Rubbish has been piling up along the corridors and lift areas of Desa Tun Razak People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, ever since its lifts have been breaking down intermittently over the last few years. Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) cleaning crew have been unable to pick up the rubbish left by residents on the upper floors. Housewife Masyati Sulaiman, who lives on the 17th floor, complained about having to face bags of rubbish left by irresponsible tenants living in units above hers. A check by StarMetro at several other PPR flats in Kuala Lumpur revealed that the residents there also faced a situation that was similar to Desa Tun Razak. “There are owners who have turned their flats into a big pile of rubbish,” said PPR Taman Mulia Residents Association (RA) chairman Mohd Feisal Abdul Manaf.

ROADSIDE traders in Kuala Lumpur operating on temporary licences issued under the Wilayah Bebas Berniaga (Free Trade Zone) have been given an extension to operate until the end of the year. Those with licences which expired on Thursday (June 30) can continue to operate until Dec 31. ALSO READ : Roadside traders still breaking rulesCentral to that DBKL said that under no circumstances were traders allowed to leave behind any permanent structures, canopy and belongings at the trading site. Traders are allowed to operate either from 7am - 7pm, 7am - 6pm or 7am - midnight depending on the location. They can only trade on an 8 by 8 feet space, and no live cooking is allowed at the site.

Nevertheless, some local market experts are of the view that the Malaysian market will stage a rebound, following the recent selldown. Noting that the FBM100 index has fallen by 8.42% this year, Loh said the local market has largely priced in the possibility of a slowdown in the global economy. Inflation, he said, should ease in the second half as global trade normalises with China resuming supplying to the world. We anticipate the FBM KLCI to possibly touch 1,670 by year-end premised on a very reasonable 13.5 times CY2022 PER (price earnings ratio),” he said. Choo named the oversold technology and tourism-related sectors and undervalued banks as his top pick stocks.

Other industrial metals also fell, with zinc dropping over 6% this week and aluminium heading for its sixth straight weekly fall, down 2.4%. "Copper, the economic bellwether, fell further amid concerns over an economic slowdown. Markets: Stocks fell and the dollar rose as investors shifted from worrying about inflation to fearing a global recession. Output: Copper output in Chile, the world's largest producer of the metal, fell 2.7% year-on-year to 480,275 tonnes in May. Shanghai aluminium fell 1.6%, zinc slipped about 5%, nickel shed 7.3%, lead dipped 1.3% and tin lost 6.5%.

KUALA LUMPUR (July 1): MY EG Services Bhd (MYEG), via its Zetrix blockchain, and Xinghuo Blockchain Infrastructure and Facility (Xinghuo BIF) have jointly announced the introduction of Blockchain-based Identifiers (BIDs)/Verifiable Credentials (VCs) and Blockchain-based E-signing services to international markets. In a statement, the group said Xinghuo BIF is a China initiated international blockchain infrastructure supported by all levels of the Chinese government while Zetrix blockchain runs the International Supernode of Xinghuo BIF to connect entities outside China to the Xinghuo BIF. “The BID, an official DID method listed in the DID Specification Registry of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is a new approach to realise decentralised identity based on Xinghuo BIF. “Zetrix will connect Chinese parties signing on the domestic Xinghuo BIF network with their international counterparts signing on the Zetrix network,” it said. “No other blockchain platform currently provides these services at a scale that matches Xinghuo — Zetrix and we are excited to be the global industry leaders in this real world use case,” he added.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 30): Bursa Malaysia erased gains made earlier on Thursday (June 30) to end at its intraday low following heavy selling in the last 10 minutes of trading, an analyst said. Total turnover narrowed to 2.26 billion units worth RM1.97 billion from 2.37 billion units valued at RM1.77 billion on Wednesday. Main Market volume decreased to 1.41 billion shares valued at RM1.74 billion from 1.52 billion shares worth RM1.55 billion on Wednesday. Warrants turnover widened to 473.03 million units worth RM104.77 million against 463.47 million units valued at RM93.38 million on Wednesday. ACE Market volume fell to 378.5 million shares valued at RM118.99 million versus 385.71 million shares valued at RM96.16 million previously.

PETALING JAYA: The government should continue controlling the price of petrol, energy and electricity and food to curb inflation, say economists. While price changes are cyclical and economists expect inflation to ease for the year end, they have called for the retention of subsidies and more assistance for the low-income groups. Malaysia University of Science and Technology economist Prof Dr Geoffrey Williams and HELP University economist Prof Dr Paolo Casadio said the government should also bring down the electric tariffs. Although it would not be an easy feat, independent economic analyst Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Zakariah Abdul Rashid said the government needed to help the people wade through inflation. According to analyses, Williams and Casadio think that “the peak of inflation is happening right now in the international economy” with the “decreasing inflation” phase expected next.

TUN Fatimah Hashim was Malaysia’s first female Cabinet minister, known for championing women’s rights in the country. Did she initiate Malaysia’s annual Women’s Day? VERDICT:TRUEYes, Tun Fatimah Hashim started the ball rolling on our country’s Women’s Day celebrations, observed annually until today. She was also the president of the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO), which aims to protect women’s rights in Malaysia, for 24 years. In 1962, Fatimah initiated Malaysia’s National Women’s Day celebrations, according to the website.

KUALA LUMPUR: A Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Social Welfare Department assistant officer told the Sessions Court here that Bella was thin and in a state of fear when he met the girl for the first time at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) last year. Elaborating, the 12th prosecution witness said that on June 24, 2021, Siti Bainun messaged him on WhatsApp to inform that Bella had fallen and was scalded. "Siti Bainun sent the message at 3.03pm and included several photographs of Bella's injuries on her hands and head. Mohamad Imran said Siti Bainun told him that hot water was accidentally spilled on Bella two days before Hari Raya. Siti Bainun, 30, faces two charges of neglecting and abusing the 13-year-old girl, causing the victim to suffer physical and emotional injuries.

Spot gold was flat at US$1,817.07 (about RM8,004.74) per ounce by 0339 GMT. Gold prices, set to drop for a third straight month, have fallen about 6.2% this quarter. The US dollar hovered near recent two-decade peaks, and could record its best quarter in over five years, making gold more expensive for buyers holding other currencies. Higher bond yields and interest rate hikes by central banks to fight inflation raise the opportunity cost of holding bullion, which yields no interest. Spot silver was up 0.1% at US$20.72 per ounce, platinum was flat at US$916.66 and palladium gained 1.2% to US$1,986.21.

For adults, a second booster dose will be offered to high-risk individuals aged between 18 to 59 and frontline health workers. “Those who are 12 to 17-years-old who have been certified as moderately or severely immunocompromised can get the third dose 28 days after their second dose. “Immunocompromised youths aged 12 to 17 are also eligible to get their first booster dose three months after their third dose. “Those who are eligible for the CanSino booster dose are individuals aged 18 years and older who have received a primary dose of the Covid-19 vaccine other than CanSino and Sinovac,” he said. The CanSino booster will be given at least three months after receiving the second dose of the primary vaccine.

TWO Indian women have been arrested at a Thai airport attempting to smuggle more than 100 live animals, including armadillos, porcupines and snakes, wildlife protection officers said. Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, with the animals often bound for Vietnam or China where they are used in traditional medicines. The creatures were discovered when Nithya Raja, 38, and Zakia Sulthana, 24, passed through X-ray machines at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday night en route to Chennai in India. Sathon Konggoen, chief of the airport’s wildlife inspection office, estimated that the animals – including turtles, chameleons and two dead iguanas – would be worth around 200,000 baht (RM24,640).

“We were looking for opportunities outside of China,” said Mick Farley, the new headmaster at Harrow International School in the Japanese ski town of Appi. But “the educational offering in China has become very complex; more regulated, more controlled in terms of international schools and bilingual private schools,” he said. The Harrow International School in Beijing, which only accepts foreign passport holders and attracts mainly expatriates, was unaffected. Total tuition for international schools in Japan is on track to reach US$979mil or RM4.31bil) in 2022, from US$766mil (RM3.37bil) five years ago. There’s also Jinseki International School, which opened in 2020 in Hiroshima, and Capital Tokyo International School, which opened in April.

The country must accept the blame for not harnessing local production to ensure adequate supplies of important foods, if not to stay resilient to face challenges. Social safety net measures that can be enhanced to ease the burden on the poor include food coupons and food banks. The crisis provides an opportunity to set a new trajectory for the food sector in the long term. The main strategy to enhance food production is through “domestic capacity building”. Fourth, enhance small producers’ capacity, including R&D, to produce small machines or automation, mills and processing plants.

PUTRAJAYA (June 29): The government has agreed to extend the licence fee exemption period for tourism operators and tour guides who applied for renewal from Thursday (June 30) until Dec 31, 2022. Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) in a statement Wednesday (July 29) said the decision was made based on the government's concern towards tourism operators and tour guides who are still affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ministry also said the fee exemption for licence renewal until Dec 31, 2021 involved 3,419 tour companies, totalling RM5.676 million. "With the extension of the initiative, MOTAC hopes that eligible tourism operators and tour guides will take advantage of the opportunity given to apply for renewal within the set period according to the expiration date of their respective licences,” it said. Previously, the ministry had granted the fee exemption from Jan 1 to June 30, 2021, from July 1 to Dec 31, 2021 and from Jan 1 to June 30.