KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s targeted ban on single-use plastic bags by 2025 will considerably reduce plastic pollution in rivers, seas, drainage systems and other waterways. It would also protect the environment and promote a mindset towards sustainability, said Universiti Putra Malaysia Faculty of Medicine and Health Science associate professor Dr Sarva Mangala Praveena Appalanaidu, who hailed the move as “positive”. Sarva Mangala, who was speaking on behalf of the Malaysian Association of Environmental Health, told theSun: “We firmly support the targeted ban on single-use plastic bags, even though it will only come into force in two years, as it is already choking our rivers and drainage systems, among others.” She was commenting on Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s recent announcement that the government was targeting zero use of plastic bags at all businesses and sectors of trade and commerce across the country by 2025. She said a report by the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association stated that the average Malaysian uses 300 plastic bags a year, or a total of some nine billion bags annually for the entire population. “Nine billion plastic bags a year is unquestionably substantial. Although the targeted ban is a crucial move, immediately implementing a moratorium on the usage of plastic bags will result in substantial environmental and community benefits.” However, Sarva Mangala said the response of retailers to the ban on plastic bags could vary, based on industry and individual company policies. While the purpose of the government’s targeted ban serves to reduce waste and increase sustainability, some industries are expected to face initial difficulty in implementing it. Sarva Mangala said it is essential to provide businesses with a sufficient transition period to procure alternative packing material, and train staff for the successful and long-term implementation of the ban. She added that the move may result in an increase in the use of paper bags, but those are generally considered to be more environmentally friendly. She said it is also essential to manage and resolve associated environmental concerns such as the increased use of timber to manufacture paper, adding that to minimise the overall environmental impact, it is essential to pursue a sustainable and balanced approach that considers the entire life cycle of materials used in manufacturing single-use bags. Sarva Mangala also emphasised that plastic bags aside, the public should explore additional alternatives to disposable plastic containers that are used daily. She said it was also important for government agencies to conduct regular audits on plastic waste, track data to monitor progress and identify areas for improvement, as such information could be used to assess targeted interventions, evaluate the efficacy of initiatives and organise future strategies. “The government should take a look at other single-use plastic items, such as straws, cutlery, stirrers and takeaway containers that could be reduced through the implementation of targeted initiatives. “Encourage businesses to provide biodegradable or compostable alternatives or encourage consumers to bring their reusable containers. “Even using water containers and choosing products with minimal packaging can reduce the overall use of plastics and contribute to a sustainable lifestyle via making conscious decisions,” she said. Meanwhile, 99 Speed Mart Sdn Bhd operations director Yong Eng Kwang said the company implemented a “No Plastic Bag” campaign before the government announced the 2025 targeted ban. “Our effort was in consideration of the environmental damage being done by single-use plastic bags. Implementing the ban, even though it will be enforced by 2025, will have positive outcomes. “We sold 42 million single-use plastic bags to customers throughout the country each year before kicking off our campaign. “The targeted ban will not affect our profitability as we run a long-term business, where the bulk of our profits come from selling consumer items and not single-use oBan on single-use plastic bags will reduce pollution, protect environment and promote mindset towards sustainability: Expert █ BYSIVANISVARRY MORHAN [emailprotected] INSIDE TELLING IT AS IT IS ON THURSDAY MAY 18, 2023 No. 8270 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) www.thesundaily.my Consumers here use some nine billion plastic bags annually, according to a report by the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association. – MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN plastic bags.” Yong said retailers should also play their part in ensuring the environment is preserved for future generations. He said while the single-use plastics industry will be affected by the government’s ban, it too needs to think long term and produce recycled bags or biodegradable bags instead. “The public should adapt to using sustainable products. Apart from enforcement, seminars, lectures or courses should be held so that all parties are aware of the effects of pollution.” Positive move Proposal on ‘Allah’ issue to be 2 submitted to Rulers page Heatwave affecting 3 durian sales page
2 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Proposal on use of ‘Allah’ to be submitted to Rulers KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has obtained the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to submit to the Conference of Rulers its proposal to improve the enforcement of policies on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a statement yesterday said the proposal would also include recommendations to strengthen interracial unity and interfaith harmony in Malaysia. He said this is to solve the issue in a comprehensive and Anwar with Health Ministry staff and guests at the ministry’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri event at Taman Ekspo Pertanian Malaysia in Serdang yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC oPlan includes recommendations on improving enforcement of policies on use of word by non-Muslims and strengthening interracial, interfaith harmony: PM integrated manner. The issue was discussed at the Cabinet meeting yesterday following the attorney-general’s decision to withdraw the appeal against the High Court’s ruling on the case involving Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, a Christian woman from Sarawak, and her publication material containing the word “Allah”. Anwar said the Cabinet took note that the decision to withdraw the appeal was made due to administrative issues and did not change the ruling made by the court in 2014. “The government respects, acknowledges and accepts the states’ enactments and the decree by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong AlSultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin AlMustafa Billah Shah on Feb 7, which stated that the existing policies regarding the use of the word ‘Allah’ be maintained. “The government will always uphold the Federal Constitution, especially Article 3 relating to Islam being the religion of the federation, and that other religions may be practised in peace and harmony.” On May 15, the Home Ministry and the government were reported to have withdrawn their appeal against the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court which ruled that Christians can use the word “Allah” and three other Arabic words in the publication of their religious material for learning purposes. The notice of withdrawal was filed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers at the Court of Appeal Registrar’s Office on April 18, Bernama reported. Jill Ireland applied for judicial review on Aug 20, 2008, for the return of eight compact discs (CDs) with titles containing the word “Allah” which were confiscated from her on May 11 of the same year. She also applied for a declaration of her constitutional rights to use the word “Allah” in her Christian publications. In 2014, the court ordered the CDs to be returned to the woman, and after going through several proceedings, ruled that the directive by the ministry in 1986 not to allow the use of the four words was filled with illegality and irrationality. RM1.7b allocated for sewerage projects KUALA LUMPUR: The federal government has allocated RM1.7 billion in the 3rd Rolling Plan under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to develop sustainable infrastructure through the implementation of sewerage projects throughout the country. Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said it is part of ongoing efforts to modernise sewerage infrastructure and provide efficient and quality sewerage services to all Malaysians. He said as of now, Malaysia has achieved 85.4% sewerage service in major cities and aims to reach 90% coverage by the end of the 12MP in 2025. Nik Nazmi said the modernisation of the country’s sewerage system involves the upgrading of ineffective and noncost-effective sewage treatment plants as well as closing down of small-sized ones, as population and economic activities grow. “Such an initiative is important to ensure that effluents discharged comply with stricter environmental regulations, especially on water resources pollution.” He said this in his opening speech at Trenchless Asia 2023 yesterday. The text of the speech was read out by Sewerage Services Department Director-General Wan Abd Rahim Wan Abdullah. Nik Nazmi said the ministry has taken the concept of regionalisation when it comes to the development of sewerage infrastructure in high-density urban areas, which promotes the building of sewage treatment plants on an appropriate scale to meet the needs of a larger community. He added that the potential of the sewerage sector in Malaysia has not been fully tapped. “The three by-products of sewage treatment plants such as bio-solids, bio-effluents and biogas, all have economic potential for commercialisation. “Take bio-effluents for example. The government has laid a specific agenda to utilise treated effluents for specific purposes. “Through this initiative, the government is targeting to produce 1,500 MLD (million litres per day) reclaimed water by 2030, mostly to be used for non-potable applications and as an alternative water source for specific industries.” – Bernama Malaysia’s agriculture vision to be shared at forum in Russia PUTRAJAYA: Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu will share Malaysia’s vision of its agriculture sector when he participates in the 14th International Economic Forum, “Russia-Islamic World: Kazan Forum 2023”, in conjunction with his working visit to Russia from May 15 to 23. The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry in a statement yesterday said apart from delivering a speech at the Malaysia-Russia roundtable session to share the country’s vision of the agricultural sector, Mohamad would also deliver a keynote speech at the plenary session at the Kazan Forum. The Kazan Forum is an international event organised by the Russian government through the Tatarstan government since 2009 as a platform to strengthen cooperation between Russia and Islamic countries. The ministry said Malaysia also has the opportunity to explore the potential to promote tropical fruits that are ready for export as well as introduce halal food products to Russia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries at the Russia Halal Expo 2023, which is one of the main programmes under the forum. Mohamad is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry N. Patrushev in Moscow and Tatarstan Agriculture and Food Minister Marat Zyabbarov in Kazan to discuss agricultural cooperation between Malaysia and Russia by prioritising market access for Malaysian agricultural products to Russia. – Bernama Period poverty not at worrying level, says minister KUALA LUMPUR: Menstrual or period poverty in Malaysia is not at a worrying level with the government providing sanitary napkins to groups involved, especially target groups such as the Orang Asli, B40 and those who cannot afford them. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said sanitary pads are given to ensure hygiene during the menstrual cycle. “The ministry helps the B40 group which is our target group. We will continue to help this group so that they are not left behind as we understand that some people use coconut fibre (as sanitary napkins). It is unhealthy.” She was speaking at the handing of cheques for RM10,000 each to 10 schools under the “Kotex She Can” project to make schools more conducive for female students. She said the programme enlightened students about menstrual hygiene, which was once rarely discussed. “The time has come for the community to no longer consider the matter as taboo so that young women know the best way to take care of themselves when they are having their periods.” – Bernama Federal, state govts urged to build border security road network in S’wak KUCHING: The federal and Sarawak governments have been asked to build a border security road network and a Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) complex in Murum, about 838km from here, to link Sarawak with Nusantara, Kalimantan. Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpal Ugon said the proposed road is expected to start from the Murum Dam in Belaga, stretching about 123km to the Long Nawang CIQS post in Indonesia. “This border security road will also pass through Long Lidem, Long Unai and Tapak Megah (Malaysian border post). Recently, when we visited Long Nawang CIQS, we saw that Indonesia is 75% ready in terms of facilities and roads, (but) Sarawak is still using logging roads. “We are proposing to the government to build a CIQS nearer to Indonesia because we cannot afford to build (the CIQS) too far away as we cannot control movements and the possibility of the opening of rat routes,” he told a media conference yesterday. Tapak Megah in Belaga district is the nearest border control post to Nusantara, which is about 23km from the Long Nawang CIQS. – Bernama Kulai MP keen to help police JOHOR BAHRU: Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching is committed to continue helping the police to give their best service to society, especially in her constituency. In a statement yesterday, Teo said on April 30, she and Senai state assemblyman Wong Bor Yang spent time visiting a policeman who was assaulted by a street thug on the night of Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The deputy communications and digital minister said the Kulai parliamentary constituency also provided a RM9,600 contribution for repairing and replacing the “Balai Polis Kelapa Sawit” signboard in Kulai, apart from providing equipment to the Kulai district police headquarters last year. “We will continue to give support to the police association and community in appreciation of retirees who had fought for the country, to ensure that their welfare is taken care of. “We would also like to express our sincere thanks to the police for their commitment and bravery in maintaining public order and security,” she said. – Bernama
3 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 PETALING JAYA: As the heatwave persists, durian sales have taken a hit, with sellers experiencing a decline in demand. Known for its distinct smell and creamy texture, the fruit is usually high in demand from May to August. However, with the prevailing heatwave in the country, customers have been prioritising their health over their craving for the “king of fruits”. Durian seller Leron Yee, who is in his 40s, who operates his business in SS2 here, noted that there were more foreigners than locals among his customers. “Perhaps, the heatwave has deterred many locals from visiting my stall. The few who do come have considerably reduced their consumption. “However, business has not been too affected since the foreigners, who have developed a fondness for durian, have compensated for the decline in local customers.” Yee added that generally, there are fewer customers in the afternoons. “With the heatwave intensifying at this time, it becomes unbearable no matter how much water one drinks. So, it is understandable. “But in the evenings, the number of customers to my stall increases, compensating for the slow afternoon period, and I sell a fair number of durian.” Yee noted that the current price of durians is still high, but anticipates a significant drop in around two weeks. “It is still the start of the season, so the prices are relatively high. However, during the peak season, production will increase, resulting in a drop in prices. “For example, Musang King costs RM45 to RM50 and above per kg as it is not in season now. However, during the peak season, the price can fall to between RM30 and RM35 per kg.” Yee revealed that he orders around 1.5 tonnes of various durian varieties daily. Durian lover Peter Ban Chun Ker, 34, shared that his enjoyment of eating durian has been dampened lately by the ongoing heatwave. “The heatwave has reduced my desire for durian. Previously, I used to indulge at least twice a week. “Nowadays, even eating them once is unbearable as it is too heaty. My body cannot cope because of the sweltering weather.” Another durian enthusiast, who prefers to be known only as Banu, 58, said the high price of durian often makes her think twice before buying. “At my age, I cannot consume as much as I used to when I was younger. But I still indulge occasionally. With prices being so exorbitant, I am not sure whether I should buy the fruit now or wait until there is a glut and the prices are lower. “I hope the heatwave will end soon and all Malaysians can enjoy durian at lower prices. I am not the only one who loves durians, my family loves them too, and we are waiting for the prices to drop. “But, considering how hot it is, we have to be careful about how much durian we consume,” she cautioned. State to unveil new tourism products for Visit Malacca Year 2024 MALACCA: The Malacca River and Coastal Development Corporation will diversify its tourism products, including introducing a floating market as a new attraction to prepare for Visit Malacca Year 2024. Its chief executive officer Datuk Murad Husin said the second phase of the Malacca River development project covers the area around Taman Lagenda and is expected to be operational next year. “We are trying to take a different approach from floating markets in other places by selling Malacca products and dry food. It will also be accessible to passengers on the Malacca River Cruise, which travels along the river. “In addition, the corporation is targeting to launch the Sigua (or Monitor Lizard) Mini Theme Park, which is set to open at the end of the year, as a new attraction in the state,” he said at the inauguration of the corporation’s new office and the launch of the Malacca Water Taxi, in conjunction with the Aidilfitri open house on Tuesday night. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh officiated the ceremony. State Tourism, Heritage, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman was also present at the event. Meanwhile, Murad said the water taxi service is being introduced as an alternative mode of transport for tourists to tour Banda Hilir when the area is made a vehicle-free zone every Friday to Sunday, which is expected to be implemented next month. “The fare offered is reasonable, from as low as RM1 to RM10, and visitors can park their vehicles at any parking area to take a water taxi to their destination,” he added. As of May 15, the Malacca River Cruise has attracted 283,540 visitors, and a target of 800,000 visitors has been set for this year. “Last year, we recorded 792,215 local and foreign visitors, exceeding the target of 700,000 people.” – Bernama Heatwave affecting sales of durian, say traders oScorching weather, exorbitant prices discouraging customers from indulging in ‘king of fruits’ Berjaya tower run expected to draw international professionals KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Corporation Berhad, in collaboration with Ultra Sports Adventure Sdn Bhd, will launch the highly anticipated inaugural Berjaya Times Square Tower Run. The historic event, scheduled for July 23, will see the participation of both amateurs and professionals from around the world as they compete in a challenging vertical race, ascending one of Kuala Lumpur’s most iconic landmarks. With a towering height of 185m, the course will be an unparalleled test of endurance and stamina for participants, encompassing 47 floors and over 1,061 steps. The tower run is divided into four categories – men’s open, women’s open, men’s veteran and women’s veteran. To add more excitement to the event, there will also be separate men’s and women’s categories, exclusively for Berjaya Group staff. Berjaya Corporation Berhad Corporate Communications deputy general manager Giam Say Khoon said: “We are proud to be the title sponsor for this run, which promises to be one of the most exciting sporting events of the year. “Thanks to the sponsorship given to World No. 1 tower runner Soh Wai Ching by founder and adviser Tan Sri Vincent Tan through Better Malaysia Foundation, we hope to introduce tower running as a professional sport for all Malaysians. It also reflects our commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle and encouraging active participation in physical fitness.” In addition to Berjaya Times Square as the venue sponsor, Berjaya Hotels and Resorts has signed up as the official hotel partner for the tower run, offering special room rates for participants and their families. Each participant will be given a racing kit containing various goodies, deals as well as an opportunity to participate in a lucky draw sponsored by 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad, Country Farm Organics, Berjaya Starbucks Coffee Company, Cosway (M) Sdn Bhd, Kenny Rogers Roasters, Berjaya Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Sdn Bhd, Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad, U Mobile and Berjaya Times Square Theme Park. Avid road runners are encouraged to take part, as the run, amid a stunning backdrop of Kuala Lumpur city’s skyline, promises participants an unforgettable experience. For more information and to register, visit https://checkpointspot.asia/event/bts-towerrun. App to monitor crocodile movement KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is collaborating with Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd to develop an application for monitoring the presence of crocodiles in real time. Sarawak Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the application will enable the continuous monitoring of the crocodile population, and hotspots of human-crocodile encounter can be identified. “Generally, drones and the Global Positioning System are used to observe and record the distribution of crocodiles and crocodile nests. “However, we must accept that we have to share the habitat with crocodiles and take appropriate measures to reduce the risk of crocodile attacks,” he said in response to a question from Mohd Chee Kadir (GPS-Kabong) during the question-and-answer session at the state assembly sitting here yesterday. Len Talif said since 2020, SFC has conducted 107 operations, with 95 crocodiles captured and 482 eggs relocated. – Bernama █ BY THARANI NAIR [emailprotected] CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY ... A specialist demonstrating one of the devices exhibited at the Malaysian International Sports Symposium, that was held from May 15 until yesterday in Putrajaya. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN
4 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS ‘Abuse against children unacceptable’ JOHOR BAHRU: In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the wife of Tunku Mahkota Johor (TMJ) Che’ Puan Besar Khaleeda Bustamam said there is no excuse for mental or physical abuse of children and it must be dealt with following the rule of law and through enforcement. She said as a caring community, the public needs to work together to protect children from any form of abuse and provide them with a better and brighter future. “I have been informed regarding the case of two children being abused by a babysitter in Skudai, and I thank all of you who shared the video on social media, until it came to oWife of TMJ says such offences must be taken seriously and public needs to work together to curb further cases my attention. “I have repeatedly emphasised that child abuse is a major offence that must be taken seriously by all parties. “Children are the nation’s biggest asset and they need to be protected from any harm that could endanger their safety and well-being,” she said. Earlier, two videos were shared on social media showing a woman at a nursery roughly handling a baby, who was crying. Following investigations, a 21-year-old woman was detained and has been remanded for four days. Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Department has closed the nursery allegedly involved in the abuse case, after it was confirmed to have been operating without a licence. Johor Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Khairin-Nisa Ismail @ Md On said the childcare centre’s two other branches in Jalan Abd Samad and Gelang Patah have also been closed. Khairin-Nisa, who inspected the nursery on Tuesday, also met its operator and sought further clarification on the matter, Bernama reported. “I found that the nursery has not yet obtained a licence because it has not yet obtained permission from the local authorities, the Johor Health Department and the Fire and Rescue Department. “Before this, we had advised them not to operate without a licence but they continued to operate. “As such, the three nurseries were closed by the department under Section 20a of the Child Care Centre Act 1984,” she said. Khairin-Nisa also advised parents to check with the department on whether the centres they are sending their children to are licensed. PM files appearance in Tun M’s RM150 million suit KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has entered a memorandum of appearance in the RM150 million lawsuit filed by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad against him over a speech at an event in Shah Alam. The memorandum was filed through Messrs Thomas Philip yesterday. Anwar’s lawyer Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi confirmed the matter and said case management has been set on May 31 before Judicial Commissioner Jamhirah Ali. Mahathir filed the suit through Messrs Law Practice of Rafique at the Shah Alam High Court on May 3, and named Anwar as the sole defendant. In his statement of claim, Mahathir said during the event “Kongres Nasional Khas Malaysia Madani: Pelaksanaan Sebuah Idealisme” at the Melawati Stadium on March 18, Anwar had delivered a speech which contained several defamatory statements that aimed to tarnish the plaintiff’s reputation. Mahathir said it included statements claiming that the plaintiff had amassed wealth for himself, his children and family members, and had given special treatment to high-ranking individuals. The former two-time prime minister is seeking RM50 million in general damage and RM100 million in exemplary damages, as well as an apology and an order for the defendant to retract the remarks. – Bernama Man nabbed, cars and drugs worth RM222,000 seized GEORGE TOWN: Police detained a drug peddler with syabu and heroin worth RM42,550 and seized two cars worth RM180,000 during two raids at Bukit Tengah on May 13. Penang police chief Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said acting on information and surveillance, police raided a business premises and detained the 33-year-old man, who was riding a motorcycle. “Upon checking the suspect, police found seven plastic packets of syabu weighing 520g, worth RM20,500. After interrogating him, another raid was carried out at the parking lot of an apartment complex that was situated one kilometre from the first raid. “Police found four packets of heroin weighing 1,820g that was worth RM20,050 in a car believed to be owned by the suspect. Investigations revealed that the suspect has been involved in drugs since last year,” he said. Investigations also revealed that the suspect conducted his business alone by sourcing the drugs from a syndicate before repacking his supply for distribution. Khaw said the case will be investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – Bernama Sufficient water supply for Perlis, says MB KANGAR: The Perlis government has issued an assurance that there will be sufficient water supply for its people even though the country is currently facing a hot spell. Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli said the water level at the Timah Tasoh Dam is enough to meet the needs of residents for another two months. Mohd Shukri also advised the public to drink more water and avoid exposure to the hot weather for too long. “I urge farmers not to be under the sun for too long, and this applies to everyone,” he said. On action that the state government would take if the federal government declares an emergency due to the heatwave, Mohd Shukri said the state government, through Syarikat Air Perlis, is conducting research on the need to install tube wells. “We will install tube wells close to the road to make it easier for the people to get their water supply. The number of tube wells and their locations are still being studied,” he added. – Bernama TNB substation catches fire at Mid Valley Megamall KUALA LUMPUR: A fire broke out at Mid Valley Megamall yesterday. Several videos showing a black pillar of smoke rising from the building were posted on social media during the incident. A spokesman for the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department, when contacted, confirmed the incident. “The fire involved one of Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s (TNB) power substation rooms. We will issue a statement soon,” he said. In a Facebook post, the mall confirmed that a fire broke out at the substation and was subsequently contained by an emergency response team, Bernama reported. The mall also confirmed that no injuries or casualties were reported. “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to reiterate that the safety of our shoppers and guests remain our top priority,” the post said. In an update later yesterday, the management of Mid Valley City thanked all authorities involved in containing the fire and expressed gratitude to the public for their patience over the incident, adding that all stores, hotels and offices at the mall have been cleared to reopen today. “Following a thorough investigation by TNB and the Fire and Rescue Department, we have received clearance for the safe reopening of the premises.” Fire and Rescue Department personnel dousing the embers after bringing the fire under control yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC Gardener admits abusing girlfriend’s underage daughter IPOH: A gardener pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court yesterday to a charge of abusing his girlfriend’s daughter since April. Abdul Rahman Abdullah, 37, entered the plea after the charge was read before Judge Azizah Ahmad. He was accused of mistreating the fouryear-old girl, causing her to suffer physical injuries at a house in Taman Chateau. The charge was framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which provides a fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of 20 years, or both. According to the facts of the case, Abdul Rahman punched, slapped and kicked the victim multiple times in the face and body for crying and making noise. DPP K. Darinee appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented. The court fixed June 19 for sentencing. – Bernama
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6 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Kuomintang picks mayor as presidential candidate TAIPEI: Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party picked New Taipei City mayor Hou Yu-ih yesterday to be its presidential candidate for an election next year. The run-up to the vote in mid-January is taking place at a time of increased tensions between Taipei and Beijing, which has staged regular military exercises near Taiwan to assert its sovereignty claims over the island despite Taiwan’s strong objections. The KMT favours close ties with China while the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) champions Taiwan’s separate identity. “Internationally, our country faces fierce troops and the danger of war,” Hou told reporters at the party’s headquarters in Taipei after his candidacy was announced. “Within the country, there are conflicts over divisions and countless things to be fixed, making it hard for young people to see their future,” he said, vowing to lead the KMT to victory. Outside KMT’s headquarters, dozens of people stood behind barricades, some waving Taiwan’s flag. A big banner saying “oppose war, want peace” was on display. KMT chairman Eric Chu said the decision was made based on polling data and the opinions of senior party members. Polls commissioned by the KMT, as well as surveys conducted by other organisations, showed Hou had a better shot at winning than Foxconn founder Terry Gou, who was also in the fray. The majority of county chiefs and lawmakers supported Hou’s candidacy, the party said. “For the future of the Republic of China and cross-strait peace, the Kuomintang must return to office,” Chu said, using Taiwan’s official name. The KMT last held office between 2008-2016 amid warming ties with China. Hou will run against the DPP’s William Lai, Taiwan’s vice-president who was leading the KMT pick by 5% to 10%, according to three Taiwan polls released this week. Formerly the head of the National Police Agency, 65-year-old Hou was thrust into the limelight after a landslide re-election win in New Taipei city late last year in a local election in which the KMT trounced the DPP. The Taiwan People’s Party, the island’s third-largest party, announced yesterday that former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je would be its presidential candidate. KMT’s poll data showed Hou trailing Lai by 4.97%, and beating Ko by 0.16%. – Reuters Indonesian minister arrested on corruption charges JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities yesterday arrested a senior Cabinet minister on corruption charges in a case they said caused big state losses. Johnny G. Plate is the fifth minister in President Joko Widodo’s administration to be charged with corruption. Most recently, his social affairs and fisheries ministers were jailed in 2021 for graft. The Attorney-General’s Office (AGO) said Johnny was arrested for his involvement in the procurement of equipment needed to build thousands of communications towers, which his ministry said in 2020 would bring the internet to thousands of villages. Johnny was arrested “as a user of the budget and as a minister”, said AGO official Kuntadi, without detailing the minister’s specific role. Another official Ketut Sumedana said the minister allegedly violated Indonesia’s corruption law, which carries a maximum life sentence. A lawyer for the minister could not be immediately reached for comment. The alleged corruption cost about 8 trillion rupiah (RM2.5 billion) in state losses, AGO said. If found guilty, Johnny could face 20 years in prison under Indonesia’s anti-corruption law. According to global graft watchdog Transparency International, Indonesia dropped four points on its corruption perception index last year to 110 out of 180 countries. – Agencies ‘Thai govt should reflect people’s will’ BANGKOK: Thailand should have a government that “reflects the will of the people”, regional poll observers said yesterday as the victorious opposition’s bid to take power faced resistance from junta-appointed senators. The progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) emerged from Sunday’s election as the biggest party after voters emphatically rejected nearly a decade of military-backed rule. Regional observers from the Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) saluted the strong voter turnout of just over 75% and said the poll was more transparent than the previous one in 2019. “Anfrel hopes that this general election may result in a government that reflects the will of the people,” the group said in a report. oPoll observers say election more transparent than previous one in 2019 Nepali summits Everest record 27th time KATHMANDU: Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa reached the top of Mount Everest for the 27th time yesterday, reclaiming the record for the most summits of the world’s highest mountain. “He successfully reached the summit this morning, guiding a Vietnamese climber,” said Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, his expedition organiser. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, including the 8,849m Everest, and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are warm and winds are typically calm. Earlier yesterday, British guide Kenton Cool reached the world’s highest point for the 17th time, extending his own record for the most summits by a non-Nepali. Meanwhile, a 46-year-old Moldovan climber died on the mountain the same day – the fifth fatality of the season. Authorities have issued 478 Everest permits to foreign climbers this year, the US$11,000 (RM50,000) fee part of total costs for a summit ranging from US$45,000 to US$200,000. The 53-year-old Kami Rita had held the overall title since 2018, when he ascended Everest for the 22nd time, passing the previous mark he shared with two other Sherpa climbers, both of whom have since retired. But on Sunday another climber, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, 46, tied the record by reaching the top for the 26th time. – AFP BLEAK AFTERMATH ... Boats are piled up next to a broken bridge in the Myanmar city of Sittwe in the wake of Cyclone Mocha, which was the biggest storm to hit the Bay of Bengal in more than a decade. – AFPPIC B R I E F SCHINA VESSEL CAPSIZES, 39 MISSING BEIJING: A China fishing vessel has capsized in the Indian Ocean, with its crew of 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos missing, state media reported yesterday. A multinational search and rescue operation was under way to locate the sailors. The missing vessel, named Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028, capsized at about 3am Beijing time on Tuesday (same time in Malaysia). President Xi Jinping ordered the coordinated search, CCTV said, but “so far, no missing persons have been found”. Teams from around the region are now at the scene and China has deployed two commercial vessels – the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 018 and Yuan Fu Hai – to help in the operation. – AFP S’PORE EXECUTES SECOND PRISONER SINGAPORE: The city-state yesterday hanged a man for trafficking drugs in its second execution in three weeks. The man was convicted in 2019 of trafficking 1.5kg of cannabis, said Kokila Annamalai of local rights group Transformative Justice Collective. Singapore has some of the world’s toughest anti-narcotics laws: trafficking more than 500g of cannabis can result in the death penalty. “A 36-year-old Singaporean man had his capital sentence carried out today at Changi Prison Complex,” said a prison service spokesman. In a separate statement, the Central Narcotics Bureau said it would not release the name of the man to respect his family’s wish for privacy. – AFP MFP claimed 152 seats with rival opposition outfit Pheu Thai second on 141. They are working on a six-party coalition that would give them more than 300 of the 500 lower house seats. But to secure the prime minister’s job the coalition needs a majority across both houses – including the Senate, whose 250 members were handpicked by the previous junta. MFP and its allies need 376 lower house votes to ensure senators could not block party leader Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister. Some senators have already voiced opposition to Pita, rattled by his strong anti-establishment stance including plans to amend the kingdom’s tough lese majeste laws. “I will not accept Pita as a PM,” senator Jadet Inswang said, raising concerns about lese majeste reform. Senator Kittisak Ratanawaraha also declined to support Pita. “The PM candidate needs to love the nation, monarchy.” A senior Pheu Thai leader on Tuesday called on two mid-size conservative parties – Bhumjaithai and the Democrats – to help the coalition in the vote for prime minister. Bhumjaithai, which was part of the outgoing coalition of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, is shaping up as a potential kingmaker with its 70 lower house seats. Military-linked parties could in theory try to form a minority government, relying on Senate support to get their choice of prime minister through, but with few lower house seats it would find it difficult to govern. Anfrel, which deployed 41 regional observers who visited 460 polling stations on election day in 51 provinces, said voting was “peaceful and orderly”. The mission said that vote-buying was the most reported concern, though it did not give the number of cases. – AFP
7 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 Ukraine, Russia trade territory in Bakhmut KYIV: Ukraine said on Tuesday it had pushed Russian forces from the flanks of Bakhmut but conceded that Moscow’s forces were pushing deeper inside the embattled town. The announcement came as European leaders meeting in Iceland agreed to create a “register of damages” to record the wartime harm and destruction wrought by Russia in Ukraine, said French President Emmanuel Macron. It would be an initial step towards prosecution of Russian leaders in the future. Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said Ukraine had wrested back about 20 square kilometres of a Russian pincer movement around Bakhmut, the epicentre of fighting in Russia’s invasion. “At the same time, the enemy is advancing in some measure inside Bakhmut itself and is completely destroying the town with artillery.” The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had earlier said he visited forces near Bakhmut to hand out awards to Kyiv’s troops. “Wagner’s men went into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap,” he said, referring to the Russian mercenaries. – AFP Court upholds Sarkozy’s jail term B R I E F S NEXT FIVE YEARS SET TO BE HOTTEST EVER: UN GENEVA: It is near-certain that 2023 to 2027 will be the warmest five-year period ever recorded, the UN warned yesterday as greenhouse gases and El Nino combine to send temperatures soaring. “There is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record,” the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation said. It said there was a 66% chance that annual global surface temperatures will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of these years. – AFP NZ COPS LINK HOSTEL FIRE TO ARSON WELLINGTON: An arsonist may have ignited the hostel blaze that killed at least six people in New Zealand’s capital, police said yesterday, as they opened a homicide investigation. Smoke and flames engulfed the 92- room, four-storey Loafers Lodge in Wellington in the early hours of Tuesday, sending residents fleeing for their lives. “I can confirm that we are treating the fire as arson,” police acting district commander Dion Bennett told reporters. “It is being treated as a homicide investigation.” Police have a list of people they want to speak to, he added. – AFP ChatGPT boss pushes US Senate for AI rules WASHINGTON: Sam Altman, the chief executive of ChatGPT’s OpenAI, told US lawmakers on Tuesday that regulating artificial intelligence was essential, after his poem-writing chatbot stunned the world. The lawmakers stressed their deepest fears of AI’s developments, with a leading senator opening the hearing on Capitol Hill with a computer-generated voice – which sounded remarkably similar to his own – reading a text written by the bot. “If you were listening from home, you might have thought that voice was mine and the words from me, but in fact, that voice was not mine,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal. Artificial intelligence technologies “are more than just research experiments”, he said. “They are no longer fantasies of science fiction, they are real and present,” said the Democrat. The latest figure to erupt from Silicon Valley, Altman’s testimony in front of a US Senate judiciary subcommittee was far from the testy grilling given to the bosses of Facebook or TikTok when they visited Washington. “If this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong,” Altman said. Tipped as an opportunity to educate lawmakers, Altman used oIf this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong, says CEO the session to urge Congress to impose new rules on big tech, despite deep political divisions that for years have blocked legislation aimed at regulating the internet. But governments worldwide are under pressure to move quickly after the release of ChatGPT, a bot that can churn out human-like content in an instant, went viral and both wowed and spooked users. Altman has since become the global face of AI as he both pushes out his company’s technology, including to Microsoft and scores of other companies, and warns that the work could have nefarious effects on society. “OpenAI was founded on the belief that artificial intelligence has the potential to improve nearly every aspect of our lives, but also that it creates serious risks,” Altman told the hearing. Debt row overshadows Biden’s Asia trip WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’s departure yesterday to the G7 in Japan was meant to launch a geostrategic masterclass on rallying the world’s democracies against China. Instead, he will limp into an abruptly truncated journey facing concerns that the US debt ceiling row is about to tear up the global economy. Biden will arrive today in Hiroshima, one of the two cities hit by US atomic bombs in 1945 – a closing chapter to World War II and the start of an era of US leadership across the Pacific that Beijing now seeks to supplant. He will meet leaders from the rest of the G7 club – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan – that has been so crucial in the US-led drive to enforce unprecedented economic sanctions on China-ally Russia for invading Ukraine. However, visits next week to Papua New Guinea and to a Sydney summit of the Quad, comprising Australia, India, Japan and the US, were cancelled so that Biden can rush back on Sunday and negotiate with Republican opponents on the debt ceiling. For a president who often warns that democracies are in an existential fight to prove their viability against the world’s autocracies, it’s a sobering moment. “It’s extraordinarily hard to go to the G7 and talk about economic unity against Russia, economic unity against China, when the dysfunction is coming from inside the house,” Josh Lipsky, at the Atlantic Council, said. Biden downplayed the reshuffling of his schedule, saying: “The nature of the presidency is addressing many critical matters all at once.” But Evan Feigenbaum, a former US diplomat with the Carnegie Endowment, was brutal. “It’s tough to ‘compete with China’ in the Pacific when you’re busy sinking your own boat. “How do we think we look to the rest of the world?” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden can multi-task. “He can travel overseas, and manage our foreign policy and our defense policy and look after our national security commitments in an important region like the Indo-Pacific, and also work with congressional leaders to do the right thing – raise the debt ceiling, avoid default so that the US credibility here at home and overseas is preserved.” The risks over the debt ceiling, however, are so huge – global market panic would be just the beginning of the fallout from a default – that Biden may spend much of his time trying to reassure fellow world leaders on the state of the US economy, rather than planning how to manage China. Biden does not know whether the increasingly hard-right Republican party will allow an increase to the debt in time to prevent default. And he also does not know whether the left of his own Democratic party will forgive him for the compromises he may have to make to save the situation. – AFP RAGING BLAZE ... Firefighters standing on a Kamloops Fire Rescue truck battling a wildfire near the Canadian city of Fort St John. – REUTERSPIC He insisted that in time, generative AI developed by OpenAI will “address some of humanity’s biggest challenges, like climate change and curing cancer”. However, given concerns about disinformation, job security and other hazards, “we think that regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful models”, he said. Altman suggested the US government might consider a combination of licensing and testing requirements before the release of powerful AI models, with a power to revoke permits if rules were broken. He also recommended labelling and increased global coordination in setting up rules over the technology as well as the creation of a dedicated US agency to handle artificial intelligence. Lawmakers also heard warnings that the technology was still in its early stages. “There are more genies yet to come for more bottles,” said New York University professor emeritus Gary Marcus, another panellist. “We don’t have machines that can really ... improve themselves. We don’t have machines that have self-awareness, and we might not ever want to go there.” – AFP PARIS: A French appeals court yesterday upheld a prison sentence of three years, including two suspended, against former president Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling. The court maintained he should serve a one-year detention sentence at home with an electronic bracelet and banned him from public office for three years over his attempts to secure favours from a judge in a case uncovered by wiretapping. His lawyer said they would be appealing the decision with the Court of Cassation, France’s highest appeals court. In March 2021, Sarkozy became France’s first postwar president to be sentenced to jail when a court found he and his former lawyer, Thierry Herzog, had formed a “corruption pact” with judge Gilbert Azibert to obtain and share information about a legal investigation. The trial came after investigators wiretapped his phone lines. – AFP
8 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 SPEAK UP particle size of vape particles may confer higher deposition risk in the lungs. The difference in chemical properties between vape liquid and cigarette smoke may also contribute to the difference in deposition mechanisms and characteristics. Additionally, styles of vaping which tend to prefer larger exhaled “cloud” formation and increased lung residence time could be a magnifying factor to deposition. Therefore, EMIR Research hypothesises that vaping may carry a higher risk of acute lung complications in the near term compared to smoking (even if shorter-term risks such as nicotine uptake may be lower) due to higher deposition risk. Indeed, there have been many reports that support this hypothesis. E-cigarettes and vapes have been widely associated with pneumonia (acute respiratory viral or bacterial infection of the lungs) and a specific variation called lipoid pneumonia where aerosolised droplets of lipid (oil) are deposited in the lungs. It has been found that the immune system can be compromised with the immune cells (such as macrophages) being lipid-laden, which raises the chance of developing lipoid pneumonia. Advanced cases may require oxygen support and ventilators, and can even be fatal. Researchers from the University of Florida College of Medicine proposed in a 2021 paper a potential relationship between frequent vaping to increased vulnerability to viral and bacterial infection through “cytotoxic effect on lung epithelial and immune cells, and the possibility for increased the virulence possibly through biofilm formation, invasiveness, and resistance to antimicrobial peptides, leading to necrotising pneumonia and persistent bacteremia”. Some cases point to the mounting linkage between EVALI and infections, such as mycoplasma pneumonia and necrotising pneumonia among teenagers, with cases indicating only a short-term duration of daily vaping for around two years before disease presentation. Cases also tend to involve teenagers and young adults, pointing to vaping interests among younger age groups. These are examples pointing to the younger generation getting seriously sick faster. To top it off, just like cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vapes have also been associated with lower fertility function. ONE Fertility Kitchener Waterloo – a fertility and in-vitro fertilisation clinic – pointed to lowering reduced sperm quality, count and motility (ability to move) in males, and delayed egg production, fertilisation, and embryo implantation problems for women. They also pointed to adverse effects on fetal development and stunted growth in infants and children. This is not surprising as both vapes and cigarettes share some common ingredients such as nicotine and other compounds associated with reduced sperm health. There are also reports that the flavouring concoction in the vape juice affects cells in the testicl*s and reduces sperm motility. And these are just some of the known chemicals. What about the mostly unidentified 2,000 chemicals found in e-cigarette and vaping liquid, as reported in a 2021 study (2021) by researchers from the JHU? Summary Specific recommendations have been discussed in another article by EMIR Research titled “Treat Vape Like Cigarettes”, but it is clear that shifting from smoking to vaping is far from a healthy choice. Though longer-term impacts are less known, the vaping liquid contains nicotine and other common toxins found in cigarettes. Mounting evidence linking acute respiratory diseases with vaping, many other health issues such as infertility and related health conditions involving the cardiovascular system, the various unknowns and insufficient longer-term data and questionable independence of studies put into question the notion of a “safer” option of vaping compared with cigarettes, even in the near term. With increasing cases of non-communicable diseases, an ageing population, and the brain drain phenomenon, poor regulations and enforcement surrounding vapes and ecigarettes in Malaysia could be paving the way for a health epidemic involving the youth and reducing their reproductive potential, ultimately jeopardising the health of Malaysia’s future. Dr Rais Hussin and Ameen Kamal are part of the research team of EMIR Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research. Comments: [emailprotected] What makes vaping harmful? S TUDIES are being carried out to investigate the mechanisms by which vaping is bad for health, but researchers already have some ideas. Vaping involves inhaling a vapourised liquid known as vape juice or e-liquid, which may consist of many different types of ingredients mixed in a lipid (oily) base. These ingredients usually include flavourings, nicotine and other additives. Outside of Malaysia, it is also common to add marijuana extracts such as THC and CBD. Johns Hopkins University (JHU) researchers also found caffeine in the vape juice concoction they tested, which they suspect could be giving an undisclosed “extra kick” and wondered if the added addictive stimulant was an intentional ingredient. Other compounds found by the JHU team were flavourings associated with respiratory problems, pesticides and industrial chemicals. Although some of the ingredients used in vaping liquid may be safe such as Vitamin E and caffeine (in the correct doses), scientists know much less about the safety of a vapourised and inhaled form of these compounds. Not to mention, the heating, vapourising, inhalation processes, interaction in the body and exhaling processes that may result in secondary chemical interactions between the thousands of chemical concoctions, resulting in more unknown compounds. While scientists investigate the impacts of these chemicals, we do know that there are thousands of cases of hospitalisations due to severe respiratory issues linked to e-cigarettes and vapes, with a considerable number being lethal cases. These are known as e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). Given the developing field, findings and acronyms may change. The human respiratory system has a great defence mechanism to guard itself against foreign bodies but particles of less than three to five microns in diameter can penetrate deep into the lungs. Associate director at the Johns Hopkins Cardiothoracic Residency Programme, Dr Broderick, opined that “some of the vapourised elements of the oil are getting deep down into the lungs and causing an inflammatory response”. A study by researchers from Jean Monnet University in France and a science and engineering research company with a focus area in vaping, Ingescience, indicate that the aerosol particle size (in their study) can range between 1.1 to 2.4 microns, depending on the power (wattage) and atomiser technology used. Particle size for cigarettes can be many times smaller and could mean a deeper penetration into the lungs and therefore increased effectiveness in nicotine (and other chemicals) uptake, but smaller particles could also mean lesser deposition in the lungs compared with vape liquids. A research paper by Ranpara et.al. in 2021 mentioned that aerosol sizes of less than one micron are highly likely to be inhaled and then exhaled. In turn, this could mean a higher deposition risk compared with cigarette smoke. The researchers also investigated the varying particle size distribution of different types of base oils (Vitamin E acetate [VEA], Vitamin E oil, coconut oil, and medium chain triglycerides) and simulated respiratory depositions. Vitamin E acetate and Vitamin E oil have the largest particle size and were found to be statistically different to the rest. Vitamin E acetate has been identified as one of the major causal links to EVALI, and findings by Ranpara et.al. add further credence to this. The researchers concluded that “these observed particle deposition patterns were consistent with previous inhalation toxicological studies and with the characterisation of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of EVALI cases, which support the pulmonary region of the lung as the site of injury”. Researchers from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai, India found that exhaled cigarette smoke shows growth in particle size, while researchers Conor McGrath et.al. postulated mechanisms to explain the deposition pattern through processes such as coagulation, hygroscopic growth, condensation and evaporation, changes in composition, or changes in inhalation behaviour. A research paper by Sosnowski and KramekRomanowska (2016) found that their tested e-cigarettes had higher aerodynamic resistance (roughly three times more) than cigarette smoke. Therefore, it would appear that for both cigarette and vaping, exhalation has a higher chance of deposition in the lungs. Still, vape could be worse due to the combination of higher aerodynamic resistance and larger “E-cigarettes and vapes have been widely associated with pneumonia (acute respiratory viral or bacterial infection of the lungs) and a specific variation called lipoid pneumonia where aerosolised droplets of lipid (oil) are deposited in the lungs. COMMENT by Dr Rais Hussin and Ameen Kamal
9 SPEAK UP theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 The legal implications of using ChatGPT THE release of Chat GPT less than six months ago has demonstrated to us the seemingly powerful capabilities of generative AI, which can grasp a gigantic amount of information and then construct new, original content after receiving a prompt from any registered user. The dream of generating original content for our personal and professional use with simple prompts to a chatbot has now become a reality. In a jiffy, everyone is capable of writing computer codes, sophisticated emails, coursework papers, business reports or plans, poems, jokes, and even composing music or producing images! Despite the strengths being emphasised, ChatGPT, which is based on Large Language Learning Models (LLMs), is a double-edged sword and has several limitations. The wanton usage of it is likely to lead to undesired main legal implications, namely Algorithmic Bias and Consumer Privacy. Algorithmic bias Algorithmic bias can exhibit itself in numerous ways with varying degrees of consequences for the subject group within the community of users. It is crucial to remember that the most challenging part of algorithmic bias is that, unlike human bias, it is very likely to spread like wildfire. A tiny bit of bias in data can lead to an enormous ripple effect. In recognition of this reality, the American Bar Association, already in 2019, issued a resolution urging courts and lawyers to address the emerging ethical and legal issues related to the use of AI, including the technology of LLMs employed in ChatGPT. In the European Union, in February this year, the lead lawmakers on the Artificial Intelligence Act, Benifei and Tudorache, proposed that AI systems generating complex texts without human oversight should be part of the “high-risk” list, to prevent ChatGPT from churning out disinformation at scale. In Australia, in March this year, a regional Australian mayor said he may sue OpenAI if it does not correct ChatGPT’s false claims that he had served time in prison for bribery, in what would be the first defamation lawsuit against the automated text service. Brian Hood, who was elected mayor of Hepburn Shire, became concerned about his reputation when members of the public told him ChatGPT had falsely named him as a guilty party in a foreign bribery scandal involving a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia in the early 2000s. Lawyers for Brian Hood sent a letter of concern to ChatGPT owner OpenAI on March 21, giving the company 28 days to fix the errors. Consumer privacy Developing technology with the ability to generate new content for users, such as ChatGPT, relies on a huge analysis of personal information. This triggers a variety of data privacy risks for users. For example, transparency and consent: Are people aware of how their information is being used to develop and used in technology? Have they consented to its use or will their information be anonymised? Are the current thresholds for obtaining user consent (i.e, to be specific and informed, as well as minors) achievable given AI’s complexity, uncertainty and potential unpredictability? Early April this year, Italy’s Data Protection Authority temporarily banned the ChatGPT chatbot and launched a probe over a suspected breach of the artificial intelligence application’s data collection rules. The agency, also known as Garante, accused ChatGPT of failing to check the age of its users who are supposed to be 13 and above. Garante claimed that ChatGPT has an “absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data of users” to “train” the chatbot. Recommendations It is already a reality that the impact of LLMs such as ChatGPT is expected to grow in the foreseeable future. Other potential legal issues include the emergence of “dark LLMs”, which may be hosted on the dark web to provide a chatbot without any safeguards, as well as LLMs that are trained on perhaps particularly harmful data. Therefore, it is instrumental that the policymakers and law enforcement community prepare for how its positive and negative applications may affect their daily businesses. Law enforcement officers need to start developing the skills necessary to make the most of models such as ChatGPT. This means understanding how these types of systems can be leveraged to build up knowledge, expand existing expertise, and understand how to extract the required results. This will imply that officers need to be able to assess the content produced by generative AI models in terms of accuracy and potential biases. With the progress of technology, and new models becoming available, it will be increasingly important for law enforcement to stay at the forefront of these developments to anticipate and prevent abuse, as well as to ensure potential benefits can be taken full advantage of. Dr Sia Chin Chin is the programme director for the Master of Laws Programme and senior lecturer at Taylor’s Law School, Faculty of Business and Law at Taylor’s University. Comments: [emailprotected] “With the progress of technology, and new models becoming available, it will be increasingly important for law enforcement to stay at the forefront of these developments to anticipate and prevent abuse, as well as to ensure potential benefits can be taken full advantage of. Will the new BRICS’ currency replace the US dollar? THE US dollar has become the world’s leading international currency due to many reasons that ranged from economic and political to historical factors. It is estimated that around 60% of all foreign exchange reserves held by central banks are denominated in US dollars and approximately 40% of global trade is invoiced in that currency. This has made the US dollar very dominant in global trade, which is also known as the US dollar’s hegemony. The US dollar’s hegemony of the global financial system gives it the power to determine and influence global well-being and, if required, weaponise its currency and monetary policy. Critics argue that the hegemony has created many imbalances in the global financial system which led to financial crises and economic instability. For example, the 1997 Asian financial crisis was preceded by sharp US interest rate increases. Some countries such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations have expressed interest in creating a new currency or basket of currencies to reduce their dependence on the US dollar. This new currency could have several benefits for the BRICS and other nations such as strengthening economic integration within the BRICS countries, reducing the influence of the US on the global stage and weakening the standing of the US dollar as a global reserve currency. Since 2014, the BRICS nations have been exploring the possibilities of reducing their dependence on the US dollar. In that year, they established the New Development Bank as an alternative to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In mid-2022 during the 14th BRICS Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the BRICS countries plan to issue a “new global reserve currency” and are ready to work openly with all fair partners. The proposed new global reserve currency by the BRICS nations could potentially offer more attractive financing options and unique investment opportunities, and encourage other countries to form alliances to develop their own regional currencies. Ultimately, this alternative system aims to challenge the US in financial hegemony. Nevertheless, many believe that the hegemony will remain strong and resilient, where the US dollar will stay as a dominant currency in the world. They argue that the foundation for this dominance may have been laid at Bretton Woods, but it has been the openness and transparency of US financial markets and the clever use of soft political power that have perpetuated the hegemony. For example, the US has been a major global superpower since the end of World War II and many countries have relied on the US for aid, security and diplomatic support. This has also helped to establish the dollar as a trusted and stable currency. The emergence of a new currency system may also pose significant risks and implications to the economy and financial market since it will alter the existing monetary policies and exacerbates geopolitical tensions. Hence, investors should be ready to hedge against potential risks and stay informed about developments in the BRICS countries and the global financial system. In summary, overcoming the issue of US dollar hegemony in the global financial system is a complex and challenging mission, as it would require significant changes to the existing economic and financial landscapes. Several challenges such as limited access to international financial markets, restrictions on their currencies’ convertibility and concerns about their financial systems’ transparency and stability need to be addressed before the US dollar hegemony can be challenged. All these are considered significant obstacles and it is likely to take time for BRICS and other nations to catch up to the US dollar. The writer is an associate professor at the Department of Finance, Faculty of Business and Economics at Universiti Malaya. Comments: [emailprotected] COMMENT by Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Edil Abd Sukor COMMENT by Dr Sia Chin Chin IN the face of colossal challenges, perseverance is a virtue that distinguishes the ordinary from the super extraordinary. In the unforgiving world of business, where the unpleasant situation is a constant companion, the victorious stories of resilient and true leaders are often inspirational. The journey of Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and Datuk Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar - the three indomitable cofounders of the company formerly known as AirAsia (now Capital A Berhad) - is one such narrative. Founded more than two decades ago, AirAsia is the brainchild of these three stalwarts. The triumvirate’s enduring spirit helped the world’s best low-cost carrier (LCC) to navigate the turbulent skies of the Covid-19 pandemic, transforming it into a story of victory against the odds. The coronavirus pandemic, which commenced in late 2019, created an unprecedented global catastrophe. Lives and businesses across the globe found grappling with unforeseen challenges, and the aviation industry was at the epicentre of this turmoil. Demand for air travel plummeted dramatically, resulting in staggering and huge financial losses, employee layoffs, and even bankruptcy for some airlines. Amid this chaos, the leadership at AirAsia found themselves in the fight for their company’s survival. Despite the grim situation, the trio refused to “bow” to the pressures. Tony, Kamarudin, and Abdul Aziz faced the crisis with a clear vision and an unwavering resolve. Their resilience was tested not only professionally but also personally, as health issues posed additional hurdles (except for Abdul Aziz). Yet, their spirits remained unbroken. Tony, the charismatic face of the company, exhibited formidable resilience and leadership throughout the crisis. He steered the company with audacious bold determination, making difficult decisions that would ensure the sustainability of the company. Kamarudin played a crucial role in navigating the firm through the crisis. His ability to adapt and innovate under pressure helped the company pivot its business model, exploring new opportunities to generate multiple streams of revenue. His creativity and foresight, backed by rigorous execution, helped the Malaysia-based LCC weather the storm. Abdul Aziz, the exceptionally brilliant strategist thinker and quiet force among the trio, provided the essential balance during turbulent times. His steady hand and calm demeanour were invaluable in managing the crisis. His pragmatism and laser focus on fundamentals ensured that the company remained grounded, even as they charted new territories. Their collective leadership helped to transform the crisis into an opportunity, not just for the company’s shareholders and employees but Asean as well. In fact, they made a paradigm shift by venturing into the non-aviation sector through AirAsia Superapp. Beyond their business achievements, what stands out most about Tony, Kamarudin and Abdul Aziz is their extraordinary perseverance. The trials of the pandemic have not diminished their spirits but have instead served to strengthen their determination. Their journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and the human spirit’s ability to rise above the pandemic. Their story serves as an inspiration to us all, reminding us to stay resilient in the face of any sort of challenge. Tony, Kamarudin and Abdul Aziz have set an exemplary precedent. May God bless them all. Comments: [emailprotected] COMMENT by Fatos Othman The unyielding spirit of AirAsia’s founders
10 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 Sime Darby Property unveils The Eighth in City of Elmina PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Property Bhd recently unveiled its latest collection of luxurious 40 ft by 80 ft semi-detached villas, The Eighth, in the City of Elmina, Shah Alam, expanding the company’s portfolio of high-end homes. The Eighth features three distinctive lifestyle-driven layouts, namely The Minimalist, The Connoisseur and The Classic. With prices starting from RM1.67 million, The Eighth previewed to over 70% take-up of the 168 units, welcomed by buyers seeking homes that exude class. “We are pleased by homebuyers’ The Eighth expands Sime Darby Property’s collection of luxury homes and features three distinctive lifestyle-driven layouts. oPriced from RM1.67 million, the 168 semidetached villas have achieved take-up of more than 70% interest in The Eighth and attribute its success to our customers’ trust in the Sime Darby Property brand as well as to our five-decade history of paving the way for future living and home ownership. We are confident that The Eighth will raise the profile of the City of Elmina township and give it a fascinating new chapter in its decorated history,” said Sime Darby Property’s chief marketing and sales officer, Datuk Lai Shu Wei. The Minimalist, with a built-up size of 3,034 sq ft, blends luxury and minimalism. With four-plus one bedrooms and five bathrooms, this residence ensures buyers and their families do not miss out on opportunities for comfort and convenience. For those who appreciate expressive and avant-garde designs, The Connoisseur is the ideal choice for them. With a built-up size of 3,069 sq ft, The Connoisseur comes with four-plus one bedrooms and five bathrooms and a spacious walk-in wardrobe. One of the unique features of this home is its flexible roof terrace connected to the master bedroom, which can be easily converted into a rooftop garden, providing homeowners with a private outdoor space to relax and rejuvenate. The Classic is built for those looking to grow their family comfortably in a spacious and flexible home and enjoy the convenience of daily contact. The largest home within The Eighth’s range, The Classic is sized at 3,239 sq ft and features a conventional open-plan living concept. It houses four-plus one bedrooms, including a multigenerational bedroom on the ground floor, a capacious family area with natural lighting and five bathrooms. Across The Eighth’s range, every home comes with private back and side gardens, a wide porch that can fit up to three cars side by side, engineered timber flooring as well as stone wool insulation, among others. The Eighth is one of several landmark developments within the City of Elmina, namely Elmina Lakeside Mall which is set for completion in 2024, Elmina Education Hub and the 300-acre Elmina Central Park. Sunway acquires freehold land in Sri Hartamas for RM170m KUALA LUMPUR: Sunway Bhd’s wholly owned subsidiary, Sunway Living Space Sdn Bhd, has signed a sale and purchase agreement with Kar Sin Bhd, a subsidiary of YNH Property Bhd, to acquire a parcel of a freehold land in Sri Hartamas with a purchase consideration of RM170 million. In a recent statement, the conglomerate in real estate, construction, education, healthcare, retail, and hospitality said the 2.06-hectare (5.09-acre) parcel is for a proposed mixed development comprising serviced apartments, retail, and wellness suites with a gross development value (GDV) of at least RM850 million. “The development is also envisioned to be a transit-oriented development with residents able to enjoy great connectivity from the planned Sri Hartamas and Mont’Kiara MRT stations. “The company also plans to incorporate wellness concept into the mixed development’s retail podium to promote healthy and sustainable living,” it said. Sunway Property managing director Sarena Cheah said the acquisition comes ready with an approved development order with a plot ratio of five. “We target to launch this development by early 2025. This underscores our confidence in the Malaysian property market and we are confident that this development will be highly desirable among our multiple customer segments,” she said. Sunway said the proposed acquisition is conditional on the approval of the shareholders of YNH Property Bhd, Kar Sin Bhd and Sunway Living Space Sdn Bhd, and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023. “With a total landbank of 3,063 acres and a potential GDV of RM48.9 billion over a period of more than 15 years, Sunway Property is poised for resilient growth,” it said. – Bernama Market activity falls in Q1 but upbeat outlook prevails PETALING JAYA: The property market in Malaysia experienced a decline in activity in the first quarter of 2023 (Q1’23), according to the National Property Information Centre (Napic). Nonetheless, it said that there are positive signs and an overall cautiously optimistic outlook for the market despite this decrease. In Q1’23, more than 89,000 transactions worth RM42.31 billion were recorded, a 5.7% decrease in market activity compared with Q1’22, but the total transaction value increased by 0.8%. “The decrease in activity in the residential and agricultural property sub-sectors at a rate of 6.6% and 12.5% respectively compared to last year affected the performance of the overall property market. However, the increased activity in the commercial and development land subsectors, which rose by 14.5% and 2.8% in volume and 22.1% and 30.4% in value respectively, offset the overall decline, Napic said in a statement. The residential sub-sector continued to support overall property market activity with a 60.5% share, recording nearly 54,000 transactions worth RM20.87 billion. The seasonal nature of house purchases, which are usually low at the beginning of the year, increase in Bank Negara Malaysia’s overnight policy rate and decline in the Consumer Sentiment Index (Q1’23: 99.2 points; Q1’22: 108.9 points) are among the factors that contributed to the drop in residential market activity in particular. Nevertheless, the number of transactions recorded in Q1’23 was higher than that recorded in preCovid pandemic years. Residential property in the price range of RM300,000 and below recorded 29,560 transactions (54.8%), followed by RM300,001 to RM500,000 with 13,325 transactions (24.7%) and 500,001 and above with 11,038 transactions (20.5%). New launches priced at RM300,000 and below totalled 1,193 units (25.6%) recording a sales performance of 20.2% (242 units) while those RM500,000 and above totalled 1,986 units (42.6%), recording a better sales performance of almost 54%. Additionally, residential and serviced apartment overhang status continued to be positive. The number of overhang decreased to 26,872 units worth RM18.31 billion in Q1’23 as a result of market absorption in all states except Selangor. The volume and value of residential overhang decreased by 3.2% and 0.5% respectively compared with Q4’22. Selangor recorded the highest number and value of overhang in the country with 4,995 units worth RM4.47 billion, which is 18.6% in terms of volume and 24.5% in terms of value across the country. This was followed by Johor (4,759 units worth RM3.94 billion), Kuala Lumpur (3,423 units worth RM3.13 billion) and Penang (3,138 units worth RM2.48 billion). Johor recorded the highest number in the country with a share of 58.6% (13,638 units) in terms of number and 60.2% (RM11.80 billion) in terms of value. Besides that, residential prices continued to record marginal growth. The Malaysian House Price Index stood at 210.1 points (RM453,365 per unit) in Q1’23, with a marginal annual growth of 2.0%. The growth ranging from 0.4% to 5.8%, which was recorded in all states except Sarawak, has stabilised the overall house price index. This annual growth was almost similar to the pre-pandemic growth. Sheng Tai’s Leong Sir Ley takes charge at Yong Tai PETALING JAYA: Sheng Tai International founder and chairman Datuk Leong Sir Ley became the single largest shareholder in Yong Tai Bhd effective May 10, 2023, when Domain Capital Sdn Bhd acquired 90 million shares. The acquisition represents a 23.8% stake in the property company. Leong is the new managing director and CEO of Yong Tai, taking over from Datuk Wira Boo Kuang Loon, who stepped down as CEO. “This acquisition was a strategic move to strengthen our base, while continuing to support future business growth,” said Leong. Fondly dubbed by the media as the “Iron Lady of Property”, Leong is well known as a pioneer of property tourism. She championed the concept, merging the sale of developments and tourism to attract foreign investment and boost the local travel industry. Part of Leong’s portfolio under Sheng Tai International is the jewel in her property crown – the RM6.5 billion The Sail Melaka. The Sail is planned to be the future central business district of the state. Designed by local architects, it consists of nine tower blocks set against the historic Straits of Malacca. Leong will be ably supported in her new role by Collin Tan Yoong Wei who will be Yong Tai’s new group chief operating officer, and Tyson See Tai Soon, who will be the group’s new executive director. Yong Tai is a listed company whose core business is tourism-related property development. It is responsible for Encore Melaka and Impression City, the first international franchise of China’s famous Impression series. Kumpulan Kitacon secures RM101.5m construction contract KUALA LUMPUR: Kumpulan Kitacon Bhd’s wholly owned subsidiary, Kitacon Sdn Bhd, has secured a letter of award from GLM Emerald West (Rawang) Sdn Bhd for a construction contract worth RM101.5 million. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia recently, the company said the contract involves main building and infrastructure works for a residential project comprising two-storey terrace houses in Rawang, Selangor. The contract begins on June 1, 2023, and is to be completed within 20 months from then. “The contract is expected to contribute positively to the earnings and net assets per share of Kumpulan Kitacon for the financial years ending December 31, 2023, onwards until the expiry of the contract,” the company said. – Bernama -
KLCI 1,424.34 0.84 STI 3,173.84 HANG SENG 19,560.57 14.42 SCI 3,284.23 NIKKEI 30,093.59 TSEC 15,925.29 251.39 KOSPI 2,494.66 S&P/ASX200 7,199.20 THURSDAY MAY 18, 2023 Editorial Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: [emailprotected] Advertising Tel: 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: [emailprotected] 5 MOST ACTIVES May 17, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (sen) +/– (sen) YTL 130,588,000 75.0 +8.5 HSI-CLQ 106,576,200 7.0 -6.0 VINVEST 94,615,100 8.0 -0.5 VELESTO 63,350,600 25.0 UNCH MTRONIC 61,579,200 1.5 -0.5 EXCHANGERATES MAY 17, 2023 Foreign currency Bank sell Bank buy Bank buy TT/OD TT OD 1 US DOLLAR 4.5890 4.4560 4.4240 1 AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR 3.0670 2.9450 2.9360 1 BRUNEI DOLLAR 3.4180 3.3190 3.3050 1 CANADIAN DOLLAR 3.3960 3.3050 3.2800 1 EURO 4.9850 4.8250 4.7870 1 NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR 2.8700 2.7640 2.7390 1 SINGAPORE DOLLAR 3.4180 3.3190 3.3050 1 STERLING POUND 5.7380 5.5590 5.5300 1 SWISS FRANC 5.1050 4.9900 4.9670 100 UAE DIRHAM 126.2100 119.6800 118.9100 100 BANGLADESH TAKA 4.3370 4.0690 3.8320 100 CHINESE RENMINBI 65.8000 63.2000 N/A 100 HONGKONG DOLLAR 59.0600 56.1300 55.6700 100 INDIAN RUPEE 5.6600 5.3100 5.0900 100 INDONESIAN RUPIAH 0.0320 0.0290 0.0239 100 JAPANESE YEN 3.3680 3.2630 3.2520 100 NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR 15.9000 N/A N/A 100 PAKISTAN RUPEE 1.6400 1.5300 1.3400 100 PHILIPPINE PESO 8.2800 7.8100 7.5800 100 QATAR RIYAL 127.0400 120.6000 119.9200 100 SAUDI RIYAL 123.5200 117.2600 116.5100 100 THAI BAHT 14.0200 12.4500 12.1200 Source: Malayan Banking Berhad/Bernama KL MARKET SUMMARY May 17, 2023 INDICES CHANGE FBMEMAS 10,441.40 +22.06 FBMKLCI 1,424.34 +0.84 CONSUMER PRODUCTS 572.31 +0.20 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 166.42 -0.32 CONSTRUCTION 160.15 +0.41 FINANCIAL SERVICES 15,505.60 -25.52 ENERGY 834.57 +0.63 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 605.93 -4.07 HEALTH CARE 1,857.68 +34.67 TRANSPORTATION 901.30 -0.50 PROPERTY 690.55 -0.53 PLANTATION 7,048.42 +114.70 FBMSHA 10,811.60 +32.28 FBMACE 4,996.78 -3.79 TECHNOLOGY 58.71 -0.10 TURNOVER VALUE 2.595 BIL RM1.630 BIL 5 TOP GAINERS May 17, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM PETDAG 129,000 22.60 +0.76 NESTLE 25,300 134.80 +0.40 HUMEIND-LA 32,200 1.73 +0.38 MCEMENT 3,311,100 2.81 +0.35 HUMEIND 11,018,700 1.26 +0.30 5 TOP LOSERS May 17, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM HEXTECH 8,200 22.90 -0.60 HLFG 148,100 17.68 -0.24 HKEX-CL 3,020,100 0.05 -0.16 PJBUMI 2,741,800 1.29 -0.16 KSSC-WA 9,200 0.81 -0.145 40.20 417.68 6.76 35.50 250.60 AmanahRaya has managed 27,000 trust accounts worth RM1.3 billion since establishment in 1921 TELUK INTAN: Amanah Raya Bhd (AmanahRaya) the country’s premier trustee company has managed over 27,000 trust accounts worth RM1.3 billion since its establishment in 1921 until April 30 this year. AmanahRaya group managing director Ahmad Feizal Sulaiman Khan said AmanahRaya also administers approximately 15,700 inheritance files with an estimated asset value of RM1.1 billion while a total of 1.1 million wills have been registered throughout the period. “For the state of Perak, the estimated value of the assets for the inheritance account is RM123 million and the value of the trust accounts managed is RM53 million. As for wills, a total of 2,545 wills have been registered,” he said during a press conference after the inauguration of the AmanahRaya Teluk Intan branch office by Orang Besar Jajahan Hilir Perak, Datuk Meor Redwan Mahayudin at Pusat Komersial Sentral Intan yesterday. Earlier, Ahmad Feizal in his speech said the opening of the 20th AmanahRaya office would help improve the quality of its services in addition to meeting the needs of customers. He said as the company crossed 100 years since its establishment, AmanahRaya had implemented several initiatives to strengthen operational efficiency and improve its service network through various online and physical platforms. “The services offered by AmanahRaya include will writing, bequest services and also inheritance administration. “Continuous efforts are also made to improve the operations system and ICT infrastructure through the creation of the Wills, Trusts and Inheritance System to ensure more efficient services can be offered to the community,” he said. – Bernama Berjaya Land ventures into rail business DXN Group posts robust results for FY23 CYBERJAYA: DXN Holdings Bhd (DXN), a global health-oriented and wellness direct selling company, yesterday announced the unaudited results of DXN and its subsidiaries (DXN Group) for the fourth quarter of the financial year ended Feb 28, 2023 (FY23). For the quarter under review, DXN Group clocked in revenue of RM405 million, an increase of 19.3% compared with the previous financial year’s corresponding quarter. The increase in revenue was mainly driven by the strong sales momentum across the board, with higher sales growth of fortified food and beverages in Latin America, Morocco and India. Meanwhile, DXN Group’s profit before tax (PBT) and profit after tax (PAT) for the oGroup en route to listing on Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities tomorrow services for related technical solutions. Berjaya Rail has appointed Farizul Baharom as its director and CEO. He brings with him a wealth of experience from various quarter under review were RM112.4 million and RM57.9 million respectively. For FY23, DXN Group recorded higher revenue of RM1.6 billion, representing a 28.8% increase year-on-year from RM1.2 billion in FY22. On top of that, DXN Group’s PBT and PAT for FY23 were RM455.5 million and RM289.3 million respectively, which translated into 25.5% and 17.9% increases year-on-year. DXN non-independent executive chairman and founder Datuk Lim Siow Jin (pix) said, “We are thrilled to report our robust financial results for FYE Feb 28, 2023. Our financials are mainly attributed to the strong demand for our fortified food and beverages, in particular our coffee products by our members across the globe. “Looking ahead, we are confident that we will be able to maintain our momentum as we expand our product offerings and broaden our presence in existing and new markets. Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction remains at the forefront of our business strategy, and we are excited to continue driving growth and creating value for our stakeholders.” KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Land Bhd (BLand) is embarking on another nation-building venture with the introduction of Berjaya Rail Sdn Bhd (Berjaya Rail), which signifies BLand’s intent to venture into the rail business, particularly in the high-speed rail project. Initially, BLand will engage in the Request for Information exercise, conducted by MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd, under the Finance Ministry of Malaysia. Through this venture, Berjaya Rail will be conducting businesses involving the construction of railways and subways, design, supply and installation of railway systems, development of Transit Oriented Properties, and consulting and training positions held ranging from special adviser to the transport minister, head of project management office for LRT3 at Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, head of legal & head of cross border rail for HSR & RTS in Land Public Transport Agency (SPAD) and various other roles in the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department, Prokhas Sdn Bhd and The Attorney-General’s Chambers Malaysia. In addition to Baharom leadership, he will be joined by an experienced board of directors comprising of experienced leaders in engineering, finance and banking, property development, as well as bilateral cross border negotiations for transport infrastructure and services. Participation 45.9 29.1 25.0 100.0 Institutions Retail Foreign Bought RM m 793.8 465.5 371.4 1630.7 Sold RM m 702.8 482.1 445.8 1630.7 Net RM m 91.0 -16.6 -74.4 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 S E C U R I T I E S S D N. B H D. 197201001092 (12738-U) 17/05/2023
12 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 SUNBIZ SP Setia achieves sales of RM1.03b in first quarter KUALA LUMPUR: SP Setia achieved commendable sales of RM1.03 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023. Revenue stands at RM968 million with a corresponding profit before tax of RM116 million. Local projects contributed RM903 million or about 87% of sales while its international projects contributed RM130 million or around 13% of sales. On the local front, the sales secured were largely from central region with RM546 million whereas southern region contributed RM285 million. “We are pleased with this achievement for the first quarter of this year. This achievement reflects improvement in a challenging macroeconomic environment and market sentiment,” SP Setia Bhd president/CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai. Completed inventories worth of RM107 million were cleared during this quarter. The group secured total bookings of RM512 million as at March 31, 2023 and remains steadfast on the swift conversion of these bookings into sales. In FY2023, S P Setia plans to launch RM4.89 billion worth of local properties. Overall, launches are to be concentrated in the central region with a gross development value of RM3.83 billion. This includes new projects from the group’s established developments such as Bandar Setia Alam, Setia Ecohill 1 & 2, Setia Eco Templer, Bandar Kinrara and Setia Eco Park as well as rebranded projects of Setia Alamsari (North and South), Setia Alam Impian and Setia Bayuemas. Choong said, “Cognisant of the various measures announced and implemented by authorities, we are prioritising on creating sustainable community developments by taking cue of the current market demand and buyer’s affordability levels. We continue to emphasise on offering new planned launches that meet the buyers’ demand. The group has diversified into hospitality and industrial property sectors and is slated to further expand our presence in Australia and Vietnam given the strong growth potential prevalent in these markets.” He added that with the commendable sales achieved for the first quarter, they are optimistic that they will achieve the sales target of RM4.2 billion set for FY2023. Malaysia’s inflation climbs to 3.3% in 2022 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s inflation in 2022 increased to 3.3% (2021: 2.5%) with the index at 127.2 points as against 123.1 in the previous year. This increase was driven mainly by food & beverage (5.8%); restaurants & hotels (5%); transport (4.7%); and furnishings, household equipment & routine household maintenance (3.5%). This was followed by recreation services & culture (2.3%); miscellaneous goods & services (2%) and housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (1.8%). In a statement released yesterday, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said core inflation increased to 3% compared with 0.7% in the previous year. Among the groups that contributed to the increase were food & beverage (5.8%); transport (5.6%); restaurants & hotels (5%) and furnishings, household equipment & routine household maintenance (3.5%). Inflation without fuel increased by 3.2% in 2022 as compared to 1.2% a year ago. Meanwhile, inflation for income group below RM3,000 increased by 3.3% in 2022 as opposed to 2021 (2.2%). The food & beverage group contributed to the highest increase of 5.7% followed by restaurants & hotels (5.4%) and furnishings, household equipment & routine household maintenance (3.4%). All states registered increases in inflation whereas three states showed an increase above the national inflation level of 3.3% in 2022. The highest increases were recorded by Putrajaya (7.3%), Selangor (4.2%) and Johor (3.4%). Labuan recorded the lowest increase of 2.4%. For food & beverage inflation, Putrajaya recorded the highest increase of 7.7% followed by Selangor (7.4%), Johor (6.1%) and Penang (6%). oIncrease fuelled mainly by food and beverage segment, highest jumps recorded by Putrajaya, Selangor and Johor In 2022, inflation for urban areas recorded an increase of 3.6% (2021: 2.4%) while inflation in rural areas recorded an increase of 2.6% (2021: 2.6%). For comparison with Asean countries, Malaysia recorded a higher inflation rate than Vietnam (3.2%) but lower than Laos (23%), Thailand (6.1%), Singapore (6.1%), the Philippines (5.8%), Indonesia (5.5%) and Cambodia (5.4%). AirAsia starts flying between KL and Indonesia’s Kertajati PETALING JAYA: Air Asia yesterday marked its inaugural flight to Kertajati and was the first low-cost carrier to ply the route internationally post-Covid pandemic. Kertajati International Airport is Indonesia’s second largest airport, and serves as a main hub that connects travellers to Greater Bandung, Cirebon and its surrounding areas, West Java province and parts of Central Java. The inaugural flight departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Terminal 2) at 9.05am yesterday and landed in Kertajati International Airport on the same day at 10.20am local time. The guests onboard flight AK418 were greeted upon arrival by province of West Java tourism and culture head Drs Benny Bachtiar, Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Syed Md Hasrin, AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat and other dignitaries from the industry. In a statement, Riad said that the new destination was its 12th in Indonesia with 151 flights weekly. “We are truly honoured to be the first low cost airline to connect travellers to Kertajati, the unexplored gem of Indonesia. AirAsia first commenced flights from Malaysia to Indonesia in 2004 with the sole aim of enabling travellers to experience the beauty and wonder of both countries, or to simply visit their loved ones with ease. We have since flown more than 2.5 million guests between the two nations in 2019 and expanded our network to 12 destinations in Indonesia with 151 flights weekly,” he added. Robust property loan application may take breather due to OPR hike PETALING JAYA: Robust loan applications and loan approved data in March 2023 are positive to the property sector as it signals recovery in buying interest from several OPR hikes in 2022, according to MIDF Research. However, it cautioned that the robust loan application may take a breather in the coming months due to the OPR hike in May 2023. The research house has maintained its neutral recommendation on the sector with a positive bias. Its top picks for the sector are Mah Sing Group Bhd and Glomac Bhd due to their high exposure to mid-market and affordable homes segments The research house said according to data released by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), loan application for purchase of property remained robust in March 2023, growing by +21% m-o-m after double-digit growth in February 2023. “Loan application in March 2023 jumped to the highest level in more than two years as buying interest on properties improved following pause in OPR hike in January and March. On yearly basis, loan application in March 2023 increased by +10.8% y-o-y following a growth of +39% y-o-y in February 2023,” MIDF Research stated. Bank Negara Malaysia increased OPR by 25 basis points to 3% on May 3 2023. The research house opined that the OPR hike is slightly negative to property sector as higher interest rates are expected to lower buying interest on properties as a result of higher housing loan instalments. MIDF said that it estimated that for every 25bps increase in interest rate to increase monthly instalments slightly by RM60-70 for a house loan of RM500,000. However, it said in the short-term, it expects the OPR to remain unchanged till the end of 2023. Texchem cautious on outlook amid uncertain market PETALING JAYA: Malaysian conglomerate Texchem Resources Bhd remains cautious on the outlook amid the challenging market environment. Texchem executive chairman Tan Sri Dr Fumihiko Konishi said the financial year ended Dec 31, 2022 (FY22) was a demanding year. “Looking ahead, there are pockets of growth across our key divisions that we can seize to further expand our business. Overall, while we are excited by the strategic plans we have in place for long term growth, we are also cautious on the outlook as market conditions are expected to remain highly uncertain,” he said after its AGM yesterday. Texchem’s focus for its industrial division will remain on the transformation into a specialty chemical distributor by expanding into higher margin product segments. As for the polymer engineering division, it will expand its medical/life sciences business. Meanwhile, the food division will grow its value-added product portfolio to mitigate the slowdown arising from weaker consumer sentiment. On the other hand, for its restaurant division, the team is driving cost efficiencies and will continue to leverage on Sushi King’s strong membership base of more than one million to stimulate sales.
13 * SUNBIZ theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 HDC, S. Korean agency to strengthen halal industry ties KUALA LUMPUR: The Halal Development Corporation Bhd (HDC) and the Korea TradeInvestment Promotion Agency (Kotra) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) yesterday to strengthen bilateral relations in the halal industry. The MoU will help boost trade and investment activities as well as expand the market access for the halal industry players in both countries, HDC said in a statement yesterday. It added that the signing ceremony was held in conjunction with Kotra president and CEO Yu Jeoung Yeol’s visit to Malaysia. HDC was represented by CEO Hairol Ariffein Sahari, it said, adding that the MoU was a continuation of the first MoU signed in 2019. oPact will expand market access for sector’s players in both countries The MoU outlines Malaysia’s commitment to cooperating with other countries in exploring and growing the potential of businesses catering to the growing global halal market, which is forecast to be worth US$5 trillion by 2030. South Korea is Malaysia’s tenth largest trading partner in the halal industry, as Malaysia’s halal exports to the republic between 2018 and 2022 stood at a total of RM7.24 billion. In 2022, Malaysia’s halal export value to South Korea rose to RM2.13 billion from RM1.23 billion in 2021, with halal ingredients continuing to dominate sales at RM1.19 billion, followed by food and beverages (RM819 million) and cosmetics and personal care products (RM64.35 million). From 2020 to 2022, HDC has been promoting Malaysian halalcertified products to South Korean buyers through a series of online business matchings with sales potential recorded at RM38 million. “HDC participated in the Seoul Food and Hotel event in 2019, 2021 and 2022 to promote the Malaysia halal brand and halal-certified products physically, as such global platforms provide an opportunity for Malaysian exporters to penetrate the South Korean and neighbouring countries’ markets,” it said. The HDC has also proposed transfer of knowledge and knowhow initiatives in developing the halal ecosystem including consultancy, training programmes and digital market access to halal products and services. Meanwhile, a series of online webinars will also benefit South Korea’s Muslim-friendly hospitality services industry. Currently, two halal certification bodies, namely the Korea Muslim Federation and the Korea Halal Authority Corporation in South Korea have been recognised by Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development Malaysia. – Bernama Malaysia remains committed to raising palm oil biodiesel mandate KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is committed to progressively raising its biodiesel mandate, Deputy Prime Minister and Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said at a meeting with global palm oil producers yesterday. The world largest palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia use the edible oil as blending for biodiesel, with Indonesia in February raising its mandate to a 35% palm oil mix and Malaysia maintaining its mandate at a 20% mix. “Malaysia continues its commitment to the implementation of the biodiesel programme, progressively incorporating increased biodiesel blending ratios,” Fadillah said at a ministerial meeting of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC). He said the expansion will be done in phases based on the readiness of biodiesel blending facilities across Malaysia. Indonesia and Malaysia, the founding members of CPOPC, will send envoys to the European Union at the end of May to discuss the impact of the bloc’s new deforestation law on their palm oil sectors. The EU in April approved a deforestation law to block imports of coffee, beef, soy and other commodities if they are linked to recent destruction of the world’s forests. Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said consumer countries are tightening entry requirements for palm oil. “While trying to improve the environmental practices, we seek cooperation of all the stakeholders to pay premium for product that adopts sustainability practice,” Airlangga said. Boycotting palm oil will not provide a long-term solution for the environment, he added. The CPOPC also welcomed Honduras as its third full member into the organisation. Honduras is the third-largest producer and exporter in Latin America, and eighth-largest globally, said Honduran agriculture minister Laura Suazo. – Reuters Indonesia and Malaysia use the edible oil as blending for biodiesel, with Indonesia in February raising its mandate to a 35% palm oil mix and Malaysia maintaining its mandate at a 20% mix.– BERNAMAPIC Hong Leong Asset Management’s Islamic funds pick up 5 awards KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Leong Asset Management Bhd’s (Hong Leong AM) EPF-Members Investment Scheme (MIS) approved Islamic funds - Hong Leong Dana Makmur (HL Dana Makmur) and Hong Leong Dana Maa’rof (HL Dana Maa’rof ) nabbed five individual fund awards for the second consecutive year at the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards Global Islamic 2023. Hong Leong AM executive director/CEO Hoo See Kheng said, “We are honoured that our Islamic funds have consistently received global recognition of its continuous delivery of riskadjusted returns to our investors. Coming out of a challenging market condition, we will continue focusing on our timetested strategies and investment philosophies as we venture through an uncertain global economy. “We remain committed to delivering positive results and turnouts to all our investors. “We are proud to contribute to a growing investment ecosystem in Malaysia, and with Malaysia being one of the world’s leading Islamic fund hubs, we are delighted to provide diversified investment opportunities to meet the various needs of investors today.” Meanwhile, Hong Leong Islamic AM executive director/ CEO Noor Aini Shaik Awab said, “As the appointed external fund manager for HL Dana Makmur and HL Dana Maa’rof, we feel absolutely honoured for these two Islamic funds to be recognised by Refinitiv Lipper once again. “Together with the team at Hong Leong AM, we commit to continuously enhance our efforts to take Islamic asset management to the next level in Malaysia while complying with Islamic investment principles,” she added. PwC‘s Asia Pacific Marketplace to help clients in digital transformation PETALING JAYA: PwC has launched Asia Pacific Marketplace, the first of its kind in the region, across Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, with other territories soon to follow. This is a digital ecosystem where its clients can explore digital solutions, built by PwC and its alliance partners, for business issues such as cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital transformation, ESG, organisational effectiveness, risk management, tax and upskilling. Each digital asset is created with unique, realworld perspectives and deep industry knowledge gleaned from serving the world’s largest and most complex companies. Over 12 months, PwC’s Asia Pacific Marketplace has introduced over 160 innovative digital assets with more being added. PwC Asia Pacific chief digital & information officer Vishy Narayanan, commented: “The launch of PwC’s Asia Pacific Marketplace demonstrates the power of working together across the region and marks a new milestone for more differentiated and integrated solutions for our clients. We firmly believe the future of professional services is in asset-based and managed services which allows us to drive real results at speed and scale.” PwC Malaysia-Vietnam chief digital officer Sundara Raj said, “We take great pride in the development and growth of PwC’s Marketplace, from its inception in Malaysia in September 2021, its expansion to other regional economies, to the start of a new chapter in our regionalisation journey with the launch of PwC’s Asia Pacific Marketplace.” MARC affirms ratings for Gas Malaysia unit’s Islamic debt issues PETALING JAYA: MARC Ratings has affirmed its AAAIS/MARC-1IS ratings on Gas Malaysia Distribution Sdn Bhd’s (GMD) Islamic Medium-Term Notes programme and Islamic Commercial Papers (ICP) programme with a combined limit of up to RM1 billion. The outstanding amount under the programmes stood at RM241 million as at end-April 2023 while the ratings outlook was stable. GMD is the sole owner of the natural gas distribution system (NGDS) which is connected to the Peninsular Gas Utilisation (PGU) network across Peninsular Malaysia. The NGDS is 2,698km long. MARC said in a release yesterday that the ratings reflect GMD’s strong market position in natural gas distribution and the predictable earnings and cash flow under the Incentive-Based Regulation (IBR) framework. The framework secures its approved annual revenue requirement (ARR) through tariff adjustments. Revenue is made up of tolling fee from natural gas distribution through the NGDS. In 2022, GMD collected tolling fee amounting to RM498.8 million, 7.3% more than its ARR for the year. Accordingly, under the IBR framework, the distribution tariff for 2023 was adjusted lower to RM1.535/GJ/day through a rebate of RM0.038/GJ/day on the base tariff of RM1.573/GJ/day. The ARR for 2023 has also been set lower considering the lower-thanprojected operating expenditure in Regulatory Period 1 (2020-2022). However, MARC said that its solid operating margins provide it with significant cushion against any downside risks.
14 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 SUNBIZ /thesuntelegram FOLLOW ON TELEGRAM SCAN ME Vietnam EV maker VinFast sees sales boom, path to breakeven HANOI: Vietnam’s VinFast expects to sell as many as 50,000 electric vehicles (EV) this year, an almost sevenfold increase over 2022 as it ramps up exports to North America and starts shipping to Europe, the company’s founder said yesterday. VinFast could hit break even as soon as the end of 2024 “if things go as planned”, Pham Nhat Vuong, chairman of the country’s largest conglomerate Vingroup and founder of its auto unit VinFast, told investors at the company’s annual general meeting. Vuong projected sales of between 40,000 and 50,000 cars this year, up from EV sales of about 7,400 in 2022 when the company’s only market was Vietnam. In addition, Vuong said VinFast planned to add two other models to its lineup: an electric pickup truck and a battery-powered city or “mini car.” The latter would be priced between US$10,000 and US$12,000 (RM45,000 and RM54,000), he said, making it an ultra-low-cost EV. It was the first outlook VinFast has offered since announcing earlier this month it would list in the United States via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Black Spade Acquisition Co. It has previously missed some of its internal delivery targets. The company also faces competition from established rivals led by Tesla Inc that have been driving prices down and bringing a range of new EVs to market amid a weakening global economy. “When the market is robust again and sentiment improves ... VinFast will bring back financial happiness,” Vuong said. VinFast, which is looking to break into the US and European markets, had earlier received funding pledges of US$2.5 billion from Vingroup and Vuong, Vietnam’s first billionaire. The company said as of the end of last year it had provided just over US$8 billion to VinFast, which has not yet made a profit. Vingroup said in a written presentation at the meeting that the listing “opens up potential fundraising opportunities for Vingroup in general and VinFast in particular from the global markets”. – Reuters Singapore’s April non-oil exports fall 9.8% year-on-year B R I E F SCHANGE BREXIT DEAL OR WATCH FACTORIES CLOSE, STELLANTIS WARNS UK LONDON: British car factories will be forced to close with the loss of thousands of jobs if the government does not renegotiate its Brexit deal immediately, automaker Stellantis warned yesterday. The owner of the Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat brands told parliament that under the current deal it would face tariffs when exporting electric vans to Europe from next year when tougher post-Brexit rules come into force. The carmaker urged the government to reach an agreement with the European Union about extending the current rules on the sourcing of parts until 2027 instead of the planned 2024 change. In response, a government spokesperson said the business secretary had raised the issue with the EU. – Reuters TENCENT RETURNS TO REVENUE GROWTH IN Q1 HONG KONG: China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd posted a 11% rise in first-quarter revenue yesterday, beating analyst expectations, as its core advertising and gaming businesses recovered from Covid-19- related disruptions a year earlier. The world’s largest video game company and operator of the WeChat messaging platform said revenue reached 149.98 billion yuan (RM96.9 billion) for the three months ended March 31. Net profit rose 11% to 25.83 billion yuan. Tencent posted its first annual revenue decline last year. – Reuters Consumption rebound lifts Japan out of recession TOKYO: Japan’s economy emerged from recession and grew faster than expected in the first quarter as a post-Covid consumption rebound offset global headwinds, shoring up hopes for a sustained recovery. But mounting signs of a slowdown in US, European and Chinese growth cloud the outlook for the export-reliant economy, heightening uncertainty on how soon the central bank can phase out its huge stimulus programme. “Consumption will continue to underpin growth as removal of Covid curbs boost tourism and service spending,” said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. “But the economic recovery will be moderate as weak overseas demand will weigh on exports. It o Q1 economic growth, consumer spending top expectations but weak external demand shaves off GDP will be a tug-of-war between robust domestic demand and sluggish exports,” he said. The world’s third-largest economy grew an annualised 1.6% in January-March, government data showed yesterday, far exceeding market forecasts for a 0.7% gain and marking the first rise in three quarters. The growth followed a 0.1% fall in the final quarter of last year, which was revised down from a 0.1% rise. The decline marked two straight quarters of contraction, meeting the definition of a technical recession. Private consumption, which UBS flags potential costs, gains from Credit Suisse deal ZURICH: UBS has flagged tens of billions of dollars of potential costs – and benefits – from its takeover of Credit Suisse, underscoring the high stakes involved as it prepares to complete the rescue of its struggling Swiss rival. In a regulatory presentation, UBS estimated a negative impact of US$13 billion (RM58.8 billion) from fair value adjustments of the combined group’s financial assets and liabilities, and a further US$4 billion in potential litigation and regulatory costs stemming from outflows. It also listed other factors, including a switch in accounting standards, that would bring the total hit to US$28.3 billion. However, that would be offset by US$17.1 billion from a writedown of Credit Suisse’s AT1 bonds and other factors. Furthermore, UBS estimated it would book a one-off gain stemming from the so-called negative goodwill of US$34.8 billion by buying Credit Suisse for a fraction of its book value. The financial cushion will help absorb potential losses and could result in a boost to the lender’s second-quarter profit if UBS closes the transaction next month as planned. While the financial implications of the deal were widely anticipated – UBS shares were broadly steady yesterday – the scale of the adjustments are yet another sign of Credit Suisse’s frailty and the challenges UBS faces in integrating the lender. In providing the first snapshot of what the combined group will look like, UBS said the estimates were preliminary and the numbers could change materially. It also said it might book restructuring provisions after that, but offered no numbers. UBS said it was rushed into the deal and had less than four days to complete due diligence given the emergency circ*mstances as Credit Suisse’s financial health rapidly worsened after it had already endured a difficult year. Under the rescue deal engineered by Swiss authorities over one March weekend amid global banking turmoil, UBS agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs (RM15 billion) in stock and to assume up to 5 billion francs in losses that would stem from winding down part of the business. The first rescue of a global bank since the 2008 financial crisis is backed by up to 250 billion Swiss francs in public funds. – Reuters Reflections on an electronic quotation board displaying the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average in Tokyo yesterday. Strength in domestic demand offset weakness in exports, which posted the first decline in six quarters.– AFPPIC makes up more than half the economy, grew 0.6% in JanuaryMarch from the previous quarter, as the country’s reopening from the pandemic boosted service spending. That beat forecasts of a 0.4% rise. Capital expenditure also surprised, expanding 0.9%, confounding forecasts for a 0.4% fall. Japan’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) reached a record ¥570.1 trillion (RM18.8 trillion), helped in part by rising prices, economy minister Shigeyuki Goto said. However, Goto said caution was required amid emerging risks. “We must meticulously pay heed to the global economy, and impacts from financial markets and rises in interest rates on real economy,” he said. The strength in domestic demand offset weakness in exports, which slumped 4.2% in January-March, marking the first decline in six quarters. Rising fuel and food costs, which drove Japan’s consumer inflation above the central bank’s 2% target, could also weigh on consumption unless wage increases are sustained, analysts say. Inflation-adjusted wages fell 2.3% in January-March from a year earlier, more than a 1.8% drop in the previous quarter, highlighting the deepening pain on households from rising living costs. Last month, the Bank of Japan lowered its growth forecast for the 2023-24 financial year to 1.4% compared with 1.7% previously. The central bank’s governors cited “extremely high uncertainties for Japan’s economy, including developments in overseas economic activity and prices, as well as developments in the situation surrounding Ukraine and in commodity prices”. – Reuters, AFP SINGAPORE: Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports fell 9.8% in April from the same month a year earlier, data yesterday showed, weighed down by declines in both electronic and nonelectronic products. Last month’s decline compared with a Reuters poll forecast of a 9.4% drop, and extended the 8.3% contraction seen in March. On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, non-oil domestic exports rose 2.7% in April, following March’s 18.4% growth. This was higher than analysts’ predictions for a 3% decline. OCBC economist Selena Ling said trade was still showing weak momentum. “The anticipated recovery for electronics in the second half of 2023 still looks elusive. In fact, the deep year-onyear contraction in integrated circuits, PCs, disk media et cetera, imply that demand conditions may still be searching for a trough. Even the pharmaceutical export surge is insufficient to offset the electronics slump,” said Ling. Non-domestic oil exports to Singapore’s top 10 markets in April declined as a whole. Exports to China fell 20.9% on lower shipments of petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and integrated circuits, while exports to Malaysia declined 35% after drops in shipments of integrated circuits, primary chemicals and specialised machinery. – Reuters
1 8 M A Y 2 0 2 3 T H U R S D A Y Celebrating Chinese culture and friendship AFTER a long hiatus since the last physical final of Miss Chinese World Grand Final was held in Malaysia in 2017, pageant organiser Miss Chinese World Sdn Bhd decided to take a bold move to bring back the international event, despite the challenges posed by travel restrictions for the participants. There were significant challenges. A total of 40% of the delegates from China were denied visas to travel out of their country, placing a significant strain on the organiser’s ability to secure enough participants for this year’s Miss Chinese World 2023 Grand Final. However, with a bit of luck, the organiser was able to have 17 Finalists for the Miss Chinese World 2023 Grand Final, which be held from now to May 21, 2023 with the coronation night taking place on May 20, 2023 at Berjaya Times Square Hotel Grand Ballroom, in which the significant date ‘520’ is hom*ophone of “I love you” in Chinese. The Miss Chinese World Pageant, founded by Tan Sri Datuk Danny Ooi in 2005, is a celebration and remembrance of Chinese culture, values, and traditions. It serves as a platform to promote peace, goodwill, friendship, and tourism among the participants, bringing together young talented Chinese women from around the world. This wonderful event allows for the ancient roots of Chinese culture and traditions to be cherished and remembered by translating them onto the stage and bringing them back into the spotlight. Prior to the Grand Final Night, the esteemed finalists will have the opportunity to partake in an abundance of activities that are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. These activities will include visits to some of the most iconic Chinese landmarks, as well as experiences that will allow them to fully immerse themselves in the local culture. In addition, the finalists of the pageant will be granted access to visit the renowned outlets of the sponsors, providing them with a chance to acquire valuable insights and knowledge about the local community. For the duration of the event, the Finalists will be staying at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, the Pageant Official Hotel and Grand Final Venue of Miss Chinese World 2023. The event is also supported by other Platinum Sponsors such as Prife International Sdn Bhd, OE EduGroup, and Peninsula College as well. Miss Chinese World pageant is set to take place with 17 finalists competing. oMiss Chinese World 2023 Grand Final returns with 17 finalists despite travel restrictions and visa issues █ BY HAZIQUE ZAIRILL Miss Chinese World 2023 will hold a gala dinner and show in the Manhattan Ballroom of the Berjaya Times Square Hotel on May 20, 2023.– ADIB RAWI/THESUN Members of the public will be able to catch a glimpse of the 17 finalists as they visit various locations around Kuala Lumpur. Miss Chinese World Pageant honours culture and promotes friendship. At the Miss Chinese World 2023, one of the 17 finalists will be crowned the winner, along with 13 subsidiary titles sponsored by various companies. Not only that, Peninsula College is also offering scholarships worth RM75,000 to the top three winners for their education in a variety of courses. For the very first time, the panel of judges will be made up of seven women who have previously held the title of Miss Malaysia and have gone on to achieve success in a variety of fields, including those of entrepreneur, film producer, actress, influencer, and businesswoman. In conjunction with Miss Chinese World 2023 Grand Final, the organizer together with MetaLive has created a Special Voting Contest through Metaverse Platform where the public will get a chance to vote for the Miss Chinese World MetaLive Popularity 2023 for a period of four months beginning this month and ending in September 2023. The fans and followers of the Finalists including the public can vote for their favourite Miss Chinese World MetaLive Popularity 2023 by logging in to metaliveworld.io. Tickets for the Miss Chinese World 2023 Grand Final Dinner and Show are currently available for purchase from the Organiser at Miss Chinese World. If you would like more information or to make a reservation, please contact Ms. Kelly Tan at 012- 339 6133, Ms. Eunice Koh at 016-524 4820, or Ms. Ava Lee at 011-3783 6186.
16 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 READ OUR HERE /thesundaily SCAN ME Cannes celebrates Johnny Depp ACTOR Johnny Depp, who hasn’t appeared in public since his legal battle with ex-girlfriend Amber Heard last year, received an ecstatic seven-minute standing ovation on Tuesday night at the premiere of Cannes Film Festival’s opening night film Jeanne Du Barry. Depp held back tears as the crowd in the South of France erupted in prolonged applause for his performance as the King Louis XV. He waved to the audience in the balcony and seemed taken aback by the response. Jeanne du Barry stars actor/director Maiwenn as Jeanne Vaubernier, a working class woman in 18th century France who rises the social ranks and becomes King Louis XV’s lover. Her working class roots makes her a social pariah in the king’s court. The supporting cast includes Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Melvil Poupaud and Pascal Greggory. The controversy surrounding the film began long before its Cannes opening night. The film marks Depp’s most high profile acting role since the conclusion of his 2022 legal battle against ex-wife Amber Heard. Although the jury sided in Depp’s favour, the actor remains on the sidelines of Hollywood as a result of abuse allegations that surfaced during the trial. Depp received a heroes’ welcome on the Cannes red carpet. – AFP oDefying all odds, the audience at the prestigious event welcomed the actor with a standing ovation Festival director Thierry Fremaux spoke to press ahead of opening night and addressed Depp’s presence at Cannes. “I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S,” Fremaux said. “To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule: It’s the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework. “If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film, or the film was banned, we wouldn’t be here talking about it.” Depp’s presence has evidently put an uncomfortable spotlight on the festival. Juror Brie Larson pushed back on a question directed to her by a journalist about Depp’s involvement, saying she didn’t “understand the correlation” of why she was specifically being questioned about it. Jeanne du Barry is seeking US distribution at the festival. – by Mark Mathen Victor Michelle Yeoh talks of the ‘risk’ of Wicked role IN a recent interview at the Fifth Annual Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival in f*ckuoka, Japan, Oscarwinning actress Datin Michelle Yeoh talked about her newest role in the highlyanticipated musical film, Wicked. She made notice of the “risk” involved in accepting the position. “I’m trying something new right now – filming Jon Chu’s Wicked movie, which will be my first musical. It’s very exciting, and I can’t wait for you all to see it. It was a risk, but you will never know which doors will open for you unless you try them all,“ Yeoh said. After collaborating in Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, the actor and Chu will work together once more. Yeoh will play Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University, the Oz university where Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Glinda (Ariana Grande), and the future Wicked Witch of the West all attend. The actress expressed her enjoyment of playing Madame Morrible and her love of collaborating with her co-stars. The movie This will be Yeoh’s first performance in a musical film. – AFP Black Knight accused of plagiarism THE latest Netflix Korean drama, Black Knight, which was released on May 12, is facing accusations of plagiarism from fans of the video game Death Stranding. However, the streaming platform has denied the allegations, saying that it’s actually based on a webtoon by Lee Yoon Kyun, which was released in 2016. The show is about a group of delivery drivers called Black Knights, who deliver oxygen in a postapocalyptic period in 2071 where breathable air is rare, but the main character realises there is a conspiracy. Fans have saod that this is similar to the plot of Death Stranding, the video game developed by Kojima Productions and directed by Hideo Kojima, where the main character makes deliveries in the aftermath of an apocalypse. However, the game was released in 2019, years after the webtoon, making it highly unlikely that Black Knights was able to copy its plot. Black Knight stars Kim Woo-bin, Song Seung-Heon, and Kang You-seok, among others. – by S. Tamarai Chelvi Black Knight is set in post-apocalyptic world. – NETFLIX Jack Harlow bitten by acting bug RAPPER Jack Harlow is making his acting debut alongside Sinqua Walls in White Men Can’t Jump, a remake of the iconic 1992 basketball film that premieres on Hulu this Friday. Harlow explained during a Q&A following a screening in New York City on Monday that he intends to make his acting career more than just a “side hustle” to his music. “Through this film I was able to gain my confidence as an actor, and to me, this s*** is not a side quest,“ he said. “This isn’t a side mission that I’m tacking on just to keep the entertainer thing going and make some extra money.” “I really got the bug and fell in love with this, and I’m developing a deep passion for the craft of this the same way I had in music. I don’t want it to be a side hustle, I want to full-on go after this, and I’m going after it and I’m going to continue to do more,“ Harlow added of acting. Harlow acknowledged that “acting is way harder than music, if you ask me; way more grueling, so I loved the challenge and am so grateful that this was the start.” The musician, who released his latest album Jackman. last month, also revealed that he found a new kind of “freedom” in acting that he doesn’t find in music-making. “There’s things that go through your head from time to time. But with acting I feel liberated to some degree - I feel like I could show up and I could be whoever I want to be today. I feel freedom.” – by Hazique Zairill Harlow (right) and Walls in a scene from their upcoming film. – 20TH CENTURY PICTURES also stars Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, along with Yeoh, Grande, and Erivo. Yeoh also mentioned that she was able to return to Malaysia to present her mother with the Oscar she received for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Yeoh was the first Asian to win the award for best leading actress. She also remarked that she has been spending precious time with her lovely family. It has been reported that Yeoh’s next endeavour will be the voice of the Maximal Transformer Air Razor in the upcoming film Transformers Rise of the Beasts. The first of two parts of Wicked is slated for release on Nov 27, 2024. The second instalment is scheduled to release on Dec 25, 2025. – by Thashine Selvakumaran
17 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM SCAN ME More than meets the eye FRESH from its 59th Baeksang Arts Awards’ multiple wins, Korean box-office hit The Night Owl will be available to viewers from Thursday, 18 May via tvN Movies On Demand on Astro & Unifi TV. The Night Owl, directed by Ahn Tae-jin and starring Ryu Jun-yeol and Yoo Hae-jin, is based on the historical mystery around Crown Prince So-hyun’s death during the Joseon dynasty. The riveting period thriller tells the tale of a blind acupuncturist, who can see faintly at night, fighting to reveal the truth after witnessing the death of the Crown Prince. According to production notes provided by tvN Asia, Gyeong-su (played by Ryu) is a blind royal acupuncturist in the court of King Injo (Yoo). Gyeong-su is unable to see anything during the daytime, but, strangely, he can see normally at night. One evening, Gyeong-su happens to witness the death of Crown Prince So-hyun (Kim Sungcheol), whose demise drives King Injo into madness. Gyeong-su soon gets embroiled in a series of dark secrets and conspiracy within the palace as he attempts to reveal the truth behind the crown prince’s death. In order to play a blind acupuncturist with excellent acupuncture skills, Ryu created perfect scenes with steady practice, Ryu’s performance as Gyeong-su won him a best actor award. – TVN MOVIES oThe suspenseful thriller The Night Owl is a tale of murder and intrigue in the royal palace Upcoming Korean titles to stream terrorist incidents, accidents and more. 0 RACE What Park Yoonjo lacks in qualifications and experience she more than makes up for in tenacity and drive, but when everyone in the company discovers that several recent hires were made as part of a newly created diversity programme, Yoonjo will have to overcome the insurmountable to win their approval. Starring Lee Yeonhee, Moon Sori, Hong Jonghyun and Chung Yunho, clock-out and unwind with this upcoming workplace dramedy. 0 SUGA: Road to D-DAY Starring SUGA of 21st-century pop icons BTS, this documentary follows SUGA as he travels around the world in search of musical inspiration for his upcoming album D-DAY. Throughout the documentary, viewers will see the star at his most vulnerable, as he discusses his writer’s block with other musicians, and delves deep into his most traumatic memories to pen lyrics for several of his latest songs. 0 FULL COUNT Full Count follows the highs and lows of ten Korean professional baseball teams as they attempt to swing, bunt and steal their way into contention for the coveted title of 2022 Korean Series Champions. 0 PSY SUMMER SWAG 2022 Dancing and jumping along to the hit global sensation Gangnam Style under the hot summer sun, PSY invites fans to his first Summer Swag concert since the pandemic in this new Korean Original concert film. 0 The Zone: Survival Mission 2 Hosted by top Korean TV personalities Yu Jaeseok, Lee Kwangsoo and Kwon Yuri, the second series of this hit Korean variety show Yoo gave his all to depict the psychological turmoils of King Injo. – TVN MOVIES DISNEY+ Hotstar recently unveiled its first look at a wealth of upcoming Korean Originals and Currents slated to debut on the service in 2023. 0 Moving When three teenagers discover they’ve inherited incredible superpowers from their secret agent parents, they will find themselves with their backs against the wall as government agencies across the world work to stop them in their tracks. Moving is an original series based on the popular webtoon of the same name by Kang Full. 0 The Worst of Evil Set in 1990s Korea, The Worst of Evil stars Ji Changwook, Wi Hajoon and Lim Semi, and follows a fictional investigative taskforce as their undercover officer, Kang Joonmo, infiltrates a new criminal organisation responsible for fueling the Korea, China, Japan drug trafficking triangle. 0 Vigilante After witnessing his mother’s brutal murder and the ensuing failure of the legal system, Kim Jiyong will dedicate his life to getting revenge on nonrepentant offenders. Starring Nam Joohyuk as star student and vengeful vigilante Kim Jiyong. 0 Shadow Detective Season 2 After a nail-biting finale that saw detective Taekrok’s hopes crushed in an instant, Shadow Detective is set to return with a second season in 2023. 0 Han River Police Starring Kwone Sangwoo and Kim Hiewon, this upcoming fictional comedy action series follows the crazy antics of Seoul’s Han River Police Force as they patrol the waterways and respond to emergency situations including such as receiving acupuncture guidance from an oriental medical doctor even before filming. He transformed perfectly into an acupuncturist with his hard efforts and even filled a toilet paper roll with needles to practice acupuncture. Regarding his difficulties playing the role, Ryu said: “I think there is a big challenge of being unable to express with the eyes. It was hard to express emotions while acting blind. I tried to convey the feelings of Gyeong-su by using all my senses except for sight.” Yoo, who is playing the role of a king for the first time in his acting career, worked hard to express the psychology of King Injo from subtle changes in his face to his actions. He said: “I thought a lot about how to melt my own colours into playing the role of a king and tried to express the character in tune with his psychology” and even portrayed slight facial muscle spasms to show the emotional changes of King Injo. Ryu was honoured with the Best Actor Award at the recent 59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 for his intriguing portrayal of the blind acupuncturist, while Director Ahn was awarded Best New Director. The Night Owl was also named Best Film at the Awards. Catch The Night Owl via Pay-perview on Astro & unifi TV On Demand beginning today. promises more puzzles, laughs and hilarious situations than ever before when it debuts later this year. 0 Pandora: Beneath the Paradise Living a seemingly perfect life, Hong Taera is the envy of many. Married to a successful developer, and with a loving daughter by her side, everything is going perfectly for her – she just wishes she could remember how she got there. Incapable of remembering her past, Taera’s curse becomes a nightmare when her lost memories begin to emerge and she realises she is nothing more than a puppet in an elaborate game. 0 Family: The Unbreakable Bond For years South Korean government agent Kwon Dohoon has managed to keep his occupation secret from everyone, including his beloved wife. Having convinced his friends and family that he is nothing more than an employee at a local trading company, Dohoon works tirelessly to keep up the charade and give his wife the perfect family she has always dreamed of, but little does Dohoon know his wife has an explosive secret of her own. 0 Dr Romantic 3 Continuing the story of Boo Yongjoo, a highly accomplished surgeon who gives up his prestigious position at Seoul’s top medical centre and relocates to Doldam Hospital, a remote hospital in a rural province, Dr Romantic 3 is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar with new doctors, a captivating new antagonist, and an unmissable romance. 0 Revenant After her estranged father dies under mysterious circ*mstances, Sanyoung will partner with Haesong, a man who has the ability to see the dead, in an attempt to break the curse that has ruined both of their families. Viewers can enjoy this occult mystery thriller later this year. 0 The First Responders II Following a popular first series that saw fictional emergency service workers cooperating to solve cases, The First Responders returns to Disney+ Hotstar later this year for a second high-octane season.
18 HEALTH theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 WHEN Nobel laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi helped identify a mysterious virus that would become known as HIV 40 years ago, she says it kicked off a “race against time” to counter the looming AIDS crisis. In an interview with AFP, the 75- year-old virologist described how she and colleagues at the Pasteur Institute in Paris discovered HIV in 1983, which led to her jointly winning the Nobel Prize for Medicine. “It all started in 1982,” when doctors started sharing stories about the first French AIDS patients, France’s Barre-Sinoussi said. “They were convinced that a retrovirus could be responsible for this new disease.” For more than a decade BarreSinoussi had been working on retroviruses, which on infection convert from the genetic material RNA into DNA, allowing them to easily integrate host cells. In January 1983, the team’s strategy was to take a lymph node biopsy from a sick patient, then culture the cells in the lab looking for “very specific enzymatic activity”, she said. Her French doctor colleagues thought that AIDS must be caused by HTLV-1, the only retrovirus known to directly cause cancer in humans. “But our team did not believe in this hypothesis because this virus causes a proliferation of lymphocytes,” Barre-Sinoussi said. AIDS patients had lower rates of this important immune cell. “Something didn’t add up,” she said. “In May 1983, we isolated the virus and demonstrated that it was a retrovirus that was different from HTLV-1. But we were not yet certain that it caused AIDS.” That was confirmed the following year by US scientist Robert Gallo. This caused a transatlantic rift over who discovered HIV, with the United States and France eventually agreeing that both Gallo and the Pasteur team led by Luc Montagnier should get joint credit. Enormous challenge ahead Finally, researchers around the world had a target to aim for in their efforts to combat AIDS, which was rapidly spreading and devastating communities. “From then on, the task was enormous because we were faced with an unknown virus,” BarreSinoussi said. “We had to learn everything about it, find out what proteins it contained, its genetic material, what type of cells it infected, the consequences of this infection.” A crucial first step was to develop tests as quickly as possible, both to diagnose patients and to demonstrate that HIV only infected AIDS patients. “Only then could strategies be considered to try to block it,” she said. “It was a race against time because we realised that the virus was transmitted by blood, sex and from mother to child.” The endeavour required the swift mobilisation of immunologists, molecular biologists and doctors, she said. Not to mention patients, even though scientists knew “we would not have time to find a treatment that could save them”, she said. “We found ourselves faced with people who came to the Pasteur Institute to ask us questions about the virus,” she said. “It was very difficult.” Nobel recognised a community In 2008, Barre-Sinoussi and her former mentor, Luc Montagnier, jointly received the Nobel medicine prize for the discovery of HIV. “I was in Cambodia when I heard the news. It was a huge surprise. I did not expect it all,” Barre-Sinoussi said. “People living with HIV in the country came up to me with smiles and bouquets of flowers. “I understood that this prize recognised a community that had been working together from the beginning.” “All levels of society have been affected by HIV/AIDS, which has always been a battle on multiple fronts – scientific of course, but also political, societal (and) against pharmaceutical companies,” she said. When she started her career, “I was a researcher who never left the laboratory”, she said. But after helping discover HIV, things changed. “I suddenly found myself faced with things that I never imagined possible, such as the general public’s lack of tolerance towards certain people,” she said. “Patients were stigmatised, abandoned by their families, their friends, sometimes by health professionals. Some lost their homes, their jobs.” Barre-Sinoussi said that she had also “learned a lot about inequalities, which unfortunately may have become even worse today”. Throughout her long career, Barre-Sinoussi worked continuously towards finding a cure for HIV, serving as the president of the International AIDS Society a decade ago. She retired in 2017. – ETX Studio French virologist and 2008 Medicine Nobel Prize laureate Francoise BarreSinoussi. – AFP Discovery of HIV started a race against time No longer a death sentence FORTY years after the discovery of HIV, AFP looks at how far we have come in fighting a deadly virus that was once shrouded in fear and shame but is now treated as a manageable chronic condition. 1981: First alert In June 1981, US epidemiologists report five cases of a rare form of pneumonia in gay men in California. It is the first alert about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), still unknown and unnamed. Doctors then identify “opportunistic infections” among intravenous drug users and in haemophiliacs and Haitian residents in the United States. The term AIDS appears for the first time in 1982. The disease is wrongly presented as a “hom*osexual disorder”. 1983: Identifying HIV In January 1983, researchers in France, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Jean-Claude Chermann, working under Luc Montagnier, identify the virus that “might be” responsible for AIDS. Their discovery is published on May 20 in the journal Science. The following year, US specialist Robert Gallo is said to have found the “probable” cause of AIDS, the retrovirus HTLV-III. The two viruses turn out to be the same, and in May 1986 it becomes officially known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. 1987: Anti-retroviral treatment In March 1987, the first anti-retroviral treatment known as AZT is authorised in the US. It is expensive and has severe side effects. The United States and France agree that Gallo and Montagnier UNAIDS hopes to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. – AFP oLet’s take a look back at humanity’s four decades of living with HIV should get joint credit for discovering HIV. But the 2008 Nobel prize goes to Barre-Sinoussi and Montagnier. Early 1990s: Fallen stars In July 1985, US actor Rock Hudson announces he has AIDS. His death three months later is the first highprofile AIDS death. A host of other stars succumb to the disease, including legendary pianist Liberace (February 1987), British singer and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (November 1991), and the Russian dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev (January 1993). In 1994, AIDS becomes the leading cause of death among Americans aged between 25 and 44. 1995-96: New approach Two new classes of drugs signal the start of combinations of different anti-retroviral therapies. Called tri-therapies, they provide the first effective treatment for HIV. 1996 is the first year in which the number of AIDS deaths declines in the United States. While US numbers decline, they rocket in Africa, where AIDS is the biggest killer by 1999. 2001: Generic medicine In 2000, UNAIDS and five major drug companies sign a deal to distribute affordable treatments in poorer countries. A year later, the World Trade Organization changes intellectual property rules to allow developing countries to make generic versions of patent-protected HIV treatments. In 2004, the country with the world’s highest HIV caseload, South Africa, ends years of AIDS denialism and makes anti-retroviral treatments available through the public health system. 2010: First cure Timothy Ray Brown, an American man who had been living with HIV for over a decade, is announced to have been cured of the virus after undergoing cancer treatment. Brown underwent two bone marrow transplants containing a mutation of a gene that blocks HIV from attacking host cells. 2012: Preventive pill In July 2012, the first-ever daily pill to help prevent HIV infection is approved by US regulators. Preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, taken by high-risk people who are HIVnegative in order to prevent them from being infected. 2017: Treatment spreads For the first time, more than half of all people living with HIV are receiving anti-retroviral treatment. The proportion rises to threequarters: 28.7 million people are being treated out of 38.4 million who are infected, according to UNAIDS in 2021. 2020-2021: Covid setback The Covid-19 pandemic disrupts access to health systems, testing and treatment, slowing progress in the fight against AIDS, which over the period of 40 years has killed 40.1 million people. In 2021, 650,000 AIDS deaths and 1.5 million new infections are recorded. UNAIDS hopes to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. – ETX Studio
19 FOOD theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 colour and add warmth to the entire space created by well-known local interior designer Amy Liang from CocoaKacang Design Studio. A unique feature of the Japanese and Scandinavian, or Japandi, design concepts is the different types of seating arrangements. “For this new cafe, I wanted a different dining experience where guests can sit together as a family with children on a raised platform, relaxed and enjoy the desserts.” “Sitting on the platform feels a bit more homey,” said Koh about the seating area. One thing that guests may not notice right away is that the table curves into two huge circles that extend all the way to the outdoor seating area. “The light fixture above follows the two big round seating areas. A lot of components are round in this cafe. “At first, customers were intrigued, but if we were to put the regular table and chairs there, it would look like any other cafe, and we did not want to go in that direction,“ said Koh. The outdoor area, decorated with green trees, is a dedicated space for pet-loving PJ City residents. Speaking about the dessert offerings in the cafe, Koh said: “It’s a one-stop centre for all things desserts.” “Most pastry shops offer either whole or slice cakes, ice cream, or bread, but we have all three in one store. We have ice cream, cakes, pastries, light bread items, and our signature mousse cakes,” she added. “We do a lot of mousse cakes. What makes us different is that we come up with new designs and flavours every few months and during festivals. We try to be creative by introducing new flavours from time to time. “Besides, each of our cakes has different components, flavours, textures, and designs – all in one cake. For me, a good cake is one that, when you eat it, you remember the taste forever.” We could not agree more! I had a chance to taste the luxurious and delightful pieces called Zen, Pear, and Cerf. The first one I tasted was their best-seller Zen, a bright green-coloured chantilly cream piped in a round form on top of a tart base, topped with an edible gold leaf and a piece of Matcha chocolate. Just one bite, and you can feel the flavours burst on your tastebuds. The combination of different flavours inside was a pleasant surprise, especially the smooth and creamy Yuzu cream with a velvety almond cream sponge on a tart crust that was just heavenly. It’s no wonder this cake is one of their bestsellers. Pear looked cute with a delicate flower made out of paper-thin sweet white chocolate on top of the glossy yellowish orange jelly in a half-sphere shape. If you take a closer look, you will notice little black dots on the jelly. It turns out it’s vanilla beans. A spoonful of the light and creamy cake, and all you can say is “divine!” The light and fine texture of the light vanilla mousse flavour with bits of fresh pear diced pieces in the pear compote, added with a Swiss roll sponge, was refreshing and had a very well-balanced taste. A hint of vanilla and desiccated coconut on the rind of the crumbly and flat round sabel Breton (French-style cookie tart base) would make you want to crave more! Last but not least, Cerf. Never mind the name, because the layering of the decadent cake is beautiful. The elegant cake, decorated with hazelnut dacquoise pieces and the cafe’s logo in gold on top, was piped with black chantilly cream and a layer of Inaya Ganache Molluese on a chocolate streusel base. The rich and luscious taste of chocolate in cream and ganache complements crunchy dacquoise, and the combination of different textures in one bite is irresistible. If you love sweet or savoury pastries, try the utterly delicious Grape Danish and Strawberry Danish, which have fresh fruits with flaky, buttery pastry and a surprise inside. The creamy custard filled inside the pastry oozes out once the crunchy pastry is cut open. The French-style apple tarte had a perfect balance of taste as it was not too sweet, but when eaten together with the crispy pastry, it was a real treat! As for savoury, focaccia duck pastry with rocket leaves – a combination that you don’t often come across – tastes good, while spinach mushroom chicken croissant is simple but tasty. Then there is one for the vegetarians: pumpkin pastry. Overall, the little cakes are the stars of the cafe with their uniquely different combination of tastes, and the flavours of the pastries were good too. It’s a good spot just to sit back, relax, and enjoy the peace! A hidden oasis oNewly-opened Xiao by Crustz is an ideal dessert place for PJ City residents to relax and enjoy unique cakes, delectable ice cream and delicious pastries Pretty petite gateaux at Xiao by Crustz. A cozy interior for visitors to sit and enjoy the desserts. The pastry counter with tempting cakes. Outdoor area for pet-lovers and their furry friends. Ice cream cakes at the ice cream section. █ BYS. TAMARAI CHELVI Delicious sweet and savoury pastries. MODERN French patisserie outlet, Xiao by Crustz, is the place to be if you are a dessert lover. The cafe serves desserts ranging from petite gateaux to handcrafted ice creams and pastries in its Petaling Jaya outlet. The bestsellers in the dine-in dessert cafe are their signature petite gateaux (little cakes in French), which look so stunning on the plate that you feel bad taking a bite! These little lavish cakes require a lot of skills and technical expertise to create, as well as attention to minute details. The diverse range of pretty little cakes comes in a variety of flavours and textures. The owner of the cafe, Xiaoly Koh, first opened up Xiao by Crustz at PJ’s Happy Mansion seven years ago, serving their speciality petite gateaux and pastries. For Koh, making these little cakes gave her creative freedom. Besides, the artistic exterior and surprising hidden tastes and textures inside motivated Koh to specialise in making delicate desserts. Just weeks ago, Xiaoly moved her pastry shop to a bigger, better space at 18, Jalan SS2/72, Petaling Jaya (next to Toast and Roast), tucked away from the hustle and bustle of PJ City. “It’s a bigger space than the previous one. I would describe this as a pastry place because there are more than just sweets,” said Koh, adding that there are also sweet and savoury pastries on the menu. “The cafe is relatively big and spacious for customers to escape from reality or stressful city life to a quiet place,” explained Koh when asked why she picked the particular spot. Through the huge front glass door, guests can view a minimalist-style interior design and a cosy ambience inside the corner lot cafe. As you enter, the first thing you will notice is an array of ice cream flavours, deliciouslooking pastries, and luxurious little cakes at the front counter in what appears to be a jewellery display glass cabinet. Further ahead, there is a special private dining room. Behind the pastry counter, guests would be taken by surprise by the sheer spaciousness of the seating area with ample natural light. Leafy plants placed in the cafe give a pop of Xiaoly Koh with her pastries. ALL PIX BY AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN
20 TECH theSun LYFE ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 /thesundaily FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK SCAN ME Return of a legend VIDEO game fans around the world flocked to shops on Friday to get their hands on the new edition of Zelda, one of the most successful franchises in history and now central to the success of Japanese giant Nintendo. Gamers queued hours before shops opened in cities from Paris to New York and Tokyo, desperate to be among the first to play Tears of the Kingdom, featuring the exploits of Princess Zelda and elf-like warrior Link. Standing in line outside a Paris store before midnight, 19-year-old Taylor Meguira told AFP the previous entry in the franchise’s storied cannon, 2017’s Breath of the Wild, had been a “real revolution”. “Knowing that there is a sequel coming out in an hour or a little less, it’s just incredible, it just makes me so happy,“ he said. In Tokyo, Yutaka Hirai, 30, queued with dozens of others, telling AFP the seemingly endless scale of previous Zelda games helped draw him in. “I want to find the same wide open spaces and adventure in this game as in the previous ones,” he said, confessing he had played the previous title for “over 100 hours”. Early reviews have gushed about the game, giving it a score of 97 out of 100 on metacritic, a site that compiles ratings from reviewers. The Zelda franchise has sold 125 million copies worldwide since its first edition in 1986. It helped forge “open world” games Gamers lined up at stores determined to get their hands on Tears of the Kingdom the minute it became available. – AFP oGamers rush to get Nintendo’s new Zelda video game after a six-year wait where the player is free to roam in virtual landscapes – an idea later taken up by titles ranging from Grand Theft Auto to Skyrim. Potential blockbuster But its main challenge this year will be to boost earnings for Nintendo and prolong the life of its Switch console, which experts say is approaching the end of its life after more than six years on the shelves. Earlier this week, Nintendo posted better-than-expected profits but issued a gloomy forecast for the year ahead. The Zelda game is expected to be “by far the biggest contributor to Nintendo’s sales this year”, said Serkan Toto, an analyst at Kantan Games. Charles-Louis Planade, an analyst at Midcap Partners, reckons Tears of the Kingdom could become “the best-selling game in history,“ potentially approaching US$1 billion (RM4.5 billion) in revenue. And so far, reviews have backed up the hype. “It is easy to forget how to find the fun in adult life. Games such as Zelda help to remind you that if you look at things the right way, it’s everywhere,” wrote Keza MacDonald in a five-star review for the UK’s Guardian newspaper. The franchise has come a long way since its 1980s launch, which was something of a gamble for a company then best known for Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. A pioneer The first edition, The Legend of Zelda, plunged gamers into an unknown universe largely without instructions. “The scale of the game was huge at a time when most games were finished in an hour or two,” said Kiyoshi Tane, an author specialising in the history of video games. “It was something of a pioneer of what open-world games would become.” It was a smash hit and pushed the boundaries of game design for the next two decades. After a slump in quality that saw fans drift away from the franchise, designers rethought the game entirely and created Breath of the Wild in 2017. That breakthrough game launched at the same time as the Switch and has since become the best-selling edition of Zelda by far. – ETX Studio Internet connectivity through light THE International Day of Light, celebrated on Tuesday, May 16, is an opportunity to look at what’s in store from a particularly promising technology called Li-Fi. Li-Fi, a technology that provides internet connectivity through light, has been promising to provide a powerful and secure connection where WiFi is not available. However, due to a lack of compatible equipment, the concept is still struggling to expand. Li-Fi is a wireless communications system that uses light, operating at a wavelength between 480 and 650 nm. On paper, this has many advantages, starting with the fact that it is useful both for providing light and for connecting to the internet. However, light, unlike radio waves, cannot pass through walls and therefore secures the connection, which cannot be intercepted and hacked from the outside. Finally, light does not interfere with radio frequencies (Wi-Fi, 5G, etc.) present in the same space. On the other hand, Li-Fi requires the user to be close to the emitting lamp and to ensure their hardware is perfectly exposed to the emitted light in order to work properly. In fact, its range is very low. Still, this does not prevent it from displaying increasingly impressive performance, currently with a theoretical throughput approaching 2 Gbps (Gigabits per second), and this is constantly increasing. The goal is even to reach 100 Gbps by 2025! In terms of use, Li-Fi is a credible alternative in all environments where Wi-Fi is currently prohibited. This applies to certain military zones, as well as daycare centres or certain hospital departments. Many trials and experiments have already taken place, in airports in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) or Tallinn (Estonia), for example, or at the Louvre Museum in Paris. For Li-Fi to be more widely used, not only must the dedicated environment be widely equipped with LEDs, but mobile terminals must also have sensors compatible with this new technology. And this is precisely where the problem lies, because very few devices are currently compatible with this technology. To address this, French company Oledcomm is participating in the development of a chip that could one day be integrated into mobile terminals. But, for the moment, this type of technology is reserved for a few professionals in the electronics, defence, health, automotive and aerospace industries. The aim is that, in the future, the general public can have access to Li-Fi with compatible devices. Even though this is likely to take time, the first compatible products are now coming to the market, from the likes of Samsung, Panasonic and Philips. – ETX Studio Although extremely promising, Li-Fi technology is still in its early days. – GETTY The first private space station could launch in 2025 IN collaboration with SpaceX, the American start-up Vast Space has revealed plans to launch a commercial space station in 2025. The world’s first commercial space station will be called Haven-1. If all goes to plan, it should be launched in the summer of 2025, mounted on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Initially, it will be a small space station capable of accommodating up to four people. Later, it is envisaged that this will be just one module among others comprising a much larger space station, still being studied, measuring around 100 metres long. Once Haven-1 is launched, Vast Space intends to send out a first team onboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, on a mission called Vast-1. In the future, these manned flights should be more numerous, bearing in mind that missions on board Heaven1 should not exceed 30 days. The expected customers are national and international space agencies, but also private individuals involved in scientific or philanthropic projects. In fact, you can already reserve your place by visiting vastspace.com/reserve. Technologically, this station stands out for its system of spinning artificial gravity, based on a centrifugal force. Onboard, the space station will be entirely independent, capable of providing the energy and consumables necessary for the survival of its occupants. They will also be able to benefit from a permanent internet connection thanks to an onboard WiFi network. Other US space station projects, funded in part by NASA, are currently under development by Blue Origin, Nanoracks and Northrop Grumman. The idea is to replace the International Space Station (ISS), which is likely to be decommissioned by 2030 at the latest. – ETX Studio This is what the Haven-1 space station might look like when deployed in space. – VAST SPACE
21 * SPORTS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF DMB MARKETING & TRADING SDN. BHD. 200601005194 (724943-U) (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 20-06-2023 at 9.00 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 18-05-2023 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. IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR IN THE STATE OF WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN, MALAYSIA (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) PETITION NO.: WA-28NCC-368-04/2023 In the matter of CR SEA (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD [Registration No. 201701022023 (1236189-T)] And In the matter of Section 465(1)(e) read With Section 466(1)(a) and (c) of the Companies Act,2016 And In the matter of the Companies (WindingUp) Rules 1972 BETWEEN THRONE ENGINEERING SDN. BHD. (Registration No. 201301020723 (1050553-M)) … PETITIONER AND CR SEA (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD. (Registration No. 201701022023 (1236189-T)) …RESPONDENT ADVERTIsem*nT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of the abovenamed Company by the High Court was, on the 25th day of April 2023 presented by THRONE ENGINEERING SDN. BHD. (Registration No. 201301020723 (1050553-M)) AND that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the Court sitting at Kuala Lumpur at 9:30 am on the 21st day of November 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 to the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address is at No. 41, Jalan BP 7/12, Bandar Bukit Puchong, 47120 Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan. The Petitioner’s solicitors are Messrs. Siong & Rita whose address for service is at E-712, Phileo Damansara 1, Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dated this 2nd May 2023 -Signed - ............................................. Messrs. Siong & Rita Solicitors for the Petitioner NOTE :- Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed Solicitors for the Petitioner, notice in writing of his intention to do so. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or, if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm, or his or their Solicitors (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the above named not later than twelve o’clock noon of the 20th day of November 2023 (the day before the day appointed for the hearing of the Petition). This Advertisem*nt of Petition is filed by Messrs. Siong & Rita, solicitors for the Petitioner whose address for service is at E-712, Phileo Damansara 1, Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel No. 03-7932 3006 | Fax No. 03-7932 3009 (Ref: TESB/2540.22) DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI SEPANG DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA PERMOHONAN PERLAKSAAN NO.: BK-76J-5-03/2023 ANTARA TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD [No. Syarikat : 199001009294 (200866-W)] …PEMIUTANG PENGHAKIMAN DAN PUSPHA A/P D RAMAN [NO K.P: 710515-08-6250 (A1868859)] ...PENGHUTANG PENGHAKIMAN NOTIS PENYAMPAIAN GANTI-BENTUK IKLAN Kepada, PUSPHA A/P D RAMAN [NO K.P: 710515-08-6250 (A1868859)] No. 19, Jalan Bintang Mas 1 Taman Bintang Mas 43800 Dengkil Selangor Darul Ehsan. Dalam perkara Saman Penghutang Penghakiman yang dikeluarkan pada 22 haribulan Mac 2023. AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa suatu tindakan Saman Penghutang Penghakiman telah dikeluarkan terhadap Penghutang Penghakiman dalam Mahkamah Majistret di Sepang dalam Permohonan Perlaksanaan No. BK-76J-5-03/2023 oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad [No. Syarikat: 199001009294](200866-W)] di mana tuntutan Penghutang Penghakiman ialah untuk jumlah RM9,032.85 setakat 3/9/2020 berserta faedah pada kadar 5% setahun dari tarikh 5/12/2022 sehingga 10/2/2023 sebanyak RM84.14, faedah ke atas jumlah RM9,032.85 pada kadar 5% setahun dari 11/2/2023 sehingga 22/3/2023 sebanyak RM49.50 dan kos sebanyak RM846.00 dan berikutan dengan penghakiman itu masih lagi berhutang sebanyak RM10,012.49 dan adalah diperintahkan bahawa sesalinan Saman Penghutang Penghakiman bertarikh 22/3/2023 dan Penghakiman Ingkar Kehadiran bertarikh 10/2/2023 disampaikan terhadap Penghutang Penghakiman di atas melalui Penyampaian Ganti iaitu dengan menampalkan sesalinan Saman Penghutang Penghakiman bertarikh 22/3/2023 dan Penghakiman Ingkar Kehadiran bertarikh 10/2/2023 tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah ini, di tinggalkan di alamat Penghutang Penghakiman di No. 19, Jalan Bintang Mas 1, Taman Bintang Mas, 43800 Dengkil, Selangor Darul Ehsan (selepas ini “alamat Penghutang Penghakiman”) dan juga mengiklankannya sekali (1) dalam surat khabar harian tempatan dan saya percaya bahawa penyampaian itu menjadi penyampaian yang sempurna dan cukup ke atas Penghutang Penghakiman tersebut empatbelas (14) hari selepas dari tarikh pengiklanan atau penampalan tersebut Sekiranya kamu berhajat untuk membuat pembelaan terhadap tindakan tersebut, kamu mestilah diwakili oleh Peguambela kamu di hadapan Mahkamah Majistret Sepang pada 8/6/2023 (secara E-Review), jam 9.00 pagi. Sekiranya kamu gagal berbuat demikian maka Waran Tangkap akan dimasukkan terhadap kamu. Bertarikh pada 18 haribulan Mei 2023 …..….………tt…….…….. Tetuan Sandosh Anandan Peguamcara bagi Plaintif Notis Penyampaian Ganti Bentuk Iklan ini dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Sandosh Anandan, Peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif yang beralamat di Unit A502, Blok A, Kelana Square, No. 17, Jalan SS7/26, Kelana Jaya, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel: 03-78065819 / 03-7804607 Fax: 03-78807409 (Ruj: SA/L/TNB/PUSPHA/1844/2022/SA) DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI IPOH DALAM NEGERI PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN, MALAYSIA PETISYEN PERCERAIAN NO: AA-33-478-12/2022 Dalam Perkara Mengenai Kaedah-Kaedah Prosiding Perceraian dan Hal Ehwal Perkahwinan 1980; Dan Dalam Perkara Seksyen 68 dan 70 Akta Membaharui Undang-Undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976 (Akta 164). ANTARA KANMANI A/P NEDUMARAN (No.K/P: 921017-08-6266) …PEMPETISYEN DAN DEEPAN A/L CHANDRASEGRAN (No.K/P: 880513-26-5249) …RESPONDEN Kepada:- DEEPAN A/L CHANDRASEGRAN (No.K/P: 880513-26-5249) PT 7053, Jalan Casuarina 2, Taman Desa Casuarina, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. 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-33-478-12/2022 dalam tindakan ini oleh Kanmani a/p Nedumaran beralamat di No. C66, Laluan Batu Gajah Perdana 2, Taman Batu Gajah Perdana, 31550 Pusing, Perak dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Petisyen Perceraian Perkahwinan disampaikan kepada kamu melalui Perintah Untuk Penyampaian Ganti dengan menampalkan sesalinan Petisyen Perceraian Pembatalan yang bertarikh 6.12.2022 berserta dengan Afidavit Sokongan yang diikrarkan oleh Pempetisyen pada 5.12.2022 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 PT 7053, Jalan Casuarina 2, Taman Desa Casuarina, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan 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 Pembatalan tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya di Ipoh pada 19.5.2023 jam 9.00 pagi yang mana kamu adalah dikehendaki hadir. Jika kamu berhasrat membantah Petisyen Perceraian Pembatalan 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 Pembatalan ini boleh diperiksa oleh kamu dengan memohon kepada Mahkamah ini. Bertarikh pada 24 Mac 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/3284/KD-DV/2022]sha 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF OONEE SDN. BHD (202001012161 (1368481-H) ( IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION ) At the General Meeting of the Company held at No. 11-1, Jalan 1/57A, Batu 3, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 51200 Kuala Lumpur on Friday 12 May 2023 at 10.00a.m , the following Special Resolution was duly passed :- “That OONEE SDN. BHD. be wound-up voluntarily by way of Members’ Voluntary Winding Up pursuant to Section 439 (1) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 and that Ms. Ng Ying Huey of M/s. Low & Co. of No. 11-1, Jalan 1/57A, Batu 3, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 51200 Kuala Lumpur be and is hereby appointed Liquidator for the purpose of such winding up.” TAN PEI JUN DIRECTOR Dated this: 18 May 2023 IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF OONEE SDN.BHD.(202001012161 (1368481-H) ( IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION ) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Creditors of the abovenamed Company, which is being wound up voluntarily are required on or before the 23 June 2023 to send in their names and addresses and the particulars of their debts or claims and the names and addresses of their solicitors ( if any ) to the undersigned, the Liquidator of the said Company, and if so required in writing from the said Liquidators, or by their solicitors or personally to come in and prove the said debts or claims at such time and place as shall be specified in such notice or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit or any distribution made before such debts are proved. NG YING HUEY LIQUIDATOR Dated this: 18 May 2023 No. 11-1, Jalan 1 / 57A, Batu 3, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 51200 Kuala Lumpur. IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) COMPANIES WINDING-UP NO. WA-28NCC-284-03/2023 In the matter of TLK CITY CAR SDN BHD [No. pendaftaran 201601020373/ 1191311-U] and In the matter of Section 465(1)(e) and Section 466(1) of Companies Act 2016 Between ONG GUAN HONG ….…PETITIONER And TLK CITY CAR SDN BHD [No. pendaftaran 201601020373/ 1191311-U] …..RESPONDENT ADVERTIsem*nT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of the abovenamed Company by the High Court dated 22.3.2023 was presented by ONG GUAN HONG the above said Petitioning Company and that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the Court sitting at the High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur at Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur on the 14.6.2023 at 9.00 a.m., 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 to the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address is at 761 Jalan 17/36, 46400 Petaling Jaya. The Petitioner’s Solicitors are Messrs. Syed Muhammad Akhyari, whose address is at Suite B-06-12, 6th Floor, Plaza Mont’ Kiara, No. 2, Jalan Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 013 443 3572 E-mail: jedi.9th@ gmail.com Dated on this 3 May 2023 Messrs. Syed Muhammad Akhyari Solicitors for the Petitioner NOTE: Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the above named Solicitors for the Petitioner notice in writing of his intention so to do. The notice must be signed by the person or, if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm, or his or their Solicitors (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the above named not later than twelve o’ clock noon of the 13.6.2023 (the day before the day appointed for the hearing of the Petition). (Ref: TLK /23/WU) 322 Notices IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF IDOMAX DEVELOPMENT SDN. BHD. (200601021035 (740788-A)) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING UP) NOTICE is hereby given pursuant to Section 439 of the Companies Act, 2016, that the special resolution set out below was duly passed by the members of the Company at a General Meeting held on 17 MAY 2023. “That the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 439(1) (b) of the Companies Act, 2016 and that Mr. TAN CHEN SIONG (NRIC No.: 560303-10-5025) of No. 53, Lorong 18, Kg. Sg. Jarom, 42600 Jenjarom, Selangor be and is hereby appointed as Liquidator for the purposes of such winding up with all powers given by Section 456 of the Companies Act, 2016.” TAN ONG KEONG Director Kuala Lumpur Date: 18 MAY 2023 IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF IDOMAX DEVELOPMENT SDN. BHD. (200601021035 (740788-A)) (IN MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY WINDING UP) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the creditors of the above-named Company which is being voluntarily wound up are required to, on or before 09 JUNE 2023 to send in their names and addresses with full particulars of their debts or claims and the names and addresses of their solicitors (if any) to the undersigned, the Liquidator of the Company, and, if so required by notice in writing from the Liquidator, either personally or by their solicitors, to come in and prove their debts or claims at such time and place as shall be specified in such notice, or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefits of any distribution made before such debts or claims are proved. TAN CHEN SIONG Liquidator No. 29-2, Jalan 46A/26, Taman Sri Rampai, 53300 Kuala Lumpur, W.P. Kuala Lumpur. Date: 18 MAY 2023 IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2016 AND IN THE MATTER OF YOKE TI HOLDING SDN. BHD. 200001027528 (530135-W) (In Members’ 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 20-06-2023 at 10.00 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 18-05-2023 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. 322 Notices 322 Notices 322 Notices IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT SHAH ALAM IN THE STATE OF SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO: BA-28NCC-200-04/2023 In the matter of Section 465(1)e and 466(1)a of the Companies Act 2016 AND In the matter of FACADE TREATMENT ENGINEERING SDN BHD (Company No. 200201004725/572388-D) BETWEEN SCATECH SDN BHD (Company No. 199501035790/364992-K) ... PETITIONER AND FACADE TREATMENT ENGINEERING SDN BHD (Company No. 200201004725/ 572388-D) ... RESPONDENT ADVERTIsem*nT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a petition for the winding up of the abovenamed Company by the High Court at Shah Alam was on the 25 April 2023 presented to the said Court by Scatech Sdn Bhd and that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the Court sitting at Shah Alam at 9.00 o’clock in the morning on the 12 July 2023 and any Creditor or Contributory of said company desirous to support or oppose the making of an Order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his Counsel for that purpose and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any Creditor or Contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address is at No.1 Jalan Dagang 8, Taman Dagang Jaya, 68000 Ampang, Selangor. The Petitioner’s solicitors are Messrs T.F. Wong & Tee, No.37-1, 1st Floor, Jalan Batai Laut 3, Taman Intan, 43100 Klang, Selangor. (Ref : WW/LT/1374/23) ............................... Solicitors for the Petitioner T.F.WONG & TEE Note: Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed Messrs T.F. Wong & Tee notice in writing of his intentions to do so. The Notice must state the name and address by 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 not later than twelve o’clock noon of the 11 July 2023. NOTICE VICNESVARAN A/L SANTHIRASERERAN, kindly call M/s Pani Normala & Co, Advocates & Solicitors of Unit 10-32, Kompleks Mutiara Office, No. 568, Jalan Ipoh, 51200 Kuala Lumpur, Tel : 03 – 62505170/5270 during office hours (9.00am – 5.00pm) on an urgent basis or attend Petaling Jaya Sessions Court on 23/05/2023 at 9.00am pertaining to a case vide Originating Summons No : BB58-10-02/2023. CALL TO PLACE CLASSIFIED ADS MS. SHOBA T 03 7784 8888 F 03 7784 4424 No superstars, no problem IF Lucknow Super Giants are on the verge of making the playoff of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the second time in two years, it is because they have no “absolute superstars” in the team, said all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. Lucknow finished third on their IPL debut last year and are level on 15 points with Chennai Super Kings, one behind table-topper Gujarat Titans, who have already secured their place in the playoff. “We’ve shown over the last two years we are a real team in terms of there is no absolute superstars that are winning every match or anything like that,” Stoinis said. “It’s different people contributing in different times, standing up in different moments.” “We are missing KL this year after his injury but other people are standing up. We got KP (Pandya) leading us really well now.” Anderson targets return for Ashes ENGLAND’S James Anderson said he is expecting to return from his groin injury in “a couple of weeks” but the veteran fast bowler will not aim for a comeback for the one-off Test against Ireland so that he can be fully fit in time for the Ashes. Anderson suffered a groin injury playing for Lancashire last week but was named in the 15-man squad for the Test against Ireland from June 1. The first Ashes Test is at Edgbaston from June 16. “It’s obviously not great getting injured but it’s probably the best outcome for what it is because it’s a low-grade thing. I think in a couple of weeks I’ll be back to full fitness,” Anderson told the BBC’s Tailenders podcast. “It’s frustrating because you always want to feel good and get enough bowling in before a series and you want to be fresh. So it’s now about trying to plan the best route through this summer.” Anderson said he is trying to avoid a similar situation from 2019 when he pulled up injured on day one of the first Test against Australia. SHORTS Djokovic blasts Norrie’s attitude NOVAK DJOKOVIC accused Cameron Norrie of unsporting behaviour during their fiery Italian Open clash yesterday, with the Serbian taking issue with more than just the contentious smash from the British No. 1 that struck him on the ankle. The most notable incident of the match, which ended 6-3, 6-4 in Djokovic’s favour, came as Norrie broke serve in the second set with a body shot that was drilled into Djokovic’s legs. While Djokovic did not accuse Norrie of deliberately targeting him afterwards, the six-time Italian Open champion said he had been bothered by his opponent’s shouts after winning points as well his decision to take a medical timeout after Djokovic broke to serve. When asked about his reaction to the smash and whether he thought Norrie had intentionally hit him, Djokovic said: “I did watch the replay when he hit me. Maybe you could say he didn’t hit me deliberately. “I don’t know if he saw me. I mean, you can always see where the player is positioned on the court. The ball was super slow and super close to the net. I just turned around because the point was over for me. “It was not so much maybe about that, but it was maybe a combination of things. From the very beginning, I don’t know, he was doing all the things that were allowed. “He’s allowed to take a medical timeout. He’s allowed to hit a player. He’s allowed to say ‘C’mon’ in the face more or less every single point from basically the first game… It’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other. But again, it’s allowed.” Floods force cancellation of Imola GP THE Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix due to be held at Imola this weekend has been called off as it is “not possible to safely hold the event” due to heavy flooding in the region, organisers said yesterday. Five people have died after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region. At Imola, the Santerno river which borders the track was flooded and race organisers had asked journalists and team staff not to go to the circuit yesterday. Formula One said in a statement that following high level discussions “the decision has been taken not to proceed with the Grand Prix weekend at Imola”. “The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region,” it added. “It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.” The civil protection agency said 14 rivers had broken their banks across the region between Tuesday and yesterday, and 23 towns were flooded. It urged “maximum caution”, as mayors warned people to stay on high ground. “About 5,000 people have been evacuated, but that number might rise,” Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci told Radio 24. AFPPIX
22 theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 SPORTS 5637/2023 17/05/2023 (WED) 9518 3445 0431 5917 0119 3798 5103 4872 8465 8567 1129 5152 9879 7324 4498 9326 3716 6003 2988 2444 0336 1774 3350 6,553,320.16 9518 9518 9518 0431 0431 3445 0431 0431 3445 3445 9518 3445 531,931.85 9518 3445 0431 SNAKE 53613 37888 7888 888 31211 8 8 0 2 402702 02702 2702 702 40270 4027 402 4 0 6,114,929.75 3,441,856.11 4 30 37 38 40 44 100,000.00 5 14 18 21 34 38 6 13 19 37 38 41 36 11,992,530.02 RM153,448 RM100,000 won on 14/05/2023 ! Star 6/50 Jackpot 2 Toto 4D Jackpot 2 (i-System) 465 054 +ROOSTER 373 351 + DOG 257 055 + RABBIT Draw Date: 17/05/23 (Wed) Draw No: 5584/23 Venue: PERAK TURF CLUB 5054 3351 7055 1729 + 0138 7694 + 5159 0832 + 4980 4121 + 4605 4026 + 9120 1592 + 4192 7351 + 0404 3349 + 3534 9888 + 8965 2017 + 7965 RM7,293,806.70 5054 + 3351 3351 + 5054 5054 + 7055 7055 + 5054 3351 + 7055 7055 + 3351 RM107,881.20 RM2,188,335.70 RM1,346,527.70 RM2,256,754.20 091 729 170 138 147 694 655 159 260 832 774 980 014 121 674 605 964 026 049 120 321 592 674 192 147 351 550 404 423 349 013 534 739 888 918 965 232 017 667 965 054 351 055 RM701,514.60 054 + 351 + 055 351 + 055 + 054 054 + 055 + 351 055 + 054 + 351 351 + 054 + 055 055 + 351 + 054 DMC 1+3D Jackpot 2 RM202,520.60 won on 14/05/2023! Discipline and patience Rahm, McIlroy point to challenge at PGA Championship TOP-RANKED Jon Rahm seeks his second consecutive major title, Rory McIlroy wants his first major victory since 2014 and Jordan Spieth just hopes to play when the PGA Championship tees off today (7pm in Malaysia). A field of 156 players, 16 of them from the Saudibacked LIV Golf League, chase the Wanamaker Trophy at Oak Hill, where discipline and patience will be as vital as any club. “Discipline is going to be a huge factor this week,” McIlroy said. “You’ve got to keep it out of those fairway bunkers. “If someone can keep their discipline and not start firing at those pins and know that middles of the greens is a pretty good leave on most holes, I think that’s (key).” Oak Hill offers tricky pin locations with thick rough and shifting tee box areas to make every challenge unique. “Discipline is a really good way to describe what one needs this week,” Rahm said. “It’s challenging, but it’s one of those where if you hit the shots you’re supposed to hit – put it in the fairway, go to the center of the green – nothing crazy should be happening. “If you can get those up-and-downs, it’s not only a confidence booster, but it’s something that will keep the round going.” Rahm, the 2021 US Open champion, captured his fourth title of the year and second major last month at the Masters. Rahm is an oddsmakers’ co-favorite alongside second-ranked American Scottie Scheffler, who would overtake the Spaniard with a victory. If Rahm wins, he would be halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam and only a British Open shy of a career Slam. “It doesn’t happen often that a player wins more than one major in a year,” Rahm said. “So it would be amazing to be able to join my name to that list.” Only five players in the past 70 years have won the first two majors of a season, the most recent being Spieth in 2015. Spieth, who would complete a career Slam by winning the PGA, tested his injured left wrist during a workout Tuesday and a ninehole practice round with Rahm. The 29-yearold American is set to start today (8.22pm) alongside Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Irishman Shane Lowry, but his status for the event remains uncertain. McIlroy took a mental health break after missing the cut at last month’s Masters and played only one PGA tuneup. “I needed it at the time,” McIlroy said. “Whether it works this week or not remains to be seen.” The four-time major winner said he has lowered expectations to better deal with whatever golf sends his way. “Just trying to be in a good spot with taking what comes,” he said. And should that fifth major title never come, so be it. “If I don’t win another tournament for the rest of my career, I still see my career as a success,” McIlroy said. “I still stand up here as a successful person in my eyes.” Six LIV players with a combined 15 major titles are at Oak Hill, including reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia, six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and fourtime major winner Brooks Koepka. England’s Paul Casey reduced the LIV contingent by withdrawing Tuesday, American Sam Stevens replacing him. Saudi financing and record prize money lured some big names from the PGA Tour to LIV, prompting the tour to ban LIV players and spark a legal fight due to hit courts next May. Until then, majors mark the only place for LIV and PGA players to compete. Americans Mickelson and Koepka shared second at the Masters, the top major result by an active LIV player. Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson won last week’s LIV crown in Tulsa but another US contender could be Talor Gooch, a LIV winner last month in Australia and Singapore. “I imagine he’s going to keep playing well. He’s a world-class ball striker and just a supreme talent,” sixth-ranked Max Homa said. “He beat every single person and he shot 62-62 in back-to-back rounds (in Adelaide). I’d say it’s very impressive.” – AFP Malaysia CDM sorry for failed 40-gold target CHEF DE MISSION (CDM) to the 2023 SEA Games, Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali apologised to all Malaysians following the national contingent’s failure to achieve the 40-gold target in Cambodia. Mohd Nasir said the 677 athletes who shouldered Malaysia’s challenge had fought hard and described the haul of 34 gold, 45 silver and 96 bronze medals this time as the best achievement that could be produced. “I humbly wish to apologise if the 40-gold target was something hoped for but we didn’t achieve it. “But the 34 gold won are medals of quality, I am confident that we can improve on this 34-gold haul,” he told the Malaysian media here. The 34-gold haul saw the Malaysian contingent record their worst performance since collecting 31 gold medals overall in the 1995 edition in Chiang Mai, Thailand. However, based on the actual position, Malaysia finished the competition in the worst position at seventh place for the first time in the history of the SEA Games after occupying sixth place in the edition in Hanoi, Vietnam last year. Commenting further, Mohd Nasir reiterated his stand that the 40-gold target was a realistic one. He said setting the target at 40 gold was not made casually after three meetings were held previously to finalise the number of gold medals that could potentially be collected. “We held three meetings so it (the target) was not a last minute thing and we also discussed the target with each association, so after this we need to go back to the associations and ask for an explanation,” he said. He did not feel that short preparation was the main factor contributing to the failure of the national contingent here, although he admitted that some sports faced problems during the preparation period. – Bernama Rahm Rory McIlroy chips on to the 11th green during a practice round prior to the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. – AFPPIX Country Gold Silver Bronze Vietnam 136 105 112 Thailand 107 96 106 Indonesia 86 81 111 Cambodia 81 74 120 Philippines 58 87 114 Singapore 50 43 64 Malaysia 34 45 97 Myanmar 21 25 67 Laos 6 22 59 Brunei 2 1 6 Timor-Leste 0 0 8 2023 SEA GAMES MEDAL TALLY
23 * SPORTS theSUN ON THURSDAY | MAY 18, 2023 BAYER LEVERKUSEN host Roma tomorrow knowing their way to the Europa League final goes through Jose Mourinho’s expertly parked bus. Mourinho’s Roma hold a narrow 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of their semifinal tie, having blunted Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso’s attacking riches in Rome. Roma held Leverkusen scoreless for the first time in this Europa League campaign. Coming into that match, Leverkusen had scored 14 times in six games in the competition this season, with the goals coming from nine different players. Leverkusen’s revival from the relegation spots to European trophy candidates under Alonso has been driven by the side’s youthful array of attacking talent. Pulling the strings in the middle is 20-yearold Florian Wirtz, one of the future stars of German football, who has three goals and two assists in seven Europa League matches this season. Alongside Wirtz are fullback Jeremie Frimpong, 22, forward Moussa Diaby, 23, winger Amine Adli, 23, striker Adam Hlozek, 20 and World Cup-winning midfielder Exequiel Palacios, 24. With several of Europe’s top clubs circling, both for the players and for Alonso himself, Leverkusen – with only two major trophies in club history – know how rare and important this opportunity will be. Leverkusen have a history of producing excellent players but know better than most how quickly the best and brightest can be tempted to Europe’s biggest destinations. After losing the 2002 Champions League final 2-1 to Real Madrid, along with defeat in the German Cup final and being runners up in the league in the same season, Leverkusen lost several stars including Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Ballack and Lucio. More recently, Kai Havertz, Julian Brandt and Leroy Sane have all been tempted away from Leverkusen. In early May, Alonso shot down speculation he could soon be headed to Real Madrid or Tottenham, saying “for these next months and for next season, my head is 100% here.” “We have great goals we want to achieve.” Alonso echoed the sentiments after Leverkusen were held 1-1 at relegation threatened Stuttgart on Sunday in the league, saying he was “very satisfied” with his team’s “desire and will to fight to the end”. “On Thursday (Friday 3am in Malaysia) we can still achieve a great goal”. With Leverkusen seventh in the Bundesliga, out of Champions League contention and in danger of missing European football entirely next season, the importance of Friday’s tie has grown. Leverkusen do boast a strong record at home, having claimed the scalps of Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Union Berlin this season. Winless in five league fixtures, sixth-placed Roma also have fallen out of Champions League contention. Mourinho, who famously introduced himself at Chelsea as “a top manager, a European champion, a special one” boasts one of the best records of any manager in Europe. While Mourinho has managed some incredible attacking talents during his career, including at Roma, the side’s run through the Europa League has had a heavy defensive focus. Roma have conceded just twice in their past six games in the competition. Alonso is not the only manager turning heads, with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly interested in bringing Mourinho to the Parc des Princes. The 60-year-old said last week “if they called me, they didn’t find me” of the speculation. But like those of his Leverkusen counterpart, Roma’s proud fans would likely find it in their hearts to forgive a departure with a Europa League trophy at season’s end. – AFP /theSunMedia FOLLOW ON YOUTUBE SCAN ME Black Cats loss may have ruined Ten Hag’s plan SUNDERLAND may have inadvertently ruined Erik ten Hag’s masterplan for Amad Diallo at Manchester United by losing to Luton Town in the Championship playoff semifinals. The Black Cats went into yesterday’s secondleg meeting at Kenilworth Road with a narrow one-goal advantage following their victory in the reverse fixture but conceded twice to condemn themselves to another season in England’s second tier. Gabriel Osho got the hosts off to the perfect start inside the opening 10 minutes before a thumping header from Tom Lockyer saw Luton take the lead on aggregate, with the Hatters holding on until the final whistle to book their place in next weekend’s Championship playoff final. Ten Hag is unlikely to have been as jubilant, though, given the dilemma he now faces regarding the future of Amad at Old Trafford in advance of next season. The 20-year-old has been a revelation for Sunderland over the course of the current campaign, scoring 14 goals in 38 league and playoff appearances, but is likely to remain outside of Ten Hag’s firstteam setup at United upon his return to Manchester. It would have made perfect sense for Amad to have gone back to Sunderland on loan next season if the Wearside outfit had managed to achieve promotion to the Premier League, although their failure to go up may have complicated things somewhat. Ten Hag will ideally want Amad to play at a higher level but there is no guarantee that he will adjust as well if he is loaned out to a top-flight side, which could risk harming his development in the long run. Amad has clearly enjoyed his time at Sunderland but is still very much focused on breaking into Ten Hag’s plans at United, with the player himself outlining his ‘dream’ to become a key player for the Red Devils in the not-too-distant future when quizzed on the topic last month. “I know (the transfer fee) was a lot of money, but I didn’t really think about that, there’s no reason to worry about things you can’t influence,” Amad told FourFourTwo. “I was so happy to sign for Manchester United. “It’s a club with a massive history, famous all around the world. I haven’t shown my best for them yet, but I hope next season I can return and prove my talent. My dream is to play regular football at Manchester United.” – Express Newspapers Pochettino isn’t scared to upset Chelsea stars INCOMING Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has already shown he is no pushover and will not be scared to upset the biggest stars at Stamford Bridge. At Tottenham, Pochettino’s discipline was key to cultivating a positive atmosphere and he was willing to publicly criticise players who stepped out of line. Chelsea’s struggles this season makes Pochettino the ideal candidate to turn the club around, given his willingness to dress down under-performing players. The Argentine is understood to be closing in on a deal to become the Blues’ new manager. Pochettino famously told Dele Alli he needed to ‘learn’ after the attacker was booked for simulation in a game against Huddersfield in 2017. Other managers might have taken a more diplomatic view on the incident, but Pochettino knew that criticising the England international would ensure he was never embroiled in a similar situation again. During his spell in north London, Pochettino criticised comments Danny Rose made about some of the club’s signings. The leftback alleged he had to use Google to learn more about players who were linked with the club. “That is not a joke. When you sign players like Eric Dier, who are internationals today, nobody knew him,” a bemused Pochettino hit back. “Or Dele Alli who was in League One, or (N’Golo) Kante. I don’t think it’s a matter to joke about because with some of the international players today, maybe one or two years ago, none of us knew them very well. “And when I first arrived here (in England), people wanted to know who Mauricio Pochettino [was] too. If you remember five years ago, people said ‘who is Pochettino?’ I’m sure they used Chrome or Google or Yahoo to find out!” It comes amid reports that the Chelsea squad are set for a ‘gruelling’ start to preseason training under Pochettino. According to Sky Sports, the 51-year-old is expected to demand a better work ethic on and off the pitch. It remains to be seen if he will castigate anyone who falls foul of his strict disciplinary rules. – Express Newspapers CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (semifina): AC Milan 0 Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 74) – Inter win 3-0 on aggregate. CHAMPIONSHIP (playoff semifinal, 2nd leg): Luton 2 Sunderland 0 – Luton win 3-2 on aggregate. RESULTS Luton Town’s Jordan Clark (left) in action with Sunderland’s Pierre Ekwah. – REUTERSPIX Jose’s parked bus obstacle Leverkusen’s attacking starlets face Roma block in Europa League
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: [emailprotected] • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: [emailprotected] HARRY KANE would not want to risk tarnishing his Tottenham legacy by leaving the club in the summer, according to former Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov. After another turbulent campaign at Tottenham which will end without silverware, England captain Kane has been strongly linked with a big-money move to Manchester United. Berbatov helped Spurs lift the League Cup in February 2008, which remains the club’s last trophy, before making the switch from White Hart Lane to Old Trafford just over six months later. Kane is set to enter the final year of his Spurs contract during the summer, but recently spoke of his determination to restore a strong culture at the club, which is now on a third manager of the season. Berbatov, who went on to win the Premier League twice with United, can empathise with Kane’s dilemma, but believes the 29-year-old’s heart remains very much at Tottenham where he is now the record goalscorer. “I can understand and can relate to his situation. I feel for him, but at the same time I think he is going to stay at Spurs,” Berbatov told the PA news agency. “His legacy now is so great that he cannot force himself to tarnish it – when you say Spurs, it is Harry Kane and when you say Harry Kane, it is Spurs. “They are connected forever because he is the leading goalscorer of the team, of the country (England national team) and probably is going to break Alan Shearer’s record for most goals in the Premier League as well. “So it is down to him to know what is important for him – (for) his legacy with Spurs, which is unbelievable now. “(As for) personal records, it is important also to win something before he is finished playing football. It is up to him to decide.” Former Bulgaria striker added: “At one point, Spurs are probably going to win something and produce more consistency. “Every season they have that intent, that this is going to be the defining season, but so far, it didn’t work. “At one point, I am sure it is going to work, but when is that going to be? I don’t know.” Berbatov believes there has to be a sense of collective responsibility from the training ground to the board room. “Again they are not at the place that they wanted to be in the start of the season. It is nothing new and everybody connected with Spurs knows it,” said Berbatov. “Every season Spurs start with a big expectation based on everything they have in their disposal – a great stadium, the great facility to train, great players as well. “But while the season is progressing, even if they start strong, then they are declining and that inconsistency kicks in and they start to suffer from it.” While Tottenham may be well out of the running for a top-four finish, they could yet still qualify for Europe again via one of the other UEFA competitions. – The Independent I NTER MILAN reached their first Champions League final for 13 years as Lautaro Martinez’s sole goal of the match gave them a 3-0 aggregate win against AC Milan yesterday. Inter will undoubtedly be the underdogs against either Real Madrid or Manchester City in Istanbul on June 10, but the way they managed both legs of this allMilan tie suggests they will be hard to beat. The key moment of the night at the San Siro came when Argentinian Martinez exchanged passes with substitute Romelu Lukaku and drilled a shot from inside the penalty area that Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan allowed in at his near post. Martinez, Inter’s captain, hailed the cohesion of his team over the two matches against their city rivals. “What counts is the squad. I experienced it at the World Cup (with Argentina),” he said. “It makes it easy if you have a united squad with everyone pulling in the same direction. It means you get to play these very important matches in the best possible way.” He added: “After winning the World Cup and experiencing what is the pinnacle for a player I knew we could reach this final, and we did it.” His goal effectively killed off the tie. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Milan had pushed hard in the first half, spearheaded by Rafael Leao who shot across the goal and past the post with one of his side’s best chances. Maignan then superbly dropped to his knees to collect Edin Dzeko’s glancing header from Hakan Calhanoglu’s pacy freekick. Lukaku’s introduction in the second half proved the spark that Inter needed to extend their lead. Absent for much of the season with injuries and with a damaged reputation following a disastrous World Cup with Belgium, Lukaku has slowly worked his way back to his best. The forward on loan from Chelsea immediately caused problems in the Milan defence and created Martinez’s goal to guarantee their place in their first Champions League final since the last time they won European club football’s biggest prize under Jose Mourinho in 2010. “Tutti a Istanbul”, the joyous Inter fans sang with the Nerazzurri now one game away from a fourth Champions League title. Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said: “It’s a dream come true. We always believed we could do it, we have had an extraordinary journey (to the final). “What pleased me? Everything. The running, the determination, the concentration… they were very good.” Inzaghi told Mediaset: “We will only fully realise what we have done in the days to come.” Facing Inzaghi’s men will be either Manchester City or record 14- time winners Real Madrid, with that semifinal finely poised at 1-1 ahead of the overnight decider at City’s Etihad Stadium. “We’re going to have to give it our all,” Martinez said. Milan’s coach Stefano Pioli was left to contemplate a harsh ending to “a terrific” run to the last four. “It’s normal to be disappointed after losing in the semifinal, especially in a derby. “The players gave their all in both legs but Inter deserved it. They played better than us, winning both matches. “Given our journey and what we’ve done over the past three years it would have been fabulous to get to the final. But we didn’t make it, that’s a massive disappointment.” Inter have been European champions three times and their last crown came in 2010 when Jose Mourinho led them to a 2-0 victory against Bayern Munich in Madrid. – AFP or download app from the App Store or Google Play TM . Read iPaper at www.thesundaily.my FREE access Interactive Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates after scoring the opening during the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg match against AC Milan yesterday. – AFPPIX THURSDAY • MAY 18, 2023 All in Istanbul Inter win Milan derby to reach Champions League final Berbatov warns Kane not to ‘tarnish’ Tottenham legacy by leaving █ JIM VAN WIJK
