TELLING IT AS IT IS ON THURSDAY MARCH 23, 2023 No. 8234 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) www.thesundaily.my An NGO has pledged to provide for Kalliswary’s education, long-term care and all other basic needs until she reaches the age of 18. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN INSIDE The Council of Datuk Dato’ Malaysia was also deeply touched by the family’s plight, and has called for internal donations to be sent in by Saturday. “We had planned to r a i s e R M 5 , 0 0 0 , and have a l m o s t reached our target, with RM4,800 collected for the family within a day. We appealed for the donations in cash and food aid to be handed to our Welfare Committee by Saturday. “We plan to visit the family and deliver our donation as soon as possible, once the RM5,000 target has been reached,” said Datuk Samson Maman, its secretary-general. An individual contributor, Wisdom Sabrina Low, said she was deeply touched upon reading the story of the family’s dire circumstances. “Not many people realised this, but oStory by theSun on terminal cancer patient and her teenage daughter tugs P at heartstrings of Malaysians ETALING JAYA: theSun’s story published yesterday about stage-four cancer victim Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam, 51, who has only a few months to live, and her worries about the future of her only child, 13-year-old Kalliswary Chandrasegaran, has touched the hearts of Malaysians. Donations and commitments have been coming in since yesterday morning, and as of press time, it has reached RM10,300, with a single individual donating RM1,500 to help the family, who live in Kampung Fajar, Ampang. NGOs and individuals across the country are also independently raising funds for the teenager and her mother. The family needs RM1,000 monthly to pay for Vijayaletchumy’s treatment, which includes dressings and pills, and groceries, utility bills and Grab car rides to take her to the hospital and back, which alone costs RM50 each time. █ BY VEISHNAWI NEHRU [email protected] Donations pour in Muslims in Malaysia begin Ramadan fast today Jualan Rahmah initiative for ‘Baju Raya’ 2 page Tuesday was World Single Parents Day. As a single mother myself, I was very moved by the family’s situation. “It is very painful to see another mother facing such dire circumstances and it hurts a lot. I hope others will also donate to the family to ease their burden,” she said. Another individual donor, who declined to be named, said as a father of three children, one of whom is Kalliswary’s age, he was drawn to her plight. “At 13 years of age, Kalliswary is still a child and should not have to be the adult in the family. I feel for her and her situation, which is why I decided to donate,” he said. Meanwhile, NGO Suriana Welfare Society (SWS) told theSun that it has decided to take care of the family’s requirements. Its founder Dr James Nayagam said the NGO was formed in 2011 with the primary goal of promoting and protecting the rights of children in crisis. “SWS is currently pursuing the development of preventive and rehabilitative programmes to address social issues involving disadvantaged children and their families. “We will provide them with accommodation and cover Vijayaletchumy’s medical expenses. We will also provide education, long-term care and all other basic needs for Kalliswary until she reaches 18 years of age.” James said SWS will support Kalliswary’s education even up to university level as it has people ready to sponsor the teenager. “We will also provide her with emotional support and counselling and will comfort her throughout this tragic and traumatic journey that she is experiencing. “We have professional counsellors to help children overcome this type of tragic situations, and we are confident we can assist her to overcome her distress.” It was reported yesterday that Vijayaletchumy has been having chemotherapy since 2011 when it was discovered that she had breast cancer. However, the disease has since spread to her neck, nerves and lungs. She currently receives treatment at a government hospital close to her home. But her ailment aside, she said she is more concerned about her daughter. “I am worried about what will happen to Kalliswary once I am gone. We do not have anyone who can take her in, and our financial burden is too much for me to bear. “Our village head has very kindly allowed us to live in this house for free for the last three years since learning I developed cancer. The house belongs to him.” Those who are keen to help and contribute to the family can contact theSun journalist Veishnawi Nehru at 018-315 4019.
2 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS ‘Baju Raya’ at discounted price via Rahmah initiative PETALING JAYA: In a move to help lower-income families have an enjoyable and funfilled Hari Raya, Mydin is selling baju raya at a discount as part of the Jualan Rahmah project, which is being promoted by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry. Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin said it is selling baju raya for men, women and children at RM30 each. He added that the outfits were previously priced between RM79 and RM89. He said seven outlets under the Mydin group are taking part in the programme. “We have set aside 10,000 sets of baju raya, and once they are sold the programme comes to an end. “This is part of the Mydin group’s corporate social responsibility. “We also want to help lowerincome families, as many of them oSeven Mydin stores offering festive wear for men, women and children at RM30 each █ BYRAJVINDER SINGH [email protected] are going through hard times and every bit of money they can save can go towards having a more enjoyable Hari Raya.” Ameer said there has been very good demand for baju raya as the selling price is very reasonable. “It will not be easy for suppliers to reduce their prices as they too need to make a profit, and many of them are only now recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, this is our initiative.” Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said he would raise in the Cabinet his proposal to compensate billionaires who help pay for “affordable hypermarkets” catering to low-income earners. Salahuddin, who previously floated the idea while debating Budget 2023, said the concept is still in its infancy and must be further developed. He had suggested giving billionaires tax breaks in their other businesses as one option for their support for the proposed affordable hypermarkets initiative. He added that he wanted to discuss this with his ministry’s officers and relevant stakeholders, and if everyone agreed, he would bring it to the Cabinet for consideration. Salahuddin said the idea is that affordable hypermarkets would offer basic goods and essentials at up to 30% less than typical market prices, adding that the move is specifically to cater to the lowincome population. He said the main point is to provide options to consumers. Ameer said he did not have enough information about affordable hypermarkets to comment on the initiative. He said Mydin hypermarket’s main target group is low-income families, and items at their outlets are priced reasonably and within the reach of B40 families. “Previously, there used to be programmes organised by Mydin and MPs in specific stores to help the public buy essential items such as rice, sugar and flour, among others. “For example, a bag of 5kg rice might be set at RM12 but it was sold at Mydin stores for RM10. The RM2 difference was subsidised by the MPs through allocations they obtained from the government. This went a long way in helping B40 families.” Ameer said any initiative that helped to ease the burden of B40 families at a time when the cost of living keeps going up must be welcomed and promoted. Jualan Rahmah is another of the ministry’s initiatives to offer basic essential goods at a discounted price. Current participants of the initiative include Mydin, Speedmart 99, KK Mart and Aeon Big. PM on three-day offical visit to Saudi Arabia JEDDAH: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived here to begin a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, his first outside of Asean since being appointed the 10th prime minister of Malaysia on Nov 24 last year. The special aircraft carrying Anwar landed at the royal pavilion Anwar and Wan Azizah performing the umrah in Mekah yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC Keep school canteens open during fasting month: Minister KUALA LUMPUR: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek advised school canteen operators to continue operating throughout the month of Ramadan even if a school has less than 10% non-Muslim students. She said this is because not all Muslim children are required to fast especially at an early age while there is also a need to respect non-Muslims during Ramadan. “This is the Madani government, an inclusive government, where both sides respect each other. Those who fast must be polite to those who are not fasting, and those who are not fasting must learn to respect those who are fasting. “So, we don’t want a scenario where students eat at the (school) store or by the side of drains. I don’t want that kind of situation. “Canteens need to continue to be open, and operators need to discuss with their school (managements), because I’m sure there are Muslim children who do not fast at an early age as there is no obligation for them to fast unless they want to because they want to learn to fast.” She was speaking after attending the handing-over ceremony of Yayasan Petronas’ 2023 Back to School Packs at Sekolah Pendidikan Khas Jalan Batu yesterday. Fadhlina said this when asked about the recommendation of Persatuan Pengusaha Kantin Sekolah Malaysia not to open school canteens during the month of Ramadan if a school has less than 10% non-Muslim students. Media reports on Tuesday had quoted the association secretarygeneral Siti Normah Md Desa as saying that the Education Ministry should leave the decision whether to open school canteens to school administrations and canteen operators according to the needs of students, Bernama reported. She said if school canteens remain open, operators have to bear the operating costs which cannot be covered by the sales volume. Attempted suicide to be decriminalised KUALA LUMPUR: The government is finalising several policies and Bills in an effort to decriminalise attempted suicide, the Dewan Rakyat was told. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Ramkarpal Singh said a study was conducted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers pertaining to attempted suicide, which is an offence under Section 309 of the Penal Code, and a proposal to repeal it. He said yesterday the study took into account the approach taken by several countries to assess the justification and implications of its implementation in terms of legislation. “Since December 2022, I have chaired 10 engagement sessions with stakeholders, including government agencies, MPs, state assembly members and the Home Affairs Ministry in Singapore to examine and resolve all arising legal matters in this endeavour. “The next move is a memorandum on this effort that will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval and the Bills will be presented in Parliament for debate and approval,” he said during the questionand-answer session yesterday. He was replying to Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (PH-Bandar Kuching), on the government’s announcement to amend Section 309 of the Penal Code to decriminalise attempted suicide to address the increasing number of cases. Ramkarpal said suicide attempts should be handled as a public health issue and not as a criminal offence since studies showed that individuals suffering from depression have a 20 times greater risk of suicidal behaviour and death due to suicide. He said this is in line with the International Classification of Diseases and the World Health Organisation’s classification of suicide attempts as a disease. – Bernama RM129,000 aid for mosques, surau KUALA LUMPUR: Nine mosques and 42 surau in the Segambut parliamentary constituency yesterday received government contributions totalling RM129,000 for their Ramadan programmes. The contributiions were handed over by Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh to representatives of the mosques and surau, with RM5,000 for each mosque and RM2,000 for each surau. Yeoh, who is Youth and Sports minister, said the contributions were to help them organise programmes in conjunction with Ramadan, which begins today. “This is part of the federal government’s allocation for MPs to organise programmes but I am focusing on programmes in mosques and surau. We have topped up to ensure they get additional financial aid for the Ramadan celebration. “We make sure that this year the money reaches them before the start of Ramadan so that they (mosques and surau) can plan how to use these funds,” she said at the aid presentation ceremony at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Segambut branch office. – Bernama of King Abdulaziz Airport at 6.40am local time yesterday (11.40am in Malaysia). Anwar is accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir and Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil. On arrival, he was received by Jeddah governor Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi Al Saud at an official welcoming ceremony involving a static parade. Anwar and his delegation are scheduled to receive a courtesy call from Organisation of Islamic Cooperation secretary-general Hissein Brahim Taha and Muslim World League secretary-general Sheikh Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa. He is also scheduled to have an audience with the King of Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who is also the prime minister, at the Al Salam Palace. In 2022, Saudi Arabia was Malaysia’s largest trading partner, third biggest export destination and biggest import source in West Asia, with two-way trade totalling RM45.52 billion, a 159.2% increase over the previous year’s figure. Of this amount, exports to Saudi Arabia rose by 43.8% to RM7.28 billion while imports from that country increased by 205.8% to RM38.24 billion. – Bernama
3 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 PETALING JAYA: Sixteen Malaysians will be competing against participants from 25 countries in an international competition of skills and talents for people with different abilities. Abilympics, or “ability Olympics”, will see the challengers compete once every four years in an array of skills from welding to cooking, painting, data processing and even assembling computers. Abilympics Malaysia Committee chairman Datin Paduka Khatijah Sulaiman said the 10th International Abilympics will be held at Metz Eurometropole in France for two days from today until March 25. “In total, there will be 45 skills that will be contested, but Malaysian Abilympians will participate in just 14 events,” she said, adding that 31 delegates comprising contestants, officials and interpreters (language and sign language) departed from the KL International Airport on Sunday. “In a matter of a few days, our Abilympians will represent our country in the international competition of vocational skills for persons with different abilities. The competition is significant for the Abilympians as the event has been postponed numerous times due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. We are glad to finally participate in the long-awaited competition.” One of the 10 contestants Wan Muhammad Hafizunif Wan Roslan, 25, who has a hearing disability, is currently a baker at Felda Airmata in Padang Besar, Perlis. He will be participating in a cake decorating competition with the theme following the movie Avatar. Wan Muhammad Hafizunif said, “I aim to win gold and run my bakery.” Another hearing-impaired contestant, Rosemary Yvonne Marcus, 41, who is currently a full-time artist based in Telupid, Sabah, will participate in the painting and waste reuse competition. Under this category, each contestant must design creative objects, whether functional or aesthetic, using waste materials according to a given theme, with the tools and waste provided by organisers. “I want to become (and be known as) a great artist. I aspire to be an inspiration to people by proving that disability is not a limitation,” she said. The International Abilympics’ main role is to promote the participation of differentlyabled individuals in the skills competition at international level. Its name was borne out of an idea of organising a competition to promote the professional expertise of this group. The International Abilympics Federation is made up of more than 40 member countries. Malaysia participated in the previous five International Abilympics in Australia (1995), India (2003), Japan (2007), South Korea (2011) and France (2016). Since its first participation in 1995, Malaysia has won two golds (in studio photography and silk hand painting), two silvers (in painting and chess), seven bronzes (in silk hand painting twice, creating web pages, painting, wood carving, car driving and motor mechanics), and four special awards (in English word processing twice, kite-making and painting). 7,000 health staff quit in last four years KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 6,036 medical officers and 890 specialist doctors at the Health Ministry resigned from service between 2018 and 2022, the Dewan Rakyat was told yesterday. Deputy Health Minister Senator Lukanisman Awang Sauni said a total of 1,651 pharmacy officers at the ministry also quit their job during the same period. He said reasons for their resignation, among others, include joining the private sector and statutory bodies, personal reasons, accepting offers to become lecturers in public and private educational institutions, furthering their studies, health problems, migrating abroad and opening their own clinic or pharmacy. “The ministry is also aware that their resignation is also due to the atmosphere or work environment at the ministry. I see this issue as universal, we cannot prevent them from migrating for better income and a more conducive work environment,” he said in response to a question from Senator Md Nasir Hashim, who wanted the know the reasons for medical doctors and pharmacists quitting their jobs at government hospitals. However, he added that there were also cases where the medical officers resigned because they felt bullied while on duty, as well as due to work pressure. “In such cases, we are prepared to help them and the ministry is also looking for solutions to address the bullying incidents.” – Bernama Malaysian delegation in France for ‘Abilympics’ oParticipants from 25 countries compete at event in test of skills that include welding, cooking and painting Measures to address congestion at immigration complex ISKANDAR PUTERI: The federal government has been actively implementing several efforts to address the issue of congestion at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building through various efforts, including adding the M-Bike and e-gate (electronic gate) lanes. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said apart from that, the federal government has also implemented the merger of counters for car lanes, thus expediting the process of checking passports and others. “In terms of congestion at the CIQ, we are all aware that this is not new and has been around for decades. “However, this does not hamper the determination of the state and federal governments to work together (in) ensuring that this issue can be resolved as soon as possible,” he said in an oral question and answer session at the Johor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar yesterday. Onn Hafiz (BN-Machap) said by expanding the use of the e-gate system, for example, Singaporeans as well as Malaysians are now using it. As for the additional M-Bike (secured automated clearance system for Malaysian citizen motorcyclists) lanes, he said there will be an additional 25 lanes to the existing 50 lanes. “The Immigration Department is finetuning the additional M-Bike lanes so that this matter can be implemented as soon as possible. In terms of the merging of counters, for example, at the Johor Causeway, we are preparing four zones. “Currently, motorists have to stop twice to clear the passport and Touch ’n Go. After this, motorists will only have to make one stop. That is one of the things being implemented by the federal government.” Onn Hafiz said this in his reply to a question from Andrew Chen Kah Eng (PH-Stulang) who wanted to know about the government’s efforts in dealing with the Johor Causeway congestion, especially in efforts to attract investment into the state. Earlier, Chen brought up a complaint posted by Singaporean singer Wang Lei, who expressed his dissatisfaction on Facebook Live for being one of the people stranded at the Johor Causeway when entering Johor, which allegedly took more than three hours. Wang, who expressed his complaint in Mandarin, also said this was not new but something that he and people commuting back and forth between Singapore and Johor Bahru have been facing for decades. – Bernama Personal tithe in Perlis remains at RM7 KANGAR: The zakat fitrah (personal tithe) in Perlis this year remains at the rate of RM7 per person, said the state Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council. The council said the rate was approved by the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail in line with the decision of the Perlis Fatwa Committee Meeting based on the price of rice commonly used by the community. The Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail launched the tithe rate at the 504 Regiment of the Territorial Army in Bukit Keteri Camp, the council said in a statement. “In addition to cash payment through council-appointed amil (tithe collectors), Muslims wanting to pay zakat fitrah with rice, can produce one Nabawi bushel for each person, which is equivalent to 2.6kg,” said Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra, who is also council president. In the same statement, its CEO Mohd Nazim Mohd Noor said every Muslim in Perlis is obliged to pay the personal tithe as prescribed for himself, his wife and children, as well as his dependents. “Muslims can pay zakat fitrah through appointed amil statewide or make an online payment via the portal at www.maips.gov.my,” he said. – Bernama █ BYARINA MUSTHAFA [email protected] 29th chief of army appointed KUALA LUMPUR: Jen Datuk Seri Mohammad Ab Rahman has been appointed as the 29th Chief of Army effective yesterday. He succeeds the 28th Army Chief Jen Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain, who starts his leave today before ending his service on Sept 21, after almost 43 years of service. The passing of the baton was witnessed by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan at Wisma Pertahanan yesterday. Earlier, Mohammad, who previously held the rank of lieutenant general, was promoted to general to take over the army’s top leadership. He has served the army for over 35 years after being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Malay Regiment on July 1, 1987. Mohammad has held several important positions, including commanding officer of the 23rd Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, commander of the 2nd Malaysian Infantry Brigade, commander of the 3rd Malaysian Infantry Division, commander of Army Training and commander of Army Western Field. – Bernama Khatijah (centre) with the 16 differently-abled Malaysians who will be competing in France starting today.
4 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS ‘The Strollers’ set to rock again PETALING JAYA: After 50 years, Michael Magness (pic), maestro of the original local pop band, The Strollers, will rejoin fellow founding members in a reunion many thought would never happen. The 80-year-old will perform with drummer Hussein Idris, 73, and bass oThree original members of country’s oldest pop group to perform with new bandmates on April 2 █ BYFRANKIE D’CRUZ [email protected] player Billy Chang, 75, on April 2 in a one-off performance, which will go down in local music history as “one of the least expected, and one that defies the laws of age and time”. Entrance to the threehour event, “Just As We Were”, is free and is on a first-come first-served basis for up to 120 people only due to limited seating at the Hangover PJ restaurant in Dataran 3 Two Square at Jalan 19/1 in Petaling Jaya, from 4pm to 7pm. The show has been put together by a group of Strollers fans in collaboration with online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) to honour the tireless torchbearers of Malaysian pop bands. AirAsia has sponsored the flight ticket for Magness from Sydney while the venue, sound and lights are provided at no cost by Hangover PJ. The unlikely return of Magness to the oldest pop group in Malaysia is seen as a nostalgic celebration of a vintage act that had added a high gloss to the music scene of the 1960s and early 1970s. “Getting back together with The Strollers is a magical moment for me,” Magness told FMT via telephone from his home in Hervey Bay, Brisbane. He quit the band in 1973 to pursue the more lucrative business of advertisement jingles, and later migrated to Australia. On whether he was confident of performing with the others as a band, Magness said: “I’m very excited, but a bit worried at the same time. “I dreamt of this reunion for a long time. I’m longing to do The Strollers hits, and fans can be assured it will be a fantastic show.” The Strollers were the first and only Malaysian band to sign with an international recording label to release English songs. The group released 33 songs, of which 17 were original compositions. The band’s giant single, Do What You Gotta Do, topped the Malaysian charts for eight weeks, while Mid-day Sun, Just As I Am and Silly Joke were among the other smash hits. What is equally amazing is that none of the members of The Strollers then had any formal music training, and every one worked out their own chords and drumbeats, and played each number from memory. The concert will also pay tribute to Australia-based Jimmy D’Oliverio, who is unable to make the reunion due to poor health, and to other The Strollers members who had passed away. Those who have passed on are multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Nand Kumar (1991), guitar sensation Terry Thaddeus (2003), guitarist Amrin Majid (2010), drummer Ramli Yaakob (2019) and lead guitarist Hassan Idris (2021). The band’s first manager Jap Tan died in 2021. The gig will also feature current members of The Strollers, Soon King (guitar/vocals), Rodney Steele (guitar/vocals) and Dave Singh (keyboard/vocals). Guest artistes pop diva Ice and singers A. Radha Krishnan, Vernon Steele, Jason Noah and Colin Jansen will also be performing. – FMT MP to file bid to review graft charges KUALA LUMPUR: Former Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan, 48, will file a representation to the Attorney-General’s Chambers on two graft charges he is facing in relation to the Jana Wibawa project. Lawyer Datuk Rosal Azimin Ahmad, representing Wan Saiful, informed the court of his client’s intentions at the case mention before Sessions Court Judge Rozina Ayob yesterday. DPP Mohd Afif Ali said the prosecution had yesterday submitted documents to the defence in accordance with Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code. “However, some other documents from the bank and from the Companies Commission of Malaysia will be submitted later. Therefore, we are requesting for time to obtain the original documents from the bank.” During the proceedings, Rozina reprimanded the Tasek Gelugor MP for being late. “I hope this is the first and last time, (turning up late to court). After this, please plan your journey,” said the judge. The court then set May 8 for remention. In previous proceedings, Wan Saiful pleaded not guilty to the two charges before Sessions Court Judge Azura Alwi. On the first charge, he is alleged to have solicited a bribe from one Lian Tan Chuan as inducement for him to help a company, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, secure the “Central Spine Road: Sertik to East Coast Expressway Interchange” project, worth RM232 million. Wan Saiful was also charged with receiving RM6,962,694.54, which was transferred from a Maybank Islamic Bhd account owned by Nepturis Sdn Bhd into a CIMB Bank Bhd account owned by his company, WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd, for helping it obtain a letter of acceptance for the project. – Bernama Fuel tanker destroyed in depot fire KUCHING: A fuel tanker was destroyed after fire broke out at a Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry depot on Jalan Ellis here yesterday. The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department operations centre said it dispatched firefighters from the Padungan and Batu Lintang stations after receiving an emergency call at 12.55am. “Upon arrival at the location, they found that the fire had spread over an area measuring 10sq m, destroying a tanker. “Firefighters saved 14 of the 16 vehicles kept at the depot and prevented a 20sq m store from going up in flames.” It said the fire, which was put out at 1.50am, did not affect the main structure of the building, that is used to store seized items like petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas cylinders. – Bernama Power outage causes water supply disruption LABUAN: More than 20 villages and several residential areas here have been severely hit by water cuts since March 20 after a main pump malfunctioned following a power outage. Labuan Water Supply Division head Trinil Indah Puspita said a thorough check by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd found that the electric panel of the main control board at the main pumping station at Pulau Enoe had shorted out. “This unexpected incident is beyond our control and efforts have been made to restore water supply to the affected areas as quickly as possible. “However, the problem with the electrical panel has yet to be resolved. “We expect the issues to be resolved soon and we will start pumping water to the balancing tanks located in several areas on the island,” she said yesterday. Trinil added that consumers in Kiamsam, Pohon Batu and Layangan can expect the water supply to be fully restored in the next two days. She said consumers could contact the division if they needed water. – Bernama Cosmetic products with scheduled poisons banned KUALA LUMPUR: The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency of the Health Ministry has revoked the approval of six cosmetic products after they were found to contain scheduled poisons. Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said four of the products were Flashhskinzz Moist Sunscreen, Serene Treatment Cream, Tempias Hawa Master Recovery Skin Rskin and Karisma Preventing Day Cream, which were found to contain mercury. He said the two other cosmetic products are SL Two Turmeric, which contained mercury and Betamethasone 17-Valerate, and SL Two Bird’s Nest, which contained Hydroquinone, Tretinoin and Betamethasone 17-Valerate. According to Noor Hisham, mercury is prohibited in cosmetic products because it can be harmful to health, causing damage to the kidneys and nervous system and can interfere with the brain development of young children or feotuses. As for products containing Hydroquinone, Tretinoin and Betamethasone 17-Valerate, he said they need to be registered with the Drug Control Authority and can only be used with the advice of health professionals. “The use of products containing these ingredients without supervision can cause unwanted side effects,” he said, adding that Hydroquinone can, among others, cause redness of the skin, discomfort, unwanted skin colour changes, prevent the process of depigmentation and increase the risk of skin cancer. He said unsupervised use of Tretinoin can cause redness, discomfort, soreness, peeling and hypersensitivity to the skin, while Betamethasone 17-Valerate can cause facial skin to become thin and prone to irritation, pimples and changes in pigmentation. It also increases the risk of being absorbed into the circulatory system, which can have harmful effects. Noor Hisham said retailers and dealers of the products should stop selling and distributing them immediately and those caught doing so will be fined up to RM25,000 or imprisonment for three years or both for the first offence, and a fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment for five years or both for subsequent offences, as provided under the Drugs and Cosmetics Control Regulations 1984. “Companies that commit such offences can be fined up to RM50,000 for the first offence and fined up to RM100,000 for subsequent offences,” he said. – Bernama FESTIVE FARE ... Staff at Restaurant Pak Hassan, that is renowned for its bubur lambuk, preparing the Ramadan specialty at its open-air kitchen in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN
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6 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS @thesundaily FOLLOW ON TWITTER SCAN ME Xi and Putin pledge to shape new world order MOSCOW: China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin set their sights on shaping a new world order as the Chinese leader left Moscow yesterday, having made no direct support for Putin’s war in Ukraine during his two-day visit. Xi made a strong show of solidarity with Putin against the West, but he barely mentioned the Ukraine conflict and said on Tuesday that China had an “impartial position”. There was no sign that Xi’s efforts to play the role of peacemaker had yielded results. Yet, as Xi departed he told Putin: “Now there are changes that haven’t happened in 100 years. When we are together, we drive these changes.” “I agree,” Putin said, to which Xi responded: “Take care of yourself dear friend, please.” Commenting on the Xi-Putin meeting, the White House said China’s position was not impartial and urged Beijing to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine’s sovereign territory in order to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. Overnight while Xi was in Moscow, Russian forces launched a “massive air strike”, firing 21 Shahed-136 drones, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said yesterday. As Xi prepared to leave Moscow, air raid sirens blared across the Ukraine capital Kyiv and in Ukraine’s north and east, with reports of drone attacks, but no major destruction. Heralded by the Kremlin as a show of support from its most powerful friend, Xi’s visit to Moscow featured Xi and Putin making a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin. – AFPPIC Uganda passes law making it a crime to identify as gay KAMPALA: Uganda’s Parliament passed a law on Tuesday making it a crime to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ). More than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations. The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as LGBTQ, according to rights group Human Rights Watch. Supporters of the new law said it is needed to punish a broader array of LGBTQ activities, which they said threaten traditional values in the conservative East African nation. In addition to same-sex intercourse, the law bans promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality. Violations under the law draw severe penalties, including death for so-called aggravated homosexuality and life in prison for gay sex. Aggravated homosexuality involves gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law. The legislation will be sent to President Yoweri Museveni to be signed into law. In recent weeks, authorities have cracked down on LGBTQ people. This month, authorities arrested a secondary school teacher in the eastern district of Jinja over accusations of “grooming of young girls into unnatural sex practices”. She was charged with gross indecency and is in prison awaiting trial. The police said on Monday they had arrested six people accused of running a network that was “actively involved in the grooming of young boys into acts of sodomy”. – Reuters TikTok ‘never shared’ US data with Chinese govt: CEO WASHINGTON: TikTok’s chief executive will tell lawmakers the Chinese-owned short video app with more than 150 million American users has never, and would never, share US user data with the Chinese government amid growing national security concerns. “TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, US user data with the Chinese government. Nor would TikTok honour such a request if one were ever made,” CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify today, according to written testimony posted on Tuesday by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. He said TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is not owned or controlled by any government or state entity. “Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew will say to the committee. oTestimony before Congress comes in the face of growing calls for app to be banned 10 soldiers killed in fresh Yemen fighting SANAA: At least 10 soldiers were killed in renewed fighting in Yemen, military sources told AFP, despite diplomatic efforts to halt the long-running war in the Arab world’s poorest country. The clashes took place in oil-producing Marib province, one of the main battlegrounds and the scene of sporadic fighting even during a lull in hostilities over the past year. Iran-backed Huthi rebels attacked a mountainous area and have been engaged in a build-up of forces in the region, two military sources told AFP. “The Huthis launched an attack on hills overlooking Harib district, south of Marib, and made progress on that front, causing the displacement of dozens of families,” one of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “At least 10 soldiers were killed, in addition to an unknown number of attackers.” The details of the clash were confirmed by a second military official. The fighting comes a month after at least four soldiers were killed in the same district, and dents new optimism after Saudi Arabia and Iran, who back opposing sides in what amounts to a proxy war, agreed to restore diplomatic ties. – AFP B R I E F S16 U.S. STATES BACK MEXICO’S APPEAL MEXICO CITY: Sixteen US states and a handful of Caribbean governments on Tuesday expressed support for Mexico’s appeal in a civil lawsuit against US gun manufacturers. The states filed an amicus curiae brief in a US court on Tuesday, while the countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago joined a separate amicus curiae brief. Mexico said last week it had filed an appeal in a US$10 billion lawsuit seeking to hold US gun makers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of deadly weapons across the border. A US judge dismissed the lawsuit in September, citing an American law that protects arms manufactures from being held liable for crimes committed with their products. – Reuters BRAZIL GOVT TO ‘REFLECT SOCIETY’ BRASILIA: At least 30% of appointed positions in Brazil’s federal government must be occupied by black and mixed-race people, according to a decree signed on Tuesday by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The leftist leader, who returned for his third presidential term in January, has vowed to make Brazil’s government reflect “the face of Brazilian society”, where more than half of the population is black or mixed-race. “Racism is at the root of inequality, that’s why it must be fought like a plague on a plantation,” Lula said during an event in the capital Brasilia, where he signed the decree and other measures to advance racial equality in the country of 213 million. – AFP TikTok’s critics fear that its US user data could be passed on to China’s government by the app and prompted growing calls to ban the app by American lawmakers. Last week, TikTok said Joe Biden’s administration demanded that its Chinese owners divest their stake in the app or it could face a US ban. “Bans are only appropriate when there are no alternatives. But we do have an alternative,” Chew will say. TikTok’s testimony before Congress today comes in the face of growing calls for the short video app to be banned across America and serves as one of the Chinese company’s most-detailed rebuttals to the accusations against it. TikTok has said it has spent more than US$1.5 billion on what it calls rigorous data security efforts under the name “Project Texas” and has tried to convince lawmakers and the Biden administration to support the plan. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a powerful national security body, had unanimously recommended in 2020 that ByteDance divest TikTok. Under pressure from then-president Donald Trump, ByteDance in late 2020 unsuccessfully sought to finalise a deal with Walmart and Oracle to shift TikTok’s US assets into a new entity. Trump then lost court battles seeking to ban TikTok. The video app has spent more than two years in talks with CFIUS seeking to reach an agreement on protecting US user data. TikTok has formed a special-purpose subsidiary, TikTok US Data Security, that currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and contracted with Oracle to store TikTok’s American user data. ”Oracle has already begun inspecting TikTok’s source code and will have unprecedented access to the related algorithms and data models,” Chew’s testimony said. He said when the process is complete “all protected US data will be under the protection of US law and under the control of the US-led security team”. “Under this structure, there is no way for the Chinese government to access it or compel access to it.” – AFP carefully staged pomp and ceremony, but the spectacle was also marked by plenty of demonstrative bonhomie between the two leaders. Xi and Putin referred to each other as dear friends, promised economic cooperation and described their countries’ relations as the best they have ever been. “They shared the view that this relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity,” said a statement released by China. Putin said on the Kremlin’s website: “We are working in solidarity on the formation of a more just and democratic multipolar world order, which should be based on the central role of the UN, its Security Council, international law, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.” In a joint statement, the leaders accused the West of undermining global stability and Nato of barging into Asia-Pacific, but asserted the close partnership between China and Russia did not constitute a “military-political alliance.” – Reuters
7 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 ‘Significant human rights issues in India’ oUS govt report points out violence against journalists, internet shutdowns, torture WASHINGTON: The US has urged India to uphold its human rights obligations and commitments as a damning report by the State Department pointed to “significant human rights issues” that have taken place in the past year. The annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Monday. Citing examples of human rights issues in India, the report pointed to “credible reports of unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by police and prison officials”. It mentioned there have been “restrictions on freedom of expression and media, including Marcos: New bases under US pact to be ‘scattered’ around Philippines 13 killed in Afghanistan-Pakistan earthquake KABUL: At least 13 people were killed and more than 90 injured in Pakistan and Afghanistan after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on Tuesday night, government officials said. At least nine people were killed and 44 injured in northwest Pakistan, a government official said, adding hospitals in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were put into a state of emergency overnight. At least four people were killed and 50 injured in Afghanistan, a Health Ministry official there said. Houses and buildings in both countries were also damaged, authorities said. The quake was felt over an area more than 1,000km wide by some 285 million people in Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the sparsely populated northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan, at the considerable depth of 187km, the US Geological Survey said. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, senior provincial official Abdul Basit said in addition to the dead and injured, at least 19 houses were damaged. Afghan Disaster Mitigation Ministry spokesman Shafiullah Rahimi said two people had been killed in the eastern province of Laghman. – Reuters B R I E F S SOUTH KOREA INDICTS OPPOSITION LEADER SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors indicted opposition leader Lee Jae-myung yesterday on corruption charges in a property development scandal dating to his previous stint as a mayor. The Democratic Party chairman faces several charges, including bribery, corruption, breach of trust and conflicts of interests. Prosecutors said Lee colluded with a group of property developers when he was mayor of Seongnam to help them rake in more than 800 billion won (RM2.7 billion) from the project, while inflicting losses of 490 million won on the city. – Reuters NZ CAMPAIGN COMFORTS FORLORN YOUTH WELLINGTON: The New Zealand government yesterday launched a campaign to help young Kiwis through painful break-ups, encouraging them to “own the feels” and block their exes on social media. The “Love Better” campaign offers advice and support about what to do when the romance ends, and will feature in podcasts and on platforms like Instagram. Six in 10 New Zealanders aged 16 to 24 have been through a break-up. The country also has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the developed world. – AFP PLACES OF MEDITATION ... A visitor walking past stupas at the Kakku pagoda complex near Taunggyi township in Myanmar’s southern Shan state. – AFPPIC violence or threats of violence, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and enforcement of or threat to enforce criminal libel laws to limit expression; restrictions on internet freedom; interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association”. “We have and we will continue to strongly urge India to uphold its human rights obligations and commitments,” said Erin Barclay, acting assistant secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour. The report said there is a “lack of accountability for official misconduct” that persists at all levels of government, “contributing to widespread impunity”. India has yet to respond, but has in the past rejected similar reports by the US government. The US report also mentioned restrictions on internet freedom in India. “There were government restrictions on access to the internet, disruptions of access to the internet, and censorship of online content.” It also said the Indian government “occasionally monitored users of digital media such as chat rooms and person-to-person communications”. “The government repeatedly imposed temporary internet shutdowns and blocked telecommunications, including the internet in certain regions, particularly during periods of political unrest.” It listed a lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence in the country, including “domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual violence, workplace violence, child, early, and forced marriage, femicide, and other forms of such violence”. It also said “there were reports the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals and terrorists”. There were allegations, the report mentioned, that “police failed to file required arrest reports for detained persons, resulting in unresolved disappearances”. “There were reports that police beatings of prisoners resulted in custodial deaths”, it said, and “there were reports of abuse in prisons by guards and inmates, as well as reports of rape of detainees by police”. – The Independent MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said yesterday four new military bases under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US would be located in various parts of the Philippines, including in a province facing the South China Sea. Last month, Marcos granted the US access to four sites, on top of five existing locations under the 2014 EDCA, which comes amid China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and towards self-ruled Taiwan. “There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines. There are some in the north, there are some around Palawan, there are some further south,” Marcos told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippine army’s founding anniversary. EDCA allows US access to Philippine bases for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but it is not a permanent presence. The Philippines and the US would announce the base locations soon, Marcos said, adding the sites would boost the country’s ability to defend the “eastern side” of its largest island Luzon. Luzon is the closest main Philippine island to Taiwan. A former Philippine military chief has publicly said the US had asked for access to bases in Isabela, Zambales and Cagayan, all on the island of Luzon, facing north towards Taiwan, and on Palawan in the southwest, near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Some leaders of local governments at the potential EDCA sites have opposed Marcos’ decision, worried they would be dragged into a conflict if one arose between the US and China over Taiwan. But Marcos said his government has discussed with them the importance of the expanded US access and “why it will actually be good for their provinces.” Washington has committed US$80 million worth of infrastructure investments at the five existing sites – the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and Lumbia Air Base in Mindanao. Speaking before Philippine troops, Marcos told them to be vigilant as the external threat to his country’s security was becoming more “complex” and “unpredictable.” Without giving specifics, Marcos said he was aware of an “emerging threat” to his country’s territory, which he said would require “adjustments in our strategy”. – Reuters Dust storms cause air pollution spike across north China BEIJING: Air pollution soared yesterday as the Chinese capital was hit by a huge sandstorm, and dust also shrouded other parts of the country in a sickly orange haze. The official air quality index in Beijing hit the maximum level of 500, indicating “severe pollution”, though some unofficial readings were nearly twice that figure. Authorities issued weather warnings and warned people to reduce their outdoor activities, as visibility fell to less than 1km in some areas of the city yesterday morning. In parts of China’s north and northwest, high winds and dust turned the sky a lurid tangerine, appearing to cut visibility to less than a few hundred metres in some places. Authorities said the pollution was largely driven by airborne particles known as PM10, which are small enough to be inhaled and can aggravate a range of respiratory and other health issues. China’s weather service yesterday issued a yellow warning for dust across a sweep of the north and northwest. People in affected areas should “do a good job of protecting against wind and sand, and close doors and windows in a timely manner”, the weather service said, adding they should also wear masks while outdoors. Children, the elderly and people with respiratory allergies should “limit how much they go out”, the service said. – AFP
8 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 SPEAK UP Or download app on the AppStore or Google Play ENJOY A SEAMLESS READING EXPERIENCE. Read our iPaper at https://www.thesundaily.my/ Asean needs to boost food security THE economic procurement of marine commodities from fisheries is crucial to trade and consumption by Asean member states and is instrumental for the preservation of food security in the region, which is fundamental to the livelihood of millions of people and is increasing in demand. However, the ever-growing depletion of marine resources threatens Asean’s marine industrial complex, exacerbating the region’s food insecurity. The Asia Foundation found that 64% of the fisheries’ resource base in Asean is at a medium to high risk of significant depletion. Malaysia’s domestic fish supply is dwindling by about 20-30%, and importing marine products from member states is becoming more restricted, increasing food prices and worsening the shortage, which disrupts the country’s resources and the livelihood of millions. This issue requires restitution for both Asean and Malaysia. A holistic interpretation of food security must be adopted to meet the demand of Southeast Asian consumers. Fisheries not only account for 9% of global fish exports but significantly depend on these collections internally. The issues plaguing Asean serve to undermine maritime security and as a consequence asphyxiate the region’s food security. The region is experiencing significant stress in meeting demand due to disrupted supply chains and global economic stagnation. This calls for an immediate, concentrated policy resolution to solve the internal strife brought about in the area of maritime to ensure greater fortification for the foreseeable future. Asean has demonstrated historic efforts to offset food insecurity by initiating security arrangements in its 2016-2020 fishery plan of action by enacting policy arrangements to strengthen food security. However, bureaucratic incoordination at the Malaysian domestic substrate and an ever-growing presence of outside threats and internal and geopolitical issues are overwhelming Asean’s regional cooperation at the international level, causing stagnation in the area of maritime security. Immediate development in Malaysia and Asean security issues in the area of maritime policy is needed for the adoption of a consolidated and holistic framework that would strengthen preexisting policy initiatives to ensure more efficacious conservation efforts as it better delineates and clarifies the marine responsibilities of member states. There are significant challenges that continue to put Asean and Malaysia under significant duress. Maritime piracy instigated by foreign entities has economically ravaged the marine economy, with the exploitation of Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, contributing dramatically to the nation’s food insecurity due to under management and weakening defence forces. The effects of climate change have considerably worsened oceanic pollution, and weather disruptions have affected fish habitats and catches. The Strategic Plan of Action on Asean Cooperation on Fisheries 2021-2025 is inadequate as there is yet to be the inclusion of policy manoeuvres promoting the recovery of fish stocks in the South China Sea. Maritime experts have advised Malaysia to consider the consolidation of a wider security framework as it suffers from underdeveloped international cooperation from its maritime neighbours, finding it strenuously difficult to thwart large-scale illegal fishing and address the ramifications of climate change. An Asean Common Fisheries Policy, modelled after the European Union’s marine policies, would streamline and harmonise pre-existing policy initiatives to ensure greater coordination, incorporating precise, newfound strategies on conservation in order to preserve marine products. An Asean Common Fisheries Policy has yet to be instantiated as it is still in its development stages but has shown potential to enhance marine conservation efforts if implemented as its newfound strategies gear towards the restitution of depleted fish stocks, the management of environmental catastrophes, and the combatting of pirates. The success of which will benefit Malaysia and Asean as a whole, restoring marine commodities via a shift towards a mutually collaborative initiative as opposed to singular efforts orchestrated by individual member states with exhausted facilities. This will incentivise these nations to increase their participation as they are better equipped to address the threats of illegal fishing and climate change. Therefore, a strategic partnership between Malaysia and the European Union (EU) policymakers to spearhead an Asean Common Fisheries Policy is imperative as such efforts have proved viable seeing that Asean has historically sought assistance from the EU for its fisheries policy framework under the Enhanced Regional EU-Asean Dialogue Instrument. Asean should explore the framework that will bolster quintessential areas of maritime security, such as large-scale illegal and unregulated fishing as well as climate change impacts, to be better prepared for the emergence of future issues. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) has caused member states to accumulate economic losses amounting to US$6 billion (RM26.8 billion). Asean has utilised particular frameworks to suppress these unlawful activities but has been deemed insufficient. It requires further incorporation of policies that ensure regional efforts to monitor illegal fishing are balanced for strategies to be efficacious. An Asean Common Fisheries Framework to strengthen maritime security policies could follow the EU’s “zero-tolerance” model. This means refusing to import fishery products by issuing yellow and red cards to countries identified as instigators of illegal maritime encroachment in Asean territorial waters. The yellow and red cards can be rescinded if the country cooperates. The policy framework would also encourage joint monitoring and surveillance by member states, and ongoing dialogue to identify parties contributing to the problem. This would help reduce the surge of IUU fishing, while exerting greater pressure on hostile parties to deter future incidents and find solutions to maritime conflicts. The EU’s ban on foreign fish boats has been effective in reducing IUU fishing by 90% since 2014. The success of this policy is due to the collaborative efforts of EU member states in monitoring and enforcing penalties to deter illegal activity. The EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy and Common Information Sharing Environment facilitate this joint surveillance by enabling secure and efficient data sharing across sectors and borders within the EU. An Asean Common Fishery framework would promote a coordinated effort among member states to monitor maritime waters and impose strict penalties, using a “zero-tolerance” approach against parties that threaten the union’s maritime territorial integrity and contribute to existing strains on food security. The framework aims to preserve the waters from illegal activity and mitigate the decline in marine extrapolation initiatives due to temperature differentials, which threatens future food security. A report has demonstrated a potential decline of 40-60% in Asean’s marine extrapolation initiatives. Upon critical analysis, the current policy framework appears to lack developed strategies that encourage and motivate regime actors to produce outputs in the service of sustainable development, particularly in improving the quality of climate change mitigation practices that affect fish habitats. The commitments to reduce carbon emissions have decreased among Asean member states, hindering their progress towards net carbon neutrality. In contrast, the EU has imposed strict regulations on its member states to reduce carbon emissions and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which emphasizes the urgency of climate change adaptation. The current institutional framework of Asean lacks the force to encourage member states to abide by climate change policies. To address this, logistical support should be strengthened for countries that lack the capacity to increase maritime defence, and policies and objectives should be actively promoted. Economic incentives and trade agreements can also be used to incentivise member states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the carbon price. The EU’s Common Fisheries Policy can be adapted to ensure that the framework undergoes the necessary transformation to compel member states to curb their carbon emissions, mitigate rising sea levels, and preserve the security of maritime aquaculture, thereby stabilising food security. A gradual adoption of a Common Fisheries Policy, led by a collaboration between the EU and Malaysia, could contribute to improving Asean’s maritime governance and mitigating threats to food security. While the implementation of this framework in all areas of maritime governance requires further review, certain policies could benefit Asean significantly if assiduously implemented. Comments: [email protected] “The current institutional framework of Asean lacks the force to encourage member states to abide by climate change policies. To address this, logistical support should be strengthened for countries that lack the capacity to increase maritime defence, and policies and objectives should be actively promoted. COMMENT by Pravin Periasamy
9 SPEAK UP theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 Protecting institutionalised children THE United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef ) defines an orphan as a child under the age of 18, who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death. Children under institutionalised care are placed in residential settings like orphanages, where there are few caregivers and many residents. On the other hand, non-institutionalised care refers to children who grow up in a normal family-based setting, such as through adoption or kinship. In Malaysia, a child is placed in orphanages or institutional care under two circumstances: I. Children who are orphans – those whose parents have both died; II. Children who are unable to live with or must be separated from their parents or guardians owing to circumstances, such as parental death, abandonment, neglect, abuse and for whom the government provides protection and aid. Global data indicates that there are around 153 million orphans worldwide. Asia holds the largest number of orphaned children, at 71 million (“The status of orphans in developing countries”, The Borgen Project, Aug 1, 2014). The latest data collected by OrphanCare Foundation Malaysia, an NGO established in 2008 under the patronage of Her Royal Highness The Sultanah of Pahang, S u l t a n a h H a j j a h Kalsom, estimates that there were around 64,000 children living under institutional care in Malaysia by 2021 (“The Problem of Institutionalisation: Everyday is one too many”, OrphanCare, Sept 29, 2021). However, according to the Social Welfare Department, only 1,510 institutional children are registered under the 15 governmentowned institutional care centres across Malaysia (Social Welfare Department, March 2, 2021). The welfare of institutionalised children in Malaysia are accorded protection under the Care Centre Act 1984, the Child Act 2001, the Registration of Adoptions Act 1952 and the Care Centre Act 1993. Mandating these laws or regulations to be applied in all institutional care or foster care will provide children with a safe and protective environment, especially in cases of abuse, abandonment, violence and exploitation. However, concerns with orphan children in Malaysia extend beyond matters of neglect and perceived abuse. Health of institutionalised children An institutionalised child’s physical health is impacted by various factors such as their environment, access to healthcare services, and food intake. Neglecting these factors can increase the child’s vulnerability to diseases. According to a study conducted by Shuhada et. Al (2019), an institutionalised child has a higher risk of poor health, physical underdevelopment, delayed brain growth and emotional attachment issues compared with a normal child (“Developing the comprehensive social well-being index for orphans in Malaysian orphanages,” European Proceedings, 2019). A study on 15,331 children in Malaysia found that one-fifth (25%) of the children suffered from at least one form of malnutrition, such as over- and undernutrition, contributing to overweight or underweight body mass index, inadequacies in micronutrients, protein intake, among others (“Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors in young children in Malaysia: A nationwide survey”, Lee, et al., Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2022). Due to limited access to food and medical treatment, children who live in institutional care may be more at risk of malnutrition and other health-related diseases, such as diarrhoea and eye diseases. Insufficient social relationship with the community Social interactions, connections and activities have an impact on how well a child’s psycho-social development progresses. Lack of social relationships or social isolation can increase the risk of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Research indicates that substantial mental health issues affect over 80% of children and adolescents in orphanages or foster care facilities compared with 20% of adolescents in the general population in Malaysia. An extremely high frequency of depression (85.2%), anxiety (79.4%), stress (86.1%) and low self-esteem were prevalent in a research conducted among specific institutional care in Malaysia (“Improving emotional health and self-esteem of Malaysian adolescents living in orphanages through Life Skills Education programme: A multicentre randomised control trial”, Mohammadzadeh M, et al., PLoS one, Vol. 15, Issue 12, 2019). A survey conducted by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in 2015 indicates that almost all of the children and adolescents in Malaysian orphanages had low self-esteem and self-confidence (“Developing the comprehensive social well-being index for orphans in Malaysian orphanages,” European Proceedings, 2019). The absence of interpersonal relationships has a detrimental impact on the structure and development of the brain, putting these children at greater risk of health problems in adulthood. Access to quality education As ratified by Malaysia, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 29 highlights the rights of a child to have access to education. A report by Unesco indicates that 8% (58.4 million) of children globally are not receiving formal primary education in schools due to various reasons, conflicts, poverty, child marriage, etc. (“Access to basic education: Almost 60 million children of primary school age are not in school”, The Guardian, Nov 2, 2021). An article in a news daily shares the stories of two girls in institutional care who could not have access to government aid or education because they were unable to attain their Malaysian Identification Card (MyKad). Even more surprising, these individuals were raised in government-run institutional care (“Orphaned and unfortunate: The systemic rot and the ill-fated victims (Part 3), Sinar Daily, May 30, 2022). A study by Jariah and Cherish (2015) found that children in institutional care in Malaysia receive insufficient pocket money for school, which causes them to skip extra classes or be absent from school, impacting their academic performance (“Recognising barriers to academic achievement of foster children in Malaysia: A case study”, Jariah and Cherish, Asia Pacific Journal of Contemporary Education and Communication Technology, Vol 1, Issue 1, 2015). Quality education has the potential to increase the employability rate, improve the health and welfare of these institutionalised children and enables them to partake in state economic growth and development. Lack of resources, support and training received by caregivers Caregivers in orphanages face various challenges, such as high caregiver-child ratio, high staff turnover, and caring for children with different physical and emotional needs. In the absence of parents or family, caregivers play a crucial role in the development and growth of children in orphanages. Often, the lack of resources and support will deteriorate the caregiver’s mental health and eventually lead to the maltreatment of children in institutional care. The World Health Organisation defines child maltreatment as any form of abuse or violence that occurs to children under the age of 18, including physical, mental, sexual, emotional abuse, neglect, commercial exploitation, and other forms of exploitation that can harm a child’s growth and development. Taking into account the overcrowded institutional/foster care centres and the low number of professional caregivers, (“The critical need of enhancing the quality of services in child care centres, Emir Research, Feb 9, 2023), there is a high possibility of child maltreatment happening in these centres. However, the ministry should provide institutional care management training for caregivers and social services employees, which is an efficient methodology to detect maltreatment in institutional care. Following are policy recommendations by Emir Research: 1. Earmarking a central and systematic department Due to the lack of reliable statistics and information regarding the number of institutional care facilities and residents, the available aid and provisions provided by the government, and the nationality of orphans, institutionalised children and adolescents in Malaysia are underserved, undersupported, and marginalised in the community. It is imperative for the ministry to prioritise the registration of all operating institutional care facilities under the Social Welfare Department and ensure that stateless orphans are registered and given MyKad, in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. This will enable prompt and efficient responses to be provided concerning the welfare and protection of institutionalised children in Malaysia. 2. Revise supplementary food programme The current extra food plan initiative only caters to primary school children from marginalised and low-income families. The Education Ministry should consider extending this initiative to secondary school students who are eligible. In addition, instead of only providing one meal per day, it is also recommended that two meals per day are provided for students who have extra classes and extracurricular activities that go on until evening. A healthy and balanced intake of nutritious food is important in supporting growth and maximising the learning potential of school children. Every meal should fulfil the dietary requirement of the child. The objective of this initiative is to provide nutritious and balanced meals to students from marginalised communities during school hours, ensuring that they remain physically active and do not miss out on lessons or extracurricular activities due to hunger. Random inspections should be conducted on school canteens to ensure that the quality and portion of food served comply with the government’s allocation. 3. Conducting transition programmes Transition programmes are essential for children in institutional care to enhance their self-esteem, identify educational opportunities (such as university, STPM, matriculation, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, etc.) and explore career pathways. Children from institutional care often face uncertainty regarding their career and future path after finishing secondary education, which can lead to involvement in criminal activities such as prostitution, theft, drug distribution and consumption, and other illegal acts as a means of survival. Engaging vulnerable children through orientation sessions and vocational and technical activities, such as baking, sewing and computer systems, can encourage them to excel academically and discover their passions in fields they enjoy and want to pursue. In addition, stakeholders can consider providing scholarships, financial aid and other forms of assistance for institutionalised children who excel to further their tertiary education. In short, based on a study in 2013 by Centre for Mental Health and Well-being former director Marc Archer, an expert in psychology studies, it is found that only 4% of children from institutional care return to their families in Malaysia (“Aina’s story: Why Malaysia needs to rethink how it treats institutionalised children”, Malaysiakini, Dec 17, 2018). Therefore, Malaysia should start prioritising on enhancing the development and welfare of institutional care in Malaysia. Jachintha Joyce is a Research Assistant at Emir Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research. Comments: [email protected] Social interactions, connections and activities have an impact on how well a child’s psycho-social development progresses. COMMENT By Jachintha Joyce “The absence of interpersonal relationships has a detrimental impact on the structure and development of the brain, putting institutionalised children at greater risk of health problems in adulthood.
10 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 Sime Darby Property bags two Fiabci Malaysia awards PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Property Bhd charted another significant milestone in its decorated history as the nation’s pioneering property developer with two major wins at the recent Fiabci Malaysia Property Award 2022. The Fiabci Malaysia Property Award is the gold standard in the local property development industry and recognises companies in pursuit of excellence and continuous value creation along all steps of developments. Sime Darby Property’s Cantara Residences, a family-oriented residential development situated in Ara Damansara, won the Residential Mid-Rise category award, whereas the City of Elmina emerged as the winner in the Masterplan category for its holistic design that proves nature can thrive alongside a wellplanned development. Sime Darby Property group managing director Datuk Azmir Merican said the recognitions are testimony to the company’s excellence as a real estate player. “We are proud to be recognised by esteemed industry experts as a true benchmark in the development and sustainability spheres. As a Force for Good, we are driven to develop projects that demonstrate the importance of community cohesion and the well-being of all generations,” he said in a statement. He added: “As an early adopter of the triple bottom line approach of People, Planet and Prosperity to sustainability, the recognition of our efforts inspire us to work even harder to create sustainable townships, communities, and futures, exemplifying our purpose to be a Value Multiplier for People, Businesses, oCantara Residences is the Best Residential Mid-Rise Development and Elmina City wins in Masterplan category Economies and the Planet”. Cantaras Residences, a new benchmark for sustainable and connected living, comprises four towers of 888 serviced residences with 13 Green Building Index Gold-certified retail units. The development is known for its architecturally iconic double-storey “Living Sky Bridge”, which houses lush rooftop gardens and residential units within its 168-metre-long structure and is listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as “The Longest Residential Sky Bridge” in the country. With a curated sanctuary created to foster sustainable growth, Cantara Residences has 3.2 acres of common facilities set within a refreshing urban forest, which has helped to increase the number of greeneries by 200% since the start of development. Adding another feather to Sime Darby Property’s cap is City of Elmina, which was designed for multi-generational living with a green-inspired community. The masterplan embodies all aspects of life based on the “eight pillars of wellness” as a guiding philosophy, and in accordance with Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey assessment of international liveability. Featuring sprawling parklands complemented by the 2,700-acre Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve, the 6,500-acre City of Elmina is planned with a 90km interconnected jogging and cycling track as well as a 300-acre central park that has played host to numerous large-scale community celebrations and events. The 300-acre Elmina City Centre will be gradually developed from 2024, and will house serviced apartments, mixed-use commercial buildings, transit hub with direct access to future LRT and MRT extensions, offices, wellness and hospitality hub, as well as an integrated education corridor. The township is home to many of the nation’s firsts including the Inclusive Playground, Elmina Rainforest Knowledge Centre and Elmina Living Collection Nursery, where a variety of Endangered, Rare and Threatened tree species are nurtured, functioning as a seed and gene bank for future ecosystem and habitat restoration. LBS Bina’s Kita Bestari single-storey houses 90% taken up 2 weeks after start of bookings PETALING JAYA: Leading township developer LBS Bina Group Bhd recorded an exceptional take-up rate for its Kita Bestari single storey houses, with more than 90% of units booked within two weeks after they were open for booking. LBS Bina launched Kita Bestari, which is situated at the Malay Reserved Land township Kita @ Cybersouth, on March 20. Kita Bestari comprises three property types, single -storey terrace houses (413 units with a gross development value of RM217 million), double-storey houses (76 units, RM47 million) and townhouses (328 units, RM154 million). The single storey houses has a gross builtup of 1,094 sq ft, with a four-bedroom and twobathroom layout, priced from RM499,000. The double storey houses are priced from RM600,000, with a gross built-up of 1,447 sq ft, and townhouses are priced from RM459,900, with a gross built-up of 1,346 sq ft (lower unit) and 1,483 sq ft (upper unit). LBS Bina executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Hock San said, “LBS remains committed towards its goal of delivering affordable and quality housing to meet the nation’s demands. Development projects within Kita @ Cybersouth have received an overwhelming response from homebuyers since its first launch in 2018. More than 90% of units of Kita Bestari single storey houses are booked within two weeks after opening for booking, reflecting the strong levels of confidence our customers have in LBS. As at Dec 31, 2022, LBS has handed over a total of 2,722 units of keys to proud homeowners of Kita Harmoni double storey terrace houses, Kita Impian serviced apartment and shop, and Kita Bayu doublestorey terrace houses and townhouses.” This gated and guarded development, enhanced with security features, is an affordable modern-day sanctuary located away from the usual hustle and bustle – tucked away in the southern corridor of Greater Klang Valley between Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. It is accessible via major highways. Kita Bestari is one of the participating projects in the LBS Fabulous Extra 2022-23 campaign, with RM1.5 million worth of lucky draw prizes to be won, including Perodua Axia, motorcycles, mountain bikes, 40-inch television sets and home electrical appliances. Rehda Institute, Bank Pembangunan team up to boost expertise KUALA LUMPUR: Rehda Institute, the training, research and education arm of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association of Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bank Pembangunan MalaysiaBhd (BPMB) to bring together their expertise and resources to focus on a broad range of topics related to the real estate industry. The parties will undertake research collaboration spanning real estate and property development, housing policies, banking and financing, ESG (environment, social and governance), and smart cities development. The initial research to be jointly produced will focus on affordable housing, an essential aspect of social inclusion. Rehda Institute chairman Datuk Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip, said, “This partnership will enhance awareness and knowledge of affordable housing, which is crucial at times like this. Despite many initiatives to make housing more affordable, it remains a challenge for many households in Malaysia. Together with BPMB, we hope to create a more inclusive society where everyone has access to decent and affordable homes.” BPMB Group CEO Roni Abdulwahab said, “At BPMB, we recognise the impact of affordable housing on achieving social inclusion. We believe that this research collaboration with Rehda Institute will help provide better insight into affordable housing for all Malaysians. We are proud to be the first financial institution to collaborate with Rehda Institute, especially om such a critical sector.” Cantara Residences, a family-oriented residential development situated in Ara Damansara, sets a benchmark for sustainable and connected living. SkyWorld wins its first Fiabci Malaysia accolade PETALING JAYA: SkyWorld Development Bhd recently won an award at the Malaysia Property Awards 2022 from Fiabci-Malaysia International Real Estate Federation (Fiabci) for its SkyAwani 2 Residences under the affordable housing category, held at the One World Hotel, Bandar Utama. CEO Lee Chee Seng said that it was the first award for SkyWorld from Fiabci-Malaysia and was a testament of the group’s commitment in delivering quality homes. “Apart from our affordable housing, we will continue to focus on developing quality homes within our Signature Series, which are all well located within the city of Kuala Lumpur. We will continue to deliver on our brand promise that quality homes and living are within reach and stimulate growth in the company to benefit all our stakeholders,” he said in a statement. Fiabci-Malaysia is well-renowned for instilling exceptional standards and has been a key benchmark in Malaysia’s property industry for its recognition of projects that best embodies excellence. The Malaysia Property Awards by Fiabci-Malaysia is viewed as a gold standard recognition for industry players. SkyWorld’s SkyAwani 2 Residences has a gross development value of RM266 million and comprises 708 residential units with 102 commercial lots. Fiabci-Malaysia has been a key benchmark in Malaysia’s property industry for its recognition of projects that best embodies excellence. The Malaysia Property Awards by Fiabci-Malaysia is viewed as a gold standard recognition for industry players. Scientex in JV for maiden foray into Indonesia affordable home market SHAH ALAM: Global packaging manufacturer and leading property developer Scientex has entered into a joint venture with Indonesia’s Mustika Land and Japan’s Creed Group to make its maiden foray into building affordable homes in Indonesia. Scientex’s wholly owned subsidiary Scientex Quatari Sdn Bhd (STX) entered into a JV with PT Graha Mustika Tamansari (PT GMT) and Creed Property PH-1 Pte Ltd (CRD) to form a JV company, with PT GMT holding a 60% stake and STX and CRD holding 20% each. The JV company will subsequently acquire land from PT GMT for Phase 1 development of Graha Mustika Tamansari. The JV company will develop the Graha Mustika Tamansari township in Bekasi, Greater Jakarta. Phase 1 involves developing 400 affordable landed homes with estimated gross development value (GDV) of US$19 million (RM85.5 million). Mustika Land has 18 property development projects in Greater Jakarta since 1995, including three township developments and commercial properties. Creed Group is a Japanese real estate investment group focusing on property development in Southeast and South Asia, including Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Creed Group has developed over US$3 billion GDV projects in Southeast Asia since 1996. Scientex Bhd CEO Lim Peng Jin said: “Having delivered nearly 28,000 affordable landed homes of RM8.0 billion in cumulative GDV across Malaysia, Scientex is now ready to embark on our ‘Cross Border’ strategy to penetrate new markets in Southeast Asia and fulfil regional demand. Bekasi is about 24km from West Jakarta and has a population of 3.16 million. The 40- acre Graha Mustika Tamansari is the fourth township development undertaken by Mustika Land along the Jakarta Outer Ring Road 2, an under-construction major tollroad connecting various parts of Greater Jakarta.
KLCI 1,412.04 5.49 STI 3,220.98 47.05 HANG SENG 19,591.43 332.67 SCI 3,265.75 10.10 NIKKEI 27,466.61 TSEC 15,760.46 247.01 KOSPI 2,416.96 S&P/ASX200 7,015.60 60.20 THURSDAY MARCH 23, 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 22, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (sen) +/– (sen) TOPGLOV 92,639,900 95.0 -1.0 CFM 81,764,500 43.0 -18.0 GPACKET 81,224,700 4.0 UNCH HSI-HKU 77,306,600 21.0 -6.5 CAREPLS 73,891,700 30.0 -1.0 EXCHANGERATES MARCH 22, 2023 Foreign currency Bank sell Bank buy Bank buy TT/OD TT OD 1 US DOLLAR 4.5370 4.4010 4.3910 1 AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR 3.0400 2.9180 2.9020 1 BRUNEI DOLLAR 3.3900 3.2900 3.2820 1 CANADIAN DOLLAR 3.3040 3.2150 3.2030 1 EURO 4.8930 4.7330 4.7130 1 NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR 2.8120 2.7070 2.6910 1 SINGAPORE DOLLAR 3.3900 3.2900 3.2820 1 STERLING POUND 5.5510 5.3730 5.3530 1 SWISS FRANC 4.9050 4.7900 4.7750 100 UAE DIRHAM 124.9700 118.4700 118.2700 100 BANGLADESH TAKA 4.3300 4.0270 3.8270 100 CHINESE RENMINBI 66.0000 63.5000 N/A 100 HONGKONG DOLLAR 58.4500 55.5200 55.3200 100 INDIAN RUPEE 5.5800 5.2400 5.0400 100 INDONESIAN RUPIAH 0.0306 0.0277 0.0227 100 JAPANESE YEN 3.4260 3.3170 3.3070 100 NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR 15.9000 N/A N/A 100 PAKISTAN RUPEE 1.6400 1.5300 1.3300 100 PHILIPPINE PESO N/A N/A N/A 100 QATAR RIYAL 125.2200 118.8700 118.6700 100 SAUDI RIYAL 122.0800 115.8900 115.6900 100 THAI BAHT 13.7600 12.1900 11.7900 Source: Malayan Banking Berhad/Bernama KL MARKET SUMMARY March 22, 2023 INDICES CHANGE FBMEMAS 10,322.70 +31.96 FBMKLCI 1,412.04 +5.49 CONSUMER PRODUCTS 565.06 +2.06 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 166.71 -0.30 CONSTRUCTION 158.53 -0.30 FINANCIAL SERVICES 15,647.00 +112.92 ENERGY 806.09 +10.86 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 596.76 +0.10 HEALTH CARE 1,761.79 -7.46 TRANSPORTATION 908.21 -0.62 PROPERTY 676.14 +6.08 PLANTATION 6,749.18 -3.14 FBMSHA 10,626.30 +8.09 FBMACE 5,301.68 +40.63 TECHNOLOGY 61.39 +0.40 TURNOVER VALUE 3.116 BIL RM1.893 BIL 5 TOP GAINERS March 22, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM MPI 79,600 29.00 +1.14 HARISON 75,600 9.10 +0.50 HEXTECH 11,100 24.60 +0.36 RAPID 13,400 17.46 +0.30 FANG-2XL 1,000 7.66 +0.24 5 TOP LOSERS March 22, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM CARLSBG 143,000 20.70 -0.32 F&N 194,900 25.40 -0.26 CFM 81,764,500 0.435 -0.18 HSI-HNG 3,000 1.40 -0.14 PPB 430,700 16.52 -0.14 520.94 28.61 Maybank, UMW hop on Bursa’s centralised sustainability platform KUALA LUMPUR: Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) and UMW Corp Sdn Bhd have signed a memorandum of collaboration (MoC) with Bursa Malaysia Bhd to become pioneers of the Early Adopter Programme (EAP) of the local exchange’s centralised sustainability platform. Participants of the EAP will validate the value extraction of this platform during its testing phase from April to October 2023, according to Bursa Malaysia. The MoC was signed by Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Maybank’s group president & CEO Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli and UMW’s group president & CEO Datuk Ahmad Fuaad Kenali. The MoC comes following the news by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Invest Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 2023 on the rolling out of the sustainability platform in partnership with the London Stock Exchange Group. The platform will serve as a repository for listed companies’ ESG disclosures, enabling listed firms’ to reinforce their sustainability disclosures and accelerate adoption of their supply chain’s carbon emissions, which also includes non-listed entities. “The platform will also help banks develop green financing products and services, that will incentivise and encourage decarbonisation of the corporate sector and their supply chain,” Umar said. He added that the platform will enable Malaysian corporates to meet regulatory requirements, facilitate greater transparency and consistency in sustainability disclosures, From left: Umar, Ahmad Fuaad, Khairussaleh, and Bursa chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar at the MoC signing ceremony. █ BY HAYATUN RAZAK [email protected] Digital transformation can boost firms’ market value PETALING JAYA: The right combination of digital transformation actions can unlock as much as US$1.25 trillion (RM5.58 trillion) in additional market capitalisation across Fortune 500 companies, according to Deloitte’s latest report. The report entitled “Unleashing value from digital transformation: Paths and pitfalls”, found that the wrong combinations can erode market value, putting more than US$1.5 trillion (RM6.7 trillion) at risk across Fortune 500 companies – demonstrating the importance of strategically approaching digital transformation. It revealed that the connection between strategy and action is the determining factor in deriving value from digital transformation efforts. Deloitte US technology strategy and oFortune 500 companies set to gain as much as US$1.25 trillion if they get the combination right: Deloitte report business transformation head and Deloitte Consulting LLP principal Tim Smith said that digital transformation is continuous but the scale and stakes are increasing. “For organisations, finding the inherent value of technology innovations and not letting it slip away, is crucial to a company’s long-term growth. Connecting digital strategy and action is a proven way for leaders to generate a tremendous return for their stakeholders,” he said in a statement. The firm’s analysis focused on the individual and collective impacts of three core factors, which are digital strategy, technology aligned to strategy as well as digital change capability. On how the core factors shape value collectively, the firm analysed combinations of these same three core factors that could most positively or negatively impact an organisation’s market value. The most positive combination is the “digital trifecta”, which includes all three core factors: digital strategy, technology aligned to strategy and digital change. Organisations that demonstrate all three of these traits saw a 5% lift in market relative to their peers, all other things being held equal. It said that the worst possible outcome stemmed from a lack of digital change capability despite an emphasis on the other two factors. Digital strategy and technology aligned to strategy without digital change capability results in a significant erosion of enterprise value. In addition, it said that the losses are 10 times greater than those seen with the other value destroyer: digital change on its own. The most negative combination poses a 9% value erosion risk that could cost Fortune 500 firms US$1.5 trillion in value, which revealed the dual nature of digital change capability as both a value risk and enabler that is best employed in the service of the digital strategy and technology investments aligned to strategy. Deloitte Asia Pacific monitor deloitte leader Mohit Mehrotra said that digital transformation is a continuous effort that requires assembling the right pieces in a multivariate puzzle. “Getting it right requires an ability and willingness to transform continuously and advantageously in the face of change and disruption. “The lessons that we have learnt from firms in Asia Pacific are clear: The institutional narrative on strategy needs to be centred around a journey beyond fear, and there needs to be a clear pathway towards the continuous modernisation of capabilities,” he said. while providing wider access to green financing products. “The platform will also offer additional capabilities such as TCFD modules, as well as a carbon emission calculator for corporates and their supply chain,” he said. To familiarise themselves with the features and functions of the platform, general awareness and education sessions for the broader listed firms will commence from July onwards. This will assist firms with financial year ending December 2023, in time to meet mandatory disclosure requirements which starts March 2024. According to the sustainability listing requirements released last year, all firms listed on the Main Market will be required to disclose their ESG indicators by December 2023, while those listed on the ACE Market will have to do so by the following year. Participation 47.5 29.1 23.4 100.0 Institutions Retail Foreign Bought RM m 884.1 557.4 452.1 1893.6 Sold RM m 916.0 543.9 433.7 1893.6 Net RM m -31.9 13.5 18.4 0 % Preliminary stats (excluding trade amendments). For final data, please refer to www.bursamalaysia.com Source: Bursa Malaysia A Participating Organisation of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad A Trading Participant of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad SECUR ITIES S D N. B H D. 197201001092 (12738-U) 22/03/2023
12 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 SUNBIZ /thesuntelegram FOLLOW ON TELEGRAM SCAN ME UOB Malaysia eases access to sustainable solar financing KUALA LUMPUR: UOB Malaysia yesterday launched U-Solar 2.0, an expansion to its existing U-Solar programme, to simplify access to sustainable financing for local solar engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contractors and project developers. Launched in October 2019, USolar is Asia’s first integrated solar energy financing platform that powers the development and adoption of renewable energy across Southeast Asia. U-Solar offers a suite of financial solutions to encourage businesses and consumers to switch to solar power and drive the adoption of renewable energy in Malaysia. The latest enhancement will expand the programme’s offerings to industry players across the entire solar value chain. The programme will ensure a smooth flow of financing with improved payment terms for solar contractors and developers to help them meet the growing demand for solar energy. According to the Malaysia Solar From left (standing): Malaysia Green Technology Corporation CEO Shamsul Bahar Mohd Noor and JJ-Laps Malaysia general manager Chang Chee Keong. Seated from left: Antai Solar country manager Malaysia Vince Lim, Canadian Solar regional sales manager (SEA) Goh Yoke Mun, JA Solar regional sales manager (East Asia) Martin Chen, Ng, Jinko Solar sales director (Malaysia) Arif Ibrahim, Longi country manager (Malaysia) Leon Ow, Sungrow country manager (Malaysia & Singapore) Ray Ye and Trina Solar head of SEA Elva Wang. oU-Solar offers a suite of solutions to encourage businesses and consumers to switch to renewable energy Energy Market – Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts, the solar energy market in the country is expected grow more than 9% annually from 2022 to 2027, while connecting them to leading equipment suppliers across the region. UOB Malaysia CEO Ng Wei Wei said, “Since the launch of U-Solar, we have provided close to RM1 billion in solar financing for corporates, small and medium enterprises (SME), and homeowners. We expect to boost our sustainable financing for solar energy by 50% in the next 12 months, driven by the favourable outlook of the solar energy industry and the government’s strong push towards renewable energy. “We will also continue to focus heavily on our efforts with the relevant associations and government bodies to help SME embrace sustainability as their participation in the low carbon economy is crucial to the country’s net zero ambition. With the expanded programme, we look forward to supporting the solar ecosystem players in seizing new opportunities and accelerate the development of the country’s green sector.” U-Solar 2.0 will provide contractors and developers with extended payment terms when they purchase from the programme’s approved equipment suppliers. Part of the programme’s suite of solutions is green trade financing. This is designed to address cash flow issues and working capital gaps for developers and contractors who typically have longer projects receivable terms and may face short payment terms from equipment suppliers. With U-Solar 2.0, they will be able to finance the purchase of equipment and work on multiple solar projects simultaneously, speeding up the rate of solar adoption in the region. This end-to-end collaborative approach aims to drive sales volumes for equipment suppliers. It will also connect qualified contractors with end users looking to install solar panels. Yesterday, nine equipment suppliers – Antai, Canadian Solar, Fimer, Huawei, JA Solar, Jinko Solar, LONGi, Sungrow and Trina Solar, joined the U-Solar programme to provide quality solar modules and inverters to developers and contractors in Malaysia. JJ-Lapp also joined the programme as a distributor to facilitate greater and more efficient trade activities within the solar ecosystem. UOB also offers exclusive packages to both businesses and homeowners through partnerships with nine EPCC contractors in Malaysia. This includes the latest five additions which came on board yesterday, namely eLeaps, GSPARX, Hasilwan, Pekat and Samaiden. As of Dec 31, 2022, the U-Solar programme has helped facilitate the generation of almost 307 gigawatt hours of solar power in Malaysia. This translates to a greenhouse gas reduction of 204,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, amounting to almost 3.4 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years and about 44,000 cars taken off the road for a year. Ng said, “Switching to solar energy is one of the most effective ways to decarbonise. However, we recognise that SME need financial assistance to support their green transition needs which is why we have allocated RM1 billion under our U-Green financing programme. We also offer non-financial support such as awareness and knowledge workshops under our partnership with the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation. We have been supporting SME for over seven decades and our holistic support will continue to ensure that they will remain competitive on the global front.” VS Industry posts higher first-half revenue, net profit JOHOR BARU: In announcing its second quarter (2QFY23) and first half financial results yesterday for the period ended January 31, 2023 (1HFY23), VS Industry Bhad said the group delivered a revenue of RM2.44 billion for 1HFY23, representing a 23.2% year-on-year (yoy) increase from RM1.98 billion in the previous year. The double-digit improvement was predominantly owing to higher sales orders from existing key customers. In tandem with the above, VS’ profit after tax and non-controlling interest for the current period under review rose 8.5% yoy to RM91.1 million versus RM83.9 million in 1HFY22. The top-line growth was not fully reflected in the bottom-line as it was partially offset by unfavourable foreign exchange rates. For the current quarter under review, VS reported a revenue of RM1.15 billion vis-à-vis RM1.01 billion in 2QFY22. The higher revenue registered was primarily attributed to increase in sales orders from key customers. However, this was not translated to the net profit due to forex loss incurred, amounting to RM19.8 million. As a result, the group’s 2QFY23 net profit stood at RM30.4 million as compared to RM44.5 million. VS’ balance sheet remained healthy with net gearing 0.22x as at end-January 2023, backed by net assets per share of RM0.59 per share and gross cash holdings of RM403.7 million. In line with its quarterly dividend payout practice, the board has declared a second interim dividend of 0.3 per share for the quarter under review. Ransomware attacks in Malaysia up over 37% last year PETALING JAYA: The education and manufacturing sectors have emerged as top ransomware targets in Malaysia due to their high value data, while the Russianlinked ransomware gang Lockbit 3.0 was the leading attacker in the country, according to global cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks. According to its 2023 Unit 42 ransomware and extortion report, it found that ransomware attacks in Malaysia surged by over 37% in 2022, with 11 reported cases across key sectors. Threat actors are utilising more aggressive tactics to pressure organisations, with harassment being involved 20 times more often than in 2021. It said that the harassment is typically carried out via phone calls and emails targeting a specific individual, often in the C-suite, or even customers, to pressure them into paying a ransom demand. Globally, ransomware demands continue to be a pain point for organisations, with effective negotiation driving down actual payments. Key trends from the report include attackers adding pressure with multi-extortion and ransomware groups attacking society’s most vulnerable, including schools and hospitals. In 2022, 30 organisations on the Forbes Global 2000 list were publicly impacted by extortion attempts. Since 2019, at least 96 of these organisations have had confidential files publicly exposed to some degree as part of attempted extortion. At least 75% of ransomware attacks fielded by Unit 42’s Incident Response team resulted from attack surface exposures. Dataxet wins Brand Laureate Award for Sustainable Business PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s media intelligence company dataxet:nama has been awarded the Brand Laureate Award for Sustainable Business in Malaysia for its resilience and performance in growing the business through the pandemic and industry disruption. Dataxet Group CEO and co-founder David Liu said, “Our model of delivering world-class capabilities with local market expertise across the region is creating the next generation of value in our industry.” dataxet:nama MD Chris Seto noted that its people are recognised for their ability to deliver great service and insights no matter how big the challenge. In 2020, dataxet:nama became part of Dataxet Pte Ltd, the fastest growing media intelligence provider in Asia with operations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Dataxet offers a comprehensive suite of market-leading products and services to help clients leverage social, mainstream, influencer and online data for better brand and communications performance. This includes their AI-enabled DXT360 integrated intelligence platform and EVO strategic framework that delivers actionable insights into audiences, categories, content and competitors. Bank Negara international reserves at US$114b on March 15 KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) international reserves amounted to US$114 billion RM510 billion) as at March 15, and 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$101.7 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$2.9 billion). Meanwhile, total assets stood at RM614.08 billion, comprising gold and foreign exchange and other reserves including SDR (RM500.06 billion), Malaysian government papers (RM12.29 billion), deposits with financial institutions (RM1.01 billion), loans and advances (RM23.77 billion), land and buildings (RM4.14 billion) and other assets (RM72.81 billion). BNM added that capital and liabilities comprised paid-up capital (RM100 million), reserves (RM158.77 billion), currency in circulation (RM160.43 billion), deposits by financial institutions (RM209.32 billion), federal government deposits (RM7.52 billion), other deposits (RM37.93 billion), Bank Negara papers (RM7.87 billion), allocation of SDR (RM28.21 billion) and other liabilities (RM3.92 billion). – Bernama
13 * SUNBIZ theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 READ OUR HERE /thesundaily SCAN ME TM One launches sandbox to spur tech advancements CYBERJAYA: Telekom Malaysia Bhd’s (TM) business-to-business arm, TM One, yesterday launched its TM One Sandbox, a platform aimed to accelerate the creation of innovative solutions to assist the industry in its technological advancements. Located at TM Digital Academy in Multimedia University here, the centre enables stakeholders to develop and perform live testing and service trials on an operational sandbox environment until it is ready for commercialisation. TM One executive vice-president Shazurawati Abd Karim said the platform focuses on three key components, namely providing a platform for businesses to engage with relevant stakeholders, offering innovation labs, and providing market access for the industry players. “TM One Sandbox is not only accessible to our industry partners but also all partners in general including customers, local councils and government agencies that are looking to partake in the simulation of smart solutions for the country,” she told Bernama after the launch of the centre, here. The key focus areas for the establishment of this centre, she said, are the smart city, smart industry, smart agriculture and smart health care. According to Shazurawati, TM One Sandbox also complements the recently launched TM One 5G Sphere programme, an ecosystem of smart and digital solution enablers for enterprises in their digital transformation journey. Since the launch of TM One 5G Sphere, it has registered over 70 local and global partners, she added. Pavilion REIT unitholders approve deal for PBJ Mall KUALA LUMPUR: Pavilion REIT, one of Malaysia’s largest retail concentrated real estate investment trusts, said yesterday its non-interested unitholders have agreed to the acquisition of Pavilion Bukit Jalil Mall (PBJ Mall). The acquisition, initially announced on Nov 22, 2022 will see MTrustee Bhd, as the trustee of Pavilion REIT, acquiring PBJ Mall and all related assets and rights from Regal Path Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malton Bhd, for RM2.2 billion. This acquisition is expected to increase the portfolio base of Pavilion REIT to RM8.3 billion from RM6 billion and provide future growth opportunities for the trust. Pavilion REIT Manager CEO Datuk Philip Ho said: “We are delighted that our unitholders believe in our strategy to grow Pavilion REIT in a sustainable, resilient manner and diversify its income base. This acquisition is also a testament to the quality of the asset and the strength of the Pavilion brand. It also demonstrates the confidence that Pavilion REIT’s unitholders have in the long-term growth prospects of the Malaysian economy.” According to the REIT’s filing with Bursa Malaysia yesterday, this endorsement by unitholders also saw the approval of two private placement exercises to partly fund the acquisition, spread between the first tranche of RM720 million, scheduled to be completed in second quarter of this year and a second tranche of RM550 million, to be completed latest by the second quarter of 2025. The issue price for new units will also be determined later by way of a book-building exercise while the remainder of the acquisition consideration will be funded by bank borrowings. Gearing for Pavilion REIT will increase from 33.8% as at Dec 31, 2022 to 36.8% upon completion of both tranches of the placements. This remains comfortably under the gearing limit of 50% as permitted under the listed REIT guidelines which would still allow Pavilion REIT headroom to explore potential acquisitions. In addition, post-private placement of both tranches, unitholders will see a dilution in the unitholdings of its major unitholders which will improve trading liquidity and benefit retail investors. Pavilion Bukit Jalil is a five-storey shopping mall that spans over 1.8 million square feet. The mall features a wide range of international and local retailers, including fashion, beauty, electronics, and home goods stores. It also boasts a large food court and a range of restaurants and cafes, making it a popular suburban destination for dining and entertainment. Units of Pavilion REIT closed at RM1.32 yesterday, valuing the property trust at RM4.04 billion. oInvestors also greenlight two private placement exercises to partly fund the acquisition of Pavilion Bukit Jalil for RM2.2b B R I E F SVSTECS TO DISTRIBUTE SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC’S UPS PETALING JAYA: Information and communications technology (ICT) distributor VSTECS Bhd through its wholly owned subsidiary, VSTECS Astar Sdn Bhd, is now authorised to distribute Schneider Electric’s uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), sold under its flagship brand, APC. CEO JH Soong said that by offering power solutions to data centres, it will be able to provide a more comprehensive solution to their enterprise clients, enhancing the overall value proposition. Schneider Electric secure power division Malaysia & Brunei head Adrian Koh said the company recognises that with the right UPS, data centre operators can meet sustainability objectives by increasing resiliency. SEMICON SEA 2023 TO FOCUS ON GROWTH, RESILIENCE KUALA LUMPUR: Semicon Southeast Asia (Semicon SEA 2023), the region’s premier gathering for the semiconductor and microelectronics industry, will focus on critical growth areas of the industry. The areas include sustainability, smart manufacturing, smart mobility, smart medical technology and workforce development. Themed “Boosting Agility and Resiliency for the Electronics Supply Chain”, the event will be held at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre, Penang from May 23-25. – Bernama Volvo Trucks Malaysia registers 8.5% sales volume growth PETALING JAYA: Volvo Trucks Malaysia recorded 8.5% sales volume growth to 320 units last year compared with 295 units sold in the year prior, spurred by pent-up demand following the post-pandemic period. In 2022, the Swedish-truck maker said, the top performing models were the FM440 6x2, FMX440 and FM370 prime mover. It leveraged on its extensive network of 13 dealerships across Peninsular and East Malaysia and registered a 12% growth in its aftermarket service. Managing director Anthony O’Connell said the growth is attributed to its deep understanding of the commercial vehicle industry’s need for safety, reliability and efficiency. “While we address current needs, we also believe in driving the future by being a partner to Malaysia and its efforts in accelerating the adoption of green technology and electric vehicles. The only way forward is leadership through collaboration, and Volvo Trucks Malaysia is proud to be a contributing member to the conversation,” he said in a statement. .It will introduce the Volvo Euro 5 Prime Mover by middle of this year as well as launch the first Electric Prime Mover in Malaysia by the third quarter of the year, which it believes will pioneer its journey into a sustainable future. Recently, the company has joined the “Pioneer the Possible” platform, which was Canon continues dominance of Malaysian printer industry SHAH ALAM: As the country emerges from the global economic challenges of the past year, Canon Marketing Malaysia has continued to remain the market leader in the local printer industry. Canon has been identified again by market research firm IDC in its Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, 2022Q4, as being the industry leader in the highly competitive printer market. According to IDC, Canon remains the No. 1 market share holder in the inkjet printer segment for a record 27th consecutive year since 1996. In addition, Canon also topped the laser printer segment as the top brand for the eightth consecutive year since 2015. Sandy Lee, head of consumer system products division at Canon Marketing Malaysia, said the recognition solidifies the company’s leading position in the nation’s printer market despite the economic headwinds. “It’s an immense honour to have blazed the path of success as the No. 1 printer brand in Malaysia since 2007 and remain as the customers’ top choice and the market leader in the printing industry.” Lee said the accolades also showed Canon users have continued confidence in the company’s products as they seek reputable brands and reliable products. “Having continued customer confidence in our products also means that we expect higher growth in the expanding Malaysian market,” she said. She added that their remarkable achievements are mainly due to strong support from all consumers and business partners and, at the same time, they are glad that Canon’s innovations, solutions and services have met the needs of users, both consumer and commercial. Despite being the frontrunner in the printer market, Canon will continue to transform itself and adapt to changing market demands. To maintain its market leader position, Lee said, Canon will continue working closely with its business partners to understand their needs and meet their demands. “This will include expanding marketing channels and strengthening its use of e-commerce platforms for better consumer convenience.” Apart from these efforts, she said, Canon will also focus on growing its B2B (business-to-business) and B2G business-to-government relationships by offering an extensive and reliable range of printers. Lee said Canon will constantly add value to its products so as to meet new consumer demands and hoped that this will further cement the company’s market leader position. “Canon hopes to maintain its leading position for more years to come. To do so, we will be incorporating the newest and latest features, and technology that will ultimately be more convenient, hasslefree, cost-effective and reliable for end-users,” she added. designed to foster collaboration between Swedish companies and key decision-makers in Malaysia with a common goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and 2045, in support of Malaysia’s green transition efforts through low-carbon reforms in key sectors such as transport, production, energy and the environment. It intends to continue its introduction of sustainable trucks into the Malaysian market and holds its optimism for achieving a greener future for Malaysia, while keeping their eye on the 2050 deadline for carbon neutrality. O’Connell says Volvo Trucks believes in being a partner to Malaysia and its efforts in accelerating the adoption of green technology and electric vehicles.
14 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 SUNBIZ /theSunMedia FOLLOW ON YOUTUBE SCAN ME UK inflation surprise pressures BoE to raise rates oCPI hits 10.4% in February, food and drink prices rise at fastest rate since 1977 LONDON: British inflation unexpectedly rose to 10.4% in February, pushed up by higher food and drink prices in pubs and restaurants, according to official data which is likely to prompt the Bank of England (BoE) to raise interest rates today. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast that the annual consumer price inflation rate would drop to 9.9% in February from January’s 10.1% and move further away from October’s 41- year high of 11.1%. The figures – including increases in underlying inflation measures that the BoE closely monitors – are likely to bolster the concerns of those BoE policymakers who worry that inflation will be slow to fall, even after 10 straight rate hikes. Investors had been split on whether the central bank would pause that run after the recent upheaval in the global banking sector. But financial markets yesterday fully priced in a quarterpoint increase to 4.25%. “While the decision has at times over the last week looked to be on a knife edge, this inflation outturn would appear to swing it in favour of a 25-basis-point hike,” said Liz Martins, senior economist at HSBC. Sterling rose against the dollar and the euro after the data was published and two-year British government bond yields, which are sensitive to speculation about interest rates, jumped. The increase in inflation contrasted with a fall in the US CPI rate to 6.0% in the 12 months to February. Eurozone inflation also eased last month to 8.5% but underlying price growth continued to accelerate. The Office of National Statistics said that an end to January drinks promotions in pubs and restaurants was the biggest factor behind last BANGKOK: Thailand’s economy is expected to expand 3%-4% this year and monetary and fiscal policies must work together to ensure economic growth and stability, the finance minister said yesterday. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy continues to be supported by the vital tourism sector while exports weaken as global demand slows, Arkhom Termpittayapaisith told a business seminar. The number of foreign tourist arrivals could reach 27 million this year, up from last year’s 11.15 million, he said. As inflation eases, there is no need for Thailand’s monetary policy to follow US monetary moves, Arkhom said. “The direction of the Thai policy rate will not follow that of the US, and it must ensure the economy can fully recover,” he said. The Bank of Thailand is expected to raise its key rate by a modest quarter point at its next meeting on March 29. Arkhom reiterated there has been no impact on Thailand from the problems in the global banking sector. Thailand’s fiscal position was stable as its public debt – at 61.26% of gross domestic product as of February – was not very high, and foreign debt was also low, he said. The baht currency is likely to remain volatile, driven by external factors, but its moves have stayed within a range seen earlier in the year, Arkhom said. “I want the baht to be stable, but (we) should not look it daily,” he added. – Reuters month’s rise, but shortages of salad items also played a role. Overall inflation for food and non-alcoholic drinks rose to 18.0%, the highest since 1977, reflecting cold weather in southern Europe and north Africa, as well as reduced production from greenhouses in northern Europe that face high energy bills. Higher alcoholic drink prices added 0.17 percentage points to February’s inflation rate while the increased cost of food and nonalcoholic beverages added 0.15 percentage points. Lower petrol prices helped offset some of these increases. Annual inflation in the services sector, which most policymakers view as a good measure of underlying price pressures in the economy, rose to 6.6% from 6.0% in January. Basic wages – a big driver of services prices – rose by an annual 6.5% in the three months to January, and a survey of employers on Wednesday showed they expected to raise pay by an average of 5% this year, around double pre-pandemic rates. Core CPI – which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco and is also watched closed by the BoE – rose to 6.2% from 5.8% in January, versus a forecast decline to 5.7%. “These inflation figures smell a little like the recent US experience, where it appeared that core inflation was easing rapidly a few months ago only for it to accelerate again as economic activity proved resilient,” said Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics. However, other analysts said the increase in inflation appeared to be caused by one-off factors. Last month, the BoE forecast headline inflation would drop below 4% by the end of 2023 and be beneath its 2% target from mid2024 onwards, with energy prices no longer rising steeply. The government’s Office for Budget Responsibility forecast last week that inflation would fall below 3% by the end of 2023. Finance minister Jeremy Hunt said the data showed the expected decline in inflation could not be taken for granted. “Falling inflation isn’t inevitable, so we need to stick to our plan to halve it this year,” he said. – Reuters UBS to buy back €2.75b worth of bonds issued days ago ZURICH: UBS Group said yesterday it would buy back €2.75 billion (RM13.24 billion) worth of debt it sold just days ago, seeking to boost confidence among investors rattled by its US$3 billion rescue of rival Credit Suisse at the weekend. The bonds in question are senior unsecured bail-in notes that were sold on March 9: a €1.5 billion 4.625% fixed-rate note due March 2028 and a €1.25 billion 4.750% fixed rate note due March 2032, UBS said in a statement. Since its government-backed rescue of Credit Suisse at the weekend, UBS has seen the value of its shares and bonds gyrate wildly. UBS shares fell by as much as 17% after markets opened on Monday, only to close 35% higher than those lows the following day. The yield on its 7% additional tier dollar (AT1) bond jumped to a record 29.8% at one point on Tuesday, from below 10% just a week ago, according to Tradeweb data. Yesterday it was at around 18%. AT1s are a different form of bail-in debt that sent shockwaves through markets this week when Credit Suisse’s AT1s were written down to zero as part of its rescue, meaning those bondholders got nothing while equity holders at least got the value of the share offer. The prices of the bonds UBS is buying back on Wednesday had also tumbled. “The issuer has decided to launch this exercise as a result of a prudent assessment of these recent developments and the issuer’s long-term commitment to its credit investors,” UBS said in the announcement of the buyback. UBS is buying the bonds at the price at which they were sold rather than at market prices, which compensates investors after the selloff earlier this week. “I would say this is almost funny as (the bonds) were issued so recently, but generally speaking it makes sense,” said Jerome Legras, head of research at Axiom Alternative Investments. “They’re trying to be friendly to investors who purchased just before the mess.” The bonds UBS is buying back rallied further following yesterday’s buyback announcement, Tradeweb data showed. UBS shares were last down 0.3% at 19.35 Swiss francs, having risen by as much as 3.6% in early trading. – Reuters TOKYO: Japan’s Rakuten Group Inc said it was planning an initial public offering (IPO) of its banking arm next month, in a probable US$807 million (RM3.6 billion) listing that would test demand for the e-commerce giant’s online lender amid market uncertainty. The listing will represent a hefty cash boost for Rakuten, which boasts fast-growing fintech units as well as its mainstay e-commerce platform b u t has struggled with years of losses from the cost of building out its mobile phone business. While global bank shares have been whipsawed in recent weeks following the collapse of a number of US regional lenders and the turmoil at Credit Suisse, Japanese banks have so far avoided disastrous hits and are seen as broadly being able to weather the storm. Rakuten plans to sell 53.95 million existing shares of Rakuten Bank Ltd to both domestic and overseas investors, while Rakuten Bank plans to issue 5.55 million new shares, according to regulatory filings. That would value the IPO at ¥106.8 billion (RM3.6 billion), based on the mid-range of the indicative price at ¥1,795. The offering will also include a greenshoe option of 4.46 million shares. The listing would value Rakuten Bank at around ¥305 billion, according to Reuters calculations. Shares of Rakuten closed up almost 6%, after Reuters reported that it planned to list the banking unit as early as next month, citing sources. – Reuters Japan’s Rakuten to list banking unit next month A Boston Dynamics robot walking around the showroom at the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok yesterday. Thailand’s finance minister says that as inflation eases, there is no need for its monetary policy to follow US monetary moves – AFPPIC B R I E F S CHINA COMPANY WINS SOLOMON ISLANDS PORT UPGRADE PROJECT SYDNEY: The Solomon Islands has awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara in a project funded by the Asian Development Bank, an official of the island nation said yesterday. “This will be upgrading the old international port in Honiara and two domestic wharves in the provinces,” said Mike Qaqara, an official at the Solomons’ infrastructure development ministry. China Civil Engineering Construction Company was awarded the contract after being the sole bidder in a competitive tender, he said. – Reuters TENCENT’S ANNUAL REVENUE DROPS FOR THE FIRST TIME SHANGHAI: Tencent Holdings reported a drop in annual revenue for the first time ever, as China’s economic slowdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a long-running regulatory crackdown took a toll. The world’s largest video game company and the operator of the WeChat messaging platform posted a revenue of 554.55 billion yuan (RM359.45 billion) for 2022, down 1% from a year earlier. Its revenue for the fourth quarter ended December rose 1% from a year earlier to 144.95 billion yuan. Tencent’s profit attributable to equity holders fell 16% to 188.24 billion yuan for the year. – Reuters MORE BANKS WILL FAIL OVER NEXT 2 YEARS, SAYS MAN GROUP CEO LONDON: The banking turmoil sparked by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank is not yet over, and a significant number of banks will fail within two years, the CEO of hedge fund Man Group, Luke Ellis, told a Bloomberg conference here yesterday. Asked whether the crisis in the sector was over, Ellis told delegates at the event he did not think so. “I think we will have significantly more banks that don’t exist in 12-24 months,” he said, adding that he thought smaller and regional banks in the United States and challenger banks in Britain could be at risk. – Reuters Thai economy to grow 3-4% this year: Minister
2 3 M A R C H 2 0 2 3 T H U R S D A Y She is portrayed as if she would go all out to achieve her goals. If we find it difficult to ‘enjoy’ the villain’s scenes, she is obviously winning. I could see myself rolling my eyes every time she appeared on screen as I saw her combative persona. I also mistrust Jae-hyun (Lee Sang-yoon) for some reason. I mean, I can’t help but make myself suspect all these characters from the series, especially regarding a man who runs for president merely to ‘protect his wife’ as a reason, given my experience witnessing how far insane vengeance storylines can go with all the surprising twists. Jae-hyun is a family-oriented husband, but he still has goals and needs, and he appears to be a selfish character. Only time will tell whether he truly is someone who will stand by his wife or the opposite. Based on what I have watched so far, we can already predict that there will be a tonne more thrilling action sequences in the upcoming episodes. This series is definitely for people who enjoy suspense or revenge stories! Every Saturday and Sunday, new episodes of Pandora: Beneath the Paradise are released on Disney +. KIM SOON-OK, a writer from the hugely successful series Penthouse, and Choi Young-hoon are the creator and director of the new Korean thriller Pandora: Benath the Paradise, which is now available on Disney+. Lee Ji-ah, Lee Sang-yoon, Jang Hee-jin, Park Ki-woong, and Bong Tae-gyu are among the stars in the drama. This series is a story of retribution, centred around a woman who – after losing her memory and learning that her ‘ideal’ life is fake – sets out to discover the truth behind it. Tae-ra, portrayed by Lee Ji-ah, finds a defect in her life despite everything appearing to be flawless. After regaining her memory and experiencing a startling recollection from the past, she decides to plan a violent vengeance and defend her family from an unidentified threat. While things have only barely begun (the show premiered on March 11), it already seems as though we will be treated to a gripping tale of retribution, treachery, and misery. Here’s the thing: I already know that this series is going to be intense, but I did not anticipate that it would begin this way. It’s already too much for me to handle after reviewing just four episodes. It might get a little overwhelming to watch for those who are unfamiliar with the creator’s approach. Even though I eventually got the hang of it, in the first few episodes, the narrative shown seemed like too much of a muddle. And no, it isn’t a bad thing. With several twists coming afterward, I know this is about to get much better. But, I must admit that because of the excessive editing, the action scenes and camera work are a little tiresome to watch. The actors did a good job of portraying their roles. I have to add that Chae-rin from K-pop group Cherry Bullet performed a fantastic job. She played the younger Hong Tae-ra, who is a skilled fighter and trained assassin. She performed all the action scenes with ease. Despite the fact that her scenes were brief, she left behind some unforgettable sequences. At first glance, Lee Ji-ah’s character seems like a sweetheart, but after learning about her background, she emerges as a more brash and cold person who would stop at nothing to defend her family. Kim Sun Deok, the director of Hanwool Mental Hospital, is currently regarded as the main female villain. We see her employing a bunch of goons to find Tae-ra and capture her. Ready for revenge oLee Ji-ah is back with another action packed series The 16-episode Pandora: Beneath the Paradise is Disney+’s newest drama. – INSTAGRAM/@DISNEYKR Lee Ji-ah returns on screen for a another revenge drama. – INSTAGRAM/@TVN_DRAMA Lee Ji-ah and Jang Hee-jin are caught up friendship and revenge in Pandora: Beneath the Paradise. – INSTAGRAM/@TVN_DRAMA █ BYTHASHINE SELVAKUMARAN Lee Ji-ah and Lee Sang-yoon portray a married couple in the series. – INSTAGRAM/@TVN_DRAMA Lee Sang-yoon plays a presidential candidate and former tech business chairman in the series. – INSTAGRAM/@TVN_DRAMA
16 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 /thesundaily FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK SCAN ME F A wild, wild world ANS of filmmaker Tim Burton can look forward to seeing the renowned imagineer’s words in a much-anticipated, world-class popup museum, aptly titled The World of Tim Burton, currently being showcased at Pavilion Bukit Jalil. The World of TIm Burton has been making its way across the globe since its debut in 2009, with stops in China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Mexico, Belgium, Prague, and more. Malaysia is the first and only Southeast Asian country to play host to the museum, and will be its final Asian stop this year. Visitors will have a once-in-alifetime opportunity to take a deep dive into Burton’s personal archive, which represents his creative output from childhood to the present day, with over 500 drawings, paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, movingimage works, and sculptural installations focusing on the recurrent visual themes and motifs that resonate in the distinctive characters and worlds found in his Burton is renowned for being able to bring his unique imagination to life through the magic of film and television. – NETFLIX oA new exhibition gives visitors an insight into the imaginative mind of Tim Burton Ed Sheeran adds to story with Disney docuseries Blending exclusive, never-beforeseen personal archive, present-day actuality, authentic interviews with his wife and loved ones, and intimate performances in cinematic locations, the series widens the lens to unearth what Sheeran thinks of the world, of himself and his music, as well as showcases a decade of hits enjoyed by subscribers around the world. Throughout his long, successful career, Sheeran has inspired multiple generations of adults, families and kids across the globe with his charttopping music and intimate storytelling in his songs. In each episode, Ed faces themes and emotions that most people experience. Sheeran expresses his deeper thoughts as he reassesses life, and how this difficult time has influenced him and his new music. His upcoming sixth studio album, - (pronounced “Subtract”), is set to be released on May 5, through Atlantic in the US, Atlantic/Asylum Records in the UK and Atlantic/Warner Music in the rest of world, with the lead single Eyes Closed arriving on March 24. “I’ve always been very guarded in my personal and private life; the only documentary I’ve ever made has been one that focused on my songwriting,” said Sheeran. “Disney approached me to make a four-part documentary, and it felt like the right time to open the door and let people in. I hope people enjoy it.” Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All, from Disney Branded Television, is set to premiere globally May 3, on Disney+ Hotstar. A look at some of the exhibits on display at The World of Tim Burton. – TOYBOX PROJECTS DISNEY+ HOTSTAR announced today the four-part docuseries Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All, in which Emmy Award-winning producers at Fulwell 73 Productions will take viewers on a journey around the world spotlighting how an unlikely child with a stutter rose to fame to become one of the biggest global music superstars and how his charttopping hits were born. For the first time, global superstar Sheeran opens the doors to a definitive and searingly honest view into his private life as he explores the universal themes that inspire his music. This series follows Ed after he learns of life-changing news and reveals his hardships and triumphs during the most challenging period of his life. art and films. Additionally, the pop-up museum will include 10 thematic sections, composed of paintings, drawings, photographs, videos, and media arts, as well as a teaser into his current projects, together with an exact replica of Burton’s personal work studio. Among the not-to-be-missed sections are Influences, where visitors can see his earliest drawings and learn more about the artists, genres and institutions that inspired him, ranging from Dr Seuss to Japanese kaiju movies; as well as Figurative Works, which is a showcase of Burton’s original drawings, paintings, and sculptures; and Film Characters, which is offers a deeper look into paintings, videos, script notes, storyboards, puppets, and maquettes to show how some of his most iconic film characters progressed from ideas in Burton’s mind to the cinema screen. Besides the exhibits, fans will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about the art of films through an exclusive virtual masterclass titled Tim Burton’s Masterclass hosted by Burton himself on April 14, 2023 where he will tell his story on the art of films, his unique creative processes, and the road to becoming a prominent household name in the entertainment and film industry. Tickets to the museum can be purchased at kol-nation.com/theworld-of-tim-burton-malaysia, priced at only RM88 for adults, RM68 for children and senior citizens, and RM48 for the OKU. Visitors can also opt for a season pass (multiple entries to the exhibit) priced at RM498, or the VIP Bundle inclusive of a season pass, a master pass to the virtual Tim Burton’s Masterclass, The Art of Tim Burton book, and special signed merchandise for only RM1,500. The experience is oganised and presented by Toybox Projects Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Tim Burton Productions, and partnered with Eurasian Entertainment Consultants Ltd (EEC) and KOL Nation, together with Onecare Wellness as the main sponsor and event partners.
17 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM SCAN ME THE Guy Ritchie-directed action comedy Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre may not live up to the standards of today’s best action films, but it is still entertaining enough for casual moviegoers or a night out with friends. With a cast that included Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone, and Hugh Grant, this film did not disappoint. Knowing that Jason Statham plays the lead in a film, you can always expect plenty of fighting and shooting scenes, and Ruse de Guerre is no exception. The action comedy starts off with a gunfight between criminals who stole a valuable item in order to manipulate the world – which is a cliche villain goal – but it still makes sense and must be retrieved at any cost to save the world. Nathan Jasmine (Cary Elwes) was then recruited by the British government to assemble a special team. That’s when Orson (Statham), joins forces with Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and JJ Davies (Bugzy Malone) to recover a stolen high-tech device before it is auctioned off to the highest bidder by an arms dealer, Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). In order to help them with their covert operation, Fortune and his team of operatives enlist the help of one of the most famous actors in Hollywood, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett), who also happens to be Simmonds’ favourite movie star. Despite some difficulties they encounter along the way, the team does whatever it takes to take down those criminals and recover the stolen item. This spy film has a similar feel to Mission: Impossible and James Bond films, but with a twist of humour. Saving the world from evil villains, Feel-good shows to watch this Ramadan EMBARKING on the journey of Ramadhan means taking the time to focus on self-reflection, spirituality and most importantly healing. Be it before or after “buka puasa”, why not get into shows that will make you feel more connected with your inner self? This Ramadhan, we’ve rounded up some feel-good shows on Disney+ Hotstar that highlight the act of selflove and healing. From local shows to documentaries and even Korean dramas, there’s always something for everybody to enjoy. Cinta Subuh Angga, a college student who rarely wakes up in time to pray the morning prayer, falls in love with Ratih, a clever and religious young man. Ratih wants a partner who can help him get closer to his religion and so he wants to help guide Angga. As the pressure increases, Angga soon realises that they are not compatible with one another and she decides to part ways. The story is a great example that while we should always strive to improve and be better, we should also let go of things that do not serve us. Limitless with Chris Hemsworth Chris Hemsworth is on a mission to live better for longer. With the help of top scientists, he takes on six epic challenges to push his mind and body to the limit. Why not spend this Ramadhan fasting with Chris Hemsworth, while discovering how abstaining from food cleanses your body and more importantly repairs your cells. In one of the episodes, we learn how fasting strengthens the mind and literally heals the body. Ayahanda A village Imam and Jurunikah who teaches at an old surau, is faced with a conflict when the villagers seek for him to be replaced by a younger Imam. Ayahanda is about family conflict, as the children find it difficult to reason with their father. However, at the end, they manage to overcome their differences as the children vow to be more understanding towards their father. True to the meaning of Ramadhan, this story teaches us how liberating forgiveness can be and how a whole family unit can start to heal when everyone puts aside their differences and strive to understand each other better. Ms Marvel Kamala Khan, a Muslim-American teenager and a superhero mega fan, feels like she doesn’t fit in. That is until she gets her superpowers. Kamala is now on a journey to discover her full potential and goes through it with the help of her best friends, Bruno and Nakia. In this series, Kamala and Nakia are of Muslim heritage and trying to balance that with the American lifestyle has not always been easy. However, Nakia shows us that when you embrace your culture, traditions and live life the way you want to rather than trying to please others, you can find your voice and heal. The series also showcases their Eid Mubarak celebration so why not countdown the days to Hari Raya with Kamala and Nakia. One Dollar Lawyer Jihun is one of the best lawyers while routinely only charging only one dollar per case, and is committed to social justice and defending fundamental human rights. He may be an eccentric lawyer with an unusual style but he wasn’t always like that. In fact, he used to be the complete opposite. So what’s changed? Is he truly happier or has he just found a different perspective in life? Go through this journey of self-discovery and healing with Jihun in One Dollar Lawyer. With a clever script and tons of humorous moments, this is a great spy movie to watch if you’re looking for an entertaining watch. –IMDB Iman Vellani (left) plays the lead role as Kamala Khan in Ms Marvel. oOperation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is packed with action and humour that is quite entertaining to watch futuristic technology, and an elite team gunfight are all part of the game. And as soon as the action begins, expect explosions, gunfire, and missiles flying anytime. There is even a scene involving Statham flying a chopper and Hartnett driving a red Mustang while being pursued by Simmons’ men. These all remind us of, and resemble, the Fast and Furious in some way. In fact, all of this is more than enough to satisfy the adrenaline junkie in the audience. The thing that makes it more entertaining and a must-see film for action fans is the fact that Statham plays the lead role. He’s always had his own unique styles and abilities to take the action to the next level. While working in a team is required for him in this film, his teammate, Plaza brilliantly played the role and stole the show in this ensemble film. The tech-savvy character provided a refreshing presence and always had catchy lines and occasional jokes that always kept the audience entertained. She effortlessly brought the team together, playing an integral role in the story’s resolution. Plaza was an excellent addition to the film, her performance adding charm and levity to the entire cast. Josh Hartnett’s Francesco, who is also a member of the team, helps to relieve the tension by maintaining a constant look of fear and confusion while interacting with the experienced agents. Everything blended so seamlessly with the movie that the balance between humour and action was balanced. Although Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is better, Ruse de Guerre still does takes you on a thrilling ride. This film might also be an action film that everyone in the family would enjoy watching. The movie was initially slated for release in early 2022, but it was removed from the calendar in February after it emerged that the main antagonist Greg Simmonds’ henchmen in the movie were Ukrainian gangsters. The film’s creators decided it would be inappropriate to depict “Ukrainian baddies” because of how the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War caused outrage all over the world. The movie was then released in theatres on Jan 13 in other countries, before being shown in theatres in the US on March 3. Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Hugh Grant plays billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds. – TWITTER/@FORTUNEMOVIE █ BY HAZIQUE ZAIRILL This fun take on the classic spy film follows the hero as he embarks on an exciting mission full of stunts and unexpected twists. –TWITTER/@FORTUNEMOVIE A slick actioncomedy
18 FEATURE theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 Tempting Ramadan Buffet at Avante Hotel Chef Arih Ahmad (in orange) with his sous chefs. – AVANTE HOTEL Main courses include fried kampung chicken. DISCOVER a new place for your iftar this Ramadan: Chek’s Coffee House located at the recently opened Avante Hotel at Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya. The coffee house is offering a Santapan Rasa Sayang 2023 Buffet this year, which is more dishes than the last year, adding that the new dishes this year were daging gulai kawah, or Gear Box Soup, among others. “We have a noodle station where chefs fry Kuey Teow Goreng and Bihun Goreng ‘live’ in front of the guests. Our food stalls serve crispy apam balik, popiah basah, and much more,” said Chef Arih. He said the most time-consuming and challenging dishes were the grilled goat meat, which requires grilling for three hours, and daging gulai kawah, which needs stirring for hours. All the main dishes were garnished beautifully and looks tempting. The fruit table decorated with carved fruits and the desserts table were colourful and eyecatching. Visitors can end the night with a huge selection of fine French pastries, an assortment of cakes, and local delicacies like Seri Muka was like a bonus to the already tasty food. Besides the food, coffee house, where the buffet dinner was held had ample space with contemporary furnitures and the entire room was brightly lit. Santapan Rasa Sayang 2023 Buffet Dinner runs from now to April 21, 2023 from 6.30pm to 10.30pm daily. Visit avantehotel.com.my for more. – by S. Tamarai Chelvi Shopping in a souk AS Ramadan approaches and Hari Raya Aidilfitri is just around the corner, Melawati Mall is celebrating the festivities with the theme of Kilauan Raya Al-Maghribi from now to May 1, 2023. Visitors are able to experience the atmosphere of shopping in a Moroccan city when they visit the shopping centre, which will be decorated with architectural elements, camel replicas, and artwork from the country. There will be stunning stage decorations with Moroccan themes, colourful and lively festive booths with the newest Raya fashion, Moroccan carpets, Middle Eastern delicacies, and more. In addition, on the weekends, customers can watch dance performances influenced by Moroccan culture and participate in workshops centred around the holiday of Raya. Anson Tan, the Marketing and Communications Manager of Melawati Mall, stated: “My team and I conducted research, and the atmosphere is comparable to that of Morocco. “I believe people will be able to sense it when they come here, and it is an ideal for taking photos to post on social media as well.” Kilauan Raya Al-Maghribi includes a wide range of exciting activities. – MELAWATI MALL oMelawati Mall celebrates Raya by immersing shoppers in a Moroccan atmosphere with Kilauan Raya al-Maghribi █ BY HAZIQUE ZAIRILL The ground floor of the mall is beautifully decorated with a Moroccan theme, making it ideal for photos. – MELAWATI MALL The three stars of Projek High Council introducing El Azman, the founder of the Elrah Exclusive fashion house. – INSTAGRAM/@ELRAHEXCLUSIVE Tan also remarksed that Melawati Mall is the perfect place for people to find Hari Raya essentials such as clothes and cakes as there are numerous options and great deals for them to grab. “There is no need to shop anywhere else; everything for the entire family is available here. Throughout the campaign, they can also enjoy various performances and raya workshops,” he explained. To kick off the Raya festive activities, Melawati Mall, collaborated with Elrah Exclusive and Chizu, presented the Kilauan Raya Al-Maghribi fashion show during the launch event last week. The fashion show featured a special appearance by castmembers of the hit television series Projek: High Council – Amir Ahnaf, Hazeeq Dean, and Fadhli Masoot – who represented the clothing line brand, Elrah Exclusive, by wearing a range of Baju Melayu for the festive season. As it was their first time fronting the brand, the young actors admitted that they were proud and felt blessed as a result of being chosen to represent the company for this year’s Raya campaign. El Azman, the founder of the Elrah Exclusive clothing line, was also present at the launch event and spoke about why he selected the actors to represent the brand. “They are the hype right now, and I could see that they are giving their all to their work, so I hope they will give their all this time [as well]. Working with them was also straightforward,” El said. Aside from Elrah Exclusive, the fashion show also showcases the latest Raya trends from participating brands such as Max Fashion, D’yana, SannicoV, Colegacy Concept Store and Fana Couture. Throughout the Raya festivities, shoppers can also discover Rayathemed displays and photo ops, retail pop-ups, and a variety of exciting activities, as well as be rewarded with prizes worth up to RM10,000 when they spend at the mall. To reward shoppers for their spending, Melawati Mall is offering CapitaStar members with more exclusive shopping rewards. Members can also use their STAR$ points to redeem exclusive Raya redemption gifts like the Moroccan gift set and MM Raya Packets via the CapitaStar mobile app. Not only that, but CapitaStar members can win wonderful lucky draw prizes worth up to RM10,000 by spending a minimum of RM300 in a single receipt during the campaign. So, don’t pass up this opportunity to walk away with amazing rewards while shopping for the latest Raya trends at Melawati Mall. Dinner, with a gorgeous spread of 105 dishes to savour after fasting from dawn to dusk. Among these are Chef Arih Ahmad’s signature dish, daging bakar masak lemak, a traditional Negeri Sembilan dish, and other iconic local dishes such as satay, rendang ayam, kampung fried chicken, kambing kurma kentang, sotong belado, and kambing golek. International cuisines included chicken chop, black pepper fried crabs, Japanese food like sushi and sashimi, Mongolian stir-fried beef, and sweet and sour squid, all of which are appetizing. Speaking exclusively to theSun, Chef Arih said a total of 105 dishes, ranging from appetizers, main courses and desserts will be served The satay is popular among diners. The satay is popular among diners.
19 TECH theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 Android 13), and – sadly – all the typical Oppo bloatware. However, I can almost forgive all the extra apps, thanks to the widgets that were built for the vertical front display. Aside from the standard weather Collision detection sensors a must-have for cyclists IT is highly recommended to install a collision detection device on the back of your bike, to alert you to any potential accident risk. This type of solution has become so useful and effective that it is now being installed as standard on certain new models. Taiwanese IT hardware manufacturer Acer has announced the upcoming release of its first ever electric bike, featuring comprehensive connectivity and a built-in collision avoidance system. The ebii e-bike is equipped with a rear collision detection sensor mounted directly under the saddle. It is intended to alert the rider to the presence of motorists or other vehicles approaching too close behind them. For the moment, no price or availability information has been released for this e-bike. It is still unusual to see bikes equipped with a collision detection system as standard, even if these can be indispensable for the safety of cyclists, especially in urban areas. However, it’s always possible to install this kind of device on your bike. Several manufacturers, starting with Garmin, offer this type of product, to be mounted under the saddle or the rear light of the bike. This device can scan for danger up to 100 meters behind the bike and then warn the cyclist when a vehicle approaches dangerously. These alerts can be audio or visual in form, and relayed via a dedicated unit or the user’s smartphone. The most recent models can even record images or footage in the event of a crash, before and after the impact. More sophisticated systems are also beginning to emerge, from companies including American start-up Streetlogic, which has developed a collision warning system consisting of two cameras, capable of anticipating the risk of collision with other road users. – ETX Studio Accident risk can be reduced by using a collision detection sensor on the back of your bike. – ETX STUDIO Really Flip-ping good THE Oppo Find N2 Flip made its big debut in the world of foldables this month, and is fast becoming one of the most buzzed about mobile devices in the market. The device was previously only available in China, and many international fans had been looking forward to getting their hands on it due to the rave reviews from Chinese users. Right out of the box, you can tell that Oppo did not come to play, with particular attention paid not just to the phone’s design, but its functionality and the user experience. The device boasts a 6.8in f o l d i n g A M O L E D display – when laid flat – as well as a 3.26in vertical front screen display. What makes the phone truly remarkable is its Flexion Hinge. As many other reviewers have pointed out, the N2 Flip folds perfectly flat, with no gap, and the crease is almost invisible. Obviously, you can feel it when you run your finger over the screen, but in daily use, when you are reading messages, surfing the internet, and especially when watching a video, it is nearimperceptible. Under the hood, the N2 Flip comes with ColorOS 13 (based on █ BYANANSA JACOB Taking photos and videos is a fun experience. app, there is one that allows you to reply to messages (including WhatsApp) with predetermined emojis or sentences, a timer, and a photo app that lets you use the ‘rear’ cameras (one 50MP primary camera and a 8MP ultrawide) to take selfies, and gives you a neat bokeh effect. You can also choose to set a wallpaper for the front display, or have an interactive pet (with a choice of five animals) to play with. Overall, the front display successfully enhances the user experience beyond what you would expect from your smartphone. In terms of cameras and photography alone, I would rate the N2 Flip as well above average. What is going to be the main selling point is the flexibility the device offers. The ability to bend the screen really does offer so many opportunities to “get the perfect shot”. I found it useful when holding the phone to take both low and high angle shots, and it was especially convenient to set it down on the table to take group shots (you can trigger a selfie timer by holding up your palm). As to the quality of the photos, daylight images displayed colours that were true to life, and videos looked crisp and bright. Indoor and night shots did have a slight grainy effect, which the phone appeared to attempt to artificially sharpen, but still better than most mid-range devices. The N2 Flip also comes with a two-piece transparent hard case in the box, which is a nice ‘freebie’ to have with the phone. However, I did notice that after almost two weeks of daily use, one half became a little loose and could easily slide off when pulled. If that bothers you, it might be wise to invest in a proper, more secure case. Either way, the screens are protected with Gorilla Glass, so minor spills should be bearable. The phone is not water resistant however, so try not to get it too wet. If there are any gripes to be had about the N2 Flip, its that the Super VOOC battery charging falls short in terms of speed. Having reviewed two other recently launched models with truly fast charging speeds, the N2 Flip felt like it was crawling at a snail’s pace. It took a full hour to get the device from under 5% to 100%, which is something I’m used to seeing from my own older model phone. In addition, the Flexion Hinge is also a little looser than I expected, holding its position to a maximum of 110°. This means that if you tilt it too far back, it will fall straight. However, that only happened once; most of the time, I had the phone sitting at a solid 90° angle anyway. Other than that, the visuals from the device were bright, and there are speakers at both ends of the phone with clear sound, making video watching and gaming a joy on the device. And despite my personal gripes against bloatware, none of the added apps caused the phone to run slow, in part due to its MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset. The phone only comes in one variant, 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, in two colours, Astral Black and Moonlit Purple. Priced at a reasonable RM3,999, the Oppo Find N2 Flip just might be the foldable to beat. oThe Oppo Find N2 Flip is becoming everyone’s favourite foldable this year The Oppo Find N2 Flip comes in Astral Black and Moonlit Purple. The front display has a series of helpful widgets.
20 MEDIA & MARKETING theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 Making your dreams come true CARLSBERG Malaysia invites all young graduates who have a thirst for greatness to kickstart a fulfilling career with one of the world’s largest breweries offering international opportunities with its Carlsberg Asia Graduate Trainee Programme (GTP). Running from now to April 30, 2023, the 2023 intake application will offer shortlisted candidates an accelerated 24-month learning adventure at Probably The Best Beer Company with different exposure across multiple markets in Asia and various functions, ranging from Commercial, Supply Chain and Corporate Functions. Pauline Lim, Human Resources Director of Carlsberg Malaysia, said: “This year, we will further strengthen the Graduate Trainee Programme by providing future leaders a more comprehensive learning of our business and the brewing industry. Our GTP represents our commitment to human capital investment and providing them with platforms to succeed. “At Carlsberg Malaysia, we continue to provide opportunities to fresh graduates to learn, network, explore and grow together across the region. One of the most unique experiences is a 4- month regional exposure, whereby they will have the opportunity to work either in Singapore, Hong Kong, Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam, which are part of the core Asian markets of the Carlsberg Group. “We are proud to share that our Company has produced a group of exceptional graduate trainees from the intakes of 2014 and 2019, now aged between 26 and 31, who have advanced to roles with greater responsibilities like Assistant Manager in Marketing, two managers in production and head of Warehouse & Distribution.” Sam Zhi Qian, 25, a Commercial Graduate Trainee from the 2022 intake said: “Carlsberg is also about openness and inclusivity, which I’ve seen the company offering opportunities to employees to experience roles that cater to their interests, and this would certainly play a role in effective career development amongst talents in the Carlsberg Malaysia’s Graduate Trainees from the 2022 intake. oCarlsberg Asia is seeking enthusiastic young graduates to join the company in its accelerated 24-month Graduate Trainee Programme Scan the QR code for more information company.” John Lau, 26, a Supply Chain Graduate Trainee also from the 2022 intake: “During my eight-month tenure here, Carlsberg Malaysia has proven itself to be a purpose-driven company living by Carlsberg’s golden words – Brewing for a Better Today and Tomorrow. “With everyone striving towards a common goal, my colleagues are willing to spend time and patiently share their knowledge with me. On top of gaining these new shared experiences, it allowed me to produce more creative solutions. I would say that I have also sharpened my interpersonal skills as I work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds, working together towards brewing Probably the Best Beer in the World.” Notably, a testament to the Company’s commitment and continuous effort in driving highperformance culture, Carlsberg Malaysia was awarded seven accolades including the ‘Overall Learning Award’ by Employee Experience Award (ExA), ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2022’ Award by HR Asia and Most Preferred Graduate Employers to Work for in 2022 by Graduates’ Choice Award. Submit your application and latest resume via LinkedIn or JobStreet before April 30, 2023. For more info, visit facebook.com/CarlsbergMalaysia or visit carlsbergmalaysia.com.my. Collaborating for a better tomorrow TWO great organisations came together today to ink their collaboration towards creating an environment supportive of allied health services to the Malaysian community. Pusat Rehabilitasi PERKESO (PRP) and Manipal College University Malaysia (MUCM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding where Allied Health students of MUCM will be able to use PRP’s facilities for teaching and training during their clinical placements. MUCM will also be supporting PRP’s in-patient services by providing clinical expertise services (medical and dental) based on needs. Representing PRP was YBhg. Dato’ Sri Dr Mohammed Azman Datuk Aziz Mohammed, Chief Executive PERKESO. He said: “This MOU is a testament to the commitment of both organisations to enhance the quality of healthcare, medical education, and rehabilitation services in Malaysia. By coming together, PRP and MUCM aim to share knowledge, expertise, and resources to improve the rehabilitation services in Malaysia.” This collaboration comes as MUCM in the wake of its 25thanniversary celebrations expands its undergraduate programme offerings from Medicine and Dentistry into Occupational Therapy and other Allied Health fields, as well as postgraduate degrees in Dentistry and Health Research. “Allied Health Science programmes give a broader view of another side of the employable healthcare industry allowing young aspirants to have an alternative career pathway in the preferred field,“ said Professor Dr Patrick Kee, Vice Chancellor of MUCM. “Health science today has become a growing sector worldwide as most demands are driven by the current pandemic situation, better health awareness, rising income, and lifestyle diseases,“ he added. The event which was witnessed by senior management members of both PRP and MUCM was held at PRP’s newly renovated NEUROROBOTICS REHABILITATION & CYBERNICS CENTRE which is currently the largest Cybernics treatment centre outside of Japan, consisting of more 38 units of Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) to treat patients who sustain spinal cord injury, stroke, or other neurological conditions. Dual campus, double degree programme THE changing world education landscape has seen the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) come up with 11 aspirations and focuses that would be a milestone in efforts and guidance to empower the Malaysian education sector to be more quality and recognised as global education as well as to strengthen Malaysia’s role in attracting students, researchers and global talent. In line with this aspiration, Management and Science University (MSU) has held a launch ceremony for the “Dual Campus” and “Double Degree” programmes involving collaboration between Malaysia and Indonesia. The ceremony was launched by the Minister of Higher Education, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. Also present were MSU President, Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Dr Mohd Shukri Ab. Yajid, MSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Puan Sri Datuk Dr Junainah Abd Hamid, Rector of Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) Prof Dr Mohammad Nasih, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohammad Shatar Sabran, Chief Executive of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid, as well as senior management of MSU and the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. This initiative saw the launch of the “Dual Campus” programme involving MSU Shah Alam with MSU Jakarta, Indonesia, as well as the “Double Degree” programme between MSU and Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) and Jakarta Global University (JGU). This collaboration will allow MSU and its strategic partner’s students to experience learning in Malaysia or Indonesia. It is also contributing to the increase of inbound and outbound mobility activities involving students and staff for both countries. It also strengthens collaboration with the world’s leading universities, especially in research and other collaborations, and helps Malaysia become a “talent hub” that is recognised at the global level. Additionally, this collaboration also involves activities that support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Until now, MSU has more than 350 strategic partners around the world to support this “international partnership” or internationalisation programme involving MSU students and teaching staff with its international university partners including mobility programmes, research collaboration, joint publication, community service and other collaborations. To date, more than 7,000 MSU students participated in mobility programmes around the globe through the “Global Mobility Programme” (GMP), “Global Leadership Programme” (GLP) and “Global Internship Programme” (GIP). This exposure serves to complete the students’ development into competent and employable graduates.
21 * SPORTS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF DAYA PROFFSCORP (SABAH) SDN. BHD. 201001038131 (922055-P) (In Member’s Voluntary Winding Up) (Incorporated in Malaysia) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459(1) of the Companies Act 2016, the FINAL MEETING of the Company will be held at Suite 15, 6th Floor, IOI Business Park, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong, Selangor on 24-04-2023 at 11.00 a.m. for the following purposes:- 1. To receive the Liquidators’ Statement of Account showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of, and of hearing any explanation that may be given by the Liquidators. 2. To destroy all the books and records of the Company and of the liquidators, in digital, printed and any format that are relevant to the affairs of the Company at the expiry of two years from the date of dissolution of the Company and in accordance to the provisions of the Companies Act 2016. LAI CHUNG EN CHAN BEE LEE (F) Liquidators Dated this 23-03-2023 Note : A member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and, on a poll, to vote in his stead. A proxy may but need not be a member of the Company. The proxy form must be deposited to the Liquidators’ address at Suite 15, 6th Floor, IOI Business Park, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong, Selangor at least 48 hours before the date and time of the meeting. DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI KUALA LUMPUR DALAM WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (BAHAGIAN SIVIL) GUAMAN SIVIL NO: WA-A72NCvC-655-02/2023 ANTARA COLUMBIA ASIA SDN. BHD. (No. Pendaftaran: 199601016009 [388359-P]) …PLAINTIF DAN 1. ZURAIDAH BINTI JAAFAR (No. K/P: 760413-11-5474) …DEFENDAN-DEFENDAN 2. MOHD SULAIMAN BIN YUSOFF (No. K/P: 881125-11-5569) PENYAMPAIAN GANTI-BENTUK IKLAN Kepada :- 1. ZURAIDAH BINTI JAAFAR (No. K/P: 760413-11-5474) 2. MOHD SULAIMAN BIN YUSOFF No. K/P: 881125-11-5569) B-26 Zetapark Setapak Centre, Jalan Danau Kota, 53000 Setapak, Kuala Lumpur Ambil perhatian bahawa suatu tindakan telah dimulakan terhadap kamu dalam Writ No. WA-A72NCvC-655-02/2023 oleh COLUMBIA ASIA SDN. BHD. (No. Pendaftaran: 199601016009 [388359-P]) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Tingkat 7, Wisma Consplant 1, No. 2, Jalan SS16/4, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor dan mempunyai perniagaan bergelar Columbia Asia Hospital Setapak yang beralamat di No. 1, Jalan Danau Saujana, Taman Danau Kota, 53300 Kuala Lumpur dalam mana tuntutan plaintif untuk jumlah wang sebanyak RM 8,079.49 dengan faedah 5% ke atas jumlah penghakiman mulai tarikh pemfailan Writ Saman sehingga tarikh penyelesaian sepenuhnya. Dan bahawa telah diperintahkan bahawa penyampaian writ itu dalam tindakan tersebut kepada kamu kena dilaksanakan melalui iklan ini. Jika kamu berhasrat untuk membela dalam tindakan tersebut kamu mestilah dalam masa 21 hari dari tarikh tersiarnya iklan ini, termasuk hari penyiaran itu, memasukkan kehadiran di Pejabat Pendaftaran Mahkamah. Jika ingkar apa-apa kehadiran yang demikian maka penghakiman boleh dibuat terhadap kamu. Bertarikh pada 09 Mac, 2023. -T.T- ……………….………… Peguamcara Plaintif Tetuan Kelvin Wong, Phang & Associates Penyampaian Ganti (Bentuk Iklan) ini difailkan oleh Tetuan Kelvin Wong, Phang & Associates, peguamcara dan peguambela bagi Plaintif yang dinamakan di atas yang beralamat di Block J-3A-04, Setiawalk, Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel: 03- 8600 2162; Faks: 03-8600 2163 Email: [email protected] (Ruj: LIT/ KWPA/0823/Columbia(Setapak)/ Zuraidah&D2/h) 322 Notices IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR IN THE STATE OF WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN, MALAYSIA (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO: WA-28NCC-212-03/2023 In the matter of Section 465(1)(a) and (h) of the Companies Act 2016 And In the matter of BUMIMAJU MAWAR SDN BHD [Company No: 200801006701 (807985-D)] BETWEEN MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH (NRIC No.: 931224-14-5985) ..... PETITIONER AND BUMIMAJU MAWAR SDN BHD [Company No: 200801006701 (807985-D)] ..... RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a petition for the winding-up of the above-named Company by the High Court was, on the 6th day of March, 2023 presented by the Petitioner, MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH AND that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the High Court (Insolvency Court) sitting at Kuala Lumpur at Level 5, Left Wing, Kompleks Mahkamah Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim (Jalan Duta), 50506 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan at 9.00 o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, 17th October 2023; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose; and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address of service is at 2nd Floor, No. 17 & 19, Jalan Brunei Barat, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s solicitors is MESSRS. LOW & PARTNERS of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dated the 13th day of March 2023. T.T. ............................... Messrs. Low & Partners For and on behalf of the Petitioner NOTE:- Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed solicitors, Messrs. Low & Partners, notice in writing of his intention so to do. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm, or his or their solicitor (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the abovenamed solicitors not later than 12.00 o’clock noon on Monday, 16th October 2023. This ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION is filed by Messrs. Low & Partners of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, solicitors for the abovesaid Petitioner. Tel: 03-7729 5293 Fax: 03-7729 5298 Ref: LP/GL/11673/12/22/WCK/DC/ LY_WCK ly IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR IN THE STATE OF WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN, MALAYSIA (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO: WA-28NCC-213-03/2023 In the matter of Section 465(1)(a) and (h) of the Companies Act 2016 And In the matter of TARAF CENDANA SDN BHD [Company No: 201501001223 (1126555-U)] BETWEEN MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH (NRIC No.: 931224-14-5985) ..... PETITIONER AND TARAF CENDANA SDN BHD [Company No: 201501001223 (1126555-U)] ..... RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a petition for the winding-up of the above-named Company by the High Court was, on the 6th day of March, 2023 presented by the Petitioner, MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH AND that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the High Court (Insolvency Court) sitting at Kuala Lumpur by way of video conference at 9.00 o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, 18th October 2023; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose; and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address of service is at 2nd Floor, No. 17 & 19, Jalan Brunei Barat, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s solicitors is MESSRS. LOW & PARTNERS of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dated the 13th day of March 2023. T.T ...................................... Messrs. Low & Partners For and on behalf of the Petitioner NOTE:- Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed solicitors, Messrs. Low & Partners, notice in writing of his intention so to do. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm, or his or their solicitor (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the abovenamed solicitors not later than 12.00 o’clock noon on Tuesday, 17th October 2023. This ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION is filed by Messrs. Low & Partners of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, solicitors for the abovesaid Petitioner. Tel: 03-7729 5293 Fax: 03-7729 5298 Ref: LP/GL/11675/12/22/WCK/DC/ LY_WCK ly 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI IPOH DALAM NEGERI PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN PETISYEN PERCERAIAN NO: AA-33-467-11/2022 Dalam perkara mengenai pembubaran perkahwinan kerana keretakan perkahwinan Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Kaedah 8 Kaedah-Kaedah Prosiding Perceraian dan Hal-Ehwal Perkahwinan 1980 Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Seksyen 53 Akta Membaharui Undang-Undang (perkahwinan dan perceraian) 1976 ANTARA JAYARAJ A/L SUBRAMANI (No.K/P: 791129-08-6559) PEMPETISYEN DAN KOKILLAVANI A/P R.M.KUMARAN (No.K/P: 830906-08-6510) RESPONDEN Kepada:- KOKILLAVANI A/P R.M.KUMARAN (No.K/P: 830906-08-6510) No. D-8, Rumah Murah, Lawan Kuda Baru, 31600 Gopeng, Perak. PERINTAH UNTUK PENYAMPAIAN GANTI AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu tindakan telah dimulakan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Ipoh dalam Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan melalui Petisyen Perceraian No: AA-33-467- 11/2022 dalam tindakan ini oleh Jayaraj a/l Subramani beralamat di No. 42, Jalan Kinta Batu 2A, Taman Kinta Baru, 31600 Gopeng, Perak dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Petisyen Perceraian disampaikan kepada kamu melalui Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti dengan menampalkan sesalinan Petisyen Untuk Perceraian yang bertarikh 24.11.2022 berserta dengan Afidavit Pempetisyen yang diikrarkan pada 22.11.2022 tersebut pada Papan Notis Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Ipoh bersama dengan Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti yang diperolehi ini dan menampalkan yang sama di alamat Responden No. D-8, Rumah Murah, Lawan Kuda Baru, 31600 Gopeng, Perak dan juga akhir sekali mengiklankan di Surat Khabar “The Sun”. Dan bahawa penampalan dan pengiklanan sedemikian dianggap sebagai penyampaian wajar dan mencukupi akan Petisyen Perceraian ke atas kamu selepas tamat tempoh EMPAT BELAS (14) hari dari tarikh terakhir penampalan dan pengiklanan. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA Petisyen Perceraian tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Ipoh pada 24.3.2023 jam 9.00 pagi yang mana kamu adalah dikehendaki hadir. Jika kamu berhasrat membantah Petisyen Perceraian tersebut kamu mestilah dalam masa empat belas (14) hari dari dari tarikh penyampaian menjadi sempurna memohon memfailkan dengan pendaftar suatu Afidavit bagi maksud tersebut. Petisyen Perceraian ini boleh diperiksa oleh kamu dengan memohon kepada Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh pada 13 Februari 2023. ……………T…T…………… PENOLONG KANAN PENDAFTAR / TIMBALAN PENDAFTAR MAHKAMAH TINGGI IPOH, PERAK. Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti telah difailkan oleh TETUAN AL MURALI & CO, Peguambela dan Peguamcara yang beralamat di No. 15A, Tingkat Satu, Medan Istana 7, Bandar Ipoh Raya, 30000 Ipoh, Perak; Peguamcara bagi pihak Pempetisyen. [Ruj Kami: AMC/3316/JS-DV/2022]sha IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF EYE CRAFTER OPTICAL SDN. BHD. 201401034310 (1110408-A) (In Member’s Voluntary Winding Up) (Incorporated in Malaysia) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459(1) of the Companies Act 2016, the FINAL MEETING of the Company will be held at D Garden Business Park, Block 1, No. 4A & No. 5A (First Floor), Jalan Desa Botani 2, Taman Desa Botani, 83000 Batu Pahat, Johor on 24-04- 2023 at 10.00 a.m. for the following purposes: - 1. To receive the Liquidator’s Statement of Account showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of, and of hearing any explanation that may be given by the Liquidator. 2. To destroy all the books and records of the Company and of the liquidator, in digital, printed and any format that are relevant to the affairs of the Company at the expiry of two years from the date of dissolution of the Company and in accordance to the provisions of the Companies Act 2016. LEE YEN PIN (F) Liquidator Dated this 23-03-2023 Note : A member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and, on a poll, to vote in his stead. A proxy may but need not be a member of the Company. The proxy form must be deposited to the Liquidator’s address at D Garden Business Park, Block 1, No. 4A & No. 5A (First Floor), Jalan Desa Botani 2, Taman Desa Botani, 83000 Batu Pahat, Johor at least 48 hours before the date and time of the meeting. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF INFINI CHEMICALS (M) SDN. BHD. Registration. No. 201501022509 (1147838-W) (In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation) Liquidators’ office: C/o. C-11-8-B, KL Trillion, No. 338, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur. Tel : 03-27108660 NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459(1)(b) of the Companies Act 2016, a Final Meeting of the Company will be held at C-11-8-B, KL Trillion, No. 338, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 24th April 2023 at 10.00 a.m. for the following purposes: - 1. To receive the Statement of Account from the Liquidators showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted. 2. To determine pursuant to Section 518(3)(b) of the Companies Act 2016, the manner in which the books, accounts and documents of the Liquidators and of the Company thereof shall be disposed of. For and on behalf of Infini Chemicals (M) Sdn. Bhd. (In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation) TAN TIAU AIK TAN SEEN WHEE Liquidators Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Date: 23rd March 2023 NOTES: 1. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing (in the common or usual form) under the hand of the appointor or his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy may but need not be a member of the Company. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll. 2. The instrument appointing a proxy and the power of attorney or other authority, if any, under which it is signed or a notarially certified copy of that power or authority, shall be deposited at the office of Tan Tiau Aik and Tan Seen Whee, being the Liquidators of the Company, at c/o C-11-8-B, KL Trillion, No. 338, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia not less than forty-eight hours before the time for holding the meeting or any adjournment thereof. In the matter of the Companies Act, 2016 and In the matter of NPH COUNSEL SDN. BHD. (COMPANY NO. 201901013458 (1322786-V)) (In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation) Notice is hereby given that at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company deemed held at 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang on 17 March 2023 the following resolution was duly passed: - SPECIAL RESOLUTION - VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP OF THE COMPANY That the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 439(1)(b) of the Companies Act, 2016 and that Ms. Khaw Mei Ching [I/C No: 741228-07-5200] of TJH Consultancy Services Sdn. Bhd. (201601015388 (1186319-V)) of 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang be and is hereby appointed Liquidator for the purpose of such winding-up at a fee to be mutually agreed upon and that pursuant to Section 456 of the Companies Act, 2016, the Liquidator may exercise all her powers and duties in relation thereto. That the 21 days’ notice period required under Section 292 of the Companies Act, 2016 be hereby waived. Dated this 23th day of March, 2023. By Order of the Board Khaw Mei Ching (MAICSA 7035984) Liquidator Di dalam perkara Akta Syarikat, 2016 dan di dalam perkara NPH COUNSEL SDN. BHD. (COMPANY NO. 201901013458 (1322786-V)) (Dalam Penggulungan Sukarela oleh Ahli Lembaga) Notis Pemberitahuan bahawa resolusiresolusi yang dinyatakan di bawah telah diluluskan di dalam Mesyuarat Agung Luar Biasa yang telah berlangsung di 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang pada 17 Mac 2023:- Resolusi Khas - Penggulungan Sukarela Syarikat Bahawa Syarikat ini digulung secara sukarela melalui Penggulungan menurut Sukarela Pemegang Saham mengikut Seksyen 439(1) (b) Akta Syarikat, 2016 Dan Bahawa Cik. Khaw Mei Ching [I/C No: 741228-07-5200] dari TJH Consultancy Services Sdn. Bhd. (201601015388 (1186319-V)) yang beralamat 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang telah dilantik sebagai Pelikuidasi untuk tujuan penggulungan Syarikat dengan bayaran yang akan dipersetujui bersama dan mengikut Seksyen 456 Akta Syarikat, 2016, Pelikuidasi boleh menjalankan semua kuasa dan tugas yang berhubung dengannya. Bahawa tempoh notis 21 hari yang diperlukan di bawah Seksyen 292 Akta Syarikat, 2016 akan diketepikan. Tarikh: 23 Mac 2023. Bagi pihak Lembaga Pengarah Khaw Mei Ching (MAICSA 7035984) Pelikuidasi 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF SEO ENERGY SDN. BHD. Company Number: 200501018834 (700949-V) (IN MEMBER’S VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Final Meeting of the shareholder of the above-mentioned company will be held at 12th Floor, UBN Tower, 10 Jalan P.Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur on 28th April 2023 at 10.30 a.m. for the following purposes:- 1. To receive the Liquidator’s statement of accounts for the period from 20th March 2019 to 28th April 2023, showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and to receive any explanation thereon; and 2. To authorise the manner in which the books, accounts and documents of the Company and of the Liquidator shall be disposed of. Loo Hin Lam Liquidator Petaling Jaya Dated: 23 March 2023 Notes: 1. A shareholder entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and vote in his stead. A proxy need not be a shareholder of the Company. 2. The instrument appointing a proxy must be deposited at 12th Floor, UBN Tower, 10 Jalan P.Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or any adjournment thereof. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF DAYA PROFFSCORP (SABAH) SDN. BHD. 201001038131 (922055-P) (In Member’s Voluntary Winding Up) (Incorporated in Malaysia) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459(1) of the Companies Act 2016, the FINAL MEETING of the Company will be held at Suite 15, 6th Floor, IOI Business Park, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong, Selangor on 24-04-2023 at 11.00 a.m. for the following purposes:- 1. To receive the Liquidators’ Statement of Account showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of, and of hearing any explanation that may be given by the Liquidators. 2. To destroy all the books and records of the Company and of the liquidators, in digital, printed and any format that are relevant to the affairs of the Company at the expiry of two years from the date of dissolution of the Company and in accordance to the provisions of the Companies Act 2016. LAI CHUNG EN CHAN BEE LEE (F) Liquidators Dated this 23-03-2023 Note : A member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and, on a poll, to vote in his stead. A proxy may but need not be a member of the Company. The proxy form must be deposited to the Liquidators’ address at Suite 15, 6th Floor, IOI Business Park, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong, Selangor at least 48 hours before the date and time of the meeting. DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI KUALA LUMPUR DALAM WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (BAHAGIAN SIVIL) GUAMAN SIVIL NO: WA-A72NCvC-655-02/2023 ANTARA COLUMBIA ASIA SDN. BHD. (No. Pendaftaran: 199601016009 [388359-P]) …PLAINTIF DAN 1. ZURAIDAH BINTI JAAFAR (No. K/P: 760413-11-5474) …DEFENDAN-DEFENDAN 2. MOHD SULAIMAN BIN YUSOFF (No. K/P: 881125-11-5569) PENYAMPAIAN GANTI-BENTUK IKLAN Kepada :- 1. ZURAIDAH BINTI JAAFAR (No. K/P: 760413-11-5474) 2. MOHD SULAIMAN BIN YUSOFF No. K/P: 881125-11-5569) B-26 Zetapark Setapak Centre, Jalan Danau Kota, 53000 Setapak, Kuala Lumpur Ambil perhatian bahawa suatu tindakan telah dimulakan terhadap kamu dalam Writ No. WA-A72NCvC-655-02/2023 oleh COLUMBIA ASIA SDN. BHD. (No. Pendaftaran: 199601016009 [388359-P]) yang mempunyai alamat penyampaian di Tingkat 7, Wisma Consplant 1, No. 2, Jalan SS16/4, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor dan mempunyai perniagaan bergelar Columbia Asia Hospital Setapak yang beralamat di No. 1, Jalan Danau Saujana, Taman Danau Kota, 53300 Kuala Lumpur dalam mana tuntutan plaintif untuk jumlah wang sebanyak RM 8,079.49 dengan faedah 5% ke atas jumlah penghakiman mulai tarikh pemfailan Writ Saman sehingga tarikh penyelesaian sepenuhnya. Dan bahawa telah diperintahkan bahawa penyampaian writ itu dalam tindakan tersebut kepada kamu kena dilaksanakan melalui iklan ini. Jika kamu berhasrat untuk membela dalam tindakan tersebut kamu mestilah dalam masa 21 hari dari tarikh tersiarnya iklan ini, termasuk hari penyiaran itu, memasukkan kehadiran di Pejabat Pendaftaran Mahkamah. Jika ingkar apa-apa kehadiran yang demikian maka penghakiman boleh dibuat terhadap kamu. Bertarikh pada 09 Mac, 2023. -T.T- ……………….………… Peguamcara Plaintif Tetuan Kelvin Wong, Phang & Associates Penyampaian Ganti (Bentuk Iklan) ini difailkan oleh Tetuan Kelvin Wong, Phang & Associates, peguamcara dan peguambela bagi Plaintif yang dinamakan di atas yang beralamat di Block J-3A-04, Setiawalk, Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel: 03- 8600 2162; Faks: 03-8600 2163 Email: [email protected] (Ruj: LIT/ KWPA/0823/Columbia(Setapak)/ Zuraidah&D2/h) 322 Notices IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR IN THE STATE OF WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN, MALAYSIA (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO: WA-28NCC-212-03/2023 In the matter of Section 465(1)(a) and (h) of the Companies Act 2016 And In the matter of BUMIMAJU MAWAR SDN BHD [Company No: 200801006701 (807985-D)] BETWEEN MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH (NRIC No.: 931224-14-5985) ..... PETITIONER AND BUMIMAJU MAWAR SDN BHD [Company No: 200801006701 (807985-D)] ..... RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a petition for the winding-up of the above-named Company by the High Court was, on the 6th day of March, 2023 presented by the Petitioner, MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH AND that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the High Court (Insolvency Court) sitting at Kuala Lumpur at Level 5, Left Wing, Kompleks Mahkamah Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim (Jalan Duta), 50506 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan at 9.00 o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, 17th October 2023; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose; and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address of service is at 2nd Floor, No. 17 & 19, Jalan Brunei Barat, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s solicitors is MESSRS. LOW & PARTNERS of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dated the 13th day of March 2023. T.T. ............................... Messrs. Low & Partners For and on behalf of the Petitioner NOTE:- Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed solicitors, Messrs. Low & Partners, notice in writing of his intention so to do. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm, or his or their solicitor (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the abovenamed solicitors not later than 12.00 o’clock noon on Monday, 16th October 2023. This ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION is filed by Messrs. Low & Partners of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, solicitors for the abovesaid Petitioner. Tel: 03-7729 5293 Fax: 03-7729 5298 Ref: LP/GL/11673/12/22/WCK/DC/ LY_WCK ly IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR IN THE STATE OF WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN, MALAYSIA (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO: WA-28NCC-213-03/2023 In the matter of Section 465(1)(a) and (h) of the Companies Act 2016 And In the matter of TARAF CENDANA SDN BHD [Company No: 201501001223 (1126555-U)] BETWEEN MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH (NRIC No.: 931224-14-5985) ..... PETITIONER AND TARAF CENDANA SDN BHD [Company No: 201501001223 (1126555-U)] ..... RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a petition for the winding-up of the above-named Company by the High Court was, on the 6th day of March, 2023 presented by the Petitioner, MOHAMAD NICK INDRA BIN ABDULLAH AND that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the High Court (Insolvency Court) sitting at Kuala Lumpur by way of video conference at 9.00 o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, 18th October 2023; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose; and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address of service is at 2nd Floor, No. 17 & 19, Jalan Brunei Barat, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s solicitors is MESSRS. LOW & PARTNERS of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dated the 13th day of March 2023. T.T ...................................... Messrs. Low & Partners For and on behalf of the Petitioner NOTE:- Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed solicitors, Messrs. Low & Partners, notice in writing of his intention so to do. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm, or his or their solicitor (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the abovenamed solicitors not later than 12.00 o’clock noon on Tuesday, 17th October 2023. This ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION is filed by Messrs. Low & Partners of No. 5, Jalan SS 21/23, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, solicitors for the abovesaid Petitioner. Tel: 03-7729 5293 Fax: 03-7729 5298 Ref: LP/GL/11675/12/22/WCK/DC/ LY_WCK ly 322 Notices DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI IPOH DALAM NEGERI PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN PETISYEN PERCERAIAN NO: AA-33-467-11/2022 Dalam perkara mengenai pembubaran perkahwinan kerana keretakan perkahwinan Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Kaedah 8 Kaedah-Kaedah Prosiding Perceraian dan Hal-Ehwal Perkahwinan 1980 Dan Dalam perkara mengenai Seksyen 53 Akta Membaharui Undang-Undang (perkahwinan dan perceraian) 1976 ANTARA JAYARAJ A/L SUBRAMANI (No.K/P: 791129-08-6559) PEMPETISYEN DAN KOKILLAVANI A/P R.M.KUMARAN (No.K/P: 830906-08-6510) RESPONDEN Kepada:- KOKILLAVANI A/P R.M.KUMARAN (No.K/P: 830906-08-6510) No. D-8, Rumah Murah, Lawan Kuda Baru, 31600 Gopeng, Perak. PERINTAH UNTUK PENYAMPAIAN GANTI AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu tindakan telah dimulakan terhadap kamu di Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Ipoh dalam Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan melalui Petisyen Perceraian No: AA-33-467- 11/2022 dalam tindakan ini oleh Jayaraj a/l Subramani beralamat di No. 42, Jalan Kinta Batu 2A, Taman Kinta Baru, 31600 Gopeng, Perak dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Petisyen Perceraian disampaikan kepada kamu melalui Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti dengan menampalkan sesalinan Petisyen Untuk Perceraian yang bertarikh 24.11.2022 berserta dengan Afidavit Pempetisyen yang diikrarkan pada 22.11.2022 tersebut pada Papan Notis Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Ipoh bersama dengan Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti yang diperolehi ini dan menampalkan yang sama di alamat Responden No. D-8, Rumah Murah, Lawan Kuda Baru, 31600 Gopeng, Perak dan juga akhir sekali mengiklankan di Surat Khabar “The Sun”. Dan bahawa penampalan dan pengiklanan sedemikian dianggap sebagai penyampaian wajar dan mencukupi akan Petisyen Perceraian ke atas kamu selepas tamat tempoh EMPAT BELAS (14) hari dari tarikh terakhir penampalan dan pengiklanan. DAN AMBIL PERHATIAN SELANJUTNYA Petisyen Perceraian tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Ipoh pada 24.3.2023 jam 9.00 pagi yang mana kamu adalah dikehendaki hadir. Jika kamu berhasrat membantah Petisyen Perceraian tersebut kamu mestilah dalam masa empat belas (14) hari dari dari tarikh penyampaian menjadi sempurna memohon memfailkan dengan pendaftar suatu Afidavit bagi maksud tersebut. Petisyen Perceraian ini boleh diperiksa oleh kamu dengan memohon kepada Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh pada 13 Februari 2023. ……………T…T…………… PENOLONG KANAN PENDAFTAR / TIMBALAN PENDAFTAR MAHKAMAH TINGGI IPOH, PERAK. Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti telah difailkan oleh TETUAN AL MURALI & CO, Peguambela dan Peguamcara yang beralamat di No. 15A, Tingkat Satu, Medan Istana 7, Bandar Ipoh Raya, 30000 Ipoh, Perak; Peguamcara bagi pihak Pempetisyen. [Ruj Kami: AMC/3316/JS-DV/2022]sha IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF EYE CRAFTER OPTICAL SDN. BHD. 201401034310 (1110408-A) (In Member’s Voluntary Winding Up) (Incorporated in Malaysia) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459(1) of the Companies Act 2016, the FINAL MEETING of the Company will be held at D Garden Business Park, Block 1, No. 4A & No. 5A (First Floor), Jalan Desa Botani 2, Taman Desa Botani, 83000 Batu Pahat, Johor on 24-04- 2023 at 10.00 a.m. for the following purposes: - 1. To receive the Liquidator’s Statement of Account showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and the property of the Company has been disposed of, and of hearing any explanation that may be given by the Liquidator. 2. To destroy all the books and records of the Company and of the liquidator, in digital, printed and any format that are relevant to the affairs of the Company at the expiry of two years from the date of dissolution of the Company and in accordance to the provisions of the Companies Act 2016. LEE YEN PIN (F) Liquidator Dated this 23-03-2023 Note : A member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and, on a poll, to vote in his stead. A proxy may but need not be a member of the Company. The proxy form must be deposited to the Liquidator’s address at D Garden Business Park, Block 1, No. 4A & No. 5A (First Floor), Jalan Desa Botani 2, Taman Desa Botani, 83000 Batu Pahat, Johor at least 48 hours before the date and time of the meeting. IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF INFINI CHEMICALS (M) SDN. BHD. Registration. No. 201501022509 (1147838-W) (In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation) Liquidators’ office: C/o. C-11-8-B, KL Trillion, No. 338, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur. Tel : 03-27108660 NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 459(1)(b) of the Companies Act 2016, a Final Meeting of the Company will be held at C-11-8-B, KL Trillion, No. 338, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 24th April 2023 at 10.00 a.m. for the following purposes: - 1. To receive the Statement of Account from the Liquidators showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted. 2. To determine pursuant to Section 518(3)(b) of the Companies Act 2016, the manner in which the books, accounts and documents of the Liquidators and of the Company thereof shall be disposed of. For and on behalf of Infini Chemicals (M) Sdn. Bhd. (In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation) TAN TIAU AIK TAN SEEN WHEE Liquidators Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Date: 23rd March 2023 NOTES: 1. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing (in the common or usual form) under the hand of the appointor or his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy may but need not be a member of the Company. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll. 2. The instrument appointing a proxy and the power of attorney or other authority, if any, under which it is signed or a notarially certified copy of that power or authority, shall be deposited at the office of Tan Tiau Aik and Tan Seen Whee, being the Liquidators of the Company, at c/o C-11-8-B, KL Trillion, No. 338, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia not less than forty-eight hours before the time for holding the meeting or any adjournment thereof. In the matter of the Companies Act, 2016 and In the matter of NPH COUNSEL SDN. BHD. (COMPANY NO. 201901013458 (1322786-V)) (In Members’ Voluntary Liquidation) Notice is hereby given that at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company deemed held at 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang on 17 March 2023 the following resolution was duly passed: - SPECIAL RESOLUTION - VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP OF THE COMPANY That the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 439(1)(b) of the Companies Act, 2016 and that Ms. Khaw Mei Ching [I/C No: 741228-07-5200] of TJH Consultancy Services Sdn. Bhd. (201601015388 (1186319-V)) of 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang be and is hereby appointed Liquidator for the purpose of such winding-up at a fee to be mutually agreed upon and that pursuant to Section 456 of the Companies Act, 2016, the Liquidator may exercise all her powers and duties in relation thereto. That the 21 days’ notice period required under Section 292 of the Companies Act, 2016 be hereby waived. Dated this 23th day of March, 2023. By Order of the Board Khaw Mei Ching (MAICSA 7035984) Liquidator Di dalam perkara Akta Syarikat, 2016 dan di dalam perkara NPH COUNSEL SDN. BHD. (COMPANY NO. 201901013458 (1322786-V)) (Dalam Penggulungan Sukarela oleh Ahli Lembaga) Notis Pemberitahuan bahawa resolusiresolusi yang dinyatakan di bawah telah diluluskan di dalam Mesyuarat Agung Luar Biasa yang telah berlangsung di 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang pada 17 Mac 2023:- Resolusi Khas - Penggulungan Sukarela Syarikat Bahawa Syarikat ini digulung secara sukarela melalui Penggulungan menurut Sukarela Pemegang Saham mengikut Seksyen 439(1) (b) Akta Syarikat, 2016 Dan Bahawa Cik. Khaw Mei Ching [I/C No: 741228-07-5200] dari TJH Consultancy Services Sdn. Bhd. (201601015388 (1186319-V)) yang beralamat 347-V Tingkat Pemancar, 11700 Gelugor, Penang telah dilantik sebagai Pelikuidasi untuk tujuan penggulungan Syarikat dengan bayaran yang akan dipersetujui bersama dan mengikut Seksyen 456 Akta Syarikat, 2016, Pelikuidasi boleh menjalankan semua kuasa dan tugas yang berhubung dengannya. Bahawa tempoh notis 21 hari yang diperlukan di bawah Seksyen 292 Akta Syarikat, 2016 akan diketepikan. Tarikh: 23 Mac 2023. Bagi pihak Lembaga Pengarah Khaw Mei Ching (MAICSA 7035984) Pelikuidasi 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF SEO ENERGY SDN. BHD. Company Number: 200501018834 (700949-V) (IN MEMBER’S VOLUNTARY WINDING-UP) NOTICE OF FINAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Final Meeting of the shareholder of the above-mentioned company will be held at 12th Floor, UBN Tower, 10 Jalan P.Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur on 28th April 2023 at 10.30 a.m. for the following purposes:- 1. To receive the Liquidator’s statement of accounts for the period from 20th March 2019 to 28th April 2023, showing the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and to receive any explanation thereon; and 2. To authorise the manner in which the books, accounts and documents of the Company and of the Liquidator shall be disposed of. Loo Hin Lam Liquidator Petaling Jaya Dated: 23 March 2023 Notes: 1. A shareholder entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and vote in his stead. A proxy need not be a shareholder of the Company. 2. The instrument appointing a proxy must be deposited at 12th Floor, UBN Tower, 10 Jalan P.Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or any adjournment thereof. Secret to Scottie’s success Scheffler not tinkering with ‘good recipe’ that puts focus on golf MASTERS champion Scottie Scheffler said yesterday a key reason behind the remarkable success he has enjoyed over the last 13 months on the PGA Tour is a support team that helps him shut out the background noise and focus on golf. Scheffler transformed into a bona fide PGA Tour star from a player on the rise while winning four times in 2022 and he has already triumphed twice this year, including in his most recent start at The Players Championship. Speaking to reporters ahead of his title defence at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin, Texas, world No. 1 Scheffler was asked if there was a secret to success on the PGA Tour. “If there was a secret, you would have seen a lot more guys do it than just Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus,” Scheffler said at Austin Country Club where play begins today. “It’s a tough question. It’s different for everybody. I think I’ve developed a good recipe for good golf out here and that will be something that I’m going to try to not change in the future.” Scheffler has so far managed to remain unaffected by the greater expectations that come with the territory of being a major champion and already has six top-10 finishes in nine events this season. The 26-year-old American has had the same coach since he was around seven-years-old, the same trainer from when he was in high school and has known his manager “my whole life” and feels that consistency has a positive impact on his game. “I have a great team of people around me that help keep me grounded and help me be able to go out here and do my best and not think about all the other stuff. I can go out here and focus on golf and just go out and play,” said Scheffler. “And so I have a great team around me that’s helping me do that and just going to kind of stick to the programme that we’ve been doing for years and go from there.” The reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year is the top seed at this week’s match play event and is in a group with Tom Kim, Alex Noren and Davis Riley. Winners from the 16 groups advance to the knockout stages. – Reuters Alonso deserved place on podium: Russell MERCEDES driver George Russell admits the ‘correct decision’ has been reached after being forced to give the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix third-place trophy back to Fernando Alonso. Aston Martin driver Alonso finished third over the line in Jeddah only to be given a 10- second penalty after celebrating his podium finish, and was stripped of his trophy. Race stewards had hit Alonso with a five-second penalty at the start of the Grand Prix for a grid infringement. It was then revealed that the Aston Martin was judged to have not served his penalty correctly in Jeddah and confusion reigned. The FIA eventually agreed on a 10-second penalty and moved Alonso back to fourth after the podium celebrations had taken place. Alonso tore into the F1 governing body after drinking George Russell’s champagne as the Mercedes driver was awarded the third placed trophy instead. Straight after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix the British star posted on Twitter: “Fernando and Aston Martin deserved the podium today but I’m very happy to pick up our first trophy of the season and super proud of the hard work the team is putting in. Let’s keep pushing.” Alonso said that he felt sorry for Russell, who was unable to celebrate the podium finish, and subsequently denied a photograph among the topthree. – Express Newspapers A RULE proposal by golf’s governing bodies that would limit the distance balls can travel in professional tournaments would only serve to hurt the players who hit it shorter off the tee, world No. 2 Jon Rahm said yesterday. The proposal made last week by the Royal and Ancient and United States Golf Association would give competition organisers the option to require players to use only balls that meet maximum-distance criteria. But Rahm, speaking to reporters ahead of this week’s World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin, Texas, questioned why the sport’s ruling bodies would even want to propose a rule that would reduce driving distance. “My biggest question for them would be we’re in a golden era of golf where it’s exploded since Covid, a lot of people are watching, you have a completely different tour, all these things are happening for the game and it’s growing,” said Rahm. “Why change what’s working?” Rahm, who has already won three PGA Tour titles this year, feels there are other options that could be considered to make courses more difficult for the current crop of players that do not involve changing technology. The Spaniard even pointed at courses like Innisbrook, Valderrama, Colonial and Hilton Head as layouts that are not long but, barring benign weather conditions, generally hold their own against today’s big hitters. Either way, Rahm, who is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour with an average driving distance of 314 yards this season, is not too bothered as he does not feel the proposed rule would have much of an impact on him. “They’re hyper focused on making professional golf a little bit more difficult than it already is. I don’t know why. Do I think it’s the right choice? As it comes to me, I don’t think it’s going to matter that much,” said Rahm. “It’s going to be more damaging to the shorter hitters on Tour than it is for people that have distance, because if you’re giving me a 7-iron as opposed to a 9- or an 8-iron, that means you’re giving somebody a 4- or 5- as opposed to a 7- or a 6. “I’m still going to be able to stop it in most places with a 7-iron when some people might not.” – Reuters Rahm no fan of proposed rule change Jon Rahm.– AFPPIX
22 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 SPORTS play Sabalenka at Indian Wells but withdrew before their match. The Ukrainian said she had a “panic attack” and had also been upset with a conversation about the war and the position of Russian and Belarusian players with WTA CEO Steve Simon. Sabalenka said she had found it hard to deal with the locker-room atmosphere initially. “I was really struggling with that because I really felt bad, like I did something and it’s still not so good in the locker room with some of the Ukrainian girls. “But then I realised that it’s not my fault and I did nothing bad to them. And I’m pretty sure that the rest of the Russian and Belarusian athletes did nothing to Ukrainians,” she said. “I just realised that this is all emotions and I just need to like ignore it and focus on myself with understanding that I did nothing bad. And I cannot control emotions of others,” she said. “It seems like, everyone’s just ignoring each other,” she said. “Not everyone actually, I’m still talking to some of the Ukrainians, but there are some of the girls who are like really aggressive against us. So I’m just staying away from that,” added Sabalenka. – AFP like in the locker room, I’ve never faced that,” she added. “It was really tough for me to understand that there’s so many people who really hate me for no reason, like no reason. I mean, like I did nothing,” she said. Sabalenka said sometimes the tension had gone beyond awkward silences and abrupt conversations. “I had some, not like fights, but I had some weird conversations with, not the girls, but with members of their team. It was really, it was tough. It was tough period. But, now it’s getting better,” she said. In comments at Indian Wells Sabalenka had said she had been in a dispute with Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko’s coach Nikita Vlasov. Tsurenko was due to BELARUS’ world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka says she has faced “hate” in the women’s tour locker-room but hopes tensions with Ukrainian players will eventually ease. Australian Open champion Sabalenka lost to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in Sunday’s Indian Wells final and at the media day for this week’s ATP-WTA Miami Open was asked about her recent comments on “tensions” in the locker-room between Ukrainian and Russian and Belarus players. “It was really, really tough for me because I’ve never faced that much hate in the locker room,” said Sabalenka. “Of course, there are a lot of haters on Instagram when you’re losing the matches, but Djokovic has ‘no regrets’ NOVAK DJOKOVIC said he had no regrets about missing tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami due to his Covid-19 vaccination status but hoped that he would be allowed into the United States later this year for the US Open Grand Slam. The US currently bars unvaccinated foreigners from entering the country, though the policy is expected to be lifted when the government ends its Covid emergency declarations in May. Djokovic, 35, unsuccessfully applied to the US government for special permission to play at Indian Wells and Miami. Carlos Alcaraz leapfrogged the Serb back into top spot in the world rankings after winning the Indian Wells title on Sunday. “I have no regrets,” Djokovic told CNN. “I’ve learned through life that regrets only hold you back and basically make you live in the past. “I don’t want to do that. I also don’t want to live too much in the future. I want to be as much as in the present moment but of course think about future, create a better future. “So I congratulate Alcaraz. He absolutely deserves to come back to No. 1.” Djokovic said it was a pity he was not allowed to compete in the US where he has enjoyed plenty of success including three of his 22 major titles. “But at the same time, it’s the conscious decision I made and I knew that there is always a possibility that I won’t go,” Djokovic said. “It’s the current state or current situation that I hope will change for later this year, for the US Open. That’s the most important tournament for me on American soil.” The Serb said the controversy had not dented his enthusiasm for the sport. “Actually, the contrary, I’m as enthusiastic as ever, as motivated as ever for the sport, my family, my foundation, all the projects and everything I’m doing off the court,” he said. “The dignity, and integrity, and staying true to myself, and my beliefs and my rights are above everything.” – Reuters Alcaraz swagger in Miami WORLD NO. 1 Carlos Alcaraz heads into this week’s Miami Open looking to defend both his title and top ranking and admitting even he has been surprised by his dizzying rise to the top of the sport. A year ago, the 19-year-old came to Miami on the back of wins on clay in Croatia and Brazil and hoping to make his mark on the hard courts. His victory in South Florida launched a remarkable year. The highlight was his US Open triumph which made him the youngest player to become world No. 1 and he returns to Miami after last week’s win in Indian Wells, achieved without dropping a set in the tournament. “It’s all been very fast, when I got to Miami last year I was around No. 20 and a year later I am coming in with the No. 1 ranking. That is something very special. I fulfilled my dreams quicker than I expected,” he told reporters yesterday. Because of his victory in Miami last year, Alcaraz must win at the Florida event again if he is to hold on to his No. 1 spot, but he says he feels no pressure in that regard or to meet newly raised expectations. “I don’t feel the pressure too much. I know the things I have to do. I need to play relaxed and not mind if I lose or if I play well or not,” he said. – AFP Aryna Sabalenka in action against Elena Rybakina (not in picture) during the women’s final at Indian Wells. – USATODAYPIX I have never felt that much hate, says Sabalenka 064 075 + OX 782 045 + SNAKE 616 693 +ROOSTER Draw Date: 22/03/23 (Wed) Draw No: 5560/23 Venue: PERAK TURF CLUB 4075 2045 6693 2771 + 9506 4993 + 3630 8529 + 7181 8256 + 1802 5054 + 2286 7972 + 8626 9443 + 3260 7755 + 0681 8291 + 0824 4364 + 4302 RM12,941,231.10 4075 + 2045 2045 + 4075 4075 + 6693 6693 + 4075 2045 + 6693 6693 + 2045 RM344,602.60 RM1,948,335.70 RM1,106,527.70 RM2,016,754.20 832 771 009 506 404 993 143 630 748 529 577 181 938 256 921 802 595 054 692 286 047 972 548 626 199 443 803 260 847 755 830 681 738 291 740 824 114 364 244 302 075 045 693 RM1,083,722.60 075 + 045 + 693 045 + 693 + 075 075 + 693 + 045 693 + 075 + 045 045 + 075 + 693 693 + 045 + 075 Celebrate 1+3D Jackpot Anniversary Special (6/3 – 9/4/2023). Star 6/50 Jackpot 1 (EZ-Bet) RM664,709 RM22,991,136 won on 19/03/2023 ! Toto 4D Jackpot 2 Toto 4D Jackpot 1 RM123,904 5613/2023 22/03/2023 (WED) 3925 8940 1580 2018 9776 5323 4295 8423 6134 9794 7658 7871 1687 7901 8652 2597 1267 3657 7714 5116 1814 4056 5011 2,808,857.17 3925 3925 3925 1580 1580 8940 1580 1580 8940 8940 3925 8940 147,064.94 3925 8940 1580 MONKEY 89047 44886 4886 886 39942 8 6 9 3 548093 48093 8093 093 54809 5480 548 5 4 4,619,940.87 2,640,778.75 1514 32 34 40 41 474,097.55 6 11 21 39 50 52 6 11 23 28 37 42 12 13,809,584.53 Casualties of war
23 * SPORTS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2023 LIONEL MESSI and his Argentina teammates will make a triumphant return in their homeland tomorrow when they play their first match since winning the World Cup in Qatar. More than 1.5 million fans applied for 63,000 available tickets for the match against Central American minnows Panama at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires (7.30am Malaysian time) . Football-mad Argentines were out in even larger numbers following the Albiceleste’s dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over France in December. An estimated five million people thronged the streets of Buenos Aires a few days later for the trophy parade. Such was the multitude that the parade had to be abandoned long before it reached central Buenos Aires as it was already hours behind schedule. Messi had been widely expected to retire from international football after the final in Doha, in which he scored two goals and a shoot-out spot-kick, but the Paris Saint-Germain forward said he wanted to carry on a bit longer so he could wear the blue and white Argentina jersey as a world champion. “He is in good shape, he wants to keep coming. When he tells me that he doesn’t feel good, we’ll see,” coach Lionel Scaloni said yesterday. “At the moment he is happy with the national team.” A party atmosphere is expected in Buenos Aires for the team’s competitive homecoming. With 20,000 places in the 83,000-capacity stadium reserved for invitees, the remaining tickets were snapped up within two hours of going on sale. – AFP the 2014 World Cup in Brazil under the veteran coach but then being dropped last year. But the midfielder insisted he held no grudge. “I accepted it at the time, and we had a conversation about it. I’m also grateful to Van Gaal for what he has meant in my career. “It’s not as if I don’t like him now or do not rate him as a good coach, but with Koeman I have a better feeling than with Van Gaal.” With Koeman’s return, Wijnaldum hopes to reclaim a key role in the Netherlands side, especially after recovering from his injury and beginning to playing regularly at club level. His loan move to Serie A came after an unhappy spell in Paris. “I felt that Roma really wanted me and that (coach Jose) Mourinho wants me to play a lot. And also that the squad were happy with me. I also felt that when I came back from my injury.” With midfielder Frenkie de Jong missing the matches against France and Gibraltar through injury, Wijnaldum is expected to feature more prominently in the team. He said he was still “hungry” for success. “Certainly, because we can make progress with this team. There is plenty of potential,” he added. Greece and Ireland are also in Group B. – Reuters Oranje better with Koeman: Gini RETURNING Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum says he has a better feeling in the squad under Ronald Koeman than with the team’s predecessor Louis van Gaal. The 32-year-old Wijnaldum won a recall for the European Championship qualifiers away to France on Saturday (3.45am malaysian time) and at home to Gibraltar next Tuesday (2.45am) having been included in the first squad named by Koeman who has returned to take over from Van Gaal. A broken leg on loan at AS Roma last year meant Wijnaldum missed the World Cup in Qatar but he had already been dropped by Van Gaal because he had not been playing regularly for his parent club Paris St Germain. Wijnaldum said he had secretly hoped Koeman, who turned 60 yesterday, would return to the Netherlands post after he quit to become Barcelona coach before the last European Championship. Koeman tried to sign Wijnaldum for Barcelona from Liverpool and Wijnaldum said he had not forgotten that. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Our bond goes back to our time at Feyenoord,” he told reporters yesterday. Wijnaldum said his relationship with Van Gaal, 71, was more complex after starring at Mancini looking for answers ahead of England clash ROBERTO MANCINI is wondering where the next generation of Italian talent is going to come from as the Azzurri begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign tomorrow with the visit of England. Italy coach Mancini is in the process of another rebuild after the European champions missed out last year’s World Cup following a second straight disastrous play-off defeat. The euphoria of beating England at Wembley in the Euro 2020 final had well and truly dissipated by the time North Macedonia stunned Italy last year. And while the rest of the world’s top teams prepared for Qatar, Italian football was again pondering its place in the world, with Mancini lamenting a lack of young players in a country which used to be a conveyor belt of world class talent. Italy has three clubs in the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2006, with three more in the last eight for Europe’s other two competitions, but Mancini is not hailing a rare continental success story for Serie A. “They (Napoli, AC Milan and Inter Milan) have seven or eight Italians in the team between them… This is the reality and we need to do something different,” Mancini told reporters yesterday. “Italian football hasn’t been reborn… If there were 33 Italians on the pitch, maybe, even half of them being Italian would be enough.” Mancini has lamented in particular a lack of forwards and used Leeds United winger Willy Gnonto as an example of how young talent is overlooked by Serie A clubs. However he has also been criticised for some of the selections in his 30-man squad for match in Naples, which includes a first call-up for Argentinaborn Tigre striker Mateo Retegui. Udinese defender Destiny Udogie, who will move to Tottenham next season, Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli and Lazio pair Mattia Zaccagni and Nicolo Casale are the omissions which have most befuddled fans. Zaccagni has scored nine times for Lazio this season, including the winner in Sunday’s Rome derby, and him missing out while Federico Chiesa was selected – before succumbing to yet another injury – has raised eyebrows. – AFP Messi ‘madness’ as Argentina play first match Zlatan ready to play on VETERAN striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said yesterday he was hoping to play in the Euros next year despite his age, as his Swedish squad prepared for its first qualifier against Belgium. Ibrahimovic, 41 is already set to break Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff’s age record in a Euro qualifier of 40 years and 90 days, set in 1983. “I don’t think that far ahead, given what I have been through with injuries and such. If I feel good physically I am going to keep going,” the AC Milan veteran striker told reporters, when asked if he intended to play in Euro 2024 in Germany, should Sweden qualify. Sweden will be facing off against Belgium on Saturday (3.45am) and Azerbaijan next Tuesday. The three countries are all in the qualifying Group F, together with Estonia and Austria, with the top two reaching the knockout stage. De Bruyne ‘honoured’ to skipper Red Devils MANCHESTER CITY’S Kevin De Bruyne said yesterday he was “honoured” to be named Belgium captain following Eden Hazard’s retirement from international football. The Red Devils coach Domenico Tedesco chose playmaker De Bruyne for the position after Real Madrid’s Hazard, who turned 32 in January, ended his Belgium career following last year’s World Cup. Tedesco, who took over from Roberto Martinez after the tournament, has called up 19- year-olds Zeno Debast and Romeo Lavia to what was an ageing squad. “It’s an honour for me to be named and represent the country in this way,” De Bruyne told RTL-TVI television. “I’m almost 32. I’ve never considered international retirement. I think I can still bring something to the table and help the youngsters,” he added. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Chelsea attacker Romelu Lukaku will be De Bruyne’s vice-captains. SIDENETTING Wijnaldum backs former coach as Netherlands take on France in Euro qualifier Wijnaldum (left) and Koeman. Messi
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] DANIEL LEVY is consulting with close advisors over whether to give Ryan Mason the Tottenham job until the end of the season or try and bring in a new manager before then, with Antonio Conte virtually certain to be sacked before the next Premier League fixture against Everton. The Italian has returned to his home country for the international break and it is anticipated there will be no movement until the parties can have face-to-face meetings, with potential negotiation about the wording of any departure. It may be described as mutual, although Conte would naturally not want to give up any of a £4 million (RM22m) pay-off. The breaking point that was Saturday’s explosive press conference in some ways worked out in terms of a timing, as Levy and the Spurs board have breathing space from a situation that was already turning “toxic”. It is understood that more of the dressing room and a core of senior players have become fed up with Conte in the immediate aftermath of the manager’s attack. While the group have enjoyed the greater freedom of working under Mason, Levy is at least open to the idea of bringing in the next manager to try and secure Champions League football for next season. Weighing over everything is the fact that there is still over a quarter of the season to play, with an awful lot at stake, and Levy is intent not to just let it drift like after sacking Jose Mourinho in 2020-21. Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Robert De Zerbi and Luis Enrique are the names known to be on a shortlist, although there would be reluctance from each of them to be dropped into such a situation mid-season, and some would need convincing to join Spurs. But former Tottenham defender Matt Doherty is hoping Conte stays with Spurs “as long as possible” amid speculation over his future. “Look, I hope he stays for a long time at Tottenham,” Doherty, who left Spurs for Atletico Madrid in January, said yesterday. “He’s an unbelievable coach, an unbelievable manager. He won’t say anything in the press that he won’t say to his players. He’s completely honest with his players, has the passion for the whole club. “For me, I hope Tottenham stick by him and hold onto him for as long as possible. He’s one of the best managers of all time.” Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg meanwhile called on Conte to “elaborate” his criticism of the players following the Italian’s extraordinary rant in the aftermath of the draw at Southampton. While Hojbjerg said he wasn’t the one to judge whether the manager’s criticism was fair, the midfielder said Conte should be “more precise” with his comments. “We’ve all seen it,” Hojbjerg said after returning to Denmark for international duty. “(It was a) very honest and very open press conference he gave. It is because he is not satisfied. “You don’t do that if you’ve reached the quarterfinal of the Champions League and if you’re in the semifinal of the FA Cup. “It comes from the fact that, unfortunately, we did not get the results we as a team and club wanted. We are still where we want and need to be in the Premier League. But yes, it’s hard, I should say. “I understand that if you want to be successful as a team, you need 11 men who are committed to a project and a culture. “But I think he has to elaborate on how he feels before you as a player can start measuring and weighing. “The coach has not been satisfied, and that is what I will take with me. You do what you can to please him. “What I do know about myself is that I am an honest player. I am a player who always gives 100% of myself for the team.” – The Independent They (Napoli, AC Milan and Inter Milan) have seven or eight Italians in the team between them… This is the reality and we need to do something different. Italian football hasn’t been reborn… If there were 33 Italians on the pitch, maybe, even half of them being Italian would be enough.” Azzurri coach Roberto Mancini QUOTE OF THE DAY THURSDAY • MARCH 23, 2023 No pain, no gain Southgate does not want World Cup hangover from Three Lions GARETH SOUTHGATE held a team meeting with his England players at the start of their first full day together and ordered them to put the World Cup to bed. Because of the tight Premier League schedule, players jetted straight back to their clubs the morning after England’s agonising exit from Qatar to France on penalties in the quarterfinals. After the players met up on Monday, Tuesday was the first time to address them all together. “To be honest, it was more talking about how it was to be there, and then literally we moved onto what the objective is now, which is to win a major trophy,” Ben Chilwell said. “We have got so close to doing that, but the next step now, which everyone wants, is to win one of these trophies. That’s where we’re at and that’s what we’re focused on.” It was a chance for Chilwell to reacquaint himself with his teammates having been forced out of the World Cup with injury. The England leftback has worked his way back to full fitness and enjoyed a fine run of form in the Chelsea’s defence, earning him an England recall having last been capped in November 2021. And with the trip to Naples to face Italy tomorrow (3.45am Malaysian time) followed on Sunday (midnight) with the emotional visit of Ukraine to Wembley, England’s qualifying hopes will be in jeopardy right from the off. “We do have to start well,” Chilwell admitted. “They are two very difficult games, but also two games that we believe we can win. “We have had a brilliant few days of training – everyone is totally dialled in and focused. “It’s looking positive because we’re all in a positive headspace and in a good place physically for that game against Italy.” Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham proved themselves to be two of the brightest young talents in world football in Qatar. Harry Kane’s next goal for his country will make him England’s leading scorer in history, while Marcus Rashford’s potential is finally being realised under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. An injury to Rashford means he will miss the opening the two qualifiers this week, but Southgate is not short of options with Manchester City duo Phil Foden and Jack Grealish set to battle it out for a place in the side. For all the progress made under Southgate, though, victory over Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 remains his only knockout win against one of the major nations in international football. The Three Lions outplayed France for much of their meeting in the quarterfinals in Doha three months ago, but still came up short when it mattered. “These are the sorts of games where we have to show we can go to these places and win,” said Southgate on the prospect of facing Italy in front of an intimidating atmosphere at the Estadio Diego Armanda Maradona in Naples. “That is the next step for us as a team.” England fell short on penalties against Italy in the Euro 2020 final on home soil and failed to beat Roberto Mancini’s men in two clashes in the Nations League prior to the World Cup. The Three Lions did not win a single game in their Nations League campaign but were still able to bounce back close to their best once the World Cup came around. And Southgate is wary of another drop off in standards during a qualifying process with little jeopardy for the major nations thanks to the expansion of the European Championship to 24 teams. The top two from a group also containing Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta will automatically qualify. “That is the big challenge we have got. To go to a World Cup, everyone wanted to be there and the fight for places was immense, the hunger was there and it was clear. Now you have to start again,” added Southgate. – Express Newspapers UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying kicks off Source: UEFA Picture: Getty Images The opening round of qualifying action includes a replay of the 2020 final between reigning champions Italy and England. Group winners and runners-up, plus host nation Germany, will qualify directly for UEFA Euro 2024 Harry Kane Could become England’s all-time top goalscorer GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D GROUP E GROUP F GROUP G GROUP H GROUP I GROUP J © GRAPHIC NEWS Italy N. Macedonia Portugal Slovakia Bosnia-Herz. Kazakhstan Denmark San Marino C C J J J H H H March 23 MATCHDAY 1: Mar 23-25 MATCHDAY 2: Mar 26-28 England Malta Liechtenstein Luxembourg Iceland Slovenia Finland N. Ireland - - - - - - - - France Gibraltar Czechia Moldova Sweden Austria Bulgaria Serbia B B E E F F G G March 24 Netherlands Greece Poland Faroe Islands Belgium Azerbaijan Montenegro Lithuania - - - - - - - - Scotland Spain Armenia Croatia Belarus Israel Andorra A A D D I I I March 25 Cyprus Norway Türkiye Wales Switzerland Kosovo Romania - - - - - - - England Malta Liechtenstein Slovakia Luxembourg Kazakhstan Slovenia N. Ireland C C J J J H H H March 26 Ukraine Italy Iceland Bosnia-Herz. Portugal Denmark San Marino Finland - - - - - - - - Netherlands Ireland Poland Moldova Sweden Austria Hungary Montenegro B B E E F F G G March 27 Gibraltar France Albania Czechia Azerbaijan Estonia Bulgaria Serbia - - - - - - - - Georgia Scotland Türkiye Wales Switzerland Romania Kosovo A A D D I I I March 28 Norway Spain Croatia Latvia Israel Belarus Andorra - - - - - - - Spurs look to Mason again as contenders to replace Conte waver Antonio Conte