The Sun - 11 June 2024

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says action must be taken although it is an unpopular measure that all previous prime ministers had agreed on but did not implement due to risks involved. Malaysian Paper www.thesun.my RM1.00 PER COPY RM1 TUESDAY JUNE 11, 2024 SCAN ME No. 8541 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) Alliance for A Safe Community says responsibility for passenger welfare does not lie solely with bus drivers but also requires effective measures and enforcement by those in charge. Report on — page 4 MACC says it is examining minutes of exco approval meetings and executive council members will be among witnesses to be called up. Report on — page 5 Nyamai Sarawak Gastronomy Festival to be held in conjunction with Malaysia Day planned as celebration of rich and diverse culinary heritage of country: Minister Report on — page 6 Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the implementation of the diesel price float system and targeted subsidies could result in savings of RM4 billion annually and strengthen the financial position of the country in the long term. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN Report on — page 2 ‘Targeted diesel ‘Targeted diesel subsidies needed ubsidies needed to save nation ave nation’ Latest bus crash prompts call for better safety standards Malay reserve land fraud: More to be quizzed Food fest to showcase M’sian unity spirit

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 2 Malaysia focusing on defence technology transfer: Minister ANKARA: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has emphasised the importance of foreign companies aspiring to supply military assets to Malaysia to assist the country in developing specific sectors to contribute to the local defence industry. He said this is crucial for the country to build its defence industry capabilities and capacities to ensure that Malaysia’s reliance on foreign countries is not total. “This is one of the efforts we are undertaking. Yes, we will make military asset procurement, but we do not want it to end there. Essentially, any company to be named later must have a roadmap and milestones. “Mindef (Defence Ministry) will assess whether it is worthwhile and truly beneficial to the country’s defence technology development,” he told a media conference after visiting the Turkish Aerospace Industries. Mohamed Khaled is on a five-day official visit to Turkiye from Sunday. He said Turkiye is among the countries genuinely willing to collaborate and assist Malaysia in developing its local defence industry. “We can see Turkiye’s capabilities because they have successfully sold their defence assets to several other countries. This means they are on par with world defence technologyproducing countries. “Turkiye’s advantage lies in their willingness to share and transfer defence technology to our country, while our approach is not necessarily to produce complete products or equipment, as we can play a role as suppliers of components of such products.” The delegates witnessed Turkiye’s advancements in defence technology which indicated that it is already in a league of its own. The Turkish Aerospace Industries area spans four million square metres and features various facilities including main assembly warehouses, tarmacs, runways for fighter jets and hangars. The Malaysian delegation was also treated to a mini air show featuring the latest combat helicopter known as the T129 Atak and the lightweight fighter jet, Hurjet, which performed dazzling acrobatic manoeuvres. Mohamed Khaled added that there is a proposal for Malaysia to be equipped with combat helicopters as well, but this matter has not been finalised. “According to the Defence White Paper research, the country requires combat helicopters, not just helicopters for transporting goods and personnel.” – Bernama No promotion for dept heads who condone misconduct PUTRAJAYA: There will be no promotion for department heads if misconduct by civil servants under them exists and is not reported, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said it is quite impossible for department heads or unit chiefs to be unaware of the existence of misconduct in their respective administrations. “If misconduct is clearly visible, why didn’t the department head report it, why didn’t the unit chief know? Sometimes, I wonder because this practice has been going on for years, it’s impossible not to know. “So I will recommend to the KSN (Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali) in our upcoming meeting regarding salary adjustments that we will stipulate that department heads or unit chiefs will not be promoted if it is known that the system under them is corrupt and it is not reported,” he said at the monthly assembly of the Prime Minister’s Department yesterday. Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said that he wants a decision regarding the aspect of promotions to be made next week, with the method expected to be announced by Mohd Zuki and Public Service Department director-general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz. “I hope you understand, if not you can choose not to be a department head because the responsibility is greater. Tell the Public Service Department directorgeneral that you only want to work as an ordinary officer, and don’t want to be a unit or department head.” He said with this move, the responsibility to prevent misconduct lies not only with the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission but also with department heads and unit chiefs. “This is not just about saving the image and integrity of civil servants but also our country. I want Malaysia to be known as a clean country, with minimal corruption.” Anwar also urged civil servants, the majority of whom are Muslims, to instil the spirit of haj in their work practices to achieve excellence in their duties and eradicate all forms of dishonesty. Also present were Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa. – Bernama Targeted diesel subsidy vital to save country, says Anwar PUTRAJAYA: The government’s decision to implement targeted diesel subsidies is necessary to save the country, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Speaking at the monthly assembly of staff of the Prime Minister’s Department yesterday, he said action must be taken although it is considered as an unpopular measure. “Who wants this targeted subsidy? We must also know that whatever we do, we will be severely criticised with all sorts of slander and lies. “In fact, we have said that all prime ministers before this had agreed on targeted subsidy, but there was no political will to implement it because of the risks involved. However, to save the country, we have no choice,” said Anwar, who is also the finance minister. The government had announced on Sunday that the price of diesel at all retail stations in Peninsular Malaysia would be set at RM3.35 per litre starting from 12.01am yesterday. Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, when announcing the matter, said it is the market price without subsidy, based on the average for May 2024 according to the Automatic Pricing Mechanism formula. He said the implementation of the diesel price float and targeted subsidies could provide savings of RM4 billion annually and strengthen the country’s financial position in the long term. Amir Hamzah said the move is to ensure that diesel subsidies benefit only those eligible, and to stop leakages which have resulted in a loss for the people and the country. He said the subsidy rationalisation does not affect consumers in Sabah and Sarawak. Amir Hamzah said the diesel price would be announced every week according to the current practice of the Finance Ministry and the government would continue to monitor the situation to avoid price instability. He said diesel subsidy had increased 10- fold from RM1.4 billion in 2019 to over RM14.3 billion in 2023. He added that with the huge amount spent by the government on diesel subsidy, the o‘All former prime ministers agreed on need for scheme but lacked political will to implement it because of risks due to unpopular measure’ Individual diesel vehicle owners INDIVIDUAL BUDI MYSUBSIDI DIESEL BUDI Applicant Eligibility Applicant Eligibility • Malaysian citizen • Annual income of individual or spouse RM100,000 and below based on LHDN data • The vehicle owner, whether an individual or a representative for a company (at least Executive level), can deal with KPDN • Subject to eligible vehicle types only • ‘Runners’ are not allowed to deal with KPDN • New Applications/Additional Vehicles/Change of Oil Company can be made online through the portal [https://mysubsidi.kpdn.gov.my] (https://mysubsidi.kpdn.gov.my) Applicant Eligibility • Specifically for small farmers (Crops, Aquaculture, and Livestock) and smallholders (Palm Oil, Rubber, Cocoa, Pepper, and Kenaf) in Peninsular Malaysia • Registered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) or the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) Farmers and smallholders AGRI-COMMODITY BUDI Cash assistance of RM200 per month is provided to eligible individual diesel vehicle owners. Land transportation The Subsidised Diesel Control System (SKDS) is a dedicated platform for selected public vehicles and goods transportation to directly receive diesel subsidies through fleet card. Cash assistance of RM200 per month is given to farmers, livestock breeders, and small commodity farmers registered with the relevant Ministry agencies. Applications can be made online at the BUDI MADANI website https://budimadani.gov.my MADANI BUDI diesel retail price in Malaysia is among the lowest in the world, Bernama reported. For the record, diesel was sold at four different prices in Malaysia, and according to subsidy, RM1.65 for fishermen, RM1.88 for land public transport and RM2.15 for commercial and private vehicles. Unsubsidised market price for the commercial sector reached RM3.60 earlier this year. “At the same time, it is priced higher in neighbouring countries. It is about RM4 in Thailand, RM4.50 in Indonesia and almost RM9 in Singapore. This situation invites smuggling to neighbouring countries and misappropriation in commercial sectors that are not eligible to use subsidised diesel. “From the amount the goverment saves, more resources can be channelled to other critical sectors which will directly improve the people’s quality of life, including public infrastructure, healthcare and education.” He said through the targeted subsidy, smuggling and misappropriation of diesel would no longer be lucrative activities, which would then, logically, be reduced drastically.

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 3 Firm offers green solution to deal with solid waste KUALA LUMPUR: According to the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s National Solid Waste Department (NSWD), waste management is a significant problem in Malaysia as output outpaces the country’s recycling rate. Malaysia disposes more than 30,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) daily, which amounts to 1.17kg of waste daily per capita. Food waste contributed the most significant component of MSW, followed by plastic, paper, mixed organic, wood and other items. While most waste goes into landfills, the amount of rubbish that is generated has also risen steadily in tandem with population growth. NSWD said Malaysia has 165 landfills, eight sanitary landfills and three inert landfills for materials such as sand and concrete. While the government has set a The waste elimination machine is designed to be compact, at only two metres wide and five metres long, and can convert 500 to 900 litres of mixed solid waste to ash every hour. oMachine converts mixed refuse to non-toxic ash to be used as fertiliser and for construction purposes █ BY JOSHUA PURUSHOTMAN [email protected] Unity govt Sungai Bakap candidate to be named tomorrow NIBONG TEBAL: The candidate representing the unity government in the Sungai Bakap by-election will be announced tomorrow. PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli said the selected candidate from the party was presented at the unity government leadership consultative council meeting yesterday. “The list of candidates has been submitted to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the election department. The candidate has been screened by the Penang state leadership council. “That is the process. Although it is PKR contesting, our allies will approve it,” said after launching the unity machinery for the Sungai Bakap by-election on Sunday. Rafizi, who is also PKR election director, said the by-election was not an easy contest for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, but there was a chance to reclaim the seat, that was lost to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the last state election. “We accept the fact that we enter this by-election as the underdog, but we are confident of reclaiming the seat that was briefly lent to PN.” He also reminded the PH coalition machinery that the campaign for the by-election should be different, with speeches also addressing the issue of Palestinians. He also requested the party machinery to campaign with dignity and respond to all accusations and slander thrown by the Opposition in a proper manner. Also present at the event were Penang PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow, Penang PKR Leadership Council deputy chairman Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid, Penang Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, and Nibong Tebal MP Fadhlina Sidek. The Election Commission has set July 6 as polling day, with nominations to be held on June 22 and early voting on July 2. The by-election is being held following the death of the incumbent, Nor Zamri Latiff, on May 24 due to stomach inflammation. In the last state election, Nor Zamri, who was PAS Nibong Tebal president, defeated PH’s Nurhidayah Che Ros with a majority of 1,563 votes. – Bernama ‘Haj flight change only for women related issues’ MECCA: Any changes to the return flight schedule of haj pilgrims will only be made if it is related to issues concerning women’s fiqh (jurisprudence) and health, said Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) Mecca operations director Rozila Omar Ali. She said the return flight schedule was usually arranged before the pilgrims’ departure to the Holy Land. “Usually, we will receive requests for changes to the flight schedule due to issues concerning women’s fiqh that require a later (flight). This is one of the cases that will be given consideration. “Whether the female haj pilgrim will be accompanied by her mahram, it depends on the application. However, so far we have yet to receive any application as it is still in the early stages,” she said at the TH headquarters in Mecca here recently. During the days of Tasyriq on the 11th, 12th and 13th day of Zulhijjah, after the stone-casting ritual, a pilgrim must perform the tawaf. The female pilgrim must be clean from menses before performing the tawaf ritual. If they are still in a state of impurity when the return flight date arrives, they can contact the maktab management to consider changing the return flight schedule because it is mandatory to perform the tawaf, which is one of the pillars of haj. Consideration will also be given to pilgrims who are unwell or are receiving treatment at the TH treatment centre or any hospital based on recommendations by medical officers. – Bernama Minister in Geneva for labour talks PUTRAJAYA: Human Resources Minister Steven Sim and a Malaysian delegation are attending the 112th Session International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference, which started yesterday, will end on Friday. Sim will deliver a speech in the plenary session and will speak on renewal of the social contract to support the theme of this year’s ILC conference. “Sim’s participation at the conference is significant because Malaysia will deposit the ratification document of the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) of the International Labour Organisation to its director-general, said a statement. “He will also participate in bilateral meetings with counterparts from the Philippines and Nepal on labour and human resource development cooperation.” – Bernama target recycling rate of 40% by 2025, Malaysia achieves only 31%, which is lower than Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand. The 12th Malaysia Plan also calls for waste management as the key to advancing environmental sustainability. However, a Malaysian company has found a solution to the national waste management problem through its invention of “Asher”, a machine that converts solid waste into non-toxic ash that can be used as fertiliser and for construction purposes. Mechanical engineer Pang Swee Lei, who co-founded Pamarai Sdn Bhd that manufactures the machine, said it costs RM550,000 to RM1.7 million to purchase, depending on the type of application, location of the installation and required regulations. The machine is designed to be compact, at only two metres wide and five metres long, and can convert 500 to 900 litres of mixed solid waste to ash every hour. “This makes it ideal to be installed in shopping malls, hotels, airports, hospitals, office towers, government buildings, factories, and commercial centres so waste can be treated at the source. “Asher is a revolutionary green technology. We built the prototype in 2010 and it was commercialised in 2017 as an effective, realistic and practical waste elimination, reduction and treatment solution.” Pang said while Malaysia has made commendable strides in waste management and has maintained a fairly effective system of keeping the surroundings clean, the country and its economic sectors still rely on landfills and incinerators. “Waste segregation and recycling programmes have repeatedly failed due to inadequate infrastructure, poor enforcement, and very little public interest and awareness.” Pang said landfilling was akin to a “waste relocation and hidden away system” since rubbish is merely collected, transported and ultimately hidden inside a large hole, which is the landfill. He said instead, the government and private sector should treat and reduce waste at the source, which is the simplest, most practical and effective method of waste disposal, reduction and elimination. “Imagine, if every government and commercial building treated their waste at source, it will drastically simplify waste management and help the country break free from the wasteful practice of merely hiding our discards in landfills.” Pang said even the World Health Organisation supports “treat, reduce and eliminate at source” as the best waste management solution. Pang said now that Asher has been invented, the next step is for national leaders and lawmakers to drive the “treat-at-source” strategy to ensure its effective, sustainable, and wide implementation. “Public education and awareness programmes are essential to show how everyone can contribute to keeping Malaysia clean, and preserve our valuable resources such as land, water and fresh air. “The public must be equipped, and facilitated to actively participate. “Local councils should decentralise waste management by strategically locating treat-atsource facilities so that effective technologies such as Asher can be used.” “Doing so would allow the public to manage their waste, and reduce reliance on large rubbish trucks with collection schedules.”

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 4 SERDANG: The Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (Maha) 2024 exhibition set for September aims to secure approximately RM6 billion in agreements and RM40 million in direct sales. Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said these are the key performance indicators set for Maha 2024, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary since its first organisation in 1923. “Reflecting on the 100-year history of the event, it underscores the significance of this exhibition in the development of the country’s agricultural sector. “Maha has played a crucial role in advancing agricultural technology, introducing innovations, and promoting collaboration among various stakeholders in the agricultural industry, particularly in ensuring the country’s food security,” he said when launching Maha 2024 here yesterday. The theme for Maha 2024 is “Harvesting Tomorrow Where Dreams Blossom”. Through Maha 2024, Mohamad said the ministry aims to enhance awareness and knowledge of modern agricultural technology among local farmers and entrepreneurs. “Through this exhibition, visitors and stakeholders will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the application of innovations such as smart farming, big data usage and automation that can be applied in their daily operations,” he said. He added that Maha 2024 should serve as a platform to promote local agricultural products in the international market as the number of exhibitors targeted this time has exceeded 2,000 companies. “The organisation of Maha 2024 should also focus on promoting sustainable agricultural practices that can preserve the environment and ensure the sustainability of agricultural resources.” Meanwhile, Mohamad said Maha 2024 would also emphasise the internet of things in agriculture, fisheries, livestock and farming. “Maha 2024 will also implement several new approaches that are more interactive and aligned with the interests of the current generation,” he said. Maha 2024, which will take place at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang from Sept 11 to Sept 22, is targeting to attract three million visitors. – Bernama Urgent call to increase safety standards for express buses PETALING JAYA: Another express bus crash in the early hours of Sunday, which killed two and injured several others, has heightened calls for authorities to immediately bolster safety standards. There were six express bus crashes nationwide between January and May, theSun reported yesterday. And with Sunday’s 12.31am crash involving 39 passengers, which allegedly occurred when an express bus overturned on a slope after colliding with a trailer at Jalan BahauKeratong near Muadzam Shah, the number of bus crashes has risen to seven. Alliance for A Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye called on bus operators to implement strict policies to ensure passenger safety. “There must be stringent enforcement of rules to ensure bus drivers are adequately rested so passengers can remain safe during their bus rides. “The responsibility for passenger safety does not lie solely with bus drivers. A noticeable lack of effective measures and enforcement from those in charge is to blame too.” Lee said bus crashes and passenger safety have been a persistent concern for many years and has expressed frustration over the continuing negligence in resolving the issues. He said apart from the authorities and bus operators, other vehicle drivers also play a significant role in maintaining road safety. Hence, he said it is essential for all drivers, regardless of the type of vehicle one operates, to be mindful and oGroup urges operators to implement strict polices and better enforcement of rules to ensure passenger welfare considerate of other vehicles on the road. “It is critical to be aware of blind spots and avoid sudden manoeuvres near other vehicles as this can help to prevent crashes and ensure the safety of all road users. “If the driver or the condition of the bus causes a problem, the operators must ensure safety rules are in place to address such issues and follow them without fail.” Lee called on bus drivers to operate their vehicles with the highest regard for safety, which includes following traffic regulations, being attentive while driving and managing emergencies that arise in transit. He also stressed that drivers must perform pre-trip inspections to ensure their buses are in proper working order and address any mechanical issues before safety is compromised. “Companies should invest in regular driver training programmes that emphasise defensive driving techniques, emergency response procedures and customer service skills.” Road Safety Expert Association founder Jamil M. Aruf said full Perak to assist SPM absentees in TVET studies responsibility for passenger safety lies with the bus operator or the bus operating company. “They must ensure that their buses are in good condition to be on the road and hire qualified drivers who have some knowledge of bus maintenance, not just driving skills. “The drivers must be in good health, comply with the company’s standard operating procedures, be responsible and disciplined, and have a clean driving record.” Jamil said it is vital to foster close collaboration with regulatory bodies, to ensure safety levels for both buses and drivers, as well as passengers. “Holding regular meetings to evaluate service performance holistically, including gathering feedback from passengers, is essential for enhancing overall service quality. “In case the driver commits any traffic offences, passengers should lodge reports with the Transport Ministry’s Integrity Unit apart from the bus operators themselves.” Jamil said the combined efforts of bus drivers and operators are essential to create a secure and reliable transport system that passengers can trust. Ceiling price hike for local white rice being finalised SERDANG: The proposal to increase the ceiling price of local white rice is expected to be finalised before October this year, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu. He added that the proposal is still being discussed by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry and several other ministries. “(The proposal) on any price change of local white rice and so on is still being discussed, involving four to five ministries,” he said during a press conference at the launch of Maha 2024 yesterday. Asked when the proposal would be finalised, Mohamad said: “Before October. Not that long.” He was commenting on the proposed increase to the ceiling price of local white rice, in a bid to protect the future of all parties in the food production chain, especially padi farmers. In November last year, the Padi and Rice Regulatory Division found that the ceiling price of local white rice should be increased to RM3.20 per kg, compared with the current RM2.60 per kg. The increase in the ceiling price is important to prevent the dumping of local rice as manufacturers are no longer interested in continuing to purchase rice due to low prices. – Bernama Slight increase in labour force statistics PUTRAJAYA: The number of labour force in April 2024 edged up by 0.1%, registering 17.12 million persons from 17.1 million recorded in March, with the labour force participation rate standing at 70.3%. Statistics Department chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, in a statement, said the number of employed persons in April 2024 continued to record increases, with a month-on-month growth of 0.1% to 16.56 million persons compared with the previous month. “In the meantime, the number of unemployed persons during the month posted a slight decrease of 0.04% to 566,400 persons against 566,600 persons in March. “The unemployment rate in April remained at 3.3%, as recorded last month,” he said. On the employment situation, Mohd Uzir elaborated that the employees’ category formed 75.1% of the total employed persons in April. This group rose by 0.1% to 12.43 million persons in April and on the same note, the own-account workers’ category continued its upward trend, with a growth of 0.3% to 3.04 million persons. – Bernama Maha 2024 aims to secure RM6b in deals █ BY SIVANISVARRY MORHAN [email protected] Khairudin is confident the state can help SPM absentees enrol for TVET as over 60% of educational institutions in Perak offer such courses. – BERNAMAPIC IPOH: The Perak government will assist 655 students who missed the 2023 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examinations, allowing them to continue their studies in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). State Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Khairudin Abu Hanipah said the State Education Department and other relevant parties are currently tasked with locating these students. “The department’s priority is to identify them, considering some may already be pursuing their careers. “If everything goes smoothly, we’ll facilitate their enrollment in TVET studies, offering opportunities for skill enhancement, knowledge enrichment and future career development,” he said at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Creative Youth Camp at Bazar Ipoh on Sunday. On May 30, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged SPM school leavers, particularly the 10,160 who did not sit for the examinations, to explore TVET studies for a fresh start and promising career avenues. Khairudin, expressing confidence, pointed out that over 60% of educational institutions in Perak offer TVET-related studies, indicating a feasible path forward. “We need to seize this opportunity to support these students in their quest for knowledge while bolstering our skilled technical workforce,” he said. He also announced that the state government will host a large TVET carnival in Perak on July 14 to provide exposure and opportunities to those interested. “At the carnival, participating educational institutions will provide insights and guidance, allowing interested individuals to register for suitable courses on the spot,” he said. – Bernama

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 5 Duo deny receiving RM2.6m bribes BUTTERWORTH: Two company directors pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here yesterday to 10 charges of soliciting RM4 million and receiving RM2.6 million in bribes to resolve excise duty issues with the Customs Department. Global Tobacco Manufacturers (International) Sdn Bhd director Chan Eng Leong, 50, and GTM Land and Property Sdn Bhd director Tan Kok Siang, 50, were jointly accused of soliciting money from Goh Choon Kim as inducement to help resolve issues involving RM108 million faced by Global Tobacco Manufacturers. They were also charged with receiving RM2,675,150 through nine cheques deposited into the bank account of Hotspot Capital (M) Sdn Bhd, which is owned by Chan. The offence was allegedly committed at a hotel in Jalan Machang Bubok 2, Bukit Mertajam in the Central Seberang Perai district on Sept 12, 2019. The charge was framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act. They face imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher. Judge Zulhazmi Abdullah set bail at RM100,000 each in one surety and ordered them to surrender their passports to the court and set Aug 2 for case mention. The case is being prosecuted by MACC DPPs Wirna Ariffin, Muhammad Taufik Awaludin and Mohd Syahzada Azad Sanusi while Chan is represented by R.S.N. Rayer and Tan by S. Meharaj. – Bernama Monitoring of diesel subsidy implementation JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has mobilised 187 enforcement officers and personnel to monitor the statewide targeted diesel subsidy implementation. Its director Lilis Saslinda Pornomo said they carried out inspections at petrol stations in urban and rural areas from 5pm on Sunday to 12am yesterday in preparation for the fuel price change. She said the move was to ensure petrol stations do not engage in irregularities in the supply of controlled goods, including closing the premises, claiming to run out of supply or having damaged pumps, placing conditions on sales and refusing to sell or hiding supplies. “The inspections found a petrol station suspected of selling diesel using containers exceeding 20 litres without a valid licence.” She said the case is being investigated under Regulation 12A of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974 and Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, read together with Regulation 3(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974. – Bernama MACC probing Malay reserve land case SERI ISKANDAR: An investigation into a fraud case involving more than 600ha of Malay reserve land in Perak is underway and witnesses will be called. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said former Perak executive councillors (exco) would also be summoned. “This is the second stage after a Land and Mines Office officer was charged. We are examining the minutes of exco approval meetings, and interviewing witnesses and oMinutes of executive councillors approval meetings being examined and witnesses to be summoned, with prosecution expected soon exco members. Prosecution will take place soon,” he said after attending the Higher Education Institution Anti-Corruption Debate Competition finals at Universiti Teknologi Petronas on Sunday. On April 30, a former state Land and Mines Office deputy registrar of titles was charged at the Ipoh Sessions Court with altering the status of 649.2ha of Malay reserve land in the Sitiawan subdistrict in Manjung. Rosli Che Mohamed, 64, was charged with deceiving the Perak Agricultural Land Board that the land, with property title No. PN 174770-174772, No. Lot PT 17527-17529, was not Malay reserve land through a Perak Land and Mines Office data correction form on March 25, 2011. A property company managing director was remanded for three days concerning the case but released on May 30, Bernama reported. Azam said the remand order issued by the Magistrate’s Court expired but an investigation is ongoing. On another case, he said MACC is applying to freeze the bank accounts of three suspects who were detained on June 5 in a RM1.18 million marriage registration bribery case in Perlis. “The state shariah chief registrar of marriages is a suspect and we want to find out what happened to the money deposited into their accounts, where it was spent and so on.” The individuals, including a Perlis Islamic Religious Affairs Department senior officer and an imam of a mosque in Kangar, are being remanded for five days to assist in the investigation. Court to decide on Tun M bid for public RCI hearing KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has set tomorrow to decide on a judicial review application filed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in relation to the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) proceedings into Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge. Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh has fixed 8.30am to deliver his decision, an hour before Mahathir is scheduled to provide his testimony before the RCI panel. Amarjeet fixed the date and time after hearing submissions by the former premier’s counsel Zainur Zakaria and senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan, who appeared for the Attorney-General’s Chambers. Mahathir filed the application on June 5 and named RCI chairman Tun Md Raus Sharif and his deputy Tan Sri Zainun Ali as first and second respondents. The third to eighth respondents are RCI members Datuk Dr Baljit Singh Sidhu, Datuk Dr Johan Shamsuddin Sabaruddin, Prof Datin Dr Faridah Jalil, Datuk Mohammed Ridha Ham Abd Kadir, Dickson Dollah and RCI secretary Zamri Misman. Mahathir is seeking an order to have the RCI proceedings into the handling of issues related to the sovereignty of Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge conducted publicly. He is also seeking an order to prohibit Md Raus from acting as RCI chairman and Dr Baljit and Mohammed Ridha from being RCI members. In the application, Mahathir is also seeking a declaration that he is an individual involved in or related to the matter being investigated by the RCI under Section 18 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1950. Yesterday, Zainur argued the proceedings must be made public because his client has been blamed on social media for “selling the country”. “Why hide the truth? We want the proceedings to be open to the public instead of being held behind closed doors. It is a public interest case.” Shamsul countered that the formation of the RCI and appointment of commissioners rested with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. – Bernama Man held on suspicion of murdering wife SHAH ALAM: Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murdering his wife at an apartment unit in Klang, Selangor on Friday. South Klang police chief ACP Cha Hoong Fong said the 31-year-old lorry driver was arrested the same day and has been remanded until June 14. He said police received a call from the suspect’s younger sibling at 7.58am saying the brother had committed the murder. He also said the 28-year-old victim was found lying on a bed with slash wounds on her neck and right hand, Bernama reported. “Preliminary investigations revealed the couple had been experiencing marital problems since they got married two years ago,” he said, adding that they have a six-month-old child. He said a post-mortem found 12 slash wounds on several parts of the body, including the face, neck, shoulders, arms and head. SUSPECTED SCAMMERS ... Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf showing photos of 18 individuals who have been arrested in relation to an investment fraud syndicate in Sabah during a special press conference at Menara KPJ yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

TUESDAY | JUNE 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 [email protected] Malaysian cuisine to be showcased at food fest KUCHING: In conjunction with the Malaysia Day celebrations this year, a Nyamai Sarawak Gastronomy Festival 2024 Malaysia Day Edition will be held from Sept 13 to 15 at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the festival is a celebration of the country’s rich and diverse culinary heritage that showcases Malaysia’s spirit of unity. “The ‘From Farm to Table’ concept of the festival emphasises sustainability and supports local farmers by highlighting the journey of local produce to your plates,” she said on Sunday at a press conference to announce the event. She said in addition to the farm to table concept, the event features modern fine dining experiences that will fuse traditional flavours with contemporary techniques and offer a unique gastronomic journey. “This initiative aligns with Kuching’s recognition as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy, declared in 2021, underscoring our rich food heritage and positioning us as a global culinary destination.” Nancy, who is also Santubong MP, said this year is the event’s second edition and would see chefs from all backgrounds showcasing their skills and creativity to prepare dishes representing the best of Malaysian cuisine. She added that admission to the festival would be free to the public, providing the perfect opportunity for families to gather and celebrate the occasion. “This festival not only celebrates the unity of different ethnicities but also showcases solidarity between various organisations and corporate entities. We unite strongly in the spirit of segulai sejalai.” – Bernama SPM indisputably an essential qualification KUALA LUMPUR: The issue of SPM candidates forgoing an exam deemed crucial for their career path has been a growing concern over the past few years. Education Director-General Azman Adnan said recently out of 383,685 candidates who registered for SPM in 2023, 10,160 did not sit for the exam. According to media reports, 14,858 (3.8%) of the 388,832 candidates who registered for at least six subjects in 2022 did not turn up for the exam. In 2021, 10,681 (2.7%) of the 392,837 registered candidates skipped the exam. Experts have emphasised the importance of SPM, saying it is the basic qualification required not only for higher education but also skills-based training programmes. The certificate also guarantees youths a career path that is not only stable but also sustainable in the long term. Universiti Putra Malaysia deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Dr Ismi Arif Ismail said among the reasons for candidates to skip the SPM exam could be economic pressure and a lack of interest in continuing their oUnwise for students to skip exam to work, as certificate widely recognised as prerequisite for employment: Experts studies, Bernama reported. “They perceive the exam as unimportant, while earning a living or providing additional income for their family is prioritised to meet their current needs. “The desire to own gadgets, socialise with friends and spend time with family are also reasons they see SPM as unnecessary,” said Ismi Arif, who was also the main consultant involved in the formulation of the Malaysian Youth Policy 2015-2035. He said access to online business opportunities and participation in the gig economy as e-hailing drivers and delivery riders have succeeded in capturing the interest of school leavers, who want to earn an income. They are particularly attracted to the flexible working hours of gig economy jobs. However, Ismi Arif said there have been cases of school leavers Abd Razak said while some individuals may succeed at getting a job even without an SPM certificate, they would still lag behind in knowledge and understanding. – SUNPIC sitting for SPM later when they realise its importance after venturing into jobs that require SPM qualification or its equivalent. “Some of them sit for the SPM later to achieve greater stability in their careers,” he added. Universiti Malaya (UM) Department of Educational Foundations and Humanities lecturer Dr Abd Razak Zakaria criticised the attitude of students who “count their chickens before they hatch”, saying they choose to forgo the SPM exam thinking they can succeed without the certificate. Abd Razak, who is also UM Centre for Family Research and Development chairman, agreed some students can go on to become successful in life without an SPM certificate but pointed out the qualification is a prerequisite for pursuing higher studies and the basic requirement for employment. “Success is possible even without an SPM certificate but they will still lag behind in knowledge and understanding. To succeed in life, one must have knowledge first.” Referring to a recent World Bank report, Abd Razak said Malaysian students spend an average of 12.5 years in school but learn the equivalent of only 8.9 years. “If they don’t sit for the SPM, it means that despite their years of schooling, they have nothing to show they have received formal education.” Abd Razak said students should consider education as something crucial and pursue it at least up to the SPM level, adding that after that, they are free to choose whether to continue their studies. He said preventive measures must be taken to help parents, schools and the Education Ministry in addressing “what may seem like a minor crisis initially but can have significant repercussions in future”. “Schools must identify these students early so that they can be provided with education suited to their abilities. “Parents must be told to be more aware of what kind of talents their children possess so that they can be guided towards channels that suit their capabilities,” he said.

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 7 North Korea warns of new response against South SEOUL: The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned of a new response against South Korea if the South continued with loudspeaker broadcasts and scattering leaflets amid simmering tensions. “If the ROK simultaneously carries out the leaflet scattering and loudspeaker broadcasting provocation over the border, it will undoubtedly witness the new counteraction of the DPRK,” said Kim Yo Jong in a statement late on Sunday carried by state news agency KCNA, using the official names of South and North Korea. South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea on Sunday, its military o‘Prelude to very dangerous situation’ ‘US provoking arms race in South China Sea’ BEIJING: The US poses the largest security challenge in the South China Sea as its military deployment there is turning it into “the whirlpool of an arms race”, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said in remarks published on Sunday. Recent maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines, a US treaty ally, have made the highly strategic South China Sea a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing. “At present, the biggest security challenge in the South China Sea comes from outside the region,” Sun said in comments published by his ministry, after attending a high-level meeting on East Asian cooperation in Laos. Sun said US-led forces were “promoting military deployment and actions in the South China Sea, inciting and intensifying maritime disputes and contradictions, and damaging the legitimate rights and interests of coastal countries”. A move by the United States to deploy medium-range missile systems in the area “is dragging the region into the whirlpool of an arms race, placing the entire Asia Pacific region under the shadow of geopolitical conflicts”, Sun said. China is committed to properly managing disputes with the parties in the South China Sea through dialogue, he said. In April, the Philippines said during a meeting with US allies that it was determined to assert its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, accusing China of escalating “its harassment” of the Philippines. China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has deployed hundreds of coast guard vessels as far as 1,000km off its mainland to police what it says is its jurisdiction. The Philippines and China have sparred repeatedly this past year near disputed features that fall within Manila’s exclusive economic zone. China routinely accuses the Philippines of encroachment while Manila and its allies have condemned what they call aggression by Beijing. The United States has said it stands with Manila. – Reuters CEREMONIAL BREAK ... Participants take part in a ceremony in between races during Tung Ng, or the Dragon Boat Festival, at Aberdeen fishing port in Hong Kong yesterday. – REUTERSPIC Indonesia ramps up fight against TB JAKARTA: Indonesia plans to run clinical trials of several vaccines to fight surging cases of tuberculosis (TB) this year. It has seen TB cases spike during the past few years, with its Health Ministry estimating there were over 1 million cases in 2023, compared with around 820,000 in 2020. In 2022, deaths from TB in Indonesia reached around 134,000, the second highest in the world after India. Three-quarters of the patients were in the productive age group and 45% of all patients did not work, raising concerns that the spread of the disease is hurting economic activity, Human Development Minister Muhadjir Effendy told a meeting with provincial leaders. He did not provide an estimate of the impact on growth. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said Indonesia plans to conduct a trial of vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in July, involving 2,500 people. The vaccine development is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A clinical trial for a vaccine made by China’s CanSino Biologics is also expected this year, Budi said. “We hope to be one of the first countries to do tuberculosis vaccination,” Budi told the meeting. “We’re also in the stage to conduct a clinical trial for an mRNA vaccine that is being developed by BioNTech,” Budi said. Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian ordered provincial leaders to set up task forces to detect TB infections. Indonesia aims to lower its mortality rate from TB by 80% to only six deaths per 100,000 lives by 2030. – Reuters B R I E F SPAKISTAN PM SHEBAZ CONGRATULATES MODI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif yesterday congratulated his counterpart Narendra Modi on his re-election. “Felicitations to @narendramodi (Modi) on taking oath as the Prime Minister of India,” he posted on X, in the first official comments from Pakistan. Modi was sworn in on Sunday at a ceremony attended by South Asian leaders from Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. However China and Pakistan were not present. Shebaz’s brother and ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif attended the inauguration of Modi in 2014, a first in the history of the nuclear-armed nations. But ties have worsened during a decade under Modi. Pakistan suspended trade and downgraded diplomatic ties with Delhi in 2019, after Modi revoked the limited autonomy of Indianadministered Kashmir. – AFP JAPAN TIGHTENS ASYLUM RULES TOKYO: Japanese laws making it easier for the country to deport failed asylum seekers took effect yesterday. The government can now deport asylum seekers rejected three times under immigration law changes enacted last year. Previously, those seeking refugee status had been able to stay in the country while they appealed decisions, regardless of the number of attempts made. The revised law is “meant to swiftly deport those without permission to stay, and help reduce long-term detentions”, said Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi in May. “Those who need protection will be protected, while those who violate the rules will be dealt with sternly,” he said. Critics warned the new rules could heighten the risk of applicants facing persecution after repatriation. – AFP OXFORD TO RETURN INDIAN SCULPTURE LONDON: Oxford University is to hand back a sculpture of a poet to India. The 500-year-old bronze, which depicts Tirumankai Alvar, had been on display at the university’s Ashmolean Museum. A claim for the sculpture was made through the Indian High Commission. Tirumankai Alvar was a Tamil poet and saint from south India. It is believed the bronze may have been looted from a temple. A statement for the museum said: “On March 11, 2024 the council of the University of Oxford supported a claim from the Indian High Commission for the return of a 16th-century bronze sculpture of Tirumankai Alvar. This decision will now be submitted to the Charity Commission for approval.” – The Independent said, following through on a warning that it would do so if Pyongyang kept sending balloons carrying trash into the South. North Korea on Saturday launched about 330 balloons with trash attached; about 80 of them landed over the border, South Korea’s military said. South Korea said yesterday a further 310 balloons had been launched, with about 50 landing in the South. “This is a prelude to a very dangerous situation,” said Kim, a vice-department director in the ruling Workers’ Party, referring to the South’s loudspeaker broadcasts. Pyongyang started sending balloons carrying trash and fertiliser, including possible manure, across the border in May, calling it retaliation for anti-North leaflets flown by South Korean activists as part of a propaganda campaign. “Seoul does not want military tension at the inter-Korean border, and Pyongyang does not want outside information threatening the legitimacy of the Kim regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “For both sides, ‘escalating to de-escalate’ is a risky proposition.” The US-led United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the armistice that established the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas as fighting ended in the 1950-1953 Korean War, has said it is conducting an investigation into the balloons, including the reports of possible faecal matter and other waste products. “We’d hope that everyone would come to the table to resolve their issues,” said US Army Colonel Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for UNC. North Korea has in some cases fired weapons at the balloons and speakers. South Korea stopped the broadcasts under an agreement signed by the two Korea’s leaders in 2018 but tensions have increased since then as Pyongyang pushed ahead with weapons development. South Korea’s broadcasts include world news and information about democratic and capitalist society, with a mix of popular K-pop music. The sound is believed to travel more than 20km into North Korea. North Korean troops have been seen clearing trees and building fences within the DMZ in recent weeks. Taylor said that UNC does not assess that the intent of the work is to enable a “disparate” military buildup in the border zone, which would be an armistice violation. He noted that since North Korea’s declaration that unification is no longer a goal, it has pursued measures to “harden” its boundaries. – Reuters

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 8 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON TWITTER Malaysian Paper France gears up for elections PARIS: France began to gear up for elections yesterday, after President Emmanuel Macron called a shock snap legislative election following a bruising loss in the European Parliament vote to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Macron’s unexpected decision, which amounts to a roll of the dice on his political future, could hand major political power to the far-right after years on the sidelines, and neuter his presidency three years before it ends. The legislative vote will take place on June 30, less than a month before the start of the Paris Olympics, with a second round on July 7. Analysts said Macron’s decision aimed to make the best of his weak position, reclaiming the initiative and forcing Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) into election mode faster than it would have liked. “We didn’t think it would be immediately after the European elections, even if we wanted it to be,” said the deputy chairman of the RN, Sebastien Chenu. “Elections are rarely a gift and in this context, they aren’t.” He called for right-wing lawmakers from outside the RN to swell its ranks in its battle to beat Macron, and said the party’s telegenic president, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, would be its candidate for prime minister. Led by Bardella, the RN won about 32% of the vote on Sunday, more than double the Macron ticket’s 15%, according to exit polls. The Socialists came within a whisker of Macron, with 14%. Macron’s Renaissance party has 169 lower house lawmakers, out of a total of 577. The RN has 88. If the RN wins a majority, Macron would still direct defence and foreign policy, but would lose the power to set the domestic agenda, from economic policy to security. Those powers would likely end up in the hands of Bardella, if he were to be prime minister. – Reuters B R I E F SSIX HELD FOR GUN OFFENCES AFTER RAMPAGE MEXICO CITY: Six people carrying unlicensed firearms were arrested in Mexico’s crimeplagued southern Chiapas state, prosecutors said on Sunday, following days of violence that displaced more than 4,000 people. Media reported over the weekend that several armed men had descended on the Tila municipality, shooting and setting fire to houses and businesses. The Chiapas prosecutor’s office said on Saturday that authorities had “rescued 4,187 people” who “were hiding in their homes following acts of violence” and transferred them to shelters. It said two people were found dead, including a minor, and at least 17 houses and businesses were set ablaze. More than 20 vehicles were also burned or vandalised. Violence has escalated in Chiapas due to fighting between the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels – Mexico’s two largest criminal gangs. – AFP PUTIN TO VISIT NORTH KOREA AND VIETNAM MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks, the Vedomosti newspaper reported yesterday, citing a diplomatic source. Russian ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora confirmed that the president’s visit to Pyongyang will happen and is being “actively prepared”. The newspaper said Putin could visit Vietnam as early as this month and most likely immediately after his visit to North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia last September for talks with Putin. He toured Russia’s Vostochny space launch centre in the far east, and Putin promised to help North Korea build satellites. The Kremlin has said Russia wants to build a partnership with North Korea “in all areas” but has yet to confirm the date of the visit. – Reuters Italy ruling coalition comes out on top in EU vote ROME: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s archconservative Brothers of Italy group won the most votes in the European parliamentary election over the weekend, results showed, boosting her standing both at home and abroad. With 96% of the ballots counted, Brothers of Italy won 28.8%of the vote, more than four times what it took in the last EU election in 2019 and exceeding the 26% it secured in the 2022 national ballot, when it rose to power. “I am proud that Italy will present itself to the G7, to Europe with the strongest government of all. This is something that has not happened in the past but is happening today, it is a satisfaction and also a great responsibility,” Meloni said early yesterday. The opposition centre-left Democratic Party came in second with 24%, while another oEurope swings to right, ballot count shows opposition group, the 5-Star Movement, was third with 9.9% of the vote – its worst showing at a countrywide level since its creation in 2009. The EU ballot indicated that Meloni’s ruling coalition, made up of parties that stretch from the centre-right to the far-right of the political spectrum, had seen its support edge up to more than 47% from just under 43% in 2022. “I am proud that the majority governing this nation has been able to grow together. This is an extremely important thing for me and for us. The message from Italians is: ‘Go ahead’ ... and if possible with greater determination,” Meloni said. Forza Italia, founded by the late Silvio Berlusconi, was in fourth place with 9.7%, surpassing the anti-immigrant League, which had 9.1% of the vote, pressuring leader Matteo Salvini, who has pushed his party hard right, antagonising its old guard. Underscoring tensions in the League, party founder Umberto Bossi voted Forza Italia this time around, his allies told Italian media at the weekend, sending a jolt through the group. Meloni’s party traces its roots back to a neo-fascist group and her 2022 victory set the tone for far-right gains across Europe, including in this latest EU ballot, which has seen the continent swing right. However, Meloni has moderated her image on the international stage, dropping her previous anti-EU rhetoric and presenting herself as a bridge between the mainstream centre-right and her own national conservative camp, which was previously shunned. Her strong showing on Sunday came in stark contrast to setbacks suffered by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose parties were both routed. Meloni’s group of lawmakers might also prove decisive if she decides to back the centre-right European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a second term, potentially giving Rome leverage over the new EU executive. – Reuters Graffiti attack on US consulate condemned SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese yesterday condemned vandalism of the US consulate in Sydney after the building was defaced. The building in the northern suburbs of Australia’s largest city was attacked and sprayed with paint by a person carrying a small sledgehammer early yesterday. “I would just say that people should have respectful political debate and discourse,” Albanese said in a televised media conference from Canberra when asked about the incident. “Measures such as painting the US Consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is of course a crime to damage property.” Nine windows of the consulate were damaged and the building’s door was graffitied. “CCTV has been sourced that shows a person wearing a dark coloured hoodie with their face obscured carrying what appears to be a small sledgehammer,” said a police spokesperson. A spokesperson for the US consulate confirmed the building had been damaged but said staff and operations were unaffected. “Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police are investigating the incident,” said the spokesperson. Photos of the consulate on the website of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper showed inverted red triangles sprayed on the building’s front. The symbol is used by some pro-Palestinian activists, it reported. The same building was sprayed with graffiti in April, while the US consulate in Melbourne was graffitied in May. Long a stalwart ally of Israel, Australia has become increasingly critical of its conduct in Gaza, where an Australian aid worker was killed in an Israeli attack earlier this year. Last month, camps sprang up at universities in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and other Australian cities protesting Israel’s war in Gaza and claiming the Australian government has not done enough to push for peace. – Reuters RISING WATERS ... Floodwaters partially submerging buildings in Ha Giang city in northern Vietnam yesterday after days of heavy rain. – AFPPIC

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 9 White House readies security treaty with Saudi Arabia WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is close to finalising a treaty with Saudi Arabia that would commit the US to help defend the Gulf nation as part of a deal aimed at encouraging diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and Saudi officials. The possible deal, widely telegraphed by US and other officials for weeks, is part of a wider package that would include a US-Saudi civil nuclear pact, steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state and an end to the war in Gaza, where months of ceasefire efforts have failed to bring peace. Approval of the treaty, which the WSJ said would be known as the Strategic Alliance Agreement, would require a two-thirds majority vote in the US Senate, a threshold that would be difficult to achieve unless the treaty were tied to Israeli-Saudi normalisation. The draft treaty is modelled loosely on Washington’s security pact with Japan, the newspaper cited US and Saudi officials as saying. In exchange for the US commitment to help defend Saudi Arabia if it were attacked, the draft treaty would grant Washington access to Saudi territory and airspace to protect US interests and regional partners. It is also intended to bind Riyadh closer to Washington by prohibiting China from building bases in the kingdom or pursuing security cooperation with Riyadh, the WSJ quoted officials as saying. The White House, the US State Department and the Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. – Reuters B R I E F S90 STATES, ORGANISATIONS SIGN UP FOR UKRAINE SUMMIT BERN: Ninety states and organisations have so far registered to take part in a summit aiming to pave the way for peace in Ukraine that Switzerland will host on Saturday and Sunday, the Swiss government said yesterday. Russia has not been invited to the summit due to be held in central Switzerland, but the government said in a statement that the gathering will aim to “jointly define a roadmap” on how to involve both it and Ukraine in a peace process. Switzerland in January agreed to host the summit at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskey, and has tried to drum up support for it among countries that have better relations with Moscow than leading Western powers. Russia has dismissed the summit as a waste of time. It was not invited, Switzerland says, because it signalled it had no interest in attending. Switzerland also stresses though, that Russia must be part of the peace process. – Reuters FIGHTING SHUTS DOWN LAST HOSPITAL IN DARFUR PORT SUDAN: The last operating hospital in western Sudan’s El-Fasher city has been closed after an attack by paramilitaries trying to seize the key city, medical charity Doctors Without Borders said. War has raged for more than a year between the regular military under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. El-Fasher in North Darfur is the only state capital in the vast western region not under RSF control, and is a key humanitarian hub for a region on the brink of famine. “On Saturday, the Health Ministry suspended all activities in South Hospital after RSF soldiers stormed the facility, opened fire and looted it, including stealing an ambulance,” the NGO said. It said intense fighting around the hospital earlier this week had triggered its evacuation, and by the time of the paramilitary attack it only had 10 patients and a reduced medical team. – AFP Pressure Israel to end war, US urged CAIRO: A senior Hamas official urged the United States yesterday to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, ahead of the planned visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region to push forward ceasefire efforts. Blinken is set to visit Egypt and Israel. He also aims to ensure the war does not expand into Lebanon. “We call upon the US administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war on Gaza and the Hamas movement is ready to deal positively with any initiative that secures an end to the war,” said senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri. In his eighth visit to the region since the Oct 7 attack, Blinken is also set to travel to Jordan and Qatar this week. He will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo before travelling to Israel later, where he will meet Prime Minister oHamas ready to respond positively, says official Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Gaza residents said tanks had been trying to thrust deeper towards the north early yesterday, edging Shaboura, one of the most densely populated and militant stronghold neighbourhoods at the heart of the city. Israeli tank forces have since seized Gaza’s entire border strip with Egypt running through Rafah to the Mediterranean coast and invaded many districts of the city of 280,000 residents, prompting around one million displaced people who had been sheltering in Rafah to flee. Blinken’s visit comes after US President Joe Biden on May 31 outlined a three-phase ceasefire proposal from Israel that envisions a permanent end to hostilities, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza. Washington sought to bring a ceasefire closer by tabling a draft resolution at the United Nations, calling for an “immediate ceasefire with the release of hostages”. The United States has been widely criticised for having blocked several earlier Swiss back law boosting renewable energy generation GENEVA: Switzerland approved a law aimed at speeding up the development of renewable energies, as part of the country’s bid to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. Official results showed that just under 69% of Swiss voters backed the law on “a secure electricity supply based on renewable energies”, confirming polling trends published before the referendum. “The Swiss people have taken an important decision,” said the Alliance For a Safe and Affordable Electricity Supply. Less than two months ago, Switzerland became the first nation ever to be condemned by an international court for not doing enough to combat climate change, in a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights. The renewables law was approved by parliament last year, and most environmental organisations back the legislation. It aims to boost wind and solar power’s miniscule contribution to Switzerland’s energy mix and rapidly increase hydro production so the wealthy landlocked country is less dependent on imported electricity. The law envisages installing solar panels on building roofs and facades. It also eases planning permission for wind turbines and large solar installations. Critics, including a few environmental groups, argue the law will fast-track large-scale energy projects and see Switzerland’s pristine Alpine landscapes plastered with wind turbines and solar panels. They also say locals will have only limited possibilities to appeal against the construction of new renewable energy installations. Switzerland’s largest party, the hard-right Swiss People’s Party, also opposed the law, above all in the name of defending civil nuclear power, which provided 32% of total energy production last year. After the vote it complained the law would provide Swiss people with “little electricity, at a high price” and result in “massive environmental destruction”. The government acknowledged that court appeals against large energy projects “will probably be less likely to succeed than before”. But it said projects would be examined on a case-by-case basis and constructing large installations in “biotopes of national importance” and migratory bird reservations will remain banned, albeit with some exceptions. Under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, citizens can trigger votes on topics by collecting 100,000 valid signatures within 18 months. Voting takes place every three months. – AFP UN draft resolutions calling for a halt to the fighting. Further doubts have been cast on a truce by an Israeli special forces raid to free hostages which killed scores of Palestinians on Saturday. “People were screaming ... young and old, women and men,” said Muhannad Thabet, 35, a resident of the crowded Nuseirat refugee camp area. “Everyone wanted to flee the place, but the bombing was intense and anyone who moved was at risk of being killed due to the heavy bombardment and gunfire.” The Israeli military said the extraction team and the four rescued captives came under heavy gun and grenade fire by gunmen, who killed one police officer, while Israel’s air force launched strikes that reduced nearby buildings to rubble. The Health Ministry in Gaza said 274 people were killed and 698 wounded, in what it labelled the “Nuseirat massacre”, figures that could not be independently verified. Among those were at least 64 children, 57 women and 37 elderly people, the ministry said. Many Israelis shed tears of joy when they heard of the release of the four captives, all reported in good health. Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, had been abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct 7. Pressure is mounting over Netanyahu’s failure to return remaining hostages and the departure of Benny Gantz from the Cabinet marked a major political blow. – Reuters/AFP Israeli military vehicles take positions in a street during a raid in the al-Faraa camp for Palestinian refugees near Tubas city in the occupied West Bank yesterday. – AFPPIC

10 TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 /thesundaily FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK Malaysian Paper Or download app on the AppStore or Google Play ENJOY A SEAMLESS READING EXPERIENCE. Read our iPaper at https://www.thesun.my/ Ensuring rooted resilience in our cities LATELY, we have been e x p e r i e n c i n g n u m e r o u s incidents of urban trees falling due to extreme weather conditions, leading to loss of life, injuries and significant property damage. Notable occurrences were reported in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Alor Setar and Nilai. In response, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (KL City Hall) has taken proactive measures by identifying 175 high-risk trees, most of which are over 50 years old, and cutting down 147 of them. Regular inspections by certified arborists have identified 28 additional high-risk trees slated for removal. Urban trees are essential to urban planning, providing environmental, social, economic, psychological and educational benefits. They improve air quality, support biodiversity, manage water resources, regulate temperatures, sequester carbon and enhance community well-being. Trees also add aesthetic value, promote recreation, foster social cohesion, lead to energy savings, boost property values and contribute to psychological well-being, fostering a deep connection to nature, especially for children. Given these multifaceted benefits, municipal landscape departments must ensure proper growth and structural development, including identifying and replacing unhealthy trees when needed. Landscape architects and designers face critical tasks such as addressing site availability, soil conditions, species selection, growth requirements and maintenance to integrate street trees effectively. Despite these challenges, urban trees play a vital role in climate change adaptation by reducing temperatures by up to 8°C, mitigating urban heat islands and managing stormwater, crucial for preventing urban flooding during heavy rainfall. In response to these challenges, KL City Hall is enhancing its Shade Tree Management Plan and preparing new guidelines for managing old and highrisk trees, expected to be completed by July. However, there is a need for a broader enhancement of the National Plan, shifting from mere mitigation to comprehensive adaptation strategies. Globally, cities are developing innovative solutions for climate adaptation, including Paris in France, Medellin in Colombia and Wuhan in China. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are at the forefront of globally recommended strategies. In 2020, Penang’s naturebased approach to tackling climate change, led by Think City and the Penang Island City Council, won the Climathon Global Awards for the best climate project by a global city that year. This initiative has paved the way for further studies on climate-resilient urban tree species in Malaysia, and the execution of the Penang Nature-based Climate Adaptation Programme has since been launched. Exploratory research by Think City indicated that urban tree species in Malaysia are already being affected by climate change. Understanding the resilience of different tree species to various climate impacts is critical for species selection. This study emphasised the necessity of selecting climate-resilient tree species, considering factors such as habitat specialisation; saltwater intrusion; inundation, hightemperature, storm and water absence tolerance; humidity requirements; and susceptibility to predation, parasitism and disease. Choosing the right tree for the right location is vital to ensure their longevity and functionality in urban environments, focusing on appropriate landscape typologies such as urban streets, small green spaces, blue-green corridors and seafronts. Expanding knowledge about resilient tree species for urban planting is crucial for better-informed urban forest management decisions. Collaboration among arborists, botanists, landscape architects, urban planners and the National Landscape Department is crucial. The government should allocate sufficient funding to enhance the effectiveness of existing tree-planting campaigns, promoting more efficient tree-planting and maintenance efforts. Implementing protective measures during the early years, such as adequately-sized tree pits with highquality soil, root barriers and permeable pavements, and requiring a two-year maintenance period for newly planted trees by developers or responsible parties, will contribute to a more resilient and adaptive urban forestry strategy in Malaysia, ensuring the sustainability and safety of urban environments amid climate change challenges. Addressing the surge of tree falls amid rising climate challenges requires a comprehensive approach that balances historical preservation, environmental benefits, climate adaptation and public safety. The proactive measures undertaken by KL City Hall, including the identification and removal of high-risk trees, are immediate steps. However, as climate change continues to exacerbate extreme weather conditions, a more comprehensive and national adaptive strategy is required. NbS offers a promising pathway for urban resilience. By learning from global examples and investing in local research, Malaysia can promote climate-resilient tree species through collaboration among arborists, botanists, landscape architects and government bodies. Ultimately, the future of Malaysia’s urban landscapes hinges on our ability to adapt and innovate in the face of climate change. By prioritising ecological sustainability and public safety, Malaysia can protect its green infrastructure, preserve its cultural heritage and ensure the well-being of its urban populations. This holistic approach will not only reduce the risks of tree falls but also enhance the liveability and resilience of Malaysian cities for generations to come. The writer is the managing director of Think City. Comments: [email protected] “Addressing the surge of tree falls amid rising climate challenges requires a comprehensive approach that balances historical preservation, environmental benefits, climate adaptation and public safety. Trees add aesthetic value, promote recreation, foster social cohesion, lead to energy savings, boost property values and contribute to psychological well-being, fostering a deep connection to nature. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/SUNPIC COMMENT by Hamdan Abdul Majeed

11 TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 Changes in succession plans I NTERNAL politics can happen in any company, and rivalries may exist. It was no different at Banika. Probably, senior person Ron Hutt was the most disappointed when I arrived to lead the company. He may have felt that he was the rightful successor to Jim Broom, who was leaving for Africa. Hutt was the technical director who saw that all things were working including the copra driers, the eleven copra boats, the big ship Vula, the power generators and the water supply system. His workshop team, led mainly by Fijians, provided the support for the daily life at Banika. I had suspected that Joe Walton, with his long service in the Solomons before he came to Malaysia, would have wanted his friend Hutt to take over but the decision must have been with the senior directors in London, including Leslie Davidson. Hutt was a gentleman and he went on his work with the same avid interest and loyalty that came from many years of service. On Saturday afternoons, we played golf with his staff, who were canny with their shots on the narrow fairways and capricious wind conditions. For me, the view was fantastic, with the sea lapping near my feet when I teed off and the tide high. Overhead, albatross birds were circling, before gliding away over the flat island of Telina. Yet, despite all this, I felt that after living alone for many months, I needed a plan to go back to my family, and I had an eye on Hutt to take over. He could buy his new copra driers that could use coconut husks in place of diesel. It was a matter of waiting for copra prices to go up again. However, one day Hutt returned from a short break in Brisbane looking pale, and holding some doctors’ reports. He had a severe heart problem when he was there. He was advised to return to Australia to be close to medical services. With Joan his wife worrying over him, he asked if he could retire for medical reasons. Island life was a paradise until you needed a doctor. I quickly agreed. When I saw Hutt and Joan off, he was still pale, and they hid their sadness as the Fijian staff stood on the grass airstrip and sang their farewell song Isa Lei. I had to start thinking again. My mind turned to Julian Stanning, the six-foot-six manager who had worked with me in Sabah. Before then, he was worked in Ghana. His wife Theo could not get used to as it was a time when food in the country was in short supply and she had to worry about the children. He resigned and took his family back to England but Davidson managed to coax him to come back and be based in Sabah. There, although supplies were better, Theo had tolerated the life in the remote valley but missed doing landscaping work, which she was trained in. After doing some good work, Stanning was needed in the Solomons, and I found myself joining him a few months later. Theo looked after the children in England while he lived alone in a wooden bungalow by the sea, and he had a small canoe that he could rig with a sail. At work, he would go with me on field visits, even to the most remote islands called the Three Sisters, hours away by canoe from Makira in the south. I had a few days with him and decided when we got back that I would write a letter to London. But before I could do that, he came into my office. As usual, he had to bend a little when he entered the door. He sat down and said he had bad news. His younger daughter was not well and it had to do with her blood, and she needed close attention. He and Theo had talked it over and he decided to go back even if he had to give up his job. It was the way in the company where family was put high in the order of priority, and Davidson agreed that he would move to London for the time being. It seemed to work well but for me, it was a double blow. I did not have a successor, and now I was short of a plantations director. Soon, I called on David Friend. As head of research, he was wellknown in the circle of scientists, having published papers and spoken at conferences. It had taken Joe Walton a long time to get him to move with his wife Carol from the government research station to join the company at Banika, and even then he had insisted that his job was for research work only. I found that he had a way of leading his team in the seed gardens, breeding trials and fertiliser trials, with effortless skill. He was a success with visitors for he could brief them accurately, with a slow drawl that did not conceal his passion for research work. On other subjects, such as business issues, he was a silent observer, often with a glint of humour in his eyes. I brought him to the small round table next to my desk where I could sit closer to him. “David,” I said. “I have something to propose to you.” When I saw the smile, I stopped. “I can guess,” he said, with a soft laugh, “but I am happy where I am in research.” “Why is that? A line management job has power,” I added. “I don’t need it. Also, as you know I am ready to go to the London office where they want me to visit Africa to help with research,” he said. I had to write to London to tell them Friend would be of more value here as plantations director, except he did not want the job. I needed help to persuade him. For some weeks I had no reply until one day I received a telex for him to meet with the main board director in London who was responsible for plantations, Thomas Thomas. Friend was asked to be away for 10 days. Thomas from Kerala was head of Hindustan Lever before he joined the main board in London, where he looked after business groups, including plantations. He was a fierce man, driven and fastidious with details. After receiving all the facts and figures, Thomas had Friend come in and sit with him. When I met Friend at Banika airstrip, he had a wide smile. “I knew you were behind this,’’ he said. “He got me to agree.” He was pleased and I was glad he could take Stanning’s place. However, my worry was not over. Now, I had to think again about who could take my place. It had to be someone from outside. The writer has extensive experience in the management of oil palm plantations. Comments: [email protected] “I felt that after living alone for many months, I needed a plan to go back to my family, and I had an eye on Hutt to take over. Wild, wonderful New York THIS city’s splendid Fifth Avenue and parts of the adjacent Central Park were thronged recently by masses of pro-Israel demonstrators demanding more US support of Israel’s laying to waste of Gaza. New York is the world’s leading Jewish City, exceeding Israel’s Tel Aviv. More importantly, this city’s billionaires, many of them Jewish, are Israel’s most ardent and influential supporters. Their donations reach almost all politicians, high officials and, just revealed, important black and Hispanic members of Congress. Those American students protesting Israel’s decades of repression of Palestinians now risk having their post-university careers ruined or seriously damaged by pro-Israel pressure groups. Never before have we seen such a dramatic and intimidating display of pro-Israel power. That, of course, was the point of the huge demonstrations in New York and across the country lately. The doddering President Joe Biden was certainly impressed. He has been kowtowing to Israel’s ruling right wing as pro-Israel supporters pour millions into his campaign coffers. But Donald Trump also has his billionaire Israel supporters, notably the Adelson family, with its casino billions which has allowed him to dominate the Republican Party. As my sainted father used to say, Congress is “nothing but a bunch of American students protesting Israel’s decades of repression of Palestinians risk having their post-university careers ruined or seriously damaged by pro-Israel pressure groups. – REUTERS █ BY ERIC S. MARGOLIS E STATE MANAGERWRITE S BY MAHBOB ABDULLAH used car salesmen from Biloxi”. I used this quote years ago in a column and got a stern letter of rebuke from the mayor of Biloxi calling me a snotty New Yorker. I guess he was right. We New Yorkers are snobs and almost a separate nationality in America, with closer links to Europe or Latin America than the US Midwest. Thanks to the electrifying music of southern bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Alman Brothers, I have realised that our muchneglected south is the beating heart of the US. Southern boys are the truest Americans. I learned this in the US Army. However, New York City is in deeper trouble than many realise. The Covid epidemic inflicted huge damage on America’s leading city. I was horrified to learn that all three of the city’s bialy-producing bakeries have closed. Bialys are as much a part of New York City as its tasty egg cream sodas and its police force which seems to outnumber Canada’s total armed forces. At the heart of this city’s problems is the real estate crisis. Large numbers of office buildings now lie vacant as workers operate from home. All the ancillary businesses such as retail stores, restaurants, mom and pop retailers are closing because of the decline in real estate. The city’s finances as always are a mess and ever-rising taxes are killing the city’s once-vibrant economy. New York is no longer the Eldorado for immigrants (my parents included) that it once was. The Bronx’s Tremont Avenue was called “the Jewish Champs Elysee”. A lot of prominent New Yorkers are moving to lower-tax Florida, once considered the dark side of the moon by snobby New Yorkers. A good third of today’s Floridians are emigree New Yorkers. Republican control of Florida state government has assured that taxes stay low. Democratic-run states must spend vast sums on welfare payments and other social benefits to large numbers of black and Hispanic voters, which means high taxes and rising crime. New York City is headed that way. I breakfast at my beloved Viand Coffee Shop on E61st Street listening to a cacophony of Greek, Dominican Republic, Honduran and even some occasional English. That is the ultraexpensive East Side where prices go up weekly. In Queens and Brooklyn, one can find the finest ethnic restaurants and all the Haitians, Albanians, Iraqis, Bolivians and Russians you can want to meet. New York was the “Promised Land” for the generations of Jews from East Europe. Now, it appears Gaza may be the next one with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, planning to convert it into another Fort Lauderdale – provided the New York City developers can find a way to get rid of all those pesky Arabs. Comments: [email protected]

HEALTH HEALTH 12 TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 Younger generations getting periods earlier A new study reports that the average age of the onset of menstruation for girls born between 2000 and 2005 is 11.9, compared with 12.5 for those born between 1950 and 1969. This may seem a small difference, but it nonetheless reflects an evolution, with potential consequences for menstrual health. Published in the journal Jama Network Open, the US study reveals that the younger the girls – and therefore the younger the generation – the lower the age at which menstruation begins. The rates of early (before age 11) and very early (before age 9) menarche were estimated at 8.6% and 0.6% respectively for participants born between 1950 and 1969, compared to 15.5% and 1.4% for those born between 2000 and 2005. Scientists observed that the younger the participants in the study, the greater the time elapsed between menarche and regularity of cycle – 76% of participants born between 1950 and 1969 reported within two years, compared to 56% of those born between 2000 and 2005. It should be noted that these trends were present among all the women and girls included in the study, but they proved even more pronounced for those identifying as Black, Hispanic, Asian or mixedrace, as well as for those who considered themselves to have a low socio-economic status. Scientists also suggest a potential link between childhood obesity and early menarche, even though the study was observational and did not establish a direct cause-andeffect relationship. The authors also suggest that eating habits, psychological stress and environmental factors may play a role in the early onset of periods. “Continuing to investigate early menarche and its drivers is critical. Early menarche is associated with higher risk of adverse health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. To address these health concerns – which our findings suggest may begin to impact more people, with disproportionate impact on already disadvantaged populations – we need much more investment in menstrual health research,” warns corresponding author Zifan Wang. Conducted by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the study is based on data from the Apple Women’s Health Study, including 71,341 participants enrolled between November 2018 and March 2023, who themselves provided information on the age at which they first menstruated, their race and socioeconomic status. – ETX Studio Alleviating chronic constipation CHRONIC constipation may seem like a mundane topic at first glance. However, it is a daily battle that many face in silence, struggling to answer nature’s call. It can feel like carrying an invisible burden that weighs on your daily routine, affecting everything from your mood to your productivity. Do you feel weighed down by the relentless discomfort of chronic constipation? Fear not! From lifestyle tweaks to dietary do’s and don’ts, there are numerous ways to alleviate symptoms and ease the grip of constipation (pun intended). Not just a symptom Constipation involves infrequent and difficult bowel movements, occurring three times a week or less. It is not merely a discomfort, but a significant symptom that warrants attention. Moreover, it can indicate underlying medical conditions such as colon cancer, hypothyroidism (lack of thyroid hormone), Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, depression and intestinal obstruction. It is also prevalent among the elderly, pregnant women and patients who are immobile due to recent surgery or spinal cord injuries. Root of discomfort Many people mistakenly believe that constipation is a normal occurrence when in reality, it is not. Determining the root cause of constipation is essential, whether it originates within the colon, is influenced by external factors, or stems from habitual patterns. Certain individuals may have naturally longer colons from birth, resulting in longer transit times and potential constipation. Others may experience constipation due to factors such as tumors or weakened pelvic floor muscles, which could be a result of previous surgery or trauma in that area. Furthermore, poor bowel habits can significantly contribute to chronic constipation. These habits refer to behaviours that worsen or contribute to constipation, such as ignoring the natural urge to defecate, delaying bowel movements for extended periods or avoiding defecation altogether. Additionally, poor bowel habits can develop from early childhood if individuals frequently experience constipation and fail to establish healthy bowel routines. Over time, irregularity and difficulty with bowel movements become the norm for the individual. Heeding the warning signs Symptoms such as rectal bleeding, oIdentifying symptoms for potential serious conditions and improving bowel function abdominal pain and unexplained weight loss are concerning and should prompt further investigation to rule out the possibility of malignancy. In addition, be mindful of other symptoms such as bloating, a sensation of blockage in the rectum, hard stool, anal pain, stomach pain and cramps. It is crucial not to overlook these symptoms, as they serve as red flags for potential serious conditions. Colonoscopy is typically recommended for early detection, especially for patients with a family history of colon cancer or those aged 50 years and above, regardless of the presence of warning signs. This screening procedure plays a vital role in the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer, allowing for timely intervention and improved outcomes. Do not wait, act now Constipation is considered as chronic if it persists for at least 12 weeks within a year, whether concurrently or cumulatively. If left unmanaged, chronic constipation can lead to a series of uncomfortable and potentially serious symptoms. These may include abdominal bloating, discomfort during bowel movements, rectal bleeding, the development of hemorrhoids and even low back pain. Furthermore, individuals may experience complications such as anal fissures, urinary retention and rectal prolapse. In severe cases, chronic constipation can result in bowel obstruction caused by impacted stool. Impacted stool occurs when feces become hardened and compacted within the rectum or colon, making them difficult to pass. This condition may manifest as severe abdominal distension and vomiting, requiring medical intervention to relieve the blockage. Finding relief through practical solutions If constipation is not attributed to underlying medical conditions or medication side effects, several measures can be taken to alleviate the symptoms and improve bowel function. 1. Increase dietary fibre intake Focus on incorporating a variety of vegetables and fruits into your meals. If it is challenging to consume sufficient fibre through whole foods, consider integrating fibre supplements into your diet. Options like wheat, psyllium or methylcellulose can provide additional fibre to support digestive health and regular bowel movements. 2. Enough hydration Ensuring adequate hydration is essential for overall health and in preventing constipation. It is recommended to increase water intake to at least eight glasses a day, with each glass containing 250 milliliters. However, it is important to note that individuals with heart failure or kidney disease may need to adjust their fluid intake under the guidance of a healthcare professional. Additionally, it is beneficial to be mindful of the diuretic effects of caffeine, tea and alcohol, which can increase urine output and potentially lead to dehydration. Therefore, reducing or abstaining from these beverages may help in maintaining proper hydration levels and prevent constipation. 3. Regular physical activities Engaging in regular physical activities, such as exercise, can promote healthy colonic function. By participating in more physical activity, individuals are able to stimulate and activate colon movements. 4. Seek professional help Seeking professional help for chronic constipation can provide individuals with personalised care and guidance to effectively manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. Besides, medications are commonly prescribed to alleviate constipation. In some cases, individuals may need to take these medications for an extended period to effectively manage their symptoms. Typically, these medications are recommended when lifestyle changes, such as increasing fibre intake, staying hydrated and engaging in physical activity have proven ineffective in providing relief from constipation. This article is contributed by Dr Andy Easwaren Vasudevan, consultant internal medicine physician and gastroenterologist at Columbia Asia Hospital – Petaling Jaya. ERADICATE DENGUE... Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni (fourth from left) and Asia Dengue Voice & Action chairman Prof Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail (fifth from left) at the 7th Asia Dengue Summit 2024 in Kuala Lumpur last week. To address the threat of dengue, over 500 leading dengue experts from 20 countries, including clinicians, academia, researchers, public health leaders and policymakers gathered at the summit to exchange ideas, updates and achievements on dengue prevention and control. Top athletes using diabetes tech in pursuit of medals SOME Olympic athletes are using a new tool they hope will boost their medal chances this summer: tiny monitors that attach to the skin to track blood glucose levels. The market for continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), developed to help diabetes patients fine-tune their insulin shots, is already worth billions of dollars per year. Manufacturers are eyeing further growth in the sport and wellness sector, where top athletes could be trendsetters. CGMs are coin-size skin patches with a wireless link to a smartphone. With the help of an applicator needle, a tiny sensor filament is pierced into the upper arm to measure glucose between cells just underneath the skin. The adhesive patch holds the sensor in place for up to two weeks. Current models have become smaller and more precise and no longer need separate receiver hardware. Some top athletes and their support staff use CGMs to assess calorie intake and workout intensity. The benefit during races lasting less than about three hours is seen as limited. Cycling’s world governing body UCI in 2021 banned the non-medical use of CGMs during races but other major sports have not followed suit. – Reuters

TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 Editorial T: 03-7784 6688 F: 03-7785 2625 E: [email protected] Advertising T: 03-7784 8888 E: [email protected] SCAN ME ‘Govt shows it has political will to undertake economic reforms’ KUALA LUMPUR: The current government is the only government with the political will to implement economic reforms, including ending blanket subsidies, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook. Referring to the diesel subsidy reforms, which caused prices to rise by about 50% starting yesterday, Loke said it is important that everyone understands why the government needs to implement the policy because it signals that the government has the political will to change the structure of the economy for the benefit of the country. “This (ending blanket subsidies) has been discussed for years. But no government has had the political will to implement these measures. This government has the political will. So, that’s why this is very important, it is a signal and message that the government is serious about addressing our economic reform,” he said yesterday at the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoU) involving Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL), Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) and Kuantan Port Consortium Sdn Bhd. Loke said that when the government provides diesel subsidies in bulk, it means that the subsidy is available to everyone without any restrictions. “While this (blanket subsidy) might seem beneficial, the real beneficiaries are the smugglers. These smugglers purchase the subsidised diesel at a lower price and then sell it at a higher price in neighbouring countries, making substantial profits. This illegal activity oLoke: Removing blanket subsidies a signal and message that the administration is serious about restructuring █ BY HAYATUN RAZAK [email protected] results in the country losing billions of ringgit,” he explained. Therefore, Loke said, the country must implement the diesel subsidy reform to stop the practice. “We hope everyone understands why the government is so determined to enforce this policy and that we have the political will to make this important change,” he said. At the event, MRL signed an MoU each with Perodua and Kuantan Port for collaboration on the ECRL’s freight transport services which will come on stream by January 2027. Loke said the formalisation of the MoU between MRL and Perodua as well as between MRL and Kuantan Port is poised to spur industry players to switch the movement of cargo from road to rail as the 665km ECRL network will facilitate transport between the east and west coasts of Peninsular Malaysia. The MoU between MRL and Perodua will explore the possibility of transporting the compact car maker’s products to the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia to supplement its growing need for logistical support. “The inking of the MoU has significant meaning for MRL as we unlock the ECRL’s value, not just as transport for the public but also a logistic service for local and international businesses,” said MRL CEO Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak. He added, “The ECRL serves as an enabler in enhancing regional connectivity and economic development, underpinned by its ‘landbridge’ connecting Kuantan Port’s wharf to the wharves at Northport and Westports in Port Klang. This ‘last-mile’ connectivity between Kuantan Port and Port Klang will streamline the transfer of goods between ports and address the issue of double-handling of cargo”. MRL is the project owner of the ECRL, which will traverse through the East Coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang before linking up with the Klang Valley on the West Coast. The ECRL’s alignment from Kota Bharu to Gombak Integrated Terminal is expected to be completed by December 2026 and operational by January 2027. Its alignment between Gombak and Port Klang is scheduled for completion in December 2027, with full operations to begin in January 2028. Building Information Modelling to be implemented at all levels from August PETALING JAYA: The recent approval of Building Information Modelling (BIM) at a National Development Action Council meeting will directly help the construction of roads, bridges and buildings in Malaysia, said Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan “The industrialised building system will be integrated into a new construction technology committee to implement BIM at all levels, particularly for government, government-linked companies and private projects, valued at RM10 million and above, starting in August 2024,” he said at the launch of the Asset Management Roundtable Series (AMRS) 2024/2025 held in conjunction with Global Maintenance Day 2024 at UEM Edgenta Learning Centre here yesterday. He said BIM is an initiative supported by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), where all designs of roads, bridges and buildings are used in a digital method and 3D, the implementation has already been initiated but now is being expanded to all levels. “The cost of this software, issued by CIDB, is approximately RM45,000. From left: Malaysian Highway Authority director Datuk Sazali Harun, Roslan, Ahmad, Edgenta Propel Bhd head of infrastructure services managing director Shariman Yusuf and Malaysian Highway Concessionaires Association president Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi at the launch session of the roundtable series. █ BY AIMIE SHAZRIE [email protected] Among the benefits of BIM are that it can reduce design errors, lower construction costs, accelerate the construction of roads, bridges and buildings, and allow transparent information sharing with all parties within the construction experts,” said Ahmad. He added that BIM has been implemented previously but was not publicised, and the examples are the Cancer Institute in Putrajaya and the Merdeka 118 building, while BIM is not only for building processes but is used throughout the building’s lifecycle. Meanwhile, Malaysian Asset and Project Management Association (Mapma) president Datuk Roslan Ismail emphasised the crucial role of asset management in ensuring that infrastructure, machinery and equipment operate efficiently, and in optimal condition. “This event provides an opportunity for industry leaders to discuss best practices, explore trends and generate innovative ideas in the management and maintenance of the nation’s road assets,” he said. This AMRS is the first of several to be organised by Mapma in 2024 and 2025, where a total of 100 professionals, including industry experts, policymakers and stakeholders from the Ministry of Works, Malaysian Highway Authority, representatives from highway concession companies, system integrators and related service providers, will participate. “Shaping The Future of Our Highways: Trends and Insights for Tomorrow” as a theme, reflects the ongoing commitment to the development and management of road infrastructure to be more advanced and resilient. Roslan said that yesterday’s launch session marked an important milestone and symbolised Mapma’s ongoing commitment to advancing the field of asset management in Malaysia.

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 14 READ OUR HERE /thesun Malaysian Paper KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) accelerated 6.1% year-on-year in April 2024, underpinned by higher output growth in the manufacturing sector, said Chief Statistician Malaysia Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin. He said IPI growth accelerated further in April after registering 2.4% in the preceding month, sustaining a positive momentum for four consecutive months. The April IPI also marked the highest growth registered since September 2022, bolstered by the expansion across all sectors during the month. The manufacturing sector output rose by 4.9%, while mining posted a vigorous growth of 10% and the electricity sector remained steady at 7.6%. “The increase in manufacturing output in April 2024 was supported by higher production in exportoriented industries by 2.6% against 0.5% recorded in March 2024. This upturn was primarily led by the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products, and the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, which registered increases of 5.9% and 5%, respectively,“ Mohd Uzir said. Furthermore, the manufacture of furniture experienced a surge of 13.15 during the month. “The year-on-year expansion mirrored the country’s manufactured goods export performance, which expanded by 7.1% in April 2024 and on a month-on-month comparison, the export-oriented industries fell by 11.6% compared to 11.0% growth in March 2024,“ he said. Domestic-oriented industries continued to expand by registering 9.5% compared to 3.1% in March 2024, primarily spurred by a remarkable growth of 20.2% in the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers. The IPI performance between January and April 2024 improved by 3.9% compared to 1.3% recorded in the same period of the previous year. “During the period, all sectors posted an expansion, namely the mining index, manufacturing index and electricity index,“ he added. – Bernama PETALING JAYA: The sales value of the manufacturing sector rose by 5.7% year-on-year, reaching RM153.2 billion in April 2024, according to Chief Statistician Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin “The sales value of the manufacturing sector rose by 5.7% to RM153.2 billion in April 2024, marking the highest growth in 13 months due to a lower value base effect. The increase was mainly propelled by sales in the sub-sectors of transport equipment & other manufactures (16.9%); nonmetallic mineral products, basic metal & fabricated metal products (12.8%); and electrical & electronics products (2.7%),” he said. Nonetheless, he added, the manufacturing sector sales value contracted by 3.3% from RM158.4 billion registered in the preceding month. The sales value of exportoriented industries, which contributed 69.9% of total sales, turned upwards by 3.4% from a negative 0.1% in March 2024. The increase was attributable to the expansion in the manufacture of chemicals & chemical products (9.9%); manufacture of vegetable & animal oils & fats (8.3%); and manufacture of computer, electronics & optical products (2.9%) industries. On a month-on-month comparison, the sales value of exportoriented industries dropped by 3.9% as against the double-digit growth of 10.0% registered in March 2024. Likewise, domestic-oriented industries strengthened further by registering strong growth of 11.4% in April 2024 (March 2024: 5.4%). The acceleration was propelled by the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers & semi-trailers; and the manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery & equipment, which surged by 23.1% and 17%, respectively. Compared to the previous month, the sales value of domesticoriented industries decreased by 1.9%, in contrast to the positive 4.7% recorded in March 2024. Mohd Uzir said, “There were 2.37 million persons engaged in the manufacturing sector in April 2024, which rose by 1% as compared to 2.35 million persons recorded a year ago (March 2024: 0.5%).” On a month-on-month comparison, salaries and wages continued to decline by 1.4% from RM8.23 billion recorded in March 2024. The average monthly salaries and wages per employee was RM3,419 in April 2024, an uptick by 0.2% compared to a year ago, while sales value per employee improved oUp 5.7% year-on-year but 3.3% lower from March 2024 Maybank sees ringgit rising to RM4.60 against US dollar by year-end KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank Research sees the ringgit ending this year firmer at RM4.60 versus the US dollar on the expectation of 50 basis points cuts in the US interest rate later this year amid a stable Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) in Malaysia. The research house said the pressure on the ringgit due to the interest rate differential factor that contributed to the US dollar strength since 2022 will ease. “The ringgit has stabilised against the US dollar after coming under pressure due to shifting expectations on the timing and quantum of US interest rate cuts. It traded within the RM4.68 to RM4.71 range versus US dollar from May 15 to May 31, 2024 after weakening to the low of RM4.80 twice this year on Feb 20 and April 16 (end-2023: RM4.59),” it said in a report called “Asean Frontiers: The New Trailblazers”. Maybank said the ringgit’s recent performance reflects the positive macroeconomic performance and prospects plus ongoing reforms and restructurings. It noted that “Bank Negara Malaysia’s verbal and forex market interventions, and the administrative measure to encourage government-linked companies and investment funds – together with private sector corporates including exporters – to repatriate their foreign exchange earnings and investment income abroad and convert into ringgit”. Commenting the local stock market, Maybank Research said the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index has had a good run in the first five months of 2024 – rising 7.1% in US dollar terms – and has been one of the best performing markets in the region. However, in terms of fund flow, foreign investors were still generally net sellers, disposing of RM760 million worth of shares from January to May 2024 but, against regional peers, the net sell on Malaysia equities was the lowest. “For May, they were prominent net buyers in the first three weeks but reversed to a net sell in the fourth week,” it noted. – Bernama Foreign investors’ net inflow at RM535m last week KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign investors continued to favour Malaysian equities last week, with a net inflow of RM535 million, after briefly net selling the week before, according to the latest weekly Fund Flow Report by MIDF Research. It was a shortened trading week in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s Birthday on June 3. MIDF Research said foreign investors net bought RM253.7 million on Tuesday, RM163.6 million on Thursday and RM186.8 million on Friday. They net sold RM69.1 million on Wednesday. The sectors with the highest net foreign inflows last week were utilities (RM167.5 million), transport and logistics (RM134.5 million), and technology (RM115.7 million). “The sectors with the highest net foreign outflows were plantation (- RM108.2 million), telecommunication and media (-RM32.1 million), and energy (-RM22.4 million),” it said. In contrast, local institutions returned to net selling at RM293.5 million after briefly net buying the week before. Likewise, local retailers, after briefly net buying the week before, returned to net selling, disposing of RM242.5 million worth of equities. They net sold for the whole week. Regarding participation, the average daily trading volume declined by 6.3% for retailers, 2.7% for local institutions and 21.7% for foreign investors. – Bernama BNM international reserves totalled US$113.6b on May 31 KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) international reserves amounted to US$113.6 billion (RM535.8 billion) as at May 31. BNM said the main components of the US$113.6 billion were foreign currency reserves (US$101.5 billion), International Monetary Fund (IMF) reserves position (US$1.3 billion), special drawing rights or SDR (US$5.7 billion), gold (US$2.8 billion), and other reserve assets (US$2.3 billion). “The reserves position is sufficient to finance 5.4 months of imports of goods and services and is 1.0 times the total short-term external debt,” the central bank said in a statement yesterday. Total assets stood at RM632.42 billion, comprising gold and foreign exchange and other reserves, including SDR (RM538.09 billion), Malaysian government papers (RM12.99 billion), deposits with financial institutions (RM19.58 million), loans and advances (RM24.80 billion), land and buildings (RM4.13 billion), and other assets (RM52.38 billion). BNM said capital and liabilities comprised paid-up capital (RM100.0 million), reserves (RM195.06 billion), currency in circulation (RM165.61 billion), deposits by financial institutions (RM146.51 billion), federal government deposits (RM7.64 billion) and other deposits (RM63.64 billion), Bank Negara papers (RM20.16 billion), allocation of SDR (RM30.21 billion), and other liabilities (RM3.49 billion). Malaysia’s industrial production accelerates Manufacturing sector’s sales value reaches RM153b in April by 4.6% to RM64,583. On the overall performance of the manufacturing sector for the first four months of 2024, Mohd Uzir said, “The sales value of the manufacturing sector reached RM610.6 billion, increasing by 2.7% compared to the same period of 2023 (January-April 2023: 5.5%).”

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JUNE 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 [email protected] *Not inclusive of vendor service charge 6 month subscription (128 issues) for only RM110* (Normal price RM128) 1 year subscription (258 issues) for only RM200* (Normal price RM258) 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) Whatsapp No: +6018-292 9936 Post: P.O. Box 179, Jalan Sultan, 46720 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan Attn: Subscription Email: [email protected] *Terms & Conditions apply Important note: SMCSB reserves the right to revise the price at any time without prior notice. 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 Subscribe now for Monday-Friday copies of theSun newspaper only per copy 1 year subscription at normal price RM258* (258 issues) + RM50 administration fee to get 2nd year free *Special ofier for June 2024 only MBS Global, Pacific Trustees seal strategic partnership KUALA LUMPUR: MBS Global Investments (MBS), the investment arm of Sheikh Nayef Bin Eid Al Thani’s private office based in Dubai, has formalised a strategic partnership with Malaysia-headquartered Pacific Trustees Group International (Pacific Trustees). This alliance enables MBS to fortify its operations within the Labuan International Business and Finance Centre (Labuan IBFC), thereby facilitating a more robust penetration into the Southeast Asian markets. Concurrently, Pacific Trustees is poised to enhance its footprint in the UAE market. In a statement yesterday, it said that MBS specialises in providing an investment ecosystem through an extensive network of business-togovernment and business-tobusiness connections that span multiple sectors and verticals. oAlliance enables Dubai-based investment firm to fortify operations within Labuan International Business and Finance Centre EdgePoint reaches new milestone – 15,000 towers across 3 key markets KUALA LUMPUR: EdgePoint Infrastructure, the Asean-based independent telecommunications infrastructure firm, achieved a new milestone by reaching 15,000 towers across its three key markets: Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This milestone was achieved when it recently completed the deployment of its 15,000th site in Karang Wareng, a district located in Cirebon, West Java in Indonesia. CEO Suresh Sidhu said, “This achievement is not just a number but a testament to EdgePoint’s commitment to building a more connected, digital Asean. In just three and a half years since our inception, we have established 15,000 towers across three countries. This reflects our dedication to providing the best infrastructure throughout Asean and creating equitable access to connectivity for all.” Palm oil stocks rise to 1.75m tonnes in May KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s total palm oil stocks increased by 0.5% to 1.75 million tonnes in May 2024 from 1.74 million tonnes in April 2024, according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). In its May 2024 industry performance report, MPOB said the country’s crude palm oil (CPO) stocks rose 1.59% to 979,352 tonnes in May from 964,049 tonnes recorded in April. “Processed palm oil stocks declined 0.85% to 774,192 tonnes in May from 780,811 tonnes previously,” it said. Meanwhile, it said CPO production gained 13.48% to 1.7 million tonnes in May from 1.5 million tonnes in the preceding month, while palm kernel output surged 11.13% to 408,318 tonnes from 367,420 tonnes in April. MPOB said palm oil exports were up by 11.66% to 1.38 million tonnes in May versus 1.23 million tonnes in April, but biodiesel exports fell by 40.85% to 20,880 tonnes in May against 35,298 tonnes in April. Oleochemical exports inched up 9.95% to 256,348 tonnes in May from 233,153 tonnes previously. “Export of palm kernel oil went up 2.24% to 87,827 tonnes last month from 85,901 tonnes in April, while export of palm kernel cake declined 29.53% to 147,006 tonnes in May from 208,602 tonnes a month before,” it said. On imports, MPOB said both palm oil and processed palm oil were down by 40.28% to 20,761 tonnes in May from 34,762 tonnes in the previous month. – Bernama With a core FinTech and Banking base, MBS have a diverse investment portfolio focusing on Greenand CleanTech, through to Real Estate, Regeneration, and LogiTech. This partnership, it said involves Pacific Trustees’ subsidiaries Pacific Trustees Labuan Ltd (PTLL) and YES Investment Bank Labuan Ltd. Labuan IBFC provides holistic ecosystem for businesses, acting as a gateway for companies to Southeast Asia while implementing an efficient and flexible tax system. The partnership agreement was signed by MBS vice-chairman Abu Thahir, Pacific Trustees Group chairman Paul Cheah and Global Private Clients, PTLL managing director and CEO Mari-Len Ngu. Previously, a cooperation agreement between the two parties was signed by MBS chairman Marwan Alhajeri, and Cheah in Dubai on May 11. Labuan IBFC Inc executive chairman/CEO Datuk Iskandar Mohd Nuli witnessed the official signing ceremony on June 6. “I am excited to be in Kuala Lumpur to formalise our partnership. Together, we can bring more value and opportunities to the global investment community, particularly in Southeast Asia and the UAE. We are collectively confident about the potential this strategic partnership holds,” said Abu. Meanwhile Abu noted that this partnership marks their UAE market debut. “Our collaboration is set to bridge two dynamic economies: the UAE, with its robust GDP of US$507 billion (RM2.4 trillion), and Southeast Asia, which boasts a combined GDP of US$3.6 trillion as of 2022. The synergy from this alliance positions us optimistically for a prosperous business trajectory,” he added. Pacific Trustees, a 30-year-old award-winning regional trust company, operates in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Labuan, and Hong Kong. It has served over 316 bonds and sukuk issuers, with a total fund size of approximately RM697 billion.

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 16 /thesuntelegram FOLLOW ON TELEGRAM Malaysian Paper India’s mutual fund assets near 60 trillion rupees BENGALURU: India’s mutual fund assets rose to 58.6 trillion rupees (RM3.3 trillion) last month, inching closer to adding 10 trillion rupees in less than a year, the fastest rise on record, data showed yesterday. While the fund industry took five decades to build the first 10 trillion rupees of assets since its inception in 1964, it has added the last 9 trillion rupees of assets in less than six months. Inflows into equity mutual funds rose 83% month-on-month to 346.97 billion rupees last month, with investors continuing to prefer small- and mid-caps, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). Net equity mutual fund inflows in May are the highest on record since April 2019, when AMFI started reporting monthly mutual fund flows in the current format. Domestic equity mutual funds have seen net inflows every month since February 2021, aggregating 5.58 trillion rupees, well above net foreign inflows over the same period. The benchmark NSE Nifty 50 has risen about 55% over these last 39 months, aided by mutual fund inflows. Despite concerns over high valuations, inflows into small-caps rose 23.4% to 27.25 billion rupees in May, while mid-cap fund inflows increased 45.3% to 26.06 billion rupees. Meanwhile, large caps saw inflows almost double to 6.63 billion rupees. “Over the last year, small- and mid-cap categories attracted significant inflows due to their growth potential,” said Feroze Azeez, deputy chief executive at Anand Rathi Wealth. “Stress tests have indicated that there is no liquidity stress in the two categories, comforting investors and spurring continuous allocations.” – Reuters Thailand aiming for at least 3% growth, more tourists BANGKOK: Thailand is aiming to achieve at least 3% economic growth this year and seeks to attract more foreign tourists and accelerate public and private investment, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said yesterday. Growth in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy has lagged regional peers as it confronts high household debt and borrowing costs alongside China’s slow recovery. Last year’s expansion was 1.9%, with average annual growth of 1.73% over the past decade. oGovernment wants to accelerate public and private investment Thailand is planning to increase the number of foreign tourists this year by a million to 36.7 million to help the economy, Pichai told a news conference. “The economy faces problems as growth is low compared with neighbouring countries,” he said after a meeting of economic ministers. “We can’t sit still. We must do something.” The government wants at least 70% of a 2024 investment budget disbursed by the end of the fiscal year to September, he said, adding private investment will also be accelerated. Pichai earlier said the economy was expected to grow just 2.5% this year. His view is that it should be expanding at least 3.5% annually. Growth was 1.5% in the first quarter year-on-year, slowing from 1.7% in the prior quarter. Pichai said he would discuss with the Japan govt to call for flexible policy amid price uncertainty TOKYO: Japan’s government will highlight the need to work closely with the central bank and guide policy “flexibly” in the wake of soft consumption and uncertainty over the inflation outlook, a draft of its annual economic blueprint seen by Reuters showed. “Monetary policy has entered a new stage”, which required the government and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to “continue working closely and guide policy flexibly in accordance to economic and price developments”, according to the draft. By keeping inflation stably around the BOJ’s 2% target, policymakers will seek to create an environment where wages rise faster than inflation on a sustained basis, the draft said. The government draft will be presented to ruling party lawmakers for deliberations, before being finalised at a Cabinet meeting on June 21. In the draft, the government said consumption “lacked momentum” with the outlook on prices unclear due in part to the effect of recent yen declines. It also flagged lingering overseas risks such as the fallout from monetary tightening by central banks across the globe, and worries about soft Chinese growth. Japan is facing a “critical moment” in shifting away from a deflation-prone economy that prioritised cost cuts, towards one where higher productivity allows more companies to keep hiking prices and wages, the draft said. The government will submit legislation to next year’s Parliament to facilitate smoother pass-through of costs in industries like construction, transportation and agriculture. A weak yen and subsequent rise in households’ living costs have hurt Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s approval ratings, prodding the administration to highlight its efforts to generate higher wage growth. The BOJ ended eight years of negative interest rates in March, and has signalled that it would hike rates further if it becomes more convinced that inflation will durably hit 2%. – Reuters People commuting to work in the morning cross a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo. – AFPPIC central bank to ask commercial banks to help with credit access for borrowers. He said a credit guarantee scheme worth 50 billion baht (RM6.4 billion) to help smaller businesses obtain loans would seek Cabinet approval today. A state-owned bank will offer soft loans worth 100 billion baht for commercial banks to lend to borrowers, Pichai added. Pichai has said he is more worried about people’s access to credit than the level of interest rates. The Bank of Thailand is widely expected to hold its key rate steady at a decade-high of 2.50% for a fourth meeting tomorrow. A majority of Thais are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s government as it has not been able to resolve the country’s problems, an opinion poll showed on Sunday. – Reuters Vietnam bank to vote on reducing foreign investor cap HANOI: Vietnam International Joint Stock Bank (VIB) shareholders will vote today to lower the cap on foreigners’ holdings, a move which sources said may lead to the exit of its main overseas investor, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). CBA, Australia’s largest lender, holds 19.8% of VIB’s shares, according to VIB’s latest annual report released in March, making CBA the Australian bank with the biggest stake in Vietnam. If a proposal from VIB’s board is approved by shareholders at today’s extraordinary meeting, the cap on the overall shares held by foreign investors would drop to 4.99% of the bank’s charter capital, from the current 20.5%, according to the public agenda of the meeting. Vietnam applies a 30% limit on total foreign investment in its banks, but lenders can apply lower thresholds. VIB declined to comment on the reasons for lowering the cap. Two senior officials in Vietnam’s financial sector said the move may be meant to avoid the fragmentation of its foreign shareholding while the bank seeks a new strategic overseas investor. The two sources and a third one familiar with the matter said CBA would sell its stake. Two of the sources were not certain whether a sale has been agreed upon but not yet carried out or whether it will happen at a later stage. CBA has been the core investor in VIB since 2010. Under the VIB board’s proposal, the new cap would be applicable from the start of July but is not clear whether it would only apply to new investors – giving CBA a longer period to sell. VIB is a midsize bank in Vietnam with a market capitalisation of US$2.2 billion (RM10.3 billion). – Reuters

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 17 Goldman expects summer demand to lift Brent crude prices NEW YORK: A healthy growth in consumer spending and solid summer demand will push the oil market to a 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) deficit in the third quarter and lift benchmark Brent prices to US$86 a barrel, Goldman Sachs said. The bank cut its 2024 oil demand growth forecast by 0.2 million bpd to 1.25 million bpd, but maintained that it expects demand growth to be robust mainly due to jet fuel recovery. The modest China-driven demand growth downgrade for this year offsets a 0.1 million bpd cut to non-OPEC supply and an assumption of higher US strategic petroleum reserve purchases, the bank said in a note on Sunday. Brent crude futures and US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were trading around US$79.85 and US$75.74 a barrel, respectively, by 0448 GMT (12.48pm in Malaysia) yesterday. The Wall Street bank sees Brent averaging at US$84 and WTI at US$79 a barrel this year. It continues to expect Brent in US$75-US$90 range, and kept its 2025 average price forecast unchanged at US$82 per barrel. “We still see a US$90/bbl ceiling in our base case of no geopolitical supply hits, and the risks to our US$75-US$90 range as modestly to the downside.” The bank’s analysts said they see a US$75/bbl floor under Brent as physical demand for oil, including from China and the US SPR, tends to rise when prices fall. Additionally, OPEC’s agreement on new production baselines through 2026 signals stronger cohesion, further reducing the likelihood of much lower prices, they said, noting that financial demand for oil is likely to rise substantially if currently very low speculative positioning normalises. “A normalisation over six months in crude and products net managed money positioning to its average since 2022 would raise financial demand for oil by 1.5 million bpd.” – Reuters UK job market on its way back after downturn: Recruiters LONDON: A fall in permanent hiring by employers in Britain was its least severe in more than a year in May and the recruitment market appears to be poised for a recovery, an industry survey showed yesterday. In a report that will be studied by the Bank of England (BoE) as it weighs up when to start cutting interest rates, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said permanent hiring fell by the smallest amount in 14 months. Billings for temporary staff dropped by the least since January. “The jobs market looks like it’s on its way back, with clear improvements over last month on most key measures,” REC CEO Neil Carberry said. The REC survey has generally painted a weaker picture of the labour market than broader official data, which showed annual wage growth of 6% in the first quarter of 2024. Britain’s July 4 national election and the likelihood of interest rate cuts by BoE later this year were likely to remove the hesitancy of employers about hiring, Carberry said. “These numbers suggest that caution may be starting to abate,” he said. REC said pay rates for permanent staff rose at a pace that was only slightly slower than April’s four-month high. Vacancies fell at the slowest pace in a seven-month downturn. In a possible relief for the BoE, the availability of staff grew by the most since December 2020, boosted by a mix of redundancies, higher unemployment and the reduction in demand for staff. The BoE is watching the labour market closely as it assesses when inflation pressure in the economy has abated sufficiently for it to cut borrowing costs for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than four years ago. – Reuters BP tightens workplace relationships policy LONDON: BP employees must disclose any intimate relationships with colleagues or risk losing their jobs, the oil major told staff in a policy update, following the sacking of former CEO Bernard Looney for failing to do so. The updated conflicts of interest policy, which was communicated to staff via e-mail last week and seen by Reuters, highlights how Looney’s sudden departure last September continues to reverberate through the company. The updated policy “prohibits employees from directly or indirectly managing relatives or those with whom they’re in an intimate relationship”, according to the memo. The London-listed company said that employees will face disciplinary action including potential dismissal for failing to comply with the new requirements. In addition to the updated policy, which is part of BP’s code of conduct, thousands of senior leaders are required to declare any intimate relationships with employees or agency workers occurring within the last three years. The managers were given a three-month grace period to make such declarations. BP confirmed the policy update regarding conflicts of interest arising from familial and intimate relationships at work. “Employees were previously required to disclose and record such relationships if they felt there could be a conflict of interest,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. “Now they are required to disclose intimate relationships at work, whether or not they feel they represent a conflict of interest.” BP concluded its investigation into Looney’s conduct with the help of law firm Freshfields earlier this year and has not disclosed its findings or conclusions, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. “The board has looked at the details and is making sure that themes and lessons are taken into consideration and adopted appropriately,” BP said in the e-mailed statement. BP’s board dismissed Looney last December and clawed back up to US$40 million (RM188 million) of his remuneration. BP said Looney had knowingly misled the board by failing to disclose past relationships. BP’s new CEO Murray Auchincloss took office in January. Auchincloss’ partner is also a BP employee, a relationship he disclosed prior to becoming chief financial officer in 2020. – Reuters European stocks, euro drop after EU vote PARIS: European markets sank with the euro yesterday after a win for far-right parties in EU elections and French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call a snap parliamentary poll fuelled uncertainty in the bloc. The losses came after a mostly negative start to the week for Asian equities as a mixed jobs report eased worries about the US economy but dampened hopes for interest rate cuts. European traders sold stocks after a strong night for right-wing parties, who finished first in France, Italy and Austria and came second in Germany and the Netherlands, according to preliminary results. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists were beaten by the right-wing Popular Party. The Paris CAC 40 lost more than 2% at the open while the Frankfurt DAX and pan-European Stoxx 600 were also well down. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaking at an election party of the Civic Coalition in Warsaw. – AFPPIC oGains by far-right parties and Macron call for snap election fuel uncertainty The euro weakened against the American dollar and sterling. Big losses for the liberal party of Macron, which lost out to the National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen, resulted in the president swiftly calling a snap parliamentary vote, fuelling uncertainty in the key EU member. France will vote for a new National Assembly on June 30, with a second round on July 7, Macron announced on Sunday night. “I am confident in the capacity of the French people to make the right choice for themselves and for future generations.” “The EU is facing a historically challenging time with both internal and external ‘cracking’ in systemic issues that require increased – not decreased – cooperation. Difficult negotiations now await,” said Swedish lender Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB in a note. Meanwhile, with the Federal Reserve meeting this week, investors are keenly awaiting its updated “dot plot” outlook for borrowing costs, with commentators split on how many, if any, reductions are in the pipeline. All three indexes on Wall Street ended lower last Friday – but with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq still close to record highs – after data showed the world’s biggest economy added far more jobs than estimated last month. The reading, which came after earlier figures in the week had indicated the labour market was finally softening, suggested there was still some way to go before the Fed would be comfortable with cutting rates. However, traders were comforted that the country was not heading for a recession, as some had feared in light of data showing factory activity contracted for a second straight month in May. Fed officials are widely tipped to hold borrowing costs at their two-decade high but traders are focusing on their forecast for rates this year. The last guidance indicated three cuts but several decision-makers have said they wanted to see more evidence inflation was under control and the jobs market was weakening before moving. Asian equities struggled yesterday, with Tokyo and Jakarta rising but losses in Seoul, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok and Wellington. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Taipei were closed for holidays. Still, Morningstar director Lorraine Tan was optimistic about Asian equities, telling Bloomberg: “We’re still expecting a soft landing in the US – as long as that’s a scenario, I think Asian markets have upside potential.” – AFP

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 18 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON Malaysian Paper INSTAGRAM Apple to break silence on artificial intelligence SAN FRANCISCO: Apple this week will attempt to persuade doubters of its AI strategy after rivals raced ahead in adopting artificial intelligence. AI and perhaps even a partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI will likely be a driving theme at the kickoff of Apple’s WWDC developers’ conference in Silicon Valley, according to analysts. The conference is Apple’s annual rendezvous for developers who create apps for iPads, Macs and iPhones – and CEO Tim Cook will work hard to convince his audience that the company is a major AI player. While Apple has quietly included AI features in its hardware for years, it has yet to solidify its overall strategy or embrace ChatGPT-style generative AI that took the world by storm in late 2022. Rivals Microsoft and Google have meanwhile rolled out products in rapid-fire succession, propelling Microsoft and the AI chipmaker Nvidia to surpass Apple as the world’s biggest companies when measured by stock price. Apple’s share price has been on a oiPhone maker expected to make important announcements at developers’ conference Elliott takes US$2b stake in Southwest Airlines NEW YORK: Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has built a nearly US$2 billion (RM9.4 billion) stake in Southwest Airlines and plans to push for changes aimed at reversing the airline’s underperformance, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Elliott is one of Southwest’s largest investors and plans to engage with the airline’s management team, the report said. Southwest and Elliott did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The Dallas-based airline said in April it expected higher costs and slower-than-expected revenue growth as US planemaker Boeing will now be able to deliver just 20 aircraft this year. Elliott, one of the world’s most prominent investors, is known for pushing for changes in companies to boost shareholder returns. A Southwest commercial airliner taking off from Las Vegas International Airport. – REUTERSPIC – Reuters Noble Corp to buy Diamond Offshore for US$1.6 billion NEW YORK: Noble Corp will buy smaller rival Diamond Offshore Drilling in a cash-and-stock deal worth around US$1.6 billion (RM7.5 billion), the latest in a series of buyouts in a sector undergoing massive consolidation. US offshore driller Noble will pay US$15.52 per Diamond Offshore share, of which US$5.65 will be in cash and the rest in Noble stock, the companies said in a statement yesterday. Diamond’s buyout comes as the oil and gas industry rides a wave of buyouts, with companies looking to bolster reserves and create economies of scale. About US$250 billion worth of deals were struck last year, including Chevron’s US$53 billion deal for Hess. Noble’s offer represents an 11.4% premium to the closing price of Diamond Offshore’s stock last Friday. The company said it would fund the cash part of the deal through a new secured financing of US$600 million. The deal was worth US$1.59 billion, according to a Reuters calculation based on Noble’s Friday closing share price of US$42.60 per share. Noble expects the deal to immediately add to its free cash flow per share and estimates annual pre-tax cost synergies of US$100 million, 75% of which it expects to come within a year of the deal closing. The merger, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, will lead to a combined backlog of US$6.5 billion, the companies said, with Noble owning and operating a fleet of 41 rigs including 28 floaters and 13 jackups. “Supported by Diamond’s US$2.1 billion of backlog and US$100 million of anticipated cost synergies, we expect the transaction to be immediately accretive to our free cash flow per share,” Noble CEO Robert Eifler said in a statement. – Reuters ‘Call of Duty’ leads packed Xbox video game lineup LOS ANGELES: Microsoft’s Xbox team on Sunday showcased action-packed coming video games and a new digital-only version of its console to launch by the end of this year. Hundreds of thousands of fans who tuned into the streamed event got a look at titles, including an eagerly-awaited Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 set for release on Oct 25. The latest instalment to the blockbuster first-person military shooter video game franchise is set in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union where “the truth isn’t what it seems”, Xbox gaming boss Phil Spencer said after giving the first glimpse of a campaign in the title. Spencer highlighted that the new Call of Duty and many other games will be available from launch day on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. He noted that more than 100 million people play Call of Duty monthly, and added that Xbox is looking to boost those ranks with Game Pass cloud play availability of Black Ops 6 out of the gate. Xbox also showed off a Gears of War: EDay addition to that stalwart military shooter title and an Indiana Jones and the Great Circle game coming later this year that pits a Harrison Ford-style character against Nazi enemies. Xbox also showed new instalments of Doom, Dragon Age and a Life is Strange sequel promising a supernatural murder mystery to solve. The video game titan also teased expansion packs for popular games including World of Warcraft as well as fresh Fallout content that will include a playable ghoul character in a nod to the hit Amazon Prime TV series based on the franchise from Bethesda Studio, now owned by Xbox. “It’s our mission to make Xbox the best place for you to play by including the titles from our own studios and Game Pass at launch,” Xbox president Sarah Bond said as she unveiled new Xbox consoles including a digital-only model to be released later this year. She contended that Xbox is working on future hardware with a goal of “empowering you to play your games anywhere you want on Xbox consoles, personal computers, and cloud”. The streamed showcase is part of a week of presentations from game makers taking the place of E3, a long-running videogame trade show that ended a 20-year run in 2023. Microsoft early this year shook up the video game world with word it is making some once-exclusive Xbox video games available for play on rival consoles. “Over the next five or 10 years, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry,” Spencer said in a podcast at the time. – AFP roller coaster ride since the spark of the AI frenzy, but believers see the announcements as the start of a new chapter for the iPhone maker. While its “silence has been deafening, that will all change (this week), when Apple crosses the AI Rubicon”, predicted Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at research firm Forrester. At the heart of the announcements will almost certainly be an update to Apple’s iPhone operating system, iOS 18, which is expected to see AI given a central role. Silicon Valley is convinced that generative AI will profoundly change how users interact with smartphones and computers, but the technology is still in its early stages and the benefits are not entirely clear for now. Also heavily rumoured is a “flagship” OpenAI partnership that could involve an exclusive chatbot for iPhone owners and supercharge the much-derided Siri. All these announcements will set the stage for an expected iPhone 16 release later in the year and open the door to “a renaissance of growth” for the company, said Wedbush Securities senior analyst Daniel Ives. Since Apple makes most of its money from selling iPhones, the AI will likely focus on its devices and services working more seamlessly together, said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. “At the end of the day for Apple, it is about getting people to upgrade their iPhone. “We will see if Apple gives them a compelling reason to do that.” Announcements at WWDC will be a “litmus test” for Apple’s ability to integrate ChatGPT-like generative AI into all its devices and services, said Emarketer senior analyst Gadjo Sevilla. “Any misstep by Apple at this juncture could see it lose its place as a technology leader, especially as it is now sandwiched between two AI giants with actual products and release roadmaps that go well into the next two years.” Cook already foreshadowed his commitment to AI by putting more powerful and AI-ready chips on iPad and MacBook releases earlier this year. But the big challenge for Apple is how to infuse the technology into its products without weakening its heavily promoted user privacy and security, according to analysts. ChatGPT-style AI voraciously feeds off data and Apple will be at pains to fight the AI race while living up to its traditional position on safeguarding data privacy. “Being too controlling of an AI ecosystem could cause Apple to lose ground or fall behind while other companies are moving fast and breaking things,” Sevilla said. – AFP

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 19 STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (RM) VOLUME (’00) DLADY 37.78 -0.64 496 PETDAG 18.1 -0.48 9149 KLK 20.86 -0.3 10514 PANAMY 20.42 -0.18 208 NIKKEI-HD 1.16 -0.15 115 PPB 14.68 -0.14 3,820 PMETAL 5.75 -0.14 114,865 TOYOVEN 1.39 -0.14 32,474 HENGYUANC55 0.035 -0.115 5,556 HSI-CXJ 0.33 -0.115 20 TOMEI 1.77 -0.11 16433 IDEAL 3.5 -0.1 20 AMWAY 7.2 -0.09 782 GOLDETF 3.4 -0.09 1,769 UMS 2.21 -0.09 47 JSB 0.855 -0.085 139,995 SPSETIA-C84 0.065 -0.085 2,201 AJI 15.7 -0.08 927 BLDPLNT 10.92 -0.08 1 FRONTKN 4.31 -0.07 22,074 STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/-(RM) +/-(%) VOLUME HUBLINE 0.07 0.03 75 2,411,173 JAKS 0.175 0.02 12.9 2,146,015 TALAMT 0.015 - - 1,835,798 SINKUNG 0.18 0.035 24.14 1,545,990 MTRONIC 0.02 - - 1,204,559 AHB-WC 0.05 -0.005 -9.09 1,133,535 ITRONIC 0.045 - - 867,633 SCIB 0.315 0.045 16.67 803,561 WCT 0.91 0.08 9.64 792,883 WIDAD 0.085 0.005 6.25 780,495 VELESTO 0.275 0.01 3.77 759,453 JTGROUP 0.53 0.095 21.84 717,399 NOVAMSC 0.155 0.04 34.78 674,479 YNHPROP 0.67 0.03 4.69 652,351 PUC 0.06 - - 624,156 JCY 0.665 0.025 3.91 615,404 ZENTECH 0.02 0.005 33.33 613,288 PHB 0.005 - - 570,126 KGW 0.25 0.025 11.11 531,354 RGB 0.455 0.03 7.06 500,833 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: JUNE 10 [ 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 12,356.01 -0.85 FBMKLCI 1,614.37 -3.49 CONSUMER PRODUCTS 598.27 -0.27 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 198.02 +0.37 CONSTRUCTION 251.86 +1.83 FINANCIAL SERVICES 17,646.15 +3.88 ENERGY 983.11 +13.88 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 614.94 -0.21 HEALTH CARE 2,175.36 -15.71 TRANSPORTATION 1,140.89 +19.97 PROPERTY 1,123.03 +3.75 PLANTATION 7,102.28 -43.05 FBMSHA 12,662.31 +8.78 FBMACE 5,669.09 +91.77 TECHNOLOGY 75.82 +0.69 TURNOVER: 5.959 bil VALUE: RM3.299 bil Top 20 Actives Top 20 Losers (By RM) Bursa Indices INDEX CLOSING DAILY DAILY CHANGE CHANGE (%) DJIA (US) 38,798.99 -87.18 -0.22 S&P 500 (US) 5,346.99 -5.97 -0.11 NASDAQ (US) 17,133.13 -39.99 -0.23 NYSE (US) 17,985.63 -80.94 -0.45 EURO STOXX 50 (EUR) 4,992.36 -58.95 -1.17 FTSE 100 (UK) 8,211.56 -33.81 -0.41 DAX (GER) 18,417.82 -139.45 -0.75 NIKKEI 225 (JPN) 39,038.16 +354.23 +0.92 TOPIX (JPN) 2,782.49 +27.46 +1.00 HANG SENG INDEX (HK) 18,366.95 -109.85 -0.59 CSI 300 (CHN) 3,574.11 -18.14 -0.50 SH SE COM (CHN) 3,051.28 +2.49 +0.08 KOSPI INDEX (SK) 2,701.17 -21.50 -0.01 MSCI ASIA PACIFIC 179.99 -0.16 -0.09 ASX 200 (AUS) 7,860.02 +38.26 +0.49 ALL ORDINARIES INDX (AUS) 8,112.82 +38.52 +0.48 SENSEX INDEX (IND) 76,738.69 +45.33 +0.06 FBM KLCI 1,614.37 -3.49 -0.22 STRAITS TIMES INDEX (S’PORE) 3,326.34 -4.43 -0.13 WTI (US$/BBL.) 75.39 -0.14 -0.19 BRENT (US$/BBL.) 79.49 -0.13 -0.00 GOLD (COMEX) (US$/T OZ) 2,310.80 -14.20 -0.61 SILVER (COMEX) (US$/T OZ) 29.77 +0.33 +1.10 PLATINUM (US$/T OZ) 971.54 +3.73 +0.00 COPPER (COMEX) (US CENTS/LB.) 449.00 +0.65 +0.14 COPPER 3MO (LME) (US$/MT) 9,762.50 -386.50 -3.81 CORN (US CENTS/BU.) 449.50 +0.75 +0.17 WHEAT (US CENTS/BU.) 623.75 -3.75 -0.60 SOYBEAN OIL (CBOT) (US CENTS/LB.) 43.41 -0.22 -0.50 COCOA (ICE) (US$/MT) 9,093.00 -70.00 -0.76 RUBBER (S’PORE) (US CENTS/KG) 184.60 -0.20 -0.11 World Stocks/Commodities as at 5pm, June 10 STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (%) VOLUME (’00) HENGYUANC55 0.035 -76.67 5,556 NIKKEI-C9 0.005 -75 3,000 SPSETIA-C84 0.065 -56.67 2,201 EG-CA 0.04 -52.94 1,500 DRBHCOMC2X 0.005 -50 6,000 JOE-WA 0.005 -50 10,000 PBBANK-C1B 0.01 -50 5,200 HSI-CVZ 0.045 -40 2,277 ASTRO-C61 0.025 -37.5 8,895 CLASSITA-WC 0.01 -33.33 7,450 GENM-C2S 0.01 -33.33 29,725 GTRONIC-C30 0.02 -33.33 11759 KANGER-WB 0.01 -33.33 421 SUPERMX-C3W 0.02 -33.33 5,572 FAST-WA 0.025 -28.57 200 HSI-CT4 0.05 -28.57 31498 D&O-C6 0.055 -26.67 2000 KAB-CC 0.07 -26.32 147127 UNISEM-C35 0.07 -26.32 100 SIME-C76 0.085 -26.09 810 Top 20 Losers (By %) STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (RM) VOLUME (’00) NESTLE 126.3 0.8 648 MPI 38.5 0.3 2,355 QUALITY 1.32 0.3 1,384 VITROX 4.25 0.28 16113 VSTECS 4.07 0.24 32,162 KESM 6.3 0.2 2,105 KSENG 6.12 0.18 1,503 HENGYUAN 2.96 0.16 17,437 HLCAP 4.55 0.15 2619 PETRONM 5.14 0.14 5,188 KGB-CI 0.285 0.135 1,071 AEONCR 7.48 0.13 2,441 ATECH 3.61 0.13 8707 BMGREEN 1.78 0.13 43,606 CHINHIN 3.46 0.13 33,359 D&O 3.69 0.12 10,912 HLFG 17.22 0.12 565 KGB 3.45 0.11 11,888 DIN045801028 102.5 0.1 0 F&N 32.1 0.1 1,139 Top 20 Gainers (By RM) STOCKS CLOSING (RM) +/- (%) VOLUME (’00) BORNOIL 0.01 100 99,336 BSLCORP-WB 0.01 100 2 HENGYUANC50 0 100 1300 HENGYUANC52 0 100 8,342 KGROUP 0.01 100 34,061 MTRONIC-WB 0 100 85,241 PERMAJU-PA 0 100 22000 VIZIONE-WE 0 100 88553 KGB-CI 0 90 1,071 HUBLINE 0 75 2,411,173 LBS-CD 0 63.64 9,739 ECOWLD-C26 0 58.06 601 HENGYUANC56 0 55.56 20,165 YONGTAI-PA 0 55.56 161 CYPARK-CB 0 50 11,180 JAKS-WC 0 50 317,543 LCTITAN-CO 0 50 31515 LHI-C13 0.015 50 4,686 LHI-C15 0 50 4437 PUC-WA 0 50 8415 Top 20 Gainers (By %) FBM KLCI ends on softer note as interest shifts to small caps BURSA Malaysia’a barometer index ended in negative territory yesterday as investors shifted focus on small-cap stocks. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI fell by 3.49 points to 1,614.37 compared to Friday’s close of 1,617.86, weighed by losses in Press Metal and YTL Corporation. The barometer index opened 1.38 points higher at 1,619.24, marking its intraday high and hit a low of 1,613.01 in the midafternoon session. Market breadth was positive, with gainers surpassing decliners 628 by 531, with 470 counters unchanged, 769 untraded, and 19 others suspended. Turnover rose to 5.96 billion units worth RM3.30 billion from Friday’s 5.73 billion units worth RM4.05 billion. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said trading activities in Malaysia and the region were subdued as China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan markets were closed for holidays. “Overall sentiment was mixed as traders significantly reduced bets on the US Federal Reserve rate cuts this year due to the country’s tight labour market,” he told Bernama. Following the growing global volatility and uncertainty, he said the FBM KLCI may trade within the 1,610-1,630 range for the week. Heavyweight Press Metal led laggards after slipping 14 sen to RM5.75, likely due to profit-taking following last week’s rally. YTL Corp dwindled five sen to RM3.60, Petronas Dagangan declined 48 sen to RM18.10, KLK trimmed 30 sen to RM20.86, and IOI dropped four sen to RM3.86. As for the actives, Hubline increased three sen to 7 sen, JAKS Resources rose two sen to 17.5 sen, Talam, Metronic and Industronics were flat at 1.5 sen, 2 sen and 4.5 sen, respectively. 1,614.37pts June 10, 2024 Participation 27.33 47.29 25.38 100.00 Retail Institutions Foreign Bought RM m 882.05 1575.06 842.79 3299.91 Sold RM m 921.85 1545.98 832.08 3299.91 Net RM m -39.79 29.08 10.71 0.00 % 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) 10/6/2024

BIZ & FINANCE BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JUNE 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. ENGTEX has proposed a 3-for-4 bonus share of up to 414.3m new shares, of which we are neutral and deem unnecessary. Nonetheless, its near-term prospects are strong, underpinned by an outstanding order book of RM166 million (MS pipes: RM120 million, DI pipes: RM46 million). Meanwhile, its tender book stands at RM403 million (MS pipes: RM328 million, DI pipes: RM75 million). These numbers are likely to rise over the immediate term as water operators kick start their long overdue water projects on the revival of water projects on stronger finances of water operators following the recent water tariff hikes. These include: (i) non-revenue water (NRW) reduction initiatives or pipe replacement, and (ii) construction or upgrading of water treatment plants (including the consolidation of old and small plants to optimise cost). We understand that water operators are currently identifying old pipes to be replaced and working out the cost to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for approval. According to Malaysian Water Association, water operators have thus far submitted proposals to the MoF for water projects worth ~RM4 billion. There are also plans to raise water tariffs again within the next two years. Fundamentals of water-related stocks have improved following the recent announcement by National Water Services Commission (SPAN) of an average hike of RM0.25/m3 or ~42% hike in water tariffs effective Feb 1 for domestic users (of which some have not been adjusted in the past four decades). These hikes will strengthen the finances of water operators, allowing them to upgrade and replace old water infrastructure. We expect a pick-up in the award of pipe replacement projects from 2H24 as Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) finalises the tenders (that typically take six months to conclude). We maintain our forecasts and TP of RM1.41 with OUTPERFORM call. DBB has seen an encouraging pick-up in local sales segment (+8% QoQ), indicating sluggish consumer demand for CHC products had bottomed. Moving forward, the group expects CHC segment growth to be largely driven by analgesic products (ie painkillers) as well as its regional expansion to drive vitamin C sales (ie Flavettes, Champs and Proviton). It also intends to expand its CHC product offerings range to reduce the reliance on vitamin C sales. The group has set up its regional office in Indonesia (with the wholly-owned subsidiary incorporated in April 2023) – spreading its regional footprint to a third country after Singapore and the Philippines. DBB’s immediate objective is to provide contractually-manufactured oral solid dosage products (OSD) to the Indonesian market. Following the receipt of the certificate of completion (CCC) of its K3 facility in July 2023, management guided that its 2024 capex spending is expected to be lower than 2023 as most expansions near the tail-end. The remaining capex is expected to be channelled towards: i) Expanding biologics-manufacturing capabilities at K5 (expected to commence by end-2024); ii) using the available space (40,000 sq ft) in K2 facility for injectable drugs; iii) upgrading its Highly Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (HAPI) facility to secure EU GMP certification by end of 2024. DBB continues to reassure its commitment to drive the sustainability agenda, particularly in reducing carbon footprints (targeted to reduce emissions by 10% annually), and empowering workplace diversity. Its FTSE4Good Index rating has increased to 4.4 in 2023 from 3.9 in 2022 (management’s long-term target is to maintain >4 rating). It also achieved 0.36% reduction in total carbon emission intensity in 2023. As such, we raise our ESG score to 3.2 from 3.0, which translates to a 4% ESG premium applied to our TP, based on our in-house methodology. Maintain BUY with new DCF-derived RM1.44 TP. ON June 7, Toyo Ventures Holdings (TVHB) (TOYOVEN MK, NR) accepted an equipment procurement facility of US$980 million for the 2.12GW Song Hau 2 thermal power plant (SH2P) in Vietnam. The SH2P project is owned by TVHB, and will be operated via a build-operate-transfer model by its wholly owned subsidiary, Song Hau 2 Power Company. Back in Mar 2023, Sunway Construction, via a JV with Power Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Company 2 (PECC2), executed a formal contract agreement with the owner to formalise the terms and conditions regarding the EPCC job for SH2P, with SCGB holding a 55% stake in the JV, and PECC2 holding the remaining 45%. The contract value for SH2P is US$2.4 billion (RM11.2 billion), which brings the value of SCGB’s effective share to RM6 billion. With a targeted duration of close to five years (57 months) and an assumed 7% PAT margin, we estimate that SH2P may boost earnings by <5% for FY24F and 20-35% for FY25F and FY26F, if financial close is obtained by end-June. SCGB’s outstanding orderbook may also expand to a record high of RM12 billion from RM6.3 billion currently. The stock is currently trading at 19x FY25 P/E, which is at a premium to the Bursa Malaysia Construction Index’s 5-year mean of 13x. We think this is justified, as SCGB’s ROE is significantly higher than that of its peers, and as it also has the potential to benefit from the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone via Sunway City Iskandar Puteri. Maintain BUY and RM3.81 TP, 15% upside with 3% yield. FOREIGN CURRENCY SELLING TT/OD BUYING TT BUYING OD 1 US Dollar 4.7810 4.6480 4.6380 1 Australian Dollar 3.1690 3.0440 3.0280 1 Brunei Dollar 3.5350 3.4330 3.4250 1 Canadian Dollar 3.4720 3.3810 3.3690 1 Euro 5.1610 4.9960 4.9760 1 New Zealand Dollar 2.9330 2.8260 2.8100 1 Singapore Dollar 3.5350 3.4330 3.4250 1 Sterling Pound 6.0960 5.9050 5.8850 1 Swiss Franc 5.3190 5.1970 5.1820 100 UAE Dirham 131.7800 125.0200 124.8200 100 Bangladesh Taka 4.1570 3.8720 3.6720 100 Chinese Renminbi N/A N/A N/A 100 Danish Krone 70.9200 65.2900 65.0900 100 Hongkong Dollar 61.9000 58.8400 58.6400 100 Indian Rupee 5.8200 5.4700 5.2700 100 Indonesian Rupiah 0.0304 0.0275 0.0225 100 Japanese Yen 3.0530 2.9570 2.9470 100 New Taiwan Dollar N/A N/A N/A 100 Norwegian Krone 45.7800 42.1200 41.9200 100 Pakistan Rupee 1.7500 1.6400 1.4400 100 Philippine Peso 8.2600 7.7900 7.5900 100 Qatar Riyal 132.7000 125.9800 125.7800 100 Saudi Riyal 129.0100 122.4700 122.2700 100 South Africa Rand 26.2700 23.7300 23.5300 100 Sri Lanka Rupee 1.6200 1.4900 1.2900 100 Swedish Krona 46.7500 42.5900 42.3900 100 Thai Baht 13.5400 12.0200 11.6200 Exchange Rates Source: Malayan Banking Bhd/Bernama Ringgit slips against greenback as US Dollar Index rebounds THE ringgit closed lower against the US dollar yesterday on a lack of buying interest, as the US Dollar Index (DXY) rebounded, surpassing the 105-point level. An analyst said that the DXY gain, the first since May 29, 2024, was influenced by stronger US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data released last Friday. At 6pm, the ringgit decreased to 4.7210/7250 against the greenback from Friday’s close of 4.6900/6940. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said last week’s NFP has altered the course for the US dollar as market participants erred on the side of caution ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on June 11-12 this week. “The ringgit was trading around 4.7180 after hovering around 4.7000 in the past weeks. Whether such trend will hold (or not), it will greatly hinge upon the Federal Reserve’s latest economic projection or the ‘dot plots’,” he told Bernama. At the close, the ringgit traded higher against a basket of major currencies. The local unit strengthened versus the Japanese yen to 3.0089/0117 from Friday’s 3.0163/0190, rose vis-a-vis the British pound to 5.9943/9993 from 6.0009/0060 previously, and went up against the euro at 5.0722/0765 from 5.1079/1122. Meanwhile, the ringgit traded mostly lower against its Asean peers. The local note weakened versus the Philippine peso to 8.03/8.04 from 8.01/8.02 at Friday’s close, inched down against the Singapore dollar to 3.4875/4907 compared with 3.4872/4905 and slipped to 289.9/290.3 vis-a-vis the Indonesian rupiah from 289.5/289.9. Vetece gets approval from Bursa for ACE Market listing KUALA LUMPUR: Enterprise information technology solutions provider Vetece Holdings Bhd has received approval from Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd (Bursa Securities) to list on the ACE Market of Bursa Securities. Vetece’s extensive IT solutions cater to various industries including telecommunications, financial services, technology, manufacturing, higher education, distribution, public sector, automotive and utilities. The group provides internationally accredited quality services and is certified with the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System for software design and installation, and Test Maturity Model integration. While Malaysia remains its primary market, Vetece also serves clients in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and other countries. Based on its draft prospectus, Vetece’s initial public offering entails a public issuance of 98 million new ordinary shares, and an offer for sale of 39.2 million existing shares. This represents a total of 35% of Vetece’s enlarged issued share capital of 392.0 million ordinary shares. Group CEO and executive director Chan Wai Hoong said, “Over the past 20 years, we have established a robust track record in providing IT solutions to large enterprises such as government-linked companies and multinational corporations, majority being in the telecommunications and financial services industries.” He added that listing on the ACE Market will allow the group to access the equity capital market, raising funds to accelerate the next phase of our business growth. Sunway Construction Group Bhd Buy. Target price: RM3.81 Duopharma Biotech Bhd Buy. Target price: RM1.44 Engtex Group Bhd Outperform. Target price: RM1.41 Source: Kenanga Research Source: RHB Research Source: RHB Research June 10, 2024: RM1.16 June 10, 2024: RM1.28 June 10, 2024: RM3.31

Land’s End Land’s End by road by road Campervan adventure in NZ ampervan adventure in NZ –P22 TUESDAY | JUN 11, 2024 SCAN ME WEEKLY FOCUS MONDAY Technology and social media TUESDAY Travel and leisure WEDNESDAY Fashion and beauty THURSDAY Home and living FRIDAY Food and beverage Editorial T: 03-7784 6688 F: 03-7785 2625 E: [email protected] Advertising T: 03-7784 8888 E: [email protected] – 123RFPIC

LYFE LYFE TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 22 Ready, set, explore EMBARKING on a campervan journey through the stunning landscapes of New Zealand is a dream for many adventurers. But before you hit the road, it is important to pack wisely. From navigating diverse terrains to enjoying spontaneous detours, having the right gear can make all the difference. Here are the top seven tips to make your campervan trip in New Zealand as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Pack smarter, travel lighter When packing for your campervan trip, opt for soft luggage bags instead of hard suitcases for easy storage in your campervan. These are more flexible and easier to store in your campervan, maximising space. Keep your belongings such as clothing and toiletries organised and maximise space in your campervan with compression cubes. These handy organisers help streamline your packing process and make it simpler to find items as you go. Campground essentials Campers need lightweight, fastdrying microfibre towels to stay fresh in New Zealand’s diverse landscapes. Flip flops or jandals as they are known in Kiwi slang, are handy to have for trips to communal campground bathrooms. Bring a torch if you use campground restrooms instead of your campervan toilet. Be sure to bring collapsible chairs to relax From smart packing to essential apps, here is how to maximise your New Zealand campervan journey. oGear up for an unforgettable campervan adventure in New Zealand Pleasant Flat, Mount Aspiring National Park. Autumn walks on Queenstown Bay. Lake Wānaka, Otago. outdoors and enjoy New Zealand’s stunning scenery. If you are planning on cooking on the go, a portable stove is a must-have item for preparing meals while enjoying your campervan adventure. You should include a fire blanket in your kit to put out small fires while cooking or camping. Additionally, first aid kits are necessary for travel emergencies to provide immediate care and protect everyone. Lastly, keep your electronic devices charged with portable power banks or a solar charger, especially when you are away from electrical hookups. These essentials will prepare you for an unforgettable trip through New Zealand’s stunning scenery. Dress for the season Pack accordingly because New Zealand’s weather varies by season and region. In autumn, the north has 10°C to 20°C temperatures, while the south has 5°C to 15°C. Pack lightweight, breathable layers like long-sleeved shirts, sweaters and cardigans for versatile comfort. Other than that, wear comfy shoes. Sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat are essential even in cool weather to protect yourself from UV rays. Sustainable waste management Do not forget to pack reusable bags for more than just trash – they are great for managing dirty laundry and damp towels. Choose eco-friendly options for toiletries and cleaning products to reduce environmental impact. Zip lock bags are also useful for storing leftover food, especially meat, keeping it fresh and preventing any odours or leakage. For sustainability and less plastic, use reusable utensils and containers. Recycle whenever possible, and responsibly dispose of campervan waste in designated bins to minimise environmental impact. Important documents Driver’s licence: Do not forget your driver’s licence, as a valid and full motor vehicle driver’s licence is required. Obtain an accredited English translation or International Driving Permit if your licence is not in English. It must be translated by a NZ Transport Agency-authorised translation service, a diplomatic representative at a high commission, embassy or consulate, or your overseas licence issuer. As always, get travel insurance. Maintain two copies of your policy – one at home and one with you. Apps to download 0 Rankers or CamperMate These apps help you find selfcontained campsites, holiday parks, and the Department of Conservation’s extensive campsite network in New Zealand. You can also find nearby activities, short walks, and wildlife areas to enhance your trip. 0 MetService Never be caught off guard by the weather! This app provides you with detailed forecasts of any town or city in New Zealand. Plus, you can access forecasts offline – perfect for your offroad adventures. 0 Great Walks App New Zealand is known for its beautiful scenery and what better way than to embark on one of their iconic Great Walks? The Great Walks take hikers through lush forests, glacier lakes, mountains and fjords to see the country’s majestic wildlife. 0 Star Chart Home to five Dark Sky Reserves, New Zealand is definitely a stargazer’s paradise. With the help of this app, you will be able to learn fascinating facts about the constellations. Simply point your device at the night sky and the App will show virtual stars and planets. Final tips before conquering the open road While New Zealand’s roads are scenic, driving at night can be challenging, especially in unfamiliar territory with winding roads. Plan your journeys for daylight hours whenever possible as sticking to daytime driving offers optimal visibility and allows more time to navigate roundabouts. Take some time learning local road rules and conditions to travel safely and comfortably.

EDUCATION EDUCATION 23 TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 Scholarships, financial assistance lifeline KUALA LUMPUR: One of the cornerstones of studying at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) is the support given to students in need of financial assistance, in the form of scholarships and financial aid, ensuring they will not be deprived of the opportunity for further education. UTAR offers various types of scholarships, including foundation and undergraduate scholarships, study loans and external funding options such as Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) and Majlis Amanah Raya (MARA) loans. Additionally, postgraduate financial assistance is available to UTAR students, ensuring continuous support throughout their academic journey. UTAR’s commitment to providing financial assistance is reflected in the significant amounts awarded through both internal and external scholarships and loans. Internal scholarships from the UTAR Education Foundation amounting to RM200.6 million have been awarded to 21,674 recipients thus far, more than RM574,000 in internal scholarships from external funds have been awarded to 46 recipients to enable them to complete their studies. Additionally, internal loans totalling RM16.96 million have supported 1,956 students in their studies, and external scholarships worth RM24.7 million have been disbursed to 830 recipients, with external loans amounting to RM1.37 billion benefitting 85,549 students, providing a lifeline to many who otherwise would not have been able to complete their studies. Faculty of Accounting and Management Bachelor of Accounting (Honours) student Varshene Priyha Moorthy, who was a recipient of the UTAR Scholarship for Top Achievers, said: “This scholarship has opened doors I never thought possible, empowering me to pursue my dreams with unwavering determination and purpose. It has instilled in me a sense of responsibility, not only to excel academically but also to make a meaningful difference in the world around me.” Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Logistics and Supply Chain Management student Cheong Wai Kee, who received the Yayasan MR. DIY Scholarship, said: “The support and assistance provided by Yayasan MR. DIY has brought me one step closer to achieving my dreams. Just knowing that UTAR and Yayasan MR. DIY stood by me, ready to offer encouragement, instils a sense of assurance in me. Their support has made me realise that I am not alone in this journey.” With UTAR’s support, students can embark on their educational journey with confidence, knowing that financial assistance is readily available to help them achieve their academic goals. UTAR offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in areas including Accountancy, Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Arts, Chinese Studies, Malaysia Studies, Business and Economics, Biotechnology, Engineering and Build Environment, Information and Communication Technology, Life and Physical Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Media and Journalism, Education and General Studies, and Agriculture and Food Science. The university also engages in the provision and conduct of research, consultation, management and leadership training and other related educational services. For more information, drop by at the UTAR Open Day on June 15 and 16 from 9am to 5pm at both the Kampar and Sungai Long campuses, call 05- 468 8888 (Kampar Campus) or 03-9086 0288 (Sungai Long Campus). UTAR president and CEO Prof Datuk Dr Ewe Hing Tat presenting scholarships to recipients. oUTAR provides support for academic journey of students in need via internal and external funding options

EDUCATION EDUCATION 24 TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 Globally ranked university oMSU remains top choice MSU is strategically placed with state of the art facilities for both local and international students. SHAH ALAM: Students considering their next choice upon completion of their SPM, STPM or pre-university studies should consider Management and Science University (MSU) as university of choice, given its status as a well-ranked global university, offering award winning programmes. The combined approaches of MSU to 21st-century learning and industry-driven education have built strong traditions that enhance current and future pools of human capital assets to address the challenges of 21st-century learning. This type of approach has improved MSU’s global rankings, placing it higher both locally and internationally. MSU was ranked 580th in the world and secured a world-ranked Top 12 University in Malaysia in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (WUR) 2025 report. The most notable achievement is the international students’ ratio indicator, which has moved MSU up 41 rungs to third position in Malaysia, the 51st spot in the world. The international faculty ratio indicator is also showing a growth, showing a 54-rungs increase that puts MSU in the top spot in Malaysia and 126th in the world. The faculty student ratio indicator, which is currently ranked 12th in Malaysia and 389th globally, rose 87 rungs, indicating a vast improvement in this area. In addition to the three indicators listed above, the QS WUR 2025 assessment is also based on six other main indicators, namely employer reputation, academic reputation, citations per faculty, international research network, and sustainability as well as employment outcomes. QS WUR 2025 evaluates five main areas, research and discovery, employability and outcomes, learning experience, global engagement and sustainability. This accomplishment is noteworthy due to MSU's ecosystem, which focuses on 21st century teaching and learning, and includes over 2,000 industry partners, both local and international, as well as over 350 global higher education institutions from Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, China, the Middle East, Eurasia, Europe, West Asia, and Oceania. The international student’s population at MSU come from 67 different countries, including the USA, Indonesia, Somalia, Brunei, Sudan, Yemen, Ghana, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Maldives, Algeria, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Chad, Turkey and others. As one of the top institutions in Malaysia for renowned employers, MSU has been recognised as Employer Choice University 2024, according to the Graduate Employability Index (Talentbank GE Index 2024). This is an extension of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia's Graduate Tracer Study 2022, which shows that MSU graduate employability currently ranks at 99% of its graduates successfully securing employment within six months of their graduation. Extensive partnerships and collaborations in over 300 institutions from more than 40 countries worldwide provide comprehensive mobility opportunities for all MSU students, enhancing their graduate employability through global exposures by studies and internships abroad. This provides a positive indicator of the effectiveness of the implementation of innovative strategies, in ensuring that graduates are thoroughly equipped with the skills and knowledge essential for thriving in today’s dynamic job market. For a full range and information on flexible programme offered at MSU, please call 03-5521 6868, email [email protected], or visit www.msu.edu.my

EDUCATION EDUCATION 25 TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 KUALA LUMPUR: Fashion design has always been a powerful way of expressing ideas and innovation. In a highly competitive world, it requires a designer to have a strong portfolio to be recognised and get ahead. At Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT), final year students of the Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Fashion Design are required to organise a fashion show, in addition to creating their own line of clothing. The latest edition of such a fashion show was titled “Aliferous”, defined as “having wings”. It was an apt theme, alluding to designers who are emerging from their cocoons and preparing to fly into the fashion industry. The event showcased 66 designs by 11 final year students, one of whom was Priya Trikamlal, with a collection themed “Gothical Arche”. “The idea of a Gothic outlook served as the inspiration for my designs. In order to express the feelings of luxury, richness and elegance with a hint of mystery, my overall designs have the black tone with gold concept. This is how I demonstrated the elegance in darkness,” said Priya. “As I am using velvet for the materials in my clothing line, the process of constructing the garment was tricky as velvet is not an easy material to work with, in terms of preparation and cutting.” On top of being one of the designers for the show, she also took on a second role of being the treasurer. “My main responsibility was to raise funds to support the show. It Undergraduates soar with flying colours Priya (second from right) said organising the fashion show from scratch has built her confidence to interact with professionals. oTAR UMT Bachelor of Design final year students reach for the stars with ‘rite of passage’ fashion show was not an easy role as it deals with money and when money is in the picture, there are bound to be rejections. “However, I saw the value of togetherness and unity in teamwork because the entire final year student team shared the responsibility of raising funds for our fashion show,” she said. “As a result, we succeeded in securing valuable sponsorships from a number of companies. “The overall experience of being a designer and treasurer for the fashion show has proven to be an enriching experience in many areas,” she added. Priya also shared the many insights she gained from running the event with her team. “The experience taught me a lot about valuing everyone’s opinion and although not all opinions are practical, I have learnt how to manage such opinions professionally, with the aim of preserving good teamwork. “It has also built my confidence to interact with professionals. The experience of organising a fashion show from scratch will definitely add value to my portfolio and increase my chances of being a part of KL Fashion Week,” she said. For more information about TAR UMT’s fashion design and other creative industries and communication programmes, visit the TAR UMT Open Day from now until June 23 from 10am to 5pm. Please call 011-1067 8256 or log on to www.tarc.edu.my for information about TAR UMT and to apply online. Various financial aid and merit scholarships are available for qualified students.

SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 26 SCAN ME TUESDAY JUNE 11, 2024 TEL: 03-7784 6688 FAX: 03-7785 2625 EMAIL: [email protected] PERISYTIHARAN JUALAN DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI PULAU PINANG PERMOHONAN UNTUK PERLAKSANAAN NO: PA-38-271-03/2024 Dalam perkara mengenai Seksyen 256 dan 257 Kanun Tanah Negara, 1965 Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Gadaian Perserahan No: 0799SC2018034811 (bertarikh : 26/11/2018) ke atas semua bahagian tanah yang dipegang di bawah Geran No. Hakmilik 154037, Lot 31393, Mukim 14, Daerah Seberang Perai Tengah, Pulau Pinang Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Aturan 83 Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah, 2012 ANTARA Public Bank Berhad (No. Syarikat : 6463-H) ...PLAINTIF LEE KAI LOON (No. Kad Pengenalan : 781023025265) ...DEFENDAN Menurut Perintah Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di PULAU PINANG mengenai Perintah Jualan dan Perintah bertarikh 10 November 2022 dan 29 Mei 2024, adalah dengan ini diisytiharkan bahawa Timbalan Pendaftar/Penolong Kanan Pendaftar Pusat Operasi e-Lelong di Kuantan AKAN MENJUAL SECARA LELONG AWAM Pada Hari Isnin, 15 Julai 2024, Pada Jam 11:00 pagi, SECARA ELEKTRONIK DI LAMAN WEB e-LELONG, PUSAT OPERASI e-LELONG, KOMPLEKS MAHKAMAH KUANTAN, PAHANG DARUL MAKMUR NOTA: Bakal pembeli adalah dinasihatkan aqar membuat carian Hakmilik secara rasmi di Pejabat Tanah dan memeriksa semua tanqqunqan, bebanan serta mengenal pasti dengan tepat hartanah tersebut sebelum jualan lelonqan dijalankan. Sila layari https://elelong.kehakiman.gov.my/bidderweb BUTIR-BUTIR HAKMILIK: No. Hakmilik : Geran No. Hakmilik 154037 No. lot : Lot 31393 Mukim / Daerah / Negeri : 14 / Seberang Perai Tengah / Pulau Pinang Pegangan : Hakmilik Kekal No. Petak/No. Tingkat/ No. Bangunan : Keluasan Tanah : 5446.0000000000 kaki persegi 506.0000000000 meter persegi Pemilik Berdaftar : Lee Kai Loon Syarat Nyata : (FIRST GRADE) The land comprised in this title: (a)shall not be affected by any provision of the National Land Code limiting the compensation payable on thr exercise by the State Authority of a right of access or use conferred by Chapter 3, of Part Three of the Code or on the creation of a Collector’s right of way; and Sekatan Kepentingan : Tiada Bebanan / Lain-Lain : To PUBLIC BANK BERHAD vide Presentation no. 0799SC2018034811 registered on 6 December 2018. Kawasan Rizab : Kaveat : No Pers 0799B2018010297 Kaveat Persendirian atas Tanah oleh PUBLIC BANK BERHAD No. Syarikat: 6463-H 15-18, Lorong Sepakat 1, Taman Bandar Raya, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang didaftarkan pada 10 Oktober 2018 Suratkuasa Wakil : 0799SW2004000305 No. Mahkamah : 63777/04 LOKASI DAN PERIHAL HARTANAH : Hartanah tersebut adalah A double-storey corner unit bungalow link yang beralamat pos di No. 2, Lorong Santuari 12, Taman Santuari, 14000, Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang. HARGA RIZAB : Hartanah tersebut akan dijual atas “sepertimana sedia ada” tertakluk kepada satu harga rizab sebanyak RM 1,020,600.00 (RINGGIT MALAYSIA: SATU JUTA DUA PULUH RIBU ENAM RATUS SAHAJA) dan kepada syarat-syarat jualan yang dilampirkan. Pembida yang berminat hendaklah mendepositkan 10% daripada harga rizab dalam bentuk Bank Draf di atas nama PUBLIC BANK BERHAD 1 HARI BEKERJA sebelum tarikh lelong awam. Baki harga belian hendaklah dibayar oleh pembida yang berjaya kepada PUBLIC BANK BERHAD dalam tempoh seratus dua puluh (120) hari dari tarikh jualan. Untuk butir-butir selanjutnya, sila berhubung dengan:- Firma Guaman : WONG-CHOOI & MOHD NOR Alamat : NO. 27, 1ST & 2ND FLOOR JALAN MAJU JAYA PUSAT PERNIAGAAN MAJU JAYA, 14000, PG, MY No. Telefon : 04-5398855 No. Fax : 04-5395855 No. Rujukan : WCMN(BM)/PBB-HL/2022-298/LKL(RS/j) IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. [Company No: 198701006856 (165572-U)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Members of AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. duly convened at No. 23, Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor on 6th June 2024 the following Special Resolution was duly passed: - 1) That the company will be liquidated by way of members’ voluntary winding up; 2) That Chai Min Yeaw (Nric No: 720112-01-5385) of No. 23, Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor be appointed as Liquidator to act for the purpose of winding-up the company’s affairs and distributing its assets. Dated this: 6th June 2024 FONG AH BAH COMPANY DIRECTOR AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. [Company No: 198701006856 (165572-U)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE IS hereby given that the creditors of AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. which is being voluntarily wound up, are required on or before 5th July 2024 to send their names and addresses and the particulars of their debts or claims, and the names and addresses of their solicitors (if any) to the undersigned, the liquidator of the company, and, if so required in writing from the liquidator, are by their solicitors or personally to come in and prove their debts or claims at such time and place as shall be specified in such notice, or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts and claims are proved. Dated this: 6th June 2024 CHAI MIN YEAW Liquidator 23, Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor. DALAM MAHKAMAH SESYEN DI GEORGETOWN DALAM NEGERI PULAU PINANG GUAMAN SIVIL NO. PA-B52NC vC-26-04/2024 ANTARA PUBLIC BANK BERHAD [NO. SYARIKAT 196501000672 (6463-H)] … PLAINTIF DAN S. MURALIBALAN A/L SAVALINGGAM (NO. K. P. 790822-02-5645) ... DEFENDAN NOTIS IKLAN Kepada:- S. MURALIBALAN A/L SAVALINGGAM (NO. K. P. 790822-02-5645) 5-10-09, Sri Ivory Farlim Bandar Baru Ayer Itam 11500 Ayer Itam Pulau Pinang dan/atau S. MURALIBALAN A/L SAVALINGGAM (NO. K. P. 790822-02-5645) No. 36, Taman Bruas 32700 Bruas Perak AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ bermeterai bertarikh 09-04-2024 telah dikeluarkan ke atas kamu dalam Mahkamah Sesyen di Georgetown, Pulau Pinang dalam Guaman Sivil No. PA-B52NCVC-26-04/2024 oleh Public Bank Berhad yang mempunyai alamat di No. 11, Jalan Todak 2, Pusat Bandar Seberang Jaya, 13700 Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang dan diperintahkan bahawa Writ bermeterai tersebut bersama dengan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 09-04-2024 disampaikan kepada kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan menampalkan kertaskertas kausa bersama dengan Perintah untuk Penyampaian Ganti bermeterai di Papan Notis Mahkamah Sesyen di Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, dan pada satu bahagian yang jelas kelihatan di alamat terakhir yang diketahui iaitu pada 5-10-09, Sri Ivory Farlim, Bandar Baru Ayer Itam, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang dan/atau No. 36, Taman Bruas, 32700 Bruas, Perak dan memasukkan satu iklan dalam suatu surat khabar tempatan Bahasa Inggeris untuk satu (1) terbitan dan bahawa penampalan dan pengiklanan itu hendaklah disifatkan sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan cukup bagi Writ tersebut dalam tempoh masa tujuh (7) hari dari tarikh akhir penampalan dan kos permohonan ini adalah menjadi kos dalam kausa. Jika kamu berhasrat untuk membela tindakan tersebut kamu mestilah hadir sama ada secara sendiri atau melalui peguambela kamu di hadapan Mahkamah Majistret di Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang pada 14-06-2024 jam pukul 9.00 pagi. Jika kamu ingkar hadir sedemikian, satu penghakiman boleh dibuat terhadap kamu oleh Mahkamah. Bertarikh 11 Jun 2024. t. t. .................... PEGUAMCARA PLAINTIF 322 Notices If you feel you have what it takes, to join us in the interesting media industry, send your resume (together with a photo of you) via email to [email protected] You can call us at +603 7784 6688 theSun is published by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd Lot 6, Level 4, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. MARKETING EXECUTIVE Responsibilities 1. Handle both local & outstation Agents and Vendors. 2. Handle sales of newspaper-corporate sales e.g.: Hospital, Hotels, etc. 3. Actively engage in outbound sales activities to acquire new newspaper subscribers. Requirements 1. Minimum Diploma in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field with at least 2 years of experience. 2. Proven experience in sales, preferably in the media or publishing industry would be an advantage 3. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. 4. Excellent selling, communication and negotiation skills. Malaysian Paper MEDIA SALES REPRESENTATIVE / AGENT (FREELANCE) Requirements 1. Minimum 1 year sales experience in newspaper bulk sales and digital advertising 2. Attractice commision package and incentive 3. Able to start immediately 4. Central, Nothern, Southern, East Coast and Sabah/Sarawak PERISYTIHARAN JUALAN DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI PULAU PINANG PERMOHONAN UNTUK PERLAKSANAAN NO: PA-38-247-03/2024 Dalam perkara mengenai Seksyen 256 dan 257 Kanun Tanah Negara, 1965 Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Gadaian Perserahan No: 0799SC2018021094 (bertarikh : 19/07/2018) ke atas semua bahagian tanah yang dipegang di bawah Hakmilik Strata No. Hakmilik : Geran 59596/M1/2/14, Lot 3456, Mukim Bandar Butterworth, seksyen 4, Daerah Seberang Perai Utara, Pulau Pinang Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Aturan 83 Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah, 2012 ANTARA Public Islamic Bank Berhad (No. Syarikat : 14328-V) ...PLAINTIF MOHAMAD ZAINI BIN SAARI (No. Kad Pengenalan:710611025001) ...DEFENDAN Menurut Perintah Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di PULAU PINANG mengenai Perintah Jualan dan Perintah bertarikh 25 September 2023 dan 28 Mei 2024, adalah dengan ini diisytiharkan bahawa Timbalan Pendaftar/Penolong Kanan Pendaftar Pusat Operasi e-Lelong di Kuantan AKAN MENJUAL SECARA LELONG AWAM Pada Hari Isnin, 15 Julai 2024, Pada Jam 11:00 pagi, SECARA ELEKTRONIK DI LAMAN WEB e-LELONG, PUSAT OPERASI e-LELONG, KOMPLEKS MAHKAMAH KUANTAN, PAHANG DARUL MAKMUR NOTA: Bakal pembeli adalah dinasihatkan agar membuat carian Hakmilik secara rasmi di Pejabat Tanah dan memeriksa semua tanggunqan, bebanan serta mengenal pasti dengan tepat hartanah tersebut sebelum jualan lelongan dijalankan. Sila layari https://elelong.kehakiman.gov.my/bidderweb BUTIR-BUTIR HAKMILIK: No. Hakmilik : Hakmilik Strata No. Hakmilik:Geran 59596/M1/2/14 No. lot : Lot 3456 Mukim / Daerah / Negeri : Bandar Butterworth, Seksyen 4 / Seberang Perai Utara / Pulau Pinang Pegangan : Hakmilik Kekal No. Petak/No. Tingkat/ No. Bangunan : 14 / 2 / M1 Keluasan Tanah : 656.5985000000 kaki persegi 61.0000000000 meter persegi Pemilik Berdaftar : Mohamad Zaini Bin Saari Syarat Nyata : Petak ini hendaklah digunakan untuk tujuan rumah pangsa sahaja. Sekatan Kepentingan : Tiada Bebanan / Lain-Lain : Charge The subject property is charged to Public Islamic Bank berhad vide Charge Presentation No. 0799SC2018021094 registered on 6th August 2018 Kawasan Rizab : Kaveat : LOKASI DAN PERIHAL HARTANAH : Hartanah tersebut adalah An apartment unit yang beralamat pos di No. 1-13, Blok A, Pangsapuri Ria, Lebih Kampung Benggali, 12200, Butterworth, Pulau Pinang. HARGA RIZAB : Hartanah tersebut akan dijual atas “sepertimana sedia ada” tertakluk kepada satu harga rizab sebanyak RM 162,000.00 (RINGGIT MALAYSIA: SATU RATUS ENAM PULUH DUA RIBU SAHAJA) dan kepada syarat-syarat jualan yang dilampirkan. Pembida yang berminat hendaklah mendepositkan 10% daripada harga rizab dalam bentuk Bank Draf di atas nama PUBLIC ISLAMIC BANK BERHAD 1 HARI BEKERJA sebelum tarikh lelong awam. Baki harga belian hendaklah dibayar oleh pembida yang berjaya kepada PUBLIC ISLAMIC BANK BERHAD dalam tempoh seratus dua puluh (120) hari dari tarikh jualan. Untuk butir-butir selanjutnya, sila berhubung dengan:- Firma Guaman : WONG-CHOOI & MOHD NOR Alamat : NO. 27, 1ST & 2ND FLOOR JALAN MAJU JAYA PUSAT PERNIAGAAN MAJU JAYA, 14000, PG, MY No. Telefon : 04-5398855 No. Fax : 04-5395855 No. Rujukan : WCMN(BM)/PIBB-HL/2023-352/MZS(RS/j) 302 Jobs CALL TO PLACE CLASSIFIED ADS MS. SHOBA / MS. BALQISH 03 7784 8888 018 261 6626 [email protected] PERISYTIHARAN JUALAN DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI PULAU PINANG PERMOHONAN UNTUK PERLAKSANAAN NO: PA-38-271-03/2024 Dalam perkara mengenai Seksyen 256 dan 257 Kanun Tanah Negara, 1965 Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Gadaian Perserahan No: 0799SC2018034811 (bertarikh : 26/11/2018) ke atas semua bahagian tanah yang dipegang di bawah Geran No. Hakmilik 154037, Lot 31393, Mukim 14, Daerah Seberang Perai Tengah, Pulau Pinang Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Aturan 83 Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah, 2012 ANTARA Public Bank Berhad (No. Syarikat : 6463-H) ...PLAINTIF LEE KAI LOON (No. Kad Pengenalan : 781023025265) ...DEFENDAN Menurut Perintah Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di PULAU PINANG mengenai Perintah Jualan dan Perintah bertarikh 10 November 2022 dan 29 Mei 2024, adalah dengan ini diisytiharkan bahawa Timbalan Pendaftar/Penolong Kanan Pendaftar Pusat Operasi e-Lelong di Kuantan AKAN MENJUAL SECARA LELONG AWAM Pada Hari Isnin, 15 Julai 2024, Pada Jam 11:00 pagi, SECARA ELEKTRONIK DI LAMAN WEB e-LELONG, PUSAT OPERASI e-LELONG, KOMPLEKS MAHKAMAH KUANTAN, PAHANG DARUL MAKMUR NOTA: Bakal pembeli adalah dinasihatkan aqar membuat carian Hakmilik secara rasmi di Pejabat Tanah dan memeriksa semua tanqqunqan, bebanan serta mengenal pasti dengan tepat hartanah tersebut sebelum jualan lelonqan dijalankan. Sila layari https://elelong.kehakiman.gov.my/bidderweb BUTIR-BUTIR HAKMILIK: No. Hakmilik : Geran No. Hakmilik 154037 No. lot : Lot 31393 Mukim / Daerah / Negeri : 14 / Seberang Perai Tengah / Pulau Pinang Pegangan : Hakmilik Kekal No. Petak/No. Tingkat/ No. Bangunan : Keluasan Tanah : 5446.0000000000 kaki persegi 506.0000000000 meter persegi Pemilik Berdaftar : Lee Kai Loon Syarat Nyata : (FIRST GRADE) The land comprised in this title: (a)shall not be affected by any provision of the National Land Code limiting the compensation payable on thr exercise by the State Authority of a right of access or use conferred by Chapter 3, of Part Three of the Code or on the creation of a Collector’s right of way; and Sekatan Kepentingan : Tiada Bebanan / Lain-Lain : To PUBLIC BANK BERHAD vide Presentation no. 0799SC2018034811 registered on 6 December 2018. Kawasan Rizab : Kaveat : No Pers 0799B2018010297 Kaveat Persendirian atas Tanah oleh PUBLIC BANK BERHAD No. Syarikat: 6463-H 15-18, Lorong Sepakat 1, Taman Bandar Raya, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang didaftarkan pada 10 Oktober 2018 Suratkuasa Wakil : 0799SW2004000305 No. Mahkamah : 63777/04 LOKASI DAN PERIHAL HARTANAH : Hartanah tersebut adalah A double-storey corner unit bungalow link yang beralamat pos di No. 2, Lorong Santuari 12, Taman Santuari, 14000, Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang. HARGA RIZAB : Hartanah tersebut akan dijual atas “sepertimana sedia ada” tertakluk kepada satu harga rizab sebanyak RM 1,020,600.00 (RINGGIT MALAYSIA: SATU JUTA DUA PULUH RIBU ENAM RATUS SAHAJA) dan kepada syarat-syarat jualan yang dilampirkan. Pembida yang berminat hendaklah mendepositkan 10% daripada harga rizab dalam bentuk Bank Draf di atas nama PUBLIC BANK BERHAD 1 HARI BEKERJA sebelum tarikh lelong awam. Baki harga belian hendaklah dibayar oleh pembida yang berjaya kepada PUBLIC BANK BERHAD dalam tempoh seratus dua puluh (120) hari dari tarikh jualan. Untuk butir-butir selanjutnya, sila berhubung dengan:- Firma Guaman : WONG-CHOOI & MOHD NOR Alamat : NO. 27, 1ST & 2ND FLOOR JALAN MAJU JAYA PUSAT PERNIAGAAN MAJU JAYA, 14000, PG, MY No. Telefon : 04-5398855 No. Fax : 04-5395855 No. Rujukan : WCMN(BM)/PBB-HL/2022-298/LKL(RS/j) IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. [Company No: 198701006856 (165572-U)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Members of AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. duly convened at No. 23, Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor on 6th June 2024 the following Special Resolution was duly passed: - 1) That the company will be liquidated by way of members’ voluntary winding up; 2) That Chai Min Yeaw (Nric No: 720112-01-5385) of No. 23, Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor be appointed as Liquidator to act for the purpose of winding-up the company’s affairs and distributing its assets. Dated this: 6th June 2024 FONG AH BAH COMPANY DIRECTOR AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. [Company No: 198701006856 (165572-U)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE IS hereby given that the creditors of AGRI-PHARMA INDUSTRIES SDN. BHD. which is being voluntarily wound up, are required on or before 5th July 2024 to send their names and addresses and the particulars of their debts or claims, and the names and addresses of their solicitors (if any) to the undersigned, the liquidator of the company, and, if so required in writing from the liquidator, are by their solicitors or personally to come in and prove their debts or claims at such time and place as shall be specified in such notice, or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts and claims are proved. Dated this: 6th June 2024 CHAI MIN YEAW Liquidator 23, Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor. DALAM MAHKAMAH SESYEN DI GEORGETOWN DALAM NEGERI PULAU PINANG GUAMAN SIVIL NO. PA-B52NC vC-26-04/2024 ANTARA PUBLIC BANK BERHAD [NO. SYARIKAT 196501000672 (6463-H)] … PLAINTIF DAN S. MURALIBALAN A/L SAVALINGGAM (NO. K. P. 790822-02-5645) ... DEFENDAN NOTIS IKLAN Kepada:- S. MURALIBALAN A/L SAVALINGGAM (NO. K. P. 790822-02-5645) 5-10-09, Sri Ivory Farlim Bandar Baru Ayer Itam 11500 Ayer Itam Pulau Pinang dan/atau S. MURALIBALAN A/L SAVALINGGAM (NO. K. P. 790822-02-5645) No. 36, Taman Bruas 32700 Bruas Perak AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Writ bermeterai bertarikh 09-04-2024 telah dikeluarkan ke atas kamu dalam Mahkamah Sesyen di Georgetown, Pulau Pinang dalam Guaman Sivil No. PA-B52NCVC-26-04/2024 oleh Public Bank Berhad yang mempunyai alamat di No. 11, Jalan Todak 2, Pusat Bandar Seberang Jaya, 13700 Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang dan diperintahkan bahawa Writ bermeterai tersebut bersama dengan Pernyataan Tuntutan bertarikh 09-04-2024 disampaikan kepada kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan menampalkan kertaskertas kausa bersama dengan Perintah untuk Penyampaian Ganti bermeterai di Papan Notis Mahkamah Sesyen di Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, dan pada satu bahagian yang jelas kelihatan di alamat terakhir yang diketahui iaitu pada 5-10-09, Sri Ivory Farlim, Bandar Baru Ayer Itam, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang dan/atau No. 36, Taman Bruas, 32700 Bruas, Perak dan memasukkan satu iklan dalam suatu surat khabar tempatan Bahasa Inggeris untuk satu (1) terbitan dan bahawa penampalan dan pengiklanan itu hendaklah disifatkan sebagai penyampaian yang sempurna dan cukup bagi Writ tersebut dalam tempoh masa tujuh (7) hari dari tarikh akhir penampalan dan kos permohonan ini adalah menjadi kos dalam kausa. Jika kamu berhasrat untuk membela tindakan tersebut kamu mestilah hadir sama ada secara sendiri atau melalui peguambela kamu di hadapan Mahkamah Majistret di Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang pada 14-06-2024 jam pukul 9.00 pagi. Jika kamu ingkar hadir sedemikian, satu penghakiman boleh dibuat terhadap kamu oleh Mahkamah. Bertarikh 11 Jun 2024. t. t. .................... PEGUAMCARA PLAINTIF 322 Notices If you feel you have what it takes, to join us in the interesting media industry, send your resume (together with a photo of you) via email to [email protected] You can call us at +603 7784 6688 theSun is published by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd Lot 6, Level 4, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. MARKETING EXECUTIVE Responsibilities 1. Handle both local & outstation Agents and Vendors. 2. Handle sales of newspaper-corporate sales e.g.: Hospital, Hotels, etc. 3. Actively engage in outbound sales activities to acquire new newspaper subscribers. Requirements 1. 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Central, Nothern, Southern, East Coast and Sabah/Sarawak PERISYTIHARAN JUALAN DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI PULAU PINANG PERMOHONAN UNTUK PERLAKSANAAN NO: PA-38-247-03/2024 Dalam perkara mengenai Seksyen 256 dan 257 Kanun Tanah Negara, 1965 Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Gadaian Perserahan No: 0799SC2018021094 (bertarikh : 19/07/2018) ke atas semua bahagian tanah yang dipegang di bawah Hakmilik Strata No. Hakmilik : Geran 59596/M1/2/14, Lot 3456, Mukim Bandar Butterworth, seksyen 4, Daerah Seberang Perai Utara, Pulau Pinang Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Aturan 83 Kaedah-Kaedah Mahkamah, 2012 ANTARA Public Islamic Bank Berhad (No. Syarikat : 14328-V) ...PLAINTIF MOHAMAD ZAINI BIN SAARI (No. Kad Pengenalan:710611025001) ...DEFENDAN Menurut Perintah Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di PULAU PINANG mengenai Perintah Jualan dan Perintah bertarikh 25 September 2023 dan 28 Mei 2024, adalah dengan ini diisytiharkan bahawa Timbalan Pendaftar/Penolong Kanan Pendaftar Pusat Operasi e-Lelong di Kuantan AKAN MENJUAL SECARA LELONG AWAM Pada Hari Isnin, 15 Julai 2024, Pada Jam 11:00 pagi, SECARA ELEKTRONIK DI LAMAN WEB e-LELONG, PUSAT OPERASI e-LELONG, KOMPLEKS MAHKAMAH KUANTAN, PAHANG DARUL MAKMUR NOTA: Bakal pembeli adalah dinasihatkan agar membuat carian Hakmilik secara rasmi di Pejabat Tanah dan memeriksa semua tanggunqan, bebanan serta mengenal pasti dengan tepat hartanah tersebut sebelum jualan lelongan dijalankan. Sila layari https://elelong.kehakiman.gov.my/bidderweb BUTIR-BUTIR HAKMILIK: No. Hakmilik : Hakmilik Strata No. Hakmilik:Geran 59596/M1/2/14 No. lot : Lot 3456 Mukim / Daerah / Negeri : Bandar Butterworth, Seksyen 4 / Seberang Perai Utara / Pulau Pinang Pegangan : Hakmilik Kekal No. Petak/No. Tingkat/ No. Bangunan : 14 / 2 / M1 Keluasan Tanah : 656.5985000000 kaki persegi 61.0000000000 meter persegi Pemilik Berdaftar : Mohamad Zaini Bin Saari Syarat Nyata : Petak ini hendaklah digunakan untuk tujuan rumah pangsa sahaja. Sekatan Kepentingan : Tiada Bebanan / Lain-Lain : Charge The subject property is charged to Public Islamic Bank berhad vide Charge Presentation No. 0799SC2018021094 registered on 6th August 2018 Kawasan Rizab : Kaveat : LOKASI DAN PERIHAL HARTANAH : Hartanah tersebut adalah An apartment unit yang beralamat pos di No. 1-13, Blok A, Pangsapuri Ria, Lebih Kampung Benggali, 12200, Butterworth, Pulau Pinang. HARGA RIZAB : Hartanah tersebut akan dijual atas “sepertimana sedia ada” tertakluk kepada satu harga rizab sebanyak RM 162,000.00 (RINGGIT MALAYSIA: SATU RATUS ENAM PULUH DUA RIBU SAHAJA) dan kepada syarat-syarat jualan yang dilampirkan. Pembida yang berminat hendaklah mendepositkan 10% daripada harga rizab dalam bentuk Bank Draf di atas nama PUBLIC ISLAMIC BANK BERHAD 1 HARI BEKERJA sebelum tarikh lelong awam. Baki harga belian hendaklah dibayar oleh pembida yang berjaya kepada PUBLIC ISLAMIC BANK BERHAD dalam tempoh seratus dua puluh (120) hari dari tarikh jualan. Untuk butir-butir selanjutnya, sila berhubung dengan:- Firma Guaman : WONG-CHOOI & MOHD NOR Alamat : NO. 27, 1ST & 2ND FLOOR JALAN MAJU JAYA PUSAT PERNIAGAAN MAJU JAYA, 14000, PG, MY No. Telefon : 04-5398855 No. Fax : 04-5395855 No. Rujukan : WCMN(BM)/PIBB-HL/2023-352/MZS(RS/j) 302 Jobs CALL TO PLACE CLASSIFIED ADS MS. SHOBA / MS. BALQISH 03 7784 8888 018 261 6626 [email protected] Boom Boom delivers … as India beat Pakistan in low-scoring thriller J ASPRIT BUMRAH was the hero as India beat Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring T20 World Cup thriller in New York yesterday. India were bowled out by Pakistan for 119 in 19 overs but while Mohammad Rizwan made 31 for Pakistan, in a well-paced innings, Jasprit delivered crucial wickets and his 3-14 in four overs proved decisive as Pakistan fell just short ending on 113-7. Despite a tricky surface that made batting difficult, a crowd of 34,028, a record attendance for an international cricket match in the USA, were given a tight contest that ebbed and flowed. Pakistan needed exactly a run a ball and they approached their innings accordingly – they engineered themselves into a position where they needed 40 to win off the last six overs but then were unable to deliver in the face of Jasprit’s brilliance. “Bumrah is going from strength to strength. I’m not going to talk too much about him, we want him to be in that kind of mindset till the end of this World Cup, he’s a genius with the ball,” said India captain Rohit Sharma, who praised his team’s fans, who had travelled from far and wide to back them. “The crowd was superb, they never disappoint, wherever we play in the world, they come out in huge numbers and support us. “They’ll be going home with a big smile on their face as well. Just the start of the tournament, we have a long way to go,” he said. Jasprit had picked up the vital wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam (13) early and then the breakthrough dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan (31) in the 15th over when Pakistan were 80-4. Then, handed the ball for the penultimate over, with Pakistan needing 21 to win, Jasprit conceded just three runs and removed Iftikhar Ahmed with his final delivery. That left Pakistan needing 18 from the final over, a steep task on a difficult batting surface and it got more tricky when Arshdeep Singh trapped Imad Wasim lbw with the first ball. Jasprit credited his team’s calmness and refusal to panic for their exciting win. “The biggest positive for us was the calmness because when we were batting in the morning, there was a lot more help,” said Jasprit. “We as a unit were very calm and very clear on what we wanted to do. So very happy that as a unit we were able to contribute and created that pressure and then we were able to get the win,” he said. Naseem Shah made a valiant effort, hitting the fourth and fifth balls of the over for fours but India avoided any late drama to secure their second win of the tournament. – AFP SCOTLAND boosted their chances of qualifying for the second round of the T20 Cricket World Cup yesterday after thrashing Oman by seven wickets in Antigua to move to the top of Group B. Brandon McMullen’s unbeaten 61 off just 31 balls steered Scotland to victory with nearly seven overs to spare as the Scots finished on 153-3 off 13.1 overs to reel in Oman’s total of 150-7. “Very chuffed to get the win for the team,” said McMullen, who clinched the win with a four – one of nine boundaries in his swashbuckling batting display that also included two sixes. “The priority was to win and get the points but at drinks we said we should get this done.” McMullen and Scotland face Australia in their final group game but are brimming with confidence after an impressive start to the tournament. “We are confident going into the Australia game, always trying to raise the bar. That’s the plan going forward,” McMullen said. Oman captain Aqib Ilyas meanwhile lamented his team’s failure to build a more competitive total, and missed chances in the Scotland innings, after winning the toss and opting to bat at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound. “we had too many dot balls on a flat track… 175 could have been a good score,” Aqib said. “In the batting we have to improve… 150 was par but we dropped too many chances. “Catches, if you take them, puts pressure on the other team. This is cricket, sometimes you are at the top, sometimes you are down.” – AFP Scotland cruise to victory over Oman Jasprit Bumrah. – AFPPIX

SPORTS SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 27 Adamas doing its best Malaysia anti-doping agency earnestly getting athletes to complete special Olympics module THE Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (Adamas) is doing its best to ensure that the country’s athletes who qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris complete a special module for the world’s biggest sporting event as contained in the AntiDoping Education and Learning (Adel) programme. Adamas director Azura Abidin said apart from asking athletes to physically attend antidoping courses at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil, the agency is also making efforts to encourage those training abroad to complete the module online. Azura said coaches and sports support officials involved in Paris 2024 are also encouraged to complete the Adel module, which is recognised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). “We have initiated efforts by requesting assistance from the Olympic Council of Malaysia and NSC to ask athletes to undergo this special Olympic module since last April. “After completing the Olympic Games module, those involved, including athletes, need to take a test to assess their understanding and must score 85 marks to pass before being awarded a certificate. The data obtained from the test will be consolidated at the WADA level,” she told Bernama. Although no specific timeframe has been set to complete the module, Azura hoped that those involved, including athletes, will finish it before departing for Paris. “If possible, we want them to complete it early (before going to Paris) so they can concentrate on the competition there,” she said. She said the special Olympic module in Adel is important for athletes to increase their knowledge about doping, including the consequences of using prohibited substances and helping them be prepared for situations if called for doping tests after the competition. She said Adamas has completed sample collection for nearly all 18 athletes who have qualified for the quadrennial sports event so far. Among the 18 athletes who have confirmed their places at Paris 2024 are national track cycling champion Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, 2020 Olympic Games badminton men’s doubles bronze medallists Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and professional men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia. The Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to Aug 11. – Bernama Scheffler collects fifth win of 2024 at Memorial IT doesn’t have to be easy for it to be rewarding for Scottie Scheffler. He won another tournament and solidified his No. 1 world ranking by shooting 2-over 74 yesterday to win the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. “The golf course was playing so tough today, so firm, so fast,” Scheffler said. “It was a fun test of golf. It was good to battle it out. I didn’t really do a whole lot great today, but I did enough.” Scheffler held on to the lead despite challenges in tough finalround scoring conditions at Muirfield Village Golf Club. His 8-under 280 tournament total was good for a oneshot advantage on Collin Morikawa, who posted 71 yesterday. It’s Scheffler’s fifth PGA Tour win this year, all since the beginning of March. The tournaments he has won are a sampling of the most prestigious on the PGA Tour: the Masters, the Players Championship and three signature events. This one came in a tournament with legendary Jack Nicklaus the host. “I remember shaking Mr. Nicklaus’ hand a few years ago,” Scheffler said. “It’s a pretty surreal moment to be able to shake his hand as a winner here.” The 27-year-old Texan will be one of the favourites at the US Open this coming week at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Scheffler and Morikawa, playing in the final pairing, went to the final hole with only one shot separating them. Both hit their second shots over the green, and Morikawa’s attempt to chip in for birdie from 45 feet away barely skated past, allowing Scheffler to make par to win. “It’s pretty amazing I feel like I’ve had some close calls in this tournament,” Scheffler said. “This is a tough place to close out.” – Field Level Media REIGNING Formula One world champion Max Verstappen won for the sixth time this season, navigating wet and dry conditions and a challenge from Lando Norris to capture the Canadian Grand Prix yesterday in Montreal. Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing Honda finished the 70 laps at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve by a 3.879-second margin over Great Britain’s Norris in his McLaren Mercedes. George Russell and his teammate Lewis Hamilton drove their Mercedes to third and fourth places, respectively, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fifth. Verstappen collected 25 points for the victory and increased his lead in the drivers’ championship standings from 31 to 56 points over Charles Leclerc, a Monaco native who didn’t finish the race. An engine issue and trouble with slick tires in wet conditions led Scuderia Ferrari to pull Leclerc’s car for no points. Lando is in third in the standings, 63 points behind Verstappen. “It was a pretty crazy race, a lot of things were happening and we had to keep on top of our calls,” Verstappen said. “As a team, we did really well today, we remained calm and we pitted at the right time, the safety car worked out nicely for us, but even after that we were managing the gaps quite well. “I love it, that was a lot of fun, those kind of races you need once in a while.” Verstappen had already moved in front when he used the restart to protect his lead. Cars switched from intermediate tyres to slicks as track c o n d i t i o n s improved, but drivers couldn’t catch Verstappen despite another safety car period after a collision between Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon on lap 53. Norris stayed ahead of Russell, who had to deal with challenges from his teammate and seven-time champion Hamilton as well as Piastri. “It was (wild),” said Norris, who had outpaced Verstappen for his first F1 victory at the Miami Grand Prix on May 5. “It was chaos. It was eventful. To be honest, I felt like I drove a good race the whole time, from start to finish. – Field Level Media SHORTS Wei Chong-Kai Wun come up short NATIONAL men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun blew a first-game win to go down 21-19, 16-21, 12-21 to China’s Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the final of the Indonesia Open at the Istora Senayan on Sunday. The world No. 20 Wei Chong-Kai Wun did well to win the opening game in their first major final but failed to keep the momentum going in the next two as the world number two from China fought back to clinch victory in 55 minutes. The Malaysians have yet to beat the China pair in four meetings in the past two years. “In the third game, they quickly got into their rhythm, so it was difficult for us to catch up. “We still have a lot to learn, especially in terms of confidence and mentality. We weren’t bad in this tournament,” Wei Chong said. Kai Wun then chipped in: “In the first game, they just followed our playing style. In the third game, they changed their strategy and we couldn’t get the points. We will now prepare for the Japan Open and South Korea Open.” Perak face TFC in crucial match IT is crucial for Perak FC to improve their fitness to challenge Terengganu FC (TFC) in the FA Cup first-round clash at Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin on Friday, according to Perak FC head coach Yusri Che Lah. He said their opponents are no ordinary team, as the squad managed by Tomislav Steinbruckner have scored six goals and conceded only one in the last three Super League matches. “These statistics show how sharp they are in attack and, at the same time, solid in defence. We just don’t want to get hurt by them a second time. “Therefore, emphasising fitness during training sessions is crucial for every player so that we can match our opponents and achieve a positive result,” he said when contacted by Bernama. In last season’s FA Cup, The Bos Gaurus lost 1-2 to Sri Pahang FC in the opening round at Stadium Perak. TFC failed to reach the final after losing 2-4 to Kuala Lumpur FC in a penalty shootout after regulation play ended 0-0 at Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin on June 25, 2023. Commenting on the team’s tactics, Yusri said the coaching team is drawing up a stronger strategy, especially to neutralise the home team’s attack led by Nigerian import striker Ismahil Akinade. “I will try to present a very good plan, and we hope to contain Akinade, Akhyar Rashid, Safawi Rasid and Manuel in that match,” he said. He said all key players in the team, including imports, are free from injuries and are expected to be fielded in the match. Max wins thriller in Montreal Scottie Scheffler poses with the trophy after winning the Memorial Tournament. – AFPPIX Race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. – AFPPIX

SPORTS SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 28 Kylian Mbappe (France) France head into Euro 2024 as quite possibly the standout candidates to lift the trophy but their prospects may to a large extent depend on Kylian Mbappe not being distracted by his club future. Mbappe’s long goodbye from Paris SaintGermain and switch to Real Madrid have dominated headlines in France and Spain in recent months. The 25-year-old’s presence for PSG over the last three months of the season could no longer be taken for granted and he did not look at his sharpest in his final appearances for the French champions. However, he still scored 44 club goals in the campaign just finished and France coach Didier Deschamps has no doubt that his captain will be firing on all cylinders at the European Championship. “The context around the France team is different,” Deschamps said last week as his squad started to gather to prepare for the Euros at their Clairefontaine training base deep in the forest an hour outside Paris. “Kylian has always considered himself to be part of a collective. Obviously he has responsibilities with his club. He also has responsibilities, if not more, with France.” “Kylian is the captain and a fantastic leader. He knows why he’s here and we’re going to need him at his best. The fact that he played 90 minutes (against Luxemburg) did him good, as did the work he put in. “With what he represents, like Antoine [Griezmann] who is vice-captain, the others will follow.” Mbappe has scored 46 goals in 77 appearances for his country, including an astonishing hattrick in the memorable final of the 2022 World Cup in Doha, which France lost on penalties to Argentina. However, neither Mbappe nor his country have happy memories of the last Euros three years ago. He did not score a goal as Les Bleus were eliminated in the last 16, losing on penalties to Switzerland after Mbappe missed the crucial kick in the shootout. Before that, Mbappe had only just emerged at Monaco, and had not yet played for France, when Deschamps’ team agonisingly lost the Euro 2016 final on home soil, going down in extratime to Portugal. Mbappe took no part in a workout session alongside the rest of his French teammates on Saturday, leading to reports that he had picked up a muscle problem. According to L’Equipe, Mbappe is nursing a back complaint. He is considered to have sat out training ahead of the overnight friendly clash with Canada as a precaution. France due to open their quest for continental glory against Austria on June 17. Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands) Frenkie de Jong is the heartbeat of the Netherlands team, the passing master whose acumen in midfield is key to their hopes of success at this month’s European Championship in Germany. A freak ankle injury playing for Barcelona against Real Madrid in April means there is concern over what condition he will be in when the Dutch open their Group D campaign against Poland in Hamburg on June 16. However, coach Ronald Koeman has expressed confidence that his playmaker will be ready on time. With his boyish charm, De Jong still looks like the precocious 21-year-old who made a storming international debut six years ago as a substitute against Peru, setting up a goal and scoring the winner in a friendly in Amsterdam. He barely missed a Netherlands match after that until last September when he made the most recent of his 54 appearances. Ankle and knee injuries have kept him out since, serving only to illustrate Dutch dependence on his role in the midfield. There is very little that does not go through De Jong, fetching and carrying the ball, probing with little runs at opposing defenders, or passing with finely-tuned accuracy. He has always had unerring composure on the ball and the ability to break opposition lines with his dribbling. He often acts as a deep-lying midfielder, dictating the tempo of the game, but his versatility is such that he can play various midfield roles – as a defensive one, a box-to-box player, or even contributing higher up the pitch. Koeman once even had him as a makeshift centreback in the Dutch side. But in Germany, if De Jong is fit, Koeman has made it clear where he will use the 27-year-old. “For me, I think he performs better playing deeper.” At the same time, however, the coach is critical of his conversion rate. “I know Frenkie has a lot of quality as a player to help build from the back but he has also had to give the team more offensively. We have talked about this and that he had to score more goals.” Robert Lewandowski (Poland) Poland’s Robert Lewandowski has long been one of Europe’s best forwards but his strike rate for his country is on the wane as he prepares for what will likely be his last major tournament. Lewandowski scored Poland’s first penalty in the 5-4 shootout win over Wales in Cardiff that punched their ticket to Euro 2024 through the playoffs last March. But the 35-year-old’s role in the national side, although still pivotal, has experienced a natural shift from mainly scoring goals to helping younger players with his experience. However, despite netting more than 80 times in nearly 150 internationals, Poland’s all-time top scorer has often faced criticism when his allround performances have lacked goals. When new manager Michal Probierz took over in March, some suggested that as part of a shake-up he should ease Lewandowski off the national team. Others argued that he should bench the striker, or at least strip him of the captain’s armband. Probierz did not take any of this advice, making it clear that Lewandowski’s status remained unchallenged. He made a strong statement by backing his star player when Lewandowski was going through a difficult time at Barcelona. “For the good of Polish football and the players who are on the national team, it would be a shame if Robert Lewandowski ended playing for the Polish national team,” Probierz said. “We cannot afford to give up a player of this class, he is an example of professionalism for the younger generation.” The contribution from Lewandowski was never restricted to goals but the recent fall in his numbers is clear. Marcel Sabitzer (Austria) With his ability to play in almost any position and coming off a superb club season, Austria’s Marcel Sabitzer will carry his country’s hopes as they face a mountainous task at Euro 2024. The 30-year-old gave a masterful display in Borussia Dortmund’s 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarterfinal second leg, scoring a goal and making two assists to steer the German side into the final against Real Madrid. Having represented Austria at every age level from U-16, Sabitzer is no stranger to international football and he made his senior debut in 2012 at the age of 18 before playing at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. Sabitzer has not found the net many times since his stellar season on loan at Red Bull Salzburg in 2014-15 when he netted 27 goals in all competitions, but his trademark powerful strikes from distance are always a threat. One person who has no doubts is Rangnick who will lean heavily on the midfielder’s competitive instincts in Germany. “He has never liked to lose, which I believe is a positive thing,” Rangnick told the German Bundesliga website. EURO 2024 | GROUP D Players to watch Asian nations battle for World Cup survival enters next phase ELEVEN nations will fight for the five remaining berths in the next phase of Asia’s preliminaries for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, with China, India and Indonesia all yet to determine their fate. Regular World Cup qualifiers Japan, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Iran have already confirmed their progress, claiming spots among the 18 countries that will battle for the eight guaranteed berths at the finals in two years’ time. Asian Cup holders Qatar as well as continental runners-up Jordan have also advanced to a third round that will determine six of the spots available at the 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. China, looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since their debut in 2002, remain in a strong position to progress after Behram Abduweli’s late equaliser against Thailand on Thursday. “For us the qualifying tournament isn’t over yet,” said coach Branko Ivankovic after the 1-1 draw in Shenyang. “We will go all out in the next match and try to qualify for the next round.” The Chinese face South Korea knowing a point will see off the challenge of the Thais, who need to defeat Singapore and hope to overhaul China’s superior goal difference to claim second place in Group C. India find themselves in a more precarious position ahead of their Group A meeting with Qatar as Igor Stimac leads his team into their first game since the retirement of captain Sunil Chhetri knowing they must win. Third-placed Afghanistan are level on five points with the Indians and they travel to play Kuwait with both nations harbouring their own qualification dreams. Indonesia host the Philippines looking for a win to see off Vietnam’s challenge for second spot in Group F behind already-qualified Iraq while Syria face Japan hoping for a positive result as they attempt to hold off North Korea in Group B. Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, will confirm their progress to the third round ahead of Malaysia if they do not fall to a heavy defeat against Group D leaders Oman in Muscat. The draw for the third round will take place in Kuala Lumpur on June 27. – Reuters Canada hold France in friendly FRANCE and Canada played out a 0-0 draw in a friendly yesterday as the two nations concluded their preparations for Euro 2024 and the Copa America. France threatened to take the lead in the first half but efforts by N’Golo Kante and Marcus Thuram were denied by fine saves from goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. The stalemate continued in the second half, with both sides creating chances but failing to find the back of the net. It was France forward and record scorer Olivier Giroud’s last appearance on home soil after announcing his international retirement following the European Championship, and he received a standing ovation at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux. “We were up against some good opposition with a lot of intensity, and we had a few good chances in the first half. After that it was more difficult,” said manager Didier Deschamps. Italy beat Bosnia in final warm-up ITALY beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 yesterday to win their final warm-up match before defending the European Championship title in Germany. Davide Frattesi’s classy volley seven minutes before halftime was enough for Italy to claim victory in soaking conditions in Empoli. The Azzurri performed much better than in last Tuesday’s drab goalless draw with Turkey, with Gianluca Scamacca also being twice denied by Bosnia goalkeeper Kenan Piric. “I could have scored more so there’s still much to improve on,” he said to broadcaster RAI. “We had good chances but we have to take advantage as in the Euros groups we’re going to have fewer of them.” Italy open the defence of their crown on June 15 against Albania in Group B, where they have also been drawn with Spain and Croatia. SIDENETTING FROM LEFT: Mbappe, De Jong, Lewandowski and Sabitzer.

SPORTS SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 29 France quietly quietly confident onfident … but Les Blues must overcome injuries and poor form to make impact FRANCE are among the favourites to win Euro 2024 but their track record in the competition, a series of injuries and some players’ poor form mean Les Bleus will head into the competition without any certainties. The World Cup runners-up have a comfortable draw in Group D with the Netherlands, Poland and Austria. However, coach Didier Deschamps will need to get creative with his defence in the absence of Lucas Hernandez, who sustained a serious knee injury and was ruled out of the tournament. With Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate, who were both brilliant at the 2022 World Cup, going through a rough patch and having lost their place in their respective clubs’ starting line-ups, the team’s task is not an easy one. To make matters worse, goalkeeper Mike Maignan has been struggling with injuries this season and his recent history offers few guarantees that he will be able to maintain his fitness throughout. France’s savoir faire on the big stage, however, is second to none, and they showed it at the World Cup by reaching the final despite entering the tournament on the back of disappointing performances. But in 12 years in charge, Deschamps has not won the European championship, with France’s best result under his tenure being a runners-up spot in 2016 on home soil. In the last edition, they were knocked out in the last 16 by Switzwerland on penalties, a failure they will want to put behind them for good in Germany. “I didn’t win the Euro as a coach but a lot of coaches didn’t win it. After the World Cup, there’s nothing bigger than the Euros. We’re going to approach the next one with ambition but also with a clear head,” Deschamps said. “I’m well aware that with everything we’ve done, expectations are getting higher and higher. But experience also reminds us that in a competition, there are stages to go through. That we’re one of the favourites, like other teams, after all, there’s a certain logic.” For all their defensive woes, France know they can rely on the most lethal weapon in Kylian Mbappe, with Ousmane Dembele having the ability to create chaos like no other player. Their Paris St Germain team mate Bradley Barcola is also a threat, which led Deschamps to call up the 21-year-old winger for the first time. With Aurelien Tchouameni recovering from a foot injury, Deschamps also recalled N’Golo Kante, who had not featured for France since June 2022, despite his move to Saudi Arabia. The infatigable Kante will be ready to steady up the midfield if needed, Deschamps believes. “He’s back to full fitness and with all his experience, I’m convinced that the French team will be stronger with N’Golo Kante,” he said. – Reuters Injury-hit Austria must try to keep fighting spirit aglow THE Netherlands have fond memories of the last time the European Championship was hosted in Germany – their victory in the 1988 final remains their only major tournament success. But while few would predict that there is any chance of the Dutch repeating their success 36 years later, coach Ronald Koeman is convinced they have a legitimate shot. “Of course, we are not the big favourites but I think it is not very far away from those who are,” he told Dutch television recently. “If you fight hard for it and things go well during the tournament, then it is possible. Nothing is impossible. But it has to go well. There will always be moments of luck that could turn things in your favour or not.” Koeman was a defender in the 1988 winning side, packed with individual talent such as Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, but these days the Dutch side are a more of a collective of competent rather than charismatic players to which the coach brings a pragmatic approach. Koeman has given short shrift to his compatriots’ obsession with attacking football and broken from the decades of playing a traditional 4-3-3 “Dutch way” formation. “The intention should always be to play well and to entertain the crowd. But if you cannot win, but you try to play nicely and offensively… that doesn’t look good,” he said. Instead Koeman has mixed and matched over the last 16 months since returning to the job he gave up in 2020 to become Barcelona coach, where he was fired after 14 months. “We can play multiple systems. It may well be that we play with three, four or five at the back,” he said. “We have a group of players in their late 20s and early 30s. That is the basis of this squad. You build the youth around that and you create a clear hierarchy in the group.” But whether key elements such as Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay are injury-free and fit to play remains to seen, giving Koeman a selection headache. De Jong, 27, has not played since suffering an ankle injury for Barcelona against Real Madrid in April but A t l e t i c o M a d r i d f o r w a r d Depay, 30, has returned to action in the last weeks of the La Liga season. – Reuters Dutch no big favourites but success possible Late qualifiers Poland aim to defy odds MANY Polish fans had envisioned supporting a different team than their own in Germany before striker Robert Lewandowski’s side turned a lacklustre Euro 2024 qualifying campaign into a last-minute ticket, possibly already exceeding local expectations. Poland were the last team to qualify for the finals when they edged Wales 5-4 on penalties in the playoffs after failing to book a spot directly from a group in which they finished third behind Albania and Czech Republic. Winning just three of their eight qualifying games, they were close to missing out on the Euro finals for the first time since their debut appearance in 2008. But drawn into one of the toughest groups with twice European champions France, the Netherlands and Austria, all ranked above them, Poland will face a difficult road to progress to the knockout rounds. The Poles still vividly remember their best performance to date which came in 2016, when they defied the odds to reach the quarterfinals in France. However, scoring may again prove a tricky task for the nation despite having one of Europe’s best strikers in Lewandowski. Poland reached the Euro 2016 quarterfinals with only four goals in regular time and the most recent 2022 World Cup saw them progress to the last 16 as they scored only three times. But Poland’s new coach Michal Probierz said his team were ready for a battle. “We want to play football at these Euros, we don’t want to go there just to go on tour,” he said. “We want to play a very good tournament, get out of the group and fight for something more.” Probierz, in charge since March, is Poland’s fifth coach in three years and will lead the country at their fifth Euros. – Reuters EURO 2024 | GROUP D AUSTRIA head to Euro 2024 buoyed up by a five-match winning streak, with only one defeat in qualification, and heartened by coach Ralf Rangnick’s decision to turn down a job as Bayern Munich manager to stick with a national side he has transformed. But Austrian hopes that the team’s highpressing, attacking style could cause an upset in Germany have been dashed by a string of injuries to key players. Midfielder Xaver Schlager will miss the tournament after damaging his left knee at the start of May. Days later first-choice goalkeeper Alexander Schlager also picked up a knee problem. Captain David Alaba is also out but is a nonplaying captain. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is a key hope for the team, however, heading to the Euros after a stellar run with his club and an appearance in the Champions League final on June 1 against Real Madrid. After Poland became the last team to qualify for Group D in March, Rangnick said: “We knew from the start we had a strong group. Nothing has changed.” Former Austria striker Marc Janko told Der Standard newspaper that while the injuries were a blow, Rangnick had options after preparing a broad base of young players. “Rangnick is not the type to start lamenting, his mentality is ‘Let’s get on with it – now more than ever’. His not going to Bayern set a good foundation. It was a gesture of love by him. The team has grown together,” he said. The German coach has won huge admiration in Austria for introducing a high-pressing, fastrunning and entertaining game. Last year ended on a high with a 2-0 victory over Germany in a friendly in Vienna. In March, midfielder Christoph Baumgartner scored the fastest recorded goal in international football six seconds after kickoff in a friendly with Slovakia. Austria’s most recent outing was a 6-1 win over Turkey. – Reuters Ronald Koeman. Deschamps

SPORTS SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 30 Jude Bellingham (England) England coach Gareth Southgate is hardly lacking potential match-winners in his Euro 2024 squad but Jude Bellingham has become the player most likely to propel the nation to its first major trophy since 1966. The Midlands-born 20-year-old, who has never even played in England’s top flight, has taken LaLiga by storm in his first season with Real Madrid after joining from Borussia Dortmund. Signed for an initial £103 million (RM618m), Bellingham became an instant hit when he scored on his debut, bagged 15 goals in his first 16 appearances and since then has continued to exhaust the list of superlatives. Bellingham has scored 23 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid this season having been utilised further forward as a false nine by coach Carlo Ancelotti. His goals, not to mention his tireless work rate, vision and leadership qualities, helped Real to wrap up the title and win the Champions League final and he will now shift his focus to England. Bellingham, who made his England debut aged 17 and now has 29 caps, was an unused substitute when Southgate’s team lost to Italy on penalties in the final of Euro 2020. This time, along with captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane, he will be an automatic choice and will shoulder much of England’s sky-high expectations as they try to finally get over the winning line after several near misses. Bellingham began his career with Birmingham City before joining Dortmund as a 17-year-old and it was not long before he was being regarded as one of the most complete midfield players to emerge for generations. It is the ultimate compliment that it is even hard to pin down exactly where he is most effective, simply because whether he plays in a holding role, as a box-to-box dynamo, a false nine or a conventional number 10, he can do it all. Ancelotti has worked with a vast array of greats during his glittering managerial career, but few have made an impact on the Italian quite like Bellingham. “He surprises every day, in every game. Not just us, he’s surprising everybody. Bellingham is a gift for football,” Ancelotti said a few months into the season. Bellingham is certainly a gift to England and if they are to triumph in Germany then Southgate must construct his team around him and work out the best way to harness the collective talents of Bellingham and Manchester City’s Phil Foden. Both have the credentials to play the number 10 role for England with the freedom to roam. But Bellingham’s extra versatility could see Southgate employ him in the deeper position in which he established himself in the squad. Wherever he plays, Bellingham’s performances will be key if England are to justify their position as favourites. Skov Olsen (Denmark) Denmark have produced more than their fair share of goalscoring wingers with the ability to captivate fans and the latest is Andreas Skov Olsen who is set to step out of the shadow of players such as Laudrup brothers Brian and Michael at Euro 2024. After breaking through at FC Nordsjaelland and spending three seasons with Bologna, the 24- year-old from Hilleroed has rediscovered his best scoring form this past season at Club Brugge in Belgium, with 26 goals in all competitions. “He is a player that can make things happen for us,” Denmark assistant coach Morten Wieghorst told Reuters. “We as a nation don’t have many players that can do things on their own, take players on, but he’s certainly one of them, so he’s going to be important for us.” Skov Olsen’s breakout scoring season in Belgium comes at an intriguing time for Kasper Hjulmand’s side and may well prompt a positional shake-up from the Denmark manager in Germany. After reaching the Euro 2020 semifinals, losing to England, they struggled badly to create chances at the World Cup in Qatar Previously playmaker Christian Eriksen occupied the space on the right of midfield that Skov Olsen prefers but the latter’s pace, close control and lethal left foot make him a huge threat as he cuts in from the wing. As an added bonus, Skov Olsen is also more than capable with his right foot as shown by some deft chipped finishes in his club career. To truly prosper in Germany, Skov Olsen will need to show that he is able to score against high-level opposition – he netted only three times in 70 games for Bologna and his last international goal came in September 2022 against France. Like many of Denmark’s top players, demands will be placed on Skov Olsen’s intelligence and tactical flexibility as his side seek to navigate their way out of a difficult group including Euro 2020 runners-up England, Serbia and Slovenia. “He won’t stay wide all the time because he can come inside and play in the gaps there, so that’s another string to his bow,” Wieghorst explained. “He can be difficult at his best because he finds the right positions and we have rotations around him. We keep our fingers crossed that he can stay clear of injury.” If he does, Skov Olsen may well be the latest in a long line of Danish attackers to excite the team’s f a n a t i c a l supporters. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia) Serbia striker A l e k s a n d a r Mitrovic, a prolific marksman at club level and among the top scorers in Euro 2024 q u a l i f y i n g , carries the hopes of a s t u t t e r i n g side who will rely heavily on t h e i r attacking firepower in a long overdue Euros debut. Mitrovic comes into the tournament with 28 goals in 28 matches in the big-paying Saudi Pro League, beaten only by its poster boy Cristiano Ronaldo, and will need that form if Serbia are to stand any chance of reaching the knockout rounds. Mitrovic, 29, has much to prove in Germany after his shootout miss in a playoff with Scotland cost World Cup regulars Serbia a spot at Euro 2020, a fourth straight failure to qualify. It compounded what was already a difficult time for Mitrovic, who was struggling to get games and goals and saw his English club Fulham relegated from the Premier League. But then came an a s t o n i s h i n g turnaround, with M i t r o v i c rediscovering his scoring touch in the 2021-2022 campaign, netting 43 times in 46 matches to earn player of the season in the second-tier Championship and promotion for Fulham. A year after his shootout miss, Mitrovic regained hero status for his country, scoring a 90th-minute winner against Portugal to send Serbia to the 2022 World Cup finals. In ecstatic celebrations, Mitrovic was mobbed and found himself bottom of a pile of players. He later emerged from the dressing room to greet supporters dressed in his underwear and a Serbia flag. “Payback time for Scotland, with interest,” he said of his feat. “When you work hard, it’s only a matter of time before you get your reward.” Mitrovic has an insatiable appetite for scoring, with 57 goals in 89 appearances for Serbia, and netted 109 times in 190 matches for Fulham overall. He scored five in seven games in Euro 2024 qualifying, a third of his country’s total, proving he is the vital goal machine Serbia need to make their mark in Germany. “It’s like a drug to me,” Mitrovic told The Athletic. “I love the feeling it creates, the passion to keep scoring. It’s a feeling that only the goalscorer knows.” Benjamin Sesko (Slovenia) Plenty of eyes will be on young striker Benjamin Sesko, one of the hottest prospects in Europe, when Slovenia make their first European Championship appearance in 24 years in Germany. The 20-year-old – who at 1.96m tall has drawn comparisons to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland – has been linked with major clubs across Europe in recent months, including Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and AC Milan. Reports have the Gunners as front-runners to sign him. Slovenia manager Matjaz Kek is not surprised by the interest in the RB Leipzig forward, saying the talented youngster will be a bargain for whoever signs him. “He is physically strong, technically gifted and mature. There aren’t many strikers like this in the world. I think he has steadily improved, becoming more concrete in his decisions. Another quality he has is pace,” the 62-year-old Kek told La Gazzetta dello Sport. Part of the comparison to Haaland is that both played for Red Bull Salzberg before dipping a toe in the Bundesliga, Haaland at Borussia Dortmund and Sesko at Leipzig. Sesko, who played his way into the German side’s starting 11 in the second half of his debut season, has scored 14 goals in 31 league matches for Leipzig, who enjoyed a decent campaign, clinching a Champions League berth. The forward, who was eligible to play for Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, has scored 11 goals in 28 internationals, including five in Euro 2024 qualifying, since making his debut in 2021. Sesko has downplayed comparisons to Haaland, while saying his boyhood hero was former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is the same height. “Personally, I don’t think much of comparisons,” Sesko said after signing for Leipzig. “Erling is an absolutely world-class striker. I enjoy watching his games on TV and obviously pay attention to what he does in different situations in the game but as I’ve already said I am a completely different type of player.” /theSunMedia FOLLOW ON YOUTUBE Malaysian Paper Players to watch EURO 2024 | GROUP C Benjamin Sesko Jude Bellingham

SPORTS SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 31 No excuses this time England out to end 58-year wait for first major trophy THE time for hard-luck stories and excuses is over for England as they head into Euro 2024 with expectations of a first major men’s trophy since 1966 justifiably sky high. Gareth Southgate’s squad will be unsurpassed in terms of quality in Germany and any scenario other than Harry Kane holding aloft the trophy on July 14 will be regarded by the majority of fans as underachievement. The head coach, who took over in 2016 with England at a low ebb, has an enviable cast to choose from and, while there are still legitimate concerns about their defence, England clearly have the firepower to go all the way. Captain Kane will lead from the front after an incredible first season at Bayern Munich where, despite not winning a trophy, he has smashed more scoring records. Midfielder Jude Bellingham has been equally impressive in his first season at Real Madrid – the 20-year-old settling in instantly and becoming the leader of a team that cruised to the La Liga title and reached the Champions League final. Manchester City’s attacking midfielder Phil Foden has taken his game to new heights this season, as have Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice at Arsenal while Ollie Watkins has emerged as a striker capable of taking some of the load off Kane. While still youthful, England’s squad also have the benefit of experience of the pressure associated with reaching the business end of tournaments and the pain of a Euro 2020 final loss to Italy on penalties, and a quarterfinal defeat by France at the Qatar World Cup will fuel their desire to shed the ‘nearly-men’ tag. Bellingham was an unused substitute at Wembley against Italy in the ill-fated Euro 2020 final but Southgate’s likely starting line-up for their opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen will be considerably stronger as will his options off the bench. While some England fans remain critical of Southgate’s cautious approach – especially after Saturdays defeat to Iceland – there is no question he has raised standards on and off the pitch during his tenure. With uncertainty about whether he will remain at the helm beyond the summer and talk of him potentially replacing Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, this could well be his last opportunity to cement his legacy. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has no doubt that England’s previous nearmisses have left them ready to deliver. “They are really good,” the Spaniard said. “It’s not just the talent of the strikers, it’s the whole package, the whole group and Gareth knows perfectly what he has to do. “When you arrive at these stages every two years, it’s going to happen. It’s quite similar to (Manchester City); we were close, and in the end, we lifted it. Just believe it. If they believe it, they can do it.” England should make light work of a group containing Serbia, Slovenia and Denmark but the key will be Southgate’s ability to use the many tools at his disposal in the most effective way as the tournament progresses. – Reuters Serbia bank on firepower trumping frailty AFTER Serbia’s two decades in the European Championship wilderness and group-stage exits in their last three World Cups, it is high time the country’s talented crop of attack-minded players made their mark on a major tournament. The Eagles have yet to land since Serbia became an independent nation in 2006, despite proven firepower in their ranks and a squad packed with regulars from Italy’s top-flight clubs. Euro 2024 in Germany could be their opening, with the country’s leading football icon Dragan Stojkovic in charge for his second major tournament and certain to build his team around a strong attacking line. Serbia will pin their hopes on marksman Aleksandar Mitrovic extending a superb run of form in all competitions. Veteran captain Dusan Tadic will play a pivotal role as an attacking midfielder tucked behind Mitrovic, while Serbia can also turn to Fulham’s Sasa Lukic, AC Milan’s Luka Jovic and versatile former Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. But while Serbia’s attacking threat is clear, so is their defensive frailty, having leaked eight goals in three games in a dismal 2022 World Cup and kept clean sheets in only two Euro 2024 qualifying matches. Serbia will have to plug those holes in Germany and may need the stars to align if they are to advance from the group stages of a major tournament for the first time. “Game by game we will go to make a result as best as possible… the games against Slovenia and Denmark will be really, really important for us,” he said. “We need to be ready to fight against all three teams. But these two games, Slovenia and Denmark, will be decisive.” – Reuters FROM Denmark’s high of winning Euro 1992 to midfielder Christian Eriksen’s heart attack in the last finals, the country’s participation at the tournament usually means drama and in Germany they will be hoping for the more p o s i t i v e kind. Having famously triumphed as rank outsiders in 1992, the D a n e s bounced back from Eriksen’s t r a u m a t i c collapse in their opening Euro 2020 game to reach the semifinals, where they were eliminated by England, before Kasper Hjulmand’s swashbuckling side breezed through qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Things have been tougher since, however. They crashed out at the group stage in Qatar after failing to fire and, although they topped Euro 2024 qualifying Group H, they did so only on goal difference ahead of Slovenia. “We had a difficult 2023 in the qualifying campaign – finally, in the end, we qualified, which is the main thing, but we struggled in certain games,” Denmark assistant coach Morten Wieghorst told Reuters. The former Denmark midfielder said his side went into qualifying knowing they would enjoy a vast amount of possession, but, as in Qatar, they often struggled to break down teams. That, however, is unlikely to happen in Germany, where they take on England, Serbia and Slovenia in Group C, none of whom are likely to just sit back against the Danes. “The term easier I wouldn’t use but the games are going to be different,” Wieghorst said. Despite Eriksen’s heart issue, and him not being as fleet-footed as he once was, the 32- year-old is still expected to play a key role for a team in which he has been the dominant creative force for more than a decade. “He can find that space and time to exploit the defences of the opponents, so that’s his major strength. And then in terms of pressing, we have to accommodate a player of his stature,” Wieghorst explained. Up front, Denmark will look to Eriksen’s Manchester United teammate Rasmus Hojlund, who netted 10 Premier League goals in a dysfunctional side, three more than he scored in qualifying for the Euros. Another major strength for the team will be the estimated 50,000 Danes expected to attend the games over the border in Germany, an asset Wieghorst does not underestimate. “We want to make it exciting, we want to give them something to shout about, and to have a great party and a great time in Germany,” he said. – Reuters EURO 2024 | GROUP C Danes ready for more drama Slovenia back after 24-year absence SLOVENIA made the most of a favourable draw in the qualifiers for Germany 2024 to reach their second European Championship, 24 years after their debut appearance at the tournament. They lost only twice as they finished second in Group H, level on points behind Denmark and ahead of Finland, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland and San Marino, to book a place at the finals. Participation in Germany will mark only the fourth major international tournament for the former Yugoslav republic, who have been playing as an independent entity since 1992. As well as Euro 2000, where they drew two games and lost the other in the group phase, Slovenia also qualified for the World Cup in 2002 and 2010 but have yet to go beyond the group stage. Victory over Algeria in South Africa in 2010 is their only success at a major tournament and came under coach Matjaz Kek, who has been back for a second spell since 2018 and engineered the latest qualification Kek, 62, leads a team with little in the way of experience, save for captain and goalkeeper Jan Oblak, but with several exciting prospects. The 31-year-old Oblak is regarded as one of the best keepers in world football and in his 10 seasons at Atletico Madrid has won the Europa League and been to the Champions League final. But this is a first major tournament for him. A return to the Euros after a lengthy absence is a source of much pride for the Slovenes and a 2-0 win over Portugal in a march friendly will have made opponents sit up and take notice.– Reuters Denmark’s Rasmus Hojlund (above) and Christian Eriksen.

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: [email protected] • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Email: [email protected] SCAN ME TUESDAY | JUNE 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 CARLOS ALCARAZ will celebrate his first French Open title with a tattoo of the Eiffel Tower. Alcaraz made history and gained a measure of Spanish revenge by beating Alexander Zverev in five sets at Roland Garros. The 21-year-old filled a Rafael Nadal-sized void at the tournament with a marathon 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory in a see-saw match lasting four hours and 19 minutes. Fourth seed Zverev had sent old warrior Nadal out on his shield for probably the last time in the first round. But young pretender Alcaraz vanquished the German to join fellow Spaniard Nadal as the only men to lift the Roland Garros trophy aged under 22. Alcaraz already has the dates of his previous grand slam wins, at the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon last year – along with a strawberry – inked on an arm and a leg. He said: “I have to find the time. But I will do it for sure. It’s going to be on the left ankle. “You know, Wimbledon was the right one. Here is going to be the left one, I think so with the Eiffel Tower with the date of today. And, yeah, it’s something that I’m gonna do. “I don’t know if next week or a month or two months, but I will do it.” Alcaraz watched the French Open, and his hero Nadal, as a child and always seemed destined to win it one day. “In Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament and to be able to put my name on that amazing list is something unbelievable,” he added. “It’s something that I dreamt about, being in this position, since I started playing tennis, since I was five, six years old. So it’s a great, great feeling.” Nadal, the 14-time winner at Roland Garros, was among the first to congratulate his protege. He wrote on X: “Congratulations for this immense victory!!!! Big!!!! Very happy for your successes!!! #Vamos.” Zverev pointed to a key moment in the fifth set when, at 15-40 up, an Alcaraz second serve was called out only to be ruled good – apparently in error – by umpire Nico Helwerth. “I feel like I did everything I could today. The fifth set, there was some unlucky moments,” he said. “I heard that at 2-1 the second serve was out. From the HawkEye data, I saw that. I break back there, I have break chances, and then in the next service game, a fifth set can go the other way.” From next year, Hawk-Eye will be implemented at all tournaments, even on the clay where there is room for error, meaning similar calls will no longer be up to the discretion of officials. Asked whether it was frustrating that the technology wouldn’t be implemented until 2025, Zverev replied: “I mean, look, there’s a difference whether you’re down 3-1 in the fifth set or you’re back to 2-All. That’s a deciding difference. “Yeah, it’s frustrating in the end, but it is what it is. Umpires make mistakes. They’re also human, and that’s okay. But of course in a situation like that, you wish there wouldn’t be mistakes.” The 27-year-old also admitted that his level dropped in the last two sets as he won just three games across both. “Yeah, I lost focus, and on my serve I didn’t get the power from my legs anymore, which is weird. “Because normally I do not get tired. I don’t cramp, I don’t get tired normally,” he explained. “But again, against Carlos it’s a different intensity, so maybe that was the case a bit. Yeah, maybe I have to look at my preparation. Maybe I have to look at how I do things on a physical base as well. “Of course, look, I felt from the tennis level I was playing decent and he was playing decent for three sets. Then I dropped a lot.” – The Independent/Express Newspapers -Story on page 29 -Story on page 26 France quietly confident New king ew king f clay f clay Alcaraz to celebrate French Open lcaraz to celebrate French Open title with tattoo of Eiffel Tower itle with tattoo of Eiffel Tower -Story on page 31 No excuses this time Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning his men’s singles final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev (not pictured) at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on Sunday. – AFPPIX Boom Boom delivers