EARNING a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) heritage accreditation for a place drives many countries to seek it because of its economic value to tourism as it offers international recognition. It creates jobs and business opportunities, helps tourism promotion and marketing, and often improves the quality of local lives.

PUTRAJAYA: A company director has been remanded over suspicions of giving a RM13,000 bribe to an engineer in return for contracts with a department in Penang. Magistrate Shyahirah Abdul Salim allowed the MACC’s application for the suspect to be remanded for five days until Feb 20. The engineer in question has also been remanded, over claims of accepting bribes from a contractor sometime in 2022. Sources said he was believed to have used the money to buy a snooker table and a ping pong table and had placed it in his office. The engineer, who is in his 30s, has also been remanded for five days beginning Friday after the order was issued by Magistrate Mohamad Azlan Basri.

KOTA KINABALU: A man believed to be mentally ill has finally been rescued after refusing to come down from the rooftop of his apartment for over 60 hours in the east coast Sandakan district on Thursday (Feb 15). Sandakan Fire and Rescue station chief Severinus Sainkui said they managed to restrain the man and bring him to the ground safely at 1.24pm on Thursday (Feb 15). The man was also holding a sharp iron object as well as a stick that made the rescue operation delicate, he added. He said the man was then handed over to Health Ministry personnel before being sent to the hospital in an ambulance. They ended the operation at 2.08pm after assessing there were no other risks at the site, he added.

SHAH ALAM: A nose surgery almost halted Lakshya Sen’s (pic) career in 2022 but the Indian shuttler didn’t allow the setback to completely destroy his Olympic dreams. Lakshya, having won the Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold, was forced to undergo a surgery for a deviated septum right after the 2022 World Championships in Tokyo in August. Lakshya is also looking forward to helping India’s strong run in team events and win the Asia Team Championships for the first time. “This team gel well on and off the court and winning the Thomas Cup has given us the motivation. The Thomas Cup Finals will be held in Chengdu, China from April 28-May 5 where the hosts are likely to be India’s strongest rivals.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Islamic laws will be further strengthened with the recent landmark judgment by the Federal Court nullifying 16 provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal code, says the Syariah Judiciary Department. The Feb 9 ruling will also harmonise offences that exist under both syariah and civil laws, the department said. “It is just (that these offences) cannot be tried in syariah court, but can be tried in civil court. If a Muslim in Kelantan commits sumbang mahram (incest), the offence can be tried in civil court,” the department said. “In fact, the punishment provided in the Penal Code is also higher, compared to the punishment provided in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment”.

PETALING JAYA: More than 13,000 litres of diesel have been seized from two storage facilities in Kedah, putting an end to the smuggling of the subsidised fuel. “Based on our initial information, the syndicate would fill up a modified lorry with diesel at several petrol stations in Changlun and Bukit Kayu Hitam. “The diesel would then be transported to the illegal storage sites and later transferred for sale on the black market,” he said in a statement. Azman said more than 13,000 litres of diesel, a lorry, several intermediate bulk container tanks, a motor pump and documents were seized for further investigations. “Nine men, who admitted being workers at the two sites, were detained to assist in investigations,” he added.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's attorney general is considering prosecuting convicted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra over an alleged insult of the powerful monarchy, an official said on Tuesday, just weeks away from his possible release on parole. The lese-majeste law is among the world's strictest, with each perceived offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The influential Thaksin, prime minister from 2001-2006, made a dramatic homecoming last August from 15 years in self-imposed exile to serve an eight-year jail sentence for abuse of power, later commuted to one year by the king. Prayut Petchkhun, spokesperson for the attorney-general's office, told reporters the seven-year delay in acting on the royal insults complaint was because Thaksin had been abroad. Thailand current government is backed by the Shinawatra family, with Thaksin's return coinciding with ally and real estate mogul Srettha Thavisin becoming prime minister that same day.

"It's true that South Korea have great potential in terms of mental, technical and tactical preparedness. "Despite playing 120 minutes twice everyone knows the value of South Korea at an individual and collective level. Playing 120 minutes means they're in good shape," the Moroccan coach said. I don't think playing 120 minutes will make a difference in tomorrow's game." While Jordan are playing in their first semi-final, South Korea are looking to advance and end a 64-year trophy drought in the Asian Cup.

Given enough time, the very existence of these bases might wind up forgotten by the vast majority of people. Over the years, a claim has emerged occasionally that fighter aircraft were based less than 10km from Banting, Selangor. “The Gazette stated that the Allied forces moved ashore from Morib to the Kelanang airfield on Sept 10, 1945 before proceeding to Telok Datok on Sept 14, 1945,” said the three. They added that the Kelanang Airfield was also mentioned in other British documents closer to the time of the Allied landings in Morib in 1945. The Forgotten World War II Airfield: The Case of Morib Airfield.

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has challenged Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh and other "haters" to an open debate on the RM42mil SRC International case. "We invite Ramkarpal to a televised open debate with a representative from our side on the subject," said Najib in a post on his official Facebook page on Sunday (Feb 4). He added that should Ramkarpal decline, other recent "haters" such as Tony Pua and Hanipa Maidin can take his place. It is now time for an open forum to be held to better inform the public and to help them draw their own conclusions based on facts," added Najib. He said that many do not understand the facts of the case and did not follow the court proceedings.

THOSE who intend to stay in their current jobs can possibly expect salary increments hovering around 4% this year, same as in 2023. Those who want to move within the sphere of emerging technologies can expect substantial salary increases, ranging from 15% to 35%, depending on their skills and experience. In its “2024 Job Market Outlook and Salary Guide Report”, Randstad said soft skills are more important than ever as digital transformation moves tech from the server room to the boardroom. It said communication and problem-solving skills are in demand and those who excel can generally command a premium salary. The four most in-demand careers in human resources include labour law compliance, human resources information systems, compensation and benefits as well as organisational design.

KUALA LUMPUR: The outlook remains bright for CTOS Digital Bhd as analysts anticipate rapid expansion for the credit reporting agency. Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) Research said CTOS's growth is underpinned by a defensive business model and resilient revenue streams. Separately, it said CTOS is now looking to raise its dividend policy higher to more than 60%. HLIB, which has a "buy" call on CTOS, maintained its target price at RM1.75. On Wednesday, CTOS announced its FY23 net profit grew to RM118.37mil from RM71.72mil previously, while revenue rose to RM261.44mil from RM194.78mil a year earlier.

PETALING JAYA: With the approaching Chinese New Year (CNY) festivities, price controls for certain food products will be implemented from Feb 6 to 14. The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry said the price control scheme will be implemented on 11 food products. These are white prawns, white pomfret, live pigs, pig intestines, pork (meat and fat), imported cabbage from Indonesia and China, excluding Beijing, imported potatoes from China, garlic, imported ginger, imported white radish and red radish. "The maximum price control scheme for CNY will be enforced through the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 which enables price determination on producers, wholesalers and retailers," Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said in a statement Friday (Feb 2). He said the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry will continuously monitor the situation to ensure sufficient supply.

SEREMBAN: A 47-year-old man who holds a person with disability (OKU) card from the Social Welfare Department has pleaded not guilty to a charge of raping his underaged daughter. The man claimed trial after the charge was read to him before Sessions judge Datin Surita Budin on Thursday (Feb 1). "I hope the court offers me bail as I have to take care of my father and three children. Police arrested the suspect on Jan 24 after a clip showing a man hitting a young girl went viral. However, in June 2022, she moved in with her father and his 44-year-old girlfriend and continued her secondary education in Tampin.

PETALING JAYA: Minetech Resources Bhd has entered into an agreement with Able Return Sdn Bhd and Damar Consolidated Exploration Sdn Bhd to renew its Selinsing Gold Mine Project contract for a further 36 months, valued at RM230mil. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Minetech said the project consists of waste removal, ore deliveries and associated works for open pit mining. The company said the contract is from Jan 1, 2024 until Dec 31, 2026. “The contract is expected to contribute positively to the revenue, earnings and net assets of the company and its subsidiaries for the financial year ending March 31, 2024 onwards to March 31, 2027,” it said. “We are committed to leveraging our expertise and capabilities to further contribute to the success of the Selinsing Gold Mine Project, ensuring value creation for all stakeholders involved."