road safety is to show them pictures of road crashes and ask them if they want their children to be part of the statistics of dead or injured people.” Lee said it is common to see delivery riders frequently flouting traffic laws and their employers doing nothing about it, even claiming the government has to stop the riders from breaking the law. He said such employers want their riders to send hot food to customers quickly, thus forcing them to break traffic laws to ensure the food reaches the customers on time. A former member of the Road Safety Council, Chris Syer, said in Malaysia, motorcyclists are the largest group of road users who ignore the law. “From the time they apply for licence, the importance of adhering to traffic laws should be drummed into them as it could save their lives, instead of them becoming another statistic.” He said it is obvious that motorcyclists pay little attention to traffic laws as they can be seen weaving in and out of traffic on highways, and refusing to use the dedicated motorcycle lanes (where available). “Motorcyclists in the country are gung-ho and seem to be in a hurry all the time. It is an educational issue. People break traffic laws as they are not forced to study and follow them due to poor enforcement. “They not only put their lives at risk but also those of other road users each time they ignore traffic laws.” Syer said placing importance on road safety begins at home, and if parents fail to impart this important lesson, children will think they can do whatever they want. “It is better to be late than to be dead.” He added that it is important for the authorities to crack down on those breaking traffic laws by vigorously enforcing them as that will ensure that everyone obeys the law when on public roads. PETALING JAYA: Only parents can educate their children on the importance of following traffic rules, as road safety starts at home when it comes to operating motorised vehicles. Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said parents need to supervise their children and not allow those who are unlicensed to ride motorcycles on public roads. Commenting on theSun’s front page report yesterday, Lee said the issue of the big number of motorcyclists being killed on the roads needs to be addressed and the tidak apa (cannot be bothered) attitude of some parents will encourage their children to believe they can do whatever they want on the road. “Parents need to emphasise the importance of road safety and not allow their children, especially those below the legal age of obtaining a motorcycle licence, to take the family’s vehicles for joyrides. “Once those children reach their teenage years and if they have not been educated by their parents about the importance of following traffic rules, they will do whatever they want. Breaking the rules will become normal for them.” Lee said the lack of enforcement by the authorities will also embolden youths to break traffic laws on the misguided belief that there is nobody to stop or punish them. Lee said the Mat Rempit culture starts at a young age as teenagers search for an adrenaline rush while showing off dangerous stunts. “Pre-teen children see Mat Rempit as their idols and want to emulate them. Parents must inform their children about the dangers of Mat Rempit culture and stop them from carrying out similar stunts. Unfortunately, that does not happen. “One way to get parents more involved in o‘Tidak apa attitude of parents towards motorcyclist fatalities will encourage children to do whatever they want on the road’ █ BYRAJVINDER SINGH [email protected] 2 page INSIDE Investigate those evading taxes, PM tells IRB 3 page AWE summit to empower women entrepreneurs TELLING IT AS IT IS ON WEDNESDAY MARCH 8, 2023 No. 8223 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) www.thesundaily.my NEIGHBOURLY HOSPITALITY ... Malaysian tourists exploring Medan, Samosir Island, Parapa and Brastangi in North Sumatra in a motorcycle convoy learning to perform the Tortor Batak, a traditional dance, while visiting Huta Siallagan, a settlement of Batak descendants on Samosir Island in Lake Toba, Indonesia. – MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN Parental duty On the authorities placing advertisements on the importance of road safety, he said: “Such advertisements will help children and youths to understand the consequences of not following traffic rules.”
2 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Investigate those evading taxes, PM tells IRB CYBERJAYA: Stressing that taxes must be paid by those liable, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he wants the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) to investigate individuals or companies engaging in tax evasion. Anwar said the move was aimed at ensuring that those liable to pay income tax do not evade or escape legal claims. “I deliberately expressed this to give encouragement to the efforts. “As long as I am entrusted to lead the government, I want these individuals, whether they are petty traders or the wealthy, to abide by the law and not evade paying income tax. “I am saying this so that everyone, whether they are my acquaintances or not, my supporters or not, must pay taxes and the IRB must search and look for tricks used (to avoid paying oMove aimed at ensuring those liable do not avoid paying their dues or escape legal claims taxes),” he said. Anwar was officiating at the 27th Revenue Day on Monday. Anwar, who is also finance minister, said if the effort could be implemented well, then the performance of the country’s revenue will continue to increase and be even better than in previous years. Recalling the time when he held the Finance minister’s post in the 1990s, Anwar said the Inland Revenue Department at that time, before being upgraded as the IRB, faced difficulties in collecting taxes, especially from public figures, including VVIPs who refused to pay taxes. “I said it was a bit strange, a sovereign independent country with rules and laws, and yet the super rich refused to pay (taxes). “Hence, I issued a statement to the Inland Revenue Department at that time, that I was on the side of the officers of the department, to ensure that those who were obliged to pay taxes did so without negligence. “I was satisfied that, although I faced difficulties because I had issued such a warning, after that, the performance of the department greatly improved. “Most of the people who previously refused (to pay taxes) finally complied with the rules.” He added that the IRB needs to strengthen its role and responsibility so that the performance of national revenue collection continues to improve, Bernama reported. Anwar reminded the IRB staff not to fall into corrupt practices in order to protect its image. Touching on the Malaysia Madani concept, which he initiated, Anwar said, “Madani brings good results, and these good results are produced by generating and driving fresh growth, but its values must be maintained. “What is the meaning of professional work in IRB if there is no value that we apply (and) this is what differentiates madani from deen (religion) and civilisation, to place us as a dignified nation.” LIGHT MOMENT ... Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli (left) and Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC Internet access problem in rural areas to be resolved by June: Minister SHAH ALAM: The problem of internet access in the country, especially in rural areas, will be resolved by June this year, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil. He said the Communications and Digital Ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), will hold discussions with telecommunications companies to identify and find appropriate solutions. He added that issues related to internet access could be resolved almost completely if all telecommunications companies could work together, for instance by sharing telecommunication towers. “What I stressed to the MCMC, if possible by this June, the problem of network sharing and quality (of internet access) should be resolved. “During my discussions with telecommunications companies prior to this, they expressed their willingness to cooperate. Perhaps they need some time for discussions among them.” He was speaking at a programme, People’s Townhall with Fahmi Fadzil, organised by Sinar Harian at the Karangkraf Media Complex on Monday. He said internet access cannot only be measured by the number of telecommunications towers in any one area but should also be seen based on the conditions and geography of an area, especially the 3% of populated areas which still do not have internet coverage. “Therefore, we will strive for broadband wireless access, which will use technology such as satellite. Perhaps, we will look into Wide Space TV and some other technologies which will help provide access.” Fahmi added that his ministry is examining the need to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to keep pace with current digital developments. He said the Act was enacted a long time ago, and the ministry would look at several things. “This is not the place for me to say (about the amendments) in detail. It is an old law, it is necessary to take into account changes which are happening in the digital world now.” – Bernama B40 households benefiting from Rahmah Sale KUALA LUMPUR: The Rahmah Sale initiative, implemented by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, which began on Jan 11, has helped consumers in the B40 (Bottom 40% income) group and hardcore poor save up to RM100 a month. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said the initiative was also supported by leading supermarkets such as Mydin, 99 Speedmart, Lotus and Aeon Big. He said according to a survey, consumers could save up to RM24 on each purchase with the Rahmah Sale initiative, which offers various essential items at low prices. “This means that if a customer spends five times a month, he can save RM100 per month,” he said in reply to a question from Cha Kee Chin (PHRasah, during the question-andanswer session in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. Cha wanted to know in detail about how the Rahmah Sale was implemented and its effectiveness in reducing the cost of living. Salahuddin said the initiative has not only benefited consumers but also supermarkets. “For instance, Econsave, at the end of February, announced that its sales had increased as a result of its Rahmah Sale effort, which offers 1,000 items at discounts ranging from 3% to 30%.” Salahuddin added that the RM100 million allocation received by the ministry under Budget 2023 would be used to hold Rahmah Sales in all 222 parliamentary constituencies nationwide. “We may hold this Rahmah Sale in all parliamentary constituencies four times a week and each constituency will receive an allocation of about RM8,660 per week.” – Bernama Low response to People’s Income Initiative KUALA LUMPUR: Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah recorded the lowest number of applications for the Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat or the People’s Income Initiative launched last week. Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said under Budget 2023, the government had allocated RM750 million for the initiative. He added that the initiative focuses on empowering the B40 (Bottom 40%) income group and the hardcore poor nationwide, to boost the income potential of households. “The time has come for the leadership of the state government controlled by Perikatan Nasional to ensure that economic planning at the state level is also good. “It is better to work together to welcome the federal government’s efforts because allocations have been given and programmes have been prepared.” He was replying to a question from Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (PAS-Permatang Pauh), in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. Rafizi said the government had allocated 50% of the development expenditure under Budget 2023 to Malaysia’s five poorest states, namely Sabah, Kelantan, Sarawak, Kedah and Terengganu. He added that the Statistics Department’s Household Income and Expenditure and Basic Amenities Survey for 2022 is expected to be published by mid-2023. – Bernama RM25 billion investment drawn by political stability KUALA LUMPUR: Stable political administration and clear national policies are the key factors why Amazon Web Services (AWS) chose Malaysia as its investment destination, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, who is also finance minister, said AWS’ RM25.5 billion investment up to 2037 would have a high impact in that it would boost foreign investors’ confidence in the country. “AWS was invited by many Asean countries but chose Malaysia. This means it would increase the confidence (of other investors) and spur the entry of various investors from both the West and East. “This (AWS investment) will provide opportunities to local businesses as it involves a more sophisticated approach, which is a cloud (infrastructure) hub in Malaysia,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. Anwar was replying to a query from Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru), on the implications of the investments by AWS and Tesla as well as the government’s plans to bring more high-quality investments to Malaysia. – Bernama 192 illegal landfills to be closed by April KUALA LUMPUR: The Local Government Development Ministry, through the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corp, aims to close down 192 more illegal landfills by the end of next month Its minister Nga Kor Ming said the closure to be implemented under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) would involve several locations that have been identified in seven states, namely Johor with 45 sites, Kedah (26), Malacca (52), Negeri Sembilan (20), Pahang (20), Perlis (11), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (18), Bernama reported. “We are determined to clean up all these hotspots (illegal landfills),” he said when closing an illegal landfill.
3 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 KUALA LUMPUR: The first-ever regional summit Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) being held in Kuala Lumpur has brought together 200 successful women entrepreneurs and business leaders to foster greater networking among women-led businesses across the Indo-Pacific region. The summit, which started yesterday and ends tomorrow, is hosted by the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and is held in conjunction with International Women’s Day. It provides participants from various countries in the region including Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan with the knowledge, networks and access they need to launch and expand successful businesses within their communities and worldwide, Bernama reported. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, when launching the summit, said AWE, together with the Women Entrepreneur Network Association (Wena), has benefited many women entrepreneurs, providing them access to education and mentorship. “I believe education is the key to uplifting women and providing them equal access and opportunities on the playing field. I look forward to learning more about the summit’s outcomes and how Malaysian women entrepreneurs can continue to scale up their businesses and provide further avenues for more women to participate and achieve economic success,” she said. Also present were US Policy Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs deputy assistant secretary Rafik Mansour, US ambassador to Malaysia Brian McFeeters and AWE Malaysia implementer Nuraizah Syamsul Baharin. Rafik said AWE has empowered over 25,000 women entrepreneurs worldwide since its launch in 2019. “From improving artisans’ livelihoods through digital marketing to facilitating access to mental healthcare, AWE alumni have demonstrated the importance of investing in women-led businesses to achieve sustainable growth across the Indo-Pacific region.” Nuraizah said the US Embassy here and Wena launched AWE in Malaysia in 2020, empowering more than 150 women entrepreneurs by helping them grow successful businesses. During the summit, participants exchanged knowledge, expanded their capacity and networked to foster growth, innovation and sustainability. US President Joe Biden’s administration has outlined that the Indo-Pacific is a strategic geographic region for the US foreign policy engagement as part of its National Security Strategy, and the AWE Summit supports broader US engagement in the region. Ras Adiba honoured with Women of Courage award KUALA LUMPUR: Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi was announced as one of the 2023 International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award recipients and will recieve her award today at the White House in Washington, United States. According to a statement issued by the US Department of State on Monday, Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken and First Lady Jill Biden will host the annual ceremony. “The IWOC Award ceremony will honour a group of 11 extraordinary women from around the world who are working to build a brighter future for all,” said the statement. Ras Adiba has spent most of her professional life advancing and promoting human rights, selflessly advocating for vulnerable populations and using her platforms to shed light on injustices in Malaysian society, the statement said. In May 2020, she was appointed senator to represent persons with disabilities. In November 2020, Ras Adiba was appointed the first Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) female chairman, which is a significant move since Malaysia lacks women with leadership qualities, and even more so persons with disabilities, in leadership roles. Ras Adiba also became a national Paralympic sharpshooter and earned a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records for “wheeling” 420km in 13 days from Johor Bahru to Putrajaya in her wheelchair. Other recipients include Dr Zakira Hekmat from Afghanistan, Alba Rueda from Argentina and Donis Rios of Costa Rica. – Bernama AWE summit to empower women entrepreneurs oMeeting serves as platform for 200 Indo-Pacific participants to gain business, networking knowledge Ministry to meet Telegram over public security issues SHAH ALAM: The Communications and Digital Ministry will call up the Telegram service provider soon to discuss issues involving the application, especially regarding security of users. Minister Fahmi Fadzil said although Telegram was used by many, including the National Security Council (NSC) to share information, the government would not compromise when it involved issues of public security. “This Telegram is seen to be problematic, with all sorts of information posted there and many scammer activities (reported). But at the same time we know it is an important channel for conveying information to the public, for example by NSC,” he said after attending a People’s Townhall with Fahmi Fadzil programme organised by Sinar Harian here on Monday night. He said the ministry would discuss with Telegram to help authorities take appropriate action under existing laws. “This is not only about scammers but also pornography and extremism, which need to be checked urgently if they are spread through Telegram.” Fahmi said he viewed this matter seriously and hoped Telegram would cooperate with the ministry, as had been done by other service providers before. “I believe my ministry officials have reached out (to them), and I am waiting for feedback soon.” He said scam was a concerning issue, especially with several cases of identity theft using the platform to target prominent people. “If our former prime minister (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) could fall victim (target) to scammers on Telegram, what more the ordinary people. So, I view this as a pressing issue and will tackle it urgently,” he added. – Bernama Umno no contest motion approved KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry has decided to grant exemption to Umno from complying with Section 13(1)(c)(iv) of the Societies Act 1966 (Act 832) with regard to the passing of an additional motion for the president and deputy president posts to be uncontested in this year’s party elections. Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he had referred to Umno’s constitution and meeting rules regarding the additional motion and granted the exemption in accordance with Section 70 of the Act. “The ministry has reviewed the decision made by the 2022 Umno general assembly from Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan on March 3,” he said in a statement yesterday. The additional motion was approved during the 2022 Umno general assembly at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre on Jan 14. Last Monday, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Registrar of Societies Department had approved the additional motion, demonstrating its validity and putting an end to the polemics surrounding it. – Bernama Low-cost airline offers 62 extra Raya flights SEPANG: Low-cost airline AirAsia is offering 62 additional flights with fixed fares to seven destinations in Sabah and Sarawak from April 19 until April 30 in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the ticket price is RM199 one way for flights from Kuala Lumpur or Johor Bahru to Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri; and RM249 one way from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and Tawau, as well as Johor Bahru to Kota Kinabalu. He added that bookings can be made from now until April 30 for travel from April 19 to April 21 and April 20 to April 30. Loke hoped other airlines would emulate AirAsia. On Malaysia Airlines aircraft flight MH370, Loke said a search operation will be initiated if new evidence is presented to the government. – Bernama CELESTIAL VESSEL ... More than 10,000 Hindu devotees and tourists gather at Teluk Bahang Beach in Penang on Monday night to witness the Maasi Magam festival, that culminated in a ceremony to send off the deity Sri Singamuga Kaliamman on a sea journey. – BERNAMAPIC Main roads to Sarawak interior to be upgraded KUCHING: The federal and Sarawak governments will work together to upgrade the 578km Jalan Jiwa Murni in the state, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said the upgrading work was expected to be completed before Christmas this year. Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development minister, said focus will also be given to areas in northern Sarawak such as in Miri, Limbang and Belaga. “Our priority is for roads that are no longer used by timber lorries to be upgraded as the main road to interior areas. “What is important is that it must be done before Christmas, not because of the celebrations but due to the monsoon season,” he said after chairing the coordination meeting with the state government at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday. The meeting was also attended by Sarawak Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian. Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority would work with the Sarawak government to develop padi plantation estates in the state. He said the implementation of the project was to meet the domestic demand. – Bernama
4 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Media firms told to review business model KUALA LUMPUR: Conventional media organisations in the country were told yesterday to review and reorganise several aspects of their business models to help them meet the needs of the times. Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this was important to ensure there was no negative impact on media organisations, especially in the broadcasting industry following a decline in advertising expenditure and a shift to digital platforms. “I have met and discussed this issue with various parties. It is a concern because advertising expenditure, which used to help media companies continue to operate, has been shrinking,” he said after opening the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union, Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2023 yesterday. Fahmi said he would not treat private and public media organisations differently with regards to this issue as both play an important role in ensuring the process of checks and balances, as well as accurate reports, reach the people. He said the government was also looking into amending and improving several laws, including the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Malaysian National Film Development Corporation Act 1981 to meet current needs. However, he said any amendment to the laws should take into account several aspects, such as public safety, freedom of speech and freedom of the media. “The way we look at the concept of content, we need to translate it into law. When these laws were enacted, there was no talk about content, but now content is the reality.” He expressed hope that the amendments to the laws concerned would be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in June or October. With regard to the symposium, Fahmi said he hoped participants would discuss the changes taking place in the broadcasting industry, including changes to the business model or devices used by the media industry. The symposium, which started on March 6 and will run until March 9, features exhibitions by 225 broadcasters from 53 countries. – Bernama Rompin Bailey bridge opens to traffic KUANTAN: A single lane of the Bailey bridge on the main road of Selancar and Perwira Jaya in Rompin was open to light vehicles yesterday. Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said traffic was limited to vehicles under 40 tonnes with a speed limit of 30kph. “I urge all motorists to always abide by the instructions displayed on signboards and to be cautious while driving,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday. The 42.67m Bailey bridge was constructed to allow residents road access following the collapse of the main road on March 1 after the river breached its banks due to continuous rain. The collapse of the 23m stretch of road connecting Segamat and Muadzam Shah affected around 12,000 residents. The Public Works Department constructed the bridge with the assistance of 80 Armed Forces personnel. – Bernama Pauh health clinic to operate from March 27 ARAU: Residents in Pauh and its vicinity can now heave a sigh of relief after construction of the Pauh Health Clinic and its quarters were completed and the clinic is expected to be operational on March 27. Construction of the health clinic at a cost of RM30 million was approved under the 11th Malaysia Plan, which included the procurement of medical and non-medical equipment worth RM2.5 million. Health Ministry Deputy Secretary-General (Finance) Datuk Zamzuri Abdul Aziz said about 40,000 Pauh residents and those in nearby areas are expected to benefit from the clinic. “It has always been a Health Ministry priority to strengthen the services provided at health clinics and to educate the public on the need to pay attention to healthcare,” he said at the clinic handover ceremony yesterday. – Bernama Sabah Tourism Board makes mark in Berlin BERLIN: There could not be a better travel marketplace platform than the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB) 2023 for the Sabah Tourism Board to launch its rebranding exercise “Feel Sabah, North Borneo”. The state Tourism Board is under the purview of the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry. The “Feel Sabah” campaign was developed by the state tourism board, while the idea of incorporating “North Borneo” was mooted by its minister Datuk Christina Liew, who led a delegation to the event in Berlin, Germany. “We want the international community to know that Sabah is located in the northern part of Borneo Island in the hope of engaging with and wooing more European tourists, among others.” – Bernama Hackers capitalising on pandemic KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team has found an increase in various cyberattacks capitalising on the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on phishing emails, websites, scam domains, malware and vulnerable sectors and infrastructure in the health sector, according to data gathered by Kaspersky Security Network. Kaspersky said the data shows 2020 was a bed of roses for cybercriminals as the world entered a work-and-learn-from-home phase and began to rely heavily on internet connectivity. In a statement yesterday, Kaspersky general manager for Southeast Asia Yeo Siang Tiong said ongoing efforts by the Communications and Multimedia Ministry following the the launch of the National Cyber Security Awareness Module and Cyber Security Enhancement Project remain crucial to counter the growing number of cyberthreats in the country. – Bernama Business as usual despite floods SHAH ALAM: A flooded stall was no hindrance for a burger seller at Pekan Endau in Mersing, Johor, who continued to operate his business as usual. Riduan Abdul Rahim, 40, said he had no choice but to continue with his daily routine as he had dependants to support at home and was planning to get married at the end of the year, Bernama reported. “This is my primary source of income and everything depends on my being able to sell burgers. I take care of my mother and niece and I need to save up for my wedding as well. I will be in a pickle if I don’t work. “Plus, I have already bought raw materials and if I don’t use them, I fear they will spoil because the items don’t have long shelf lives. The prices of raw materials have increased and I will incur heavy losses.” He added that he needs to raise RM135 a year to pay for the rent of the lot where he has set up his stall. Riduan, who has been doing business there for almost 20 years, said he would start selling burgers from 3pm until late, depending on the number of customers. oBurger seller keeps working to pay for wedding, support dependants “This area is often flooded. The most recent flood two days ago, was not too bad and receded a little yesterday. “However, heavy rain in the afternoon caused the water to rise again. The rise in water levels may have also been due to the high tide. If the flood situation worsens, I will close the stall.” Riduan said his home was not affected by the floods since it was situated on high ground, but he and his family are being vigilant. Still, he was grateful that his burgers sold well on Saturday, following the closure of many of the eateries in the town. “I really hope the situation will return to normal. It’s hard for people like me who rely solely on sales income to make ends meet,” said Riduan, who also works part-time as a deejay at weddings. Increase in Covid-19 patient admissions to public hospitals KUALA LUMPUR: The number of admissions of Covid-19 patients to public hospitals per 100,000 people in the ninth epidemiological week increased by 33% for categories one to five compared with the eighth epidemiological week, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement yesterday. He said the number of Covid-19 recovery cases between weeks eight and nine from Feb 26 to March 4 increased by 5.2% from 1,367 cases to 1,438, while recovery cases recorded a drop of 8.8% from 1,497 cases to 1,365. The number of Covid-19 deaths rose from two to eight, an increase of 300%. “Covid-19 positive cases monitored by Covid-19 assessment centres (CAC) nationwide showed a decline and a comparison of physical CAC data for the ninth epidemiological week showed that the number of patient arrivals to the CAC dropped by 12.2% compared with the previous week. “Meanwhile, the number of new Covid-19 cases being monitored at home increased by 321.7% and the number of cases referred to hospitals by the CAC fell by 14.3%.” Noor Hisham said the cumulative number of cases reported from Jan 25, 2020, to March 4, 2023, stood at 5,043,626, while the cumulative number of recoveries stood at 4,997,806. “The average number of active cases was 8,851, the cumulative number of deaths was 36,965 and the cumulative number of clusters was 7,172, with two active clusters.” With regards to the percentage of Covid-19 bed usage, he said there was an increase of 1% from the previous to the current epidemiological week for non-critical beds. Bed usage in the intensive care unit remained unchanged at 2% and the percentage of Covid-19 patients requiring respiratory assistance decreased to 0.2%. “The number of admissions of Covid-19 patients to health facilities per 100,000 residents remained at 2.8% for the week from Feb 26 to March 4.” He said the surveillance of Influenza-Like Illnesses (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) for Covid-19 by the Health Ministry at sentinel locations nationwide found that 17 ILI samples tested positive for Covid-19 at a rate of 2.4% in the ninth epidemiological week. There were no SARI samples that tested positive for Covid-19 in the same week. – Bernama WELFARE INITIATIVE ... Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain presenting aid to Nur Damia Fathiah Mohd Solihin at a ceremony for special children and orphans in George Town yesterday. Also present was Finance Ministry Economic Stimulus Implementation and Coordination Unit CEO Datuk Shahrul Nazri Abdul Rahim (left). – BERNAMAPIC
5 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 Research officer charged with hindering graft investigation KUALA LUMPUR: A research officer who claimed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had offered RM10 million to former Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan, was charged in the Sessions Court yesterday for obstruction of the commission’s investigations. Mohamad Shafiq Abdul Halim, 32, who is also a political observer, was charged with failing to comply with an order to appear for oral examination in connection with a case investigated by MACC. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was read out before Judge Suzana Hussin. Mohamad Shafiq was charged with committing the offence at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya on March 3. The charge was framed under Section 48(c) of the MACC Act 2009. It provides a fine of RM10,000 or two years imprisonment, or both. Earlier, DPP Ahmad Akram Gharib requested bail at RM10,000 in one surety and with additional conditions to surrender his passport to the court and report to the MACC office once a month. He also requested the court to issue a gag order to prevent Mohamad Shafiq from making any comments that could be sub-judicial to the case. Lawyer Chetan Jethwani, representing Mohamad Shafiq, objected to the prosecution’s application on the grounds that it was excessive as only the court could determine what is sub-judice to the case. “The case has received the attention of the media and if the prosecution intends to apply for the order, an official application in court has to be made,” he said. Suzana agreed with the defence and ordered the prosecution to file an official application. She set Mohamad Shafiq’s bail as requested by the prosecution. The court set April 7 for mention. – Bernama Two held over purchase of subsidised diesel for commercial use IPOH: The Perak Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry nabbed two local men for buying subsidised diesel for commercial use near Manjung on Monday. Its director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said the two suspects, aged 69 and 53, were detained in an operation dubbed Ops Tiris at the Pundut quarry area in Lumut. “Also seized during the operation was a lorry loaded with subsidised diesel. The operation was carried out following a week of surveillance and intelligence gathering on diesel buying activities at petrol stations in Manjung. “The suspects were found using lorries with modified fuel tanks and they will frequently go to the petrol station repeatedly as a cover for their activities,” he said. Kamalludin added that through the modus operandi, they were able to obtain 250 litres of diesel, which they will subsequently use for their company’s machinery and vehicles. “They should not be using subsidised diesel for commercial purposes, but instead have to buy industrial category diesel,” he said. In the operation, the team also found a tank with a maximum capacity of 15,000 litres, 2,250 litres of diesel and equipment used to transfer the diesel, all of which were estimated to be worth RM46,800. “The case will be investigated under Section 21 and Section 20(1) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and Control of Supplies Regulations 1974”, Kamalludin said. Meanwhile in Kedah, the state office of the ministry seized 12,000 litres of diesel worth RM25,800 during a raid on a storeroom at an oil palm plantation in Bedong near Sungai Petani on Monday. Kedah ministry director Affendi Rajini Kanth said in the 1.30pm Ops Tiris raid, the team also seized two skid tanks and four hoses worth RM10,200. – Bernama RM28.9 billion 1MDB assets, funds retrieved: MACC chief PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki yesterday said more than 70% of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) assets and funds, equivalent to RM28.93 billion, have been successfully recovered. “As for the 30% balance, we want to recover as much as possible. Tracing of the assets are ongoing, including in several places abroad,” he said, adding that the commission is one of the main agencies involved in recovering all 1MDB assets and funds. Azam said MACC also played a role in the successful recovery of RM8.06 billion involving the International Petroleum Investment oEfforts ongoing to recover 30% remaining money and valuables at several locations abroad 42,000 evacuees still at relief centres KUALA LUMPUR: The number of evacuees in states hit by floods has dropped slightly, with 42,909 still at 234 relief centres as of 8am yesterday. In Johor, the number has dropped to 39,620 evacuees in nine districts, from 40,129 on Monday, leading to the closure of 16 centres. According to the State Disaster Management Committee, the flood situation in the Segamat district was improving, but there was an increase in the number of evacuees in the Batu Pahat, Muar and Tangkak districts. In Batu Pahat, there were still 22,209 evacuees, followed by Muar with 5,094 and Segamat with 4,036. The floods in Johor has so far claimed the lives of five people, with the latest involving a woman who was reported missing after her car was swept away by currents in Mersing. Her remains was found inside her vehicle on Monday. In Pahang, the committee secretariat reported no change in the number of evacuees since Monday, with 2,684 still at the centres. The evacuees comprise 2,671 at 18 centres in Rompin and the remaining at a centre in Maran. – Bernama MCMC mulls action against TV Channel over possible violations PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is considering regulatory action against Awesome Broadcasting Sdn Bhd following a possible violation of Section 36 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. In a statement yesterday, MCMC said any broadcasting operation by television stations must comply with the rules and licensing conditions set out in the Content Application Service Provider Individual Licence (CASP)(I). “MCMC takes licensing compliance seriously and is committed to ensuring CASP(I) licence holders adhere to the condition. “Failure to do so is a serious offence and can be subject to action according to the provisions of the existing law,” he said. On Feb 21, MCMC opened an investigation paper on local television channel Awesome TV over a news report, which claimed that the number of civil servants would be reduced. The investigation is being carried out under Section 206 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for failure to comply with licensing conditions. – Bernama Ex-contractor claims trial to fraud charges SHAH ALAM: A former contractor pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court yesterday to charges of deceiving and using false documents in relation to construction of a classroom building block for a primary school in Hulu Selangor in 2016. On the first count, M. Sivanesan, 35, was charged with deceiving the parent-teacher association (PTA) of a Tamil school in Hulu Selangor, prompting the association to pay RM285,000 to him to complete the construction of the building, which involved three classrooms. He was charged with committing the offence at a bank in Sungai Buloh between Aug 24, 2016, and Oct 26, 2016. Sivanesan was also charged with using as genuine a false document, namely a letter of consent from the Public Works Department regarding the proposed construction, by showing it to PTA members of the same school on Oct 26, 2016. Judge Rozilah Salleh set bail at RM12,000 with one surety. – Bernama CHARITABLE GESTURE ... Econsave Cash & Carry Sdn Bhd general manager Mas Imran Adam (sixth from left) presenting aid in the form of basic necessities to the village chief of Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Peroh in Kluang, Johor yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC Company (IPIC). On Feb 27, it was reported that the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc) and 1MDB had reached a settlement regarding their dispute with IPIC and Aabar Investments PJS (Aabar PJS) pertaining to legal proceedings at the London Court of International Arbitration and the London High Court. In this regard, IPIC and Aabar PJS from Abu Dhabi had agreed to pay US$1.8 billion (RM8.06 billion) to MoF Inc and 1MDB, Bernama reported. In another development, Azam said MACC has established a forensics unit to study the suspected elements of corruption and embezzlement involving RM157 million losses suffered by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Holdings Sdn Bhd. He added that the matter is still under investigation and all aspects are being taken into account, so that it will be fair to all parties. “We will announce the findings of the investigation once it is ready.” A press report titled UiTM Holdings loses RM157 million claimed that the total loss is based on the calculation of accumulated pre-tax losses for the years 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. UiTM Holdings is an investment holding company wholly owned by UiTM that manages eight companies related to energy, healthcare, technology and creative. Earlier, Azam attended a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) involving MACC, UiTM and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). In his speech, he said the MoU will enable integrated action to be taken in improving the enforcement and effectiveness of existing regulations towards better governance. He added that the MoU between MACC and UiTM involves cooperation among them in the aspect of negotiation services, development of training modules, awareness programmes and anti-corruption education, while the cooperation with MIA covers information sharing activities and expertise as well as technical investigations in the field of accounting and finance to combat corruption, misuse of power and money laundering.
6 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS READ OUR HERE /thesundaily SCAN ME Xi slams US-led ‘suppression’ oBeijing calls competition with Washington ‘a zero-sum game of life and death’ BEIJING: The United States is leading a “containment, encirclement and suppression of China”, President Xi Jinping said as he urged his country’s private sector to boost innovation and become more self-reliant. China’s technology ambitions have been hit with a raft of restrictions by the US and its Western allies, and Beijing has doubled down on the need to shift away from imports for sectors perceived as vital to national security such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Washington has in recent months tightened sanctions on Chinese chipmakers, citing national security concerns and the risk of the technology being used by China’s military. In a rare direct criticism of the US, Xi told industry leaders that “Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our country’s development”. Xi, who will be granted a third consecutive presidential term in the coming days at the highly choreographed National People’s Congress (NPC), said the past five years had been riddled with a new set of hurdles that threatened to weigh down China’s economic rise. According to the state-run Dozens missing after landslide in Indonesia Japan’s new rocket fails again, forced to self-destruct TOKYO: Japan’s second attempt to launch its next-generation H3 rocket failed after liftoff yesterday, with the spacecraft forced to self-destruct after the command centre concluded the mission could not succeed. The failure is a blow for Japan’s space agency Jaxa, which has billed the rocket as a flexible and cost-effective new flagship. Its launch had already been delayed by several years, and then a first attempt last month failed when the solid rocket boosters did not ignite. Yesterday’s launch from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southwestern Japan initially appeared to be a success, with the rocket lifting off. The first-stage separation appeared to go as planned but signs of trouble soon emerged. “It seems that the velocity is coming down,” announcers on the Jaxa live feed said while the rocket was about 300km above ground. “The second stage engine ignition has not been confirmed yet, we continue to confirm the situation.” The live feed was briefly halted, with a message reading: “We are currently checking the status.” When it resumed, the command centre confirmed the bad news. “Destruct command has been transmitted to H3 because there was no possibility of achieving the mission.” The rocket was not going to reach its planned trajectory without confirmation of the second stage engine, Jaxa vice-president Yasuhiro Funo told a news conference. Debris from the destroyed rocket is believed to have fallen in waters east of the Philippines, he said. The cause of the failure will be investigated, said Jaxa president Hiroshi Yamakawa. – AFP B R I E F S6.0-MAGNITUDE QUAKE ROCKS PHILIPPINES MANILA: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the southern Philippines yesterday, the US Geological Survey said, with local authorities warning of aftershocks and possible damage. The shallow quake struck at 2pm, a few kilometres from Maragusan municipality in the mountainous gold-mining province of Davao de Oro on Mindanao island. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more harm than deeper ones but there were no immediate confirmed reports of major damage. The quake lasted 30 seconds and was followed by aftershocks, said police officer Stephanie Clemen. – AFP PROBE ON ELECTION INTERFERENCE CLAIM OTTAWA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced the appointment of an independent special rapporteur to probe alleged Chinese interference in Canada’s last two federal elections. That allegedly involved secret financing or involvement in the campaign of certain candidates during voting in 2019 and 2021, local media reported, citing intelligence leaks. The new rapporteur, who will be named in the coming days, will be responsible for making “expert recommendations on combating interference and strengthening our democracy”, said Trudeau. – AFP The H3 rocket lifting off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Centre yesterday. – KYODO NEWS/ REUTERSPIC Xinhua news agency, Xi said China must “have the courage to fight as the country faces profound and complex changes in both the domestic and international landscape”, in the address to delegates at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which runs alongside the NPC. The 69-year-old said private firms “should take the initiative to pursue high-quality development”, Xinhua reported on Monday. Earlier this week, Xi vowed to bolster China’s manufacturing capacity and said the country should be able to fend for itself. “I’ve always said there are two critical areas for China: one is to safeguard our rice bowl and the other is to build up a strong manufacturing sector. “As a great nation of 1.4 billion people, we must rely on ourselves. We can’t depend on international markets to save us.” China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang later reiterated the president’s forceful language on US “containment”, calling American competition “a zero-sum game of life and death”. Urging Washington to “meet halfway”, Qin said the two powers’ relationship needed to be based on mutual interests and friendship, rather than “US domestic politics and hysterical neo-McCarthyism”. In a wide-ranging press conference, the former ambassador to the US dismissed warnings from the West that China may supply arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine, saying it would not accept “blame shifting, sanctions, suppression and threats” targeting Beijing. Qin said China was “neither a creator of the crisis nor a party to it, and it has not provided weapons to any party”, adding peace talks should start “as soon as possible”. – AFP JAKARTA: Rescuers on a remote Indonesian island were searching yesterday for dozens still missing after a landslide that killed 15 people, a disaster official said. Poor weather and downed communication lines have complicated rescue efforts on the far-flung island of Serasan, in the Natuna region between Borneo and peninsular Malaysia, home to about 8,000 people. Pictures provided by Natuna’s communication and information agency showed houses reduced to rubble, with fallen trees and torn roofs visible. Body bags were lined up on top of a blue tarpaulin as officials gathered to pray for the victims. National disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari told local broadcaster Metro TV that rescuers had recovered 10 bodies at the scene, while villagers put the death toll at 15. “Six (bodies) have been identified, while four are still being identified.” He said 42 people were missing. Eight previously missing people had been found alive although four remained in critical condition. Rescuers were focusing their efforts along a stretch of road near a cliff where dozens of houses were reportedly buried by the landslide, Abdul said. “Along this road, there are around 30 houses that were buried. This is our focal point of the search.” Abdul said the agency was sending food and tents, as well as satellite communication equipment and two helicopters in a bid to establish communication lines and speed up aid. Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, aggravated in some places by deforestation, and prolonged torrential rain has caused flooding in different areas of the archipelago nation. Experts said the country’s weather-related disasters are likely being made worse by climate change. – AFP N. Korea warns America against intercepting test missiles PYONGYANG: North Korea warned yesterday that it would be a “clear declaration of war” if its missiles were shot down during their test launches over the Pacific Ocean. The US and South Korea have ramped up defence cooperation, including joint drills, in the face of growing threats from nuclear-armed Pyongyang, which has conducted a wave of banned weapons tests in recent months. North Korea has said its nuclear weapons and missile programmes are for self-defence, and has bristled over US-South Korea drills, describing them as rehearsals for an invasion. “It will be regarded as a clear declaration of war against the DPRK, in case such military response as interception takes place against our tests of strategic weapons,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong said in a statement, using North Korea’s official name. “The Pacific Ocean does not belong to the dominium of the US or Japan.” North Korea is “always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time”, added her statement, published by the official Korean Central News Agency. This month, the US and South Korean militaries will hold their largest joint drills in five years. Ahead of those exercises, named Freedom Shield and scheduled for at least 10 days starting March 13, the allies held air drills this week featuring a nuclear-capable US B-52 bomber. In a separate statement yesterday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of “intentionally” ramping up tensions. “The recent joint air drill clearly shows that the US scheme to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK is being carried forward at the level of an actual war.” – AFP
7 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 Six Peru soldiers drown trying to flee protesters LIMA: Six Peruvian soldiers drowned after jumping into a freezing river while fleeing anti-government protesters in the country’s south, the Defence Ministry said on Monday. The ministry gave the toll of fatalities among soldiers who said they came under attack from people armed with slingshots and sticks at a demonstration on Sunday against the government of President Dina Boluarte in the city of Ilave in the Puno region. Puno has been the epicentre of demonstrations that first broke out in December when then-president Pedro Castillo was ousted and arrested after trying to dissolve Parliament and rule by decree. His supporters are demanding the resignation of Boluarte, fresh elections, a new constitution and the dissolution of Parliament. More than 50 have died and over 1,300 have been injured – nearly half of them members of the security forces – in clashes since then, according to Peru’s rights ombudsman. The bodies of the soldiers were retrieved from Ilave River, a tributary to Lake Titicaca on the border between Peru and Bolivia. In a video distributed by the ministry, a soldier who managed to escape said he and his colleagues “crossed the river because we had no other way out”. “Between 800 and 900 people surrounded us and started throwing stones at us,” he said, seated among about a dozen other servicemen, all wrapped in blankets. “People called us corrupt and murderers.” The soldier said the men had tried to form a human chain but “the current took us and some of the troops began to drown”. A health care group in Puno said on Sunday it had treated five soldiers for hypothermia after local residents rescued them from the river. On Saturday, 16 people – civilians and soldiers – were injured in clashes elsewhere in Puno that also saw a police station burned. Castillo is serving 18 months of pre-trial detention in Lima, accused of rebellion. The demonstrations are driven by poor southern indigenous Peruvians who see Castillo – who is also from humble origins – as an ally in their fight against poverty, racism and inequality. – AFP Trains halted, schools shut in France PARIS: Most trains came to a halt, schools shut, oil refineries blocked and power production reduced in France yesterday as unions organised a sixth day of nationwide strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans. Opinion polls have for weeks shown that a majority of voters reject the reform, which would raise the pension age by two years to 64 among other measures, but the government intends to stand its ground and carry out the plans it said are essential to ensure the pension system does not go bust. “I can understand that not many people want to work two more years, but it’s necessary to ensure the viability of the system,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 5 TV. Unions said they would increase oUnions strike as polls show most voters reject plans to raise pension age to 64 pressure to try and convince lawmakers not to vote for the reforms, adding that rolling strikes, particularly at oil refineries and on the railways, could be prolonged over several days. Eric Sellini, a CGT union representative at TotalEnergies, said a strike currently completely blocking the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy was slated to run until tomorrow and at the Donges refinery in western France until Friday. “We’re not giving up. Today, we’re going to put more than two million people on the street, I am convinced of it,” head of FO union Frederic Souillot told RTL radio. “We will continue until the reform is withdrawn.” Rallies are planned across France after more than 1.27 million people took part in previous protests on Jan 31. “Together, let’s bring France to a halt!” the country’s main unions said in a joint statement. There were reports of students blocking schools yesterday while BFM TV showed footage of workers abandoning cars on the side of the road near Amiens in northern France as others blocked access to an industrial zone. While Macron’s camp does not have an absolute majority in parliament, it can count on the support of at least part of the conservative Les Republicains. “I’m telling Emmanuel Macron to hang in there,” LR senator Bruno Retailleau said on Sunday. “If he gives in, he won’t be able to carry out more reforms, it would be the end of his (second) term.” Still, it is unclear whether the changes will be approved by Parliament by the end of the month or if the government will have to ram them through using special constitutional powers. – Reuters Couple jailed in Spain over €1.6 million wine heist MADRID: A Spanish court on Monday jailed a couple for stealing 45 bottles of wine worth over €1.6 million (RM7.6 million) from a hotel restaurant in what police called a “meticulously planned” theft. A bottle of Chateau D’Yquem 1806 worth €350,000 was among the wines stolen from Atrio Hotel in Caceres in southwest Spain in October 2021 in the heist which made global headlines. A court in Caceres sentenced the woman to four years in jail and the man to four and a half years, after finding them guilty of burglary with forced entry. The court also ordered the pair – who were arrested in July last year in Croatia – to pay compensation of €753,454 to the hotel. The woman, who according to Spanish press reports is a former Mexican beauty queen, checked into the hotel using a fake Swiss passport, the court said. After dining in the Michelin three-star restaurant of the hotel, the pair were given a tour of the Atrio’s renowned wine cellar before they retired to their room. At 2am, the woman called the reception and asked the “sole employee” who was working at the time to make her a salad, according to the court ruling. The employee at first denied the request because he was alone and because the couple had eaten a 14-course tasting menu but he ended up agreeing because she kept insisting. While the employee was preparing the salad, the man slipped into reception and stole an electronic key which he thought would gain entry to the wine cellar but it was the wrong one. From outside the wine cellar the man called his partner and told her once again to distract the receptionist, so she requested a dessert. “The accused returned to the reception and from a box he took master key number 27, which he used to open the wine cellar from where he took 45 bottles of wine,” the court said. The man, who reportedly has Romanian and Dutch citizenship, carried the bottles to his room in a rucksack and two large bags before the receptionist returned to his post. The couple had “meticulously planned” the heist, visiting the restaurant three times to prepare the raid, Spain’s national police said in a statement when the pair were arrested. – AFP Colombia hopes to remove dead drug lord’s hippos BOGOTA: The governor of a region in Colombia where a herd of some 150 hippos are breeding out of control said on Monday he hopes for the green light to send half of them to sanctuaries in India and Mexico. The hippos are descendants of animals once owned by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. “We hope that the permits required by the national institutions can be approved in the first half of this year, so that we can make arrangements for the air shipment,” said Antioquia Governor Anibal Gaviria. A small herd of hippos arrived in Colombia in the late 1980s, brought in by the fabulously wealthy cocaine lord Escobar. After his death in 1993, the animals were left to roam freely and populated the region of Magdalena Medio, a hot savanna criss-crossed by rivers, marshes and swamps where food for hippos is abundant. Gaviria wants to transfer 70 of the herd – declared invasive by the government a year ago – to sanctuaries in India and Mexico. The growth of the hippopotamus population “is a complex situation for the inhabitants” of Magdalena Medio, some of whom have been threatened by the animals, which can weigh two to three tonnes, he said. The local environmental agency recorded two assaults on residents in 2021. Last year, after unsuccessful attempts at a sterilisation programme, the government declared the hippos an invasive species, opening the door to hunting. – AFP B R I E F SEIGHT HONDURANS SHOT DEAD IN ALLEGED LAND DISPUTE TEGUCIGALPA: At least eight people were shot and killed on Monday in Honduras in an apparent land dispute between families. Six men, a woman and a minor were shot dead as they were driving in a mountainous area called El Portillo de las Moras, about 70km north of the capital Tegucigalpa, said national police spokesman Edgardo Barahona. “They lost their lives instantly,” he said. “It is presumed the killings could stem from land disputes” between families that own estates in the area, said local police spokesman Norman Velasquez. Photos of bloodied bodies in a vehicle were posted on social media. – AFP MINORS FOUND AMONG ABANDONED MIGRANTS MEXICO CITY: Mexican authorities said on Monday that 103 minors travelling without adult relatives were among several hundred migrants found in a truck abandoned on a highway. The minors, mostly from Guatemala, were part of a group of 340 migrants from Central and South America, the National Migration Institute said in a statement. The vehicle, which had fans and ventilation, was located on Sunday night on a highway in the eastern state of Veracruz without a driver, it said. The trailer part of the truck was modified so it had two floors to carry more people, the agency said. Last June, 50 migrants died after they were abandoned in a scorching hot truck in Texas. – AFP DOING GOOD ... Buddhist monks are given alms by devotees as they mark Makha Bucha Day in the southern Thai town of Narathiwat. – AFPPIC
8 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 SPEAK UP THE key role of any political party is to explain the main issues facing voters and all parties should agree on a list for there to be national unity. Rival parties can then present alternative solutions. The list of main issues will likely include the following items: low financial savings, cost of living, stagnant wages, corruption and dishonesty, political stability, quality of governance, inter-ethnic and interfaith relations, climate change and lack of innovation. War should not feature in the list. Yet one major political party which claims to have the biggest electoral support, especially from young people, staged a Medieval army parade last month. Paradegoers, dressed in long white robes or grey attire with bright green scarves wrapped around their heads, carried wooden swords, spears, long bows, and replica shields reminiscent of ancient troops going into battle. A religious song played to the beat of war drums in a video clip of the procession. The party’s youth wing defended the parade insisting that it was more like a cosplay event and the party’s president lashed out at critics. But when a political party stages a mock army on the march, it should expect a tongue-lashing. The marchers were addressed as holy warriors and the long bow that some carried resembled that used during the Crusader wars in Palestine 1,000 years ago. This psychological throwback to a warring past shakes the brain. Who was the enemy in the past, and is it still the enemy today? The impulse to relive a glorious militant past is seriously misguided. If you were a descendant of slaves you would shudder as slavery was rampant before the 20th century and persisted until 1981 when the last slave was freed in Mauritania. The only piece of property that slaves were allowed to own was a dog collar that they had to wear around their necks for life. The US is renowned for its military cosplay events, but no political party gets involved as it would be political suicide to do so. Military action re-enactments surged in popularity in the US beginning in 1961 with the 100th anniversary of the American Civil War. In these replays, eager participants dress up as Confederate or Union soldiers. The mock battles and army parades are organised by cosplay groups that name themselves infantry regiments and cavalries. While Civil War military reenactments are thrilling for participants and spectators, the consequences are subtly disruptive. Held mostly in the southern states, these re-enactments reinforce the notion of white supremacism and help keep America divided psychologically. Re-enactors often turn their minds back to the 19th century, embracing the divisive thinking of that time. The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People comments: “Some people across the south are still fighting the Civil War. The bottom line is, obviously, the Civil War was fought on the premise that Blacks, in theory, are subservient to whites. And so every reenactment, every celebration continues to send that message.” War veterans have also criticised military re-enactment as glorifying human tragedy. “If they knew what a war was like,” said one World War II combat veteran, “they’d never play at it.” Does the political party that organised the Medieval army parade have any idea of the war’s tragic consequences? Besides weeping families, war renders impossible the achievement of economic, political, interfaith and climate stability. Psychological warfare lays the tripwires for actual physical violence. It is happening in India where memories of past oppression have been revived and constant violence is now being inflicted on religious minorities that once controlled politics centuries ago. It happened over recent decades in Myanmar and Sri Lanka where the dominant community was gripped by a “last stand” siege mentality that propelled it to commit widespread violence against religious minorities. It is happening in Iraq where ancient hatreds between two branches of the same religion continue to fuel a civil war. It happened in Northern Ireland where the world also witnessed two branches of one religion assaulting each other. The ideology of holy war is a mask to hide geopolitical rivalries and the nationalistic impulse to enforce cultural subjugation on a rival community. In their bid to control Palestine, both sides during the ancient Crusader battles invoked the name of God thereby turning the conflict into a holy war. One-quarter of humanity, arrayed on different sides, still thinks of God as a military commander who has enemies on earth and wants you to vanquish them. This false notion of God springs partly from a gross misreading of the Torah, a Jewish scripture. The Torah records that the ancient Jews were commanded to totally destroy the Canaanite city of Jericho. “Yahweh has given you the city. The city and everything in it are under a holy curse and offered up to Yahweh.” Upon taking the city, the Jewish army “put everything in the city under the holy curse, killing man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey.” When you understand the geopolitical and psychological contexts, you will know that these passages are not literally true. The ancient Jews, said to number two million, were stranded in the Sinai desert after fleeing Egypt about 3,300 years ago. They eyed the very fertile land of Canaan, the original name for Palestine, but it was already populated. You can’t move two million people to take over an already inhabited territory without conquest and total subjugation of the natives. And you need a compelling justification. God became the justification. The power of belief created a forceful psychological reality that turned into the physical reality of conquest. In a psychological sense, God did issue a command to invade and destroy. You believe and so it comes true for believers. Hundreds of years later, the ancient Jews who now occupied Canaan, which they renamed Israel, fought a war against the Moabites. The Moabites won a major battle and their king, Mesha, credited the victory to Chemosh, the name they gave to God. King Mesha wrote: “Chemosh said to me, ‘Go and seize Nebo from Israel’, and I went in the night, and I battled against it from the break of dawn until noon, and I took it, and I killed all of them — 7,000 men and boys, and women and girls, and maidens — for I dedicated it to Ashtar-Chemosh, and I took from there the vessels of Yahweh and I dragged them before Chemosh.” Does God have a split personality and fight against himself? Scriptures dive into the psychological realms of humanity and often merely skim over the surface of actual physical realities. Unless you know this, you are misreading scripture, whichever is your holy book. Playing a religious song at any mock-up army parade will convey the idea that God is a warrior. But the warrior God is a harmful notion that has set regions of the world on fire many, many times. The persistence of this belief has made it impossible for humanity to unite for the sake of global political stability, peaceful inter-ethnic and interfaith relations, and climate change mitigation. The writer champions interfaith harmony. Comments: [email protected] Fast-food and obesity IN our study of the geographical clustering of body mass index (BMI) among adults in Malaysia, clusters of high BMI among men were found in suburban areas with moderate and high access to fast-food restaurants. Because most men are employed, they spent more time outside with long working hours, where eating out and increased processed food consumption is unavoidable. This, coupled with greater access to restaurants, lowers the frequency of home cooking. When eating away from home, eating decisions tend to be spontaneous and quick, influenced by appetite, financial constraints and whether the environment facilitates spending toward healthy or unhealthy diets. The availability, accessibility and affordability of unhealthy foods make eating unhealthily easier and reinforce its preferences and demands, thus creating a vicious cycle of an unhealthy environment where the appetite control system is desensitised. Therefore, weight management can be challenging in an environment that belittles the willpower to eat healthily. In Malaysia, fast-food consumption is prevalent among rural (32.7% once a month), suburban (17.4% at least once a week) and urban (25% more than four times per month) communities, especially among university students. At the same time, only 5% of our population eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily as recommended. Habitual fast-food consumption is associated with a taste preference for fried and sweet foods, higher calorie intake, higher intake of sugary beverages and a lower intake of wholegrain, fruits and vegetables throughout the remainder of the day and even on a non-fast-food day. Meals from fast-food restaurants are mostly high in calories and fats, including trans-fatty acids and salt whereas beverages are the largest driver of differences in calories. Frequent and long-term consumption of these foods strengthened the expression of obesity-related genetic variants and increases the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Besides chronic inflammation, fast food consumption also impairs the host’s defence against viruses, increasing the risk for severe Covid-19 morbidity and mortality. Therefore, in conjunction with World Obesity Day, let us all focus on creating a healthier food environment. Besides fast-food franchises, all restaurants are also responsible. Here are some recommendations: 0 Fast-food industries should make healthier options available at all times e.g corn, fruit and vegetable salad, low-fat milk, wholemeal bun, granola, plain water, noncaloric beverages, etc; 0 Restaurants must reduce the amount of sugar and salt used in their cooking and food preparation, besides offering fruits, vegetables and whole grains on the menu; and 0 Customers must make their demand for healthier food choices known to the industry. Obesity is a public health war which we cannot afford to lose. It takes a collaborative effort to fight a challenge so great. Kimberly Wong Yuin Y’ng(PhD candidate) and Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming are from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. Comments: [email protected] COMMENT by Wong Yuin Y’ng Harmful and Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming notion of the warrior God
9 SPEAK UP theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 theSun ONWEDNESDAY | NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSun ON WEDNESDAY | NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS THE OBJECTIVES TO achieve greater unity among Malaysians TO maintain a democratic way of life TO create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared TO ensure a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions TO build a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology RUKUN NEGARA: THE PRINCIPLES BELIEF IN GOD LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY THE SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION THE RULE OF LAW COURTESY AND MORALITY THE OBJECTIVES TO achieve greater unity among Malaysians TO maintain a democratic way of life TO create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared TO ensure a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions TO build a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology RUKUN NEGARA: THE PRINCIPLES BELIEF IN GOD LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY THE SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION THE RULE OF LAW COURTESY AND MORALITY Tyres, the invisible air polluter PARTICULATE matter, also known as particle pollution, refers to both solid particles and droplets found in the air such as dust, dirt, and even soot. In the short-term, exposure to particulate matter results in eye, nose, and throat irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath. In the long term, it’s been linked to premature deaths in people with heart or lung disease, irregular heartbeat, and decreased lung function. In Malaysia, an estimated 32,000 people die as a result of ambient air pollution or outdoor air pollution every year. Malaysia’s daily air quality index (AQI) averaged 66 in 2021, with particulate matter concentrations 3.9 times the WHO recommendation. Contrastingly, on Jan 26, the state of Sabah has an AQI of 24 while Selangor’s is 104, being the most air-polluted state of Malaysia. With traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels as roads become flooded with vehicles, the air quality is about to get drastically poorer and it is from an object even more widespread than cars: tyres. As the number of vehicles officially outnumbers people in Malaysia at 33.3 million registered vehicles, the number of tyres is, at the very least, quadrupled that amount. Though there has been plenty of policy focus on carbon emissions from car exhausts, the everyday wear and tear of running tyres pose a severe threat to environmental and public health as well. New tyres produce around 73 milligrams of particles per kilometre of driving, which is 16 times more than the legal limit for exhaust at 4.5 (see Figure 1). At present, there’re no legal limits or regulations on particulate matter emissions by tyres in Malaysia. Furthermore, as the particulate matter produced by tyres are down to 23 nanometres in size (0.023 micrometres or microns), they’re not only invisible to the naked eye but also extremely difficult to measure and are not currently regulated even in the US or EU. Worryingly, synthetic rubber used to make tyres is derived from petroleum which contains hundreds of potentially carcinogenic chemicals. The key carcinogen found in petroleum-based products are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) detected in the atmosphere, precipitation (i.e, the formation of liquid or frozen water), urban surface dust, sediment and soil. Nanometres of 23 – the size of the particulate matter produced from the wear and tear of tyres on the road – can not only penetrate deep into the lungs and the bloodstream but also into our organs. This poses a significant threat to our health as we go about our everyday lives unknowingly breathing in nano-sized toxins into our bodies. These particulates don’t just remain in the air. As these particles get carried by the wind, they seep into our rivers, rain, agricultural soils, and eventually, the food we eat. This is the concept of “runoff pollution” where contaminants get picked up by rainwater and consequently pollute the water supply. This is a form of non-point source pollution, which is a combination of pollutants accumulated over a large area. This is unlike point-source pollution which comes from a single place such as a power plant or a factory, which is comparatively easier to identify and regulate. Researchers at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna did an investigation into whether particulate matter from tyre wear could get into the vegetables we eat. The results showed that not only did the vegetables absorb the chemicals, but it was also found that these particulate matter ended up remaining in aquatic systems for long periods of time. Now, the health consequences of tyre pollution are twofold. Besides the adverse health impacts of PAHs on humans via contaminated food and polluted air, there is another compound found in tyres that has been proven deadly to marine life. The commonly used tyre additive – 6PPD-quinone – had been found to be the reason behind mass salmon deaths in the US. The same compound was also discovered in Australia. Researchers in Australia have also found that concentrations of this compound in their rivers peak after periods of heavy storms and have been proven toxic to certain species of trout. We may be at risk of a similar situation with regard to our own fish stock and aquaculture if we are not careful in controlling tyre pollution. Recall that in fact, the 2019 Sungai Kim Kim river pollution in Johor was attributed to pyrolysis, i.e, the process of burning old tyres to make low-grade oil or fuel oil as a subset of marine oil that was identified by environmental officials to be the chemical waste found in the riverbed (waterborne), which was also released into the atmosphere (airborne) as a result of not being disposed of properly/correctly. The flammable methane and benzene fumes emitted from the marine oil contained a cocktail of other toxic gases such as acrolein, acrylonitrile, chloride, hydrogen, toluene, xylene, etc. While there are ample provisions under the Environmental Quality Act (1974) for prosecuting the offenders of the Sungai Kim Kim pollution and the concomitant areas’ air pollution, particulate emissions from tyres on the road have been neglected and overlooked. The Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations (2014) under the Environmental Quality Act (1974), for example, need to be updated to incorporate and enforce quality control for the particulate matter which emits from tyres. Perhaps what could be done is for a specific schedule under the 2014 Regulations to be enforced in the long term – during which a transitional period would kick in on a specified date to be determined. In the long term, electric vehicles (EVs) would be at the forefront of the agenda as a promising alternative in tandem with the development of green/clean tyres – ideally in lock-step. This is especially so as EV tyres wear 20% faster than petrol-fuelled vehicles – resulting in more tyre pollution being created. As such, the fundamental issue at hand is that of the tyre’s composition of synthetic rubber. Exporting RM883.2 million worth of tyre products in the first half of 2022, Malaysia is home to several tyre manufacturers and even its own brand of epoxidised natural rubber known as Ekoprena. Boasting a negative carbon footprint, Ekoprena rubber is sustainable, renewable and non-petroleum derived. However, tyres made of synthetic rubber (petroleum-derived) are still the norm and “green tyres” have yet to enjoy widespread commercialisation. More incentives are needed in this niche industry to propel the development and manufacturing of green tyres made from sustainable and eco-friendly materials. As the EV market has a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.7% (vs CAGR -2.9% of gasoline cars), Malaysia could very well position itself to be a leading manufacturer and supplier of green tyres for EVs. The US is one of Malaysia’s top tyre importers at RM403.3 million. In light of US President Joe Biden’s climate plan, this signals prospective demand for green tyres in the coming years. To “drive” the green tyre industry forward and curb the issue of particle pollution, the government should look into rolling out special grants for further research and development (R&D) into green tyres. And hopefully, the MalaysiaSingapore Green Economy Agreement will serve as a basis for future strategic collaboration in the joint development of green tyres, among others. Until then, available waste-removal technologies should be utilised in purifying our fishery waters from any toxins and chemicals that have made their way in via nonpoint sources. At the same time, with air quality in Malaysia subject to the vagaries of seasonal variations, the daily AQI figures should be readily accessible by the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry and the Department of Environment on their social media – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn. As the general population becomes increasingly aware of the “invisible” toxins they breathe in on a daily basis, high-efficiency particulate air purifiers may be further encouraged in homes, offices, and communal spaces. As we move towards carbon neutrality and net zero, the issue of tyre pollution could one day fade into the past. In the meantime, we should be looking into the micro-level and specific areas also – going beyond the macrodimension of low (and ultra-low) carbon emissions generated from exhaust pipes of vehicles alongside air pollutants from industrial activities, etc. Tyres on the road are one such definitive and critical micro-level area for our policy attention, which fits well into our position as a leading tyre manufacturer (and exporter). In conclusion, EMIR Research would like to propose the following policy recommendations: 0 Incentivising manufacturing and R&D of the green tyre industry in Malaysia To support the updating of the 2014 Regulations – to incorporate air pollution from tyres – to be enforced in the long term, a special policy or blueprint on promoting the manufacturing and R&D of green tyres should be formulated. Once the transitional period ends coinciding with the development of the green tyre industry on a stronger and more prominent footing (based on volume sales, size of the market, etc) alongside the promulgation of a policy to mandate the fitting of green tyres into the production of new cars and EVs, then the additional schedule or updating of a preexisting one would kick. 0Deploy clean technology (cleantech) as a critical part of the transition process During the transition period, serious consideration should be given by the government to also deploy cleantech to absorb air pollution from our transport system. For example, we could look towards implementing cantilevered canopies that are horizontally covered with pollutionabsorbing material (e.g, coated in a mineral polymer material capable of absorbing nitrogen dioxide) – functioning as both a barrier and absorber simultaneously. Overlaying them would be solar panels to boost our renewable energy sources and mix. Pioneering work has been done by students from Imperial College London whereby a device which uses electrostatics to collect particles as they are emitted from the tyres is fitted to the wheel itself. In conclusion, let’s get really serious about air pollution and this includes looking at the negative impact on public health from tyres on the road. JasonLoh and Jennifer Ley Ho Ying are part of the research team at EMIR Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research. Comments: [email protected] “As the general population becomes increasingly aware of the ‘invisible’ toxins they breathe in on a daily basis, highefficiency particulate air purifiers may be further encouraged in homes, offices, and communal spaces. Figure 1: Source: Emissions Analytics COMMENT by Jason Loh and Jennifer Ley Ho Ying
10 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 MEDIA & MARKETING programme, students will acquire a comprehensive range of analytical, problem-solving, professional skills and knowledge in finance, budgeting, human resource, health facilities management, organisational behaviour, quality of health care services, health information management and technology; and medical and health terminology for effective communication which is increasingly valued not just among health service providers (clinics and hospitals) but also in other areas of THE Asia School of Business (ASB) announced that they have entered into a partnership with global management consultancy McKinsey & Company (McKinsey) to promote venture-building in Malaysia through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This partnership was announced during the Malaysia Venture Building Forum, an inaugural event held today, to solidify the two parties’ commitment to this endeavour. The event gathered 50 CEOs, CXOs, and corporate venture builders from Malaysia. The theme of this forum focused on how business leaders and entrepreneurs could come together to promote the growth of Malaysia-based corporate ventures through ecosystem-building. The event featured a panel with senior leaders and experts from Malaysia’s venture-building space, including Azran Osman-Rani, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Naluri; Professor Joseph Cherian, Practice Professor of Finance at ASB; Pete Chareonwongsak, Chief Executive Officer of Teleport; Nimal Manuel, Senior Partner and Asia Leader of Leap by McKinsey; and Yiping Goh, Partner, at McKinsey & Company. Discussions focused on the common challenges faced in building a new venture in Malaysia, what it takes to succeed, and the advantages of established organizations promoting entrepreneurship. “ASB is delighted to embark on this meaningful partnership with McKinsey’s venture-building arm, Leap by McKinsey, and we hope that great synergy can be generated through this collaboration. The newly set-up ‘ASB Hive,’ an ecosystem hub established by ASB’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC), will be a conducive location to help promote entrepreneurship and business-building in Malaysia. Furthermore, this partnership will help open doors for our MBA students to partake in projects in the form of a Summer Associate Program, which is a part of ASB’s MBA curriculum,” said Jake Cohen, Interim President, CEO and Dean of ASB. “For Malaysia to be the next potential hotbed for future unicorns and decacorns, industry-university collaborations and partnerships are essential,” said Nimal Manuel. “We are excited to contribute toward building and scaling new businesses and help develop the talent capabilities needed to accelerate sustainable, inclusive growth in Malaysia.” HE A L T H C A R E management is an essential field of the healthcare industry that involves planning, coordinating, and supervising the delivery of healthcare services. It could ensure healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and other medical practices are operating effectively and efficiently. Healthcare managers are responsible for the overall administration of healthcare organisations, and in the meantime work closely with healthcare providers, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to ensure that patients high-quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare services. In view of there is need for qualified professionals who can adapt to the constantly evolving healthcare industry, especially during the outbreak like Covid-19, UTAR has been offering a healthcare management programme under its Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF), to address this need by preparing students for careers in healthcare management and administration. Assoc Prof Dr Au Yong Hui Nee, the Dean of FBF said: “Apart from the Covid-19 pandemic, another issue that calls for the improvement of our healthcare system is the ageing population. Malaysia will become a country that is occupied by a highageing population in the coming decade, and the healthcare industry is one of the important parts of this change as it would enable the improvement of the quality lifestyle of citizens. Before Covid-19, Malaysia was one of the go-to countries for medical tourism. It was recorded that ASB signs MOU with McKinsey oUtar’s programme produce skilled professionals for the Healthcare Management sector more than 1.5 million visitors around the world seek medical consultancy and treatment every year in Malaysia. Even after we recover from the pandemic, I’ll still believe in Malaysia’s potential to retain its status as one of the competitive countries in offering medical tourism. I hope with this programme, we can produce more quality and competitive healthcare talents for the industry, so more improvements can be achieved.” Upon completion of the health support organisations, managed care organisations, consulting firms, public health departments in an organisation and learning organisations. It provides a wide range of choices for employers and employees. When asked about the programme’s uniqueness compared to other institutions offering a similar programme, Deputy Dean for R&D and Postgraduate Programmes Dr Choong Yuen Onn said: “Several special courses such as disease prevention, health, safety and risk management, emergency control and response management are also offered in this programme, which is difficult to find in other programmes. Our programme is registered under the business management category instead of the science and medical category, unlike most of the other higher education institutions that registered a similar programme under the science and medical category. This way, our programme is able to attract a wider range of groups, including students who studied in the art stream, such as Foundation in Arts, STPM, and even UEC. Students enrolled in this programme will not only explore healthcare-related knowledge but will also learn the latest technology or digital courses such as e-commerce, IoT, digital marketing and digital entrepreneurship. They will also be learning about business and management, including strategic management, human resource management, organisational development as well as economic, finance and accounting-related courses.” UTAR is a university offering courses in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in areas including Accountancy, Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Arts, Chinese 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, Agriculture and Food Science, and engages in the provision and conduct of research, consultation, management and leadership training and other related educational services at its campuses at Bandar Sungai Long and Kampar in Malaysia. For as low as RM309, you would be able to enrol on UTAR foundation or undergraduate studies, you will also enjoy 100% application fee waiver. Check out UTAR Open Day information on study.utar.edu.my/openday.php for more information. For more information, you may call or WhatsApp 016-2233 557. Career in healthcare management Healthcare Management refers to the management and administrative matters in healthcare facilities.
KLCI 1,458.67 5.99 STI 3,245.27 4.96 HANG SENG 20,534.48 71.38 SCI 3,285.10 0.73 NIKKEI 28,309.16 36.93 TSEC 15,857.89 94.38 KOSPI 2,463.35 S&P/ASX200 7,364.70 36.10 WEDNESDAY MARCH 8, 2023 Editorial Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: [email protected] Advertising Tel: 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: [email protected] 5 MOST ACTIVES March 7, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (sen) +/– (sen) HSI-CLN 96,754,800 32.5 -2.5 MINDA 81,740,000 12.5 -0.5 HSI-HKO 66,348,400 18.5 -1.0 HSI-HKU 65,427,400 17.5 +0.5 HONGSENG 64,871,700 14.5 +0.5 EXCHANGERATES MARCH 7, 2023 Foreign currency Bank sell Bank buy Bank buy TT/OD TT OD 1 US DOLLAR 4.5450 4.4090 4.3990 1 AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR 3.0760 2.9530 2.9370 1 BRUNEI DOLLAR 3.3780 3.2780 3.2700 1 CANADIAN DOLLAR 3.3350 3.2450 3.2330 1 EURO 4.8620 4.7020 4.6820 1 NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR 2.8270 2.7220 2.7060 1 SINGAPORE DOLLAR 3.3780 3.2780 3.2700 1 STERLING POUND 5.4720 5.2960 5.2760 1 SWISS FRANC 4.8670 4.7540 4.7390 100 UAE DIRHAM 125.2000 118.6700 118.4700 100 BANGLADESH TAKA 4.4050 4.1310 3.9310 100 CHINESE RENMINBI 65.5000 63.0000 N/A 100 HONGKONG DOLLAR 58.5200 55.5900 55.3900 100 INDIAN RUPEE 5.6500 5.3000 5.1000 100 INDONESIAN RUPIAH 0.0307 0.0278 0.0228 100 JAPANESE YEN 3.3470 3.2390 3.2290 100 NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR 15.9000 N/A N/A 100 PAKISTAN RUPEE 1.6800 1.5700 1.3700 100 PHILIPPINE PESO N/A N/A N/A 100 QATAR RIYAL 125.9600 119.5800 119.3800 100 SAUDI RIYAL 122.4300 116.2300 116.0300 100 THAI BAHT 13.7700 12.2000 11.8000 Source: Malayan Banking Berhad/Bernama KL MARKET SUMMARY March 7, 2023 INDICES CHANGE FBMEMAS 10,631.30 +32.39 FBMKLCI 1,458.67 +5.99 CONSUMER PRODUCTS 584.85 +1.26 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 177.81 -0.34 CONSTRUCTION 163.58 +1.77 FINANCIAL SERVICES 16,116.20 +10.32 ENERGY 895.32 +5.37 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 598.51 +2.40 HEALTH CARE 1,617.56 -4.51 TRANSPORTATION 936.21 +1.49 PROPERTY 692.27 +3.65 PLANTATION 7,010.00 +130.80 FBMSHA 10,899.40 +46.01 FBMACE 5,486.49 +9.21 TECHNOLOGY 64.00 -0.12 TURNOVER VALUE 2.988 BIL RM1.897 BIL 5 TOP GAINERS March 7, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM AJI 483,300 14.52 +0.56 KLK 540,700 21.62 +0.46 PERTAMA 10,116,700 2.20 +0.33 AYER 11,500 7.10 +0.31 BKAWAN 13,400 21.76 +0.22 5 TOP LOSERS March 7, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM DLADY 13,300 28.38 -0.48 HENGYUANC46 100,000 0.095 -0.245 CFM 13,024,900 2.12 -0.21 RAPID 10,100 17.30 -0.18 HLFG 504,300 18.18 -0.16 Cape EMS Q4 profit before tax increases 24% SENAI: Cape EMS Bhd (formerly known as Cape EMS Manufacturing (M) Bhd) which is principally an investment holding company involved in the provision of electronics manufacturing services (EMS), reported a 24.1% increase in profit before tax from RM8 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec 31 (Q4 FYE) 2021 to RM9.9 million in Q4 FYE 2022. This was on the back of a 17.3% increase in revenue from RM100.7 million in Q4 FYE 2021 to RM118.2 million in Q4 FYE 2022. The Q4 FYE 2022 PBT margin improved to 8.4% from 7.9% in Q4 FYE 2021. The improved financial performance was driven by higher sales from the wireless communication equipment and electronic cigarettes, as well as favourable product mix arising from higher sales of higher margin products. For the financial year ended Dec 31 (FYE) 2022, the company reported a 61.1% surge, year on year, in profit before tax from RM25.4 million in FYE 2021 to RM40.8 million in FYE 2022. This was on the back of a 27.2% revenue growth from RM344.3 million in FYE 2021 to RM438 million in FYE 2022. PBT margin increased to 9.3% in FYE 2022 from 7.4% in FYE 2021. M’sia takes deforestation issues seriously: DPM KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia takes the issues of deforestation and forest degradation caused by the expansion of agricultural land seriously and is working to counter negative narratives, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Fadillah, who is also the Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, said that the palm oil industry has faced its fair share of sceptics and debates. “The negative campaigns and unfair narratives, which we view as nothing less than an attempt to create another trade barrier for palm oil, have led us to join forces with other palm oil producing oCountry taking measures to counter negative narratives on forest degradation, palm oil industry █ BY HAYATUN RAZAK [email protected] 68.71 countries to ensure that our palm oil is not grossly misrepresented,” he said during his keynote address at the 34th Annual Palm and Lauric Oils Price Outlook Conference & Exhibition 2023 (POC23). In November 2021, the European Union introduced the European Deforestationfree Regulation (EUDR) as part of the EU Green Deal, which aims to limit deforestation caused by the consumption of agricultural commodities and products from around the world. “The regulation lists palm oil as one of the commodities that drive deforestation and forest degradation through the expansion of agricultural land. As a result, the implementation of EUDR is expected to significantly impact the use of palm oil in the EU and create a negative image of Malaysian palm oil, which will lead to a reduction in exports to the EU and possibly globally,” said Fadillah. He added the Malaysian palm oil industry must continue its ongoing efforts to ensure that palm oil production does not negatively impact environmental well-being. “It is important for palm oil producing nations to highlight the measures we have taken in order to achieve that goal. At the same time, it is pertinent for the Malaysian palm oil industry to continue to support the production of sustainable palm oil, particularly the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) in line with world demand,” he said. He stressed that Malaysian palm oil meets the stringent requirements of consumer markets and is risk-free for its buyers. Through MSPO, sustainability issues such as biodiversity loss, land conflict, deforestation, and forced labour are addressed. “I would like to stress that food safety concerns must also be given the utmost priority, and I commend all the efforts taken by the industry to ensure that health and safety are not compromised,” he said. The government, Fadillah said, has been aggressively promoting the certification of palm oil to industry players since the initiation of the MSPO certification standard. As of Jan 31, more than 97% of oil palm planted areas and more than 98% of palm oil mills in Malaysia are MSPO certified. “This industry has contributed significantly to our gross domestic product, foreign exchange earnings including generating employment opportunities and in uplifting the standard of living in Malaysia. This industry continues to be the main driver of the agricommodity sector in Malaysia,” he added. Global Vision Logistics sets up RM1.5b Asean SRI sukuk KUALA LUMPUR: Global Vision Logistics (GVL) has established its maiden RM1.5 billion Asean Green Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) sukuk programme which will fund the development of the Shah Alam International Logistics Hub (SAILH) by GVL – the first green-certified logistics hub in Malaysia and one of Asean’s largest. UOB Malaysia is the principal adviser, lead arranger, and joint lead manager for the sukuk programme, while AmInvestment Bank is the joint lead manager. The sukuk programme was established under the syariah principle of Murabahah (via a Tawarruq arrangement), and based on the Securities Commission Malaysia’s SRI Sukuk Framework and the Asean Capital Markets Forum’s Asean Green Bond Standards. The first tranche comprising RM620 million unrated Islamic Medium-Term Notes will be issued in the second quarter of this year. UOB Malaysia CEO Ng Wei Wei said, “We are pleased to be supporting the development of Shah Alam International Logistics Hub which is aligned with our net zero commitments, while contributing to the country’s logistic industry growth. With Ng (left) and Oh during the signing ceremony this week. intra Asean and China-Asean trade collectively valued at about US$1.3 trillion (UOB internal data, Oct 25, 2022), the development of the logistics sector is critical to facilitate trade and ensure Malaysia’s competitiveness in the global supply chain.” GVL chairman Oh Kim Sun said, “The establishment of the Asean Green SRI sukuk programme marks a significant milestone for GVL. With the support from UOB Malaysia and AmInvestment Bank, the sukuk programme will finance the construction of SAILH. Once SAILH is completed, it will be one of the region’s largest logistic hub that enhances the supply chain for trade and commerce, and will then improve the competitiveness of Malaysia’s logistics sector.” SAILH located on 71 acres of Shah Alam’s prime industrial estate is targeted to be completed in a few phases by 2028. Once completed, SAILH will be one of the largest green-certified logistics hub in the region. Participation 45.7 28.8 25.5 100.0 Institutions Retail Foreign Bought RM m 909.0 545.2 443.8 1898.0 Sold RM m 825.6 549.6 522.8 1898.0 Net RM m 83.4 -4.4 -79.0 0 % Preliminary stats (excluding trade amendments). For final data, please refer to www.bursamalaysia.com Source: Bursa Malaysia A Participating Organisation of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad A Trading Participant of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad S E C U R I T I E S S D N. B H D. 197201001092 (12738-U) 7/03/2023
12 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 SUNBIZ /thesuntelegram FOLLOW ON TELEGRAM SCAN ME Alibaba committed to helping Malaysian MSME PETALING JAYA: Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s wholesale arm Alibaba.com, has reiterated its commitment to helping Malaysia’s micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (MSME) in the global digital economy. In today’s fast-paced digital world, it is no longer a question of whether a company should embrace online channels to grow its business, but rather how and to what extent. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards ecommerce and digital solutions, and companies that fail to adapt risk being left behind. Nianci Phang, a Malaysian-born woman leading Alibaba.com’s marketing and business development in Asia Pacific is truly passionate about e-commerce and technology. Her skills, acquired over a decade working in the e-commerce and technology industry, are utilised to help Malaysian MSME identify opportunities to expand their global reach, particularly in the realm of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce. “I find high personal significance in doing what I do because when I help the MSME export better and faster via the e-commerce platform, I’m directly contributing to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). However, when we consider the entire MSME contribution towards exports, it still accounts for quite a small portion,” she said in an interview Nianci Phang is a Malaysian-born woman leading Alibaba.com’s marketing and business development in Asia Pacific. oCovid-19 pandemic has accelerated a shift towards e-commerce and digital solutions, and companies that fail to adapt risk being left behind █ BY HAYATUN RAZAK [email protected] with SunBiz in conjunction with International Women’s Day that has a global theme #DigitALL. She understands that there are challenges for these MSME when it comes to leveraging B2B e-commerce. “Unfortunately, many of these companies are intimidated by ecommerce, especially in the B2B realm. While we as daily consumers are comfortable using digital technology to make purchases for ourselves, it’s a different story when it comes to the supply chain. “Many MSME struggle to leverage B2B e-commerce and don’t know where to start. This is particularly true for smaller-scale businesses, where the challenges of going global can seem insurmountable. It’s clear that these companies need guidance and support to develop effective strategies for expanding their reach and thrive in the digital marketplace,” she said. Traditionally, global trade has been dominated by big players with lots of resources. However, the internet and e-commerce have lowered the barriers to entry for small and medium-sized firms. Nianci stressed that it’s essential for every company, regardless of size, to plan for the future in terms of how their online channels will shape. “Our platform empowers small and medium-sized businesses by connecting them with global buyers through efficient online channels, reducing reliance on traditional methods like trade shows and factory visits. Though we recognise the importance of larger enterprises, we prioritise supporting small businesses. “The beauty of e-commerce is that you typically don’t need a large team to support your online business. What you need is to upskill and retrain your existing team with e-commerce operations skills, which could be different from the skill sets they have, especially if they have a more traditional approach to business. “That’s why we’ve partnered with MDEC and Matrade to provide assistance and support,” she said. Alibaba.com has teamed up with Matrade and MDEC for the Pandemic Recovery Support Programme to help the country’s small and mediumsized enterprises (SME) build up their cross-border e-commerce capabilities. They have also launched an online Halal Pavilion to help Malaysian SME strengthen their foothold in the international halal market as halal product buyers are increasingly turning to ecommerce. MYAirline appoints Zurich Malaysia as official travel insurance provider SUBANG JAYA: MYAirline has appointed Zurich Malaysia as its exclusive travel insurance provider to ease the process of obtaining travel protection for its passengers which covers all existing and future routes from the former. Its passengers can obtain MYAirline Travel Insurance (initially introduced as MY Travel Shield in February) to safeguard their journey against inconveniences and mishaps. The opt-in for this protection is seamless as it has been embedded as part of the flight ticket purchase journey for a hassle-free, simple and straightforward process. It is a customised travel insurance that covers delayed flights or cancelled trips, including lost, damaged or delayed luggage as well as emergency medical treatment during travel and Covid-19 benefits. MYAirline’s current route network comprises of eight domestic destinations, undertaking 30 flights per day. The airline flew about 5,000 daily passengers in the second month of operations in January this year. MYAirline CEO Rayner Teo said the company has outlined a roadmap that stretches out to three years, in terms of all programmes that it wants to put into place and will announce further details in the future. “Insurance is the first piece and immediately after launching insurance, we have also launched our loyalty programme, which is important in this day and age. There will be more to come, we will be able to share more details as we go along,” he said during the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at MyAirline headquarters yesterday. Meanwhile, Zurich Malaysia country head Junior Cho said that the MoU signing is another milestone for its company in its effort to create brighter future together with and for Malaysians. “We are firm believers of embracing collaboration to widen our touchpoints and provide solutions that meet the needs of Malaysians and offer peace of mind. This is an opportunity for us to put into action our care for what matters, with a like-minded company,” said Cho. Teo (left) and Cho during the MoU signing ceremony yesterday. - AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN █ BYGLORIA HARRY BEATTY [email protected] BNM’s international reserves at US$114.3b as at Feb 28 KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) international reserves amounted to US$114.3 billion (RM511 billion) as at Feb 28. The reserves position is sufficient to finance five months of imports of goods and services and is 1.0 time of the total short-term external debt. In a statement yesterday, the central bank said the main components of the international reserves were foreign currency reserves (US$102.2 billion), International Monetary Fund reserves position (US$1.4 billion), Special Drawing Rights (SDR) (US$5.7 billion), gold (US$2.3 billion) and other reserve assets (US$2.7 billion). Meanwhile, total assets stood at RM614.91 billion, comprising gold and foreign exchange and other reserves, including SDR (RM501.63 billion), Malaysian government papers (RM12.82 billion), deposits with financial institutions (RM1.06 billion), loans and advances (RM23.71 billion), land and buildings (RM4.14 billion) and other assets (RM71.56 billion). BNM added that capital and liabilities comprised paid-up capital (RM100 million), reserves (RM155.52 billion), currency in circulation (RM159.54 billion), deposits by financial institutions (RM213.18 billion), federal government deposits (RM10.02 billion), other deposits (RM37.45 billion), Bank Negara papers (RM6.7 billion), allocation of SDR (RM28.21 billion) and other liabilities (RM4.17 billion). – Bernama MyStartr secures RM4.7m funding to enter secondary market, spur business growth KUALA LUMPUR: Equity crowdfunding (ECF) platform MyStartr is starting the year strong by raising RM 4.7 million through a Fundnel campaign led by 431 investors. The funding will support MyStartr’s entry into the secondary market this year and strengthen business growth, towards providing better access for issuers as Malaysia’s leading ECF platform. Over its 10 years in the market, MyStartr has committed its fundraising expertise to help struggling entrepreneurs in realising their goals and expanding their businesses. This has helped its small and medium-sized enterprises issuers overcome hurdles to securing financing such as insufficient credit scores and inconsistent cash flow. MyStartr founder and CEO Goh Boon Peng said, “MyStartr’s vision for the next five years is to assist 3,000 businesses through crowdfunding, with a total funding goal of RM4 billion. Expanding into the secondary market is a natural step forward towards realising that goal. We are incredibly grateful for the trust and confidence that our investors have placed in us, and we look forward to channeling these funds into helping local startups reach their fullest potential alongside our own.” MyStartr has also received an additional RM931,250 from the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund, a government initiative to support their business growth plans for 2023. One of MyStartr key initiatives for this year is its strategic partnership with Gamuda’s GMBB to build Malaysia’s first-ever entrepreneurial hub which will serve as a dedicated space for budding entrepreneurs to meet and host events. The hub aims to organise at least 100 entrepreneurialthemed events within a year of its official launching. In line with their trajectory for 2023, the company is also collaborating with Astro to produce a crowdfunding reality TV show called The Sandbox that will be aired on Astro AEC. The TV programme will explore the dynamic landscape of investment and the business potential of local entrepreneurs. The Sandbox will provide hopeful entrepreneurs with a chance to be coached by established industry mentors, sell their ideas to a panel of investors, and expand their businesses to ultimately grow the Malaysian economy. The participants will also be exposed to industry know-how including business model strategy, communication skills, as well as firm valuation. As part of its five-year plan, MyStartr is also preparing to achieve IPO status by 2027. The brand is set to support more entrepreneurs and start-ups in achieving unicorn status and eventually gaining access to the stock market. MyStartr aims to assist startups, especially the young entrepreneurs who have developed creative and innovative products and services, to grow further. In 2019, licensed by the Securities Commission, MyStartr was recognised as an ECF platform. Since then, it has handled numerous ECF projects, from small to medium sized companies, with a variety of backgrounds such as platforms, technology and food. So far, they have helped companies raise more than RM64 million.
13 * SUNBIZ @thesundaily theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM SCAN ME HLIB in client-centric digitalisation push PETALING JAYA: Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd (HLIB) is moving towards digitalisation to focus more into client-centric capabilities, which it hopes to accomplish in the first half of the year, group managing director and CEO Lee Jim Leng (pic) said. “We are embarking on a fullfledged digitalisation of our business and strategies as well as our cost optimisation models. On our frontline side, we are trying very hard to make use of digital data. “Today, data mining is becoming more and more important. We can build more client-centric models oWomen’s mindset has changed from voicing their rights to empowerment in the workforce, says Hong Leong Investment Bank group MD and CEO on International Women’s Day █ BYGLORIA HARRY BEATTY [email protected] using artificial intelligence, robotics, like building a digital data warehouse to strengthen our abilities to drive client-centric products and services,” she told SunBiz. “We are already into March and we look into the external headwinds, The US is looking at the probability of a recession. From our perspective, what is going to happen, there will be a contagion effect into the world and I don’t think Malaysia can say we are insulated,” said Lee, who is “cautious” on the outlook for this year. However, she pointed out that most of the businesses are “happy” due to China’s timely reopening that is beneficial to the country, which translates into more spending and potential of investments from the latter which could cushion the effects coming from the US. In terms of environmental, social, and governance (ESG), she observed that investors are slowly moving towards ESG-related trading, although she pointed out that it would not happen overnight. “A lot of times, we have to guide our clients as to how we can help them move into the same direction as well as a responsible capital facilitator.” On International Women’s Day (today), Lee said the mindset of women has changed compared with the prior years when women were fighting for their rights. “Today, we talk more about empowering more women into the workforce, raising women’s awareness, in terms of the choices they can make in their lives, financial inclusion, and to progress women as far as they should champion,” she added. Lee said that it is important today to use this agenda to raise awareness that there are a lot of mechanisms available for women to progress, to empower more strong women. She opined that most women tend to be more family-oriented and feel guilt in regard to having time to care for their parents and children, which is the main hindering factor. “Today, we have a lot of options that we don’t have to compromise that as well. From that standpoint, I think there will be a lot more women getting themselves into the workforce. Today, banking is no longer a masculine job. In Malaysia, there is a big proportion of women in banking,” she remarked. Lee shared that HLIB’s workforce comprises 53.9% women. More than 20% are in managerial positions, the same proportion as men. Her advice for those who want to enter banking is to learn and understand “what banking is all about first”, before entering the industry because it will take a lot of perseverance to excel. “The hunger, the passion and the love for the job is the most critical. You must love what you do as a basic core and the personality must match the job. Mapping is the most important part of the job,” she added. Pavilion REIT seeks unitholders’ nod to acquire PBJ Mall KUALA LUMPUR: Pavilion Real Estate Investment Trust (Pavilion REIT) is seeking approval from its non-interested unitholders for the acquisition of Pavilion Bukit Jalil (PBJ Mall) at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to be held on March 22. The proposed acquisition of PBJ Mall aligns with Pavilion REIT’s strategy to expand its portfolio of prime retail assets in Malaysia to six, from its current portfolio that consists of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Mall, Elite Pavilion Mall, Intermark Mall, DA MEN Mall and Pavilion Tower, the company said in a statement yesterday. To recap, MTrustee Bhd, the trustee of Pavilion REIT, on Nov 22, 2022, signed a conditional sale and purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire PBJ Mall with all related assets and rights from Regal Path Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malton Bhd, for RM2,200 million. Concurrently, unitholders’ endorsement is also sought to raise RM1,270 million in two private placement exercises, spread between the first tranche of RM720 million and the second tranche of RM550 million, with the issue price to be determined later by way of a book-building exercise. Upon achievement of the conditions precedent (CP) in the SPA, Pavilion REIT will have 60 days to go to the market and raise RM1,650 million to fund the initial payment to Regal Path. This will be in the form of RM1,000 million in borrowings, with the balance of RM650 million from the proceeds of placement under the first tranche. Under the first tranche of the RM720 million book-building exercise, Pavilion REIT will utilise the proceeds for the repayment of Regal Path’s bank borrowings/hire purchase with the balance to Regal Path. RM70 million will be raised to defray Pavilion REIT’s transaction expenses, which includes estimated expenses of RM38 million for the placement exercise. Upon this payment, the entire PBJ Mall’s revenue and profit will be recognised under Pavilion REIT, with the remaining balance consideration of RM550 million owing to Regal Path to be paid in stages with no interest chargeable. For the second tranche of RM550 million, Pavilion REIT will pay Regal Path RM50 million on completion of rectification of defects within the rectification period. This will mitigate spending on any major repair and maintenance; and RM100 million upon receipt of strata title documents, estimated to take place by December 2023. The final sum of RM400 million to Regal Path is then conditional on PBJ Mall achieving Net Property Income (NPI) of RM146 million. This effectively translates into a yield of 6.6% on a full purchase price of RM2,200 million for Pavilion REIT. If the targeted NPI is not met, Pavilion REIT could enjoy significant savings from a revised valuation. For example, should the revised valuation of PBJ Mall be higher than the purchase price i.e. RM2,200 million, Pavilion REIT would not be required to pay more than RM400 million. Alternatively, should the valuation drop below the purchase price, then Pavilion REIT would only need to pay up to the agreed valuation amount, subject to a maximum deduction of RM400 million. Pavilion REIT Management CEO Datuk Philip Ho said this acquisition is accretive to the REIT’s distributable income and would have a favourable impact to its total portfolio and future expansion. He added the acquisition of PBJ Mall is expected to contribute positively to Pavilion REIT’s future growth, enlarging its portfolio base to RM8.3 billion from RM6 billion. In addition, post-private placement of both tranches, unitholders will see a decrease in the major unitholders’ unitholdings and better public spread. Standard Chartered expects BNM to maintain OPR KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is expected to keep the overnight policy rate (OPR) unchanged at 2.75% at its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting tomorrow, said Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Ltd. In a global research note yesterday, the bank said that with subsidies still in place, January inflation moderating slightly, and with only one month of data since the January pause, BNM is likely to maintain its wait-and-see stance to assess the impact of cumulative past OPR adjustments. However, it noted that while BNM paused the rate hike in January, the tone of the accompanying monetary policy statement was not dovish, and the central bank had a positive assessment of the domestic economy and left the window open to further hikes. “We will watch for how BNM’s assessment of the domestic growth and inflation outlook has evolved over the past month,” it said. Hence, Standard Chartered maintained its call for BNM to hike the OPR pre-emptively by 25 basis points (bps) to 3% in May, ahead of a potential fuel subsidy rationalisation in the second half of 2023, which may exclude the top 20% (T20) income group from fuel subsidy. “At the Ministry of Finance’s US$80 per barrel oil price assumption, we estimate that removal of the fuel subsidy for the T20 income group will add a 0.5 percentage point to inflation annually,” it added. – Bernama Sime Darby arm expands Ford dealership network in Sabah KOTA KINABALU: Sime Darby Auto ConneXion (SDAC), the exclusive distributor for Ford in Malaysia, yesterday announced its latest dealership, Ford Kota Kinabalu (Penampang), Rightpower Corporation Sdn Bhd. Located in the heart of Penampang, the latest dealership marks the second Ford 3S Centre in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and its eighth facility in East Malaysia. It aims to serve one of Kota Kinabalu’s key town centres, complementing the existing dealership in Inanam. With an investment of RM1 million into renovations, the new Ford 3S Centre will cater to customers’ endto-end needs, offering sales to aftersales services. The 3S Centre spans 12,000 sq ft, comprising a showroom of 4,300 sq ft and a service centre area of 4,500 sq ft. It includes four service bays with a team of 16 members comprising highly trained Ford Certified Technicians and service personnel. Sime Darby Auto ConneXionFord maanging director Turse Zuhair said, “Sabah is a very exciting market with a high demand for our NextGeneration Ford Ranger. As we continue to expand our customer base in Kota Kinabalu, we are pleased to introduce Rightpower Corporation as our second dealership, targeted at expanding to customers in the Penampang district. SDAC’s latest dealership is its second Ford 3S Centre in Kota Kinabalu.
14 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 SUNBIZ /thesundaily FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK SCAN ME China trade slumps in first two months of 2023 oExports shrink 6.8% on-year, imports slide 10.2% on worsening global demand BEIJING: China’s exports and imports fell during the first two months of 2023, according to official data yesterday, hit by sluggish overseas demand, a massive Covid wave and market concerns over rising US tensions. The country’s exports in January and February tumbled 6.8% on-year, though that was an improvement on the 9.9% drop in December, customs records showed. Imports fell 10.2% during the same period – worse than the 7.5% drop recorded in December. A 26.5% plunge in China’s imports of semiconductors indicated a shrunken market for the consumer Beijing to set up new financial regulator in overhaul Australian central bank lifts rates to 11-year high SYDNEY: Australia’s central bank yesterday increased interest rates to a 11-year high, putting mortgage holders under mounting pressure as it tries to curb inflation. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lifted borrowing costs by 25 basis points to 3.6%, marking the 10th successive increase. The bank has been criticised for raising interest rates – and pushing up mortgage repayments - as people face spiralling food and electricity prices. “Global inflation remains very high. It will be some time before inflation is back to target rates,” bank governor Philip Lowe said in a statement. Lowe said he expected further rate increases would be needed to return inflation to the bank’s 2-3% target range, and he vowed to “do what is necessary” to get there. Household inflation in Australia is above 7%, according to the latest government figures. The widely anticipated rate increase comes as central banks around the world continue to tighten monetary policy in the face of runaway food and energy prices, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Australia, like most countries fighting inflation, faces a delicate balancing act to bring prices down without stifling economic growth and sparking a recession. Jim Chalmers, the Australian government’s most senior economic minister, said the rate rise “would make life harder for many Australians who are already under the pump”. “This was expected, it was flagged, the markets anticipated it, but it will still sting,” he said. A major risk is whether Australian homeowners can afford to pay the higher interest rates tacked on to their mortgages. Market research firm Roy Morgan last year estimated that one in five Australian households were under “mortgage stress” and struggling to meet repayments. – AFP B R I E F SSRI LANKA PRESIDENT SAYS CHINA AGREES TO RESTRUCTURE LOANS COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s President said yesterday that China, its largest bilateral creditor, had agreed to restructure its loans to the bankrupt island nation, clearing the final obstacle to a long-awaited International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. President Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament Beijing had now agreed to a restructure and that he expected the first tranche from the IMF’s promised US$2.9 billion (RM13 billion) in funds to be released within the month. Sri Lanka has just over US$14 billion of debt owed to foreign governments, of which China holds 52%. – AFP JAPAN’S REAL WAGES IN JANUARY TUMBLE TOKYO: Japan’s real wages fell the most in nearly nine years in January, official data showed, as fourdecade-high inflation squeezed the purchasing power of consumers. Inflation-adjusted real wages, a barometer of households’ purchasing power, fell by 4.1% in January from a year earlier, the largest decrease since May 2014, labour ministry data showed yesterday. Total cash earnings, or nominal wages, posted a 0.8% year-on-year gain in January. The feeble nominal growth in wages in January was well short of the 5.1% consumer inflation rate used to calculate pay in real terms. – Reuters TAIWAN EXPORTS FALL TO 24-MONTH LOW TAIPEI: Taiwan’s exports in February fell annually for a sixth straight month to their lowest level in two years due to a deteriorating global economy, with the outlook remaining dim for at least the first half of the year. Exports last month were down 17.1% by value from a year earlier at US$31.05 billion (RM138.8 billion), the lowest level in nearly 24 months, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. February imports fell 9.4% to US$28.7 billion, also a nearly 24-month low. – Reuters View of a real estate agent’s window in Melbourne yesterday. A major risk is whether Australian homeowners can afford to pay the higher interest rates tacked on to their mortgages. – AFPPIC electronics exports that such parts are used to make. “The data came as a result of worsening global demand for goods, given the fact that the export decline happened not only in China, but also among other major Asian exporters, such as South Korea and Vietnam,” said Xu Tianchen, economist and the Economist Intelligence Unit, referring to other recent data. The latest figures come as the threat of recession looms over the US and European economies, where galloping inflation is contributing to a sag in demand for Chinese products. Turbulence in China-US relations continued to weigh on trade between the world’s two leading economies, with Chinese exports to the United States down 21.8% in January-February. US imports to China, meanwhile, fell 5%. The country’s customs department typically releases combined trade data for the first two years of the month owing to the lengthy annual Lunar New Year holiday. – AFP, Reuters BEIJING: China will set up a national financial regulatory administration, according to a plan announced yesterday, in the biggest overhaul of the country’s financial supervisory apparatus in years. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), the country’s banking and insurance watchdog, will be abolished, with its role falling under the new administration, according to a plan submitted to the national legislature for deliberation. China’s financial sector is currently overseen by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the CBIRC, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), with the cabinet’s Financial Stability and Development Committee having overall purview. The proposed administration, directly under the State Council, or cabinet, will be in charge of regulating the financial industry except the securities sector, while certain functions of the PBOC and CSRC will be transferred to the new administration. The new administration will “strengthen institutional supervision, supervision of behaviours and supervision of functions,” according to the plan, with all kinds of financial activities to be supervised according to the law. Supervision will be “penetrating” and “continuous”, the proposed plan said. Last week, President Xi Jinping renewed his call for ambitious reforms of party and state institutions, after clinching a precedent-breaking third leadership term during a major party congress in October where he sealed his place as China’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. The overall reform plan will be “targeted, intensive and wideranging, touching on deep-rooted interests”, Xi told the party’s Central Committee. China’s legislature, currently gathering for their annual meeting in Beijing, will vote on the institutional reform plan on Friday. – Reuters Adani prepays share-backed financing worth over US$900m BENGALURU: Embattled Indian conglomerate Adani Group said it prepaid share-backed financing of 73.74 billion rupees (about US$901 million or RM4 billion), as it looks to allay fears over leverage and debt since a US short-seller’s critical report sparked a stock rout. Hindenburg Research had in its Jan 24 report alleged stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens by Adani, and flagged “substantial” debt levels, which the group has denied. The billionaire Gautam Adani-led group recently held roadshows in Hong Kong and Singapore, and is expected to hold another set of fixed income meetings in Dubai, London and the US, starting yesterday, according to a document seen by Reuters. Promoters of the group’s flagship firm, Adani Enterprises, will release 31 million shares, or a 4% stake, while Adani Ports’ promoters will release 155 million shares, or an 11.8% stake, the group said in a statement yesterday. Promoters of Adani Green Energy and Adani Transmission will release 1.2% and 4.5% stakes in the respective companies. With yesterday’s repayment, the group has so far repaid around US$2.02 billion of share-backed financing, it said. – Reuters
8 M A R C H 2 0 2 3 W E D N E S D A Y admits. The singer also weighed on the industry-wide topic about making music with the intention of going viral. Vedo explains that there is no true formula on how to make a song that one knows will absolutely go viral, so singers should focus on just making great songs that will “make people feel good, loved and evoke emotions”. “If a song does go viral and it’s not a good song, it’s probably not going to last. So, you have your viral moment for this song, and when people catch wind of the full song and they absolutely don’t like it. “My take would be don’t go into the studio wanting to make a TikTok hit. You need to make a hit, period, one that will change your life, that’s going to buy a diamond, and buy your mum and dad a house or something.” Navigating human complexities REFERRED to by Usher as “one of the greatest voices of this generation”, R&B hitmaker Vedo dropped his sixth studio album Mood Swings this January. The album’s 13 tracks is a reflection of a man on the nuances of love, relationships and having fun, Vedo told theSun in an exclusive interview. “I wanted to (present) a body of work that tapped into every different emotion of a person, because not everything is about party, or love. There are sad times, times that you’re insecure, unsure, depressed, or times that you feel unappreciated or taken advantage of,” he said. Each of the songs on Mood Swings captures one emotion and offsets it with an opposing emotion, such as how the song Forever has Vedo singing about permanence and settling down, but then in the more adult D.A.F., its about being a player. Vedo explained that the decision to include songs on a broad spectrum of emotion was also a challenge to himself into doing an actual album that “isn’t 100% sexoriented”. For a song like Celebrate that is dedicated to his fiancee, Vedo says that it also for listeners to celebrate their significant other. He also says his daughter played a big role as the inspiration for several tracks on the new record. Moods Swings is also the culmination of others that assisted in the album, as this was the first time Vedo brought in a team of writers. “I’ve accumulated some great success from my other albums, but I just felt like I needed to take a different approach, just to try it out. I wanted to tell someone else’s story There are plans for Vedo to tour the US in May, and possibly other countries. – ALL PIX BY SECRET SIGNALS / INSTAGRAM oTwo-time Platinum-certified R&B singer Vedo talks about his latest album █ BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR Vedo is best known for his standout Vmixes, posting signature covers on his Youtube channel. from the other writers. I also wanted a different vibe. I wanted to bring a different and see what we could create by taking myself out of my comfort zone”. It sounded like a natural progress for Vedo, who since his debut album 93, has grown in both music and style. “Everything is different. I think that the growth is much reflected in Mood Swings because its an honest project with honest songs,” he Creed III punches to the top MGM’S boxing drama Creed III scored an opening-round knockout this weekend, taking in an estimated US$58.7 million (RM262.77 million) to top North America’s box office in one of the biggest debuts ever for a sports film. That made first-time director Michael B. Jordan – who again plays rock-hard boxer Apollo Creed – the “undefeated box office champion,” said industry analyst Exhibitor Relations. In this ninth film in the Rocky franchise – the first without Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky Balboa role he created – Creed comes out of retirement for a showdown against an old friend played by Jonathan Majors. That makes this a pretty good weekend for Majors, the villain in Marvel and Disney’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which placed second for the Fridaythrough-Sunday period at US$12.5 million (RM56 million). Paul Rudd stars as the title ant; Evangeline Lilly is the Wasp. In third place was Universal’s Cocaine Bear at US$11 million (RM49.24 million). The horror comedy is based loosely on the true story of a black bear that wreaks havoc in the Tennessee woods after consuming a cache of lost cocaine. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village, an anime sequel from Crunchyroll, placed fourth at US$10.1 million (RM45.2 million). The previous Demon Slayer film in 2021 had a record debut for a non-English language feature. In fifth was Lionsgate’s Jesus Revolution, a story of a 1960s religious movement, which took in US$8.7 million (RM39 million). Rounding out the top 10 were: 0 Avatar: The Way of Water (US$3.6 million / RM16.12 million) 0 Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (US$3.2 million / RM14.3 million) 0 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (US$2.7 million / RM12 million) 0 Magic Mike’s Last Dance (US$1.2 million / RM5.37 million) 0 80 for Brady (US$845,000 / RM3.78 million) – ETX Studio
16 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON TWITTER SCAN ME BTS Jimin is celebrating his latest endorsement with Tiffany & Co. The singer was named the global house ambassador for luxury jewellery brand. In an Instagram post by the brand on March 2, introducing Jimin as the ambassador, the K-Pop star looks dapper and elegant with a black blazer, wearing Tiffany’s lock accessories on his wrist. However, this is not the first luxury brand Jimin has landed this year. A few weeks ago, Jimin became the first Asian male to become the global ambassador for French luxury fashion brand Dior. This makes Jimin the only BTS member to land sponsorships with two luxury brands, just three months into the year 2023. We can’t wait to see what else Jimin would do in the future! This is, however, is not something unexpected from him. He has been dominating when it comes to brand ambassadorship for the past three years. Most brand ambassadors are chosen for their popularity, personality, marketability, and influence over the public. In South Korea, Jimin is the first and only idol to reach the top spot in the brand reputation ranking for individual boy group members as of February 2023. He also holds the top spot for the Top 100 idols (male and female combined). Right now, fans, who have only positive comments about the ambassadorship are waiting eagerly for Jimin’s new album Face, which will drop on March 17. – by S. Tamarai Chelvi Devil in the White City off Hulu ALMOST a year has passed since the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident at the Oscars, when the actor stunned everyone by rushing onstage and smacking the comedian following a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. In his most recent Netflix special Selective Outrage, Rock finally discussed what transpired, in the final 10 minutes of the show. Amongst other things, he referred to Smith and his wife as “b*****s who weren’t properly raised”. The public is aware that Smith and Rock have yet to discuss their falling out. However, according to a source who spoke to PEOPLE magazine, Smith has “felt terrible for so long” after The Slap. He even made an attempt to make things right. “He’s tried unsuccessfully to make amends in the best way he could with Chris,” said the source. “But beyond that, family is important to him and [Smith] leaned on them” following the spectacle. According to the insider: “It all has helped him look inside and mature. He is better but still remorseful.” Social media users have subsequently praised Rock’s remarks on his comedy show as the right “revenge” against Smith. However, some social media users called out Rock for being childish and bitter, even after getting several apologies from the actor. On Instagram, a commenter wrote: “You got to let stuff go at some point Jimin named Tiffany ambassador ONE of Hollywood’s most notorious ‘cursed’ projects appears to have claimed more victims. Yesterday news broke that Devil in the White City had been dropped by Hulu. The planned limited series, based on a 2003 book by Erik Larson about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and about the serial killer H.H. Holmes who was active during that time. Sources say the Disney-backed streamer is no longer moving forward with the limited series that had been in various stages of development for more than a decade. However, those sourced added that producers ABC Signature remain committed to the drama and will be shopping the show to new outlets. The project, which is being supported by film legend Martin Scorcese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, has been beset by issues for years. This latest blow comes months after leading man Keanu Reeves and director Todd Field (Tár) dropped out. However, it appears that talks are still ongoing with their potential replacements, The Bear star Jeremy Allen White and Jude Law, and director Matt Ross. Should it eventually come to fruition, Devil in the White City will mark the sixth major collaboration between Scorcese and DiCaprio. – by Anansa Jacob Jimin’s first ad for Tiffany. – TWITTER DiCaprio and Scorcese. – REUTERS VOICE actor Troy Baker has dominated the Last of Us universe for almost a decade. Baker voiced grizzly survivalist Joel Miller in the game which came out in 2013 and its sequel from 2020. In the latest episode of HBO series The Last of Us, Baker made a cameo appearance as James, evil cult leader David’s right-hand man. Before becoming involved in the plot to kidnap Ellie, he is a Silver Lake cannibal who assists David in running the commune. Since the airing of the episode, viewers have reacted to Baker’s participation in the show. Some enjoyed his inclusion, but others wished he had been featured more prominently. According to an interview with Variety, when HBO’s series adaptation was announced, Baker didn’t expect to be a part of it. “If there was a role for me, then I would have been happy. But if not, I was completely content to just be an observer for this one,” he said. Fortunately Neil Druckmann, the cocreator of the game and co-showrunner, had a part in mind for him. Baker now talks about seeing Pascal play the role that he’s had for a decade. “I’m a fan of him as an actor,” he explained. “He does this thing where he’s so confident in his grasp on the character that it allows him to just sit comfortably in his own conviction. He does everything on a knife’s edge. There’s nothing that’s wild. If you watch all of his choices, they’re so minimal, and because of that, they’re profound. And it makes Joel, in a lot of ways, more dangerous.” When discussing the changes made to the game, Baker continued: “For someone who has spent as much time with this franchise as I have, there’s something in every episode where I learned something new. What this show has proven is that it’s a much bigger story than we originally conceived.” The final episode of The Last of Us premieres on March 12. – by Hazique Zairill Pascal (left) as Joel, and Bella Ramsay as Ellie. – HBO Hard to say sorry oWill Smith apparently tried to apologise multiple times to Chris Rock Troy Baker cameos on The Last of Us The infamous slap Smith gave Rock. – AFP in your life .... This is how young brothers get killed in the streets … talking about something that happened a year ago. Setting a terrible example.” A few well-known comedians have defended Rock. Saturday Night Live alum Leslie Jones replied to the follower: “Y’all forget he got slapped in front of the world yo! His kids, his mama, peers EVERYONE! (sic) “And he is A COMEDIAN this is his way of expressing it. If he sang he would write a song.” Fellow comedian DL Hughley wrote on Instagram: “If you love comedy, if you are a student of the art, if you are one of the few remaining people that allow for creative expression, then you walked away from this with the same sentiment.” Rock’s special hasn’t gotten a response from The Smiths yet. – by Thashine Selvakumaran
17 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 /theSunMedia FOLLOW ON YOUTUBE SCAN ME Paradise lost for amnesiac killer LIVING a seemingly perfect life, Hong Taera is the envy of many. Married to a successful developer and with a loving daughter by her side, everything is going perfectly for her – she just wishes she could remember how she got there. Incapable of remembering her past, Taera’s curse becomes a nightmare when her lost memories begin to emerge and she realizes she is nothing more than a puppet in an elaborate game. Driven to take back control, protect her family, and get revenge on those who did this, Taera will cast aside her elegant evening dress and fragrant flowers for a blood-stained leather jacket and a 28-calibre revolver in the new K-drama series Pandora: Beneath the Paradise. Starring E Jiah (The Penthouse: War in Life, My Mister) as Hong Taera, a woman whose perfect life is shattered when memories from her past resurface alongside Lee Sangyun (One the Woman, VIP) as Pyo Jaehyun, Taera’s husband and the chairman of Hatch. The series is created by Kim Sunok, the mastermind behind the hit series The Penthouse: War in Life and Return, and is directed by Choi Younghoon (One the Woman, Good Casting). Produced by CJ ENM’s production powerhouse Studio Dragon, Pandora: Beneath the Paradise starts streaming on March 11, on Disney+ Hotstar with new episodes released every Saturday and Sunday. Race to undo the past THE upcoming The Flash is set to be a game-changer for Warner Bros. and DC Studios, as it is poised to wipe the slate clean and make up the way for a new “cinematic universe” that is being planned by DC Studios chairmen and CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. Where Disney and Marvel had no problems in setting up and executing a successful cinematic universe, it has always been a hurdle for Warner Bros and DC Comics. The latter previously attempted to do it under the “DC Extended Universe” banner, which wasn’t exactly spearheaded by a singular figure, but rather a mixture of visions by directors and creatives compounded by studio meddling from business executives that led to the current “too many cooks spoil the broth” ruination. Though The Flash will mark the end of Zack Snyder’s old vision of a DCEU, the subsequent Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are part of the old “universe”, and the roles of these films in terms of continuity – as they all release after The Flash – are currently unknown. To understand The Flash’s role in wiping the DCEU out and replacing it with Gunn and Safran’s new “DC Universe”, let’s look at two other comic mediums. Paradox upon paradoxes Back in 2010-2011, the DC Comics universe needed a revamp for their entire comic book slate. To do so, a massive crossover arc called Flashpoint was put together in order to wipe the slate and allow DC Comics to relaunch the comic books as “The New 52”. To kick off Flashpoint, the comics had its Barry Allen (the main identity of The Flash) wake up and find out that the world was not what it was the day before. There was no Superman. The world was on the brink of all-out destruction due to a raging war between the Atlanteans and Amazonians. On top of the global crisis, Barry realises he can’t use his powers as The Flash, and that the Batman he once knew has been replaced by a murderous Batman. Also, his mother that died when he was a child is now alive. Flashpoint The Flash will feature two Ezra Millers. – WARNER BROS. PICTURES oHow DC Studios will use The Flash to reset the DC Extended Universe Flashpoint was crucial in resetting the comics. – DC COMICS Sasha Calle’s outing as Supergirl may be a one-film deal. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is available on HBO GO. animation with 2013’s Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. It is a highly recommended watch as it is probably the last near-flawless adult-oriented animation to come from DC Entertainment, and most representative of what viewers can expect with The Flash later this year. It is also much more accessible and digestible compared to trying to read the various comic books centered around the Flashpoint arc as the animated film closely adapts the original comics. Unlike The Flashpoint Paradox, The Flash will be taking more creative liberties with adapting Flashpoint, as Andy Muschietti’s film will feature not only Ben Affleck as DCEU’s Batman but also Michael Keaton’s Batman, while replacing Henry Cavill’s Superman with his cousin, Kara ZorEl/Supergirl (Sasha Calle), along with introducing two Barry Allen/Flash (both played by Ezra Miller). Any other wild changes will have to be seen when The Flash releases on June 16. then becomes a way for Barry to find out what has happened before the aforementioned war ends all of humanity. The crossover arc was a highly successful and wildly remembered one as it allowed DC Comics to tell different stories that diverged from what comic book readers knew at the time about their favourite superheroes and supervillains. For instance, Superman did not exist, as instead of crashing in Kansas, his escape pod crashes elsewhere and the Kryptonian baby is seized by the government. The gun-toting Batman is also revealed to not be Bruce Wayne, but his father Thomas Wayne. Was that crazy? It gets better. Traditionally, Thomas and Martha Wayne are killed in the alley in front of Bruce. In Flashpoint, Bruce is accidentally killed instead. In a fit of rage, Thomas beats the shooter to death, while Martha has a mental breakdown and becomes The Joker. A lot of the re-imagining follows this line of thinking, where things that were supposed to happen, did not, and how these events changed history, along with how The Flash is tied to everything. A race against time Despite its craziness, Flashpoint was rooted with an emotional core centered on familial love, grief and the concept of moving on. Before Flashpoint was adapted to live-action medium, DC Entertainment pulled it off in █ BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR
18 FOOD theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 TAKE the veggies from a fajita, slip them into a quesadilla with extra cheese. This order, placed by an American influencer at fast food outlet Chipotle, generated such a viral following on TikTok that consumers rushed to their local Chipotle to try this customization. In the face of the hack’s popularity, the American fast-food chain has even decided to adapt its menu. McDonald’s France replacing the potatoes in its French fries with vegetables for a special operation, the release of the BigMac sauce on its own as a standalone grocery store item ... In general, it’s innovations created by fast food chains themselves that generated buzz on social networks. TikTok and Instagram have become essential links in the communications strategies of burger giants, and for any restaurant owner hoping to boost visibility. In 2021, a US survey even found that one in three people have ordered food specifically to post a picture of it on social media, not necessarily eat it. While a new trend on social media often follows a new menu offering, the influence of some internet users can be so powerful that fast-food chains find themselves developing new sandwiches for their menu based on consumer hacks. In this case, Chipotle took notice of a viral video by a TikToker followed by nearly three million people, @alexisfrost. On Dec 21, the influencer, who shows off all her fast food orders before devouring them for the camera, showed off a customized quesadilla order for which she had asked staff to fill it with vegetables normally used to prepare a fajita, all generously coated with cheese. Beyond demonstrating just how powerful social networks can be when it comes to convincing a food company to adapt its menu based on the popularity of a hack, this news also highlights another trend, that of ‘secret restaurant menus’ at fast-food chains. The principle is to personalize menu items by combining several elements. If you’re already used to asking for your cheeseburger without pickles, this trend goes further by consisting of ordering different sandwiches to exchange or remove some ingredients from one stack to another, or by taking elements from another offering to complete the customization of one’s own burger. A phenomenon that not only has an elevated cost for the consumer, but also complicates the work of employees in fast-food restaurants. – ETX Studio Social network trends affecting fast food launches oThe Iftar Kuliner Nusantara Ramadan Buffet offers choice dishes from both Malaysia and Indonesia S UNWAY Putra Hotel’s “Iftar ‘Kuliner’ Nusantara” Ramadan Buffet has been endorsed by His Excellency Ambassador Hermono, Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur at the Coffee House, Sunway Putra Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Over 100 officials from various embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesian business entrepreneurs, business owners, organisations, media, bloggers and influencers gathered to experience the historic gastronomic event adopting the concept of ‘Serumpun’ literally meaning ‘of the same roots’ between Malaysia and Indonesia. Launched and endorsed by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur, H.E. Ambassador Hermono, “Iftar ‘Kuliner’ Nusantara” aims to transport guests to Indonesia without having to leave Malaysia. After the launch of “Iftar ‘Kuliner’ Nusantara” Food Preview, Senior General Manager of Sunway Putra Hotel Kuala Lumpur Wilfred Yeo guided H.E Ambassador Hermono and the Chief Executive Officer of Batik Air, Captain Mushafiz Mustafa Bakri through the various Ramadan specials. H.E Ambassador Hermono shared of his delight and excitement on the collaboration between the Indonesian Embassy and Sunway Putra Hotel Kuala Lumpur for the upcoming iftar and future partnerships. Guests were spoilt for choice with over 200 mouth-watering specials from Malaysia such as the Rendang Tok from Perak, an Ikan Bakar station, a whole roasted lamb and much more. From Indonesia, the very authentic Soto Betawi originating from Jakarta, Tongseng from Central Java, Ayam Pop Minang from West Sumatra, the legendary Nasi Goreng Kambing ala Kebun Sireh, Mie Tek Tek and much more. In addition to the launch, Yeo also announced a future opening of an Indonesian restaurant at the hotel, targeted to be officially launched in the third quarter of 2023. Apart from the scrumptious spread, the hotel has also arranged an incredible lucky draw for guests who purchase 6 pax and above to be eligible to join and win amazing prizes. The prizes include the grand prize of a fully paid 3 days / 2 nights holiday to Jakarta for 2 persons, inclusive of the return air tickets courtesy of Batik Air and hotel accommodation in Jakarta, courtesy of Sunway. Amongst other prizes, there will also be grand hotel stays at the award winning Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat and many more prizes at Sunway’s sister hotels across the peninsular. “Iftar ‘Kuliner’ Nusantara” Buffet Dinner will commence from March 24-April 19, 2023 at the Coffee House at Level 9, Sunway Putra Hotel, 6.30pm to 10pm. The buffet is priced at RM178+ per person while children aged 5 and below are able to dine-in for free. Children aged 6 to 12 years old will enjoy 50% discount. There is also a 10% early bird discount on the buffet running from now until March 10. Terms and conditions apply. Furthermore, this Ramadan, guests can spend a quiet Ramadan Mubarak staycation at Sunway Putra Hotel. The promotion includes a 2D1N stay, Sahur buffet breakfast, and Iftar buffet dinner for two people. Guests can select from Superior or Deluxe rooms with a complimentary upgrade to the subsequent room category starting from just RM595+/RM645+. To make reservations for “Iftar ‘Kuliner’ Nusantara” Ramadan Buffet, call 03-4040 9888 / 019 305 2372 / email to spkl.ch@ sunwayhotels.com. To enjoy the Ramadan Mubarak staycation, guests can book directly at Sunway Putra Hotel’s website from March 10, 2023 at www.sunwayhotels.com/sunwayputra. Sunway Putra Hotel Kuala Lumpur chef Chew presenting the dishes. The buffet features a whole roasted lamb. Some of the familiar dishes from around the region. Chipotle has tweaked its menu to integrate a quesadilla hack that went viral on TikTok. – ETX STUDIO Enjoy Nusantara delights (from left) Yeo, Ambassador Hermono, Capt Mushafiz, and Embassy of Republic of Indonesia Coordinator of Economic Affairs Hendra Iskandar. – ALL PIX BY SYAZWAN KAMAL
19 FEATURE theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 oIn honour of International Women’s Day, LYFE is proud to feature the inspiring story of a Malaysian mother I NTERNATIONAL Women’s Day – a special day which spotlights the achievements of women all over the world – often sparks conversations on the need to continue fighting against stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice. Malaysian Rubee Ahmad joins the conversation with her inspiring story about the joys and sacrifices of a mother who has spent the last 10 years doing everything she can to give her two boys, Adam and Arman, a good life despite living with a rare disease known as MPSII, or Hunter’s Syndrome. Individuals with MPSII lack an important enzyme that is needed to break down sugar, which then builds up in the cells, with serious consequences. It damages tissues and organs, causes bone and joint deformities, damages heart valves and leads to enlargement of the liver and spleen. Physical signs include large heads, broad noses, short hands and stiff fingers, being easily tired and often suffering coughs and colds. They may also have difficulty speaking and breathing For Rubee and her husband, months were spent on medical appointments, tests and online research as they sought an answer for their firstborn’s frequent respiratory infections and delayed developmental growth. Fortunately, an observant doctor noted Adam’s clawed hands and referred him to the Genetics Clinic at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) where Adam was diagnosed, and his younger brother Arman soon after. “I thought I would feel relieved once we had an answer, but the diagnosis was such a blow to us both. We were in denial for 6 months,” recalls Rubee, “and the more we learned about it, the more hopeless it seemed, especially knowing that most children with MPSII do not survive until adulthood - how is a parent supposed to deal with that knowledge? It was just devastating,” she says. “When the boys were first diagnosed, I didn’t have a lot of resources. I had no idea where to reach out to and I felt so alone, not knowing where to turn. I just felt helpless, with no idea where to start.” However, a mother’s love knows no bounds and Rubee pushed her heartbreak aside in order to focus on the boys’ needs instead, with a primary focus on seeking funding for therapy as treatment for rare diseases are not commercially viable. At a cost of RM60,000 per month for both of the boys, treatment would be out of reach without financial assistance. Her efforts in writing to anyone and everyone who might be able to help bore fruit and her prayers were answered through several organisations including UMMC, Lembaga Zakat Selangor and patient support groups such as the Malaysia Lysosomal Diseases Association (MLDA), as well as corporate sponsorships. Today, both Adam and Arman are able to receive enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), which has helped the boys tremendously, easing their pain and improving their energy levels. However, the knowledge that funding might one day cease is a heavy burden to bear. “I wish there were legislations which would protect the rights of patients and support dedicated public funding to those of us caring for patients or living with rare diseases,” she says. Another challenge is the social aspect, as the boys are often subjected to stares and whispers when they are out. “I always feel judged,” admits Rubee. “The only place I feel my family and I are accepted is at the hospital. Very often, advice, while given from a good place, just makes me feel anxious and misunderstood. While I know my children look different, I wish more people would understand that our boys, like other children with special needs, also deserve to live a good life and enjoy simple things like having a nice meal out.” In the meantime, Rubee also needs to juggle all the other responsibilities of daily life, which includes her work in employee engagement. “The hardest part of my job is having to put up a happy front and look engaged all the time. A recent example was when Adam had seizures last year. This led to numerous hospital admissions, tests, and finally surgery to remove fluid in the brain. It was heartbreaking to see Adam looking so sad and deflated throughout this challenging period in time, however, I had no choice but to let my husband manage Adam’s hospital visits while juggling between taking care of my younger one at home and running employee activities at work.” Events like these sometimes trigger guilt, admits Rubee. “There are days when I feel bad about being a working mother when my boys need me, but if I don’t work, how can we afford their daily care and give them a good life? When I look at my children now, compared to when they were first diagnosed, seeing them look healthier, stronger and happier today feels like a huge accomplishment. As a parent, you only want the best for your children, and I have to make the necessary sacrifices and stay strong for their sake so that I can continue to provide for them.” “Adam turns 14 this year, and he is becoming a young man. With both of them growing older, I can no longer send them to the nursery and my mother is too frail to help with their care. This means getting help at home, but their needs require specialised care which is very costly, and I can’t leave my boys in the care of someone who is not capable of giving him the care he needs,” says Rubee. For most other parents, these struggles might seem insurmountable but Rubee bears them with grace and resilience. “I try to just manage things one day at a time. I know our boys’ condition is incurable, but there are many other conditions that also have no cure. You just have to manage them the best you can. Honestly, I have seen worse cases in the hospital, where the children have no hope. As a parent, I try to take this perspective – if you know your child is sick, you have to make a choice of whether you want to treat your child or not. I choose to treat Adam and Arman because I don’t want to see them suffer.” “However, in spite of all these, I feel I am blessed that we have medication that helps, a wonderful doctor, and family and friends who support us in so many ways. With their help, we can remain positive and resilient. My pillar of strength is my husband and my employer is understanding, allowing me some leeway to work from home on some days.” “Now, I am also blessed to be an advocate for other families, to share my story so that other parents will know they are not alone,” said Rubee. To fellow parents, she adds, please do not give up hope. “It may take time to get the answers you need but it is worth it because treatment makes a big difference, and the sooner your child can begin, the better. Lastly, try to connect with other parents whose children have rare diseases so you can give and receive emotional and psychological support, and stay mentally strong for your children.” “At the end of the day, I never lost hope. I have to remember that, even without a cure, we can manage the disease so that our sons can experience a better quality of life, and so can we. Though I cannot ask for a long life, whatever time I am given to have with my children, I accept it with all my heart.” A mother’s love knows no bounds ... (left) Rubee with her sons Adam and Arman. Adam and Arman are now receiving enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), which has helped in easing their pain. Rubee Ahmad (left) and her husband Sharin Abdul Rahman (right) share their journey raising their sons Ahmad Adam and Muhammad Arman who are diagnosed with MPS II. Strength in motherhood
20 FEATURE theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 I T’S women’s special time of month again this March, with International Women’s Day just around the corner! Marked every March 8, the day is a symbol of how far women have progressed in closing the gender gap and thrived in the face of discrimination and inequality. While the day is one of celebration of women’s successes and progress, it is also the time to shine a spotlight on what still needs to be done. One major concern for women worldwide is also one that is not talked about enough: reproductive health and fertility. To be clear, fertility issues can be incredibly stressful and emotionally taxing for anyone regardless of their gender. However, for women in particular, discussions around fertility can have added layers of complexity. Women are often told that they need to start thinking about having children in their twenties or early thirties if they want to have a good chance of conceiving naturally. This can create a lot of anxiety and stress for women who feel like they’re running out of time. While women’s fertility does decline as they get older, with the chances of getting pregnant decreasing significantly after the age of 35, the stigma and shame associated with infertility tends to disproportionately affect women. With its theme of #EmbraceEquity, one of the missions for this year’s International Women’s Day is to empower women to make informed decisions about their health. In that spirit, here are some ways women arm themselves with the knowledge they need to advocate for their fertility and well-being. Knowledge is power Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of trying, or six months for women over 35. This can be caused by a number of things including hormonal imbalances, genetic disorders, and structural issues with the reproductive system. Due to the variety of factors involved, one way of taking control of your reproductive health is to learn about how your own body works – and the status it’s currently at. This is where regular health screenings come in. Aside from allowing medical professionals to detect life-threatening conditions early on, consistent check-ups can help you understand what feels normal for your body and give you the chance to stay updated with the latest medical information. Timely health check-ups can also reveal potential issues that one may not have even thought of in the first place. “For instance, a simple blood test can determine a woman’s ovarian reserve, which refers to the number and quality of eggs she has remaining,” explains Dr Khairun Marina Bachok, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Fertility Specialist of TMC Fertility. “In some cases, a woman can have regular periods without ovulating, so it can be hard to tell if there are possible fertility issues without proper screening methods.” For women concerned about their fertility, health screenings offer a chance to uncover underlying conditions that may be affecting their reproductive systems. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) for example, is a common cause of infertility and irregular periods. While the hormonal disorder affects anywhere between 5% to 18% of women worldwide, many women are still unaware of the condition, or tend to have a delayed diagnosis. Another condition impacting fertility is endometriosis, where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. Despite endometriosis sufferers often having to live with severe pain and heavy bleeding during their periods, this condition also tends to go underdiagnosed or minimised. “Sometimes there may be even milder issues, such as fibroids or blockages in the fallopian tubes. Early detection and treatment of these conditions can not only help women improve their chances of conceiving and having a healthy pregnancy, but also uplift their current quality of life,” says Dr Khairun Marina. Consider options for the future Given the hectic nature of modern life, the idea of unpacking long-term plans and aspirations might feel like yet another burden. When it comes to your health and ability to conceive however, a little bit of exploration on the fertility treatments can go a long way in preventing future heartache. “For many women, knowing the reasons behind their infertility is one big part of the battle won, but what comes next?” says Dr Khairun Marina. “Despite all the advancements made in reproductive health, there is still a lack of awareness about the options women have to manage infertility, from making minor lifestyle changes to cutting-edge medical interventions. Whatever a woman decides to choose, the important thing is that she is well-informed about what these choices are.” Among such options is egg freezing, where a woman’s eggs are extracted, frozen, and stored for later use. While egg freezing is not a guarantee of future pregnancy, it can provide women with more options and control over their reproductive lives. “It gives women the gift of time and peace of mind. Instead of making decisions out of fear or anxiety, methods such as egg freezing allow women the chance to think at depth about when they want to start their journey to motherhood, without sacrificing their personal or professional development,” says Dr Khairun Marina. Some modern fertility assessments include genetics-based testing, offering potential mothers even more information about their future children’s health. Tests such as TMC Fertility’s Fertility GeneCode and My GeneCode allow doctors to analyse parents’ risk of passing on hereditary conditions, as well as deeper insight on their own fertility challenges. Seek professional help As parenthood is seen as a normal stage in life, those struggling to conceive often face a difficult emotional journey, sometimes even feeling like they have “failed” at normalcy. The truth is, millions of people currently live with infertility – the World Health Organization estimates that infertility affects some 48 million couples and 186 million individuals worldwide. In Malaysia, research indicates that local infertility rates hover between 10% to 15%. Another common misconception is that infertility mainly affects women, despite medical evidence showing otherwise. Infertility impacts both men and women almost equally, and sometimes can even be the result of health conditions present in both partners. Despite this, the silence around infertility means that many aspiring mothers find themselves isolated in their emotional pain. Here, professional medical advice and support can help alleviate some of that anxiety. Fertility counselling can not only offer women (and men) an idea of their treatment options, but also help them understand their feelings around infertility and grasp the implications of the decisions they might make, all with the guidance and support of someone who is trained to do so. For women concerned about their fertility, perhaps the most important thing to remember this International Women’s Day is that you are not alone – and you have the power to take charge of your health. “It is not a sign of weakness to seek help because infertility is just another medical condition, not a moral failing,” says Dr Khairun Marina. “We don’t make judgements on those diagnosed with physical ailments like cancer, so why should infertility be seen any differently? Every woman deserves the right to access the healthcare support she needs, and be in control of her reproductive health.” Article provided by TMC Fertility & Women’s Specialist Centre. oOne of the missions for this year’s International Women’s Day is to empower women to make informed decisions about their health How to be fertility wise Women must empower themselves with knowledge about their own health. – 123RF Dr Khairun Marina Bachok.
21 * SPORTS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 LEWIS HAMILTON’S Formula One future is set to be put on hold as Mercedes attempt to resolve their miserable start to the new season. Hamilton finished fifth at the opening round in Bahrain on Sunday – 51 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen – with teammate George Russell seventh. The seven-time world champion’s contract expires at the end of the season, and speculation is rife that he could stall on a new deal if Mercedes fail to reverse their slump. Asked if the Silver Arrows will put a Plan B in place if Hamilton does not commit to an extension, team principal Toto Wolff said: “There is no point talking about the driver situation for 2024. “That is far too early. We have to all push in the same direction, the drivers, engineers and management, rather the throwing in the towel. We have never done that and we will not do that now.” Speaking in the build-up to the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton, 38, said only a catastrophe would prevent him from extending his stay with Mercedes. But his comments came before he hit the track and the extent of his team’s troubles were exposed. Wolff announced on the eve of Sunday’s race that Mercedes will scrap this season’s machine, and focus on a revolutionary new design in a bid to return to winning ways – effectively ruling out a championship challenge before a wheel had turned in anger. Not only have Mercedes slipped further behind Red Bull, who took first and second on Sunday, but they have been usurped by Aston Martin, too, with the British team taking impressive strides over the winter. Wolff will hold crunch talks with his Mercedes staff this week to determine how the grid’s once dominant team can revive former glories. Speaking immediately after the chequered flag, Hamilton said: “I know we are not where we want to be, but let’s keep pushing. “We have got some serious work to do to close the gap but I believe in you all so let’s keep going.” And Wolff added: “You heard Lewis on the radio. He is an integral part of the team, picking the team up, and we’re all sticking together. “I don’t think that’s going to change just because we had another start that was really bad. “We won eight constructor championships, and we won six driver championships with him, and that relationship holds. “It would be much too easy to lose a driver, and then just throw in the white towel. We’re not doing that. “On the contrary, we just need to really dig deeper than we’ve ever done before, and provide both drivers with a car that they’re actually able to fight with.” – The Independent Lewis talks on back burner IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF EQ MUSIC (M) SDN BHD (200101015413 (551170-D)) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459 of the Companies Act, 2016, the Final Meeting of the Company will be held at 199 Jalan 8, Taman Tan Yew Lai, 58200 Kuala Lumpur on 10 April 2023 at 10.30 a.m. for the following purposes :- (i) To receive an account from the Liquidator showing the manner in which the winding-up has been conducted and of hearing any explanations that may be given by the Liquidator; and (ii) To determine the manner in which the books, accounts and documents of the Liquidator and of the Company thereof shall be disposed of. Date: 8 March 2023 TEH YEOK LAN Liquidator A member of the Company entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and vote instead of him. The instrument appointing a proxy must be in writing under the hand of the appointer or his attorney duly authorised in writing or if the appointer is a corporation under its common seal or the hand of its attorney and must be deposited at the above address not less than forty-eight (48) hours before the time set for the Meeting. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND TENANG MASYHUR SDN BHD 201101017314 (945450-P) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE is hereby given that a Final General Meeting of the above named Company will be held at the registered office of 62-2, Jalan 2A/27A, Section 1, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur on 10.04.2023 at 10:00 a.m. for the following purposes. 1. RESOLVED THAT the statement of accounts from the Liquidator showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of and for the purpose of the laying before it the account and giving any explanation thereof be approved and confirmed. 2. RESOLVED THAT the Liquidator be authorised within seven days after the meeting, lodge with the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver, a return of the holding of the meeting hereof pursuant to Section 459(3) of the Companies Act, 2016 with a copy of the accounts attached to such return under Section 514(1) of the said Act accordingly. 3. RESOLVED THAT upon the expiration of three months after the lodgement of both the said statutory documents with Registrar of Companies and with the Official Receiver respectively, the Company shall be dissolved pursuant to Section 459(5) of the Companies Act, 2016 accordingly, be noted and confirmed. 4. RESOLVED THAT pursuant to Section 518(3) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 the books and papers of the Company and of the Liquidator that are relevant to the affairs of the Company on or subsequent to the commencement of the winding up of the Company shall be retained by the Directors and be destroyed within a period of one month after dissolution of the Company. Convened pursuant to Section 459(2) of the Companies Act, 2016 Liquidator HENG CHIANG POOH FCIS (CS) (CGP) Dated: 08.03.2023 Note : A member may appoint any person to be his proxy and if more than one proxy is appointed, the proxies shall be invalid if the proportion of votes are not stated accordingly for each proxy respectively. The proxy form shall be deposited at the Registered Office of the company as addressed above at least 48 hours before the commencement of the meeting. 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI BANDAR BARU BANGI DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN SIVIL NO.: BI-A72NCVC-166-12/2022 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD [No. Syarikat : 199001009294 (200866-W)] …PLAINTIF DAN LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] ...DEFENDAN NOTIS PENYAMPAIAN GANTI-BENTUK IKLAN Kepada, LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] No.1, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawaan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dan/atau LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] No. 5, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawaan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dan/atau LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] No. 213, Jalan Youth, Ampang New Village, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dalam perkara Writ yang dikeluarkan pada 5 haribulan Disember 2022. AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa suatu tindakan Writ telah dikeluarkan terhadap Defendan dalam Mahkamah Majistret di Bandar Baru Bangi dalam Guaman No. BI-A72NCVC-166-12/2022 oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad [No. Syarikat: 199001009294](200866-W)] di mana tuntutan Plaintif ialah untuk jumlah RM9,678.97, faedah ke atas jumlah RM9,678.97 pada kadar 5% setahun dari tarikh pemfailan saman sehingga tarikh penghakiman, faedah ke atas jumlah RM9,678.97 pada kadar 5% setahun dari tarikh penghakiman sehingga tarikh penyelesaian penuh dan kos dan adalah diperintahkan bahawa sesalinan Writ bertarikh 5/12/2022 dan Penyata Tuntutan bertarikh 5/12/2022 disampaikan kepada kamu melalui Penyampaian Ganti iaitu dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ dan Penyata Tuntutan tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Bandar Baru Bangi, ditinggalkan alamat pertama Defendan di No. 1, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawasan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, di alamat kedua Defendan di No. 5, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawasan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan dan di alamat ketiga Defendan di No. 213, Jalan Youth, Ampang New Village, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan serta mengiklankannya sekali (1) dalam surat khabar ‘The Sun’ dan saya percaya bahawa penyampaian itu menjadi penyampaian yang sempurna dan cukup ke atas Defendan empatbelas (14) hari selepas tarikh pengiklanan atau penampalan tersebut. Sekiranya kamu berhajat untuk membuat pembelaan terhadap tindakan tersebut, kamu mestilah diwakili oleh Peguambela kamu di hadapan Mahkamah Majistret Bandar Baru Bangi pada 28/3/2023 (secara E-Review), jam 9.00 pagi. Sekiranya kamu gagal berbuat demikian maka Penghakiman Ingkar boleh diberikan terhadap kamu. Bertarikh pada 8 haribulan Mac 2023 …..….………tt…….…….. Tetuan Sandosh Anandan Peguamcara bagi Plaintif Notis Penyampaian Ganti Bentuk Iklan ini dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Sandosh Anandan, Peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif yang beralamat di Unit A502, Blok A, Kelana Square, No. 17, Jalan SS7/26, Kelana Jaya, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel: 03-78065819 / 03-7804607 Fax: 03-78807409 (Ruj : SA/L/TNB/PL TYRE/1839/2022/SA) IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND FORMULA E (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD 201301009046 (1038888-T) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE is hereby given that a Final General Meeting of the above named Company will be held at the registered office of 62-2, Jalan 2A/27A, Section 1, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur on 10.04.2023 at 11:30 a.m. for the following purposes. 1. RESOLVED THAT the statement of accounts from the Liquidator showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of and for the purpose of the laying before it the account and giving any explanation thereof be approved and confirmed. 2. RESOLVED THAT the Liquidator be authorised within seven days after the meeting, lodge with the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver, a return of the holding of the meeting hereof pursuant to Section 459(3) of the Companies Act, 2016 with a copy of the accounts attached to such return under Section 514(1) of the said Act accordingly. 3. RESOLVED THAT upon the expiration of three months after the lodgement of both the said statutory documents with Registrar of Companies and with the Official Receiver respectively, the Company shall be dissolved pursuant to Section 459(5) of the Companies Act, 2016 accordingly, be noted and confirmed. 4. RESOLVED THAT pursuant to Section 518(3) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 the books and papers of the Company and of the Liquidator that are relevant to the affairs of the Company on or subsequent to the commencement of the winding up of the Company shall be retained by the Directors and be destroyed within a period of one month after dissolution of the Company. Convened pursuant to Section 459(2) of the Companies Act, 2016 Liquidator HENG CHIANG POOH FCIS (CS) (CGP) Dated: 08.03.2023 Note : A member may appoint any person to be his proxy and if more than one proxy is appointed, the proxies shall be invalid if the proportion of votes are not stated accordingly for each proxy respectively. The proxy form shall be deposited at the Registered Office of the company as addressed above at least 48 hours before the commencement of the meeting. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF CI SOUTH SDN. BHD. [201301014178 (1044016-K)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) At a Meeting of Members of the Company duly convened and held at C-02-15 Pusat Perdagangan Ion Akses, Persiaran Medini Sentral 6, Bandar Medini Iskandar, 79250 Iskandar Puteri, Johor on Wednesday, 1st March 2023 the following special resolutions were duly passed:- 1. That the Company will be liquidated by way of Members’ Voluntary Winding Up. 2. That Mr Ng In Fatt of 31-04 Level 31, Menara Landmark, No. 12 Jalan Ngee Heng, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor be appointed as Liquidator to act for the purpose of winding-up of the Company’s affairs and distributing its assets. 3. That the said Liquidator be authorised to divide amongst the members in specie or kind, the whole or any part of the assets of the Company and may, for such purpose, set such value as he deems fair upon any property to be divided as aforesaid and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the members. Masanobu Kamiyama Director Date this 8th day of March, 2023 IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF CI SOUTH SDN. BHD. [201301014178 (1044016-K)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the creditors of the above Company are required to send in 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 said Company) at the below mentioned address by 5.00 p.m. on 07th day of April, 2023:- c/o PBC Corporate Services Sdn. Bhd. [201601002492 (1173418-X)] 31-04 Level 31 Menara Landmark No. 12 Jalan Ngee Heng 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor The creditors (either through their solicitors or personally) who do not file their debts and claims on or before the specified date and time above will be excluded from the benefits of any distribution made. Ng In Fatt Liquidator Date this 8th day of March, 2023 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND NSA SOLUTIONS SDN. BHD. 200701019767 (777783-X) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE is hereby given that a Final General Meeting of the above named Company will be held at the registered office of 62-2, Jalan 2A/27A, Section 1, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur on 10.04.2023 at 11:00 a.m. for the following purposes. 1. RESOLVED THAT the statement of accounts from the Liquidator showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of and for the purpose of the laying before it the account and giving any explanation thereof be approved and confirmed. 2. RESOLVED THAT the Liquidator be authorised within seven days after the meeting, lodge with the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver, a return of the holding of the meeting hereof pursuant to Section 459(3) of the Companies Act, 2016 with a copy of the accounts attached to such return under Section 514(1) of the said Act accordingly. 3. RESOLVED THAT upon the expiration of three months after the lodgement of both the said statutory documents with Registrar of Companies and with the Official Receiver respectively, the Company shall be dissolved pursuant to Section 459(5) of the Companies Act, 2016 accordingly, be noted and confirmed. 4. RESOLVED THAT pursuant to Section 518(3) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 the books and papers of the Company and of the Liquidator that are relevant to the affairs of the Company on or subsequent to the commencement of the winding up of the Company shall be retained by the Directors and be destroyed within a period of one month after dissolution of the Company. Convened pursuant to Section 459(2) of the Companies Act, 2016 Liquidator HENG CHIANG POOH FCIS (CS) (CGP) Dated: 08.03.2023 Note : A member may appoint any person to be his proxy and if more than one proxy is appointed, the proxies shall be invalid if the proportion of votes are not stated accordingly for each proxy respectively. The proxy form shall be deposited at the Registered Office of the company as addressed above at least 48 hours before the commencement of the meeting. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF EQ MUSIC (M) SDN BHD (200101015413 (551170-D)) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459 of the Companies Act, 2016, the Final Meeting of the Company will be held at 199 Jalan 8, Taman Tan Yew Lai, 58200 Kuala Lumpur on 10 April 2023 at 10.30 a.m. for the following purposes :- (i) To receive an account from the Liquidator showing the manner in which the winding-up has been conducted and of hearing any explanations that may be given by the Liquidator; and (ii) To determine the manner in which the books, accounts and documents of the Liquidator and of the Company thereof shall be disposed of. Date: 8 March 2023 TEH YEOK LAN Liquidator A member of the Company entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and vote instead of him. The instrument appointing a proxy must be in writing under the hand of the appointer or his attorney duly authorised in writing or if the appointer is a corporation under its common seal or the hand of its attorney and must be deposited at the above address not less than forty-eight (48) hours before the time set for the Meeting. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND TENANG MASYHUR SDN BHD 201101017314 (945450-P) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE is hereby given that a Final General Meeting of the above named Company will be held at the registered office of 62-2, Jalan 2A/27A, Section 1, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur on 10.04.2023 at 10:00 a.m. for the following purposes. 1. RESOLVED THAT the statement of accounts from the Liquidator showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of and for the purpose of the laying before it the account and giving any explanation thereof be approved and confirmed. 2. RESOLVED THAT the Liquidator be authorised within seven days after the meeting, lodge with the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver, a return of the holding of the meeting hereof pursuant to Section 459(3) of the Companies Act, 2016 with a copy of the accounts attached to such return under Section 514(1) of the said Act accordingly. 3. RESOLVED THAT upon the expiration of three months after the lodgement of both the said statutory documents with Registrar of Companies and with the Official Receiver respectively, the Company shall be dissolved pursuant to Section 459(5) of the Companies Act, 2016 accordingly, be noted and confirmed. 4. RESOLVED THAT pursuant to Section 518(3) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 the books and papers of the Company and of the Liquidator that are relevant to the affairs of the Company on or subsequent to the commencement of the winding up of the Company shall be retained by the Directors and be destroyed within a period of one month after dissolution of the Company. Convened pursuant to Section 459(2) of the Companies Act, 2016 Liquidator HENG CHIANG POOH FCIS (CS) (CGP) Dated: 08.03.2023 Note : A member may appoint any person to be his proxy and if more than one proxy is appointed, the proxies shall be invalid if the proportion of votes are not stated accordingly for each proxy respectively. The proxy form shall be deposited at the Registered Office of the company as addressed above at least 48 hours before the commencement of the meeting. 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI BANDAR BARU BANGI DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN SIVIL NO.: BI-A72NCVC-166-12/2022 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD [No. Syarikat : 199001009294 (200866-W)] …PLAINTIF DAN LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] ...DEFENDAN NOTIS PENYAMPAIAN GANTI-BENTUK IKLAN Kepada, LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] No.1, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawaan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dan/atau LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] No. 5, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawaan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dan/atau LIM PEI CHEE (NO. K. P. : 771225-14-5848 (A3917078) [Dahulunya berniaga dibawah nama & gaya PL TYRE SRI HANECO ENTERPRISE [NO. PENDAFTARAN PERNIAGAAN: 201203125258 (002129503-T)] No. 213, Jalan Youth, Ampang New Village, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dalam perkara Writ yang dikeluarkan pada 5 haribulan Disember 2022. AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa suatu tindakan Writ telah dikeluarkan terhadap Defendan dalam Mahkamah Majistret di Bandar Baru Bangi dalam Guaman No. BI-A72NCVC-166-12/2022 oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad [No. Syarikat: 199001009294](200866-W)] di mana tuntutan Plaintif ialah untuk jumlah RM9,678.97, faedah ke atas jumlah RM9,678.97 pada kadar 5% setahun dari tarikh pemfailan saman sehingga tarikh penghakiman, faedah ke atas jumlah RM9,678.97 pada kadar 5% setahun dari tarikh penghakiman sehingga tarikh penyelesaian penuh dan kos dan adalah diperintahkan bahawa sesalinan Writ bertarikh 5/12/2022 dan Penyata Tuntutan bertarikh 5/12/2022 disampaikan kepada kamu melalui Penyampaian Ganti iaitu dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ dan Penyata Tuntutan tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Bandar Baru Bangi, ditinggalkan alamat pertama Defendan di No. 1, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawasan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, di alamat kedua Defendan di No. 5, Jalan Sri Haneco 1/12, Kawasan Perindustrian Sri Haneco, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan dan di alamat ketiga Defendan di No. 213, Jalan Youth, Ampang New Village, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan serta mengiklankannya sekali (1) dalam surat khabar ‘The Sun’ dan saya percaya bahawa penyampaian itu menjadi penyampaian yang sempurna dan cukup ke atas Defendan empatbelas (14) hari selepas tarikh pengiklanan atau penampalan tersebut. Sekiranya kamu berhajat untuk membuat pembelaan terhadap tindakan tersebut, kamu mestilah diwakili oleh Peguambela kamu di hadapan Mahkamah Majistret Bandar Baru Bangi pada 28/3/2023 (secara E-Review), jam 9.00 pagi. Sekiranya kamu gagal berbuat demikian maka Penghakiman Ingkar boleh diberikan terhadap kamu. Bertarikh pada 8 haribulan Mac 2023 …..….………tt…….…….. Tetuan Sandosh Anandan Peguamcara bagi Plaintif Notis Penyampaian Ganti Bentuk Iklan ini dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Sandosh Anandan, Peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif yang beralamat di Unit A502, Blok A, Kelana Square, No. 17, Jalan SS7/26, Kelana Jaya, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel: 03-78065819 / 03-7804607 Fax: 03-78807409 (Ruj : SA/L/TNB/PL TYRE/1839/2022/SA) IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND FORMULA E (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD 201301009046 (1038888-T) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE is hereby given that a Final General Meeting of the above named Company will be held at the registered office of 62-2, Jalan 2A/27A, Section 1, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur on 10.04.2023 at 11:30 a.m. for the following purposes. 1. RESOLVED THAT the statement of accounts from the Liquidator showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of and for the purpose of the laying before it the account and giving any explanation thereof be approved and confirmed. 2. RESOLVED THAT the Liquidator be authorised within seven days after the meeting, lodge with the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver, a return of the holding of the meeting hereof pursuant to Section 459(3) of the Companies Act, 2016 with a copy of the accounts attached to such return under Section 514(1) of the said Act accordingly. 3. RESOLVED THAT upon the expiration of three months after the lodgement of both the said statutory documents with Registrar of Companies and with the Official Receiver respectively, the Company shall be dissolved pursuant to Section 459(5) of the Companies Act, 2016 accordingly, be noted and confirmed. 4. RESOLVED THAT pursuant to Section 518(3) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 the books and papers of the Company and of the Liquidator that are relevant to the affairs of the Company on or subsequent to the commencement of the winding up of the Company shall be retained by the Directors and be destroyed within a period of one month after dissolution of the Company. Convened pursuant to Section 459(2) of the Companies Act, 2016 Liquidator HENG CHIANG POOH FCIS (CS) (CGP) Dated: 08.03.2023 Note : A member may appoint any person to be his proxy and if more than one proxy is appointed, the proxies shall be invalid if the proportion of votes are not stated accordingly for each proxy respectively. The proxy form shall be deposited at the Registered Office of the company as addressed above at least 48 hours before the commencement of the meeting. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF CI SOUTH SDN. BHD. [201301014178 (1044016-K)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) At a Meeting of Members of the Company duly convened and held at C-02-15 Pusat Perdagangan Ion Akses, Persiaran Medini Sentral 6, Bandar Medini Iskandar, 79250 Iskandar Puteri, Johor on Wednesday, 1st March 2023 the following special resolutions were duly passed:- 1. That the Company will be liquidated by way of Members’ Voluntary Winding Up. 2. That Mr Ng In Fatt of 31-04 Level 31, Menara Landmark, No. 12 Jalan Ngee Heng, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor be appointed as Liquidator to act for the purpose of winding-up of the Company’s affairs and distributing its assets. 3. That the said Liquidator be authorised to divide amongst the members in specie or kind, the whole or any part of the assets of the Company and may, for such purpose, set such value as he deems fair upon any property to be divided as aforesaid and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the members. Masanobu Kamiyama Director Date this 8th day of March, 2023 IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF CI SOUTH SDN. BHD. [201301014178 (1044016-K)] (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the creditors of the above Company are required to send in 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 said Company) at the below mentioned address by 5.00 p.m. on 07th day of April, 2023:- c/o PBC Corporate Services Sdn. Bhd. [201601002492 (1173418-X)] 31-04 Level 31 Menara Landmark No. 12 Jalan Ngee Heng 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor The creditors (either through their solicitors or personally) who do not file their debts and claims on or before the specified date and time above will be excluded from the benefits of any distribution made. Ng In Fatt Liquidator Date this 8th day of March, 2023 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND NSA SOLUTIONS SDN. BHD. 200701019767 (777783-X) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE is hereby given that a Final General Meeting of the above named Company will be held at the registered office of 62-2, Jalan 2A/27A, Section 1, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur on 10.04.2023 at 11:00 a.m. for the following purposes. 1. RESOLVED THAT the statement of accounts from the Liquidator showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of and for the purpose of the laying before it the account and giving any explanation thereof be approved and confirmed. 2. RESOLVED THAT the Liquidator be authorised within seven days after the meeting, lodge with the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver, a return of the holding of the meeting hereof pursuant to Section 459(3) of the Companies Act, 2016 with a copy of the accounts attached to such return under Section 514(1) of the said Act accordingly. 3. RESOLVED THAT upon the expiration of three months after the lodgement of both the said statutory documents with Registrar of Companies and with the Official Receiver respectively, the Company shall be dissolved pursuant to Section 459(5) of the Companies Act, 2016 accordingly, be noted and confirmed. 4. RESOLVED THAT pursuant to Section 518(3) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 the books and papers of the Company and of the Liquidator that are relevant to the affairs of the Company on or subsequent to the commencement of the winding up of the Company shall be retained by the Directors and be destroyed within a period of one month after dissolution of the Company. Convened pursuant to Section 459(2) of the Companies Act, 2016 Liquidator HENG CHIANG POOH FCIS (CS) (CGP) Dated: 08.03.2023 Note : A member may appoint any person to be his proxy and if more than one proxy is appointed, the proxies shall be invalid if the proportion of votes are not stated accordingly for each proxy respectively. The proxy form shall be deposited at the Registered Office of the company as addressed above at least 48 hours before the commencement of the meeting. ... as Mercedes focus on reversing slow start in Bahrain Smith relishes ‘game of chess’ against India STAND-IN captain Steve Smith is looking forward to a new “game of chess” against India as Australia aim to square the series on another spin minefield when the final Test begins in Ahmedabad tomorrow. India were chastened by a rare home defeat in the third Test last week and are looking to bounce back to take the series 3-1, and with it secure their berth in the ICC World Test Championship final at the Oval in June. Australia clinched their place in the showpiece with their nine-wicket third Test win, completed before lunch on the third day on a treacherous Indore track. Australia captain Pat Cummins has remained at home because of a family illness, leaving his deputy Smith with another chance to pit his wits against India in the subcontinent, something he clearly relishes. “It’s a game of chess, every ball means something,” said Smith after the Indore victory, which followed India’s wins in Nagpur and Delhi. “It’s good to just move people and try to make the batter do something different and just play games with them,” Smith said after the Indore triumph. “It’s probably my favourite place in the world to captain.” India captain Rohit Sharma said he was fed up with the constant focus on the playing surfaces and wanted to focus instead on some exceptional bowling performances. “This pitch talk is getting too much,” he said after the Indore Test. “Every time we play in India it’s always about the pitch. “Out of the 10 wickets maybe one or two where the pitch did help the bowler, but other than that it was the skill of the bowler that foxed the batsman”. – AFP AMERICAN Taylor Fritz will take on either compatriot Ben Shelton or Italian Fabio Fognini as he begins his title defence at Indian Wells this week, with top-ranked Iga Swiatek facing a potential third-round showdown with 2019 champ Bianca Andreescu. Fritz battled through excruciating pain to end Rafa Nadal’s 20-match winning run and claim his first Masters 1000 championship last year and will hope for another story-book finish after the main draw was announced yesterday. Facing a depleted men’s field, Fritz could run into Denmark’s Holger Rune in the quarterfinal. Seventh-seed Rune also won his first masters title last year when he outlasted 22-times major winner Novak Djokovic in Paris. Red-hot Daniil Medvedev, who collected his third straight title in Dubai this month, is on a collision course to meet third-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final eight, while Spain’s top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz could face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarters. World No. 1 Djokovic withdrew from the tournament on Sunday and Nadal, who aggravated a hip problem in his second-round loss at the Australian Open and has not played since, also pulled out. On the women’s side, Swiatek looks as though she could have little trouble collecting a second straight title in the southern California desert after cruising to victory a year ago amid a blockbuster unbeaten streak. She could meet WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals after beginning her campaign against either American Claire Liu or Belgian Alison van Uytvanck, with Canadian Andreescu also enjoying the first-round bye. Fresh off her maiden Grand Slam win in Australia, second seed Aryna Sabalenka will face either Alize Cornet or Evgeniya Rodina to begin the tournament. She has the chance to exact a little bit of revenge against potential fourth-round foe Barbora Krejcikova, after the 2021 French Open winner ended her 13-match winning streak in Dubai last month. – Reuters Fritz, Swiatek headline Indian Wells █ PHILIP DUNCAN Rosberg slams Arrows NICO ROSBERG insists Mercedes’ car concept is “in a river” as the team revealed they are set to change course just one race into the new Formula 1 season. Rosberg – who won his World Championship in 2016 with Mercedes before retiring – has concerns about how quickly Mercedes can reverse their fortunes in an era of cost-cap. “Toto Wolff said that this concept won’t go any further – that’s a big statement,” Rosberg told Sky F1. “The problem is you can’t just put new sidepods on it and then it works. The whole car is in a river. The whole car has to change. They were 50 seconds behind Verstappen. That would otherwise have been 60 seconds, one second per lap. That’s hard. They have to find the miracle weapon and make great progress quickly, but they don’t really understand it themselves and that’s the difficult part.” Buttler has no regrets ENGLAND failed to seal a series clean-sweep after losing to Bangladesh in the final one-day international but captain Jos Buttler said the match offered him a chance to experiment with players ahead of their World Cup defence later this year. England lost to Bangladesh by 50 runs in the third ODI in Chattogram on Monday after they won the first match by three wickets and the second game by 132 runs, with both contests played in Mirpur. Buttler made changes in the team for the last match as 18-year-old leg spinner Rehan Ahmed made his white-ball debut and picked up a wicket, while Sam Curran was promoted in the batting order, coming in at No. 5 as he scored 23 runs from 49 balls. “We changed a few things and gave an opportunity to people in different ways, but I thought the intensity was still there,” Buttler told reporters. “This is the last ODI we play now until September… so, especially in these conditions, it felt like a great chance to gather as much information as we can, and expose people to different situations. If we lost the game, then so be it.” BRIEFS Hamilton. – AFPPIX
22 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 SPORTS 5606/2023 07/03/2023 (TUE) 4313 1901 9172 9302 3501 3753 6723 3711 8449 4093 7769 6735 1604 3697 9145 6247 0202 4688 4493 1417 7031 6117 7114 15,004,033.25 4313 4313 4313 9172 9172 1901 9172 9172 1901 1901 4313 1901 379,623.91 4313 1901 9172 SNAKE 16109 67438 7438 438 65452 3 8 4 3 225643 25643 5643 643 22564 2256 225 2 2 4,200,981.26 2,482,644.42 3329 37 40 44 48 424,678.87 139 21 42 49 53 1 8 28 32 44 48 11,990,248.44 47 825 393 + GOAT 164 827 + DOG 872 199 + GOAT Draw Date: 07/03/23 (Tue) Draw No: 5553/23 Venue: PERAK TURF CLUB 5393 4827 2199 4910 + 2750 7729 + 0632 9643 + 5527 9787 + 0545 7933 + 8549 7648 + 3329 7590 + 2853 0330 + 1933 8003 + 9490 3386 + 0623 RM8,919,760.40 5393 + 4827 4827 + 5393 5393 + 2199 2199 + 5393 4827 + 2199 2199 + 4827 RM227,555.00 RM2,266,002.90 RM1,141,666.60 RM2,134,641.00 084 910 552 750 327 729 630 632 299 643 525 527 869 787 750 545 887 933 128 549 367 648 813 329 167 590 562 853 930 330 561 933 948 003 769 490 963 386 990 623 393 827 199 RM1,006,473.40 393 + 827 + 199 827 + 199 + 393 393 + 199 + 827 199 + 393 + 827 827 + 393 + 199 199 + 827 + 393 1+3DJ Anniversary Special (6 Mar–9 Apr 23). Let’s celebrate! Mbappe on a mission Record-breaking forward determined to beat Bayern KYLIAN MBAPPE heads to Munich fresh from a record-breaking weekend with Paris Saint-Germain and determined to lead the French giants past Bayern and into the quarterfinals of the Champions League. PSG trail 1-0 from the first leg of the heavyweight last-16 tie, after injury reduced Mbappe to a cameo off the bench in that match last month. Yet the 24-year-old France superstar did enough in his short time on the pitch then – including having a goal disallowed for a marginal offside – to make it clear that he can swing the tie the Parisians’ way. Since that game, the Ligue 1 leaders have recovered from a worrying slump in form to claim three straight domestic wins, scoring 11 goals in the process. Mbappe has netted five of them, including one in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Nantes that saw him overtake Edinson Cavani and become PSG’s all-time top scorer, five and a half years after signing from Monaco in 2017. The player who in December became the first to score a hattrick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966, boasts the remarkable record of 201 goals from 247 games in a PSG shirt. “Every player plays to leave a mark and so that his name goes down in football history, to not be forgotten. I think with this record that people will remember me here,” Mbappe said after being awarded a trophy by PSG in a lavish on-field presentation before an adoring crowd. Mbappe has 30 goals in 30 games for his club this season and has a strong claim to be the best player in the world right now, even if Lionel Messi recently won the best FIFA men’s player award. Messi, with 18 goals himself for PSG this season, is mainly there to serve Mbappe in Christophe Galtier’s side. Going out of the Champions League in the first knockout round for what would be the fifth time in seven seasons really would matter for PSG and their Qatari owners, however. They lost to Bayern in Lisbon in their only appearance to date in the final, in 2020, but one of the defining performances of Mbappe’s time with PSG so far came in Munich the following year. It was a snowy night in April 2021 when Mbappe netted twice in a 3-2 quarterfinal firstleg win over Bayern in an empty Allianz Arena. He opened the scoring as Paris went 2-0 up. Bayern pulled themselves back level only for Mbappe to score a superb winner, shaping to curl one towards the far corner only to smash his shot past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer at his near post. “My mind is already on Wednesday’s (Thurs 4am Malaysian time) match. We are going to Munich with the clear aim of qualifying,” Mbappe said, before playing down suggestions a PSG exit would precipitate his departure from the club. “I don’t think this match will have an impact. If I linked my future to the Champions League, without wishing to show a lack of respect to the club, I would have left a long time ago. “I am here and I am very happy to be here. I am not thinking about anything other than making PSG successful.” – AFP UEFA Champions League 2022-23 LAST 16, 2ND LEG – MAR 9 CL form W D L Form Goals for / against Passes Corners Possession 19 / 2 16 / 8 BAYERN v PSG Allianz Arena First leg result: 1-0 Head-to-head Won 6 Drawn 0 Won 6 7 4 537 5 55% 17 Total shots / Shots on target 444 4 45% 9 First leg statistics Sources: UEFA, Gracenote Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Lionel Messi Champions League Last 16: Most goals 17 16 14 25 Messi Ronaldo Lewandowski Benzema Müller Barcelona / PSG Man Utd / Real / Juventus Dortmund / Bayern Lyon / Real Bayern 29 SERIE A top goal-scorer Victor Osimhen said yesterday he dreams of playing in the English Premier League. The Nigerian striker, who was in Rome to collect the award for foreign athlete of the year in Italy from the foreign press association, said he wanted to deliver a league title to Napoli fans but was also looking further ahead. “A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and strongest league,” said the 24-year-old. “I’m in one the best league of the world, which is the Italian Serie A. “Of course I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in Premier League someday, but it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum.” Osimhen joined Napoli in 2020 from Lille. He has 19 league goals this season as Napoli have built a 15-point lead as they chase a first title since the days of Diego Maradona. Argentina legend Maradona led the club to their only two titles in 1987 and 1990. “When you talk about Napoli, the first player who comes in the mind of the fans is Maradona. Even if we can win the Scudetto, we can not compare with what Maradona has done for this club, he’s more than a legend,” Osimhen said. “We’ve been doing quite well this season, but I don’t consider myself as an icon, until we achieve the objective.” – Reuters Napoli’s Osimhen targets EPL Neymar ruled out for rest of season PARIS ST GERMAIN forward Neymar is to undergo surgery to repair ankle ligaments, which will keep the Brazilian out for the rest of the season, the Ligue 1 club said yesterday. Neymar, who has 13 goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1 this season, has not played since a 4-3 win over Lille last month, missing PSG’s last two games. “Neymar Jr has had several episodes of instability in his right ankle in recent years,” PSG said in a statement. “Following his last sprain contracted on Feb 20, the medical staff… recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a major risk of recurrence. All the experts consulted have confirmed this necessity. “A delay of three to four months is expected before his return to training.” The club’s coach, Christophe Galtier, said Neymar’s absence would be a big loss. “He is one of the top scorers and assist providers in Ligue 1, so he is a big loss,” Galtier told reporters. “Without Neymar, we may have two midfielders and three attackers or three midfielders and two attackers. There are players who can get in behind from all sorts of different positions.” Neymar tweeted he would not be discouraged by his latest injury. “I’ll come back stronger,” he wrote with a praying hands emoji. – Reuters
23 * SPORTS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | MARCH 8, 2023 DEFENDER Virgil van Dijk is excited by how Liverpool FC’s new-look forward line has already provided a glimpse of the future. It may only be one game but three Liverpool players (Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah) scoring at least two apiece against United for the first time since 1908 was not the most significant feature of a remarkable evening at Anfield. With Roberto Firmino, the other goalscorer, announcing his decision to leave in the summer when his contract ends, only Salah remains from the famed frontline which terrorised defences across Europe for several seasons. However, the rebuild is already well under way with Nunez starting to make the left-sided role previously owned by the now-departed Sadio Mane his own with 14 goals this term. Gakpo, who had been a United target only for Liverpool to swoop in, has had less time to adapt but has now scored in three of his last four starts and looks set to assume Firmino’s central position. “Very clinical. I think a lot of those goals were world class in my opinion,” Van Dijk said. “The first one, I think the whole build-up towards it was outstanding. Obviously (Gakpo) cutting in to his right foot, a quality finish. “Obviously it’s been a difficult time to come in to any club, I think, in the winter for any player but he’s settling in very well. It’s a very difficult position to play. “Obviously he learns from one of the best, I think, each and every day with Bobby Firmino. He has to keep going, keep the confidence, keep the belief and stick together. “I think he will be fine for this club and I mentioned it already before but he’s a fantastic player. Darwin is causing chaos all the time with his speed, his passion and also with the quality. “Mo showed why he is so important for this football club definitely,” said Van Dijk. “(He has been) very influential with everything that’s been going on in a positive way over the last couple of years and hopefully he can keep that going. “For him to be the all-time Premier League top scorer for Liverpool is something no one should take for granted. “He definitely shouldn’t and I won’t. He should also not just brush it off because it’s something special.” – The Independent 842/23 07/03/2023 4573 3616 9923 4503 9941 1289 9218 0155 7959 4220 8519 1293 4334 3674 1582 5241 2926 5341 4088 5948 3035 4213 8464 RM10,790,917.38 RM122,252.13 4573 + 3616 3616 + 4573 9923 + 4573 4573 + 9923 3616 + 9923 9923 + 3616 5 10 16 19 20 22 23 29 2 25 RM8,146,273.41 RM168,066.31 7 3 1 6 2 3 7 3 1 6 2 3 1 6 2 3 7 3 1 6 1 6 2 3 7 3 1 6 2 3 7 3 2 3 1 6 0 5 ‘Completely unacceptable’ LUKE SHAW apologised for a “completely unacceptable”, “embarrassing” and “disgraceful” 7-0 loss at Liverpool that he says cannot be allowed to derail Manchester United’s season. A week on from winning the Carabao Cup and ending a six-year wait for silverware, the Old Trafford giants headed to Merseyside with confidence and background talk of a potential quadruple. But those faint Premier League title hopes went up in smoke in a 7-0 Anfield annihilation on Monday, when United unravelled in a loss that matched their heaviest ever defeat. “Unacceptable, embarrassing, to be honest,” the England international said. “I think out there on the pitch I felt embarrassed for us players, for the fans that were there supporting us, that were watching at home, to watch that second half. “I can only apologise for that and us as players have to own it, we have to stand up and accept that it was nowhere near good enough. “It was completely unacceptable and I’m sure they’re hurting but us as players are hurting a lot. “I think our standards have clearly dropped since we’ve won that trophy and in the last couple of games we haven’t been our normal selves. “We need to find the good things we were doing before and bring them back because this hurts a lot. “It’s really unacceptable what we did in that second half with mistakes. We showed no personality, no mentality and for a big team to come here we need to be better.” United had the better chances in the first half, only to be caught cold by Cody Gakpo just before halftime. By the final whistle, the January signing, Darwin Nunez, and Mohamed Salah had two goals apiece, with substitute Roberto Firmino completing the seven-goal shellacking. “It showed in the first half that if you switch off for one moment then you get punished,” Shaw told MUTV. “I think in the second half we switched off for the whole half and not just moments. “Like I said, it was embarrassing, disgraceful and it’s not acceptable what that second half was.” Ten Hag says the team now need to press “reset” and refocus on making this a successful end to the campaign, with Europa League and FA Cup success still within their grasp. “We need a big debrief on what went wrong,” Shaw said. “I can only say on behalf of the team that we know it’s unacceptable and we know starting now we need to make amends, starting with the game on Thursday (Friday 4am Malaysian time against Real Betis in the Europa League). “Hopefully they’ll be there to support us. We’ll give everything in that game. “We need to realise that (it won’t define our campaign). That’s why we’re having a big debrief about the game, what went wrong. “We need to keep the belief, keep the character and bring back that personality and mentality that we know we have, but we lost today. “I think we can’t let this one result derail our whole season because I think we’re in a really good place. “It’s another hurdle that we need to go over and us as a team we’ll climb over that and I think we’ll bounce back positively on Thursday night. I’m sure of that.” – The Independent █ SIMON PEACH █ CARL MARKHAM ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Brentford 3 (Pinnock 6, Toney 53-pen, Jensen 85) Fulham 2 (Solomon 39, Vinicius 90+9). P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 26 20 3 3 59 25 63 Man City 26 18 4 4 66 25 58 Man Utd 25 15 4 6 41 35 49 Tottenham 26 14 3 9 46 36 45 Liverpool 25 12 6 7 47 28 42 Newcastle 24 10 11 3 35 17 41 Fulham 26 11 6 9 38 34 39 Brighton 23 11 5 7 43 29 38 Brentford 24 9 11 4 40 32 38 Chelsea 25 9 7 9 24 25 34 Aston Villa 25 10 4 11 31 38 34 Crystal Palace 25 6 9 10 21 32 27 Wolves 26 7 6 13 19 35 27 Nottm Forest 25 6 8 11 20 44 26 Leicester 25 7 3 15 36 43 24 West Ham 25 6 5 14 23 33 23 Leeds 25 5 7 13 29 40 22 Everton 26 5 7 14 19 38 22 Southampton 25 6 3 16 20 41 21 Bournemouth 25 5 6 14 24 51 21 LA LIGA:Osasuna 0 Celta Vigo 0. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 24 20 2 2 46 8 62 Real Madrid 24 16 5 3 47 18 53 Atletico 24 13 6 5 38 19 45 Real Sociedad 24 13 5 6 32 23 44 Real Betis 24 12 5 7 32 25 41 SERIE A: Sassuolo 3 Cremonese 2, Torino 1 Bologna 0. RESULTS & STANDINGS Shaw apologises for ‘disgraceful’ defeat at Liverpool Van Dijk excited by Liverpool’s attacking options BRENTFORD boss Thomas Frank saluted “unique” Ivan Toney after the striker’s latest dazzling display. Toney was on target again as Brentford boosted their bid for Europe by winning a feisty west London derby 3-2 against Fulham. The striker took his tally for the season to 16 with another penalty to help sink the Bees’ local rivals. Unfortunately for Brentford and Toney, should they succeed in their unlikely quest to reach the Europa League, they may have to enter it without their talisman. Toney is facing the prospect of a lengthy ban after being charged with a total of 262 alleged breaches of the Football Association’s gambling laws dating back to 2017. But as he promised this week in a social media post questioning the confidentiality of the FA’s investigation, Toney is concentrating on his football. As well as another successful penalty, Toney hit the crossbar from a freekick, tried an outrageous shot from the halfway line which dropped just over the top and almost pulled off an audacious pass with his backside. “I think it tells a lot about his ability to have laser focus,” said Frank. “It’s not a coincidence. His ability to focus is quite unique. He never switches off. “If there’s something going on outside the pitch he is still focused.” It was sweet revenge for the Bees after they lost by the same scoreline to a lastminute Aleksandar Mitrovic goal at Craven Cottage in August. Frank added: “Of course it’s special. I said to the players that this is for us the biggest derby. “It’s more special against Fulham, in recent years we’ve had lots of interesting games, so of course it means something extra.” Fulham remain in the European hunt themselves but boss Marco Silva said: “We were sloppy the way we started the first half and the second half. We showed a reaction to equalise but when they are winning they put nine players around their box. It’s not easy.” – The Independent █ ANDY SIMS Bees boss Frank salutes ‘unique’ Toney Darwin Nunez
theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7783 7435 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: [email protected] • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: [email protected] Unacceptable, embarrassing, to be honest. I think out there on the pitch I felt embarrassed for us players, for the fans that were there supporting us, that were watching at home, to watch that second half. I can only apologise for that and us as players have to own it.” Manchester United defender Luke Shaw QUOTE OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY • MARCH 8, 2023 Conte returns as stuttering Spurs look to overturn deficit against Milan ANTONIO CONTE’S uncertain future threatens to ruin Tottenham’s spluttering season as the Italian returns to the bench for tomorrow’s (4am Malaysian time) decisive Champions League showdown against AC Milan. Conte is set to be back in charge of Tottenham after missing the last four games as he recovered from gallbladder surgery. Watching on television back home in Italy while remaining in contact with his assistant Cristian Stellini, Conte saw Tottenham endure a choppy period that encapsulated the club’s inconsistent form throughout his reign. A pair of 2-0 wins against West Ham and Chelsea suggested Tottenham were on course to clinch a top four place in the Premier League with a flourish. But that optimism was punctured by a dismal 1-0 loss at second tier Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round and another drab League defeat by the same score at Wolves at the weekend. Conte has walked back into Tottenham’s plush training complex this week to find a club not exactly in crisis – they still sit fourth in the Premier League for now – but once again drifting seemingly without direction towards an anti-climactic end to the season. The north Londoners haven’t won a major trophy since 2008 and even a manager of Conte’s pedigree has been unable to break the drought. While Jurgen Klopp memorably referred to his Liverpool players as “mentality monsters” during the peak of their success under the German, Tottenham’s often limp response to pressure has made them look more like “mentality midgets”. Conte has portrayed Tottenham’s problems as beyond his control, subtlely hinting at frustration with the transfer policy of chairman Daniel Levy without completely condemning him in public. But the 53-year-old is taking his share of the blame from Tottenham fans, who have grown tired of his conservative tactics and questionable substitutions. Stellini’s run of three successive wins prior to the FA Cup defeat made some Tottenham devotees wonder what the future would look like without Conte. The former title winner at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus has yet to sign an extension to a contract that expires at the end of this season and would surely be in demand from Serie A clubs if he was available. Even if Tottenham finish in the top four to guarantee a return to the Champions League, it would be little surprise if Conte and Levy decided a parting of the ways was the only option in May. Against that troubled backdrop, Tottenham host Milan in the last 16 second leg looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first meeting at the San Siro. Tottenham need Conte to lift their spirits ahead of a defining night in their season. Crashing out against a mediocre Milan would be another sign of Tottenham’s malaise, but victory could serve as the springboard for a more uplifting finale. Tottenham defender Ben Davies acknowledged the significance of Conte being present for the Milan clash. “It’s been a while now but we have a huge game on Wednesday and it is very important he is with us,” he said. Conte has cut a disgruntled figure on the touchline this season, but Stellini echoed Davies’s hope that Tottenham can be revived by their manager’s return. “Antonio will be a massive boost for us until the end of the season,” Stellini said. “It is important that Antonio is back. The team show to Antonio it is alive. They want to win, they want to dominate the game.” Tottenham defender Ben Davies shared the dressing room’s relief to have Conte back. “It’s been a while now, but we have a huge game (on) Wednesday, and it is very important he is with us,” Davies said. “It’s obviously very strange, but we’ve been in very capable hands with Cristian (Stellini). “The manager wasn’t too far away. He’s been there as a point of contact. It will be good to have him back.” – AFP/Agencies Klopp’s new plan Liverpool attack gives first real hint of exciting next era I F Jurgen Klopp naturally admitted he couldn’t quite see that coming, he did insist there were signs that things were coming together behind the scenes. This, the Liverpool manager stated, was one of the biggest differences from a month ago. His side have gone from Brighton seemingly being able to score at will against them to being able to score whenever they wanted against Manchester United due to other numbers. That was the extent of the players they had in full training, where Klopp described the level as “outstanding”. It is the first time they have had that all campaign. The German pointed to how even the availability of Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino had an energising effect, all of these elements adding up to something much greater – and the biggest win the club have ever enjoyed over their greatest rivals. “We know we can play good football and better than we show at times this season but there are reasons why we did not,” Klopp explained. “The main difference is we have now pretty much all the players available, which is helpful. “You saw the other night having Diogo is super helpful and now Bobby, you saw the reception he got. In the last line, we have options again. “We have for the first time this season four or five players not in the squad who are training outstanding. Before that, we had nine to 10 players injured and that is not helpful, when you are not on a good run. “We started this season and never could get out of it. Really special night tonight but we have to keep going.” This was something Klopp kept stressing. It is also worth bearing in mind over the scale of the performance, and how significant it is as regards what next. It was as if the full commitment of the group in training at last translated into a display of striking completeness, with that further compounded by other factors. Klopp did say it was a “freak result” as well as a top performance, and this was down to a number of unique elements. It was first of all a meeting between a side who had overexerted themselves in recent weeks and one who had underperformed for a long time, with both coming together for a bit of a balancing out. The scales were further tilted since United last week had the emotional satiation of a first trophy in six years, bookended by two demanding second-half displays against Barcelona and West Ham United. They were running out of steam, while Liverpool were just picking up pace. Unlike United on the back of so many wins, Klopp’s side had a point to prove. Once they started to make that point in pretty vigorous terms, too, it was like Erik ten Hag’s side were afflicted by recent memories of results against Liverpool. It all caved in, as Liverpool piled on. It was a release Klopp’s side haven’t enjoyed for some time. Liverpool still have issues but the real significance of this was the psychology, and also the signs. It was most noticeable in attack, which for the first time suggested a new era beyond the old trident. Cody Gakpo was exceptional, the elegance of his movement and finishing so gloriously dovetailing with Mo Salah’s running. In the middle, far from being a force of chaos, Darwin Nunez’s strength complemented all of this. It was like you could see the logic of it all for the first time. That isn’t to say all solutions have been found. The midfield is still a work in progress but was more important here was the progress up the pitch – as well as the evolution in the team. Liverpool’s immediate future is suddenly that bit more interesting, and maybe yet seasondefining. They have that return against Real Madrid in next week, needing at least three goals but suddenly looking like they can score any number. – The Independent █ MIGUEL DELANEY UEFA Champions League 2022-23 LAST 16, 2ND LEG – MAR 9 CL form W D L Form Goals for / against Passes Corners Possession 8 / 7 13 / 7 TOTTENHAM vs AC MILAN Tottenham Hotspur Stadium First leg result: 0-1 Head-to-head Won 2 Drawn 2 Won 1 3 4 369 8 51% 12 Total shots / Shots on target 337 3 49% 9 First leg statistics Sources: UEFA, Gracenote © GRAPHIC NEWS Olivier Giroud Milan MILAN MIGHT: After returning to UEFA Champions League last season, seven-time winners Milan are aiming to clinch first quarterfinal berth since 2012 2022 2014 2013 2012 2011 Group stage Last 16 Last 16 Q-final Last 16 Atletico Madrid ESP Barcelona ESP Barcelona ESP Tottenham ENG 1-5 2-4 1-3 0-1 Picture: Getty Images Milan: Recent Champions League history