The Sun - 11 March 2024

Malaysian Paper www.thesun.my RM1.00 PER COPY RM1 MONDAY MAR 11, 2024 SCAN ME No. 8476 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) Grab a copy of newspaper @RM1 only to enjoy a special offer from Starbucks Tripto boost ties oost ties Report on hpage 2 Showcase of Indian culture, traditions Award-winning musician Preetha Prasad organising Venunadham – A Jugalbandhi Concert to expose Malaysians to performances by top artistes in the realm of Indian classical music. HBA ‘no’ to lower consent threshold Report on hpage 3 Report on hpage 4 National House Buyers Association opposes proposed Urban Redevelopment Act becoming law that facilitates en bloc sale to benefit mainly developers and ‘not for any novel purpose of rejuvenation or benefits to owners’. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to meet Germany’s top two leaders and captains of industy during his visit to enhance bilateral and business relations. JUMBO TASK ... Wildlife and National Parks Department personnel using trained elephants Suria (left) and Indah (right) to relocate a wild elephant from Kampung Dendong in Besut, Terengganu to Taman Negara in Pahang yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 2 PM’s visit to Germany set to boost business ties BERLIN: Malaysia will be looking at enhancing its bilateral and business ties with Germany, its largest trading partner among European Union members when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim undertakes a six-day visit from March 10-15 to the country. Malaysian Ambassador to Germany Datin Paduka Dr Adina Kamarudin said Anwar would be holding a bilateral meeting with his German counterpart Chancellor Olaf Scholz, besides paying a courtesy call on President FrankWalter Steinmeier. “He is expected to discuss various bilateral and global issues during his meetings with the two German leaders,” she said at a media conference with the Malaysian media covering the premier’s visit here. Steinmeier made a state visit to Malaysia from Feb 16-19 last year, when he also visited two of Germany’s largest investors in the country, semiconductor manufacturer Infineon and medical technology specialist B. Braun. During the visit, Steinmeier said Malaysia would be an important location for German companies to diversify their businesses and investments, adding that there are oAnwar to discuss bilateral, global issues during meeting with counterpart Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier Nationwide Rahmah sales for Ramadan PAPAR: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry will expand the implementation of the Rahmah Sales Programme during Ramadan at 450 locations nationwide. Its minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said this effort aims to reduce the cost of living for the people and enable them to buy essentials at lower prices. He said the Ramadan Rahmah Sales Programme provides daily necessities at a discount of between 10% and 30% compared with the original retail prices. “Besides sales of dry goods, the programme will also include the sale of other daily necessities such as chicken, beef, fish, assorted seafood, rice and chicken eggs. “Items needed to make kuihmuih for Aidilfitri will also be sold. The Ramadan Rahmah Sales Programme will be launched in Putrajaya and will start immediately on the first day of Ramadan,” he said at the opening of the programme in Kinarut yesterday. – Bernama Armizan ringing a bell to kick off the sales programme at the General Operations Force Sabah brigade headquarters in Kinarut yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC M’sia records hike in worker productivity KUALA TERENGGANU: Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali said the level of productivity per worker in the country rose to RM96,692 in 2023, an increase from RM95,858 in 2022. He said the number of workers also saw a year-on-year increase of 2.5%, reaching a total of 16.3 million individuals, signifying a stable labour market and an uptick in the nation’s economic activities. “This also reflects a positive trajectory in the creation of new job opportunities. This achievement is the result of collaboration between all parties in the public and private sectors. These collective efforts need to be continued and strengthened to ensure that the nation’s goals and objectives can be achieved. “The benefits are shared among the civil service, industry players, our children and future generations,” he said at the opening of MyMudah 2024 Conference in Terengganu yesterday. Mohd Zuki added that based on the 2023 Global Innovation Index Report, Malaysia maintained its 36th position out of 132 countries, with an increased overall score of 40.9 compared with 38.7 in 2022. He said the nation also holds the 27th position in the 2023 World Competitiveness Ranking, which is an improvement from its 32nd spot in 2022. “This indicates that Malaysia is on the right track towards achieving developed and high-income status. Malaysia’s achievements and position on the international stage are evidence that the country’s effective leadership, policies and strategic actions align with the goals outlined in the Madani Economic framework.” He said the framework aims to transform Malaysia to be among the world’s top 30 economies and the 12 most competitive nations within the next 10 years. Mohd Zuki added that in 2022, Terengganu recorded a commendable 3.4% increase in productivity per worker to RM77,695, surpassing the 2.8% or RM75,167 in 2021. He said for this year, the Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan projects a 6.9% economic growth for Terengganu, driven by a productivity increase ranging from four to five per cent. Mohd Zuki also said the government is implementing initiatives to alleviate hardcore poverty, including the introduction of the Main Database by the Economy Ministry to ensure efficient and targeted allocation of aid and subsidies. He said there are 8,057 hardcore poor families and over 30,000 impoverished families in Terengganu and the ongoing initiatives are expected to effectively eradicate hardcore poverty in Terengganu by the end of this year. – Bernama Do not question Sabah sovereignty, says chief minister KOTA KINABALU: “Do not question Sabah’s sovereignty in Malaysia,” said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in response to the latest claims by a group calling themselves the United Tausug Citizens (UTC). Hajiji said Sabahans had chosen to jointly form the Malaysia Federation through the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and therefore, any external claims on Sabah would not be recognised by the state government or the people. Echoing the federal government’s strong stand against entertaining the claims by UTC, he said Sabah also has the backing of the global community on this matter. “The state government strongly rejects any claim on Sabah that is akin to questioning the state’s sovereignty in the Federation of Malaysia. “The claims by UTC or any group on Sabah is nothing but a frivolous attempt to disrupt the state’s peace and is tantamount to threatening the sovereignty of the nation,” he said in a statement issued yesterday. Hajiji said even the claims by the heir of the defunct Sulu Sultanate ended with the imprisonment of the arbitrator Dr Gonzalo Stampa. On Saturday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said was reported as saying that Malaysia rejects the frivolous claims by UTC to be the “rightful custodians of the Sultanate of Sulu Territory”. – Bernama over 700 German companies in the country providing 65,000 jobs. Anwar, who is expected to arrive in Berlin today, will meet top industry leaders at six meetings and engagements, most of them from the country’s top SMEs, which are the backbone of Germany’s economy. Adina said the premier would kick off his visit by touring the Siemens Energy plant in Huttenstrabe, which has invested heavily in Malaysia. Siemens Energy produces renewable energy from sun, wind, water and biomass, and the key player in Malaysia’s energy transition employs about 26,000 workers. Anwar will meet about 30 captains of industry and potential investors from Europe at a business roundtable meeting tomorrow. “German companies are looking at Malaysia because of the various incentives offered, especially the customised tax incentives and the supporting role played by agencies like the Malaysia Investment Development Authority.” Adina added that issues like Malaysia’s palm oil export to Europe and climate change are likely to be brought up during Anwar’s meeting with Deputy Chancellor and Economic Affairs and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck before the premier delivers a keynote address at “Mittelstand or SME Future Day” on Wednesday. There are 3.2 million SMEs in Germany, employing 56% of the more than 38.4 million employees in 2021, Bernama reported. Anwar will also meet the Malaysian diaspora before attending prayers and Tarawih at Sehitlik Mosque during his stay in the capital. While in Berlin, Anwar will have a speaking engagement at Korber Foundation, a non-profit organisation focusing on social and political issues. He will also visit Hamburg to attend the 101st East Asia Friendship dinner hosted by the German Asia-Pacific Business Association, where he is scheduled to speak. Adina said due to the Ukraine war which has affected Germany, especially the availability of cheap gas, the country is now looking at South East Asia to diversify its business. During the visit, the premier will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick. Germany has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner among EU member countries since 2000, while Malaysia is the largest trading partner for Germany among Asean member states. In 2023, Malaysia’s total trade with Germany rose by 5.9% to RM63.45 billion compared with RM59.87 billion in 2022.

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 3 ‘Consent threshold’ reduction plan slammed oGovt must ensure any redevelopment law does not cause disadvantage to homeowners: House buyers group sec-gen KUALA LUMPUR: The National House Buyers Association (HBA) said it “strongly objects” to the government’s plans to reduce the “consent threshold” in the proposed Urban Redevelopment Act (URA) to less than 100%. Its secretary-general Datuk Chang Kim Loong was commenting on the recent announcement by Housing and Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming that his ministry is in the final stage of drafting the URA. “Last year, Nga proposed that the consent threshold shall be 75% when it currently requires 100% agreement from strata-title owners before any renewable measures are permitted.” While some quarters have viewed the proposed URA as a step in the right direction, Chang said it is a regressive move that circumvents Article 13 of the Federal Constitution, which stipulates the right to own property in this country. “We hope the government will not follow the footsteps of its predecessors who tried to ignore the unconstitutional impact such a law would have on homeowners, whether within or without the Federal Territories. “And if we are not careful, the potential redevelopment law could also be extended to cover landed non-strata schemes, irrespective of whether it is freehold or leasehold.” He said while laws can be enacted for the greater good of the public, the government must ensure that any redevelopment law does not become another en-bloc stratum (forced) sale proposal that was touted by commercial developers over 10 years ago. “That proposed law accorded them the right to ‘confiscate’ land from owners for profit and not for any novel purpose of rejuvenation or benefits to owners.” En-bloc strata sale is where land with buildings erected on it is identified for acquisition by developers. Chang said more often than not, the developer’s decision is purely commercial. “Developers will then approach owners and persuade them to part with their properties at market rates. “Once they obtain the land, the original buildings are demolished and a new mixed development is erected, encompassing residential and commercial components that are priced far higher than the purchase price of the demolished buildings.” Chang said the HBA perceives such moves as “forceful acquisition of land” eyed by developers for profitable returns. A law that facilitates en-bloc sale only enforces the might of the majority, with profit margin being the main purpose. Hence, it ignores the objections of those who do not want to dispose of their properties as they operate based on the majority rule. “Enacting this new law for en-bloc sale without obtaining the genuine consent of all the owners will pave the way for disharmony in any development – strata or otherwise – and potentially lead to social unrest.” He said the main parties to benefit from all these are property developers and their agents. Chang conceded that Nga had pointed out that the rates for the “consent threshold” are much lower in certain developed countries. He said the previous government also took Singapore as an example to justify the enactment of the URA. “However, we have explained that Singapore and Hong Kong only have leasehold land for existing buildings while new development land is scarce. “In Malaysia, we have freehold and leasehold land and have significantly greater land masses.” He added that while en-bloc sale is arguably a necessary evil in the two island states this argument does not apply to Malaysia. “No rightful homeowner should be disadvantaged in any scheme in the name of redevelopment, rejuvenation or revitalisation when there are plenty of reasons such a move is unnecessary,” Chang said. Movie, meal treat for special needs children KUALA LUMPUR: It was a memorable day for 30 children from Pusat Penjagaan Kanakkanak Cacat Taman Megah, who had the opportunity to enjoy an animated movie and a delicious meal, their first since the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Berjaya Corporation Berhad yesterday treated the children to a private screening of Kung Fu Panda 4 at the newly renovated mmCineplexes Plus at Berjaya Times Square. Berjaya Corporation Berhad joint group CEO Nerine Tan welcomed the children, aged between four and 19, and two special children to the state-of the-art cinema. In a short speech, Tan said the outing would give the children stories to share with their friends in school. The Kung Fu Panda franchise, which spanned more than 16 years, is popular among children for its adorable panda character and its life lessons, making it a Back to school for 5m students nationwide KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1.44 million students from Johor, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah (Group A) began their 2024/2025 academic session yesterday. Overall, there are five million students attending the 2024/2025 school session, with students from Group B states starting classes today, said Education Director-General Azman Adnan after visiting Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sultan Ismail in Johor yesterday. Group B covers schools in Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya. In Terengganu, state education director Jelani Sulong said a total of 234,789 students from Year One to Form Five started the school session yesterday in 506 schools statewide. “They consist of 134,380 primary school pupils and 100,409 secondary school students,” he said at SMK Serada in Kuala Terengganu. In Kelantan, state education director Datuk Mohd Zamri Abdul Aziz said a total of 251,185 students began their new school session yesterday. “All parties are advised to take precautionary measures during the hot and dry weather,” he said after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Ismail Petra 1 in Kota Bharu. Animated character mascots such as “BoiBoi Boy”, “Transformers” and “Hello Kitty” greeted the students upon their arrival at the school as early as 7am. In Kedah, state education director Ismail Othman said a total of 200,793 pupils in 548 primary schools and 153,918 students in 204 secondary schools started the academic session yesterday. – Bernama Tan distributing popcorn to the children before the movie. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN █ BYJOSHUA PURUSHOTMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com 6,000 new teachers next month KUCHING: A total of 6,000 new teachers will be posted nationwide next month, said Education Director-General Azman Adnan. He said this would address the shortage of school teachers across the country, including in Sarawak. “We will announce the placement for these teachers from time to time, taking into account Sarawak as well,” he said after the launch of the Mass Movement Campaign: #thankyouteachers 2024 at the Hikmah Exchange Event Centre here on Saturday. Azman said as of December last year, 1,100 new teachers had been placed in Sarawak. – Bernama Sabah Umno to remain steadfast BELURAN: Sabah Umno will remain consistent in living up to its slogan Bersatu, Bersetia, Berkhidmat and continue serving the people in the state. Sabah Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said Sabah Umno must rise to defend the people until they can improve their lives. “Umno needs to rectify this situation; the people need proper advocacy, not just empty promises that lead to no change,” he said in a statement during Sabah Umno’s grassroots programme Gerak 17 here on Saturday. Bung Moktar, who is also Umno supreme council member, said the party will only become strong if all its members unite and avoid internal conflicts. “Put the party’s interests as the number one priority so that the party will achieve success,” he said. – Bernama █ BYS. TAMARAI CHELVI newsdesk@thesundaily.com perfect movie to spread positivity and encouragement. Sharing a quote from the movie – “It’s OK to be you and nobody is ordinary. It is just how you explore your talents,” – Tan expressed hope the children would find inspirational messages from the film. She also distributed popcorn to the children before the screening. After the movie, the children were treated to lunch at the Kenny Rogers Roasters outlet. The Berjaya Times Square Theme Park mascot Bubbles also made a surprise appearance, which delighted the children. “It was a good experience,” said Aini Najwa, 17, who described the movie as “superb”, while Tharani, 18, said she learned about proverbs from the movie and enjoyed the chicken meal. Saranaagathan, 15, said: “I really love the quotes and enjoyed the meal at Kenny Rogers. I am grateful to Berjaya for inviting us. We really appreciate it.” The home caretaker Manimegalai Kanan, 56, said it was the first time the children have gone for a movie since the lockdown in 2020. The event is part of Berjaya Corporation’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility to create a positive impact on the community. Tan said Berjaya wants to reach out to the community and help to make lives better. “Today, the children had a great time. Kung Fu Panda is a fun cartoon with lessons.” On the new cinema, Tan said: “mmCineplexes is fully refurbished and renovated. We love the new look.” Berjaya Times Square executive director Tan Tee Ming said people enjoy coming to Times Square, which celebrated its 20th anniversary recently, for its various fun games.

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 4 Proposal for medical assistants being studied PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry proposal to create flexi positions for trained medical assistants to continue serving in their areas of expertise is being examined by the Public Service Department (PSD). Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the details and study related to the proposed creation of the positions had been carried out by Health Director-General Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, before being submitted to PSD last year. He said currently, the placement of promoted medical assistants is based on vacancies. “If there is no vacancy, they will have to be transferred to another facility or field that has a vacancy, and this will be to the disadvantage of the ministry,” he said after attending the 13th Medical Assistants Day Celebration yesterday. Lukanisman also said a change to another facility or field would affect the quality and safety of trained medical assistants (technical experts). “We see a positive angle regarding this wish and hope that this flexi staffing, if approved, will be able to improve the quality of service.” Lukanisman said flexi grades will be created in niche areas to retain knowledgeable and highly skilled medical assistants in specialised fields to improve the quality of service at health facilities. In his speech, he said the ministry has increased the network of professional relationships for assistants with several foreign countries, including physician associates in Canada and Australia, and clinical officers in South Africa. “Through this network of relationships at the global level, we managed to open up the best space and platform in recognising and improving this profession,” he said, adding that the recognition also shows that medical assistants in Malaysia are comparable with other professions around the world. – Bernama RM6.5m approved for hospital upgrading works KUALA TERENGGANU: The Health Ministry has approved an allocation of RM6.5 million for repair and upgrading works of specific blocks at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital. In a statement issued in conjunction with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad’s visit to the hospital on Saturday, the ministry said the allocation obtained under an emergency procurement will be used to upgrade existing blocks at the hospital. “The minister conducted a survey of ongoing projects within the hospital, including Block D, which is experiencing significant roof leakage issues. The RM6.5 million allocation is intended for upgrading the existing blocks in this hospital and the Health Ministry Training Institute to accommodate services affected by the leakage problem in Block D,” read the statement. During the visit, Dzulkefly also inspected the maternal and child treatment centre to assess the potential to upgrade it into an additional obstetrics ward, in a bid to alleviate overcrowding in the current ward. The ministry said the upgrading project will be assessed for inclusion in the ministry’s application under Rolling Plan 5 of the 12th Malaysia Plan. Dzulkefly also evaluated the immediate medical equipment requirements at the hospital and approved an allocation of RM380,000 for the acquisition of medical equipment for the pediatrics department, which includes procurement of incubators, fluid management systems and vital sign monitoring equipment. He also agreed to allocate RM120,000 for the urgent purchase of ultrasound machines needed at the Kuala Kemaman Health Clinic. Dzulkefly was also briefed on the HSNZ Development Plan, which involves new and ongoing upgrading projects as well as projects planned for the short and long term. – Bernama Keeping classical Indian songs, music alive KUALA LUMPUR: In 2010, ethnic Indians comprised 7.3% of the total population, a figure that dwindled to 6.7% by 2020 and stood at only 6.6% as of July 2023. The demographic shift could be attributed primarily to declining fertility rates among Malaysian Indian families and migration abroad for better opportunities. As a result, the practice of Indian culture and traditions has also suffered to some degree. But all is not lost, thanks to classical Indian song and music practitioners such as awardwinning Preetha Prasad, who is organising the Venunadham – A Jugalbandhi Concert on March 15, together with PR Events and Thrive Talent Tank. Jugalbandhi means “entwined twins” and features two solo artistes in a classical Indian music genre. The event, which will be held at the Shantanand Auditorium at the Temple of Fine Arts (TFA) in Brickfields at 7pm, will also feature Carnatic flautist Dr B. Vijaygopal, M. Karthikeyan on the nadhaswaram, mridangist Vijay Natesan and ghatam artiste Krishnaswamy Sankararaman. Preetha, who originally hailed from Palakkad in Kerala, India has been living in the country for about 30 years. Married to a Malaysian, Preetha wants to promote Malaysia as a world centre for Indian classical arts. oAward-winning artiste aims to raise awareness among community on importance of genre █ BYJOSHUA PURUSHOTMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com Shorter working hours during Ramadan KUANTAN: The working hours for Pahang civil servants on Fridays during Ramadan this year will be until 12.30pm, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail. According to him, the fixing of the working hours was made in accordance with the decree of the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. “It involves all state departments, district and land offices, local authorities and state statutory bodies,” he said in a statement yesterday. Wan Rosdy expressed gratitude to Al-Sultan Abdullah for his concern for the well-being of his people. “The state government pledges to continue providing the best service to the people and Pahang for shared prosperity,” he said. – Bernama Ministry to provide facilities to address adulthood challenges SHAH ALAM: The Youth and Sports Ministry will continue to provide more opportunities and platforms for youth organisations to gain exposure and support in addressing the various challenges they face during the transition to adulthood. Its deputy minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim said the Kembara Jumpa Orang Muda programme is a new initiative to offer additional information about the Youth Leadership Transition Plan. The Kembara initiative, led by the ministry in collaboration with the Registrar of Youth Office and the Youth and Sports Department, began in Malacca on Feb 17 with the objective to enable youth stakeholders to directly offer feedback and insights on the draft Youth Leadership Transition Plan to the highest leadership within the ministry. – Bernama Anugerah Industri Muzik Award 2013 for best female vocalist under the Indian music category. Her melodious voice can be heard as she chants the Lalitha Navarathinamalai each morning and evening on Astro Vaanavil. Now, she wants to set the bar higher by sustaining an awareness among Malaysians, especially the underprivileged Indian community, about the importance of experiencing classical music. “Classical music is the basis for all genres of Indian music. A reasonable understanding of the art will enhance knowledge as well as improve the quality of Malaysian Indian music moving forward. “This is only possible by exposing music students and the community as a whole to performances by top artistes in the realm of Indian classical music.” Preetha said workshops will soon be organised by established musicians for teachers and students of Indian classical music. This will provide them direct access to the artistes and raise their self-confidence, apart from helping to clarify various points regarding the art. She also wants to promote Malaysia as a world centre for Indian classical art. “This is not so far-fetched. We have excellent classical Indian musicians and vocalists in Malaysia. But what is lacking are avenues for them to perform and reach the public. “As awareness is created through the workshops and concerts, more people will come to appreciate Indian classical music, which is universal and has a growing following in Asia and the West.” Those who wish to attend the Venunadham – A Jugalbandhi Concert may send a WhatsApp text to 018-945 2911 for invitations. she spent her early years in Bangalore studying under renowned vocalist Seetha Rajan and was mentored in devotional music by T. V. Hariharan. “After I arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 1990, I performed on radio and television, and sang in numerous music albums, commercials and Tamil films such as Anushtaana, Sughamaai Subbulakshmi and Unakkaagaththaane. “I also taught vocals at TFA and another music centre with music composer Vijayanathan Dhaharasen, popularly known as Jay, apart from participating in numerous stage performances.” Preetha has also been a judge on Astro-sponsored reality shows, including Big Stage Tamil Season 2, which is ongoing, and has won the

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 5 Concern over student apathy towards education PETALING JAYA: A teacher shared in a recent social media post that 90% of her students submitted blank examination sheets for their Form Two History paper while others responded to questions with phrases such as “just because”. Expressing concern over the post, UiTM Communication and Media Studies lecturer Nurul Aishah Ab Raman said the government should produce more holistic policies and guidelines for education that emphasises the importance of critical thinking, creativity and lifelong learning. “Post Covid-19 students are more likely to take a casual approach towards their education. This is possibly influenced by the shift to online education during the pandemic. “The preference for online learning, which provides access to Nurul Aishah said examinations are highly relevant but changes must be implemented to encourage student enthusiasm and participation. – SYED AZAHAR SYED OSMAN/THESUN oLackadaisical attitude attributed to erosion of student interest due to remote learning procedures during pandemic █ BYQIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com House call initiative to curb school dropouts KOTA BHARU: Kelantan Education Department officers will visit the homes of students to curb school dropouts, including among the Orang Asli community. Its director Datuk Mohd Zamri Abdul Aziz said the department will take action through the district education office and the school if students fail to attend classes for more than a week when the 2024/2025 term starts. He said the move was to gather information related to student absenteeism, which may contribute to the problem of dropouts in the state, Bernama reported. “We have instructed the school to monitor absenteeism daily. Usually in the first week of school, we look at the numbers that have been reported in the previous year. “Perhaps, if they don’t show up for a day, they could have health problems or something like that,” he told reporters after conducting a check at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Ismail Petra 1 yesterday. Mohd Zamri said if a student does not attend school for a week, the officers will visit the student’s residence. He said last year, the department recorded a total of 22 dropouts from both primary and secondary schools and the Orang Asli community, namely 14 students from SK Balar and another five from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Wangi. He said all of them will be advised to attend school, through discussions with education department representatives, local leaders, tok batin (Orang Asli village heads) and the Orang Asli Development, Department. “Often, the cause of dropouts among Orang Asli is due to their customary problems, safety factors and the weather. However, most of them live in dormitories, thus reducing the dropout problem. We hope with this effort, the problem among students in this state, including Orang Asli, can be reduced.” Anti-smuggling buffer zone proposed at M’sia-Thai border PASIR MAS: A proposal to build a buffer zone along the 99km Malaysia-Thailand border to curb smuggling activities has been presented to the Home Affairs Ministry. Kelantan police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun said the matter is now under the ministry’s consideration. He said the construction of the buffer zone is important as all enforcement agencies that control the border face the problem of smuggling. “If there is a buffer zone at the Malaysia-Thailand border close to this state, it is possible that smuggling activities could be well controlled. “As the state police chief, (I feel) this is the best way to prevent our border from being used for smuggling,” Muhamad Zaki said at a press conference following the inauguration of the Kelantan Police Chief Candid Bird and Serama Chicken Competition Cup on Saturday. On illegal jetties built at the border, he said police and local authorities have held a meeting and discussed the matter. “The illegal jetties were built on private land. If they were built on government land, then we will discuss it with the local authorities to find the best method to avoid them being used for smuggling activities. “So, we expect a high level of awareness among the local people in the border area not to build jetties for the purpose of illegal activities.” – Bernama Keep information confidential, cops told KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain has reminded police officers and personnel to maintain confidentiality and protect the identity of informants. “There is a lack of sensitivity in maintaining confidentiality and information. For example, calling in suspects and complainants on the same day. Informants need to be protected. “I will discuss (the issue) with the deputy and chief of the Criminal Investigation Department since they handle investigation matters. The issue would be improved in Kuala Lumpur and throughout the country,” he said in response to questions raised by the public who attended a joint management session of the Criminal Investigation Department at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail Community Centre Hall on Saturday. Mohd Shuhaily said the public’s trust in police needs to be improved to ensure they would come forward to share information about criminal activities in their areas. – Bernama Body of man found stuck in water pipe KUALA LUMPUR: The body of a man, believed to be a local, was found stuck in a water pipe in Sungai Klang near the Bukit Tandang cemetery in Sungai Way on Saturday. Subang Jaya police chief ACP Wan Azlan Wan Mamat said police received information at 9am yesterday. “The fully clothed body was found lying face down and no identification was found on the victim. There were injuries on the forehead, wounds on both hands and bruises on the left side of the victim.” Wan Azlan said no weapons were found at the scene, adding that the case is being investigated as sudden death and a post-mortem will be conducted at Serdang Hospital to identify the cause of death. – Bernama lessons from any location, results in students showing less interest in traditional education methods.” Nurul Aishah said the pursuit of education appears to have less significance today due to changing values such as prioritising material success and instant gratification over intellectual pursuits and academic accomplishments. “For instance, the idea that one can make a living just by producing creative content to market oneself and achieve overnight success could lead students from traditional academic pursuits and prompt their casual approach towards learning.” She also said due to scarce economic opportunities or income inequality, some individuals may perceive education as less important than their prospects for socioeconomic advancement, adding that this behaviour stems from excessive use of social media. “The situation is concerning and warrants attention and intervention to address the underlying issues affecting the academic engagement and performance of students. “The teacher should have reprimanded her students for using such phrases as examination answers and not tolerate such behaviour because it would only get worse if not addressed.” Nurul Aishah said parents also bear responsibility for monitoring their children’s social media habits and gadget usage to prevent negative influences. “Good values should be instilled at home from young. Parents should also be strict and have a ‘no compromise’ attitude when it comes to excessive gadget usage, especially with young children.” She said constant stimulation provided by social media could contribute to a shortened attention span, making it difficult for students to concentrate on tasks that require sustained focus. “So, instead of doing homework or preparing for examinations, students may find themselves scrolling through social media for hours. “No student finds examinations fun. The question is how to make them embrace challenges, value the importance of education and encourage a positive attitude towards assessments.” She added that while examinations remain highly relevant, changes ought to be implemented to encourage student enthusiasm and participation. Nurul Aishah said despite existing criticisms or flaws within the system, there is space for growth and improvement in teaching practices, curriculum development and educational strategies. “This underscores the importance of continuous reflection and adaptation within the education sector to better serve the needs of students and facilitate their learning journey. “The government could provide professional development opportunities and resources for educators to enhance teaching practices and effectively address students’ disengagement and lack of seriousness towards education.” However, she said it would be false to make generalisations about students today as there are still some who value their education. “Students should take ownership of their learning and accept educational challenges as a natural part of the process and an opportunity to grow.”

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 6 Education remains an important pillar of Malaysian society; it equips students with the skills needed to become productive and useful members of society. We invite you to showcase the best of education and the difference your institution has brought to the education landscape. Education matters so join us in 2024! Contact us now for special deals on digital, video and print advertising. Malaysian Paper 03-7784 6688 advertise@thesundaily.com New lease of life for heart ailment boys oCharity NGO raises RM190,000 within three days to cover costs for surgery and medical expenses GEORGE TOWN: A fundraising effort was completed in less than three days to support two children from Johor who urgently need heart surgery. The campaign by One Hope Charity and Welfare (OHCW) began on Feb 16 and managed to raise RM190,000 to cover the medical expenses of Lim Jia Liang and Akid Muqri Shazwan. OHCW also pledged RM10,000 from its emergency medical fund to the cause. “Lim underwent surgery on March 4 and is currently in ICU for recovery. Akid is still waiting for a suitable date,” said OHCW chairman Datuk Chua Sui Hau. “Akid required RM110,000 and Lim needed RM80,000 for their operations. Their families entrusted the fundraising to OHCW and upon thorough assessment, we recognised the urgency of their cases and decided to extend our assistance.” The donation drive swiftly raised the required sum in an impressive two days and 23 hours, reflecting the generous support and compassion of the community. Lim, seven, has been grappling with heart issues since birth. Diagnosed with double outlet right ventricle and ventricular septal defect, his condition required immediate attention. At just two months old, he spent several days in the neonatal intensive care unit and had limb discolouration and a bacterial infection that caused his heart to momentarily stop beating. Despite undergoing successful surgery at four months old, his road to recovery has been hindered by recurrent illness, persistent breathlessness and cyanosis, a condition in which his lips and fingertips turn blue due to a lack of oxygen in his blood. Lim’s health has remained stable because of the vigilant care of his parents and regular Chua presenting a crayon gift set to Lim, who was accompanied by his family, at the OHCW office recently. – MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN █ BYT.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com medical attention. Now weighing over 10kg, his doctors have deemed him fit for another critical surgery to remove the pulmonary artery banding and close the remaining heart defect. Nine-year-old Akid’s story has been equally as challenging. He was born prematurely with a host of organ development issues and a complex heart condition. His stomach was positioned in his middle abdomen and his pelvic bones were incomplete, causing his intestines to slide down whenever he cried or became too excited. Akid also has problems with his hearing and vision, and he was admitted to the hospital for one month shortly after birth and readmitted soon after due to a bacterial infection. His journey has been marked by hospital stays, surgeries and procedures at seven months old and two years old to treat his heart condition. Further surgery at age five was repeatedly postponed due to the intricate proximity of his stomach and diaphragm to his heart, prolonging his ordeal. Akid’s health difficulties have continued and led to more surgeries and ongoing medical challenges. Now, he struggles with slow cognitive development and learning issues. “He would become breathless after walking short distances and his lips and fingertips would turn blue,” said his mother Noor Fadzlin, 36. With the necessary funds secured, a successful outcome for both the children is now within reach. More information on OHCW activities are available at www.onehopecharity.org or via 04-539 9212, 016-4192 192, 019-2322 192 or 018-911 4192.

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 7 Seven missing, 21 dead in Indonesia floods, landslides JAKARTA: Days of torrential rain have brought floods and landslides in Indonesia’s province of West Sumatra, forcing the evacuation of more than 75,000 people, while killing at least 21, with seven missing, authorities said yesterday. The havoc since last Thursday in the provincial capital of Padang and eight other areas has damaged nearly 700 homes, scores of bridges and schools and 113ha of farmland. Indonesia’s rescue agency is hunting for those missing, officials said, with 150 rescuers drafted into the effort, hampered by blocked roads following the landslides. “Today’s search involves 150 personnel from various disaster agencies,” said Abdul Malik, the chief of the provincial rescue team. Those evacuated gathered in the nearest mosques, said Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of Indonesia’s disaster agency BNPB, but no temporary shelters were set up. They received food, water and medicines, while others returned home as waters subsided. A village located on a hillside in the Sutera subdistrict was struck hard, with around 200 families in the area left isolated after a landslide followed by flash flooding, said Fajar Sukma, an official from West Sumatra disaster mitigation agency. Most areas in Padang are still flooded, Abdul added, with roads blocked by a landslide extending 50m in the area of Padang Pariaman. A resident guides a truck along a damaged road following flash floods in Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra on Saturday. – AFPPIC Senior Indian election official resigns NEW DELHI: India’s second-highest ranked election commission official has resigned, its Justice Ministry said, days before the expected announcement of general elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a third term. Arun Goel resigned on Saturday, leaving the Election Commission of India with only one of its three top officials to conduct what will be the largest exercise of the democratic franchise in human history. Nearly a billion people are eligible to cast ballots in the elections, likely to be held in April-May. The Law and Justice Ministry said President Droupadi Murmu had accepted Goel’s resignation. The NDTV news network said Goel had resigned due to “personal reasons”, citing sources. Another official had retired last year and the position has not yet been filed. The dates for the election, conducted in several phases, are likely to be announced next week. K.C. Venugopal, general secretary of the main opposition Congress party, said Goel’s resignation was a concern. “It is deeply concerning for the health of the world’s largest democracy that Election Commissioner Arun Goel has resigned on the cusp of the Lok Sabha (parliamentary) elections,” he said. “There is absolutely no transparency in how a constitutional institution like the ECI has been functioning and the manner in which the government pressurises them.” Several opinion polls have indicated an easy win by Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party in the general election. A Pew survey last year found Modi was viewed favourably by nearly 80% of Indians. A poll of urban voters by YouGov in February showed the BJP comfortably leading India’s manifold opposition parties in every measured age and gender demographic. – AFP China reaffirms iron-clad friendship with Pakistan BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on his election as the president of Pakistan, saying that the “iron-clad friendship” between the two countries is a “choice of history” and the “strategic significance” of the ties has become more “prominent” in the light of changes in the world. Asif, the husband of late Pakistan prime minister, Benazir Bhutto was overwhelmingly elected as the 14th president of Pakistan on Saturday, becoming the only civilian president of the coup-prone country for a second time. Asif, the co-chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was the joint candidate of the ruling alliance of the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). In his message to Asif, Xi said oXi stresses strategic significance of high-level bilateral ties between neighbours B R I E F SIRAQ BUILDS CHURCH NEAR ANCIENT SITE BAGHDAD: The bell of a new church built near Iraq’s ancient city of Ur chimed for the first time last week as part of a push to lure back pilgrims to a country that is home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. The church is part of a complex that rises from a desert plain in the shadow of the pyramid-shaped Ziggurat of Ur, a city traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Prophet Abraham. Construction of the church is to be completed this month. Last week, the large bell was fixed into its steeple, which is made of traditional Iraqi yellowish mud brick. Workers polished the large, brightlycolored stained-glass windows. “This church was built ... near the archaeological sites of the ancient city of Ur so that large numbers of our Christian brothers from all countries can visit,” said Shamil alRumaid, director of antiquities in Dhi Qar province. – Reuters AUTHOR NOMINATED TO INDIA PARLIAMENT NEW DELHI: Indian author and philanthropist Sudha Murty, who is also British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law, has been nominated to India’s parliament. Sudha, 73, was nominated to sit in parliament’s upper house by President Droupadi Murmu. “Sudha Ji’s contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring ... Wishing her a fruitful tenure,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in X. Sudha, who is married to Narayana Murthy, the billionaire co-founder of tech giant Infosys, is an educator and philanthropist herself, and was a recipient of India’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, for social work. She started her career as an engineer. She is also the former chairperson of Infosys Foundation. – The Independent TWO KAZAKHS KILLED IN ANTI-TERROR OP ALMATY: Kazakhstan confirmed the deaths of two of its citizens in an anti-terrorism operation in Russia that Moscow claims prevented an attack against a place of worship in its capital. Russia’s FSB security services confirmed an operation against a suspected branch of the Islamic State (IS) group had taken place in the Kaluga neighbourhood southwest of Moscow. “The Kazakh citizenship and arrival in Russia by these two people is confirmed,” said the Kazakh national security committee . It said authorities in the former Soviet republic are investigating the case. The FSB on Thursday claimed to have put an end to the activities of a cell of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province branch. – AFP “China and Pakistan are good neighbours, good friends, good partners and good brothers, adding that the two countries’ iron-clad friendship is a choice of history and a precious treasure of the two peoples”. Xi said that “the two countries have in recent years maintained close high-level exchanges, supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, achieved fruitful results in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and maintained a high level of development of bilateral relations”, Xinhua news agency reported. Xi in his message said, that as the world is confronted with accelerated changes unseen in a century, the strategic significance of ChinaPakistan relations has become more prominent. Xi said he highly regards the development of China-Pakistan relations, and is ready to work with Asif to carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Pakistan, advance practical cooperation in various fields, push for greater development of ChinaPakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, so as to better benefit the two peoples. Earlier, Xi greeted Shehbaz Sharif on being elected Pakistan’s prime minister. The return of Shehbaz and his brother Nawaz Sharif as well as Asif at the helm of Pakistan’s politics and government in the midst of chaos and severe economic crisis in Pakistan is viewed with a sense of relief here as all three over their years in power maintained close ties with Chinese leaders and furthered the strategic ties with Beijing viewed widely as a strategic alliance against India. – Reuters/The Independent With more rain expected, the agency warned of further damage from floods and landslides. Indonesia’s rainy season began in January with the BMKG meteorological agency forecasting a first-quarter peak, particularly on the islands of Java and Sumatra. – Reuters/AFP

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 8 BEIJING: China has intensified efforts to block software that enables internet users to access banned websites during a top political meeting this week, said a leading provider of firewallleaping software. Beijing operates some of the world’s most extensive censorship over the internet, with web users in mainland China unable to access everything from Google to news websites without using a virtual private network (VPN). And as thousands of delegates gathered in Beijing for the annual “Two Sessions” meeting, VPN software has increasingly struggled to circumvent the censorship while outages have become much more frequent, even when compared to during previous sensitive political events. “There is increased censorship due to political meetings in China,” said a representative of the Liechtenstein-based service Astrill – one of the most popular VPN services for foreigners in China. “Unfortunately, not all VPN protocols are functioning at this time.” “We are working intensively on bringing all services back to normal, but have no ETA.” The use of a VPN without government authorisation is illegal in China, as is using the software to access blocked websites. State media workers and diplomats, however, are allowed to access prohibited websites such as X. Security was tightened across Beijing throughout the Two Sessions, with security officers patrolling streets with sniffer dogs and elderly volunteers in red armbands monitoring pedestrians for suspicious behaviour. Chinese social media giant Weibo has also been quick to block sensitive topics. All hashtags discussing Beijing’s decision to call off a traditional press conference by the country’s premier were quickly removed from search results. And another, a reference to China’s economic woes declaring “middle class children have no future” was also removed. China’s domestic media is state-controlled and widespread censorship of social media is often used to suppress negative stories or critical coverage. Regulators have previously urged investors to avoid reading foreign news reports about China. In a speech last year, President Xi Jinping said the ruling Communist Party’s control of the internet had been “strengthened”, and that it was crucial that the state “govern cyberspace”. – AFP Manhattan Project papers up for auction BOSTON: Propelled to prominence by the blockbuster film Oppenheimer, papers charting the world-changing creation of the atomic bomb by the eponymous physicist are up for auction in the United States. Christopher Nolan’s US$1 billion (RM4.7 billion)-grossing epic immortalises the story of the wartime race to create nuclear weapons. Among the items to go under the hammer in Boston is a report on the birth of the atomic bomb which was subsequently used against Japan, helping lead to the end of the Second World War. It chronicles the Manhattan Project which was managed in secret in Los Alamos, a town built around a classified lab that was created from scratch in New Mexico at the suggestion of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who had a lifelong passion for the surrounding mountains. Dubbed the Smyth Report, the document was first released to the press on Aug 12, 1945, days after the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “The report serves as a comprehensive overview of the scientific and administrative journey leading to the creation of one of humanity’s most formidable weapons,“ according to the RR Auction House in Boston. “Among the notable signatories are Enrico Fermi, renowned for creating the world’s first nuclear reactor; J. Robert Oppenheimer, the visionary physicist who directed the Los Alamos Laboratory; Ernest Lawrence, Nobel laureate and pioneer of the cyclotron; James Chadwick, discoverer of the neutron; and Harold Urey, a Nobel Prize recipient and expert in isotope separation.” The current bid is in excess of US$35,000, with the auction set to close on Wednesday. Also under the hammer is a letter typed by Oppenheimer in which he decries his creation as “a weapon for aggressors”. – AFP Beijing tightens grip over internet during key meeting oPart of wider security net for Two Sessions Biden and Trump spar on immigration, age WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden and presumptive White House challenger Donald Trump traded barbs on Saturday on the key topics of age and immigration, as they targeted the battleground state of Georgia. Biden once again attacked his Republican predecessor, who has vowed to be a “dictator” for one day. “When he says he wants to be a dictator, I believe him,” Biden told a rally, promising action to cut costs in housing, health and education. In an interview with MSNBC aired on Saturday night, Biden said he regretted using the term “an illegal” when referring to the killer of a nursing student last month in Georgia. “I shouldn’t have used ‘illegal’, it’s ‘undocumented’,” said Biden, who has been criticised by progressives and members of his own party for using terminology more commonly employed by Republicans. Trump, who is pledging a crackdown on illegal immigration as a key plank of his campaign, talked at length during his rally about the slain student. “Laken Riley would be alive today if Joe Biden had not wilfully and maliciously eviscerated the borders of the United States,” he said. He slammed Biden for backtracking on his use of the word “illegal” to describe the Venezuelan suspect in the crime, saying, “Biden should be apologising for apologising to this killer.” At his rally, Trump also pretended to be a stuttering Biden, mocking his 81-year-old opponent. Biden’s campaign launched a TV ad on Saturday in which the president directly addresses his advanced age, a major concern among voters. “Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s no secret. But here is the deal. I understand how to get things done for the American people,” he says in the spot. Trump’s team quickly responded with a video message that starts with Biden’s statement, followed by clips of the president stumbling, falling or looking confused. Among his many legal woes, Trump faces criminal charges in Georgia of working to overturn the state’s election results. – AFP NEW QUEEN ... Czech Republic’s Krystyna Pyszkova waves after being crowned Miss World at the 71st Miss World finale in Mumbai on Saturday. – REUTERSPIC B R I E F SHAITI CAPITAL UNDER SIEGE AMID GANG VIOLENCE PORT-AU-PRINCE: Residents of Haiti’s capital scrambled for safety following the latest spasm of gang violence, with a UN group warning of a “city under siege” after armed attackers targeted the presidential palace and police headquarters. Criminal groups, which control much of the city and roads leading to the rest of the country, have unleashed havoc in recent days as they try to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry. On Saturday, dozens of residents were seeking safety in public buildings, with some successfully breaking into one facility. An estimated 362,000 Haitians are internally displaced – more than half of them children, said the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). “The capital is surrounded by armed groups,” said Philippe Branchat, IOM’s chief in Haiti. “It is a city under siege.” – AFP ‘ENGLISH JUST BADLY PRONOUNCED FRENCH’ PARIS: French linguist Bernard Cerquiglini would like to send a copy of his new book, The English language doesn’t exist: it’s badly pronounced French, to King Charles III. “It’s a book written from a humorous perspective, it’s deliberately in bad faith, arrogant, chauvinistic and so on,” Cerquiglini said. Beneath the provocative title and humour, the prominent academic hopes to convey the cross-Channel linguistic tangle since the Norman conquest of 1066 – and how ridiculous French resistance to “anglicisms” can be. “You can also see my book as an homage to the English language, which has been able to adopt so many words ... Viking, Danish, French, it’s astonishing.” He also hopes English will survive the trend towards a simplified form spoken around the world – sniffily described as “Globish” by French detractors. – AFP

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 9 Palestinian prisoners killed, reports rights monitor oInternational judicial authorities urged to investigate AMMAN: The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the Gaza Strip held by the Israeli army are subjected to premeditated murder and arbitrary execution outside the scope of the law and the judiciary, including killing under torture. The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor emphasised that to hold the perpetrators accountable, international judicial authorities must launch an immediate investigation including exhuming bodies, identifying them, return the remains, and bringing justice to the victims and their families. In Israeli jails and detention facilities, thousands of people are still being held under arrest, subjected to forced disappearances, or both, the human rights body said. In spite of international condemnation and demands to ensure the rights and safety of prisoners and detainees, Israeli prisons and detention centres have become bloodier versions of Guantanamo prison, with shameful forms of torture, including murder, ill-treatment, degrading treatment, and deprivation of basic rights. It added that some Palestinian prisoners and detainees died as a result of severe torture and ill-treatment while they were being held in the Sde Teman camp and other Israeli detention centres and military installations. It also expressed horror and shock at the revelations of murders committed with intent against these individuals, referring to information published two days ago by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on the deaths of 27 Gaza Strip detainees since Oct 7 as a result of abuse or lack of access to medical care while they were being questioned and held in Israeli military facilities. In related developments, a boat laden with food for Gaza was “ready” to set sail from Cyprus. Spanish charity Open Arms said its boat, which docked three weeks ago in Larnaca port, was “ready” to embark but awaits final authorisation. It would be the first shipment along a maritime corridor from Cyprus, the closest European Union country to Gaza. Open Arms spokeswoman Laura Lanuza said that Israeli authorities were inspecting the cargo of “200 tonnes of basic foodstuffs, rice and flour, cans of tuna”. US charity World Central Kitchen, which has partnered with Open Arms, has teams in Gaza Strip who were “constructing a dock” to unload the shipment, Lanuza said. The US Central Command said a US Army ship left Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia on Saturday carrying the “first equipment to establish a temporary pier” to receive aid off Gaza. – Bernama/AFP Canada, Sweden criticised for resuming aid funding TEL AVIV: Israel slammed Canada and Sweden for resuming aid to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, reiterating claims that UNRWA staff in Gaza were involved in “terrorist activity”. Supporting UNRWA, which has been central to humanitarian efforts in the warravaged Gaza Strip, was a “serious mistake”, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Canada and Sweden announced over the weekend they were resuming funding for the cash-strapped UN agency, weeks after having suspended it over Israeli accusations that several UNRWA employees were involved in the attack that triggered the war. The Foreign Ministry called on both governments to cut funding and “not support an organisation whose ranks include hundreds of members of Hamas ... ” On Saturday, Sweden announced an initial disbursement of US$20 million (RM94 million) after receiving assurances of extra checks on UNRWA’s spending and personnel. Canada said it would resume funding to UNRWA “because of the dire humanitarian situation on the ground”, but did not elaborate. Some 15 countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan, suspended funding to UNRWA in late January following Israel’s accusations. The agency’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, told Swiss broadcaster RTS on Saturday he was “cautiously optimistic” more countries would resume their funding in coming weeks. “I think a certain number of countries in the Gulf are going to in fact increase their contributions to the agency,” Lazzarini added. “Today I am having to manage an existential crisis for our agency in a region going through a seismic crisis that will certainly have consequences for decades to come,” he said. “The agency is at risk of death, at risk of being shut down.” UNRWA employs around 30,000 people in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, with about 13,000 staff in Gaza. Israel has accused about a dozen UNRWA employees of taking part in the Oct 7 attack. The agency has said some of its Gaza staff detained by Israeli authorities during the war recounted abuse in custody. – AFP ‘It takes courage to negotiate peace’ VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has urged parties in the Ukraine war to “have the courage to negotiate”, and do so “before things get worse”, in an interview broadcast by Swiss television. The 87-year-old pontiff was asked by the public broadcaster RTS about a debate within Ukraine on whether to surrender to Russia’s invasion. “I believe that the strongest are those who see the situation, think about the people, and have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate,” he said. “That word negotiate is a brave word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not working out, to have the courage to negotiate.” He said people might feel ashamed but asked how many lives were being lost. “Today, for example with the war in Ukraine, there are many who want to act as mediators. Turkey for example,” he said. “Don’t be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse.” Speaking about conflict in general, including the Hamas-Israel war, he added: “Negotiations are never a surrender. It is the courage not to carry a country to suicide.” The Vatican’s director of communications, Matteo Bruni, later clarified the pope’s words. Francis had used the term white flag “to indicate a cessation of hostilities, a truce reached with the courage of negotiation”, Bruni said. He repeated the pontiff’s call for a “diplomatic solution in search of a just and lasting peace” in what Francis calls the “martyred” Ukraine. Francis was also asked in the interview about the Israel-Hamas war, where he laid blame on both sides. “War is made by two, not one. The irresponsible ones are these two who wage war.” – AFP Packages air dropped by military aircraft float towards northern Gaza. – REUTERSPIC B R I E F S28 YEMEN REBEL DRONES SHOT DOWN DUBAI: The United States and its allies said they shot down 28 drones fired by Yemen’s Houthis at targets in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Saturday, in one of the Iran-backed rebels’ largest attacks. Shortly afterward, the rebels said they had fired missiles at an “American” commercial ship and launched drones at US warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In November, the Houthis launched a campaign of drone and missile strikes against vessels in the Red Sea, an area vital for world trade, in professed solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The US Central Command, or Centcom, said the “large-scale” Houthi attack occurred before dawn in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Centcom and coalition forces determined that the drones “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region”. It added that “US Navy vessels and aircraft along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft shot down 15” of the drones. – AFP PERU RULES OUT THREAT TO APEC FORUM LIMA: Peru’s authorities ruled out that an Iranian and a Peruvian were planning an attack on an Israeli at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum. Their arrests prevented an attack on a foreign businessman, according to a statement by Apec’s Peru office. A spokesperson for Peru’s Interior Ministry also ruled out any link to the forum. Peru’s chief of police, Oscar Arriola, said the arrests were made after an investigation in coordination with international intelligence agencies, which provided information about an Iranian citizen who arrived in Peru early this month. “We had to act quickly because the Iranian was set to return to Iran after forming a cell to kill an Israeli national,” he said. Other police sources said findings indicated a possible attack on an Israeli. Both the Iranian, whom Arriola identified as 56-yearold Majid Azizi, and the Peruvian were arrested on Thursday. Azizi also holds Peruvian nationality by marriage. The Israeli was not identified. – Reuters

10 MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 Or download app on the AppStore or Google Play ENJOY A SEAMLESS READING EXPERIENCE. Read our iPaper at https://www.thesun.my/ @thesundaily FOLLOW ON TWITTER Malaysian Paper Criticism over Gaza crisis GOOD work, President Joe Biden. You have managed to do what America’s enemies have not – creating widespread hatred for the US around the globe. Your destruction of the Gaza refugee camps has inflamed anti-semitism everywhere. There is widespread disgust and anger at the US government over your decision to give Israel’s new farright government carte blanche to massacre rebellious Palestinians in the open prison of the Gaza Strip. The death toll is now over 31,000 and at least 70,000 seriously injured, not counting the long-term effects of malnutrition and starvation. Most victims are women and children. All of Gaza’s hospitals have been wrecked by Israeli bombs and tank fire. The Biden administration has thoughtfully rushed tank shells to Israel’s armoured forces. Large stores of arms and supplies, s u p p o s e d l y provided by the US to Israel for an emergency, have been offered to Israel to continue its massacre of Gaza. Such action violates US law, which bars the use of US-supplied arms against civilians. Dropping 2,000lbs bombs on residential buildings is, according to Israeli spin doctors, “counterterrorism”. The rest of the world does not think so. Except of course the US, Canada and Britain, where the media is dominated by supporters of Israel’s now governing far right, and Washington which is paralysed by pre-election fever. Palestinian “terrorists” are purposely running into Israeli tanks, shells and bombs just to discredit Israel. Big-money financial donors are terrorising major US and British educational institutions. Writers who dare challenge Israel’s party line on Gaza are blacklisted. Those honourable Jews who denounce Israel’s brutal policies in Gaza are denounced as “selfhating Jews”. We are not told that Gaza’s terrified civilians originally came from areas around Gaza and Galilee when they were driven into the prison camp of Gaza from their historic homes by ethnic cleansing and massacres after 1948. Their lands were seized by the Israeli government or far-right settlers, many from the US. As yet, we know little about the alleged massacre of some 1,000 Israelis attending a music festival on former Arab lands. I know this region fairly well after visiting the kibbutz of Nahal Oz in the 1950s to meet relatives and see how Israel was allegedly making once supposedly barren lands flower and blossom. There were no such people as Palestinians, according to Israel’s then-prime minister, who herself hailed from Ukraine. Israel’s governing far right was described by the late, great Israeli writer Uri Avnery as “Jewish fascists”. They intend to grind Gaza and its people into dust. There are large numbers of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, some of whom were gunned down recently. The objective of Israel’s far right is to expel these Arabs from the entire West Bank that Israel seized in the 1967 War and shove them into the arid Jordanian desert. Israel has long had its eye on southern Lebanon and its Litani River waters. “Do not worry what Washington will say,” said the architect of this mess, the late General Ariel Sharon. “I control Washington.” True enough, as Biden and his party are showing. Wall Street donors have become more important than America’s geopolitical interests. Interestingly, the likely winner of the upcoming US presidential election, Donald Trump, is an even staunch supporter of Israel. However, many Democrats do not trust his fidelity to Israel even though he openly dislikes Arabs and Muslims. Trump appears to have a clearer idea of where America’s interests lie – he may not allow Israel to lead America around by the nose. Israel’s North American partisans keep running old films about the Holocaust to help justify their laying waste to Gaza. We ought to remember there were less than half the number of Jews in the besieged Warsaw Ghetto than there are Palestinians today in Gaza. Americans should be ashamed of Biden. His administration, infiltrated and directed by far-right neocons, does not represent America’s values or traditions. Gaza will remain a major crime as well as a dark stain in America’s honour. The writer is a syndicated columnist. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com There is widespread disgust and anger at the US government over the decision to give Israel’s new far-right government carte blanche to massacre rebellious Palestinians in the open prison of the Gaza Strip. – REUTERSPIC █ BYERIC S. MARGOLIS “Biden’s administration, infiltrated and directed by far-right neocons, does not represent America’s values or traditions. Gaza will remain a major crime as well as a dark stain in America’s honour.

11 MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 Heralding era of Madani economics MANY Malaysians have asked: “Can PMX reinvent the bumiputera construct?” The answer following the latest Bumiputera Economic Congress is not clear but there is some optimism that a new direction of economic development in Madani economics holds promise for not only the bumiputera but also all Malaysians. When announcing the event, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim noted that a more inclusive approach to addressing the bumiputera economy will lead to resolving issues affecting other communities. “I hope ACCCIM (Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia) is ready to discuss (such issues) because a more inclusive approach means that, in talking about the bumiputera economy, issues involving small and medium-sized enterprises or the poor among the Indian community will be addressed together.” The leading congress speakers have taken up his challenge in different ways. Equitable opportunity Bursa Malaysia Bhd chairman Abdul Wahid Omar, a former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of economic planning, not only called for more assistance to help bumiputera businesses. He proposed the introduction of an Equitable Opportunity Act to ensure that all citizens are given a fair shot at jobs and business opportunities. According to him, if the policy is implemented in the private sector, it can foster competition in the business and corporate sectors, where its ownership is imbalanced among communities. This Act can be useful only if it is applied transparently and without discrimination across the entire economy and society. Such legislation is necessary in the civil service, which is the biggest employer in the country. Here, there has been much concern, with not only racial imbalance but also allegations of unfairness in employment. As new legislation will take time to implement, a start can be made by applying the equal opportunity principle to businesses and companies that the government controls directly through Khazanah, Ministry of Finance Inc, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) and Bank Negara Malaysia, or where government-linked investment companies (GLICs) and/or other federal and state governmentlinked agencies collectively have a controlling stake or even a minor stake. Government-linked companies (GLCs)/GLICs are the main and strategic service providers for electricity, telecommunication, postal, airlines, airports, public transport, water, sewerage, banking and financial services, and as of 2022 made up of about RM445 billion in the capital market and 25% of Bursa Malaysia’s market share. They can and should be the role model for employment in the private sector. The immediate implementation of the equal opportunity principle will not only enhance GLCs/GLICs’ mandate in nation-building and improve corporate governance but will also enable them to become more competitive, thus enabling them to have a more positive impact on the country’s socioeconomy. Bumiputera Economic Transformation Initiative Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi called for a new Bumiputera Economic Transformation Initiative (BETI), which would benefit all Malaysians. Among the Umno president’s three pledges in BETI is a national endowment to help lower-income bumiputera access education and health services, raising bumiputera participation in the industrialisation of the agricultural sector, and the establishment of a bumiputera land corporation to boost land ownership among the community. According to him: “These three main goals are to ensure that policies and implementation of the country’s economic agenda not only ensure the involvement and rights of the bumiputera but at the same time, ensure that there is synergy with the nonbumiputera. “Synergy between the races is extremely important in stimulating economic activity,” he said. While the new agenda is probumiputera, Zahid gave the assurance that the rights of non-bumiputera would be protected. Many outside the congress meeting welcomed this assurance. New empowerment agenda In his closing speech, Anwar outlined three resolutions to drive the aspirations of all segments of society. They involve efforts to strengthen the country’s economic pillars, enhance governance and the country’s institutions and uphold social justice. “The resolution must focus on several key drivers, including enhancing competitiveness, increasing scaling, improving and maintaining equity ownership, creating wealth, developing talent, increasing income and eradicating hardcore poverty. He further announced that all decisions and discussions from the congress will be looked into to be translated into the New Empowerment Agenda for Bumiputeras, which will be formulated for the next 10 years and launched in June. Meanwhile, he approved RM1 billion to fund projects aimed at creating a bumiputera entrepreneurial class. According to him: “The biggest weakness of the bumiputera is the new generation of entrepreneurs. Thus, I shall delegate through GLCs and GLICs the setting up of a big fund specifically for the realisation and development of a bumiputera entrepreneur generation, with RM1 billion approved.” He also approved a billion ringgit in micro-credit to help bumiputera micro and small businesses, which he said would prioritise women, youths and armed forces veterans venturing into businesses. Towards a Malaysian Economic Congress The most inclusive and forward-looking feedback to the congress has come from former federal minister, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who called for a Malaysian Economic Congress to find ways to resolve issues related to the economy, governance and corruption. Picking up on a proposal by parliamentarian Hassan Abdul Karim, Zaid noted in his Facebook post: “What we need is a Malaysian Economic Congress. An honest congress representing all Malaysians who are serious about finding answers to the country’s problems.” The former law minister cited the example of the plight of fishermen. He said since 1970, close to RM80 billion had been spent on the fisheries industry yet over 100,000 fishermen were among the poorest in the country. Zaid also said some economists projected that Malaysia has lost RM2.6 trillion due to corruption over the past 40 years. “The people want to know where the sources of the leakages are and how to plug them and put the country back on an even keel.” He said there were countless problems which remain hidden due to a lack of access to government reports and data protected by the Official Secrets Act. “We need a congress where the answers to our woes are not predetermined by dishing out RM2 billion or more, even before the resolutions are read. “We need a Congress where thoughtful solutions are found through careful deliberations so that large-scale pilferage can be stopped.” Zaid said the people and leaders must take the country’s problems more seriously and “start asking questions”. “Our leaders must be willing to change their flamboyant ways and discard failed solutions. Please take the problems of the rakyat more seriously.” Lim Teck Ghee’s Another Take is aimed at demystifying social orthodoxy. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com “Implementing the equal opportunity principle will not only enhance GLCs/GLICs’ mandate in nationbuilding and improve corporate governance but will also enable them to become more competitive, thus enabling them to have a more positive impact on the country’s socioeconomy. Anwar noted that a more inclusive approach to addressing the bumiputera economy will lead to resolving issues affecting other communities. – BERNAMAPIC Reimagining driving licence testing THE Transport Ministry has plans to implement an automated driving licence testing system known as “eTesting” which allows candidates to have their driving tests without the presence of an official in the vehicle. However, are electronic driving tests the way to go? Let us examine the pros and cons. With everything in the world going electronic, it is inevitable that the process of applying for a driving licence be also upgraded. Under the new system, the tester will monitor the candidate from his office and then ask the individual some questions. This approach is simple and efficient. This is also an effective way to prevent corrupt practices, which have been a bane for those applying for driving licences and other road users. These practices have resulted in candidates with poor or sub-standard driving skills securing the necessary paper qualifications to drive vehicles and later posing a danger to other road users. What is important is to ensure the quality of drivers, not the quantity. Corruption is not necessarily the only factor for the low quality of new drivers. It also relates to the standards of training and testing. Safe driving is not just about not crossing the lines or staying within the boxes or electronic parameters. It also encompasses all other aspects of road safety. So, how can we improve the testing process? We can introduce virtual driving scenarios that test candidates on decision-making, and reactions to unexpected events, just as how self-driving cars are programmed. We should find ways to assess a candidate’s ability to anticipate and respond to potential hazards, and gauge a candidate’s temperament on the road. This can involve assessing their stress management, patience and ability to stay calm under pressure. As they say: It is not the destination, but the journey. The journey to obtaining a driving licence should be thorough, practical and reflective of the candidate’s ability to navigate the twists and turns on the road responsibly. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye Chairman Alliance for a Safe Community COMMENT LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com ANOTHER TAKE BY LIM TECK GHEE

BANKING & INSURANCE BANKING & INSURANCE 12 MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 that saw a 24.5% upswing in the group’s trading volume and a 7.1% increase in trading value for the year. Additionally, the stockbroking division was bolstered by the reversal of credit loss expense for margin clients, as well as bad debt recoveries. The asset and wealth management division delivered its best-performing year yet, registering a jump in both revenue and PBT for FY23, with a 9.6% increase in revenue to RM264.6 million, and an 8.3% increase in PBT to RM58.7 million relative to the year before. This result was underpinned by an increase in management and performance fee income from both alternative investment products, as well as institutional and private mandate portfolios. Its assets under administration (AUA) registered a strong closing at RM21.7 billion in FY23. Kenanga Group’s listed derivatives business attained its highest profit in over a decade, with an increase in revenue to RM23.9 million from RM20.9 million in FY23, while PBT tripled to RM6.3 million compared with the previous year. This strong result is propelled by higher interest income driven by the heightened interest in derivative products spurred by market volatility, as well as higher interest rate. Its investment banking business registered a growth in revenue to RM224 million in FY23, in comparison to revenue of RM189.6 million in the previous year, although PBT dipped to RM5.7 million against RM15.8 million in FY22 due to lower net interest income from compressed interest margins and credit loss provisions. Chay said: “As we look ahead, we anticipate robust gross domestic product growth of 4.5%- 5.0% in 2024, underpinned by a further normalisation of economic activity. Key pillars Kenanga Investment Bank delivers strong results for FY23 supporting this positive trajectory include sustained domestic economic activity, potential surge in tourism activities, a rebound in the manufacturing sector and a buoyant global technological upcycle. “Nevertheless, we remain cognisant of the downside risks, predominantly stemming from the potential impact of a global economic slowdown due to a higher interest rate environment led by advanced economies. An escalation of the geopolitical tensions, particularly the Israel-Palestinian conflict as well as the extended Ukraine-Russia war, poses additional risks.” Despite these challenges, Chay said, Kenanga Group remains cautiously optimistic in its outlook. “With a strong foundation rooted in 50 years of experience navigating the Malaysian capital markets, we hold steadfast in our commitment to fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and integrating sustainable business practices throughout our value chain. By continuing to manage the nuances of our business landscape with prudence and adaptability, the group is wellpositioned to sustain its growth momentum and deliver shareholder value,” he added. oRevenue jumps to RM821m and net profit rises to RM72.8m, 7 sen interim dividend declared Etiqa in MoU to insure construction of Sungai Klang Link’s elevated highway PETALING JAYA: Etiqa General Insurance Bhd has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sungai Klang Link Sdn Bhd (SKL) to insure the sustainable development and construction of a 52.5km elevated highway to improve connectivity between Klang and Kuala Lumpur. Present during the signing ceremony were SKL group managing director Datuk Mohd Nazri Ismail, group executive director Withaya Savessri, executive director Wisal Savessri, Etiqa General Insurance CEO Fukhairudin Mohd Yusof and head of agency Fauzi Abdul Karim. The proposed highway will run parallel to the Klang River in the Klang Valley. It is designed to seamlessly connect with the current highway infrastructure through seven planned interchanges, starting in Klang with an entry point via the West Coast Expressway interchange, concluding at the interchange of New Pantai Expressway 2. The sustainable development of the highway incorporates various initiatives that revolve around rehabilitating the river, preserving the environment during the operation of the highway, and looking after the community via projects that bring the community together along the Klang River area. Etiqa is the largest general insurance and takaful operator in Malaysia, and possesses the capacity and expertise to address the insurance requirements for the construction of the Sungai Klang Link Highway. The strategic partnership aims to offer comprehensive coverage worth RM9.5 billion, including property insurance and liability insurance. Etiqa will also offer a Contractor All Risk and Workmen Compensation Package which will include a risk survey with advice for any risk improvement recommendation. Fukhairudin said, “We are pleased to be entering into a memorandum of understanding with Sungai Klang Link Sdn Bhd, establishing Etiqa General Insurance as the sole provider of insurance solutions to meet the needs of the SKL Highway project. CIMB Islamic, Petronas sign deal for Islamic commodity derivatives PETALING JAYA: CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd and Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) have signed an inaugural Tahawwut Master Agreement (TMA) for syariah-compliant commodity derivatives. The signing of the TMA marks Petronas’ venture towards syariah-compliant derivatives, making Petronas the first corporation in Malaysia to utilise CIMB Islamic’s syariah-compliant commodity hedging instruments for Islamic energy commodity derivative trades. The TMA is a multiproduct framework agreement drafted by International Swaps Derivatives Association in collaboration with the International Islamic Financial Market Association to govern syariah-compliant derivative transactions. The TMA provides the market with globally accepted and standardised terms for Islamic hedging products, which will spur the growth of Islamic hedging products in the international market. CIMB has been playing an active role in driving the growth of Islamic and sustainable finance. The adoption of a global acceptable master agreement bodes well with the development of Malaysia as an international marketplace for Islamic finance and in line with the Group’s Forward23+ strategic plan. Over the past three years, CIMB has executed several significant sustainable financing transactions, including its landmark sustainability-linked derivative (SLD) in October 2021, the world’s first ringgit-denominated SLD transaction. In 2023, the group tripled its sustainable finance target to RM100 billion by 2024 after having met its initial target of RM30 billion two years ahead of schedule. Petronas also invests in Islamic-related products and has issued sukuk and Islamic financing facilities. GXBank, Mastercard debut Malaysia’s first unlimited cashback debit card PETALING JAYA: GX Bank Bhd (GXBank) in partnership with Mastercard has launched GXBank Card (GX Card) – the first unlimited cashback debit card and the first digital bank card to be introduced in Malaysia – for all users nationwide after a successful pilot rollout in January. Available both as a virtual and a physical card, GX Card offers cardholders 1% cashback on online and offline card transactions towards everyday purchases including groceries, petrol, dining, shopping as well as bill payments. Cardholders can earn unlimited cash-back, which gets credited to their GX account by the end of the following day. Cardholders also earn the same cashback benefits on overseas and foreign currency transactions, with no additional fees or markups. Other benefits include cash withdrawal fee waiver across more than 10,000 MEPS ATMs nationwide and 1.5x GrabRewards for purchases at Jaya Grocer supermarkets across the country. GXBank CEO Pei Si Lai said, “With the launch of the GXBank app and the GX Card pilot rollout, we saw great success with thousands of users actively using the card in their daily transactions. The positive reception showed us that Malaysian consumers value instant cashback as a rewarding mechanism for purchases.” Mastercard Malaysia and Brunei country manager Beena Pothen said Mastercard is delighted to partner with GXBank as it not only offers unique and compelling benefits to cardholders, but also empowers consumers with greater choice and inclusivity to embrace digital banking. PETALING JAYA: Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd (Kenanga Group) has announced higher earnings for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2023 (FY23), with revenue of RM821.1 million, a 13.5% increase from the year before, and a higher profit before tax (PBT) of RM88.1 million, an 18.8% growth compared with the preceding year’s figure. Net profit rose to RM72.8 million, a 31.4% surge from the previous year. The improved performance was primarily driven by higher trading and investment income, increased management fee income, higher bad debt recoveries and higher share of profit from associates. The board of directors declared an interim single-tier dividend of 7 sen per ordinary share for FY23, which amounted to a total payout of about RM51.5 million. Group managing director Datuk Chay Wai Leong (pic) said: “2023 proved to be another testing period for the world economy as headwinds from the previous year lingered, accompanied by escalating geopolitical tensions, high inflation, sluggish growth, and turbulent financial markets.” Amid these challenges, he said, the group delivered another strong year – “showcasing strength derived from agility, and a diversified range of our businesses.” The group’s stockbroking division experienced a positive upturn with revenue rising 10.8% from the previous year to RM308.5 million while PBT stood at RM16.1 million, more than a sixfold increase from the previous year. The division’s results were attributed to higher trading and investment income, as well as net brokerage fee which was consistent with the improved sentiment on Bursa Malaysia Mohd Nazri (second from left) and Fukhairudin exchanging documents after signing the MoU. “It is worth noting that SKL’s commitment to responsible development and sustainability aligns with Etiqa’s sustainability mission of ‘Making the World a Better Place’. We firmly believe that the impact of each action we take today will be the catalyst for tomorrow’s success. We look forward to playing our role in leaving a legacy worthy of our future generations.” Mohd Nazri said, “As we continue to pursue a more responsible and sustainable way in transportation infrastructure solutions, we are thrilled to embark on this transformative and innovative journey alongside Etiqa. “This partnership marks a significant milestone in our pursuit of and commitment to delivering impactful solutions for the nation’s infrastructure needs.”

MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 Editorial T: 03-7784 6688 F: 03-7785 2625 E: sunbiz@thesundaily.com Advertising T: 03-7784 8888 E: advertise@thesundaily.com SCAN ME PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian construction industry is anticipated to flourish this year, followed by electrical and electronic products (E&E), palm oil, and oil and gas (O&G). According to StashAway Malaysia country manager Wong Wai Ken (pic), he observed that the construction industry seems to be recovering of late and expected it to improve throughout the year. StashAway Malaysia is a Securities Commission-licensed investment platform designed for portfolio and wealth management. “Big projects seem to have kicked off again and that should be good for the construction industry, which has been quiet for the last few years. E&E, palm oil and O&G industries are steadily growing,” Wong told SunBiz. On the weakening ringgit, he anticipated the local currency to remain steady or strengthen slightly. At the same time, he pointed out that the local banking system is sound. “Foreign direct investment, that’s very bullish for the Malaysian economy. More investments into our country means there’s more demand for ringgit, our fiscal position as well as our import and export position gets better. “But a major factor behind the ringgit moving is also political stability. As long as there’s political stability, we won’t see a big drastic depreciation in the ringgit, hence Malaysia must do all it can to retain the ringgit strength,” he said. On the outlook for 2024, Wong projected surprises or unforeseen circumstances. Last year, the success of technology and the influence of artificial intelligence on the markets took most people by surprise. “Let’s look at where some of the surprises might appear. Conflicts or geopolitical wars could be a risk, maybe there will be a spreading conflict which has an effect on energy markets. “In 2023, cash, tech and gold did very well. We ultimately won’t know what will happen this year but if you’re not diversified you’re not even in a position to benefit from (the capital markets),” he said. “Last year, we saw that cash was very popular because interest rates were very high. In Malaysia, fixed deposit rates and money market funds were giving anywhere between 3.5% and 4%, sometimes even more if there are promos, so people really loved cash last year, but at the same time, US capital markets were up more than 20% because of tech stocks, especially the so-called “Magnificent Seven”. The Magnificent Seven refers to the highperforming and influential companies in the US stock market, namely Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla. “The tech sector was up 50%, so it pulled the (US capital) market up 20% … cash was king and most people missed out on the markets, but people who were in the markets really benefited,” Wong said. In terms of major risks this year, he said that if the US does not achieve a soft landing this year and if the US Federal Reserve maintains high interest rates, the US economy might be pushed into recession. “The other risk is China, where the property market did not do so well last year, which affected its banking sector. If the Chinese market continues to be slow, consumption low, it means we cannot expect too much returns out of China. “Moreover, if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election in November, businesses, business leaders and investors will be very sceptical about what to do. What will he really do to shake things up?,” he opined. On consumer demographics, Wong said most of its users range between 35 and 40 years old, working as white collar professionals with a majority from financial institutions, tech or O&G industries. “Above 70% of our users are in Klang Valley, with Penang and Johor making up the rest,” he added. Currently, StashAway has presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Hong Kong and Thailand, with Malaysia as its second largest market, while Singapore occupies the top spot. “After that, Dubai, Hong Kong and Thailand are about equal in terms of size,” Wong shared. The company currently has no plans to expand to a new market as it will focus on strengthening its position in the five existing markets it occupies through new offerings. “We think that there’s significant growth in the five markets to add, so there’s no plan to expand to a new market. We want to expand within the countries that we are already in, either by introducing new products or entering into new channels, such as working with digital banks, which we will think about. “The ways we can reach people to grow their wealth, the better. We just have to do it a way where we don’t have to sacrifice our principles, which is affordability and convenience,” Wong said. On the new offerings, he said it will be an ongoing process and the company is still in the discussion phase. He does not expect talks to finalise in the next few months. In terms of fund performance, Wong said the company recorded a return average of between 16% and 23% last year. Construction, E&E, palm oil and O&G tipped to do well Kuchemate embraces AI to increase capacity PETALING JAYA: Kuchemate Concept Sdn Bhd, a local kitchen cabinet and wardrobe specialist, is transitioning into artificial intelligence-driven manufacturing to increase its production capacity. Managing director Mervyn Tan (pic) said that by using AI, it is able to reduce labour dependency alongside improvement in product quality. “In the last four years, we moved into production spaces of 5,000-6,000 square feet. This year, we are setting up our new production line, which spans about 12,000 square feet and incorporates all the AI machines and technologies,“ he said in an interview with SunBiz. On this year’s outlook, Tan said the company is expected to maintain sales of RM7 million to RM8 million, a level it has achieved since 2022 despite economic uncertainties. Meanwhile, looking ahead to 2025, he aims to make over RM10 million in sales. Tan said Kuchemate’s target market is the M40 or those who are in the market to purchase a house, which he acknowledged are now facing financial challenges due to rising property prices. “People who buy houses, currently the property price is so challenging for each house buyer. In Klang Valley, a property will cost RM500,000 to RM700,000. Whereas the average household income doesn’t increase that much,” he added. Therefore, Tan said, Kuchemate’s target is to set a more affordable price that will not impose undue financial strain on customers. “But the company doesn’t just offer affordable prices, we provide quality products. Our commitment to quality extends to our installer team, ensuring that we consistently deliver excellence in the market,” he added. Tan mentioned that 2024 will be quite challenging due to inflation. He also noted that in terms of costing, there will be slightly higher expenses for installers. “In terms of the economy, every year people will complain or say that the economy will be bad throughout my involvement in the business. Never have I heard anyone tell me or anyone say that next year will be better. So everyone will say next year is no good. “But I always believe that when there is a crisis, there is an opportunity in the market. I always believe that when we deliver our best product to our clients, at an affordable rate, and we commit to after-sales service, I do believe that we can make decent earnings in the market,” Tan said. Reinstatement of cabotage policy exemption ends decades-long debate KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s decision to reinstate the cabotage policy exemption brings an end to the yearslong debate over allowing foreign ships to undertake undersea cable repairs locally. Malaysia OSV Owners’ Association (Mosva) and Malaysia Shipowners’ Association (Masa) have welcomed the government’s decision. Mosva president Jamalludin Obeng said the decision would ensure the sustainability of the capital-intensive offshore service vessel (OSV) segment. This also comes as a relief after the industry endured a long, challenging period, starting with the onset of the oil price plunge some 10 years ago and the Covid-19 pandemic, which severely affected the shipping industry. It also demonstrates the government’s flexibility to undertake measures to attract more foreign investments in the data centre industry and grow the digital economy. For context, the reinstatement of cabotage policy has its own complexities. Previously, it merely focused on the limitation of shipment of goods from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah and Sarawak. Now, in the era of technology and fast information, issues surrounding the cabotage policy are more centred on who has permission to conduct undersea cable repairs, the expertise of which continues to be sourced from outside the country. The different needs of Sabah, Sarawak, and industry players made it more complicated. This was why the Cabinet made a distinct ruling for Sarawak, which demanded that the cabotage policy be reinstated to protect domestic shipping operators and shipbuilding industries. For Sabah, the policy would be liberalised further to allow repairs by nonMalaysian vessels, demonstrating that the policy can be designed to meet the needs of the particular states. “We also hope that enforcement will be stricter as the increase in the Malaysian oil and gas offshore activities in the past year has attracted many foreign owners to reflag their vessels Malaysian through local proxies. “It leaves the genuine Malaysian vessel owners in a quandary as the competition is not ‘apples to apples’,” Jamalludin told Bernama. Jamalludin, who is also Perdana Petroleum Bhd’s managing director, said that there are about 250 Malaysianowned and operated OSVs, which employ some 6,000 experienced seafarers and another 3,000 onshore personnel. A relieved body is Masa, which said since the inception of PU (A) 275/2017, titled Exemption under Section 65U, the Malaysian shipping community has endured challenging conditions within the domestic market. “This is due to the unfavourable condition that the Exemption has put the industry into, resulting in the alarming reduction of companies to five companies from 12 previously serving the Malaysian East-West shipping trade,” it said. █ BYGLORIA HARRY BEATTY sunbiz@thesundaily.com █ BYHAYATUN RAZAK sunbiz@thesundaily.com oBe prepared for surprises this year, says investment platform StashAway Malaysia’s head

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 14 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON Malaysian Paper INSTAGRAM Waiving debts could give rise to tax bills deduction previously (i.e. purchase of stock in trade), the subsequent waiver of the debt by the creditor is taxable income for the debtor. Similarly, if the debt arises from the purchase of an asset which qualifies for capital allowance or tax depreciation which has been claimed by the debtor, the subsequent waiver of such debts will be taxable at the hands of the debtor. How are creditors impacted? For a creditor who is waiving the debt, there is a separate provision under the Income Tax Act to determine whether such a waiver is deductible. To claim a tax deduction, the creditor needs to prove that the debt is wholly or partially irrecoverable and that it has taken reasonable steps to recover the debt. In many instances, the related party credits are usually unable to prove that the debt is truly irrecoverable since the normal steps of attempting to collect and pursuing the legal action is nonexistent. Hence, there could be a mismatch where the debtor is taxed, and the creditor is unable to get a tax deduction. Waivers no longer straightforward The general consensus is that as long as the debtor has not claimed any tax deduction on the debt, the waiver by the creditor will not be taxable income for the debtor (i.e. this is not a revenue or trading transaction). However, a recent case law development has thrown “the spanner into the works” to the above principle. In the case of Multi-Purpose Sdn Bhd v Ketua Pengarah Hasil Dalam Negeri on Jan 23 Jan 2024, the High Court did not rely on the abovementioned provision under the Income Tax Act and instead held that the debts of the taxpayer arising from loans and advances (where no tax deduction was claimed) which were subsequently waived by its related parties constituted a gain and subject to income tax as business income. There is another case where a waiver of debt was treated as income in the hands of the debtor (FT Sdn Bhd v Ketua Pengarah Hasil Dalam Negeri in 2014). These rulings mean that you cannot take for granted that a debt waiver that does not meet the above conditions will not give rise to a taxable outcome. Now there is a possibility that it could be taxed. Taxpayers need to navigate this minefield carefully by distinguishing your circumstances versus the facts and the legal support surrounding the above cases. IRB can revisit past years Taxpayers must be prepared for IRB to open tax audits for the past five years and challenge debtors who have enjoyed such tax-free waivers. It is timely for such taxpayers to thoroughly review their past positions on this matter. This article is contributed by Thannees Tax Consulting Services Sdn Bhd managing director SM Thanneermalai (www.thannees.com). M’sia-China Summit 2024 to unlock RM2b trade, investment potential PETALING JAYA: The MalaysiaChina Summit 2024 (MCS 2024), one of the highest ever profiled events focusing on Malaysian and China’s diplomatic, trade and investment relations, will be held from Dec 17 to 19 at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Organised by Qube Integrated Malaysia Sdn Bhd in association with Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), MCS 2024 is held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ties between Malaysia and China this year. A total of 10,000 trade visitors and at least 500 exhibitors from China, Malaysia and Asean countries are expected to participate in the three-day expo and conference. According to Qube executive chairman Richard Teo, the summit is projected to generate RM2 billion in potential trade and investment opportunities. He said MCS 2024 will also attract expert thought leaders and industry titans as speakers to inspire and empower attendees to supercharge their businesses. During the soft launch of MCS 2024, Matrade CEO Datuk Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz said, “We have strategically pivoted the programme to foster inter-regional collaboration between Malaysia, China and other Asean countries. This accentuates Malaysia’s prominence as a key trade and investment hub in the region,” he said. The summit, will revolve around five key pillars – future tech, future knowledge and experience, future mobility and connectivity, future opportunity and future growth – and will underscore sustainable growth, investment, collaboration, job creation, technology transfer and enhanced global competitiveness. Bursa Malaysia likely to consolidate with upside bias this week KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia is expected to stay in consolidation mode with a slight positive bias this week ahead of key local and US reports. Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong said investors will be keeping a close tab on Malaysia’s industrial production data as well as the US Consumer Price Index report this week. “Going forward, the extended recovery is expected to remain in place amid the calmer market conditions with the key index looking to test its recent high of 1,558 level. “Any softer inflation data will reinforce the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) views on a potential rate cut in 2024,” he told Bernama. Hence, he expects the key index to trend towards the immediate resistance of 1,558 while the nearterm support is pegged at 1,519. Meanwhile, Mohd Sedek Jantan, head of wealth research and advisory and designated portfolio manager at UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors anticipates robust buying activity in the commodities sector, driven by the strength in the underlying commodities’ prices and the anticipation of potential interest rate cuts by the Fed this year. “Moreover, we expect a spillover of buying interest into the domestic technology sector, while there is a noticeable uptick in momentum within the construction sector, which demonstrates promising growth in the fourth quarter of 2023 as well as for the entire year,” he added. For the week just ended, the market was mostly higher in line with the upbeat performance on US Wall Street and regional markets as well as better risk appetite after Bank Negara Malaysia kept the Overnight Policy Rate unchanged at 3%. On a Friday-to-Friday basis, the FBM KLCI added 1.84 points to 1,539.86 from last week’s 1,538.02. On the index board, the FBM Emas Index advanced 13.67 points to 11,423.98, the FBMT 100 Index jumped13.28 points to 11,088.05, the FBM 70 Index rose 18.66 points to 15,403.38, the FBM Emas Shariah Index slipped 47.57 points to 11,423.98, and the FBM ACE Index tumbled 71.31 points to 4,689.05. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index surged 193.52 points to 17,368.74, the Energy Index shed 6.08 points to 903.57, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 1.62 points to 174.16, and the Plantation Index soared 92.47 points to 7,316.33. Weekly turnover fell to 17.37 billion units worth RM13.36 billion from 22.55 billion units worth RM19.61 billion in the preceding week. Main Market volume tumbled to 9.26 billion shares worth RM11.97 billion from 15.51 billion shares worth RM18.29 billion a week ago. ACE Market volume improved to 2.88 billion shares worth RM701.42 million from 2.74 billion shares worth RM718.65 million previously. Cashless Society records 20,000 transactions as of February KULAI: Since its inception in 2023, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s Cashless Society programme has recorded 20,035 cashless transactions as of February this year. Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said 2,740 traders were successfully registered during the same period. She said that the programme that started in Malacca last year has now been expanded to three more states, namely Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang. “For 2024, the Cashless Society programme will be implemented in 61 selected locations (touchpoints) in three states, namely Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang,” she said after officiating the programme at the Felda Taib Andak National Information Dissemination Centre (NaDi) here yesterday. She added that Cashless Society would be implemented in phases in collaboration with the Johor government, the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and other strategic partners via programmes such as Cashless@NaDi in selected Felda settlements, the Cashless month campaign and the Cashless Carnival. Teo said the programmes aim to raise awareness among the local community and traders about the benefits of cashless payments and the adoption of technology such as e-wallets, DuitNow, QR codes, and debit/credit cards in boosting the local economy. “In Johor, I have been informed that the Cashless@NaDi programme will be implemented in 17 locations within the Felda settlements,“ she said. According to Teo, the primary focus of the initiative was to facilitate micro- and small-scale traders in accepting and utilising cashless payment methods. She said that 11 new NaDi will be established in Johor, involving 11 state constituencies in nine parliamentary constituencies, and are expected to be completed before the end of this year. “I hope that through the joint strategic collaboration between the state government, MCMC, Felda, financial service providers and banks, we can reach the target of recording 10,000 cashless transactions by the end of 2024,“ she said. – Bernama IN THE course of running a business, it is common for companies to incur debts to be settled at a later date. This could arise either through credit transactions where goods and services are supplied and settled later, or through receiving financial assistance such as loans or advances for working or permanent capital purposes. Third parties usually do not waive or forgive such debts except under special circumstances, for example, when there is a restructuring of debt, or the debtor is in financial difficulties. However, this situation is more common between related parties where one party has control or influence over the other party. The reason being the owners of the group of related companies take the position that it is all “within the family”. Debtor’s tax treatment The Income Tax Act has a specific provision dealing with the waiver of debts. The principle behind this treatment is that if the debtor has benefitted from a tax deduction from the debt, any debt waiver by the creditor will result in the claw back of any benefits enjoyed earlier by the debtor which will bring the debtor into a tax neutral position so that the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) does not lose out. For example, if the debt arises from a trading transaction where the debtor has claimed a tax Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry secretary-general Datuk Hairil Yahri Yaacob (centre) with Minister at China’s embassy in Malaysia Zheng Xuefang (second from left) at the launch of Malaysia-China Summit 2024. Also present are (from left) Teo, Mohd Mustafa and summit commissioner general Datuk Dr Tan Yew Chong. – BERNAMAPIC

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 15 Enclosed is my payment of RM payable to SUN MEDIA CORPORATION SDN BHD. Please WhatsApp your bank-in slip to 0182929936 or email to subscribe@thesundaily.com *Not inclusive of vendor service charge Stay informed with the latest news and trends All the best articles from Monday to Friday 32 pages full colour Subscribe now for Monday-Friday copies of theSun newspaper 6 month subscription (128 issues) for only RM110* (Normal price RM128) 1 year subscription (258 issues) for only RM200* (Normal price RM258) 1 year subscription at normal price RM258* (258 issues) + RM50 administration fee to get 2nd year free PERSONAL PARTICULARS Name: NRIC: Race: Malay Chinese Indian Others Profession: Commencement date: Delivery Address: Residence Ofice Postcode: State: Tel: Mobile No: E-mail: DETAILS OF CURRENT NEWS VENDOR (IF ANY) Vendor name: Contact no: For your convenience, you may call or send in your subscription particulars via any of the following: Tel: KL/PJ 03-7781 4000, 03-7784 6688 (9.30am - 5pm, Monday to Friday) Fax: 03-7781 4484 Post: P.O. Box 179, Jalan Sultan, 46720 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan Attn: Subscription Email: subscribe@thesundaily.com *Terms & Conditions apply Important note: SMCSB reserves the right to revise the price at any time without prior notice. (*Limited to ffrst 1,000 subscribers) Pay to Maybank ( Account number 508177700420 ) Account name ( SUN MEDIA CORPORATION SDN BHD ) Nov 8 to Nov 10 Malaysian Paper www.thesun.my RM1 WEDNESDAY NOV 8, 2023 No. 8389 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) SCAN ME Casino chip heist: Five more identified Police have detained a total of 10 suspects, including a Chinese national, in connection with the RM4.6m theft at Genting Highlands on Oct 28. Congratulations! You are holding the first edition A new sunrise of our new 32-page paper featuring more of the great content you have loved for the past 30 years. Copies will be free until Friday and will be available via subscription and at newsstands beginning Monday for only RM1. Muruku Buntong entrepreneur’s Deepavali snack, made from a still a national favourite 60-year-old recipe, is constantly in high demand. Chicken price float benefits consumers A week after subsidies ended, market prices are competitive and lower than subsidised prices, says expert. Full report —on page 3 Full report —on page 6 Full report —on page 4 Citing protection of country’s interests in terms of diplomatic, economic relations and security as reasons for joining meeting, Anwar says he remains steadfast in defending justice and rights of Palestinians. I will show up at Apec Story on page 2 Full story -on page 2 SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE SkyWorld named best employer in M’sia KUALA LUMPUR: City developer SkyWorld Development Bhd recently took home the Best Employers (previously known as Aon Best Employers) 2023 award by Kincentric, naming SkyWorld the best company to work for in Malaysia. This is the fifth time the company has achieved this recognition, backed by its holistic on-boarding culture, industry best practice training programme, exclusive employee privileges, and succession grooming initiatives. oGroup’s five-time recognition stems from its comprehensive onboarding, top-notch training, and inclusive engagement programmes YTL Power remains actively traded, Genting Bhd attracts interest too OVERALL warrants turnover climbed to RM681.8 million versus RM594.7 million the prior week while the average daily turnover stood at RM136.4 million, rising by 14.7% week-on-week (w-o-w). The surge was due to an increase in trading activity on warrants over the Hang Seng Index (HSI) which clocked in at RM534.9 million compared to RM409.5 million the previous week. Meanwhile, warrants over Malaysian shares saw a 21.4% decline w-o-w as it stood at RM143.1 million versus RM182 million the previous week. WARRANTS WATCH Top warrants by volume traded Warrant Volume Issuer Exercise Expiry date name (’mil) level HSI-HSL 788.6 Kenanga 15,000 29 April 2024 HSI-CTK 551.9 Kenanga 18,500 29 April 2024 HSI-CTQ 424.9 Macquarie 17,800 27 March 2024 HSI-CVB 378.0 Macquarie 17,400 29 April 2024 HSI-CVE 360.4 Kenanga 18,000 29 April 2024 56.5 million units and 48.9 million units respectively. Other than that, warrants over Genting Bhd namely GENTINGC2U and GENTINGC2Y were also popular among investors, recording a total traded volume of 40.9 million units and 40.8 million units, respectively. To view the full list of structured warrants available on Bursa Malaysia, visit malaysiawarrants.com.my. Provided for Malaysian residents ‘information only. This commentary has not been reviewed by the Securities Commission Malaysia. It is not an offer or recommendation to trade and is not research material. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. You should make your own assessment and seek professional advice. The warrants will not be offered to any US persons. The HSI futures declined for a second straight week closing 1.2% lower w-o-w at 16,345 following volatile trading. Prices started Monday flat before plunging 2.7% on Tuesday dragged by losses in multiple sectors but managed to gain ground on Wednesday led by gains in tech shares, particularly JD.com which jumped 7.8% ahead of its earnings release. The HSI futures gave back gains on Thursday, sliding 1.2% as investors took a cautious stand ahead of the release of China’s trade data for the first two months of 2024 (South China Morning Post, March 7) but managed to end Friday up by 0.6% following choppy trade. On the back of the volatile moves, the put warrant HSI-HSL saw up to 788.6 million units traded while call warrants HSI-CTK, HSI-CTQ and HSICVB logged 551.9 million , 424.9 million and 378.0 million units traded respectively. HSI-CVB was the top traded call warrant by turnover with a total turnover of RM69.8 million. On the local front, warrants over YTL Power International (YTLPOWR) continued to be actively traded among investors last week amid the 6.4% weekly decline in its underlying which closed Friday at RM3.67. YTLPOWR-C53 and YTLPOWR-C42 recorded a weekly traded volume of According to CEO Lee Chee Seng, this fifth recognition by Kincentric is another feather in the developer’s cap, further cementing its reputation as a “people first” company. “To be named Malaysia’s best company to work for the fifth time by Kincentric further validates our core values; ‘Dare to Lead’, ‘Let’s Talk’, and ‘Get it Done’. All three governs SkyWorld’s culture that guides everyone moving towards the same direction. We also believe in the saying, ‘taking care of your people and your people will take care of the business’, therefore I would like to share this award with all ‘SkyRians’ who have always upheld our core values and supported our initiatives,” he said. Through its Best Employers Award, Kincentric recognises and celebrates leading organisations worldwide, judging them based on objective employee opinion measurements. SkyWorld’s repeated recognition stems from its comprehensive onboarding, top-notch training, and inclusive engagement programmes. The company’s on-boarding programme takes employees through an experiential orientation with the explanation of its core values, a tour of its award-winning developments and a buddy system to further acclimate and assist new joiners with SkyWorld’s company culture.

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 16 RIYADH: Saudi Aramco yesterday reported a 24.7% decline in profit in 2023 compared to the previous year, the result of lower oil prices and production cuts. The oil giant said in a filing with the Saudi stock market that net income reached 454.7 billion Saudi riyals (RM567 billion) last year, compared to 604.01 billion Saudi riyals in 2022. “The decrease mainly reflects the impact of lower crude oil prices and lower volumes sold, and weakening refining and chemicals margins,” Aramco said. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted oil prices to skyrocket, peaking at more than US$130 per barrel that year. Aramco reported what it described as record profit for 2022, giving the kingdom its first annual budget surplus in nearly a decade. “In 2023 we achieved our second-highest ever net income. Our resilience and agility contributed to healthy cash flows and high levels of profitability, despite a backdrop of economic headwinds,” Aramco CEO Amin H. Nasser said in a statement. “We also delivered for our shareholders with a 30% year-on-year increase in total dividends paid in 2023.” Last year, prices dropped to US$85 per barrel, resulting in year-on-year profit drops of 23% in the third quarter, 38% in the second quarter and 19.25% in the first quarter of last year for Aramco. Prices are expected to rise to around US$88 per barrel this year, partially due to global uncertainty driven by the Israel-Hamas war, Riyadh-based firm Jadwa Investment said in a report published in October. They could reach US$90 per barrel by the end of 2024, Jadwa Investment said. Analysts say the kingdom needs oil to be priced at around US$80 per barrel to balance its Budget, though that could be thrown off by production cuts and ramped-up spending. The world’s biggest crude oil exporter said last Sunday it was extending its oil supply cuts of one million barrels per day through June. Riyadh first announced its voluntary cut after an Opec+ meeting in June last year. It followed a decision in April 2023 by several Opec+ members to slash production voluntarily by more than one million barrels per day (bpd) – a surprise move that briefly buttressed prices but failed to bring about lasting recovery. The kingdom’s daily production is now approximately nine million bpd, far below its reported daily capacity of 12 million bpd. Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, Saudi Arabia has sought both to open up and diversify its oil-reliant economy, spending heavily on much-hyped projects like a futuristic megacity known as NEOM. Aramco is the main source of revenue for Prince Mohammed’s ambitious economic reform programme known as Vision 2030. Last Thursday, the kingdom said it transferred an additional 8% Aramco stake to firms owned by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The transfer brought to 16% the cumulative amount of shares transferred to the PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, and its subsidiaries. The stake was worth roughly US$164 billion at the company’s current market capitalisation, an Aramco media officer said. – AFP China consumer prices rise in February BEIJING: Chinese consumer prices rose last month for the first time since August, data showed on Saturday, bucking a months-long stretch of deflation that compounded the country’s myriad economic woes. The world’s second-largest economy posted some of its lowest growth in decades last year and is battling a prolonged property sector crisis and soaring youth unemployment. But in a rare bright spot, official statistics Saturday showed the consumer price index rose 0.7% last month, according to Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) – the first increase since August. The figure was higher than a 0.3% rise analysts surveyed by Bloomberg had expected and a sharp increase on the 0.8% fall seen in January, their sharpest drop in more than 14 years. The positive data comes as senior officials meet in Beijing for the annual “Two Sessions” of China’s Parliament and its top political consultative body, in gatherings that have been dominated by the economy and national security. Last Tuesday, Premier Li Qiang told that gathering the country would seek 5% growth in 2024 – an ambitious goal that he acknowledged would be “not be easy” given the headwinds facing the economy. High among those issues has been deflation, which China entered last July for the first time since 2021. Apart from a brief rebound in August, prices had not risen until last month. Consumer prices traditionally see a boost during the Chinese New Year period, also known as Spring Festival, which fell in February this year. “It was primarily food and service prices that rose more,” NBS statistician Dong Lijuan said in a statement. “During the Spring Festival period, consumer demand for food products grew, in addition to rainy and snowy weather in some regions affecting supply.” China’s sinking prices are in stark contrast with the rest of the world, where inflation remains a persistent bugbear, forcing central banks to ramp up interest rates. While deflation suggests goods were cheaper, it poses a threat to the broader economy as consumers tend to postpone purchases, hoping for further reductions. A lack of demand can then force companies to cut production, freeze hiring or lay off workers, while potentially also having to discount existing stocks – dampening profitability even as costs remain the same. Given the holiday factor, one analyst cautioned against seeing Saturday’s figures as suggesting China was no longer struggling with deflation. “I think it is too early to conclude that deflation in China is over,” said Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management. “Domestic demand is still quite weak. Property sales of new apartments have not stabilised yet.” And producer prices continued to fall in February, dropping by 2.7%, the NBS said. “Affected by the Spring Festival holiday and other factors, industrial production was in its traditional off season,” Dong said. Despite calls by investors for broader stimulus measures, Beijing indicated last week it was unlikely to resort to big-ticket bailouts. – AFP Saudi Aramco reports 24.7% drop in profit oOil giant boosts dividend despite weaker 2023 India says Europe trade group commits to US$100 billion 15-year deal NEW DELHI: India and a trade group of four European nations signed an economic agreement yesterday aimed at increasing trade and investment, capping nearly 16 years of negotiations. The deal is a binding agreement for the European Free Trade Association – Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – to invest US$100 billion (RM468 billion) over 15 years in the fast-growing market of 1.4 billion people, said India’s Trade Minister Piyush Goyal. “It is a modern trade agreement, fair, equitable and win-win for all five countries,” Goyal told a press conference. The deal is the result of 21 rounds of negotiation, said the head of Swiss Economic Affairs Guy Parmelin, calling India a market of immense opportunities for trade and investment. India in the last two years has signed trade agreements with Australia and the United Arab Emirates, and officials say a deal with Britain is in the final stages, all part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of achieving US$1 trillion in annual exports by 2030. The European group, formed in 1960 as a counterweight to the European Union, is the world’s 10th-largest goods trader and the fifth-largest in services. It has signed around 30 trade agreements with 40 countries and territories outside the EU. – Reuters General view of Aramco’s oil field in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, desert. – REUTERSPIC

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 17 Remote working weighs on US banks oRising office vacancy rates pressure property value, increase risk of loan default WASHINGTON: The popularity of remote work in the United States has emptied office buildings, a cause for worry as their value falls and owners risk losses on property loans – in turn putting pressure on smaller banks. “There will be bank failures, but this is not the big banks,” said US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last Thursday. In San Francisco, Washington and even New York, offices have been seeing half the number of people as before the pandemic, with white-collar workers reluctant to return to commuting. Office vacancy rates across the country have risen to 13.5% in 2023 from 9.5% in 2019, and could hit 16.6% at the end of next year, said credit company Fitch Ratings in a December report. “In many cities, the downtown office district is very underpopulated,” Powell told a Congressional hearing last week. With empty buildings in cities of all sizes, retailers servicing employees who used to work there are also under pressure, he added. The shift in work patterns has caused the commercial real estate sector to lose a third of its value, which could have a wider impact. Of US$737 billion (RM3.5 trillion) in office property mortgages, US$206 billion – around a quarter – are set to mature this year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But this comes as interest rates are at their highest in more than 20 years. This means that when loans come due, they will need to be refinanced where vacancy rates are high in some cities and valuations are lower. In the United States, commercial loans must be renegotiated every three to five years. The risk is a “chain reaction” where banks “risk seeing their borrowers default and as a result, experience stress on their capital”, said EY chief economist Gregory Daco. National economic adviser Lael Brainard told reporters recently that she expects “stress” but not “broader implications for the financial system”. “We’re talking about office properties w h e r e vacancies are high d u e to changes in patterns of work use,” she added. “It’s a narrow class within the broader commercial real estate.” While large establishments have the capacity to absorb some losses, these could prove a massive blow to smaller banks, Daco said. Retirement funds or insurance companies, among others, could also be impacted if they have commercial buildings in their portfolios. These may be even more vulnerable, as they are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as banks. Powell noted that the the F e d e r a l Reserve works with establishments that face risks, saying: “We have identified the banks that have high commercial real estate concentrations, particularly office and retail.” “We are in dialogue with them,” he added. “If properties are sold for less than financial institutions anticipate, it could set off a domino effect, causing banks to reassess the potential losses they are exposed to in office and the needed credit loss provisions to cover them,” said Oxford Economics chief US economist Ryan Sweet. This was one of the weaknesses the embattled New York Community Bancorp faced as its stock tumbled last week. In January, it reported a US$185 million provision for the recently ended quarter, on the back of a deterioration in its real estate loan portfolio. Fed governor Michelle Bowman warned last month of the broader situation that “if we don’t see more people returning to offices and to work, this is going to become a l o n g e r - t e r m p r o b l e m”. – AFP Led by Musk, Silicon Valley inches to the right WASHINGTON: Since his tumultuous takeover of Twitter, Elon Musk has made an unabashed turn to the right politically, defying the orthodoxy that Silicon Valley is a citadel of well-heeled liberals beholden to Democrats. Long considered non-identifiable ideologically, Musk’s politics are now hardline right wing as he uses his platform (now called X) to stoke the themes cherished by Fox News, conservative talk radio and far right movements across the West. Repeating a conspiracy theory of far right chat rooms, Musk last week posted that US President Joe Biden was importing migrants for votes, laying the groundwork for “something far worse than 9/11”. But beyond the posts, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the world’s second richest person will put his weight, and wealth, behind the bid of former US president Donald Trump to retake the White House. The rumour mill went into overdrive when The New York Times reported that the two men met, along with other Republican donors, in Florida last week. Trump is seriously trailing Biden in raising campaign funds, even if he sailed toward the Republican nomination to be US president, and Musk could single handedly make up the shortfall. Musk turned to X to insist that “to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for American president”. But the funding of US elections is opaque and complicated, and Biden backers worry that Musk could change his mind or fund political committees that themselves finance Trump, or find other ways to help the Republican cause. Musk is not alone as other Silicon Valley mavens are also defending conservative causes, making noise in what electorally remains a liberal stronghold. In 2020, Trump’s vote share in Silicon Valley was less than 25%. Some tycoons are seeking to build a political movement that, even if not directly supporting Trump, embraces conservative causes, cryptocurrencies and goes against the California grain. One of the loudest voices in this shift is Marc Andreessen, the early internet tycoon who founded Netscape and now co-runs Andreessen Horowitz, a venerable venture capital company. Once a typically left-of-centre tech magnate who had close ties to former vice-president Al Gore, Andreessen now fights vehemently against left-wing priorities, especially so-called “woke” considerations about equality or workplace inclusiveness. Last year, in a 5,200-word “techno-optimist manifesto”, Andreessen laid out a techno-utopian vision for the future that listed co-opted government, regulation and worries about discrimination or equality as enemies. Another member of Silicon Valley’s small but growing right-leaning faction is investor Peter Thiel, a German-born arch conservative who associated himself with Trump when he entered the White House. After the assault of the US Capitol in 2021, Thiel said he would stay out of politics and has since become a sort of philosopher king of Silicon Valley’s right-wing faction who remains above the fray. The power of this new guard is beginning to be felt with the diversity minded tech companies on the back foot over criticisms that San Francisco is ridden with drugs and crime or that generative AI has become too “woke”. Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month found himself under fire, and his company’s share price bruised, after it emerged that its just launched Gemini AI app had generated images of ethnically diverse World War II Nazi troops and other ahistorical gaffes. “The people running Google AI are smuggling in their preferences and their biases, and those biases are extremely liberal,” said Paypal alumni David Sacks in an All-In podcast segment titled Google’s woke AI disaster. In a sign of rising conservative influence, Google’s Pichai called the AI snafu “completely unacceptable” and founder Sergey Brin said “we definitely messed up” in generating such “far left” imagery. – AFP Altman returns to OpenAI board SAN FRANCISCO: CEO Sam Altman will return to the board of OpenAI, the company said last week, just months after a boardroom dustup that saw him fired and rehired by the company behind ChatGPT. Altman was also found to have been wrongly fired in an internal investigation that was launched in the days after his chaotic dismissal last year, the company said. Altman will join the board with three other new directors: Sue Desmond-Hellmann, a former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Nicole Seligman, a former president of Sony Entertainment; and Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart. They will join Ex-Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers, who joined in the immediate aftermath of the November 2023 tumult. Microsoft also gained an observer seat on OpenAI’s board at the time, a move that drew criticism and a lawsuit from Elon Musk, who helped found OpenAI in 2015 before leaving the project. “I am excited to welcome Sue, Nicole, and Fidji,” said OpenAI board chairman Bret Taylor. “Their experience and leadership will ensure that we pursue OpenAI’s mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.” Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo is the sole holdover from the old board that had taken the decision to fire Altman. – AFP An empty office building is seen near Tysons Corner in the US city of Fairfax. – AFPPIC

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 18 In bitcoin’s shadow, ether stages own rally NEW YORK: Bitcoin has captured the limelight in recent weeks as it surged to a new record high, yet another major cryptocurrency, ether, has been enjoying its own meteoric rise. Launched in 2015, ether, also known as ethereum, is by far the second-largest digital currency in terms of total value, now estimated at over US$460 billion (RM2.2 trillion). Along with other cryptocurrencies including solana and dogecoin, it benefited from the regulatory approval in the United States of a new bitcoin investment product, the exchange traded fund – or ETF – in mid-January, said James Butterfill of the investment company CoinShares. These ETFs allow investors to profit from any change to the price of cryptocurrencies without having to buy them directly, while also letting them sell at any time. The launch of crypto ETFs has led to an influx of new money, sending bitcoin to a fresh record last Friday of US$70,085. Bitcoin’s rise has been well-documented, but ether’s has been even more impressive, surging almost 72% year to date in comparison to bitcoin’s 61% rise. This strong performance is largely due to “expectations that oStrong performance largely due to expectations of ETF approval in US: Analyst German chemical maker swaps oil for sugar BERLIN: At one of Europe’s largest chemical complexes, German group Covestro is trialling the manufacture of a key product using sugar as a base material instead of oil, as the industry seeks to reduce its carbon footprint. The pilot project involves producing aniline, a chemical used in making foams – used widely in mattresses and armchairs, as well as building insulation. While large-scale, commercial production is probably years away, the experiment marks a small step in the chemical industry’s battle to slash carbon emissions as Earth faces a dire climate emergency. Of the 100 million barrels of oil produced worldwide every day, “a quarter goes directly into the chemical industry”, said Walter Leitner, from Aachen University, which has been involved in the aniline project for a decade. “The chemical industry needs to be completely rebuilt.” Plastics manufacturer Covestro – a former division of chemical giant Bayer – started trials at its complex in the western city of Leverkusen at the end of last year, after laboratory tests. In a room, aniline, a transparent fluid, is extracted from a 600m network of intertwined pipes. Using a process developed by University of Stuttgart researchers, fermented sugar is treated with chemicals to make the product. Traditionally, aniline has been obtained from crude oil derivatives like naphtha and benzene, but producing it emits large quantities of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas. Around six million tonnes of aniline are produced globally a year, around one million tonnes of it by Covestro. The Leverkusen project produces just a tiny part of this, extracting just half a tonne of aniline a day. Some experts are sceptical about such an approach. The use of plant matter in manufacturing may cut out fossil fuels but whether it can lead to carbon neutrality “is often questionable”, Jens Guenther, from Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, told AFP. This is particularly the case when it comes to the use of “so-called cultivated biomass like maize, sugar cane and sugar beet”, he said. Janine Korduan, from environmental NGO Bund, pointed out that industrial agriculture generates “CO2 and methane emissions through land conversion and the production of fertilisers and pesticides”, and also leads to “major losses of biodiversity and high water consumption”. Nevertheless, Guenther said the use of plant matter in production processes would likely produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than using fossil fuels, although opting for waste materials rather than crops produced in A Covestro employee working in a chemical laboratory at the company headquarters in Leverkusen. – AFPPIC Lufthansa cabin crews to strike in Frankfurt, Munich BERLIN: Lufthansa cabin crews have called a two-day strike this week in the German cities of Frankfurt and Munich, the UFO union announced on Saturday, days after the airline announced record profits. “On Thursday, the group announced a record result,” said UFO leader Joachim Vazquez Buerger. “The cabin crew have to be able to benefit from this success, and the efforts made during the xoronavirus crisis must be rewarded.” The strike will cover flights out of Frankfurt on Tuesday and from Munich on Wednesday, with Lufthansa’s subsidiary CityLine also affected. Lufthansa said around 100,000 travellers would be hit by the stoppages. On Thursday, Lufthansa reported that 2023 profits doubled on booming demand, with a net profit of €1.67 billion (RM8.5 billion), substantially higher than a figure of €791 million in 2022. That marked a second straight year of profits for the group – whose carriers include Lufthansa, Eurowings, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels Airlines – after two years of losses due to the pandemic shutdowns. The company also took the opportunity to warn about the “damaging” impact of a wave of industrial action at the start of this year. But employee representatives say salaries have not kept pace with the earnings, even as inflation has eroded their spending power, leading to a series of strikes since the beginning of this year. The latest walkout began last Thursday, with Lufthansa ground staff staging a nationwide two-day strike after a previous walkout in February. “After 15 rounds of talks without an agreement, we must assume that management wants the situation to worsen, at passengers’ expense,” UFO negotiator Harry Jaeger said on Saturday night. – AFP an Ethereum ETF could be approved in the United States,” according to Dessislava Aubert of research firm Kaiko. Several asset management companies have applied for authorisation from the US financial markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to market these ether investment products. The SEC must rule on the first such applications, from VanEck and Ark 21Shares, by May 23 at the latest. “Ethereum has started to wake up as investors are anticipating a potential approval,” Michael van de Poppe of MN Trading told AFP. He added that “people are rotating from bitcoin to ethereum as a potential investment opportunity.” Beyond the ETF effect, the digital currency dreamed up by Russian programmer Vitaly Buterin has several other cards up its sleeve. For Simon Peters of cryptocurrency exchange eToro, ethereum is also buoyed by the prospect of “Dencun”, a major upgrade to the technology underlying this digital currency, scheduled for March 13. This major change will improve transaction processing capacity and cut transaction costs, but also has the potential to unleash the growth of an ecosystem with multiple applications. “Bitcoin’s primary use is as store of value, while ethereum has much more potential use cases,” Peters told AFP. For example, it is the destination of choice for non-fungible tokens – or NFTs – the certificates of digital authenticity that caused such a stir three years ago. The two cryptocurrencies are not in direct competition, according to van de Poppe from MN Trading, because bitcoin is “hard money”, while ether “is basically an investment for the entire blockchain and smart contract ecosystem”. Ethereum has already successfully negotiated two major technical transformations in recent years, including the switch to a less energy-intensive system in September 2022. Butterfill said there is “increasing optimism” that a “Dencun” upgrade will “go without a hitch”, which would reinforce the currency’s credibility. He added that ether, by the very nature of its operation, offers the “added benefit” of interest generated by its holders. The mechanism for creating this currency involves owners putting up existing ether coins as collateral in a process known as “Proof of Stake”, which differs from bitcoin’s energy-intensive method involving highly complex calculations, known as “Proof of Work”. Ether investors who agree to put up some or all of their holdings receive a fee of a few per cent a year, in addition to any potential capital gain if the currency appreciates in value. The “Proof of Stake” process adopted in September 2022 has significantly increased the amount of ether used as collateral, notes Simon Peters, currently at 21% compared with just 10% 18 months ago. “There is less Ethereum in circulation,” he said, adding: “If demand increases, given the squeeze in supply, then price should follow.” “I think that ethereum is going to be outperforming bitcoin,” said de Poppe, adding the total market capitalisation of ethereum could end up exceeding that of bitcoin. – AFP large-scale farming would be preferable. Other German companies are experimenting in the area. Chemical giant BASF is seeking to use organic waste, agricultural products or vegetable oils to produce basic chemicals like aniline. There are many barriers to taking such projects further, however. These range from the availability of the necessary organic matter, which is in great demand as the green transition gathers pace, to higher costs when compared to producing such chemicals with oil. Scaling up the process will only be justified if it leads to “significant CO2 savings” in the manufacturing process, said Thorsten Dreier, a member of Covestro’s management board. There will also need to be proof that money “can be made in a competitive environment, in order to finance research here”, he said. – AFP

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 19 Participation 20.4 41.8 37.8 100.0 Retail Institutions Foreign Bought RM m 553.1 1183.3 993.7 2730.1 Sold RM m 558.1 1100.2 1071.8 2730.1 Net RM m -5.0 83.1 -78.1 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 S E C U R I T I E S S D N. B H D. 197201001092 (12738-U) 8/3/2024 Bursa closes marginally higher in line with regional markets BURSA Malaysia closed marginally higher on Friday in line with the positive tone from the regional markets, ahead of the US Nonfarm Payrolls data announcement on Friday night. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI added 4.03 points to 1,539.86 from Thursday’s close of 1,535.83. The benchmark index, which opened 0.69 points higher at 1,536.52, moved within a narrow range between 1,535.32 and 1,541.15 throughout the day. On the broader market, decliners beat gainers 495 to 486, while 425 counters were unchanged, 870 untraded, and 29 others suspended. Mohd Sedek Jantan, head of wealth research and advisory and designated portfolio manager at UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors, said the FBM KLCI is poised for potential upward movement ahead of the release of crucial US jobs data tonight. “Investors are meticulously assessing various factors, including the prospect of rate cuts and the resumption of foreign net selling. “Notably, sectors such as plantation, financial services, and energy are leading the gains, with the plantation sector particularly demonstrating an upward trend over the past three days, driven by market concerns over supply issues,” he told Bernama. Among heavyweight counters, Maybank added five sen to RM9.75, CIMB rose 13 sen to RM6.65, Tenaga Nasional perked up 12 sen to RM11.28, while Public Bank slid one sen to RM4.29, and Petronas Chemicals eased 13 sen to RM6.81. As for the active stocks, AMMB Holdings gained 18 sen to RM4.13, while YTL Power International down 16 sen to RM3.67, YTL Corporation slipped nine sen to RM2.50, MyEG Services dropped 1.5 sen to 77.5 sen, and Matang inched down 1.5 sen to 8.5 sen. STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (RM) VOLUME (’00) HEIM 22.84 -0.58 1,254 AMWAY 7.69 -0.49 1,646 NESTLE 122 -0.3 568 PARAGON 3.65 -0.2 1,021 PPB 15.44 -0.2 3,208 YTLPOWR-C25 1.07 -0.18 1,000 YTLPOWR 3.67 -0.16 709,692 KLCC 7.28 -0.14 1,079 PETDAG 22.08 -0.14 2,757 PCHEM 6.81 -0.13 33,090 CGB 0.805 -0.125 49,385 TEOSENG 1.85 -0.11 48,428 YTLPOWR-C35 0.42 -0.11 21,132 KHIND 2.6 -0.1 10 YTL 2.5 -0.09 540,737 YTLPOWR-C30 1.19 -0.09 50 YTLPOWR-C32 0.7 -0.09 600 YTLPOWR-C38 0.72 -0.09 43,041 APB 1.85 -0.08 1,583 LTKM 1.55 -0.08 13,742 STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/-(RM) +/-(%) VOLUME HSI-HSL 0.18 -0.015 -7.69 924,941 HSI-CTK 0.105 -0.005 -4.55 748,258 HSI-CVB 0.175 +0.010 +6.06 742,517 YTLPOWR 3.67 -0.16 -4.18 709,692 HSI-CTL 0.09 +0.005 +5.88 695,726 AMBANK 4.13 +0.180 +4.56 670,095 YTL 2.5 -0.09 -3.47 540,737 MYEG 0.775 -0.015 -1.90 511,190 HSI-CTQ 0.04 +0.005 +14.29 444,058 HSI-HP2 0.125 -0.03 -19.35 400,097 TWL 0.035 - - 383,380 MATANG 0.085 -0.015 -15.00 348,097 HSI-HSM 0.075 -0.01 -11.76 322,291 MINETEC 0.145 - - 321,356 MUIIND 0.06 - - 320,980 HM 0.11 -0.005 -4.35 316,181 HSI-HSP 0.08 -0.005 -5.88 302,549 MTEC 0.82 +0.010 +1.23 300,529 FITTERS 0.05 -0.005 -9.09 280,069 PMHLDG 0.13 +0.020 +18.18 262,771 SUNBIZ presents a summary of the day’s trading activity on Bursa Malaysia and other markets in an easy to digest format. MARKET ROUND-UP: MARCH 8 [ Sources: Bursa Malaysia, Bernama, shareinvestor.com and websites DISCLAIMER: The data and reports are provided as a service to investors. Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd shall not be liable or responsible for any consequences resulting from usage of the information. INDEX CHANGE FBMEMAS 11,423.10 +30.14 FBMKLCI 1,539.86 +4.03 CONSUMER PRODUCTS 573.64 +0.09 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 174.16 -0.89 CONSTRUCTION 209.37 -0.88 FINANCIAL SERVICES 17,368.70 +104.90 ENERGY 903.57 +6.36 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 600.57 +6.12 HEALTH CARE 1,875.74 -0.04 TRANSPORTATION 953.90 +1.52 PROPERTY 916.28 +1.34 PLANTATION 7,316.33 +48.52 FBMSHA 11,423.90 +22.34 FBMACE 4,689.05 -16.20 TECHNOLOGY 63.73 +0.37 TURNOVER: 3.027 bil VALUE: RM2.730 bil Top 20 Actives Top 20 Losers (By RM) Bursa Indices INDEX CLOSING DAILY DAILY CHANGE CHANGE (%) DJIA (US) 38722.69 -68.66 -0.18 S&P 500 (US) 5123.69 -33.67 -0.65 NASDAQ (US) 16085.11 -188.27 -1.16 NYSE (US) 17889.62 -38.00 -0.21 EURO STOXX 50 (EUR) 4961.11 -13.11 -0.26 FTSE 100 (UK) 7659.74 -32.72 -0.43 DAX (GER) 17814.51 -28.34 -0.16 NIKKEI 225 (JPN) 39688.94 90.23 0.23 TOPIX (JPN) 2726.80 8.26 0.30 HANG SENG INDEX (HK) 16353.39 123.61 0.76 CSI 300 (CHN) 3544.91 15.19 0.43 MSCI ASIA PACIFIC 175.98 0.59 0.34 SH SE COM (CHN) 3046.02 18.62 0.62 KOSPI INDEX (SK) 2680.35 32.73 1.24 SENSEX INDEX (IND) 74119.39 33.40 0.05 ASX 200 (AUS) 7846.98 83.26 1.07 ALL ORDINARIES INDX (AUS) 8107.52 80.84 1.01 FBM KLCI 1539.86 4.03 0.26 STRAITS TIMES INDEX (S’PORE) 3147.09 13.31 0.42 WTI (US$/BBL.) 78.01 -0.92 -1.17 BRENT (US$/BBL.) 82.08 -0.88 -1.06 GOLD (COMEX) (US$/T OZ) 2185.50 20.30 0.94 SILVER (COMEX) (US$/T OZ) 24.55 -0.03 -0.13 PLATINUM (US$/T OZ) 914.49 -6.59 -0.72 COPPER (COMEX) (US CENTS/LB.) 389.15 -3.45 -0.88 COPPER 3MO (LME) (US$/MT) 8579.50 -61.00 -0.71 CORN (US CENTS/BU.) 439.75 1.75 0.40 WHEAT (US CENTS/BU.) 537.75 9.25 1.75 SOYBEAN OIL (CBOT) (US CENTS/LB.) 46.17 -0.18 -0.39 COCOA (ICE) (US$/MT) 6396.00 -56.00 -0.87 RUBBER (S’PORE) (US CENTS/KG) 164.80 5.30 3.32 World Stocks/Commodities as at 5pm, March 8 STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (RM) VOLUME (’00) EDUSPEC-WB 0.005 -50.00 65,615 FINTEC 0.005 -50.00 5,400 HSI-CR6 0.03 -50.00 550 FFB-C1 0.055 -45.00 2,000 FBMKLCI-CIW 0.045 -35.71 200 AEM-WB 0.02 -33.33 1,575 ARMADA-C87 0.01 -33.33 3,622 COMPUGT 0.01 -33.33 10,102 HONGSENG 0.01 -33.33 38,404 MAXIS-C43 0.01 -33.33 27,900 MAXIS-C45 0.04 -33.33 1,070 PMETAL-C93 0.01 -33.33 1,500 GENETEC-CB 0.055 -31.25 500 KAREX-C14 0.035 -30.00 170 HSI-CR7 0.025 -28.57 250 NDX-HD 0.065 -27.78 4,776 BCMALL 0.015 -25.00 9,693 KANGER-WB 0.015 -25.00 7,250 MQTECH 0.015 -25.00 1,120 PENTA-C36 0.015 -25.00 1 Top 20 Losers (By %) STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (RM) VOLUME (’00) MPI 29.5 +0.700 2,947 HTPADU 2.45 +0.460 79,279 AJI 19.38 +0.440 889 NVIDIA-C1 4.91 +0.440 434 UTDPLT 23.94 +0.400 1,323 CARLSBG 18.9 +0.260 1,589 AMBANK 4.13 +0.180 670,095 MSM 2.72 +0.180 26,939 KLK 22.04 +0.140 7,281 PETGAS 17.94 +0.140 6,946 CIMB 6.65 +0.130 147,816 DLADY 24 +0.120 192 MSC 2.19 +0.120 10,334 SAM 4.74 +0.120 5,560 TENAGA 11.28 +0.120 25,069 NSOP 3.56 +0.110 177 NIKKEI-CB 1.58 +0.110 150 PTT 1.25 +0.110 545 GCB 1.8 +0.100 40,574 FAREAST 3.6 +0.090 10 Top 20 Gainers (By RM) STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (RM) VOLUME (’00) PARAMON-WA 0.015 +200.00 26,827 EKOVEST-C49 0.04 +100.00 11 HIBISCS-C55 0.01 +100.00 600 HSI-HSN 0.01 +100.00 17,454 PERMAJU-WA 0.01 +100.00 3,009 CIMB-C1I 0.23 +58.62 50 AMBANK-C42 0.06 +50.00 70,380 DNEX-C26 0.015 +50.00 5,040 MLAB 0.015 +50.00 20,474 PNEPCB-WA 0.015 +50.00 1 SCBUILD 0.015 +50.00 122 GCB-C5 0.205 +36.67 3,630 AMBANK-C43 0.1 +33.33 17,014 CHEETAH-WA 0.02 +33.33 6,339 NDX-CD 0.195 +30.00 315 WCEHB-CH 0.09 +28.57 10,222 AMBANK-C45 0.07 +27.27 890 HSI-CTP 0.12 +26.32 5,045 NDX-CB 0.415 +25.76 5 MAG-WC 0.025 +25.00 9,838 Top 20 Gainers (By %) 1,539.86pts March 8, 2024

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 20 MARKETS/FROM THE BROKERS SUNBIZ presents extracts of a selection of commentaries and research reports received from stockbrokers on counters that could be of interest to investors. [Compiled by SunBiz Team DISCLAIMER: The information is extracted from stockbrokers’ commentaries and research reports and do not represent the views or opinions of Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd. It is not a solicitation, recommendation or an offer to buy or sell the equities featured. Sun Media Corporation shall not be liable or responsible for any consequences resulting from usage of the information. WE emerged from Duopharma Biotech’s post-results briefing feeling slightly upbeat. It expects to book steady revenue growth in 2024 post finalisation of the approved product purchase list (APPL) tender (likely to complete by end-March or April), while its consumer healthcare (CHC) segment should see gradually improving numbers. Our medium- to long-term outlook remains upbeat, underpinned by the increase in non-communicable diseases (NCD) and the trends of an ageing society. In 2023, DBB’s private sector division suffered a minor hiccup when its distribution agreement with an agency line was terminated – this decreased its expected turnover by RM15 million. Nonetheless, it recovered some of the losses by the year-end and revenue grew by single digits, thanks to the resilient performance of its ethical specialty product segment. Both its public and private sector divisions delivered commendable growth in 2023 except for CHC. Nevertheless, DBB expects CHC sales to begin picking up gradually, due to the low base of 2023. CHC sales in January and February have been encouraging, according to its survey with local pharmacies. Moving forward, DBB intends to expand its range of CHC products, to decrease its reliance on sales of its vitamin C products. The tendering process for the new APPL contract is expected to be concluded by late March or April, ie slightly behind the previous guidance of Q1’24, pending the finalisation of the confirmation letter. We are positive on this development, as the drug supply contract has been fulfilled on a rollover basis (based on 2017 terms, when the USD/RM rate was 4.20) as the contract terms do not reflect the latest FX rates. Maintain BUY and DCF-based TP of RM1.41. WE recently attended the launching of HLIND’s new automotive spare parts brand, Tekhne which offers a range of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and replacement equipment manufacturer (REM) parts for both 2- and 4-wheelers, i.e. braking system, suspension system, cast wheels, tyres, lubricant and others. HLIND estimated that the local automotive spare parts market is worth RM40 billion annually, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% (from 2024 to 2028). HLIND will entirely outsource the manufacturing of Tekhne products, which focus on 2-wheelers to capitalise on the huge Yamaha motorcycle population in Malaysia (Malaysia is Yamaha motorcycles’ strongest market in the world with a 50% market share). There is an underserved segment for motorcycles enthusiasts who are keen to upgrade their motorcycles, but genuine Yamaha spare parts and accessories are beyond their budgets. Typically, the sale of auto spare parts commands a higher margin than the sale of motorcycles. HLIND believes that it can eventually realise a gross margin of 40% (which is double that of what it can earn from the sale of motorcycles) when it hits critical sales volume. We continue to like HLIND: (i) as it is a strong proxy to the booming gig economy given the critical role of motorised twowheelers in executing online delivery transactions, (ii) for its association with the strong Yamaha motorcycle brand in Malaysia and the brand’s market leader position in the local motorcycle segment, and (iii) for its strong war chest with a net cash of RM1.6 billion which could be deployed for earnings-accretive acquisitions. Its dividend yield is attractive at 6%. We maintain our forecasts, TP of RM11.70 and OUTPERFORM call. KESM’S 1H FY24 core net profit of RM1.1 million (vs. net loss of RM3.8 million in 1H FY23) made up 41% of both our full-year forecast and the full-year consensus estimate. We consider the results to be within expectations as we expect further improvement in 2H FY24. YoY, KESM’s 1H FY24 revenue increased 15.2% on a better showing from its burn-in and test services which process automotive chips. This followed a portfolio realignment and capacity restructuring a couple of quarters ago to gradually migrate into newer chips while ramping down the production of legacy products. Inevitably, the major replacement of new equipment led to a 24% increase in depreciation as additional machinery and test equipment were commissioned for use in the production. There was also a 12% increase in other expenses due to higher utility cost. However, the group still managed to remain profitable with core net profit at RM1.1 million in 1H FY24. QoQ, its Q2’24 revenue inched down by 2.8% but net profit declined by a sharper 84.9% due to the absence of realised forex gains, coupled with increased depreciation on the commissioning of a higher number of new equipment. Despite the encouraging earnings continuity, we maintain our cautious stance due to the group’s less-than-stellar track record. Meanwhile, the group has completed the qualification for most of its new equipment to be certified for mass volume production. The new equipment enables the group to take on more advanced chips from the automotive sector as adoption of electric vehicles continues to grow. We maintain our forecasts, TP of RM7.06 and MARKET PERFORM call. FOREIGN CURRENCY SELLING TT/OD BUYING TT BUYING OD 1 US Dollar 4.7525 4.6195 4.6095 1 Australian Dollar 3.1630 3.0380 3.0220 1 Brunei Dollar 3.5610 3.4590 3.4510 1 Canadian Dollar 3.5260 3.4310 3.4190 1 Euro 5.2080 5.0400 5.0200 1 New Zealand Dollar 2.9460 2.8390 2.8230 1 Singapore Dollar 3.5610 3.4590 3.4510 1 Sterling Pound 6.0980 5.9090 5.8890 1 Swiss Franc 5.4020 5.2810 5.2660 100 UAE Dirham 130.7500 124.0200 123.8200 100 Bangladesh Taka 4.4070 4.1200 3.9200 100 Chinese Renminbi 66.4400 63.6500 N/A 100 Danish Krone 71.6100 65.9100 65.7100 100 Hongkong Dollar 61.3400 58.3000 58.1000 100 Indian Rupee 5.8400 5.4800 5.2800 100 Indonesian Rupiah 0.0314 0.0284 0.0234 100 Japanese Yen 3.2190 3.1180 3.1080 100 New Taiwan Dollar 16.2000 N/A N/A 100 Norwegian Krone 46.8700 43.1200 42.9200 100 Pakistan Rupee 1.7300 1.6300 1.4300 100 Philippine Peso 8.6300 8.1400 7.9400 100 Qatar Riyal 131.6400 124.9700 124.7700 100 Saudi Riyal 127.9800 121.5000 121.3000 100 South Africa Rand 26.3300 23.7900 23.5900 100 Sri Lanka Rupee 1.5900 1.4600 1.2600 100 Swedish Krona 47.9400 43.6700 43.4700 100 Thai Baht 13.9600 12.3900 11.9900 Exchange Rates Source: Malayan Banking Bhd/Bernama Improved sentiment lifts ringgit against US dollar THE ringgit extended its uptrend to end last week firmer against the US dollar on Friday, lifted by improved sentiments amid hopes for easier global monetary policies this year, an economist said. At 6pm, the ringgit bounced to 4.6815/6855 against the greenback, compared with yesterday’s close of 4.7025/7080. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the ringgit staged a commendable performance on Friday following the latest remarks from the US Federal Reserve (Fed) chairman Jerome Powell about the outlook for US interest rates. “The Fed chairman continued to suggest that there is still hope for a rate cut to happen in the US this year,“ he told Bernama. In the meantime, he said the better-than-expected China exports data, which grew 7.1% during the January-February period against market estimates of 1.5%, also supported the ringgit. “It is a good start considering that the Chinese government is projecting its gross domestic product (GDP) growth to be in the region of 5% this year,“ he added. Meanwhile, the ringgit was traded mostly lower against a basket of major currencies. The local currency eased against the British pound to 6.0050/0101from 5.9952/6.0022 on Thursday and slipped vis-a-vis the Japanese yen to 3.1821/1850 from 3.1778/1817 but rose versus the euro to 5.1188/1231 from 5.1257/1317 previously. The ringgit traded mixed against other Asean currencies. It appreciated against the Singapore dollar to 3.5160/5192 from Thursday’s close of 3.5201/5247 and improved vis-a-vis the Indonesian rupiah to 300.2/300.6 from 300.3/300.8. Malaysian employment market continues uptrend KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s labour market maintained an improving trend as the unemployment rate was kept at a postpandemic low of 3.3% in January 2024 with the labour force and employment growing steadily by 1.8% and 2% year-on-year (y-oy) respectively. MIDF Research said in a note that the number of unemployed persons also dropped further by 4.8% y-o-y and 0.2% month on month (m-o-m) to 567,000 in January 2024, about 48,000 higher than the average number of jobless persons of 519,000 in 2019. For youths aged 15 to 24, it noted the unemployment rate stayed at a post-pandemic low of 10.6% (2019: 10.4%). By employment type, employee which made up about 75.2% of the employment, increased steadily by 1.3% y-o-y while employer (3.5% of employment) and own-account-worker (18.3% of employment) increased by 4.6% and 4.7% y-o-y respectively in January 2024. “The strengthening and healthier job market in our view will further reinforce consumer consumption and support overall GDP growth for 2024. The research house also pointed out that Malaysia’s job vacancies were 94,100 in December 2023, more than a three-year low. The moderation was expected given the surge in job vacancies after the economic reopening in the post-pandemic era. It also noted that the monthly average job vacancies dipped below post-pandemic levels at 167,000 in 2023 in comparison to the lower monthly average of 114,000 from 2010-2019. “We expect average job vacancies to hover at 100,000 to 120,000 per month for 2024 amid external trade recovery and resilient domestic demand,” it said. – Bernama KESM Industries Bhd Market Perform. Target price: RM7.06 Hong Leong Industries Bhd Outperform Target price: RM11.70 Duopharma Biotech Bhd Buy. Target price: RM1.41 Source: RHB Research Source: Kenanga Research Source: Kenanga Research March 8, 2024: RM1.18 March 8, 2024: RM10.28 March 8, 2024: RM6.40

INSIDE INSIDE Game on Rise of the Ronin set to be the next big PlayStation 5 exclusive - P22 WEEKLY FOCUS MONDAY Discover cuttingedge world of Gaming and Tech TUESDAY Ultimate guide to Travel and Leisure WEDNESDAY Latest in Fashion and Beauty sense THURSDAY Inside the world of Social Media Influencers FRIDAY Culinary delights and Beverage trends MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 Editorial T: 03-7784 6688 F: 03-7785 2625 E: lifestyle@thesundaily.com Advertising T: 03-7784 8888 E: advertise@thesundaily.com SCAN ME p 23 Warner Bros Games’ different approach p 24 Nothing but marvel p 25 Arch Enemy to rock KL p 26 The Impossible Heir

LYFE LYFE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 22 /thesundaily FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK Malaysian Paper Tools of the trade I N less than a fortnight, the next big PlayStation 5 exclusive is set to drop, with Rise of the Ronin looking like it will rival Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima’s spots as the console’s best samurai-ninja action games. Detailed in its behind-thescenes video on Ronin’s combat, developer Team Ninja covered a fair bit of what the game will entail in the 10-minute demonstration. Before covering Ronin’s gameplay and its mechanics, theSun takes a look at the difficulty modes. As gentle or as hard as possible Ronin will launch with three difficulties: Dawn (easy), Dusk (normal) and Twilight (hard). At any point, players will be able to switch from one difficulty mode to another. Taking too long on a boss in Dusk or Twilight? Drop the difficulty. A few hours in and want to enjoy the story or have a breeze doing mindless exploration? Switch to Dawn. According to the developers, Dawn will have additional settings, such as the options to increase health recovery through medicinal items and the reduction of Ki (stamina) expenditure during fights. There may be hidden or harder difficulties in the future, but that is just conjecture, as games such as Ronin tend to have hardcore players that want difficulties more punishing than what exists in the game’s base version. Fight like a samurai In Rise of the Ronin, players control a – surprise – ronin (a samurai without a master). During Game Informer’s preview of the game, Team Ninja called the character “Veiled Edge” with no official name, if there is one. For this article, the character will be referred to as Ronin. Every enemy in the game and the player will have a health bar and a Ki (energy) bar. Fights will involve a delicate, figurative game of chess, as both the player and enemy AI will seek to break the other’s Ki bar, causing damage to the health bar. Defending against attacks can be done by guarding with the L1, but for players with fast brain processing power and reflexes, the game offers an option to parry and directly reduce the maximum Ki Players can mindlessly spam attacks or be more tactical by using the best stance for the situation at hand. - ALL PIX BY SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT oRise of the Ronin primes itself as both accessible and difficult, depending on the player’s taste █ BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR The game will have ranged weapons such as bows and firearms. of enemies. Timing the attack of enemies, players can press the Triangle to “counterspark” their enemies’ attack. If timed correctly, this manoeuvre will deflect the incoming blow back at the enemy, reducing their Ki and stunning them. That said, what the Ronin does to enemies, they can do back to him. If the player’s Ki is depleted, they will not be able to run away or attack. Like any “Soulslike” genre game, Ronin will reward aggressive, smart play, and punish players that play defensively too much. An invisible arsenal Like every similar game in existence, the Ronin will carry an invisible bag that contains an entire armoury of weapons, switching between them depending on what the situation calls for. Team Ninja says that Ronin will have katanas, spears, dual blades, bayonets, sabres, bows, and firearms for players to utilise. Each weapon will have its own style, incorporating martial arts from different schools and disciplines, and each will have its own version of regular attacks and unique fighting skills. According to the PlayStation Blog, new combat styles will be acquired throughout the game as players meet and bond with characters they come across. Similar to Team Ninja’s previous two Nioh games, the varied enemies in Ronin will carry different weapons, and players will need to know how to react and counter each of them. In huge fights, with multiple enemies using different weapons, adaptability will be critical. The game will have three stances called Ten (sky), Chi (earth) and Jin (human). Rise of the Ronin looks like it will be a typical Team Ninja game, and that is a compliment. The game looks like it has combined everything that made the developer’s previous games stellar and melded it into a singular being with robust gameplay and deep mechanics. The game will release exclusively on the PS5 on March 22. Players will have a diverse array of tools to handle each confrontation.

LYFE LYFE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 23 WARNER Bros Discovery released Hogwarts Legacy early last year. A single-player game with no microtransactions and no live service components, it became 2023’s best-selling game. It sold over 24 million units with a retail sales gross of US$1 billion (RM4.74 billion). On Jan 30 this year, the company released Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a multiplayer, always-online, live service game. The game received middling reviews and poor sales. By Feb 23, Warner Bros Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said the game had “fallen short of expectations”, and by March 4, only about 200 people were still playing the game. Despite the statistics, Warner Bros Discovery has decided to abandon what made Hogwarts Legacy a success and will move towards free-toplay, live service and mobile releases, like Kill the Justice League. Warner Bros Discovery global streaming and games head JB Perrette revealed this at a recent speaking event. He also claimed that the company plans to execute this new focus on their “four main forms of intellectual property (IP) in gamers, which are all billion-dollar-plus businesses”. The IPs are DC Comics, Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat and Game of Thrones. Missing the forest for the trees, Warner Bros doubling down on what made Kill the Justice League a failure is par for the course. According to an industry survey in Griffin Gaming Partners and Rendered VC’s 2023 Game Development Report, over 500 studios are working on live-service games. In a world where 500 live service games are competing for the attention and time of players, a majority of those games will inevitably – in the words of Warner Bros – fall short of expectations. Octopath Traveler delisted on Nintendo Switch AS of March 2, highly popular Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG) Octopath Traveler is currently not purchasable on the Nintendo eShop. However, third-party retail codes for the game still work. Previously published by Nintendo, Gematsu pointed out that the game’s publishing rights reverted to Square Enix last December. The game was developed by the latter and the Japanese studio Acquire. Due to the popularity the game and its successors, Video Games Chronicle posits that the change was made in advance of the game becoming available on platforms other than the Nintendo Switch which it launched on. The interest in the series may also have played a role in FromSoftware owner Kadokawa purchasing the Acquire studio earlier in February. Released in 2020, Octopath Traveler employed traditional JRPG elements such as its 2D graphics, turn-based battles and class system while bringing in modern elements, such as its “break and boost” gameplay. The game is also known for its nonconventional storytelling involving eight main characters who each begin their stories from different parts of the game’s fictional world. The game spawned a prequel, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent for the iOS and Android in 2020. Last year, the sequel Octopath Traveler II was released for the Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. - BY Mark Mathen Victor Hogwarts Legacy is a testament to how players still support singleplayer games. – WARNER BROS GAMES █ BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR Yuzu agrees to pay Nintendo over US$2m in piracy lawsuit TOWARDS the end of February, Nintendo sued the developers of Yuzu for “facilitating piracy at a colossal scale”. Within a week, the developers Tropic Haze acquiesced completely to Nintendo’s demands. In the original lawsuit, Nintendo alleged that the Yuzu emulator is “primarily designed” to circumvent the Nintendo Switch’s encryption so that users can play copyrighted Nintendo games. To settle the case, Tropic Haze has agreed to not only pay US$2.4 million (RM11.34 million) to Nintendo, but also admit to the allegations above. Additionally, according to The Verge, the company agreed to be “permanently enjoined from working on Yuzu, hosting Yuzu, distributing Yuzu’s code or features, hosting websites and social media promoting Yuzu, or doing anything else that circumvents Nintendo’s copyright protection”. The legal whipping does not end there. Tropic Haze has also agreed to surrender the emulator’s domain name, delete not only copies of Yuzu but also “all circumvention tools”, hand over all “circumvention devices” and “modified Nintendo hardware” to Nintendo. Along with completely crushing Yuzu, Nintendo has also brought the hammer down on another emulator by Tropic Haze, the Citra. Where Yuzu allowed the illegal emulation of Nintendo Switch games, Citra was an emulator for Nintendo 3DS games. In a post on social and instant messaging platform Discord, a Yuzu and Citra developer posted a message, confirming the details and admitting that the two emulators have led to extensive piracy. “We have been deeply disappointed when users have (also) used our software to leak game content prior to its release and ruin the experience for legitimate purchasers and fans. Piracy was never our intention, and we believe that piracy of video games and on video game consoles should end.” - BY Mark Mathen Victor Nintendo has a long history of vigorously protecting its intellectual property. – PIC BY FLATART/FRE EPIK.COM oPublisher pivots away from best-selling titles towards less popular releases Champions of the Continent is likely the series’ most profitable game due to it being on mobile devices. – SQUARE ENIX Strange decisions by Warner Bros Games

LYFE LYFE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 24 /theSunMedia FOLLOW ON YOUTUBE Malaysian Paper Dragon’s Dogma 2 to be 40 hours long AFTER 12 years, the second Dragon’s Dogma is set to arrive within a few weeks and it is shaping up to be another hit by developer Capcom. As over a decade has passed, the palate of players have undeniably changed with what they expect from games, particularly fans of the first game coming back for Dragon’s Dogma 2. Game director Hideaki Itsuno is aware of this and in an interview with Game Informer, he revealed that the second game is roughly similar in length to the first game’s main narrative, which was almost 40 hours. That is if players religiously stick to only the story missions. For those who love exploration and aimless wandering to discover and do everything possible, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will take longer to complete. “For the people who want to (do and see everything), we put a lot of effort into adding as many elements as possible for this. There are many things that could catch players’ Having an uncapped framerate makes both performance and graphic equally smooth. – CAPCOM FOLLOWING numerous teases, social media posts and rumours, Nothing officially unveiled its latest smartphone, the Phone (2a), last Tuesday. Positioned as a mid-range device, the Phone (2a) distinguishes itself from its predecessors with a completely redesigned rear panel, featuring a h o r i z o n t a l l y arranged camera layout centered on the phone’s NFC coil. While retaining the brand’s iconic trademark Glyph Interface, Phone Nothing unveils its latest mid-ranger, the Phone (2a). – PICS BY NOTHING oThe Nothing Phone 2(a) promises an elevated mid-range experience for tech enthusiasts █ BYHAZIQUE ZAIRILL The Phone (2a) has a redesigned rear panel with a horizontal camera layout centred at the rear. The expansion of Elden Ring AFTER a year of waiting, FromSoftware has finally released the first trailer for Elden Ring’s expansion – Shadow of the Erdtree, and it looks like it will be a massive bump in new content. Released in 2022, Elden Ring had years of hype leading up to it, with its marketing being a huge success and subsequent word of mouth after launch carrying the game to greater success. It was the second best-selling game of that year. The following year, in February 2023, FromSoftware announced that there would be an expansion to the game. “Rise, Tarnished, and let us walk a new path together,” the developer said at the time. “An upcoming expansion for Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, is currently in development. We hope you look forward to new adventures in the Lands Between.” Following the announcement, the studio went radio silent, until the first trailer dropped on Feb 21. In Shadow of the Erdtree, the expansion will take place in a new location known as the Land of Shadow, which is a “physically separate map” and one that “technically occupies the same space as the Lands Between”, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained to IGN in an interview. Miyazaki’s vague description could be likened to Dark Souls’ Artorias of the Abyss and Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters expansions. The critically-acclaimed director also told Eurogamer that the Land of Shadow is FromSoftware’s “largest expansion to date in terms of overall volume.” Shadow of the Erdtree will be released on June 21 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. These are the same platforms that the base Elden Ring is available to play on. – By Mark Mathen Victor Shadow of the Erdtree’s main villain will be Messmer the Impaler. – BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT (2a) offers a simplified version. Nonetheless, it preserves crucial features such as volume indicators, music visualisation, camera countdown, notifications, and more. A significant departure from its predecessors, it became the first device from the company to incorporate a MediaTek chipset, specifically the custom-tuned Dimensity 7200 Pro aimed at delivering optimal performance. In terms of d i s p l a y specifications, t h e s ma r t p h o n e features a 6.7- inch FHD+ A m o l e d display with a v a r i a b l e refresh rate ranging from 30Hz to an i m p r e s s i v e 120Hz. The p a n e l achieves a p e a k brightness of 1,300 nits, further boosted to 1,100 nits in highbrightness mode. The display is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. On the rear side, a trio of smaller LED strips encircle the camera bump, constituting its Glyph Interface. The devices come with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with Android 14 out of the box skinned with their own NothingOS 2.5. Besides that, the phone is equipped with an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance, dual stereo speakers, and two high-definition microphones. Equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, the device supports 45W fast charging, delivering a 50% charge in 23 minutes and a full charge in an hour. Connectivity features include dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC. The camera setup comprises dual 50MP sensors for the primary and ultra-wide cameras on the back, offering optical and electronic image stabilisation, autofocus, and a 144- degree field of view for the ultra-wide camera. The front features a 32MP selfie camera housed in a punch-hole cutout on the display. Priced at RM1,699 in Malaysia, the Nothing Phone (2a) is available in Black and Milk colour options. Nothing is providing three years of Android updates and four years of security patches for the handset. Malaysia is among the first countries to access the Phone (2a), which is available on channels such as Lazada, Shopee, SS Solution, DirectD, TMT, Urban Republic, and the Nothing Image Store at Plaza Low Yat. attention and for those people, they will probably find their playtime significantly longer,” Itsuno said. On the performance side of Dragon’s Dogma 2, Itsuno posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the game will release with an uncapped framerate across all platforms, which is unheard of for games on consoles. Unlike recent games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will not have multiple modes that favour either performance or graphics. It will ship with just one visual mode, which has an uncapped framerate. “We’re aiming to go at around or higher than 30 frames per second. That is for consoles as well. There are some functions that you can turn on and off, but there aren’t multiple sets of options that you can change at once,” Itsuno revealed to Game Informer. Dragon’s Dogma 2 will release on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on March 22. – By Mark Mathen Victor A mid-range marvel with mid-range marvel with redesigned edesignedaesthetics aesthetics Based on the first game, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is expected to take 100 hours for a full completion.

LYFE LYFE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 25 RENOWNED metal or rock bands from overseas performing in Malaysia is a rarity, especially at a decent-sized venue and not some sweaty, musty club. Recently, German thrash metal band Kreator tore the Zepp KL stage in January. Come May, Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy will occupy the same stage to pulverise local metalheads. Formed in the mid-1990s, Arch Enemy was conceived by Johan Liiva and Michael Amott, members of Carnage, a death metal band from Sweden. Amott was also a member of Carcass, with the remaining original members also coming from various other well-established, prolific bands. Since their early years, the band has seen a revolving door of musicians coming and leaving, and after Liiva departed, the band made Angela Gossow its vocalist, and after almost 15 years, she left (to become the band manager) and the lead singer spot was taken over by Alissa White-Gluz. Since its inception, Arch Enemy has released 11 albums. The most recent Deceivers came out two years ago and it is expected that the band will play a setlist that includes tracks from the 2022 album. The Arch Enemy Deceivers Asia Tour 2024 will land in Zepp KL, Kuala Lumpur on May 19. Tickets are still available from www.myticket.asia Arch Enemy to rock Malaysia in May o Swedish metal legends brings its Deceivers tour to Zepp KL Since its inception in 1995, Arch Enemy has released 11 albums. – ARCHENEMY.NET █ BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR APARTMENT 404 centres around the enigmatic premises of a singular apartment building, where six residents endeavour to uncover the truth behind a series of extraordinary occurrences within their living spaces. Each episode of the show unveils a distinct setting inspired by true events, spanning various historical periods. Split into two teams, the six main cast members, alongside special guests, engage in competitive pursuits aimed at unravelling the mysteries concealed within the building’s confines. Recently, theSun conducted an email interview with key members of the Apartment 404 cast, including Oh Na-ra, Yang Se-chan, and Lee Jung-ha, exploring their perspectives and experiences within the series. Oh reflected on the immersive quality of the show, emphasising the actors’ ability to breathe life into the depicted events, promising riveting action sequences that transport viewers through time. Yang shed light on the challenges presented by the unpredictable mysteries encountered during filming, highlighting the heightened immersion achieved through the incorporation of real-life incidents and supporting actors. Balancing humour with the seriousness of investigative endeavours, Yang also discussed his approach to eliciting laughter while maintaining focus on deductive tasks. For Lee, joining Apartment 404 marked a significant milestone in his career, stepping into the world of variety shows. Drawn by the allure of deciphering real-life stories and the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed figures like Yoo Jaesuk and Cha Tae-hyun, Lee hopped on a memorable journey filled with lively interactions and psychological twists. Featuring an ensemble cast, including Blackpink’s Jennie, Yoo Jae-suk, and Cha Tae-hyun, Apartment 404 promises a multifaceted viewing experience that blends deduction, variety, and dynamic interpersonal dynamics. With its release already underway on Amazon Prime Video, new episodes drop every Friday, leading up to the final reveal scheduled for April 12. – BY THASHINE SELVAKUMARAN Rihanna performs at lavish Indian pre-wedding party Unlocking mysteries SINGER Rihanna is said to have been paid US$6.3 million (RM30 million) to perform at Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s third son’s star-studded pre-wedding celebrations on March 1 to 3. She performed in Jamnagar, located in the state of Gujarat, India, for the pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Radhika is also the daughter of an Indian billionaire. This is the first concert she has held in eight years. Rihanna performed 19 songs, including popular songs like Diamond, Umbrella, Work, and Stay with a host of well-choreographed dancers. The grand event began with the Ambani family personally serving food to 51,000 villagers at the Reliance Township in Jamnagar, home of Mukesh’s father Dhirubhai Ambani, who was once India’s richest man. A feast was prepared by chefs from a five-star hotel, and the whole event was said to have costs more than US$100 million. The family hosted 1,000 VIPs, including Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan. It’s said that more than 100 chefs prepared food from various continents. Anant also launched Vantara, a 3,000-acre animal shelter in Jamnagar, which aims to provide shelter for abused and endangered animals. Mukesh, the chairman of Reliance Industries, is said to have a net worth of US$117 billion. Anant, 28, is expected to marry Radhika, 29, on July 12 in Mumbai, which is anticipated to be the grandest wedding ever in the country. Mukesh’s other children Akash and Isha’s weddings were also opulent, with tens of millions spent on food, jewellery and other lavish trappings. – BY S.TAMARAI CHELVI The new Korean variety show on TVN will have eight episodes in total. – DEBATE Special appearance by Rihanna for billionaire’s son – IMDB

LYFE LYFE MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 26 /thesuntelegram FOLLOW ON TELEGRAM Malaysian Paper Dramatic ambition THE Impossible Heir is a gripping tale of ambition, betrayal, and the quest for redemption that had me hooked from the first episode. Penned by Choi-Won and masterfully directed by Min Yun-hong, this series weaves a complex narrative that goes deep into the lives of its characters, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats with each twist and turn. At the heart of the story is Han Tae-oh, portrayed with raw emotion and depth by Lee Jae-Wook. From the opening scenes, Lee’s performance draws you in, conveying the pain and resilience of a young man who has endured years of abuse at the hands of his stepfather. As Tae-oh seeks a fresh start in a new town, his journey to overcome his past and pursue academic excellence is both inspiring and heart-wrenching to watch. Opposite Tae-oh is Kang In-ha, played with captivating intensity by Lee Jun-young. As the heir to the Kangoh Group conglomerate, In-ha exudes power and privilege, yet beneath his tough exterior lies a vulnerability that adds layers to his character. The dynamic between Tae-oh and In-ha is electrifying, as they navigate a precarious alliance fueled by ambition and mutual respect. Characters with depth What sets The Impossible Heir apart is its attention to detail in character development. Each character, from the protagonists to the supporting cast, is fleshed out with nuance and complexity. Even the antagonist, Taeoh’s stepfather, is a reflection of the societal pressures and injustices that drive the story forward. As the series unfolds, the plot thickens with the introduction of Na Hye-won, portrayed by Hong Su-zu. Na’s arrival injects a new dynamic into the story, challenging the alliances forged between Tae-oh and In-ha and paving the way for unexpected twists and turns. While the first two episodes serve as a setup for the main narrative, laying the groundwork for Tae-oh and In-ha’s ambitious plans, they do so with a deliberate pace that keeps you invested in the characters and their motivations. Jae-Wook’s dedication to his role is evident in every scene, while Jun-young brings a magnetic presence to the screen as In-ha. That said, the series is not without its flaws. Some viewers may find fault with the portrayal of the lead actress, citing an occasional lack of depth in her expressions. Additionally, The Impossible Heir Season 1 will feature 12 episodes. – ALL PICS BY DISNEY+ oA thrilling K-drama explores the depths of ambition and betrayal █ BYTHASHINE SELVAKUMARAN Lee Jun-young takes on the role of Kang In-ha, the illegitimate son of a chaebol chairman. Lee Jae-wook stars as Han Tae-oh in The Impossible Heir. Hong Su-zu as Na Hye-won appears to be a determined individual in the series. concerns about potential romantic entanglements and clichéd love triangles linger in the background, raising questions about the direction of the storyline. Shift in narrative Recently, an interview was conducted with the director and the three main leads of the series. According to the director, the storyline becomes increasingly dramatic, undergoing shifts in both tone and genre as the episodes progress. When asked about the director’s focus in bringing this premise to life on screen, he emphasised his goal of maximising intrigue for viewers regarding the decisions the characters would make. Jae-wook expressed that the script left a strong impression on him, ultimately leading to his decision to star in the series. He intentionally adjusted his acting style to avoid overexpressing emotions, opting instead to reveal his character’s personality through subtle details. Jun-young mentioned that the tightly written script ignited his imagination and he found the prospect of working on it to be immensely enjoyable. Given the trajectory of In-ha’s journey from his teenage years to adulthood, he made an effort to loosen up and explore various approaches to portraying his character’s evolution. Hong, on the other hand, acknowledged her lack of experience working on a project of this length. She approached each day on set with a willingness to learn, gaining significant growth through exposure to various experiences. Both lead actors provided valuable support to her throughout the production. As it was her first time in a leading role, she dedicated herself to studying the script intensively and engaging in numerous conversations with the director to ensure a solid understanding of her character’s arc. Overall, The Impossible Heir is a must-watch for fans of K-dramas and anyone looking for a compelling story with well-developed characters and unexpected twists. With each new episode, the stakes are raised higher. You won’t want to miss a moment of this series. Catch The Impossible Heir streaming exclusively on Disney+, with two new episodes dropping every Wednesday. Director: Min Yeon-hong Cast: Lee Jae-Wook, Lee Jun-young, Hong Suzu

SPORTS SPORTS MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 27 SCAN ME T: 03-7784 6688 F: 03-7785 2625 E: classifieds@thesundaily.com MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI PETALING JAYA DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN NO: BB-A72NCvC-9-01/2024 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) …PLAINTIF DAN SUNDARESAN A/L SUBRAMANIAM (No. K/P: 640401-10-8561) …DEFENDAN NOTIS PENGIKLANAN (Dalam Perkara mengenai Penyampaian Ganti Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 melalui Perintah Mahkamah bertarikh 21.02.2024) Kepada:- SUNDARESAN A/L SUBRAMANIAM (No. K/P: 640401-10-8561) No.8, Jalan 12/13 Seksyen 12, 46200 Petaling Jaya Selangor AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 (“Writ tersebut”) dan satu Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti bertarikh 21.02.2024 (“Perintah tersebut”) telah dikeluarkan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Pejabat Setiausaha Syarikat, Tingkat 2, Ibu Pejabat Tenaga Nasional Berhad, No. 129, Jalan Bangsar, 59200, Kuala Lumpur dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Writ dan Perintah tersebut disampaikan keatas kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan mengeposkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut ke alamat terakhir Defendan yang diketahui secara pos biasa; dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya; dan dengan mengiklankan satu Notis sekali dalam akhbar tempatan. DAN BAHAWA penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut hendaklah dianggap sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan mencukupi Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut keatas Defendan tujuh (7) hari selepas pelaksanaan terakhir tindakan pengeposan, penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA bahawa Saman tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya pada 20.03.2024, pukul 9 pagi di hadapan Majistret Puan Ainaa binti Muhamad Kamal di mana kamu perlu menghadirkan diri pada tarikh tersebut, suatu penghakiman ingkar boleh dikeluarkan terhadap kamu. Sesalinan Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut dan Perintah tersebut boleh diperiksa oleh kamu atas permintaan di Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh 1 haribulan Mac 2024 t.t. ............................ Peguamcara Plaintif NOTIS PENGIKLANAN ini telah dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Vin Law Co. beralamat di Suite 6.05, Tingkat 6, Wisma E&C, No. 2, Lorong Dungun Kiri, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif. Tel: 03-2093 3300 Faks: 03-2093 2200 / emel: elaine@vinlawco.com (Ruj: VR/LIT/50/2023/TNB-SS) 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI KUALA LUMPUR DALAM WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA PENGGULUNGAN SYARIKAT NO.: WA-28NCC-191-02/2024 Dalam perkara Seksyen 465 (1) (e) Akta Syarikat 2016, peruntukanperuntukan dalam Akta Syarikat 2016 dan Kaedah-Kaedah (Penggulungan) Syarikat 1972 DAN Dalam perkara WSA Capital Corporation Sdn. Bhd. [No. Syarikat: 199501031848 (361054-X)] ANTARA PERBADANAN USAHAWAN NASIONAL BERHAD [COMPANY NO.: 199101010745 (221057-V)] PEMPETISYEN DAN WSA CAPITAL CORPORATION SDN. BHD. (sebelum ini dikenali sebagai “Kenanga View Sdn. Bhd.”) [NO. SYARIKAT.: 199501031848 (361054-X)] RESPONDEN ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of the above-named Company by the High Court at Kuala Lumpur was on the 27th February 2024 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 Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, the 15th May 2024 at 9:30 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 7th 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 abovenamed Messrs. Kama & Wan, notice in writing of his intention so to do. 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 14th day of May 2024. This Advertisement of Petition is filed by Tetuan Kama & Wan, Peguamcara & Peguambela bagi pihak Pempetisyen yang mempunyai alamat untuk penyampaian di No. 5-1-1, Jalan Medan PB 4A, Seksyen 9, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan. (Tel: 03 89221485) (E-mel: wan.kamawan@gmail.com) (Ref. No.: WS/PUNB/CITSB/1482(L) IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR IN FEDERAL TERRITORIES OF MALAYSIA COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO. WA-28NCC-122-02/2024 In the matter of the Companies Act 2016 AND In the matter of Section 465(1)(e) and 466 (1)(a) of the Companies Act 2016 AND In the matter of Nexgram Holdings Berhad (Company Registration No. 200401021550 (660055-H)) BETWEEN TENG BEE LING (NRIC No.: 660627-10-6954) … PETITIONER AND NEXGRAM HOLDINGS BERHAD [Company Registration No.: 200401021550 (660055-H)] … RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of NEXGRAM HOLDINGS BERHAD, the abovenamed Company by the High Court was, on the 5th day of February 2024, presented by TENG BEE LING, the above-named Petitioning individual and that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the Court sitting at the High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur, on the 8th day of May 2024, 9.30 o’clock; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring 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 No. 6232, Jalan Jinjang Utama, Jinjang Utara, 52000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s solicitors are Messrs. Darryl, Edward & Co. of D-35-03, Menara Suezcap 1, KL Gateway, 59200 Kuala Lumpur. ……………….t.t.………………. Messrs. Darryl, Edward & Co. Solicitors 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 Solicitors for the Petitioner notice in writing of his intention so to do. 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 solicitor (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the above-named not later than twelve o’clock noon of the 7th day of May 2024 (the day before the day appointed for the hearing of the petition). [Ref: 20230881] [Tel: 03-2730 6780 / Fax: 03-2781 9566] DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI PETALING JAYA DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN NO: BB-A72NCvC-13-01/2024 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) …PLAINTIF DAN MISSO IVAN SCOTT (No. Pasport : K0761349E) …DEFENDAN NOTIS PENGIKLANAN (Dalam Perkara mengenai Penyampaian Ganti Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 melalui Perintah Mahkamah bertarikh 21.02.2024) Kepada:- MISSO IVAN SCOTT (No. Pasport : K0761349E) No. 12A, Jalan PJU 7/8B, Mutiara Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya Selangor AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 (“Writ tersebut”) dan satu Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti bertarikh 21.02.2024 (“Perintah tersebut”) telah dikeluarkan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Pejabat Setiausaha Syarikat, Tingkat 2, Ibu Pejabat Tenaga Nasional Berhad, No. 129, Jalan Bangsar, 59200, Kuala Lumpur dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Writ dan Perintah tersebut disampaikan keatas kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan mengeposkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut ke alamat terakhir Defendan yang diketahui secara pos biasa; dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya; dan dengan mengiklankan satu Notis sekali dalam akhbar tempatan. DAN BAHAWA penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut hendaklah dianggap sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan mencukupi Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut keatas Defendan tujuh (7) hari selepas pelaksanaan terakhir tindakan pengeposan, penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA bahawa Saman tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya pada 20.03.2024, pukul 9 pagi di hadapan Majistret Puan Ainaa binti Muhamad Kamal di mana kamu perlu menghadirkan diri pada tarikh tersebut, suatu penghakiman ingkar boleh dikeluarkan terhadap kamu. Sesalinan Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut dan Perintah tersebut boleh diperiksa oleh kamu atas permintaan di Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh 1 haribulan Mac 2024 t.t. ................................ Peguamcara Plaintif NOTIS PENGIKLANAN ini telah dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Vin Law Co. beralamat di Suite 6.05, Tingkat 6, Wisma E&C, No. 2, Lorong Dungun Kiri, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif. Tel: 03-2093 3300 Faks: 03-2093 2200 / emel: elaine@vinlawco.com (Ruj: VR/LIT/54/2023/TNB-MIS) DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI PETALING JAYA DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN NO: BB-A72NCvC-11-01/2024 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) …PLAINTIF DAN ABD. LATIFF BIN HJ. A. BAKAR (No. K/P: 310722-05-5067) …DEFENDAN NOTIS PENGIKLANAN (Dalam Perkara mengenai Penyampaian Ganti Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 melalui Perintah Mahkamah bertarikh 21.02.2024) Kepada:- ABD. LATIFF BIN HJ. A. BAKAR (No. K/P: 310722-05-5067) No. 846, Jalan 17/24 Seksyen 17 46400 Petaling Jaya Selangor AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 (“Writ tersebut”) dan satu Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti bertarikh 21.02.2024 (“Perintah tersebut”) telah dikeluarkan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Pejabat Setiausaha Syarikat, Tingkat 2, Ibu Pejabat Tenaga Nasional Berhad, No. 129, Jalan Bangsar, 59200, Kuala Lumpur dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Writ dan Perintah tersebut disampaikan keatas kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan mengeposkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut ke alamat terakhir Defendan yang diketahui secara pos biasa; dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya; dan dengan mengiklankan satu Notis sekali dalam akhbar tempatan. DAN BAHAWA penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut hendaklah dianggap sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan mencukupi Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut keatas Defendan tujuh (7) hari selepas pelaksanaan terakhir tindakan pengeposan, penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA bahawa Saman tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya pada 20.03.2024, pukul 9 pagi di hadapan Majistret Puan Ainaa binti Muhamad Kamal di mana kamu perlu menghadirkan diri pada tarikh tersebut, suatu penghakiman ingkar boleh dikeluarkan terhadap kamu. Sesalinan Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut dan Perintah tersebut boleh diperiksa oleh kamu atas permintaan di Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh 1 haribulan Mac 2024 t.t. ................................ Peguamcara Plaintif NOTIS PENGIKLANAN ini telah dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Vin Law Co. beralamat di Suite 6.05, Tingkat 6, Wisma E&C, No. 2, Lorong Dungun Kiri, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif. Tel: 03-2093 3300 Faks: 03-2093 2200 / emel: elaine@vinlawco.com (Ruj: VR/LIT/49/2023/TNB-ALAB) DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI PULAU PINANG PENGGULUNGAN SYARIKAT NO.: PA-28NCC-27-02/2024 Dalam perkara di bawah Akta Syarikat, 2016 Dan Dalam perkara di bawah Seksyen 465 (1) (e), Seksyen 465 (1) (h) dan Seksyen 466 (1) (a) Akta Syarikat, 2016 Dan Dalam perkara di bawah Kaedahkaedah (Penggulungan) Syarikat 1972 ANTARA Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (No. Syarikat : 12441-M) ... Pempetisyen DAN Kian Ly Fruits Trading Sdn. Bhd. [No. Syarikat : 201901044703 (1354033-T)] ... Responden IKLAN PETISYEN NOTIS ADALAH DENGAN INI DIBERI bahawa suatu Petisyen untuk penggulungan Syarikat oleh Mahkamah Tinggi, telah pada 20/02/2024 dikemukakan oleh Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (No. Syarikat : 12441-M) yang beralamat di Level 14, Bangunan CGC, Kelana Business Centre, 97 Jalan SS7/2, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. DAN bahawa Petisyen tersebut diarahkan supaya dibicarakan di Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Pulau Pinang pada 22/04/2024 jam 9.00 pagi. DAN mana pihak pemiutang atau penyumbang Syarikat tersebut yang berniat untuk menyokong atau menentang sesuatu perintah mengikut Petisyen tersebut boleh hadir dengan tujuan itu secara peribadi atau melalui peguambelanya pada masa bicaraan dan sesalinan Petisyen tersebut akan dibekalkan oleh pihak yang bertandatangan di bawah ini kepada mana-mana pemiutang atau penyumbang Syarikat tersebut yang memintanya dengan membuat bayaran yang ditetapkan. Alamat Pempetisyen adalah di Level 14, Bangunan CGC, Kelana Business Centre, 97 Jalan SS7/2, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Peguamcara Pempetisyen ialah WongChooi & Mohd. Nor, Peguambela & Peguamcara yang beralamat di No. 27, 1st Floor, Jalan Maju Jaya, Pusat Perniagaan Maju Jaya, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang. ...........t.t........... Peguamcara Pempetisyen PERINGATAN - Sesiapa yang ingin hadir pada perbicaraan Petisyen tersebut hendaklah menyampaikan, atau menghantar dengan pos, kepada Tetuan Wong-Chooi & Mohd. Nor yang dinamakan di atas suatu notis bertulis tentang niatnya sebegitu. Notis tersebut mestilah menyatakan nama dan alamat pihak berkenaan, atau jika ia sebuah firma, nama dan alamat firma, dan mestilah ditandatangani oleh pihak atau firma berkenaan atau peguamcaranya, jika ada. Notis hendaklah disampaikan, atau jika dihantar dengan pos, hendaklah dihantar dalam jangkamasa mencukupi, supaya sampai kepada pihak yang dinamakan di atas sebelum jam 12.00 tengahari pada 21/04/2024. [RUJUKAN NO.: WCMN(BM)/ CGCMB/2023-580/KLFTSB (YKY/sk)] 322 Notices 322 Notices 322 Notices Looking for WONG XIAO FEN (NRIC No. 011202- 14-0890) Kindly attend the Ipoh Sessions Court on 20.3.2024 at 9.00 am for the hearing of AA-58-3-02/2024 Or contact 03-40216820 For further info. Rumah Banglo Dua Tingkat, Keluasan 427 meter persegi, Leasehold. Alamat: Taman Pinggiran Putra Harga Jualan: RM1,100,000.00 Syarat: Jualan Kepada Bumiputera Sahaja Hubungi: 019-4141392 (Ida) RUMAH UNTUK DIJUAL DI SERI KEMBANGAN DIGITAL MARKETING SENIOR EXECUTIVE / ASSISTANT MANAGER Job Description: • Design and develop online marketing strategies, digital roadmap and creative campaign that align with the business goals and directions. • Provide creative ideas for content marketing. • Manage all digital marketing channels. • Plan and manage social media platforms. • Able to create content & produce graphics for social media posts. Requirement: • Diploma / Degree in Marketing, Digital Marketing or equivalent. • At least 3 years experience in digital marketing. • Excellent understanding of digital marketing concept and best practices. • Required skill(s): Google Analytics, SEO/SEM, social media marketing and optimisation. • Team player and great communication skills. ADVERTISING SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVE / SENIOR EXECUTIVE Job Description: • Building and sustaining strong working relationship with advertising clients. • Plan and executive new, creative, exciting and innovative marketing campaigns for the company. • Develop and continuously improve marketing material, product/services presentations and proposals. • Passionate in serving client accounts to improve sales revenue. Requirement: • Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or other related fields. • At least 2 years of sales and marketing experience in media industry. • Good communication, presentation, problem-solving and organisational skills. • Possess own transport and willing to travel. • Able to start work immediately. Submit your CV with your photo via e-mail to: thesun.hr2@gmail.com Office based in Petaling Jaya (5-day week) WE ARE HIRING Manager – Finance and HR Job Description: • To handle full set of accounts, month-end closing, year - end closing, audit schedules, tax, stock control, etc. • Responsible for management, statutory and group reporting, development of business plans, budget and cash flow forecast. • Oversee recruitment, manage payroll system, staff benefit, yearly performance and appraisal. • Develop & implement HR policies to support company business objectives and compliance with law and regulatory requirements. • To handle legal and disciplinary matters including staff counselling in compliance with local Labour Law. • Other administration duties where required and part of job scope. • Any other duties as assigned by the superior / management from time to time. Requirements: • Candidate must possess at least Professional or Degree in Finance/Accountancy or equivalent. • At least 5 years managerial/supervising of working experience in audit, financial accounting and HR. • Familiarity with Accpac, ERP Accounting & HR software would be added advantages. • Computer literate and skillful in Ms Excel, Word & PowerPoint. • Good command of written and spoken English. Proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia & Mandarin will be added advantages. 168 Houses for Sale 302 Jobs 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI PETALING JAYA DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN NO: BB-A72NCvC-9-01/2024 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) …PLAINTIF DAN SUNDARESAN A/L SUBRAMANIAM (No. K/P: 640401-10-8561) …DEFENDAN NOTIS PENGIKLANAN (Dalam Perkara mengenai Penyampaian Ganti Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 melalui Perintah Mahkamah bertarikh 21.02.2024) Kepada:- SUNDARESAN A/L SUBRAMANIAM (No. K/P: 640401-10-8561) No.8, Jalan 12/13 Seksyen 12, 46200 Petaling Jaya Selangor AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 (“Writ tersebut”) dan satu Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti bertarikh 21.02.2024 (“Perintah tersebut”) telah dikeluarkan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Pejabat Setiausaha Syarikat, Tingkat 2, Ibu Pejabat Tenaga Nasional Berhad, No. 129, Jalan Bangsar, 59200, Kuala Lumpur dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Writ dan Perintah tersebut disampaikan keatas kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan mengeposkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut ke alamat terakhir Defendan yang diketahui secara pos biasa; dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya; dan dengan mengiklankan satu Notis sekali dalam akhbar tempatan. DAN BAHAWA penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut hendaklah dianggap sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan mencukupi Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut keatas Defendan tujuh (7) hari selepas pelaksanaan terakhir tindakan pengeposan, penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA bahawa Saman tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya pada 20.03.2024, pukul 9 pagi di hadapan Majistret Puan Ainaa binti Muhamad Kamal di mana kamu perlu menghadirkan diri pada tarikh tersebut, suatu penghakiman ingkar boleh dikeluarkan terhadap kamu. Sesalinan Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut dan Perintah tersebut boleh diperiksa oleh kamu atas permintaan di Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh 1 haribulan Mac 2024 t.t. ............................ Peguamcara Plaintif NOTIS PENGIKLANAN ini telah dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Vin Law Co. beralamat di Suite 6.05, Tingkat 6, Wisma E&C, No. 2, Lorong Dungun Kiri, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif. Tel: 03-2093 3300 Faks: 03-2093 2200 / emel: elaine@vinlawco.com (Ruj: VR/LIT/50/2023/TNB-SS) 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI KUALA LUMPUR DALAM WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA PENGGULUNGAN SYARIKAT NO.: WA-28NCC-191-02/2024 Dalam perkara Seksyen 465 (1) (e) Akta Syarikat 2016, peruntukanperuntukan dalam Akta Syarikat 2016 dan Kaedah-Kaedah (Penggulungan) Syarikat 1972 DAN Dalam perkara WSA Capital Corporation Sdn. Bhd. [No. Syarikat: 199501031848 (361054-X)] ANTARA PERBADANAN USAHAWAN NASIONAL BERHAD [COMPANY NO.: 199101010745 (221057-V)] PEMPETISYEN DAN WSA CAPITAL CORPORATION SDN. BHD. (sebelum ini dikenali sebagai “Kenanga View Sdn. Bhd.”) [NO. SYARIKAT.: 199501031848 (361054-X)] RESPONDEN ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of the above-named Company by the High Court at Kuala Lumpur was on the 27th February 2024 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 Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, the 15th May 2024 at 9:30 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 7th 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 abovenamed Messrs. Kama & Wan, notice in writing of his intention so to do. 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 14th day of May 2024. This Advertisement of Petition is filed by Tetuan Kama & Wan, Peguamcara & Peguambela bagi pihak Pempetisyen yang mempunyai alamat untuk penyampaian di No. 5-1-1, Jalan Medan PB 4A, Seksyen 9, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan. (Tel: 03 89221485) (E-mel: wan.kamawan@gmail.com) (Ref. No.: WS/PUNB/CITSB/1482(L) IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR IN FEDERAL TERRITORIES OF MALAYSIA COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO. WA-28NCC-122-02/2024 In the matter of the Companies Act 2016 AND In the matter of Section 465(1)(e) and 466 (1)(a) of the Companies Act 2016 AND In the matter of Nexgram Holdings Berhad (Company Registration No. 200401021550 (660055-H)) BETWEEN TENG BEE LING (NRIC No.: 660627-10-6954) … PETITIONER AND NEXGRAM HOLDINGS BERHAD [Company Registration No.: 200401021550 (660055-H)] … RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of NEXGRAM HOLDINGS BERHAD, the abovenamed Company by the High Court was, on the 5th day of February 2024, presented by TENG BEE LING, the above-named Petitioning individual and that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the Court sitting at the High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur, on the 8th day of May 2024, 9.30 o’clock; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring 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 No. 6232, Jalan Jinjang Utama, Jinjang Utara, 52000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s solicitors are Messrs. Darryl, Edward & Co. of D-35-03, Menara Suezcap 1, KL Gateway, 59200 Kuala Lumpur. ……………….t.t.………………. Messrs. Darryl, Edward & Co. Solicitors 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 Solicitors for the Petitioner notice in writing of his intention so to do. 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 solicitor (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the above-named not later than twelve o’clock noon of the 7th day of May 2024 (the day before the day appointed for the hearing of the petition). [Ref: 20230881] [Tel: 03-2730 6780 / Fax: 03-2781 9566] DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI PETALING JAYA DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN NO: BB-A72NCvC-13-01/2024 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) …PLAINTIF DAN MISSO IVAN SCOTT (No. Pasport : K0761349E) …DEFENDAN NOTIS PENGIKLANAN (Dalam Perkara mengenai Penyampaian Ganti Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 melalui Perintah Mahkamah bertarikh 21.02.2024) Kepada:- MISSO IVAN SCOTT (No. Pasport : K0761349E) No. 12A, Jalan PJU 7/8B, Mutiara Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya Selangor AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 (“Writ tersebut”) dan satu Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti bertarikh 21.02.2024 (“Perintah tersebut”) telah dikeluarkan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Pejabat Setiausaha Syarikat, Tingkat 2, Ibu Pejabat Tenaga Nasional Berhad, No. 129, Jalan Bangsar, 59200, Kuala Lumpur dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Writ dan Perintah tersebut disampaikan keatas kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan mengeposkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut ke alamat terakhir Defendan yang diketahui secara pos biasa; dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya; dan dengan mengiklankan satu Notis sekali dalam akhbar tempatan. DAN BAHAWA penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut hendaklah dianggap sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan mencukupi Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut keatas Defendan tujuh (7) hari selepas pelaksanaan terakhir tindakan pengeposan, penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA bahawa Saman tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya pada 20.03.2024, pukul 9 pagi di hadapan Majistret Puan Ainaa binti Muhamad Kamal di mana kamu perlu menghadirkan diri pada tarikh tersebut, suatu penghakiman ingkar boleh dikeluarkan terhadap kamu. Sesalinan Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut dan Perintah tersebut boleh diperiksa oleh kamu atas permintaan di Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh 1 haribulan Mac 2024 t.t. ................................ Peguamcara Plaintif NOTIS PENGIKLANAN ini telah dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Vin Law Co. beralamat di Suite 6.05, Tingkat 6, Wisma E&C, No. 2, Lorong Dungun Kiri, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif. Tel: 03-2093 3300 Faks: 03-2093 2200 / emel: elaine@vinlawco.com (Ruj: VR/LIT/54/2023/TNB-MIS) DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI PETALING JAYA DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN NO: BB-A72NCvC-11-01/2024 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) …PLAINTIF DAN ABD. LATIFF BIN HJ. A. BAKAR (No. K/P: 310722-05-5067) …DEFENDAN NOTIS PENGIKLANAN (Dalam Perkara mengenai Penyampaian Ganti Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 melalui Perintah Mahkamah bertarikh 21.02.2024) Kepada:- ABD. LATIFF BIN HJ. A. BAKAR (No. K/P: 310722-05-5067) No. 846, Jalan 17/24 Seksyen 17 46400 Petaling Jaya Selangor AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ Saman bertarikh 4.01.2024 dan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 2.01.2024 (“Writ tersebut”) dan satu Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti bertarikh 21.02.2024 (“Perintah tersebut”) telah dikeluarkan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad (No. Syarikat: 199001009294) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Pejabat Setiausaha Syarikat, Tingkat 2, Ibu Pejabat Tenaga Nasional Berhad, No. 129, Jalan Bangsar, 59200, Kuala Lumpur dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Writ dan Perintah tersebut disampaikan keatas kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan mengeposkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut ke alamat terakhir Defendan yang diketahui secara pos biasa; dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ tersebut berserta dengan sesalinan Perintah tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya; dan dengan mengiklankan satu Notis sekali dalam akhbar tempatan. DAN BAHAWA penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut hendaklah dianggap sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan mencukupi Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut keatas Defendan tujuh (7) hari selepas pelaksanaan terakhir tindakan pengeposan, penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA bahawa Saman tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya pada 20.03.2024, pukul 9 pagi di hadapan Majistret Puan Ainaa binti Muhamad Kamal di mana kamu perlu menghadirkan diri pada tarikh tersebut, suatu penghakiman ingkar boleh dikeluarkan terhadap kamu. Sesalinan Writ Saman dan Pernyataan Tuntutan tersebut dan Perintah tersebut boleh diperiksa oleh kamu atas permintaan di Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh 1 haribulan Mac 2024 t.t. ................................ Peguamcara Plaintif NOTIS PENGIKLANAN ini telah dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Vin Law Co. beralamat di Suite 6.05, Tingkat 6, Wisma E&C, No. 2, Lorong Dungun Kiri, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif. Tel: 03-2093 3300 Faks: 03-2093 2200 / emel: elaine@vinlawco.com (Ruj: VR/LIT/49/2023/TNB-ALAB) DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI PULAU PINANG PENGGULUNGAN SYARIKAT NO.: PA-28NCC-27-02/2024 Dalam perkara di bawah Akta Syarikat, 2016 Dan Dalam perkara di bawah Seksyen 465 (1) (e), Seksyen 465 (1) (h) dan Seksyen 466 (1) (a) Akta Syarikat, 2016 Dan Dalam perkara di bawah Kaedahkaedah (Penggulungan) Syarikat 1972 ANTARA Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (No. Syarikat : 12441-M) ... Pempetisyen DAN Kian Ly Fruits Trading Sdn. Bhd. [No. Syarikat : 201901044703 (1354033-T)] ... Responden IKLAN PETISYEN NOTIS ADALAH DENGAN INI DIBERI bahawa suatu Petisyen untuk penggulungan Syarikat oleh Mahkamah Tinggi, telah pada 20/02/2024 dikemukakan oleh Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (No. Syarikat : 12441-M) yang beralamat di Level 14, Bangunan CGC, Kelana Business Centre, 97 Jalan SS7/2, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. DAN bahawa Petisyen tersebut diarahkan supaya dibicarakan di Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Pulau Pinang pada 22/04/2024 jam 9.00 pagi. DAN mana pihak pemiutang atau penyumbang Syarikat tersebut yang berniat untuk menyokong atau menentang sesuatu perintah mengikut Petisyen tersebut boleh hadir dengan tujuan itu secara peribadi atau melalui peguambelanya pada masa bicaraan dan sesalinan Petisyen tersebut akan dibekalkan oleh pihak yang bertandatangan di bawah ini kepada mana-mana pemiutang atau penyumbang Syarikat tersebut yang memintanya dengan membuat bayaran yang ditetapkan. Alamat Pempetisyen adalah di Level 14, Bangunan CGC, Kelana Business Centre, 97 Jalan SS7/2, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Peguamcara Pempetisyen ialah WongChooi & Mohd. Nor, Peguambela & Peguamcara yang beralamat di No. 27, 1st Floor, Jalan Maju Jaya, Pusat Perniagaan Maju Jaya, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang. ...........t.t........... Peguamcara Pempetisyen PERINGATAN - Sesiapa yang ingin hadir pada perbicaraan Petisyen tersebut hendaklah menyampaikan, atau menghantar dengan pos, kepada Tetuan Wong-Chooi & Mohd. Nor yang dinamakan di atas suatu notis bertulis tentang niatnya sebegitu. Notis tersebut mestilah menyatakan nama dan alamat pihak berkenaan, atau jika ia sebuah firma, nama dan alamat firma, dan mestilah ditandatangani oleh pihak atau firma berkenaan atau peguamcaranya, jika ada. Notis hendaklah disampaikan, atau jika dihantar dengan pos, hendaklah dihantar dalam jangkamasa mencukupi, supaya sampai kepada pihak yang dinamakan di atas sebelum jam 12.00 tengahari pada 21/04/2024. [RUJUKAN NO.: WCMN(BM)/ CGCMB/2023-580/KLFTSB (YKY/sk)] 322 Notices 322 Notices 322 Notices Looking for WONG XIAO FEN (NRIC No. 011202- 14-0890) Kindly attend the Ipoh Sessions Court on 20.3.2024 at 9.00 am for the hearing of AA-58-3-02/2024 Or contact 03-40216820 For further info. Rumah Banglo Dua Tingkat, Keluasan 427 meter persegi, Leasehold. Alamat: Taman Pinggiran Putra Harga Jualan: RM1,100,000.00 Syarat: Jualan Kepada Bumiputera Sahaja Hubungi: 019-4141392 (Ida) RUMAH UNTUK DIJUAL DI SERI KEMBANGAN DIGITAL MARKETING SENIOR EXECUTIVE / ASSISTANT MANAGER Job Description: • Design and develop online marketing strategies, digital roadmap and creative campaign that align with the business goals and directions. • Provide creative ideas for content marketing. • Manage all digital marketing channels. • Plan and manage social media platforms. • Able to create content & produce graphics for social media posts. Requirement: • Diploma / Degree in Marketing, Digital Marketing or equivalent. • At least 3 years experience in digital marketing. • Excellent understanding of digital marketing concept and best practices. • Required skill(s): Google Analytics, SEO/SEM, social media marketing and optimisation. • Team player and great communication skills. ADVERTISING SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVE / SENIOR EXECUTIVE Job Description: • Building and sustaining strong working relationship with advertising clients. • Plan and executive new, creative, exciting and innovative marketing campaigns for the company. • Develop and continuously improve marketing material, product/services presentations and proposals. • Passionate in serving client accounts to improve sales revenue. Requirement: • Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or other related fields. • At least 2 years of sales and marketing experience in media industry. • Good communication, presentation, problem-solving and organisational skills. • Possess own transport and willing to travel. • Able to start work immediately. Submit your CV with your photo via e-mail to: thesun.hr2@gmail.com Office based in Petaling Jaya (5-day week) WE ARE HIRING Manager – Finance and HR Job Description: • To handle full set of accounts, month-end closing, year - end closing, audit schedules, tax, stock control, etc. • Responsible for management, statutory and group reporting, development of business plans, budget and cash flow forecast. • Oversee recruitment, manage payroll system, staff benefit, yearly performance and appraisal. • Develop & implement HR policies to support company business objectives and compliance with law and regulatory requirements. • To handle legal and disciplinary matters including staff counselling in compliance with local Labour Law. • Other administration duties where required and part of job scope. • Any other duties as assigned by the superior / management from time to time. Requirements: • Candidate must possess at least Professional or Degree in Finance/Accountancy or equivalent. • At least 5 years managerial/supervising of working experience in audit, financial accounting and HR. • Familiarity with Accpac, ERP Accounting & HR software would be added advantages. • Computer literate and skillful in Ms Excel, Word & PowerPoint. • Good command of written and spoken English. Proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia & Mandarin will be added advantages. 168 Houses for Sale 302 Jobs 322 Notices ‘Sausages’ row Furious AJ accuses Fury of disrespect ANTHONY JOSHUA knocked out Francis Ngannou on Saturday and then accused the watching Tyson Fury of being “disrespectful”. The heavyweight world champion looked on ringside in Riyadh as Joshua dispatched the former UFC champion Ngannou in two dominant rounds with a crushing performance. Ngannou was dropped heavily twice before the emphatic finish, sparking excitement over a potential meeting between the two British rivals. Fury is in line to face Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Joshua twice previously, but Joshua reiterated his desire to meet the winner in the immediate aftermath of his latest victory. Yet he was also irked by comments in which Fury labelled both Joshua and Ngannou “sausages” – especially given how close Fury was pushed by the Cameroonian novice back in October. “**** Tyson Fury,” Joshua told iFL TV after the fight. “I don’t like trashtalking people but I heard him say something like, ‘Oh, I’m here to do commentary about these two sausages’, or something like that. “Bro, that guy that I fought, that he fought, is an ex-UFC heavyweight champion, a phenomenal story, someone who’s changed his life around. He’s just too disrespectful. So forget anything about him right now.” In the ring after his impressive win, Joshua appeared to fire an imaginary gun in the direction of Fury. “I just want to fight – yes it is (the winner of Fury vs Usyk),” Joshua said. “It is what it is. What I was saying, en route to the championship, you should stay focused. “I stepped aside from the mission, I thought it was for the broadcasters for entertainment. But I saw him against Fury and thought ‘damn, he can fight’. “I don’t know if I’m in my peak, I’m pushing day by day, who knows where it will take me? In five years I won’t be fighting no more, this will be a distant memory.” Fury, though, warned there was “a long way to go” to make any potential British superfight happen with Joshua. “There’s quite a long way to go, there’s always been a lot of s*** getting in the way of it,” Fury said. “I’ve got bigger fish to fry, May 18, then we have a rematch in October. After that, if he’s still available and I’m available, let’s get it on.” – The Independent

SPORTS SPORTS MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 28 Item Reg No Jenis & Model Tahun AM1 CDY1469 PROTON ERTIGA 1.4 (A) PLUS 2017 AM2 CDW562 PROTON SAGA 1.3 (A) 2017 AM3 VV3021 NISSAN ALMERA 1.5 E (A) 2017 AM4 CEE2167 NISSAN ALMERA 1.5 E BLACK SERIES 2019 AM5 CCE9876 NISSAN LATIO 1.6 ST-L 2008 AM6 AJS2501 PERODUA ALZA 1.5 2014 AM7 WB8185U VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 1.4 2014 AM8 DCF811 AUDI A5 2.0 COUPE 2011 AM9 BNP7811 BMW 320I 2009 AM10 VHS8173 MITSUBISHI TRITON 2.5 QUEST 2022 FOCAL PARK SDN BHD (358698-H) NOTIS LELONG AWAM KENDERAAN UNTUK DILELONG SEPERTI SEDIA ADA TEMPAT & TARIKH LELONG :East Coast Region (Kota Bharu, Kuantan & Temerloh) 13-03-2024 (Rabu) Pukul 11:00pagi TARIKH MELIHAT : SEBELUM TIGA HARI LELONG (Pukul 9:00pagi - 4:00petang) PERTANYAAN (Tel): Kota Bharu 07-7747972, Kuantan 017-4973133, Temerloh 012-428 7538 FPAC - PELELONG BERLESEN : a) En Mohd Fawzi Bin Ibrahim (32954) & Mr Mazenan Bin Haji Mohamed (01/2023) Alamat : Lot 5198,Petak 41 Jalan 20,Kawasan Perindustrian Pengkalan Chepa, Fasa 2,Pengkalan Chepa,16100 Kota Bahru. : Lot 10869, Lot 10870 & Lot 10871 Jln Tanah Putih,Tanah Putih 25100 Kuantan : PT5101 & 5102, KAMPUNG MEGAT SEGAMA, 28000 TEMERLOH SILA LAYARI LAMAN WEB KAMI : http://www.focalpark.com.my (Perhatian: Kenderaan-kenderaan diatas yang tidak dibida dalam perlelongan akan dilelong semula pada 20-03-2024) No Reg no Make/Model Reserves 1 SAB3443U 2014 PROTON SAGA FL 6700 2 BPA4809 2016 PERODUA AXIA 1.0G (A) 14000 3 WC27L 2013 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT (A) 73810 4 VER3272 2020 PERODUA ALZA 1.5SE 39980 5 BQR6884 2021 PROTON PERSONA 16599 6 VDW3755 2019 PERODUA AXIA 10215 7 VDX1337 2019 PERODUA MYVI 17275 8 WUT2341 2010 PERODUA MYVI 1.3EZ (A) 13000 9 WXL2497 2012 PROTON SAGA FL 9000 10 W9916Y 2014 PROTON PREVE 1.6L CVT 20000 11 WUB5458 2010 NISSAN GRAND LIVINA 20000 12 PJU9200 2010 NISSAN LATIO 1.6L SPORTS 12000 13 WWU8571 2012 HONDA CITY V 1.5L I-VTEC 24000 14 WB7384Y 2016 PROTON SAGA FL 7000 15 WXD734 2012 PERODUA VIVA 1.0EZ (A) 5000 16 W689M 2017 BMW M2 210000 17 WD3490A 2016 PROTON PERDANA 2.4L (A) 34000 18 X2668 2017 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 E 174000 19 VGE84 2019 MERCEDES-BENZ S 315000 20 VJS432 2022 MERCEDES-BENZ AMG A35 214000 21 WVE3619 2011 TOYOTA VIOS 18000 22 JPN4075 2013 PROTON EXORA 9000 23 DCW6880 2016 PROTON IRIZ 13000 24 AKN7243 2016 NISSAN ALMERA 1.5 18000 25 PATRIOT8293 2016 NISSAN ALMERA 1.5 18000 26 WB8405L 2015 TOYOTA VIOS 32000 27 VAR5977 2017 NISSAN ALMERA 1.5 21000 For more information contact us at 016-6999170 | 012-5553727 (WhatsApp) www.pickles.my | info@pickles.my Scan QR to download Pickles Auctions App PICKLES ASIA SDN BHD [1231292-D] Lot 19391, Batu 8 ½, Jalan Klang Lama, Taman Desaria, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Bank Repossessed bikes and cars for sale by auction. All auctions are conducted via eBidding on Wednesday 13, 20 & 27 March at 9.30am (bikes) and 11.00am (cars). All are invited to join our PUBLIC AUCTION. Viewing and inspection on every Tuesday from 9.30am - 5.30pm. All unsold bank repossessed vehicles will be reauctioned on every Wednesday until the vehicles are sold. Download Pickles Auctions app to view all auction listings or visit www.pickles.my No Reg no Make/Model Reserves 28 JPB8570 2012 PROTON PREVE 1.6 7000 29 VCR3725 2018 NISSAN ALMERA 17000 30 AKC8769 2015 PROTON PREVE 1.6 8800 31 VL3971 2016 NISSAN TEANA 2.0 30000 32 VFK6773 2014 NISSAN ALMERA 1.5E (A) 11000 33 WYB8047 2013 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID (A) 18800 34 TBV172 2014 NISSAN SYLPHY 1.8E CVT 17000 35 AMH4237 2022 HONDA WAVE ALPHA 3000 36 VJS9012 2022 HONDA RS-X 6000 37 BRJ4847 2023 HONDA VARIO 160 7000 38 VKD2155 2023 HONDA VARIO 160 7000 39 NDT1467 2021 HONDA RS-X 6000 40 BPX3816 2023 YAMAHA Y15ZR 7000 41 SWF4171 2022 YAMAHA Y15ZR 6000 42 VKW8297 2023 HONDA RS150R 7000 43 DEK8390 2022 YAMAHA Y16ZR 8000 44 VKX5309 2023 YAMAHA Y16ZR 8000 45 VHU2169 2022 SYM VF3i 185 LE 5000 46 MDN7384 2022 YAMAHA Y15ZR 6000 47 PQM6425 2022 HONDA RS150R 5000 48 PPV4758 2021 HONDA VARIO 150 REPSOL 5000 49 JUV832 2021 YAMAHA Y16ZR 7000 50 PQE7952 2022 BENELLI VZ125I SE 4000 51 DEJ1400 2022 HONDA RS-X FS150FA 6000 52 SYU7285 2022 HONDA CBR150R 8000 53 RAP5879 2023 YAMAHA Y16ZR 8000 54 PPJ9573 2020 YAMAHA 135LC 4000 KENYATAAN PERMINTAAN CADANGAN Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia (PPM) ingin menjemput Pemaju-Pemaju/KontraktorKontraktor yang berkelayakan, berpengalaman, mempunyai kapasiti kewangan dan berminat untuk membangunkan tapak tanah PPM seluas 10 ekar di Bagan Lalang, Mukim Sepang, Daerah Sepang, Selangor bagi tujuan membina sebuah Pusat Latihan Pengakap dan kemudahan-kemudahan yang berkaitan, pusat komersial dan rekreasi awam: Maklumat Tajuk : Request For Proposal/Permintaan Untuk Cadangan: Cadangan Usahasama Bagi Merancang, Membangun Dan Mengurus Tapak Milik Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia Di Bagan Lalang, Mukim Sepang, Daerah Sepang, Selangor Melalui Kaedah Design, Built, Operate & Transfer (BOT) Lokasi : GM 2321, Lot 1138 dan GM 2322, Lot 1225 Bagan Lalang, Mukim Sepang, Daerah Sepang, Selangor. Maklumat Dokumen Harga: RM 50.00. Tunai atau bank draft. Wang tidak akan dikembalikan. Bayaran atas nama: Persekutuan Pengakap-Pengakap Malaysia Tarikh mula dijual: 18 Mac 2024 Tarikh akhir dijual: 25 Mac 2024 Tempat dijual: Ibu Pejabat Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia, Rumah B-P, Jalan Hang Jebat, 50150, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (u.p. Pengurusan Aset dan Hartanah) Tarikh menghantar 06 Mei 2024 Waktu ditutup: 2.00 petang cadangan ditutup: Tempat penyerahan: Ibu Pejabat Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia, cadangan Rumah B-P,Jalan Hang Jebat, 50150, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. pembangunan: (u.p. Pengurusan Aset dan Hartanah) *Sila hantar softcopy ke alamat e-mel pengakap@scouts.my dan hardcopy ke alamat seperti di atas. 322 Notices Red Bull ed Bull domination omination MAX VERSTAPPEN won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from pole position yesterday as Red Bull continued their dominant start to the Formula One season with a second one-two in as many races. Sergio Perez was runner-up under the Jeddah Corniche floodlights, last year’s winner taking the chequered flag 13.643 seconds behind his triple world champion team-mate who now has a 15 point lead in the standings. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, also setting the fastest lap on the way to his first podium of the season, but rookie stand-in team mate Oliver Bearman stole the show – finishing seventh and voted Driver of the Day. It was the first time Verstappen, winner of a record 19 of 22 races last year, has won the first two races of a season. He has also won 19 of the last 20. “Overall, a fantastic weekend for the whole team and myself. I felt really good with the car and it was the same in the race,” Verstappen said. The victory was a ninth in a row for Verstappen, dating back to Japan last September, and 56th of the 26-year-old Dutch driver’s career. It was also his 100th career podium while Red Bull’s 115th win lifted them ahead of Williams in fourth place on the all-time lists. “Max was clinical in his execution of that race,” said team boss Christian Horner. Britain’s Bearman, making his F1 race debut at 18 years and 305 days old, started in 11th place as Ferrari’s youngest rookie and was a hugely impressive replacement for Spaniard Carlos Sainz, sidelined by appendicitis. The youngest ever British Formula One driver was also the 66th driver since the start of the championship in 1950 to score on his debut. Sainz, who underwent surgery on Friday, was back at the track – walking gingerly – to watch his stand-in’s extraordinary day of glory. “Today he’s been incredible,” said Leclerc of Bearman. “It’s hugely impressive and I’m sure he’s extremely proud. Everybody has noticed how talented he is and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before he’s in F1.” Oscar Piastri was fourth for McLaren, with Fernando Alonso fifth for Aston Martin and George Russell sixth for Mercedes and the first of four British drivers following each other across the line. McLaren’s Lando Norris was eighth and seventimes world champion Lewis Hamilton ninth for Mercedes with Nico Hulkenberg taking the final point for last year’s bottom team Haas. – Reuters SAUDI ARABIAN GP 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 4. Oscar Piastri (Mercedes) 5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 6. George Russell (Mercedes) 7. Oliver Bearman (Ferrari) 8. Lando Norris (McLaren) 9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) 11. Alex Albon (Williams) 12. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 14. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) 15. Logan Sargeant (Williams) 16. Daniel Ricciardo (RB) 17. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) 18. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) Fastest lap: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) DNF: Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Championship standings (Top 10) Drivers: 1. Max Verstappen (NED) 51 pts, 2. Sergio Perez (MEX) 36, 3. Charles Leclerc (MON) 28, 4. George Russell (GBR) 18, 5. Oscar Piastri (AUS) 16, 6. Carlos Sainz (ESP) 15, 7. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 12, 8. Lando Norris (GBR) 12, 9. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 8, 10. Oliver Bearman (GBR) 6. Constructors (Top 5): 1. Red Bull 87 pts, 2. Ferrari 49, 3. McLaren 28, 4. Mercedes 26, 5. Aston Martin 13. MERCEDES would do handstands to have Red Bull’s triple world champion Max Verstappen driving for them but first they need a car worthy of his talents, team boss Toto Wolff said on Saturday. Verstappen has won 19 of the last 20 races and took his second of the Formula One season in Saudi Arabia with an untroubled run from pole position. The Dutch driver’s future has been the subject of some speculation, despite Red Bull being way ahead of the rest, as a consequence of allegations by a female team employee against principal Christian Horner. Horner has been cleared, after denying the accusations, but relations with Verstappen’s father Jos have frozen after the former racer said the team risked being torn apart if the Briton stayed at the helm. “I’d love to have him (Verstappen),” Wolff, who has a vacancy for 2025 following Lewis Hamilton’s decision to move to Ferrari, told reporters. “But first we need to sort out our car. I think we owe it to our drivers George (Russell) and Lewis to improve the car and give them equipment that is good before dreaming about the future next year.” Asked if Verstappen was the top target, Wolff replied: “This is a decision that Max needs to take and there is no team up and down the grid who wouldn’t do handstands to have him in the car.” Wolff indicated there was no rush to decide the 2025 driver lineup. “We have a few interesting options. The more we are able to assess how the season pans out, young drivers, slightly older ones, that’s not going to be a decision which we want to take in the next few weeks,” he said. Russell finished sixth and Hamilton ninth on Saturday after starting seventh and eighth. “The car is relatively good in the low speed and not so bad in the medium, but in the highspeed we are miles off,“ said Hamilton. “It’s frustrating for sure to be three years in a row in almost the same position. “We’ve definitely got to make some big changes.” – Reuters Mercedes would do handstands for Max: Wolff RESULTS & STANDINGS Verstappen continues winning streak, leads ‘s second onetwo in Saudi Arabia Max Verstappen. – AFPPIX

SPORTS SPORTS MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 29 ROB EDWARDS wants his Luton side to use Cauley Woodrow’s dramatic late leveller as a “springboard” after the substitute scored in the final minute of stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. The relegation-threatened Hatters were seconds away from a fifth-straight Premier League defeat when Woodrow nodded exEagle Andros Townsend’s delivery past Sam Johnstone’s left post to draw Luton within three points of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest. It seemed an unlikely result on an afternoon at Selhurst Park in which the hosts managed 21 shots to the visitors’ eight, but instead conceded in the final 15 minutes for a PremierLeague leading 21st time. Edwards said: “I wouldn’t say (that goal) was a turning point, that wouldn’t be the word I’d use. “We’ve been performing well, obviously results have been against us lately, but that can happen against Manchester United, Liverpool, Villa. “We played well in those games in big spells, but I wouldn’t say turning point, but hopefully springboard. I’d use that. “Hopefully it garners a lot of belief. We’re up against it at the moment. “I know there’s a lot of clubs suffering with injuries, but it’s hard for us with so many players missing, and then to lose two centre-backs during the game as well. “We’ve got a lot of square pegs in round holes out there towards the end, and to find a way when we’re not our best away from home, to drag a result out, is huge.” Palace were eight points clear of yesterday’s opponents ahead of Oliver Glasner’s third game in charge, and had plenty of chances to extend the distance between them and other relegation-threatened sides – including a late Odsonne Edouard chance that clipped the crossbar. Austrian Glasner encouragingly found plenty of his own fingerprints across Palace’s performance until the final 30 seconds of the contest. He said: “In this one situation we didn’t do it. We have to accept the result. “It hurts. It really hurts today but sometimes you have to feel this hurt then you develop and learn from it, and we will learn from it to be active and keep the opposite team out of our box until the referee ends the game.” – The Independent READ OUR HERE /thesun Malaysian Paper Wolves boost Euro push … but injuries strike again as Neto, Bellegarde limp off against Cottagers WOLVES’ bid for European football was boosted by a 2-1 victory over Fulham, but it came at the expense of more injury problems. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde limped off with just over 10 minutes gone while Pedro Neto, who had been passed fit after feeling his hamstring last weekend, pulled up just before half-time clutching the back of his left thigh. But the hosts made Fulham pay for missed opportunities, with Rayan Ait-Nouri scoring his first goal since December 2022 in the 52nd minute and Nelson Semedo adding a deflected second before Alex Iwobi grabbed a very late consolation. The result lifts Gary O’Neil’s side up to eighth in the Premier League table in the week when it was revealed Wolves will open contract talks with their manager this summer. O’Neil rated yesterday’s win as his favourite of the season given the adversity his side overcame. “Unbelievable win,” said a d e l i g h t e d O’Neil, whose side are up to eighth in the P r e m i e r L e a g u e table. “ M y favourite I think in terms of what we’ve had to deal with, the position we were in before the game, the position we found ourselves in 20-odd minutes into the game. “To find a way to beat a Fulham team that are in a really good moment – when I got their teamsheet I realised how strong they are depth wise, unbelievable bench they had available to them. “Obviously we’re in a different moment. We can be as strong as that but at this moment we’re not. “Then mentally for the players to lose the only attacking players we have left and still be able to find a way to respond I thought was an unbelievable win. “I’m sure they are, but the supporters should be unbelievably proud of the team that they just saw. “If I’d have grown up being a Wolves fan and you asked me what I wanted my team to look like, it would have been that.” It was a frustrating afternoon for Fulham boss Marco Silva, who saw Harry Wilson miss a one-on-one and Tosin Adarabioyo hit the bar in the first half. “We had a chance to come to half-time leading the score clearly,” said Silva. “We didn’t start really well but after the first chance we created, from that moment we built the momentum and we started to be on the front foot. “But the reality is the game is 95 minutes and the way we started the second half, we played too slow, losing some balls in dangerous areas that we cannot lose. And from that moment we are punished.” – T h e Independent Wilder impressed as battling Blades bounce back after Gun rout CHRIS WILDER watched Sheffield United draw 2-2 at Bournemouth, then praised them for bouncing back from the heavy loss to Arsenal. The Blades looked to be heading for only their second away win of the season as goals from Gustavo Hamer and captain Jack Robinson gave them a 2-0 lead in Dorset. However, Bournemouth netted twice in the last 16 minutes through Dango Ouattara and Enes Unal to rescue a Premier League point. Wilder, whose team were beaten 6-0 at home by the Gunners, said: “We rolled over on Monday so any sort of result today off the back of what happened would have been a good a good result and we’ve got that. “We are off the bottom and it was like a war zone at the end, with bodies everywhere. Everybody had cramp. “I said this morning that the players needed to show more and that it was about attitude over ability. “The narrative from everybody is that we are done and I don’t think that was the case today. We just have to fight and battle away for it and who knows what happens between now and the end of the season? He continued: “We have to just keep going and look at that next performance. We have got nine or 10 games left, that’s a quarter of the season. “Hopefully this will give us a little bit more belief going into the next home game.” Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola said: “I don’t think it was a good result for us. We wanted the three points. “We finished the game a lot stronger than they did and created some chances but could not get the third goal.” – The Independent Luton boss hoping for ‘springboard’ after draw █ BY RACHEL STEINBERG ‘Dangerous’ Bayern have found spark, says Kane BAYERN MUNICH striker Harry Kane warned yesterday “we can be really dangerous” after scoring his fourth hattrick of the season in a 8-1 demolition of Mainz. After Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Lazio which ensured progression to the Champions League quarterfinals, Bayern have now notched back-to-back wins for the first time in more than a month. The run pales in comparison to their poor form in March, where Bayern won just one of five. “If we play like we did in the past two matches, we can be really dangerous with the quality we have in this team,” Kane said. “I hope we can use it as a spark and that’s the aim now, to continue for the rest of our games.” Bayern, on a run of 11 straight German titles, sit seven points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, although Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten team have a game in hand. “Obviously it’s disappointing that we’re not higher in the league, but you’ve got to give credit to Leverkusen… they’re obviously having a special season.” Kane brought his goal tally to 30 from 25 league games this season, equalling the mark set by Uwe Seeler in 1963-64 for the most goals in a debut campaign with a German club. Inter continue Scudetto march INTER MILAN took another step towards a 20th Serie A title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at in-form Bologna which extended their massive league lead to 18 points. Yann Bisseck headed home the only goal of a tight contest in the 37th minute at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara as Inter geared up for Thursday’s Champions League decider with Atletico Madrid in positive fashion. Germany defender Bisseck’s second goal of the season extended Inter’s allcompetitions winning streak since the turn of the year to 13 matches and emphasised how the league crown is more a matter of when rather than if. “This is one of the most difficult places to play… beating Bologna is not easy. We gave everything,” said Nicolo Barella to DAZN. “Who knows how soon we can win it (the league), it depends on the other teams. It’s difficult for those chasing us, let’s hope it stays difficult for them.” Girona ease back into second as Atletico woes continue GIRONA returned to winning ways by beating Osasuna 2-0 yesterday to move back into second place in La Liga, as Atletico Madrid ceded further ground on the top three with a shock defeat at Cadiz. A goal inside the opening 15 minutes from Cristian Portu and a late Savinho strike allowed Girona to leapfrog Barcelona back into second spot. “Getting the three points at home is the most important thing to be at the top,” said defender Yan Couto. “Thanks to the fans for their support.” Atletico Madrid were shocked by lowly Cadiz as Diego Simeone’s men sank to a 2-0 defeat on the south coast. A brace either side of half-time from loanee Juanmi secured an invaluable three points for the 18th-placed Andalusian side and condemned Atletico to a seventh defeat this term. “The team started well, with enthusiasm and the desire to generate good things, but in the first dangerous situation, Cadiz found the goal and another different game was presented,” said Atletico coach Simeone. SHORTS Wolves’ Nelson Semedo (centre) celebrates scoring their second goal with Pablo Sarabia (right) and Nathan Fraser. – REUTERSPIX

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James Tarkowski hacked down Alejandro Garnacho inside the box 12 minutes in and Bruno Fernandes tucked into the right corner from the resulting spot-kick to put United 1-0 to the good. Garnacho won another penalty in the 34th minute after Ben Godfrey flew in on the Argentinian and this time Fernandes handed the ball to Marcus Rashford who sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way for his seventh goal of the season. Everton continued to press in the second period but their 23 shots were in vein as United bounced back from two defeats on the spin. Manchester City had 27 shots at their goal while winning the derby last week, but after allowing a number of chances again yesterday, Ten Hag said: “If you see their xG is not that high and ours is much higher. “It is their gameplan, obviously. We have players who feel comfortable to defend low. But you have to be disciplined and you have to incorporate it very well. “It was a team performance, especially our back four with the keeper and Casemiro. They have done very well. “You see the chances, they had some, also I think the way we defended set-plays was very good. “We were really organised and we were focused – everyone did their job. There was one or two second phases where they we had some opportunities, but all over we did quite well.” Garnacho went over in the box to win both penalties and was by far United’s best player in another sub-par performance at Old Trafford. Boss Ten Hag expressed his joy of working with the Argentinian but knows there are still vast areas to improve. He added: “I love to work with Garnacho and many other players in the squad but he is a player who likes a challenge. “Brave, confident and our job is to push him to high level but he is doing this. He has high potential. “When you are young you don’t know what it is to play in a high competitive league and perform every third day. “You don’t know you have to perform every training session. You need a lot of skills to be the best.” Everton’s woes in front of goal continued despite their best efforts, including good chances from Abdoulaye Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Dwight McNeil. The Toffees have scored just 14 open play goals this season and boss Sean Dyche knows his side have to find confidence in front of goal. He said: “Very frustrating, as you can imagine and we have had a run of that where we have been performing correctly in so many ways. “The most important thing is the scoreline, that’s the biggest stat and we’ve got on the wrong side of it, we have to work on it.” – The Independent Cardiff confidence ardiff confidence back: Bulut ack: Bulut MANAGER Erol Bulut says Cardiff City’s confidence is back after they staged a stunning late turnaround to beat Ipswich Town and earn a fourth successive win. Bulut described yesterday’s 2-1 victory over the Championship promotion contenders as maybe Cardiff’s best performance of the season. The Bluebirds are now unbeaten in five games, having been on a run of only one win from eight matches before then. “Confidence is very important,” said Bulut. “When you see a few weeks before, confidence was not good. Players are afraid to make mistakes, this is normal. “But you can only get it back with fighting, trying things you didn’t try before. We started with 0-0 against Blackburn, that was key to get confidence back. “That was important, then we push more, four in a row, now confidence is back. The players are in a good way to continue this way. Everyone is believing. “From the first minute until the end, we could lead, we had chances. All the players were concentrated. “When you play well and concede it’s not good, but how my players started, they finished the game. “Life is like this, you have to believe something. We believed today we were going to win this game and we did it.” Cardiff started strongly and should have taken an early lead but Perry Ng’s scuffed close-range effort was cleared off the line by Kieffer Moore. Subdued during the first half, Ipswich looked more like their usual fluent, attacking selves after the interval with substitute Omari Hutchinson forcing Ethan Horvath into a good save. The visitors probed patiently as the match wore on, gradually taking control before former Cardiff striker Moore fired into the far corner with a powerful leftfooted finish. Just as Ipswich looked to be heading level on points with Championship leaders Leicester City, Ryan Wintle scored with a deflected shot from close range five minutes into added time. Then five minutes later, substitute Callum O’Dowda volleyed in from Famara Diedhiou’s flick-on at a corner to spark ecstatic celebrations at Cardiff City Stadium. The end of Ipswich’s six-match winning run means they remain third in the table, trailing second-place Leeds United – who won at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday – by one point. Cardiff remain 10th but move within four points of the play-off spots after producing one of their best performances of the season. – Agencies █ BY SUNNY BADWAL Cardiff City’s Callum O’Dowda (left) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Ipswich Town during their English Championship match. – Cardiffcity.co.uk

SPORTS SPORTS MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 31 All jackpot amounts stated above are for this Draw. Subject to T&Cs of the Scheme. Please visit to www.magnum4d.my for more info. THE BIGGER PLAY IS TO PLAY RESPONSIBLY 010/24 10/03/2024 9940 6093 6938 7164 7244 0302 2176 1406 4486 7834 8655 8971 4678 2903 1244 9542 5335 0132 2481 7123 6204 3605 0968 RM6,647,252.93 RM136,217.18 9940 + 6093 6093 + 9940 6938 + 9940 9940 + 6938 6093 + 6938 6938 + 6093 3 11 12 25 31 32 33 34 4 18 RM5,876,529.71 RM143,669.04 4 0 9 3 3 8 4 0 9 3 3 0 9 3 3 8 4 0 9 3 9 3 3 8 4 0 9 3 3 8 4 0 3 8 9 3 1 9 Gan wary of Oman Harimau Malaya to take cautious approach against world No. 80 ranked team THE Harimau Malaya squad will likely be taking a cautious approach against Oman during their upcoming 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifiers second round fixtures. Harimau Malaya’s midfielder Brendan Gan said that the team was fully aware that world No. 80 Oman, now coached by Jaroslav Silhavy, the former coach of former the Czech Republic, could be a mysterious team boasting new tactics and gameplay. “He will bring new tactics and disrupt whatever system they had previously, that will be the hardest part for us to figure out how they’re going to play,” Gan he told reporters during the training session at the Wisma FAM on Saturday evening. “However, we are going to counteract whatever they are going to do, so at the moment (we are) concentrating on what we can do and what we can do better. “We also need to look back on the Asian Cup, and rectify the mistakes we have made. It is going to be a long, hard camp this time. “However, I think all the boys are ready to show what we can show because we are sitting in such a good position and we don’t want to waste where we’re sitting right now,” Gan added that world 132nd Malaysia needed to be assiduous to counter Oman’s new tactical approach in the first match at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat on March 21 and the second at Bukit Jalil National Stadium five days later. Silhavy, 62, who coached Czech Republic from 2018-2023 and guided Slavia Prague for the top plight league title in 2016-2017 season, replaced Croatian Branko Ivankovic, who was sacked by the Oman Football Association (OFA) for the team’s poor showing at the 2023 Asian Cup. Meanwhile, Gan, who left Selangor FC last month, said he is trying to be in his best shape in terms of fitness by exercising daily, though he is still club-less. “For me, off season in general, don’t be sitting around, doing nothing and watching TV. I will still be trying to keep fit, do exercise everyday, while some of the boys also had started to train with their teams. “I think it is just the fact of game time, we will need match fitness and intensity, we going to get here. The coaching team does know that and have been so amazing before this to make our bodies ready to take on teams of this high quality,” he said, adding that he had yet to make a decision on his new team. Malaysia are on track to qualify for the third round of the World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time, leading Group D with three-point advantage over Oman after beating Kyrgyzstan 4-3 and Taiwan 1-0 last year. Oman and Kyrgyzstan both have 3 points each while Taiwan remain bottom of the group without a single point. The Harimau Malaya squad will warm up for their qualifiers by taking on world 175th Nepal in a closeddoor International Tier 1 friendly match at Wisma FAM on March 15. – Bernama TNB create history NB create history TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) ended their 2024 season in style by completing the treble for the very first time when they beat TNB Cup defending champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 4-2 in the finals at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium on Saturday night. Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin’s charges have now created history by completing the treble of winning the TNB Cup, the Charity Shield and winning this season’s Malaysian Hockey League. TNB did face some stiff competition, with THT taking the lead twice during the final, scoring first in the sixth minute through Faizal Saari’s field goal before TNB equalised through another field goal by Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi in the 19th minute. THT, who actually achieved the treble last season, went ahead two minutes later with Mohamad Akhimullah Anuar Esook scoring their second field goal but the lead lasted a mere minute thanks to a penalty corner by South Korean Jang Jong Hyun. TNB then ensured victory in style with Mughni Mohamad Kamal and Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal scoring field goals in the 33rd and 36th minute, securing their historic treble. TNB raked in RM50,000 for winning the Malaysian Hockey League and RM25,000 for winning the TNB Cup, while THT won RM15,000 as runners up of the TNB Cup. Muhammad Azrai was the man of the match for the final, and also was this season’s top scorer, with 32 goals in both the season campaign and TNB Cup. Speaking to reporters after the final, Nor Saiful expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance even though they had to come from behind twice to win. “It’s a good final, our opponents put up quite a fight in the first two quarters of the game, but I think towards the end they couldn’t stand the pressure as we played well and absorbed their attacks, they can play counter attack and played it in the first two quarters but can’t manage it after that. “We scored another two goals and we can score another goal but we worried about the defense so that’s why we were moving back a bit in the last quarter. Good win for TNB, first treble for TNB and we are looking forward to preparing a better team next year,” he said. – Bernama ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Bournemouth 2 (Ouattara 74, Unal 90+1) Sheffield United 2 (Hamer 28, Robinson 64), Crystal Palace 1 (Mateta 11) Luton 1 (Woodrow 90+6), Manchester United 2 (Fernandes 12-pen, Rashford 36-pen) Everton 0, Wolves 2 (Ait Nouri 52, Cairney 67-og) Fulham 1 (Iwobi 90+8), Arsenal 2 (Rice 19, Havertz 86) Brentford 1 (Wissa 45+4). P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 28 20 4 4 70 24 64 Liverpool 27 19 6 2 64 25 63 Man City 27 19 5 3 62 27 62 Aston Villa 27 17 4 6 59 37 55 Tottenham 26 15 5 6 55 39 50 Man Utd 28 15 2 11 39 39 47 West Ham 27 12 6 9 43 47 42 Wolves 28 12 5 11 42 44 41 Newcastle 27 12 4 11 57 45 40 Brighton 27 10 9 8 49 44 39 Chelsea 26 10 6 10 44 43 36 Fulham 28 10 5 13 40 44 35 Bournemouth 27 8 8 11 37 49 32 Crystal Palace 28 7 8 13 33 48 29 Brentford 28 7 5 16 40 52 26 Everton 28 8 7 13 29 39 25 Nottm Forest 27 6 6 15 34 49 24 Luton 27 5 6 16 38 55 21 SheffUtd 28 3 5 20 24 74 14 Burnley 27 3 4 20 25 60 13 CHAMPIONSHIP: Blackburn 1 Plymouth 1, Cardiff 2 Ipswich 1, Hull 2 Leicester 2, Millwall 1 Birmingham 0, Norwich 5 Rotherham 0, Preston 1 Stoke 2, QPR 0 Middlesbrough 2, Southampton 4 Sunderland 2, Watford 1 Coventry 2. Top 10 P W D L F A Pts Leicester 37 26 4 7 74 33 82 Leeds 37 24 7 6 68 28 79 Ipswich 37 23 9 5 74 49 78 Southampton 36 22 7 7 73 47 73 West Brom 36 17 9 10 53 35 60 Norwich 37 17 7 13 66 54 58 Hull 37 16 10 11 53 46 58 Coventry 37 15 12 10 59 43 57 Preston 36 15 8 13 48 54 53 Cardiff 37 16 5 16 43 49 53 LA LIGA: Girona 2 (Portu 13, Savinho 87) Osasuna 0, Granada 2 (Uzuni 21-pen, 45+3) Real Sociedad 3 (Umar 33, Le Normand 80, Silva 85), Cadiz 2 (Juanmi 24, 64) Atletico Madrid 0, Valencia 1 (Duro 40) Getafe 0. Top 5 P W D L F A Pts Real Madrid 27 20 6 1 56 18 66 Girona 28 19 5 4 59 33 62 Barcelona 28 18 7 3 57 34 61 Atletico 28 17 4 7 54 31 55 A. Bilbao 27 14 8 5 46 26 50 SERIE A: Bologna 0 Inter Milan 1 (Bisseck 37), Cagliari 4 (Lapadula 12, Gaetano 40, Shomurodov 51, 76) Salernitana 2 (Kastanos 56, Maggiore 58), Sassuolo 1 (Thorstvedt 58) Frosinone 0, Genoa 2 (Gudmundsson 52, Vitinha 68) Monza 3 (Pessina 8, Mota 18, Maldini 79). Top 5 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 28 24 3 1 70 13 75 Juventus 27 17 6 4 42 21 57 AC Milan 27 17 5 5 51 32 56 Bologna 28 14 9 5 41 25 51 Roma 27 14 5 8 52 33 47 BUNDESLIGA: Werder Bremen 1 Dortmund 2, Bayern Munich 8 Mainz 1, RB Leipzig 2 Darmstadt 0, B. M’gladbach 3 Cologne 3, Augsburg 1 Heidenheim 0. Top 5 P W D L F A Pts Leverkusen 24 20 4 0 61 16 64 Bayern 25 18 3 4 73 29 57 Stuttgart 25 17 2 6 57 31 53 Dortmund 25 13 8 4 50 31 47 RB Leipzig 25 14 4 7 55 31 46 LIGUE 1: Lens 1 Brest 0, Lorient 0 Lyon 2. Top 5 P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 24 16 7 1 54 19 55 Brest 25 13 7 5 35 19 46 Monaco 24 12 6 6 44 34 42 Lens 25 12 6 7 34 24 42 Lille 24 11 8 5 34 20 41 RESULTS & STANDINGS TNB’s Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi (right) in action with Terengganu Hockey Team (THT)’s Abdul Khaliq Hamirin (centre) during the final of the TNB Cup. – BERNAMAPIX

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 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2625 Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Email: advertise@thesundaily.com SCAN ME MONDAY | MAR 11, 2024 or download app from the App Store or Google PlayTM . www.thesun.my Free access to iPaper PDF Download SCAN ME Malaysian Paper Read iPaper at Malaysian Paper Malaysian Paper -Story - on page 230 Story on page 29 Cardiff confidence back: Bulut MIKEL ARTETA hailed match-winner Kai Havertz as an “exceptional player” after his late header saw Arsenal beat Brentford to move top of the Premier League. With title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City facing off overnight, any victory for Arsenal would have taken them to the summit for the first time in 2024 – they will stay there if that game is drawn. It looked like they were on course to miss out after returning goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale gifted a goal to Yoane Wissa to cancel out a brilliant Declan Rice header, only for Havertz to convert with four minutes remaining to secure a 2-1 victory. Havertz was serenaded by the home fans at full-time as he made it four goals in his last four League games, continuing to bely the criticism of his early-season form following his move from Chelsea. “I’m so happy,” Arteta said when asked if Havertz had now justified his big-money move. “If somebody told me after the first two or three months that the whole stadium would be singing his song with that passion, with that feeling, with that chemistry, I would have found it hard to believe. “That’s what happens to good people. He’s an exceptional player. When he starts to score goals like this and everything starts to flow people feel more connected with him. “They see his work rate, they see his intelligence, they see how he plays for the team and how h e ’ s contributing. It’s impossible not to love him.” Rice rose to head home a career-best sixth goal of the season but deep in firsthalf stoppage time, Ramsdale collected a routine back-pass from Gabriel Maghalaes but dallied in possession and his attempted clearance was blocked into the net by Wissa. Ramsdale has not played since the return game at Brentford in November after losing the battle for the Arsenal No. 1 spot to David Raya – who is on loan from the Bees and therefore ineligible against his parent club – and this could yet be his final outing for the Gunners. He recovered to make two smart saves in the second-half and Arteta was pleased his error did not ultimately cost the Gunners. “I’m really happy especially because he did exactly what he is, which is a person with huge personality and courage, very determined,” he said. “Errors are part of football. It’s how you react to it, especially for the keepers which is probably the most difficult position. “He did so in an amazing way. I’m not surprised because the whole team and the whole stadium was behind him. “He has earned that respect and admiration. We really wanted to win for him.” Havertz’s header meant Ramsdale’s blushes were spared – but Brentford boss Thomas Frank felt the Germany forward was lucky to still be on the pitch to score the winner. Having b e e n booked for an elbow on Kristoffer Ajer, he managed to avoid a second caution despite seemingly diving in an attempt to win a penalty. “Havertz is a clear, clear dive,” said Frank. “I wish they would just admit it. I don’t know if he has because that happens all the time, every week someone is doing it. I know it happens. “That should of course been a second yellow and a red card. And then he wouldn’t be able to score the winner and hopefully maybe we would have gained a little bit more momentum, maybe to win the game.” Arsenal had scored 31 goals in their previous seven Premeir League games but Brentford frustrated the hosts and Frank said his injury-hit side were close to a “defensive masterclass” against the title challengers. “We limited them to a very, very minimum,” Frank said. “Basically almost a defensive masterclass I would say. So much effort, so much mentality. “Even more impressive if you take into account Arsenal’s form, they’re playing at home. Our form, our injury situation and our captain coming off. So impressive.” – The Independent █ BY MARK MANN-BRYANS Wolves boost Euro push ‘Exceptional’ Exceptional’ Kai Kai Arsenal’s Kai Havertz celebrates scoring his team’s second goal against Brentford during their Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium. – AFPPIX Arteta hails Havertz after late winner against Brentford