The male fertility rate has been declining over the past 50 years, and the trend does not seem to be showing any signs of improvement. There are multiple lifestyle factors that can affect a man’s fertility. From my clinical experience, I do see improvement in male fertility when the man achieves significant weight loss, especially those with azoospermia. Any slightest improvement in male fertility will go a long way towards helping the couple succeed in their fertility journey. So, it’s important to note that miscarriage is not a female-only issue; male fertility also plays a role in causing a miscarriage.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 29): Bintai Kinden Corporation Bhd is partnering with Marafie Industrial Co to supply piping materials to oil and gas (O&G) related companies in Saudi Arabia. In a statement to the bourse on Wednesday (June 29), Bintai Kinden said its subsidiary Bintai Energy Sdn Bhd has entered into a marketing and distribution agreement with Saudi Arabia-based Marafie. Bintai Kinden said the Marafie group has established fabrication facilities and offices and regional sales offices in Saudi Arabia. Bintai Energy is a 51:49 joint venture between Bintai Kinden unit Kejuruteraan Bintai Kindenko Sdn Bhd and Petro Flanges & Fittings Sdn Bhd (PFF). At the midday break on Wednesday, Bintai Kinden was trading at 8.5 sen, valuing it at RM72.52 million.

The gender and diversity agenda has been more hotly discussed today than at any other time in history. Autoblog.com reported that women are having a tougher time than men with speech recognition technology in cars. According to the World Bank, more women in Malaysia’s workforce could cause income per capita to jump by 26.2%. In the same year, 79% of Vietnamese women and 53.92% of Indonesian women made up their countries’ labour forces. She pioneered community fair trade and sought to weave her passion for the planet in her business, saying, “Business shapes the world.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/Asia News Network): Damit Jahar’s stall in Tamu Kianggeh selling medicinal plants and parts from trees believed to be able to help ward off evil spirits, draws a large crowd. He believes passion should be the primary motivation for doing anything, otherwise, “it will not last long”, he said. Sticks and branches from Kayu Bidaram, Kayu Pinang Manaring and Kayu Tunjang Pipit Menolak Angin Akmar are very much in demand among Damit’s customers. On the other hand, sticks of Kayu Tunjang Pipit Angin is believed to be a remedy for bad air or wind. Damit also makes wooden bracelets mixing Kayu Bidara, Kayu Antu, Kayu Merungai and Limpanas, which he believes to have health benefits and also protects the wearer.

IT SEEMS to be common knowledge that the proper way to stop a nosebleed is to look up while pinching the bridge of your nose. Verdict:FALSELooking up or lying down while having a nosebleed will only cause the bleeding to go back down your throat and potentially into your lungs or stomach. According to the Health Ministry, the proper way to deal with a nosebleed is to sit down and lean forward with your head tilted forward. You should then pinch your nose just above your nostrils for 10 to 15 minutes and breathe through your mouth. This will allow the bleeding to exit via your nose rather than flowing back down your throat.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 28): Smith+Nephew, a global medical technology company, has opened a new high-technology manufacturing facility in Batu Kawan Industrial Park in Penang, with an investment worth over US$100 million (US$1=RM4.39). It said the facility would primarily support the company’s orthopaedics business, which is expected to grow strongly in the Asia Pacific region. Meanwhile, Arham said the facility is the company’s first manufacturing venture within Southeast Asia, demonstrating the ability in attracting renowned medical device manufacturers into Malaysia. He added that construction of the approximately 23,225.76 square metres facility started in March 2020 and was completed last year. Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology company founded in Hull, United Kingdom in 1856, focusing on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 29): RHB Retail Research said MY E.G. Services Bhd is set to rebound higher as it managed to sustain above the 88 sen level yesterday following the breakout on Monday – it also reclaimed above the 21-day average line on stronger trading volume. In a trading stocks note today, the research house said the bullish bias above that level may see the stock climb further towards the 93 sen resistance, or June 1’s high, followed by 95.5 sen, or May 5’s high. “If it falls below the support level of 85.5 sen, the stock may trend downwards below the average line,” it said.

IPOH (June 28): Another 98 5G network sites would be beaming in Greater Ipoh region covering the Kuala Kangsar Municipality, as well as Kampar and Batu Gajah District Councils by October. “Since the launch in April last year, Ipoh City Council (MBI) had kicked off 12 projects including the main project, Ipoh Smart City project, which is the Ipoh Integrated Command Centre (IIOC), was jointly mobilised with Telekom Malaysia (TM). In this regard, Khairul Shahril said MBI and TM One had implemented a trial period for a smart traffic light system at four junctions along Jalan Sultan Idris Shah since November 2021. “The four junctions which have been installed with the smart traffic light system are Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and Jalan Laksamana junction, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and Jalan Datuk Onn Jaafar junction, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and Jalan Raja Musa Aziz junction, and Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and Jalan Raja Ekram junction. The TM ONE STARS system is equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, high-definition AI cameras and video analytics that enable intelligent traffic analysis for optimal smooth traffic, ” he added.

“Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, sales of our current property projects have been quite good so far. According to Yap, the remaining gross development value for Grand Ion Majestic is RM537.4 million, while the remaining GDV for Grand Ion Delemen is RM125.07 million. If good opportunities arise, the company may consider buying land or even taking over certain property projects in Selangor and Melaka. White knightPuchong-based NCT is known for its expertise in rehabilitating abandoned mega property projects in Malaysia. “In other words, our listed company [NCT] gets control of Grand Ion Delemen with a deferred payment scheme.

Advocates of the metaverse expect tomorrow's city dwellers to spend a lot of time in this virtual universe. Although the metaverse is still in its infancy, the development of this virtual universe raises questions about how we interact with urban planning and space. For years, they have been advancing several hypotheses on how to promote the wellbeing of city dwellers. Rethinking tomorrow's urban planningA team of researchers from the University of Lille used virtual reality to measure the impact of vegetation and colourful patterns in the city. They equipped 36 participants with a virtual reality headset and eye and heart sensors to immerse them in a virtual urban environment with different configurations (with or without vegetation, or with coloured patterns on paths).

(June 28): After years of building their foreign-exchange reserves, central banks in Asia are tapping into their stockpiles to bolster their weakening currencies against a rising US dollar. Thai reserves slid to US$221.4 billion as of June 17, in data released late last week. Reserves in South Korea and India are at their lowest in more than a year. This year, as the hawkish Federal Reserve boosts the US dollar, central banks have reversed the buying: Thailand and Indonesia are among those which have pledged to reduce volatility in their currencies. “Central banks in Asia tend to ‘lean against the wind’, using FX interventions to smooth exchange-rate adjustments,” said Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian economics research at HSBC Holdings Plc.

KUALA LUMPUR: Shares in Sapura Energy Bhd jumped 22% in early trade after the company returned to the black in the first quarter ended April 30 (1Q23). It is currently the second most active counter on Bursa Malaysia with 62.58 million shares done. Sapura Energy posted a net profit of RM91.93mil in the first quarter ended April 30 (1Q23) from a net loss of RM97.07mil in the same quarter last year, on favourable foreign exchange gains following the strengthening of the US dollar. Hong Leong Investment Bank said Sapura Energy recorded 1Q23 core net loss of RM203mil was within expectations based on the house/consensus full-year net loss forecast of RM758m/RM580.1mil. Hong Leong has maintained its “sell” on Sapura Energy with an unchanged target price of one sen based on 0.5x FY22 P/B.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) continues to capitalise on the arbitrage opportunity between the current market price of Lingkaran Trans Kota Holdings Bhd (Litrak) shares and the RM5.08 a share return on the winding-up plan the company’s board has proposed to undertake. The shares traded between a range of RM4.80 and RM4.75 before closing at RM4.75 on June 22. Litrak shares closed up one sen to RM4.78 yesterday, which is at a 30-sen discount or 6.28% to the RM5.08 offer price. Another trader with a local brokerage said the price action in Litrak shares was similar to what transpired in the privatisation of MMC Corp Bhd last year. MIDF Research has maintained a “buy” recommendation for Litrak with an unchanged target price of RM5.08.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei has issued a challenge to players of this era to surpass his 12-time success at the Malaysian Open. Chong Wei’s call seems like a tall order but the three-time Olympic Games silver medallist believes the players have to start somewhere. No Malaysian has won the singles title since Chong Wei’s victory in 2018, which was his 12th title. The nation always comes first.”What is the key to Chong Wei’s success at home? “The pressure will always be there but it all depends on how our players control their emotions,” added Chong Wei.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 27): Financially troubled Sapura Energy Bhd returned to the black in the first quarter ended April 30, 2022 (1QFY23) with a net profit of RM91.93 million, on the back of foreign exchange gains arising from the appreciation of the US dollar against the ringgit. In the preceding quarter, it had posted its biggest ever net loss of RM6.78 billion. In the same period last year, Sapura Enery had posted a net loss of RM97.08 million. Commenting on the group’s financial performance, Sapura Energy Group CEO Datuk Anuar Taib said the group is seeing the first green shoots of recovery, following the implementation of its reset plan. Shares in Sapura Energy finished unchanged at 4.5 sen on Monday, valuing the oil and gas service provider at RM647.15 million.