KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 27): Glove makers' shares were up in early trade on Tuesday (Dec 27) following a rise in Covid-19 cases in China. At 10.15am, Top Glove Corp Bhd was the second most actively traded counter, up 7.93% at 88.5 sen apiece, with 35.9 million shares done. China is beginning to lift its more stringent Covid-19 restrictions, after nearly three years in isolation. The commission reportedly said that it would no longer publish daily Covid-19 data from Sunday, amid doubts about its reliability. British-based health data firm Airfinity last week estimated that China is experiencing more than a million infections and 5,000 deaths a day.

KOTA KINABALU (Dec 27): Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has reached the final investment decision (FID) for a near-shore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Sabah. Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the LNG project is a step in the right direction, as the state government continues to pursue more deals to get additional revenue via equity participation for Sabah. Meanwhile, Adnan, who is also the executive vice-president and chief executive officer of Petronas' gas business, said that in view of the transition towards a low-carbon future, the group will continue to advocate greater use of natural gas. “The development of the facility under the Sabah Gas Masterplan will strengthen both the position of the state and Malaysia as a whole as an attractive natural gas hub, contributing to the mutual prosperity of Sabah and the nation. The near-shore LNG facility will expand Petronas' global portfolio of LNG assets, further strengthening the group’s position as one of the world’s largest LNG providers.

PETALING JAYA: The restaurant in which a rat was filmed nibbling away at fried chicken in a food warming cabinet has had its licence revoked by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ). MPAJ president Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim said enforcement action, including confiscation, would be carried out if the restaurant in Pandan Indah continued to operate after the revocation of the licence. “MPAJ will only consider a new licence application if all conditions are met, especially when it comes to cleanliness. A 15-second video of a rat eating fried chicken in a food warmer has been circulating on various social media platforms. “MPAJ takes this matter seriously and action will be taken against any food outlets that do not prioritise cleanliness,” he said.

PETALING JAYA: The restaurant in which a rat was filmed eating in a food display has had its licence revoked by the local authorities effective immediately. Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) president Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim (pic) said that enforcement actions including confiscation would be carried out if the restaurant in Pandan Indah continued to operate after the revocation of the licence. “MPAJ will only consider a new licence application if all conditions are met, especially when it comes to cleanliness," he said. A 15-second video of a rat eating fried chicken in a food warmer has been circulating on various social media platforms. The video has received over 1.5mil views since it was posted online on Dec 23.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 26): DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said Malaysia must have a programme to reduce the emigration of highly skilled citizens as a policy. “Malaysia must have a programme to reduce the emigration of highly skilled citizens, as part of the policy to make Malaysia great again, as well as to attract highly-skilled talent to Malaysia,” he said. He stressed that there should be a special unit in the Prime Minister’s Department to stem the brain drain in key sectors, which should conduct an aggressive policy to turn the five decades of “brain drain” into a “brain gain” situation. “For a start, the Government should resolve the grievances and complaints of healthcare workers, and terminate the problem of contract doctors. “Malaysia does not need contract doctors, as they should be absorbed into the public health and medical system,” he said.

ViTrox co-founder, president and CEO Chu Jenn Weng acknowledges that the group will experience a slowdown. ViTrox has more than 600 installed bases by products in more than 40 countries, including Malaysia, China, Taiwan, the US and Mexico. In layman’s terms, ViTrox makes machine vision inspection systems that scan for defects in semiconductors and other hi-tech gear. Campus 3.0 will add 442,000 sq ft of floor space for production, business development, design and development, and shared services activities at the plant. Asked about what comes after Campus 3.0, Chu says ViTrox still has 10 acres, its last remaining tract in Batu Kawan.

However, ESG issues can be complex and abstract, and assessing and properly addressing sustainability concerns can be a challenge. The broadcaster, which advocates Responsible Business, Caring for Our Environment, Community Development, Voice for Good and Education for All, reaches 70% of Malaysian homes. The group seeks to make education entertaining and fun while transforming lives, and nurture young, bright minds through its foundation, Yayasan Astro Kasih. Astro has built three Astro Hostels — for SK Magandai (pictured) and SK Malinsau in Sabah and SK Sungai Paku in SarawakNurturing Malaysia’s young talentAstro is not known as “The Home of Sports” for nothing. Astro also strives to create quality responsible content with strong social values such as The Conservationist on Astro Shuang Xing CH307.

KUCHING (Dec 25): The Sarawak government has submitted to the federal government the formula for the annual special grant to be given to the state under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution. Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the federal government is now considering the formula. "I am made to understand that they (federal government) have their own formula, but we hold firm to our formula because it is fairer. Abang Johari said the formula is one of the matters pertaining to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) submitted by the state government to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof for consideration. On Dec 5, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Fadillah would focus on Sabah and Sarawak affairs, especially on matters related to MA63.

KUALA LUMPUR: The restaurant in which a rat was filmed enjoying a lavish meal of fried chicken in a food display, has been ordered to shut down for 14 days. Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the enforcement team was acting on a video clip, showing the rat munching on some fried chicken, that went viral on the social media platforms. He added that six compounds had also been issued to the eatery for food safety and hygiene violations under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009. Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry took food hygiene and safety issues seriously. "We call on the public, particularly food handlers and business owners to take the responsibility in ensuring food safety is maintained to avoid poisoning and food-borne diseases," he added.

(Dec 25): Billionaire Elon Musk has warned against something he himself has done — borrowing against the value of securities one owns — because of the risk of "mass panic" in the stock market. "I would really advise people not to have margin debt in a volatile stock market and you know, from a cash standpoint, keep powder dry," Musk said in the All-In podcast released on Friday. The warning, at least the second made by Musk this month, was ironic given the billionaire had previously pledged his Tesla shares. As of December 2020, Musk had 92 million Tesla shares pledged as collateral, according to an US Securities and Exchange Commission filing in April 2022. During the podcast, Musk also reiterated his belief that the economy was overdue for a recession and that the slowdown could be similar to the scale seen in 2009.

BATANG KALI: With only one victim still unaccounted for, the search and rescue (SAR) operation at Father’s Organic Farm landslide site, in Gohtong Jaya, here, which entered its ninth day today resumed on Saturday (Dec 24) morning. Despite the favourable weather yesterday, the operation was suspended at 11pm as a precaution to ensure the safety of the rescue personnel involved. ALSO READ: Batang Kali landslide: SAR ops for final victim to focus on Sector A (Hillview)"They are assisted by 10 dogs from the tracker dog unit (K9) and nine excavators and the operation will focus on Sector A,” he said. ALSO READ: Batang Kali landslide: Heartfelt praise for SAR teamTwelve women, six men, six boys, and six girls made up the total number of fatalities. The rescue team was also seen entering the SAR operation area in groups led by the JBPM personnel and the weather at the location this morning was fair.

JOHOR BARU: The implementation of the new mechanism for targeted subsidies will be decided by the Cabinet soon as the proposal has been tabled, says Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (pic). The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister said that the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) had prepared all of the proposal papers for the government, including targeted subsidies for petrol. Salahuddin added that the ministry has also received the vehicle data from the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to be used for the distribution of the targeted subsidies for RON95 petrol. Earlier, Rafizi was reported saying that the government would introduce a new mechanism for targeted subsidies soon, possibly by 2023. "After three Cabinet meetings, it is quite obvious that we have to expedite a proper rollout of an index-based targeted subsidy system," he said.

SO what awaits the various business sectors in Malaysia in 2023? Aside from facing the general headwinds of rising inflation and interest rates, there are other peculiar challenges that each industry has to deal with. For example, plantation companies have struggled with the acute labour shortage but as the issue abates, planters could have a better outlook next year. For banks, mergers and acquisitions could be a theme for 2023 as well as the first signs of how the licensed digital banks begin their foray to win customers in the country. For the property sector, perhaps the biggest worry would be the impending recession although some pockets of property development could see decent growth.

Getting Started Junior Member108 postsJoined: Jul 2006https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/groove/202...es-no-guarantee#Showbiz: Endless amount of money and numerous houses no guarantee for happiness, says NeelofaNeelofa credits husband PU Riz for opening her eyes to the meaning of being grateful for every single blessing in life. Neelofa added that her 27-year-old spouse, better known as PU Riz, had also made her appreciate even the smallest of things. Neelofa explained that Haris would always be grateful for and appreciate even the smallest thing that he receives. In fact, if say, God gives us great rezeki, an endless amount of money or numerous houses, all of that would not guarantee happiness. "Happiness would come from the blessings found in the source of the rezeki and in being sincerely grateful," she said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for this year is very likely to exceed the earlier projection of between 6.5 per cent and 7.0 per cent, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said sentiment remains positive at the end of 2022 with encouraging economic performance following the reopening of the economy amid the transition to the COVID-19 endemic phase. He noted that unemployment rate also dropped to 3.6 per cent in October 2022. He noted that the International Monetary Fund has forecast that global economic growth would slow from 3.2 per cent in 2022 to 2.7 per cent in 2023. The government, Anwar said, will spare no effort to strengthen the economic indicators, restore investor confidence and rebuild the country.