon Sdn Bhd (EHSB) to Urbansonic Sdn Bhd. According to a Bursa filing, the disposal by Ecofirst Opal Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of ECB, has been finalised in accordance with the terms of the sale and purchase agreement yesterday. “The Board of Directors of ECB wishes to announce that USB via their solicitors and ECB had today, via a letter dated May 15, 2023, agreed that the Proposed EHSB Disposal has been completed in accordance with the terms of the SSA. Accordingly, the completion date of the SSA shall be May 15, 2023,” it stated. TEO SENG CAPITAL POSTS HIGHER Q1 REVENUE, PROFIT PETALING JAYA: Poultry player Teo Seng Capital Bhd’s revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023, rose 24.5% to RM183.4 million from RM147.4 million in the previous year’s first quarter. The group’s quarterly pre-tax profit stood at RM24.4 million, a stellar growth of 553.5% compared with a pre-tax profit of RM3.7 million in the same period last year. Quarter on quarter, the group’s Q1’23 revenue was 1.5% higher than Q4’22’s revenue of RM180.6 million. Pre-tax profit increased by RM7.2 million, representing a surge of 42.2% from RM17.2 million in the previous quarter. SkyWorld receives SC nod to list on Bursa’s Main Market PETALING JAYA: SkyWorld Development Bhd, an urban property developer principally involved in investment holding, provision of management services to its subsidiaries and property development, has received approval from the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) to list on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities. SkyWorld’s initial public offering (IPO) entails a public issue of 208 million new shares representing about 20.8% of its enlarged issued share capital upon listing. Of this, 50 million shares will be made available for application by the Malaysian public while 25 million shares will be made available for application by eligible directors, key senior management, employees and persons who have contributed to the success of the group. The remaining 133 million new shares will be made available through private placement to institutional and selected investors. The IPO further entails an offer for sale of 192 million existing shares, equivalent to about 19.2% of the enlarged issued share capital of the group. Some 150 million existing shares will be made available via private placement to bumiputera investors approved by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry while the remaining 42 million existing shares have been earmarked for institutional and selected investors. SkyWorld founder and non-independent executive chairman (pic) Datuk Seri Ng Thien Phing said, “We are pleased to receive approval for our listing on the Main Market of Bursa Securities. This is a momentous milestone for us and affirms confidence in SkyWorld’s growth trajectory ... we remain focused on our business as we strive to deliver our ongoing developments to the highest standards.” RHB Research ‘neutral’ on rubber products sector KUALA LUMPUR: RHB Research has maintained its ‘neutral’ call on the Malaysian rubber products sector as the gradual improvement in market dynamics should offer a favourable tailwind for the local glove manufacturers amid continuing challenges in raising average selling prices (ASP). With client inventory depletion expected to end in the first half of 2023 (H1’23), a better order consistency is expected in H2’23, followed by gradual commissioning of new production lines by 2024, it said in a note yesterday. The research house said the industryblended ASP is said to have stabilised at US$20 per 1,000 pieces, in line with the expectation that ASP may have bottomed already. It said local and regional glove makers have collectively increased the ASP since the start of 2023, resulting in the price gap between Chinese and Malaysian glove makers narrowing to US$3 from US$5 previously. “Malaysian and Chinese glove makers saw A production line at Hartalega’s glove plant. RHB Research’s top picks for the sector are Hartalega and Kossan Rubber. – HARTALEGA WEBSITE PIC oImproving market dynamics seen favourable to local glove makers similar export trends in March 2023, with glove exports increasing by 8% and 27% month-on-month (m-o-m), respectively. “This leads us to believe that the near-term customer demand trends are gaining traction despite the likelihood of the sector remaining choppy following the ASP hike,” it said. Glove makers’ March results also showed an average of 6.7% quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) inventory level contraction, below their preCovid-19 inventory levels. The research house noted that this could be a reflection of the current industry-low utilisation rate, as glove makers are reluctant to increase their inventory given the sluggish demand outlook. Nonetheless, it said Malaysia’s glove exports rebounded by 8% and 10% m-o-m in February and March, respectively, suggesting that demand is gradually gaining traction. “However, we understand that customers are still reluctant to place bulky orders. Advance orders have also been shortened to one month from pre-Covid-19’s three months. “Industry players are expecting client inventory rationalisation to happen by 2H23, underpinned by glove inventory levels that have built up since 2020, where many are getting closer towards their expiry dates as the typical shelf life ranges from three to five years. “As such, we maintain our 2023 year-end demand target at 415 billion pieces, representing a 4% year-on-year (y-o-y) growth from 2022’s numbers,” RHB Research said. On the supply side, the research house said it expected muted-to-negative industry supply growth for 2023 as glove makers are contemplating phasing out obsolete production lines. It also expects to see capacity rationing exercises – given the low industry utilisation rate of 30 to 40%-- that could lead to better operating efficiencies. RHB Research added that its ‘neutral’ call on the rubber products sector is also based on a normalised cost outlook by H2’23, with lower gas tariffs and the implementation of cost pass-through initiatives expected to alleviate various headwinds within the rubber glove industry. “Nonetheless, order replenishment consistency and industry utilisation rates are two crucial re-rating catalysts that could prompt us to upgrade the sector. “Our sector picks are Hartalega – owing to its better operating efficiency among local glove makers, resulting in better margin, and Kossan Rubber, which we like for its exposure to the industrial segment and its pre-tax profit increases since the second quarter of 2022,” RHB Research added. – Bernama

14 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 SUNBIZ /thesuntelegram FOLLOW ON TELEGRAM SCAN ME Thailand’s economic growth picks up pace in first quarter oInvestors brace for uncertainty after elections, forecast for GDP expansion this year maintained at 2.7-3.7% BANGKOK: Thailand’s economy expanded faster than expected in the first quarter due to a recovery in tourism, data showed yesterday, while investors braced for political uncertainty after the opposition secured a stunning election victory on Sunday. The tourism-reliant economy’s recovery has lagged its regional peers due to Covid-19, but gathered steam in recent months as Chinese visitors returned. The revival of the sector, which accounts for 11-12% of its gross domestic product (GDP), is expected to help offset the impact from declining exports. Thailand’s state planning agency reiterated its outlook for a 2.7%-3.7% GDP growth in 2023, versus 2.6% last year, saying the post-election atmosphere should be kept positive to build investor confidence. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew 2.7% in the JanuaryMarch period from a year earlier, China firm may expand Indonesia site into US$6b aluminium complex Rakuten said to be planning to raise capital B R I E F S SINGAPORE: Singapore regional healthcare firm HMI Group said yesterday that it has signed a deal to fully acquire local healthcare technology platform MHC Asia Group, without disclosing the value of the transaction. The acquisition will help HMI to tap into the digital healthcare space in Southeast Asia, which has an estimated market size of US$11 billion (RM49.5 billion) by 2027, and give the combined group a revenue base of over S$350 million (RM1.17 billion), HMI said in a statement. Together, the group will serve over 3 million patients annually across digital and physical services from telemedicine to ambulatory and inpatient care, HMI said. Founded in 1998, HMI owns 45 primary care and health screening centres, 15 specialist centres, and an 11-storey ambulatory care centre, in addition to a panel of 1,500 primary and specialist clinics through its medical benefits network in Singapore. It also owns two tertiary hospitals in Malaysia, its statement said. – Reuters Photo taken in March shows visitors on the Mahanakorn skywalk overlooking Bangkok. The tourism sector accounts for 11- 12% of Thailand’s gross domestic product. – AFPPIC versus a 1.4% growth in the previous quarter, data from the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) showed. On a quarterly basis, GDP rose a seasonally adjusted 1.9%, from a revised 1.1% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2022. Economists in a Reuters poll had expected GDP to expand 2.3% yearon-year in January-March and 1.7% quarter-on-quarter. “What needs to be done as quickly as possible is the formation of a stable government that will quickly continue policies that support businesses and the people,” said Chaichan Chareonsuk, chairman of the Thai National Shippers’ Council. Several analysts echoed the view, saying investors were likely to stay on the sidelines as they wait for a new government and clarity on its policies. “Until political clarity is attained, the private sector will wait and see before deciding to invest, especially with the concerns of pledges to raise the minimum wage,” said Kobsidthi Silpachai, head of capital markets research of Kasikornbank. Meanwhile, the NESDC maintained its forecast for 2023 foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand at 28 million. Pre-pandemic 2019 saw a record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists, who spent 1.91 trillion baht (RM253 billion). The NESDC also kept its 2023 forecasts for goods exports to drop 1.6% and headline inflation to be between 2.5% and 3.5%. – Reuters SINGAPORE/JAKARTA: CHINA’S Shandong Nanshan plans to expand its new Indonesian alumina plant to a US$6 billion (RM27 billion) aluminium smelting complex by 2028, a company executive said, which would be among the largest foreign investments in the resourcerich nation. Shandong Nanshan is among a growing group of private Chinese companies making multi-billiondollar investments in Southeast Asia in sectors such as metal processing and oil refining amid a cooling Chinese economy and tighter regulatory scrutiny at home. The company started up its 2 million tonnes per year (tpy) alumina facility last November at the Galang Batang special economic zone (SEZ) on the island of Bintan located about one hour by ferry from Singapore. Now running at full capacity, Nanshan processes bauxite mined from Indonesia’s Kalimantan region and exports alumina to Malaysia and also sells to international traders. Nanshan, with plans to bring more Chinese firms to the site, intends to start building a 250,000- tpy aluminium smelting unit later this year, part of a plan to construct a 1 million-tpy aluminium plant by 2028, a company executive said last week, asking to remain unidentified, eventually producing high-end aluminium ingots for the aircraft and electric vehicle industries. Based in China’s Shandong province, Nanshan Group says its existing aluminium customers include Airbus, Boeing and Tesla. To fuel the alumina facility, Nanshan operates a 160-megawatt coal-based power plant within the SEZ. – Reuters INDONESIA’S APRIL TRADE SURPLUS UP JAKARTA: Indonesia’s April trade surplus came in slightly bigger than expected, even as exports and imports plunged amid declining prices of its main commodities like palm oil, coal and nickel. Indonesia’s exports in April plunged 29.4% by value on a yearly basis to US$19.29 billion, according to statistics bureau data, more than the 18.55% drop predicted in a Reuters poll. At US$3.94 billion, the country’s trade surplus topped the poll’s estimate of US$3.38 billion amid a sharper fall in imports. April imports were worth US$15.35 billion, down 22.32% from a year earlier. The trade surplus in March was US$2.83 billion. – Reuters NEWCREST ACCEPTS A$28.8B NEWMONT BID SYDNEY: Australian miner Newcrest said yesterday it had agreed to a takeover by US rival Newmont, creating a worldleading gold producer in a deal worth A$28.8 billion (US$19 billion). Newcrest’s shareholders will receive 0.4 of the US firm’s shares for each Newcrest share, giving them 31% of the combined group, the Australian firm said. The takeover, expected to be completed by the end of 2023, has an implied value of Aus$28.8 billion, it said. The takeover still needs approval from Newcrest shareholders at a meeting expected in September or October, and agreement from competition authorities in Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea. – AFP TURKIYE’S LIRA, STOCKS TUMBLE LONDON: Turkiye’s lira yesterday morning held near a two-month low, its sovereign dollar bonds tumbled and the cost of insuring exposure to the country’s debt spiked as the presidential election appeared headed for a runoff. The lira was at 19.65 to the dollar at 0833 GMT, after reaching 19.70 in earlier trading, its weakest since a record low of 19.80 hit in March this year following deadly earthquakes. The Istanbul bourse was trading more than 2% lower, after an earlier 6.38% drop triggered a market-wide circuit breaker. – Reuters Singapore’s HMI Group to buy healthcare tech platform MHC Asia TOKYO: Japan’s Rakuten Group Inc is finalising plans to raise about US$2.2 billion (RM9.9 billion) by issuing new shares, according to two people, in the e-commerce company’s latest move to shore up its finances after years of losses from its mobile business. Rakuten’s board could meet as early as this week to decide on the capital raising, according to one of the people. Its shares tumbled to close down 9% yesterday after the Reuters report, in its biggest one-day drop in three years. “Current investors are being asked to dilute themselves to raise cash they did not think was needed,” Kirk Boodry, analyst at Astris Advisory Japan, wrote in a client note about Rakuten’s plan. The public offering is expected to raise roughly ¥300 billion (RM9.9 billion) but the amount could change depending on Rakuten’s share price, which will influence the pricing of its new equity issuance. Additionally, Rakuten plans to issue shares to founder and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani and a fund controlled by the entrepreneur, the person said. It plans to use the funds to pay down debt and build base stations for its mobile business, the sources said. A Rakuten spokesperson said it was not something it could comment on. The company is considering various options in regards to its financial position and it was not true that it had decided on anything, the spokesperson said. It would make an announcement if such an issue were decided, the spokesperson added. The sources declined to be identified because the matter has not been made public. On Friday Rakuten posted another quarterly loss and said it would sell its stake in supermarket chain Seiyu to US private equity firm KKR & Co Inc for ¥22 billion, just three years after agreeing to buy the shares from Walmart Inc. Last month it raised around ¥83.3 billion in an initial public offering of its banking unit. It is also expected to list its brokerage arm. – Reuters

1 6 M A Y 2 0 2 3 T U E S D A Y Branding star power CELEBRITIES are often roped in to sell products or to become brand ambassadors for cosmetic brands, soft drinks, luxury cars, and the like. But these days, celebrities are setting up their own brands and are selling and marketing their own products. Many celebrity-owned brands have turned into billiondollar businesses. Their brands are often as popular as the celebrities behind them, and the products are also beloved by their customers. Here are some of Hollywood’s most popular celebrities and the brands that made them moguls: 0 Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Rihanna is one of the most popular names in the music industry, and so is her beauty brand. Fenty Beauty, founded in 2017, is named for her real-life family name, which is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Not only are her songs bestsellers, but so are the products in her makeup brand. Fenty Beauty won hearts because it caters to a wide range of skin tones, including those ignored by major beauty brands. Fenty Beauty’s foundation has a range of 50 shades, which means a wide selection for different skin tones, attractive colours, high quality, vegan, and cruelty-free. 0 Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner For those who don’t know, Kylie Jenner is the half-sister of Kim Kardashian, and the daughter of oThese celebrities are not just brand ambassadors, they are smart businesswomen with their own best-selling brands █ BYS. TAMARAI CHELVI Rihanna ventured into cosmetics with innovative products. – FENTYBEAUTY (above) Like her character in Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker’s love for shoes led her to create her own range of stylish footwear. – SJP famous US Olympian athlete Caitlyn Jenner, and a part of the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. In 2015, Kylie started her makeup brand, which sold out so quickly. The brand was born, she became a millionaire, and the rest is history. Initially, her lip kits were a big hit. Now, she has lip gloss, lipsticks, and lip liner, and the most-awaited products are limited editions. Her products are vegan, contain no parabens or gluten, and undergo no animal testing. Her brand has now expanded to Kylie Baby, Kylie Skin, and others. 0 Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh Spice from the 90s girl group Spice Girls, is a popular fashion designer and founded her own brand, also named Victoria Beckham. The pop star, who is also the wife of a famous footballer, creates fashionable clothing lines, and some of the pieces have impressed the public and fashion critics. In her collection for 2023, the clothes are unique, sophisticated, and beautiful. Victoria has expanded her fashion empire, and she also has beauty products, bags, sunglasses, sportswear, and shoes. 0 Skims by Kim Kardashian Kylie’s more popular sister, Kim Kardashian, who founded Skims in 2019, creates undergarments that fit all types of body shapes and sizes in different skin colours. These products are designed to shape (and sculpt) the body underneath any type of dress or clothing. The comfortable bodyhugging fabric helps to slim the stomach, buttocks, or hips and accentuate the silhouette of a woman. Apart from stretchable clothing, the brand has loungewear, shapewear, bodysuits, slip dresses, bras, bralettes, swimwear, deep plunge and low-rise shapewear, and t-shirts. 0 SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker, a popular actress from the Sex and the City series, launched her footwear collection, the SJP Collection, in February 2014. If you have watched the series, you will remember all her fashionable clothes and shoes. Sarah has come up with timeless designs and new and exclusive designs in her own collection, which is handmade in Italy. These collections are available at sjpsarahjessicaparker.com. She has also released her own fragrance called Lovely in 2005, followed by Covet, SJP NYC, Stash, and recently, Lovely You. 0 Katy Perry’s Collections Katy Perry founded her shoe brand Katy Perry Collections in 2017 with unique designs at an affordable price. She has sandals, sneakers, platforms, boots, sneakers, stilettos, and pumps. Most of the shoe designs are fancy and pretty, as well as stylish. The shoes also come in vibrant colours. The latest arrival is the Spring collection, which includes her iconic Geli sandals, available on katyperrycollections.com. Kylie Jenner (below) is renowned for her cosmetics range, including her lipsticks. – KYLIECOSMETICS

16 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 Big BAFTA winners oKate Winslet decries the dark side of social media as she wins best leading actress at the star-studded awards show BRITISH actors Kate Winslet, Sharon Horgan and Ben Whishaw were among those who scooped the top prizes at the BAFTA TV awards on Sunday evening. The ceremony, which took place at the Royal Festival Hall in London, was hosted by comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. Winslet won the prize for best leading actress for her turn in I Am Ruth, which also starred her real-life daughter Mia Threapleton. The mother-daughter duo also took to the stage to accept the award for best single drama, with Threapleton tearing up. The drama revolves around a mother whose teenage daughter is suffering the toxic effects of spending too much time online. Accepting her award, Winslet said if she could “cut [the BAFTA statuette] in half, [she] would give the other half” to her daughter. “We did this together kiddo,” she said, adding: “There were days when it was agony for [Threapleton] to dig as deeply as she did and it took my breath away.” Winslet also explained that I Am Ruth was made for parents, their children and families that feel they are held hostage by the perils of the online world, for parents who wish they could communicate with their teenagers but who no longer can, and for young people who have become addicted to social media and its darker sides. “We do not want it. We want our children back,” she added, calling on politicians to criminalise harmful content online. The other big winner during the BAFTA TV awards was actor Ben Whishaw. Despite his series This Is Going To Hurt losing to Mood in the best miniseries category, Whishaw won the best leading actor award for the show, beating Cillian Murphy and Gary Oldman. Whishaw was also part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Paddington Bear skit that was broadcast as part of her Jubilee celebrations – as the voice of Paddington – which won an award for most memorable moment; it was the only prize voted on by the public. Another noteworthy win was for the international category, which Netflix’s Dahmer won for best series. – by Mark Mathen Victor Taylor Swift pauses concert to defend fan TAYLOR SWIFT has always had a strong reputation for genuinely caring about her fans. During the singer’s recent performance on the Eras Tour in Philadelphia over the weekend, Swift intervened to assist a concert-goer in the audience, and footage of the incident has gone viral on Twitter. The 25-second clip captured at the Lincoln Financial Field shows Swift interrupting her rendition of the 2014 hit Bad Blood to repeatedly ask security members to lay off a fan as a confrontation developed. Swift can be heard shouting, “She’s fine,“ expressing noticeable distress at what she witnessed. She paused once more to say, “She wasn’t doing anything,“ before yelling “Hey, stop” twice. It remains unclear from the videos what prompted Swift’s intervention. Nonetheless, shortly after the on-stage interruption, she resumed singing Bad Blood without any difficulties, which may be regarded as an appropriate song choice for the moment. The incident between the fan and security guard at the Lincoln Financial Field show was harder to confirm. Attendees said the fan was either confronted for being too close to a barricade or pulled away for taking photos, which are in fact allowed on the tour. Swift reps could not immediately be reached for comment. Social media users praised the singer for being aware of what was going on in the audience during her performance. However, the news also drew some criticism from those who jumped in to say that a performer should not interrupt security during a show. – by Hazique Zairill MOTHER’S DAY is traditionally all about celebration, and many celebrities joined in to show their appreciation to their own mums. This year, Riley Keough paid tribute to her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley, in her first Mother’s Day since Presley’s passing in January. The 33-year-old actress posted a picture on Instagram on May 14, along with an old photo of her parents. A newborn Keough was being held by Presley, with her exhusband Danny Keough in the picture. The caption read: “Lucky to have had the best and most deeply loving mama I could have asked for.” Presley and ex-husband Danny Keough were married from 1988 to 1994. The couple also had another son named Benjamin Keough, who tragically committed suicide in 2020 at the age of 27. Fans swarmed Riley’s Instagram post with warm wishes and supportive comments. The late Presley was rock legend Elvis Presley’s only child with Priscilla Presley. She died on Jan 12 after suffering a heart attack. During her mother’s funeral, Keough herself was revealed to be a mother, during a tribute speech by her husband Ben Smith-Petersen. The two were married in 2015 after meeting on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road, and had kept the birth of their child a secret. Smith-Petersen was reading a speech penned by his wife directed to Presley, and said: “I hope I can love my daughter the way you loved me, the way you loved my brother and my sisters. Thank you for giving me strength, my heart, my empathy, my courage, my sense of humour, my manners, my temper, my wildness, my tenacity. I’m a product of your heart, my sisters are a product of your heart, my brother is a product of your heart.” – by Thashine Selvakumaran Winslet (right) won for her role in I Am Ruth, which also starred her daughter Threapleton. – REUTERS Keough and her mother Presley during a red carpet event. – AFP Swift stopped her performanc e to stop a fan from being detained. – TWITTER Riley Keough remembers late mother Lisa Marie Presley Aespa breaks album sales record LAST week, K-pop girl group aespa made their long-awaited comeback with the mini album MY WORLD – and by the end of the day, the mini album had already sold over 1.37 million copies, setting a new record for the highest first-day sales by any female artist in Hanteo history. Hanteo Chart recently reported that in the first week of its release (for the period from May 8 to 14), MY WORLD went on to sell an impressive total of 1.7 million copies. With this achievement, aespa has broken BLACKPINK’s record for the highest first-week sales by any female artist in Hanteo history. The previous record, set by BLACKPINK’s 2022 album BORN PINK last year, was 1.5 million copies. aespa has also become the only female artiste/girl group in Hanteo history to have two albums sell over a million copies each in their first week. Before MY WORLD, their previous mini album Girls sold 1.1 million copies in the first week of its release last year. Even including album sales by male artistes/groups, aespa is sitting pretty with the fifth-highest first-week sales overall, bested only by SEVENTEEN, BTS, TXT, and Stray Kids. Girl group aespa have set a new record. – TWITTER

17 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON TWITTER SCAN ME ON the 35th anniversary of Kuo Pao Kun’s iconic multilingual play, Paper Monkey Theatre and ACX Productions with the support of klpac and The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat are thrilled to join hands to showcase Malaysia’s very own theatre mama in Mama Looking for Her Cat from May 29-21, 2023 at Pentas 2, klpac. Under the direction of Benjamin Ho, Artistic Director of Paper Monkey Theatre, Dato’ Dr Faridah Merican returns to the stage in a role that is seemingly made for her along with experienced theatre and television actress Tammi Tam. With Amelia Tan as Dramaturg, Mama Looking for Her Cat will be performed in a mix of English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka and other dialects with no surtitles but in a manner that is still easily understandable and relatable to the audience. Written in 1988, it was said to be the first play to reflect Singapore’s multiracial, multicultural and multilingual society. Ho, who is also the Production Designer, said: “Theatre has no language barrier. It is not the meaning of the words but rather the willingness to communicate with each other through the heart. “As Malaysia and Singapore are very similar, I believe this multilingual play will work wondrously and youngsters will be inspired to watch my version of the play.” With over three decades worth of experience in theatre and puppetry, Ho has brought his magic all over Asia and Europe. His work with the students from the Shanghai No 3 Girls High, China, on his version of Mama Looking for Her Cat won the Best Achievement Award in the Inter-Shanghai School Drama Competition 2016. Interestingly, both Kuo and Merican were born in the same year and were part of the pioneer batch driving theatre in their respective countries across the Causeway. Kuo of course is recognised as one of Singapore’s celebrated playwrights, directors, and theatre designers renowned for his unique approach that often explores cultural consciousness and multiracial background. Though their paths never quite crossed and they did not have a chance to work together personally, Merican has had many fond memories of his work. She quipped: “I am loving the experience of working with Benjamin Ho, a first for me, on another Kuo Pao Kun play. I acted in another one of his plays The Silly Little Girl and the Funny Old Tree and am happy to have another opportunity to revisit his work.” Completing the line-up of cast includes Debbie Yim, Eugene Ng, Fred Chan, Hendrix Heng, Natalie Makulin, Che Harith, Ng Yuan Ci, Niko Hugh, Skylar Lim, and Toh Shir Ling. The plot follows an old mother who has lost her only companion – a cat. She asks for help but is snubbed by her grown-up children. One night, she leaves her house looking for her cat in a world that has left her behind – a world obsessed with progress and prosperity, which has forgotten the traditional, the old and the frail. This hard-hitting, poignant play still resonates with today’s generation, highlighting the unique linguistic, racial, and cultural diversity of a society, reflecting the consequence of the generation gap in families while conveying the emotional connection between humans and animals. Tickets for Mama Looking For Her Cat are RM98, with a discounted deal of RM48 for students. Other promotions include a 5% discount for Eslite Malaysia White Card Members, Tiffin at The Yard & Yamatatsu customers and a 10% discount for Eslite Malaysia Gold/ Black Card Members. A show not to be missed their part, however I feel Aishwarya Rai Bachen has the most moving role. I must mention that her part is elevated by the use of every cinematic device. She effortlessly carried the movie. The movie gives the viewer plenty of room to empathise with her reasons for seeking retribution, providing a touch of reality that gradually emerges throughout the story. Aditya and Nandhini’s confrontation in one particular sequence was so wonderfully filmed and intensely emotional. Aishwarya also has a dual role, playing the silent character Mandhakini/Oomai Rani. Despite having no lines, she manages to leave everyone speechless with her expressive performance. However, it was a little frustrating for Mandhakini to be hyped up as a ‘mystery woman essential to the plot’, only to end up with only a few minutes of screen time. Additionally, Vikram and Jayam Ravi excelled in their respective roles. I loved how each character received an equal amount of screen time, and how each member of the ensemble was able to stand out on their own. Jayam Ravi disproved my doubts that he could handle playing such a crucial part. It almost seems as though he was born to play Arunmozhi; I honestly can’t picture any other actor in the role. Karthi also does a good job of portraying a devoted persona. Karthi’s role may appear to be the least significant in the movie, but that isn’t the case since he manages to insert a few humorous situations that make us chuckle a bit. Although they are a little squeezed out of the movie, Trisha (as Chola Princess Kundavai), Sobhita Dhulipala (as Kodumbalur Princess Vaanathi), and Aishwarya Lekshmi (as Poonghuzali) all get their moments. The love story between Kundavai and Vallavaraiyan, however, was beautiful to behold. Their reunion was delightful, especially when it was accompanied by AR Rahman’s beautiful music. Mani Ratnam does an amazing job of putting them all in and giving each character their own place in the grand scheme of things. Even though they have to make do with a small amount of screen time, veteran performers like Prakash Raj, R. Sharath Kumar, and R. Parthiban are in no way rendered irrelevant. The plot neatly ties up unresolved issues and answers all queries, leaving no space for confusion. All of the acting is excellent, and the costumes, production design, and cinematography all portray the story in an appropriate way. Although there are a lot of characters in the movie, none of them were sacrificed or squandered because of its length. Every character has a turn in the spotlight thanks to Mani Ratnam. The music in the movie could have been a little better, though; I wish they had more enduring tunes like Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1. Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan duology is set to be a classic. Personally, I thought Part 2 was better than Part 1, but they were both excellent movies. But keep in mind that you need to watch the first film in order to fully enjoy or comprehend Ponniyin Selvan 2 (if you haven’t read the novel). Ponniyin Selvan: 2 is currently showing in theatres. S EVEN months following the premiere of Ponniyin Selvan Part 1, the sequel to the film based on the epic novel of the same name has been released, picking up right after the first film ended. The sequel, directed by Mani Ratnam, opens with a recap of the story of crown prince Aditya Karikalan’s (Vikram) and Nandhini’s love story, including how the royal family expelled Nandhini from the palace since she is only an orphan and not the right match for the crown prince. The plot then resumes where the Chola dynasty believes Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) and Vallavaraiyan (Karthi), who drowned while battling the Pandyas, are dead. However, a mute woman named Mandhakini (also Aishwarya Rai) intervenes and saves them. In Lanka, Arunmozhi receives treatment from Buddhas. On the other side of the narrative, Nandhini hatches a plot to assassinate Aditya Karikalan and overthrow the Chola dynasty. The rest of the tale is made up of what happens subsequently. Mani Ratnam took on a significant amount of responsibility to portray the events of the novel accurately in the film, and I must say that he beautifully adapted the tale. The second installment’s story moves at a leisurely pace with thoughtfully planned out twists and turns. Every character did a fantastic job portraying A classic adaptation sequel oPonniyin Selvan 2 persists as a narrative about unrequited love Ponniyin Selvan is an adaption of Kalki’s novel of the same name. – BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA Arulmozhi Varman continues to work towards his goal of ruling the legendary Chola dynasty in southern India. – MOVIE CROW The sequences starring Vikram and Aishwarya Rai are really well-made. – INDIA TODAY Ponniyin Selvan 2 was released with tremendous anticipation, and audiences responded well with positive reviews. – KOIMOI █ BYTHASHINE SELVAKUMARAN 0Cast: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, and Trisha. 0Director: Mani Ratnam E-VALUE 8 ACTING 8 PLOT 9

18 FEATURE theSun LYFE ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 Nintendo banks on Zelda to boost fortunes JAPANESE video game giant Nintendo is banking on the latest instalment of its 40-year-old saga Zelda to breathe life into its business, after forecasting a drop in profits this year. The firm released Tears of the Kingdom last Friday, with clips circulating on the internet already racking up millions of views and generating feverish excitement among fans. The saga of Princess Zelda and the elf-like warrior Link has shifted 125 million copies worldwide since its first edition in 1986. It helped to forge “open world” games where the player is free to roam in virtual landscapes – an idea later taken up by games from Grand Theft Auto to Skyrim. But its main challenge this year will be to boost the figures for the Japanese studio and prolong the life of its Switch console, which experts say is in its dotage after seven years on the shelves. The game “will be by far the biggest contributor to Nintendo’s sales this year”, said Serkan Toto, an analyst at Kantan Games. Yet the franchise was something of a risk during the 1980s for a company that also boasts the Super Mario series as part of its stable. Pioneer The first episode, The Legend of Zelda, plunged gamers into an unknown universe largely without instructions. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who also gave life to Mario, was inspired by his childhood explorations of the Japanese countryside to offer a landscape of forests, lakes, caves and mountains. “The scale of the game was huge at a time when most games were finished in an hour or two,” said Kiyoshi Tane, an author specialising in the history of video games. “The map was designed with a real emphasis on exploration, so it was something of a pioneer of what open-world games would become.” The first Zelda hit the market only a few months after Super Mario Bros, but the two games were far apart on the gaming spectrum. While Mario runs from left to right through various platforms, Zelda “encouraged the player to explore, discover and map its world and take on its challenges”, said Mark Brown, who analyses game design on his The saga of Princess Zelda and the elf-like warrior Link has shifted 125 million copies worldwide since its first edition in 1986. – AFP YouTube channel. The game was a smash hit from the off, and for the next two decades it pushed the boundaries of game design. The 1998 edition Ocarina of Time pioneered a system to allow gamers to aim properly in 3D. Yet the game eventually hit the skids at the turn of the 2010s. High bar Nintendo wanted to expand the game’s appeal but only managed to create editions that satisfied nobody. Hardcore fans drifted away and sales suffered. “The development team had a sense of crisis,” Katsuhiko Hayashi of trade magazine Famitsu told AFP. The designers rethought the basics of the game, eventually creating 2017’s Breath of the Wild. It was launched alongside the Switch console and has since become the best-selling edition of Zelda. “This game set a high bar for the open-world action-adventure genre, and Zelda is still at the top,” said Hayashi. Zelda has become something of a “bible” for other developers, he added. But despite this success and the enduring popularity of Nintendo’s other franchises – demonstrated by this year’s smash hit Super Mario Bros. Movie – the firm released a gloomy outlookearly last week. The company forecast a drop in net profit by 21% this year compared with last year. The prediction makes the Zelda release vital for the company. Charles-Louis Planade, an analyst at Midcap Partners, reckons it could become “the best-selling game in history”. “It’s a game that can approach US$1 billion (RM4.5 billion) in revenue, which is very significant for a company that makes a turnover of just over US$10 billion (RM45 billion) per year,” he told AFP. – ETX Studio S PACE tourism company Virgin Galactic announced Monday that it is resuming flights with a mission this month, its first in nearly two years, Virgin Galactic has sold 800 tickets for future commercial flights. – VIRGIN GALACTIC oVirgin to launch commercial spaceflights in June Unity 25 will be the company’s fifth trip into space, defined as 50km above sea level. – REUTERS Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson soars like Superman while in weightlessness during his Unity 22 launch on July 11, 2021. – VIRGIN GALACTIC and the launch of commercial trips in June. The Unity 25 mission will take place in late May with four company employees on board, said Virgin Galactic, which was founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, who took part in the firm’s last spaceflight in July 2021. “Unity 25 is the final assessment of the full spaceflight system and astronaut experience before commercial service opens in late June,” Virgin Galactic said in a statement. Unity 25 will be the company’s fifth trip into space, defined as 80km above sea level. Unlike other companies that use vertical-launch rockets, Virgin Galactic uses a carrier aircraft that takes off from a runway, gains high altitude, and drops a rocket-powered plane that soars into space before gliding back to Earth. The total journey time is 90 minutes, with passengers experiencing a few minutes of weightlessness in the space plane’s cabin. Virgin’s flights launch from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The crew for the Unity 25 mission will be made up of two men and two women: Beth Moses, who has taken part in two previous Virgin Galactic flights, Jamila Gilbert, Chris Huie and Luke Mays, who spent several years training NASA astronauts. Two pilots are also assigned to the mothership and two to the spaceship. The first commercial flight, Galactic 01, will include passengers from the Italian Air Force. The Virgin Galactic space program has suffered years of delays and a 2014 accident in which a pilot died. Virgin Galactic has sold 800 tickets for future commercial flights – 600 between 2005 and 2014 for US$200,000 (RM899,000) to US$250,000 (RM1.12 million) and 200 since then for US$450,000 (RM2.02 million) each. Virgin Galactic is in competition in the space tourism business with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which also offers short suborbital flights and has sent 32 people into space. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rockets have been grounded, however, since a September 2022 accident that occurred shortly after liftoff from Texas on an uncrewed flight. Blue Origin said in March that it hoped to resume flights soon. – ETX Studio A ticket to space

19 WELLNESS theSun LYFE ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 YOU need the comforting support of a person at your side during every challenging phase of life. You really need a life partner at your side at all times – someone who supports you, makes you smile when the only thing you want to do is cry out loud, and who truly gets you. We are all connected by love, yet choosing a life mate may be quite challenging. It will take time and be challenging, but when you discover them, it’s a stunning moment filled with incomprehensible sentiments, despite what people say. Here are some factors you should keep in mind when looking for the ideal candidate. Trust your instincts It’s a good idea to either slow down or end a relationship if you have a negative feeling about how it’s progressing. As you spend more time with someone, their flaws tend to show more clearly. If the person you’re seeing exhibits any warning signs or red flags, these problems are likely to grow worse rather than better. A VERITABLE institution in some countries, it turns out that naps might not be as beneficial to health as we think. It all depends on the length of the siesta. In fact, US researchers suggest that long naps, lasting more than 30 minutes, could be associated with a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome. From memory and concentration to mood, alertness and learning capacity, in theory, the daily siesta seems to have plenty of plus points. But the benefits of napping in the middle of the day could vary in relation to the duration of sleep. In fact, it is short siestas, sometimes called power naps, that appear to be most beneficial to health, according to a study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. They looked at the relationship between nap duration and certain pathologies, examining data from 3,275 adults from the Spanish region of Murcia, where napping is considered – at least in the collective imagination – something of an institution. Negative health effects Published in the journal Obesity, the researchers’ work focused on measuring participants’ baseline metabolic characteristics and then collecting data on their naps and other lifestyle factors. One goal was to find out whether they napped for more or less than 30 minutes, or not at all. The scientists’ findings suggest that naps longer than 30 minutes – considered long siestas – increase the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome, which translates into physiological symptoms that in turn increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. “Not all siestas are the same. The length of time, the position of sleep, and other specific factors can affect the health outcomes of a nap,” said senior author Marta Garaulet, PhD, a visiting professor in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “A previous study that we conducted in a large study population in the UK found that siestas were associated with an increased risk of obesity. We wanted to determine whether this would hold true in a country where siestas are more culturally embedded, in this case, Spain, as well as how the length of time for siestas is related to metabolic health,” she said in a statement. In detail, the group of scientists observed higher values of waist circumference, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure in participants who took long siestas compared to those who did not nap at all. Long naps were also associated with later sleep and meal times, higher energy intake at lunchtime, and smoking, factors that may also explain the increased risk of obesity and high blood pressure. What’s the ideal nap length? The researchers note that short siestas, lasting less than 30 minutes, were not associated with an increased risk of obesity or metabolic alterations. They add that power naps were beneficial for blood pressure, which was found to be lower in participants who slept for a short while compared to those who did not nap at all. This conclusion supports the Naps were associated with increased risk of obesity and high blood pressure. – GETTY Talk to the other person if there are any aspects of your budding relationship that worry you. You might be able to reach a consensus. You might also be able to save yourself some time in case you realise your connection won’t last. Putting personality above appearances While it comes to dating, it might be difficult to choose between personality and attractiveness, but this is never the case while looking for a marriage. Although physical attractiveness is undoubtedly important in relationships, it is not the most important factor in connections. We suggest that you go for it if your new companion has good taste, is attractive, and is capable of handling himself or herself perfectly using the innate attractiveness he or she is born with or given with. Common values Identical core values are essential for friendship and give you the power to overcome obstacles in life. Although you and your partner may share distinct points of view and hobbies, it is important to take into account and discuss core values like political or religious beliefs, parenting styles, educational goals for children, discipline and improvement in oneself, and m o n e y management. People tend to get along better when they have similar underlying principles. It is hard to statements. It’s preferable to be with someone who will be open and honest with you, even if it means admitting that they have feelings for someone else. It is in your best interest to get to know your spouse truly, even if the reality is difficult to accept. Desire to continue communicating All problems may be resolved between two individuals who love one another and are eager to be together. However, resolving disputes takes time, perseverance, and effective communication. Partners must come to an understanding or be at ease with disagreeing. Conflict resolution takes time since there may be a number of procedures to follow before both parties feel heard. Clarifying the issue, comprehending its deeper significance, ensuring that each partner is aware of the other’s perspective, allowing for any emotions the subject may arouse in each person, expressing empathy for one another, and generating ideas until an answer that appears correct for both individuals is discovered are all aspects of conversing. Every single one of us will have an alternate viewpoint on what matters when we think about the many qualities to look for in a partner. We could be drawn to features that are more particular. However, deciding on partners who make an effort to uphold the aforementioned principles will increase the likelihood that our relationship will be happy. Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s advice on napping, which notably recommends limiting naps to 20 or 30 minutes maximum, and not taking a siesta after 3pm. “This study shows the importance of considering siesta length and raises the question of whether short naps may offer unique benefits. Many institutions are realizing the benefits of short naps, mostly for work productivity, but also increasingly for general health. If future studies further substantiate the advantages of shorter siestas, I think that that could be the driving force behind the uncovering of optimal nap durations, and a cultural shift in the recognition of the long-term health effects and productivity increases that can amount from this lifestyle behaviour,” said co-author Frank Scheer, PhD, a senior neuroscientist and professor in the Medical Chronobiology Program in the Brigham’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders. – ETX Studio Carefully choose the set of flaws you are comfortable enough to live with. Choose someone who inspires you to be a better person. Look for someone who is growth and learningoriented. – ALL PIX VIA 123RF █ BYTHASHINE SELVAKUMARAN Choosing the right partner oFind a partner who shares your goals and passions meet someone with whom you always agree, but for a relationship to be joyful and harmonious, both parties must be willing to work together. Truthfulness Although lying is regrettably common in many relationships, deception is g e n e r a l l y f r o w n e d upon. Despite r e s e a r c h showing that lying less is associated with b e t t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p s , some couples believe they must tell lies in order to survive. The ability to trust is crucial when selecting a life mate. Look for someone who is honest about their feelings and whose behaviour matches their Naps may not be good for you

20 EDUCATION theSun LYFE ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 in 2011, he has been travelling the world for nearly ten years now with the support of sponsors. Other than to Australia, he has also been to Japan, Germany, England, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Myanmar. He went into the Abbott World Marathon Majors with a goal of clocking below the threehour mark, and finished all six (Berlin Marathon, Boston Marathon twice, Chicago Marathon, London Marathon, New York Marathon, and Tokyo Marathon) in four years. In 2016, he was honoured with ‘Malaysia’s Top Marathoner’, and became the first independent Malaysian marathoner to qualify for the SEA Games Marathon 2017 on merit as well as selected for the National Kita Juara Program at the age of 30. Recently, Edan Shah bagged a Guinness World Records togged out in Bulan Bintang’s traditional Malay attire at the Full Marathon of 42.2 km at the TCS London Marathon 2023. The goal was to complete the marathon in under 3 hours, and Edan went way above emerging as the Guinness World Record Holder for The Fastest Full Marathon (42.2 km) in Traditional Malay Dress (Male) with a time of 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 22 seconds. “I would like to thank MSU president Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Dr Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid for his trust and confidence in me to pursue my higher education with the support of Yayasan MSU. I had never expected to return to university at the age of 35. It was challenging at first to juggle classes, assignments, projects, exams and presentations with my current coaching job, while also working at improving my running fitness for future marathons. Yet, I’ve had a fantastic time working with my classmates over the past six months, and I’m surprised that I’ve been able to balance my studies and obtain decent grades in my first semester.” Because the best kind of learning does not train you to win but instead teaches you what winning might mean – build your capacity to act, for example – Edan keeps running not only towards his dreams but also towards where he can help. “Physical education has become even more vital and critical for society, what with the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We are built to move, and many of our body’s systems perform better when we exercise regularly. I want to inspire and assist future generations in improving personal health through physical education. Eventually, I’d like for everyone to learn to run smart, but my current mission is to encourage everyone to stay active through physical activity. I hope more school athletes and fitness enthusiasts will join me and become transformational leaders educating society about health and physical education.” Currently, Yayasan MSU scholar, Edan Shah, unfazed by the challenges faced in his sports career, bagged a Guinness World Records togged out in traditional Malay attire at the Full Marathon of 42.2 km at the TCS London Marathon 2023. The goal was to complete the marathon in under 3 hours, and Edan went way above emerging as the Guinness World Record Holder for The Fastest Full Marathon (42.2 km) in Traditional Malay Dress (Male) with a time of 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 22 seconds. Mohd Syahidan Alias or Edan Syah is the Head Coach responsible in bringing MSU its first athletics medal via the 3,000km Steeplechase event of SUKIPT 2022. Edan was a key facilitator/participant in the MSU Malaysia Book of Record ‘The Longest Non-Stop Baton Relay Run’ (168 hours; 2,352km; 7 days, 2 nights) in conjunction with MSU’s AIDS Awareness Campaign of 2009. He led flag bearers comprising medallists of SUKIPT 2022 into the MSU Chancellor Hall at the closing ceremony of MSU MyDay and Merdeka celebration. WHEN Malaysia was formed on Sept 16, 1963, three stripes were added to the Jalur Gemilang (at the time, Bendera Malaysia) as well as three more points to the Malaysian flag’s 11-point star; both to signify the addition of Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore. The fourteenth stripe and point, which remained upon Singapore’s leaving on August 9, 1965, eventually came to be associated with Malaysia’s federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya. Four years ago today on the Malaysia Day of 2018, against a backdrop of Australia’s Sydney Opera House, Jalur Gemilang sprinted to a Guinness World Record (GWR) – figuratively, on the back of Yayasan MSU scholar Mohd Syahidan Alias. The citizen runner currently undertaking Bachelor in Education (Physical Education and Health) (Hons) studies via the Micro-Credential programme at the Management and Science University (MSU) School of Education and Social Sciences (SESS) clocked 2 hours, 54 minutes, 34 seconds to set the GWR for the Fastest Full Marathon Dressed in National Flag Costume at the Blackmores Running Festival in Sydney. Shattering a previous record of 3 hours 29 minutes, his was one of four feats that included a costume – the other three record setters were dressed as a surfer, a French maid, and a monk. “It was a challenge all its own as it was a windy day and I felt my body swaying from side to side every time the wind blew! The drag was so strong but when I heard people cheering me on with ‘Go Malaysia!’ the goosebumps I got just spurred me on!” Describing himself as a citizen runner because he is a working adult with a passion for running, Mohd Syahidan is professionally as well as popularly and affectionately called Edan Syah. Born in Terengganu but raised in Selangor, Edan had started running on his own and at a later age. Growing up with both his parents as schoolteachers, Edan had otherwise never had sports as his natural environment or a career option. Yet the regular guy with a day job as Coach at Smart Athletics Club (SAC), who himself had self-trained to save on coaching fees, went on to create a name for himself in the arena. “Dreams are good only if you commit to them. I dared to dream because I dared to work towards them. There is no shortcut to excellence; hard work beats talent. With discipline and time management, have faith that the magic will happen.” Ever since Edan began running full marathons Daring to dream Edan is recipient of a Yayasan MSU scholarship. Recently Edan Shah bagged a Guinness World Records togged out in Bulan Bintang’s traditional Malay attire at the Full Marathon of 42.2 km at the TCS London Marathon 2023. – BULAN BINTANG @BULANBINTANGHQ

21 * SPORTS theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 322 Notices 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF SKP SENABANGUN (SOUTH) SDN BHD [Company No. 394844-H] (In Members’ Voluntary Winding Up) Notice of Special Resolutions for Members’ Voluntary Winding-Up Pursuant to Section 439(2)(b) of the Companies Act, 2016. At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the members of SKP SENABANGUN (SOUTH) SDN BHD, duly convened and held at Unit No. 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1 Jalan SS20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor on the 10th May 2023, the Special Resolution set out below was duly passed:- “THAT the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to section 439(2)(a) of the Companies Act, 2016 and that Mr. Chang Chee Ching of Unit 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1, Jalan SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan and Mr. Chang Weng Hoe of Unit 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1, Jalan SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan be appointed as Liquidator for the purpose of winding up the affairs and distributing the assets of the Company.” Dated this 10th May 2023 LOW KOK MENG Director IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF SKP SENABANGUN (SOUTH) SDN BHD [Company No. 394844-H] (In Members’ Voluntary Winding-Up) NOTICE IS hereby given that the creditors of SKP SENABANGUN (SOUTH) SDN BHD which is being voluntarily wound-up, are required on or before 16th June 2023 to send their names and address and the particulars of their debts or claims and the names and address of their solicitors (if any) to the Liquidators of the said Company at Unit No. 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1, Jalan SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan and if so required by notice in writing from the said liquidators, either by their solicitors or personally to come in and prove their debts or claims at such time and place as shall be specified in such notice or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts and claims are proved. Dated this 10th May 2023 CHANG CHEE CHING CHANG WENG HOE Liquidator KITCHEN EQUIPMENT FOR SALE We are acting on behalf of our client who has ceased business operations in a restaurant business. Offers are invited for the purchase of kitchen equipment belonging to our client, strictly on an “as is where is” basis. Brief details of the equipment for sale are as follows : Equipment details : Various kitchen equipment for restaurant Location : Store in Klang Valley An Information Memorandum containing particulars of the equipment as well as the terms and conditions of the sale can be obtained from the address indicated below at RM100.00 per copy payable by way of a cashier’s order/ banker’s draft made in favour of “PLC & C SDN BHD”. Kindly direct any queries you may have to the authorised representatives of the Company as below : NAME CONTACT NO. EMAIL Chang Weng Hoe 03-7118 7733 corpadvisory@lccmy.com Muhammad Nor Sabri 03-7118 7733 corpadvisory@lccmy.com Haziqah Razi 03-7118 7733 corpadvisory@lccmy.com All offers are to be submitted in a sealed enveloped addressed to : PLC & C Sdn Bhd Unit No. 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No.1, Jalan SS 20/27 47400 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel: 03-7118 7733 / Fax: 03-7118-7799 A cashier’s order/banker’s draft equivalent to two (2) percent of the offer price is required to be submitted together with the offer as forfeitable earnest money which will be refunded only if the offer is unsuccessful. All offers must reach the above address by 5.30 pm on 30th May 2023. We are not bound to accept the highest or any offer. Dated this 16th May 2023 Chang Weng Hoe Director 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF SKP PRADIKSI (NORTH) SDN BHD [Company No. 394198-W] (In Members’ Voluntary Winding Up) Notice of Special Resolutions for Members’ Voluntary Winding-Up Pursuant to Section 439(2)(b) of the Companies Act, 2016. At a Extraordinary General Meeting of the members of SKP PRADIKSI (NORTH) SDN BHD, duly convened and held at Unit No. 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1 Jalan SS20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor on the 10th May 2023, the Special Resolution set out below was duly passed:- “THAT the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to section 439(2)(a) of the Companies Act, 2016 and that Mr. Chang Chee Ching of Unit 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1, Jalan SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan and Mr. Chang Weng Hoe of Unit 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1, Jalan SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan be appointed as Liquidator for the purpose of winding up the affairs and distributing the assets of the Company.” Dated this 10th May 2023 LOW KOK MENG Director IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF SKP PRADIKSI (NORTH) SDN BHD (Company No. 394198-W) (In Members’ Voluntary Winding-Up) NOTICE IS hereby given that the creditors of SKP PRADIKSI (NORTH) SDN BHD which is being voluntarily wound-up, are required on or before 16th June 2023 to send their names and address and the particulars of their debts or claims and the names and address of their solicitors (if any) to the Liquidators of the said Company at Unit No. 1128, 11th Floor, Block A, Damansara Intan, No. 1, Jalan SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan and if so required by notice in writing from the said liquidators, either by their solicitors or personally to come in and prove their debts or claims at such time and place as shall be specified in such notice or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts and claims are proved. Dated this 10th May 2023 CHANG CHEE CHING CHANG WENG HOE Liquidator 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI SHAH ALAM DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN GUAMAN NO: BA-A72NCC-46-02/2023 ANTARA ABDUL KADIR BIN ABDUL RANI (NRIC:640815-08-5187) PLAINTIF DAN DATO’ MOHAMAD ZAINI BIN MD TAHA (NRIC:781009-02-5955) DEFENDAN NOTIS Kepada : DATO’ MOHAMAD ZAINI BIN MD TAHA No.54, Jalan Frekuensi U 16/120 Elmina 8 East, 40160 Shah Alam Selangor AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu tindakan telah dimulakan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Majistret Shah Alam dalam Guaman No: BAA72NCC-46-02/2023 oleh Abdul Kadir Bin Abdul Rani yang beralamat di di 15, Jalan UP 3/7C, Taman Ukay Perdana, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan yang mana tuntutan Plaintif ialah jumlah wang sebanyak RM100,000, faedah terhadap jumlah RM100,000 pada kadar 5% setahun daripada tarikh pemfailan Writ Saman sehingga tarikh Penghakiman, faedah terhadap jumlah Penghakiman pada kadar 5% setahun, dikira dari tarikh penghakiman sehinggalah penghakiman itu ditunaikan dan kos dan bahawa telah diperintahkan pada 17.4.2023 (“Perintah”) bahawa Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan (“Saman”) disampaikan ke atas kamu melalui cara penyampaian gantian dengan penampalan salinan-salinan Saman dan Perintah ini di atas Papan Notis, Mahkamah Majistret di Shah Alam dan penampalan salinan-salinan Saman dan Perintah di alamat No.54, Jalan Frekuensi U 16/120, Elmina 8 East, 40160 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan dan pengiklanan Notis ini sekali dalam suatu akhbar tempatan dan bahawa penyampaian ini disifatkan sebagai penyampaian yang cukup dan sempurna terhadap kamu selepas tamat tempoh masa 7 hari dari tarikh penampalan atau pengiklanan mengikut mana yang akhir. Jika kamu berhasrat untuk membela tindakan tersebut kamu mestilah, dalam tempoh masa 14 hari selepas penyempurnaan penampalan dan pengiklanan , memasuki kehadiran sama ada secara sendiri atau melalui peguambela kamu. Jika kamu ingkar hadir sedemikian, penghakiman boleh diberikan terhadap kamu. Bertarikh pada 15 Mei 2023 t.t ……………………… Peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif Notis ini difailkan oleh Tetuan Lachaman Lalchand & Associates Peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif yang beralamat di No. 5-1, Jalan 26/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-6201 2663 Fax: 03-6201 2618 Ruj:: LL/RS/AKAR/2221 302 Jobs 322 Notices IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT SHAH ALAM IN THE STATE OF SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA COMPANIES WINDING-UP NO.: BA-28NCC-229-05/2023 In the matter of Section 465 (1) (e) of the Companies Act 2016, the provisions of the Companies Act 2016 and the Companies (Windingup) Rules 1972 AND In the matter of Al Ansar Health Sdn. Bhd. [Company No. 201301006478 (1036321-W)] BETWEEN PERBADANAN USAHAWAN NASIONAL BERHAD [COMPANY NO.: 199101010745 (221057-V)] PETITIONER AND AL ANSAR HEALTH SDN. BHD. [COMPANY NO.: 201301006478 (1036321-W)] RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of the abovenamed Company by the High Court at Shah Alam was on the 9th day of May 2023 presented to the said Court by Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad. And that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the High Court of Insolvency sitting at Shah Alam on Wednesday, the 9th day of August 2023 at 9:00 o’clock in the forenoon and any creditor or contributory of the said company desirous to support or oppose the making of an order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his Counsel for that purpose and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any Creditor or contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address is at 10th Floor, Block 1B, Plaza Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s Solicitor is Messrs. Kama & Wan, whose address is at 5-1-1, Jalan Medan PB 4A, Seksyen 9, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan. ……………………… Messrs. Kama & Wan Solicitor for the Petitioner NOTE: Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the above-named Messrs. Kama & Wan, notice in writing of his intention to do so. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or, if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm or his or their Solicitors (if any) and must be served, or if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the abovenamed not later that 12:00 o’clock in the noon of the 8th day of August 2023. This Advertisement of Petition is filed by Messrs. Kama & Wan, Advocate & Solicitor on behalf of Petitioner of 5-1-1, Jalan Medan PB 4A, Seksyen 9, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan. (Tel: 03 89221485) (Ref. No.: WS/PUNB/AAH/1450(L)(FP)) Lyon urges calm in face of ‘Bazball’ AUSTRALIA off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes the “Bazball” style of play only works if the opposition panics and has urged his teammates to remain calm in the face of England’s aggressive batting in the upcoming Ashes series. England have won 10 of their last 12 Tests since captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon “Baz” McCullum took over and introduced the high-risk, high-reward style of play. “You look at the way they played against New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan, they have been able to force the opposition into panicking,” Lyon told Australian Associated Press (AAP). “We just have to worry about us. Control what we can control and worry about what is in our backyard and not be worried about what they’re doing. “If we make sure we have really good plans and stick to them, everything will go okay.” The 35-year-old said Australia needed to focus on executing their own gameplan and avoid the kind of batting collapses that marred their tour of India earlier this year. “We shouldn’t panic anyway,” Lyon said. “We panicked in India and we saw what happened. If we can learn from that experience and play our way and our brand it will be okay.” Anderson suffers groin injury ENGLAND seamer James Anderson has suffered a groin injury playing for Lancashire and his fitness will need to be assessed before next month’s Ashes warm-up Test against Ireland, the England and Wales Cricket board (ECB) said late yesterday. The 40-year-old left the field on Thursday after sustaining the injury during the first day of the match against Somerset at Old Trafford and a “mild groin strain” was diagnosed. “His fitness will be assessed nearer the time of the test match against Ireland, which takes place at Lord’s starting on Thursday June 1, 2023,” an ECB statement said. Anderson and Stuart Broad, 36, form the most prolific wickettaking partnership in Test history and the hosts will be desperate to have them bowling in tandem when they play Australia in five matches starting in mid-June. England are already sweating on the fitness of Jofra Archer for the series after the paceman was ruled out for the remainder of this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL) last week due to a nagging elbow injury. Mustafizur, Hasan star for Bangladesh MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN took four wickets before Hasan Mahmud held his nerve as Bangladesh beat Ireland by just five runs in the third one-day international at Chelmsford yesterday. Victory gave Bangladesh a 2-0 win, with one washout, in the three-match series. Mustafizur finished with fine figures of 4-44 from 10 overs, including several top-order batsman, as Ireland were held to 269- 9 in reply to Bangladesh’s 274 all out. Ireland needed 10 off the final over only for Hasan to take two wickets. Then, with six required off the last ball, Hasan’s fine yorker hit tailender Craig Young on the boot to the delight of the Tigers’ vocal fans at the headquarters of English county Essex. “If I tell you we had the belief we’d win, I’d be lying,” Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, who top-scored for the Tigers with 69, told ESPNCricinfo. “But cricket is a funny game, wickets fall and scoreboard pressure is bad to have. When ‘the Fizz’ (Mustafizur) got two wickets (Curtis Campher and George Dockrell), we thought we had a chance.” Knight Riders keep playoff hopes alive FIFTIES from skipper Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh led Kolkata Knight Riders to a six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings and stay alive in the Indian Premier League yesterday. Kolkata kept Chennai down to 144-6, a total they overhauled riding on a key stand of 99 between Rinku (54) and Rana (57 not out) in Chennai. Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine took two wickets each to set up victory as Kolkata jumped a spot to seventh in their attempt to finish the league stage on top four for a playoff berth. “I said at the toss that if we do well in all the three departments, then our chances are good,” Rana said after his team’s sixth win in 13 matches. Four-time winners Chennai remain second in the 10-team table led by holders Gujarat Titans and on course for the playoffs. In the first match of the day, skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell helped Royal Challengers Bangalore boost their playoff chances with a 112-run rout of Rajasthan Royals. INSIDE EDGE Kolkata Knight Riders’ Nitish Rana plays a shot during his team’s IPL match against the Chennai Super Kings. – AFPPIX

22 theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 SPORTS BARCELONA players were frantically forced to run from the pitch after angry Espanyol fans charged at them during their La Liga title celebrations. The Catalan giants were confirmed as league champions with a 4-2 win over their city rivals – however the game may now be best remembered for the scenes afterwards. Barcelona claimed the La Liga title in in emphatic fashion with goals from Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde and a double from talisman Robert Lewandowski securing the win meaning the club now holds an unassailable 14-point lead over fierce rivals Real Madrid. The players and staff danced together in the centre circle in the home of their city rivals after the fulltime whistle was blown as they celebrated winning the league for the first time since 2019. However, as the camera zoomed into their celebrations, panic ensued. Barcelona stars were seen frantically running from the pitch as Espanyol fans invaded the pitch to try and disrupt the celebrations. Players sought the safety of the dressing room as stewards and armed police tried to calm the situation, grabbing some fans who had entered the pitch and trying to usher others back to their seats. Footage later released from the tunnel showed some Barcelona players, including captain Sergio Busquets, fuming at what happened as police with riot shields tried to get in between them and the fans. There were no Barcelona fans in the ground for the occasions after Espanyol fans were locked out of the reverse fixture at the Nou Camp in December. Xavi had not taken part in the celebrations instead deciding to head straight down the tunnel after shaking hands with the opposition managerial team. After the game, the Spaniard admitted he had told his players to return to the dressing room earlier than they did given they were not celebrating in their own ground. “I told them that was enough,” he said. “It is normal to celebrate, to be euphoric. But we had to remember that we were not at home, and have respect. “In the end, these are emotions the players have. It is difficult to control. So I told them better to get into the dressing room.” Espanyol fans remained on the pitch long after Barcelona players had returned to the dressing room as they protested against their own board, telling them to resign. “I haven’t seen the images, I always go in at the end of a game and from what I’ve been told, it’s something that should not happen and should be condemned,” Espanyol coach Luis Garcia said. “Measures were in place to avoid it, but it was not possible.” Barcelona have endured a troubled period on and off the pitch in recent years but their triumph signals significant improvement, with winning his first major trophy since taking over in November 2021. The coach said that the victory was proof that the club was heading in the right direction. “(It brings) a lot of calm, a lot of hope for the future,” said Xavi. “I am very happy. We did a great job, a league won with four games remaining, that’s to the absolute merit of the team.” – Express Newspapers/AFP @thesundaily FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM SCAN ME No time to celebrate Barcelona stars run for cover after Espanyol fans invade pitch Emotional Day snaps five-year winless streak FORMER world No. 1 Jason Day said he had considered giving up on golf a couple of years ago after he ended his five-year title drought with a one-stroke victory at the Byron Nelson in Texas yesterday. It was the Australian’s first win on the PGA Tour since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship and his 13th in all since he won his maiden title, also at the Byron Nelson, in 2010. Since his last title win, Day has endured illness and injury as well as the pain of watching his mother’s five-year battle with cancer, which ended when she died last year. “It was very emotional to go through and to experience what she was going through, then I had injuries on top of all of that going on in my life,” he added. “To be honest, I was very close to calling it quits. I never told my wife that, but I was okay with it, just because it was a very stressful part of my life.” The 35-year-old was briefly reduced to tears after sealing victory on what was Mother’s Day in the United States and celebrating with his wife Ellie, who is expecting the couple’s fifth child. “Ellie, she never gave up on me trying to get back to the winner’s circle again. She just always was pushing me to try and get better,” Day said. “It feels strange to be sitting here. I don’t know how else to explain it. To go through what I went through and then to be able to be a winner again and be in the winner’s circle is very pleasing.” The timing of the win could not be better with the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in New York coming up later this week. Day won his only major title at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2015. “After this week, I know that I can win,” he said. “There’s a few subtle things that I have to change technically to feel like I can actually come out and dominate and play very consistent golf.” – Reuters Leipzig leave it late RB LEIPZIG forward Christopher Nkunku set up two late goals as his side came from behind to defeat Werder Bremen 2-1 at home yesterday, lifting them to third. With Bremen leading 1-0 thanks to a controversial goal from Leipzig-born Leonardo Bittencourt, Nkunku curled in a cross for captain Willi Orban to head in an equaliser with three minutes remaining, before setting up another for Dominik Szoboszlai in the sixth minute of injury time for a crucial win. The win takes Leipzig one point clear of Union Berlin into third with two games remaining, ahead of this week’s trip to league leaders Bayern Munich. In an earlier match, Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 1-1 draw at Stuttgart, just days before their second leg Europa League semifinal clash with Roma. A “very satisfied” visiting manager Xabi Alonso said the team showed the will to win until th end. “We want to make sixth place, but first we can achieve another big goal on Thursday.” Djokovic thankful for ‘Big Four’ rivalry NOVAK DJOKOVIC said his rivalries with Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray had helped him become stronger in the face of adversity, after the world No. 1 battled his way into the last 16 of the Italian Open. The 35-year-old Serb was a set and a break up in yesterday’s match with Grigor Dimitrov but was then dragged into a decider, where he raised his level again to close out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 win after more than two hours. “Luckily for me, in my career, I managed to win more matches than I lost when I was facing difficult circumstances,” Djokovic said. “For a few years, whenever I needed to make that final step or win a Grand Slam, I didn’t manage to do that, so I learned a lot. I got stronger because of the rivalries, particularly with Federer, Nadal and Murray,” he added. “Staying the course, staying patient and believing in the process and the journey,” Djokovic said. “Understanding what works for you best, what’s your winning formula mentally and also physically and emotionally, and then sticking to it.” Swiatek wants success on all surfaces IGA SWIATEK said she feels most comfortable on clay but the world No. 1 hopes to emulate her idol Rafa Nadal and win titles on all surfaces to become one of the game’s greats. The 21-year-old won the French Open in 2020 and 2022 and has also proven herself on hard surfaces. “I think if you want to be the best in tennis, you have to play well on all these surfaces,” Swiatek said following her 6-2, 6- 0 win over Lesia Tsurenko at the Italian Open yesterday. “I’m lucky enough to have the grasscourt season only for three weeks, but I’m still getting it. I know it’s an important part of the tour and I should be better at it.” Ko wins Founders Cup SOUTH KOREAN Ko Jin-young won the LPGA’s Founders Cup for the third time yesterday, clinching a playoff victory over Australia’s Minjee Lee in Clifton, New Jersey. Ko defeated defending champion Lee with a par on the first playoff hole where the Australian, who had a two stroke lead with three holes to go, threeputted for bogey. The high-winds made low scoring difficult but Ko said it had forced to her focus and keep her mind off the leaderboard. “I played really, really good. It was so windy, was too windy out there, so I thought if I (can) play really well I could have a chance to win. So I really focused myself and focused shot by shot on every hole and didn’t look the scoreboard. I didn’t think about the other players,” she added. South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai finished third at 10-under, three shots behind the leaders. NATIONAL cueist Thor Chuan Leong has dedicated his 2023 SEA Games gold medal to Malaysia for giving him a second chance to compete in the biennial Games. The 35-year-old former professional player said that although his form had suffered a dip, the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) still had faith in him to bring glory to the country. He explained that he faced really difficult times when he turned professional and played in the United Kingdom (UK), which saw his performance suddenly take a nosedive, adding that it took him a long time to regain his touch. “My game was horrible when I played in the UK. In Asia, I can be considered a great player, but in the UK I was playing like a novice. “So, I returned (to Malaysia). It has taken me four to five years to get back to my previous level and that’s why many of you have not heard my name for so long. Now, everything is beginning to look up,” he said yesterday in Phnon Penh Yesterday, Chuan Leong, who is more popularly called Thor in the sporting fraternity, clinched the men’s singles snooker gold medal, thus repeating the feat he achieved in the 2015 edition in Singapore. His victory also ensured that the MSBF’s twogold target has been achieved. Thor now has a total of five SEA Games gold medals to his name, having come out tops in the men’s doubles snooker event in the 2011 edition in Palembang, Indonesia; singles and doubles gold medals in Singapore (2015); and the 6-Red individual gold in Myanmar (2013). Meanwhile in weightlifting, the national squad managed to meet their target of winning a bronze medal in the sport. Young weightlifter, Nur Syazwani Radzi won the bronze in the women’s 64kg category on the last day of the weightlifting competition at the Olympic Taekwondo Hall. The gold medal was won by Tsabitha Alfiah Ramadani of Indonesia while Vietnam’s Thi Thu Uyen Dinh brought home the silver. – Bernama Mighty Thor dedicates snooker gold to Malaysia Country Gold Silver Bronze Vietnam 106 90 95 Thailand 90 65 88 Indonesia 67 61 80 Cambodia 65 60 102 Philippines 45 72 85 Singapore 42 36 55 Malaysia 30 41 78 Myanmar 20 19 58 Laos 6 20 51 Brunei 2 1 4 Timor-Leste 0 0 8 2023 SEA GAMES MEDAL TALLY BRIEFS Malaysia’s Thor Chuan Leong in action during his Snooker match against Thailand at the AEON Mall Sen Sok City. – BERNAMAPIX

23 * SPORTS theSUN ON TUESDAY | MAY 16, 2023 CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN says he is confident home comforts will deliver the two wins United need to book their place in the Champions League next season. But the United midfielder maintained that Erik ten Hag’s men need to improve their form on the road if they are to kick on next season. “First of all we need to finish the season strong with a perfect home record but it’s definitely something that we need to do,” he said. “In the end, of course, for next season, we need to be as good as at home, but also away. And then it’s going to be a fun season.” United have been solid at Old Trafford winning 13 of their 17 games but vulnerable on the road taking maximum points from just seven out of 18 games. “We know where we can pick up extra points, because at home, at the moment we’re feeling very, very secure. But when you lose two games, the extra pressure is on. “We’ve shown the character and the quality to be where we are. We’re just going to focus on us. For us, it has to be three wins in the last three games.” The 2-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday was welcomed by those at Old Trafford after back-toback 1-0 defeats away to Brighton and West Ham, opening the door for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s outfit have turned their season around and will hope to push United all the way to finish in the top four. Ten Hag will hope that victory will come next time out at Bournemouth, despite United’s struggles on the road. United will fancy their chances despite travelling to a rocking Vitality Stadium to celebrate Bournemouth’s final home game of the season. Failing that, United do close out the season with two Old Trafford matches against Chelsea and then Fulham where they will be confident of claiming six points to secure Champions League football for next season and build valuable momentum going into the FA Cup final at the end of the campaign against rivals Manchester City. – Express Newspapers READ OUR HERE /thesundaily SCAN ME Lukaku back to best … as Inter eye Champions League final ROMELU LUKAKU’S return to sparkling form has given Inter Milan an extra weapon ahead of tomorrow’s (3am Malaysian time) Champions League semifinal decider with AC Milan. Out for much of the season with injuries and with a damaged reputation following a disastrous World Cup, Lukaku has slowly worked his way back to his best. The Belgium striker has scored five times and set up three more in his last six matches and his double in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Sassuolo highlighted his new-found confidence. Lukaku celebrated his 30th birthday by beginning and ending the scoring at the San Siro, spinning and lashing home the opener from the edge of the box shortly before half-time and drilling in his eighth league goal of the season just before the end. A striker in his sort of form should probably expect to be starting such a huge match tomorrow, where Inter defend a 2-0 first leg lead in a bid to reach their first Champions League final since the last time they won it under Jose Mourinho 13 years ago. However it will likely be veteran Edin Dzeko who partners Lautaro Martinez up front for the second of two huge derbies with Milan, with Lukaku set to come on as an impact substitute. “Of course every player wants to start, but the coach has to make his choices for the team,” said Lukaku “As I have always said, the most important thing is Inter and that’s why I give my all for the team.” Inter CEO Beppe Marotta said on Saturday that there was a chance of loanee Lukaku staying at Inter next season but with parent club Chelsea yet to announce their new manager his future remains uncertain. What is sure is that the San Siro will again be a riot of colour and noise as two of Italy’s standard bearers recreate the days when they were among Europe’s elite. Inter fans have good reason to be confident about their side’s chances, as they have a healthy lead from the first leg and are bang in form. Simone Inzaghi’s side have won seven matches in a row, scoring 20 goals in the process and playing with a confidence which has been lacking for most of an odd league season in which they have lost 11 times, more than any other team in Serie A’s European places. Milan meanwhile come into tomorrow’s match in disarray after an embarrassing defeat at lowly Spezia which ended with team and coach Stefano Pioli having a post-match discussion with their away support. Pioli and his players had their heads bowed in remorse while Milan’s hardcore ultras bellowed encouragement in the hope that their words might add something which was missing in the first leg. However seeing as the big miss in the first leg was Rafael Leao, the Portugal winger’s probable return tomorrow from a thigh injury will be much more of a boost to Milan. “We’re playing a match which could make history for us, we need to believe that we can beat Inter,” said Pioli on Saturday. “We haven’t been good enough in our last two matches, but we can play much better.” – AFP Old Trafford comfort for Eriksen FORMER Manchester United skipper Roy Keane delivered a withering assessment of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford following Everton’s Premier League defeat by titlechasing Manchester City. The 29-year-old was given little chance by Ilkay Gundogan’s stunning first half strike, but was unable to keep out Erling Haaland’s header seconds later and was well beaten by Gundogan’s second half freekick as City won 3-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon. Analysing the third goal, Keane, who has questioned Pickford’s credentials in the past, disagreed with fellow pundit Micah Richards’ opinion of Gareth Southgate’s No. 1. He told Sky Sports: “Pickford, for the goal… my goodness. He looks so small in there. There’s no spring, he’s not anticipating. Micah said before the game he’s a top goalkeeper. He’s not.” Keane was, however, full of praise for Gundogan and in particular, his improvised 37th-minute finish after he had controlled Riyad Mahrez’s cross on his thigh before flicking the ball home with his back still to goal. He said: “What an outstanding player. Again, we mentioned (Everton boss) Sean Dyche will be disappointed with the defending, but once it goes in there, his first touch is brilliant; his second one is even better. “What a player this guy is, absolutely brilliant, the way he times his runs into the box… what a magnificent finish. I’d watch that all day. Brilliant.” Keane then went on to rub salt into Arsenal wounds with brutal comments after yesterday’s Brighton defeat. The United great pinpointed exactly where the title was lost after a run of four winless games against Liverpool, West Ham, Southampton and Manchester City. “When you look at some of the games over the last five or six weeks – particularly West Ham and Southampton stand out for me – I know they dropped points losing at City, they had Liverpool – which can happen, you can’t win every game,” Keane added. “They’ve won 25 League games which is fantastic, but the points they lost against West Ham and Southampton definitely knocked them back a little bit. “We saw a team today that I think was physically and mentally shot, there wasn’t enough effort there. “I think the bottom line is they certainly didn’t have the strength in depth of Man City or the experience and better quality in terms of their squad. “They’ve just come up short and it’s as simple as that.” – The Independent/Express Newspapers Keane slams Pickford, rubs salt into Gunners RESULTS & STANDINGS ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal 0 Brighton 3 (Enciso 51, Undav 86, Estupinan 90), Brentford 2 (Mbeumo 20, Wissa 43) West Ham 0, Everton 0 Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 37, 51, Haaland 39). P W D L F A Pts Man City 35 27 4 4 92 31 85 Arsenal 36 25 6 5 83 42 81 Newcastle 35 18 12 5 63 31 66 Man Utd 35 20 6 9 51 41 66 Liverpool 35 18 8 9 67 42 62 Brighton 34 17 7 10 66 45 58 Tottenham 36 17 6 13 65 59 57 Aston Villa 36 17 6 13 48 44 57 Brentford 36 13 14 9 54 45 53 Fulham 36 15 6 15 52 49 51 Chelsea 35 11 10 14 36 41 43 Crystal Palace 36 11 10 15 37 46 43 Wolves 36 11 7 18 30 52 40 Bournemouth 36 11 6 19 37 69 39 West Ham 36 10 7 19 38 52 37 Nottm Forest 36 8 10 18 36 67 34 Everton 36 7 11 18 32 56 32 Leeds 36 7 10 19 46 71 31 Leicester 35 8 6 21 49 64 30 Southampton 36 6 6 24 31 66 24 CHAMPIONSHIP (Playoff semifinal 1st leg): Coventry 0 Middlesbrough 0. LA LIGA: Celta Vigo 1 (Seferovic 60) Valencia 2 (Kluivert 8, Mari 88), Elche 1 (Fidel 41) Atletico Madrid 0, Real Valladolid 0 Sevilla 3 (Mir 50, Gomez 78, Corona 90+3), Espanyol 2 (Puado 73, Joselu 90+2) Barcelona 4 (Lewandowski 11, 40, Balde 20, Kounde 53). TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 34 27 4 3 64 13 85 Real Madrid 34 22 5 7 70 32 71 Atletico 34 21 6 7 60 27 69 Real Sociedad 34 18 8 8 45 31 62 Villarreal 34 17 6 11 52 35 57 Real Betis 33 15 7 11 40 37 52 SERIE A: Bologna 0 Roma 0, Fiorentina 2 (Castrovilli 7, Bonaventura 90) Udinese 0, Juventus 2 (Fagioli 55, Bremer 79) Cremonese 0, Monza 2 (Mota 18, Petagna 54) Napoli 0, Verona 0 Torino 1 (Vlasic 29). TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Napoli 35 26 5 4 70 25 83 Juventus 35 21 6 8 54 28 69 Inter Milan 35 21 3 11 66 37 66 Lazio 35 19 8 8 54 28 65 AC Milan 35 17 10 8 55 41 61 Roma 35 17 8 10 45 33 59 BUNDESLIGA: RB Leipzig 2 Werder Bremen 1, Stuttgart 1 Bayer Leverkusen 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts B. Munich 32 20 8 4 89 34 68 Dortmund 32 21 4 7 78 42 67 RB Leipzig 32 18 6 8 57 38 60 Union Berlin 32 17 8 7 48 34 59 Freiburg 32 16 8 8 48 42 56 Wolfsburg 32 13 10 9 56 44 49 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Clermont 2 Lyon 1, Brest 1 Auxerre 0, Rennes 4 Troyes 0, Montpellier 1 Lorient 1, Toulouse 0 Nantes 0, Monaco 0 Lille 0, Marseille 3 Angers 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 35 26 3 6 84 35 81 Lens 35 22 9 4 59 27 75 Marseille 35 22 7 6 65 35 73 Monaco 35 19 8 8 68 51 65 Lille 35 17 9 9 60 41 60 Rennes 35 18 5 12 60 38 59 CHAMPIONS RELEGATED Everton’s keeper Jordan Pickford fights for the ball with Man City’s Erling Haaland (bottom) during the English Premier League match at Goodison Park on Sunday – AFPPIX

theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7783 7435 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: advertise@thesundaily.com MANCHESTER CITY manager Pep Guardiola was unhappy with Everton defender Yerry Mina for what he implied were underhand and unsporting tactics during their 3-0 win at Goodison Park. The Colombia international was involved in one visible incident with Aymeric Laporte at a corner in the first half in which the City centreback slapped his opponent in the stomach following an altercation and Mina fell to the floor. But at the final whistle Guardiola confronted the Everton defender and remonstrated with him as he followed him off the pitch. All City’s players also refused to shake Mina’s hand. While Guardiola refused to say what Mina had actually done, his unhappiness appeared to centre on the Colombian’s handling of opponents. “Mina? It’s not necessary what he does. Away from the football, it is not necessary to do what he does every single game,” said Guardiola. “And I told him, ‘You are a good enough player to avoid these kind of things’.” Asked to elaborate on his complaints, the City boss added: “He knows. Ask him. This is not physical, this is not mental. “There are things that are not necessary to do that he does. This time with Aymeric, Jack (Grealish), everybody. Ask him. Invite him to the press conference.” The row detracted from the ease with which City dealt with Everton, with Ilkay Gundogan scoring twice for the second game running either side of the obligatory goal – his 52nd of the season – from Erling Haaland. Gundogan is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with a move to Barcelona, but Guardiola is more than happy for him to captain the side, as he did at Goodison where he led from the front with two superbly-taken goals. “He can show again and again and again the quality and importance and his commitment, to all of us, to the club, not just scoring goals, now he has his momentum,” said Guardiola, who wants the Germany international to extend his stay. “He doesn’t talk much, but when he talks everyone listens and this is the power of the leader. “He show his leadership in every training session – arriving on time, living 24 hours your job and play like he is playing. “He is a player that when he gets close to the box he has an incredible sense of goal. “He can play as a holding midfielder no problem, he proved it years ago when Fernandinho was injured, he played in games like Burnley, long balls, you think you need a physical player, but he is so clever and he is a guy who handles the pressure well.” City’s 11th successive League victory leaves them requiring a maximum of three more points for a fifth title in six seasons. They inflicted a record 10th home league defeat of the season on Everton, who remain 17th and a point above Leeds, but of equal concern was the withdrawal of striker Dominic CalvertLewin at halftime. Dyche, who realistically has to find one win from their two remaining matches against Wolves and Bournemouth, said he took the injury-prone striker off as a precaution. “I had to make a call because he felt his groin and tight groins can lead to damaged groins,” he said. On his side’s display, in which they did not trouble City, he added: “A lot of the performance was right against a top side, but you get punished if you make the slightest mistake. “We arguably had the best chance with Mason Holgate (who missed a difficult close-range opportunity at 0-0). “There were some outstanding performances, Dwight (McNeil) was outstanding, Doucs (Abdoulaye Doucoure), Conor (Coady) came on and affected it in a change of shape (to a 5-4-1).” – The Independent or download app from the App Store or Google Play TM . Read iPaper at www.thesundaily.my FREE access Interactive TUESDAY • MAY 16, 2023 Pep hits out at Everton’s Mina as City edge closer to title █ CARL MARKHAM Sorry Gunners Arteta apologises to fans after Arsenal are blown away by Brighton A FRUSTRATED Mikel Arteta apologised to the Arsenal supporters after a crushing 3- 0 loss at home to Brighton all but ended their Premier League title hopes. Second half goals from Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan earned the Seagulls a deserved victory at the Emirates that means Manchester City need one more win from their final three games to defend their crown. City could be champions on Sunday if Arsenal lose at Nottingham Forest with the gap between the top two now four points, and Pep Guardiola’s side holding a game in hand on the Gunners, who have failed to win five of their last seven matches. “A really different feeling to the feeling that we all had last Sunday (at Newcastle) when we felt proud and we felt that we really did what we needed to win in certain moments. Today is completely the opposite,” Arteta admitted. “We have to apologise to our people, especially for the second half. What I have to accept first is what happened in the second half and digest it. “After that until it’s mathematically over… the second position is secure. That’s not going to change. We have to digest and that will take a few days. “At the moment it’s just frustration. The feeling that we gave the game away in the second half. We fought really hard to be in the position that we are in and today we were in a critical moment to keeping hoping and digging for that dream. “When you have to play in these moments you cannot do what we did in the second half. “Then we have to look. If a team is capable of doing that when it comes to the biggest stage, there’s a lot of things to analyse and think about because it cannot happen.” Manchester City’s 3-0 victory at Everton earlier in the day had ramped up the pressure on Arsenal but they started strongly despite losing Gabriel Martinelli to an ankle injury after 19 minutes. Gabriel Jesus tested Jason Steele midway through the opening 45 and Leandro Trossard clipped the crossbar with a swerving effort before Bukayo Saka dragged an effort wide from 14 yards at the end of a stop-start half. Brighton punished Arsenal’s profligacy straight after half-time when Estupinan followed up his blocked cross with a scuffed centre that Enciso headed home for his third goal of the season. Arteta made a raft of changes after but the visitors stayed in control and picked off the hosts with Undav able to lob Aaron Ramsdale in the 86th minute before Estupinan grabbed a deserved goal with a close-range finish in stoppage-time. A reflective Arteta added: “Obviously what the team has done over the last 10 months is very different to what anybody expected and that generates a lot of expectation as well enthusiasm, happiness and joy. “That’s something that has to be managed in the right way and after we have the responsibility to make sure the team performs and I am responsible for that. “So, I hate the feeling of letting people down when they are expecting something. That’s the biggest regret I have today and I have to apologise for that.” It was a different set of emotions for Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who laughed off comparisons with Jose Mourinho after he wheeled off down the touchline to celebrate Undav’s goal. He did insist, however, that nothing had been achieved by his sixth-placed side. “Yes I am very delighted for the performances. I think we deserved to win but then really happy, really proud because the last five days were very difficult after the defeat on Monday (against Everton),” De Zerbi stated. “We have 58 points and not enough to qualify for Europe. “We have another four games, tough games, Newcastle, Southampton, City and last game Aston Villa and we have to fight to deserve to qualify because 58 points is not enough to play Thursdays next year.” – The Independent █ GEORGE SESSIONS Julio Enciso (centre) scores Brighton’s first goal during the English Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium yesterday. – REUTERSPIX