This is that movie.”So begins “Lightyear,” a new Pixar release that takes a meta approach to the animation studio’s flagship franchise. It isn’t a prequel to “Toy Story,“ exactly, but instead presents the movie that inspired Buzz Lightyear toys in the first place. So should “Lightyear“ have been a feature film or a Pixar short? And, ironically, it’s the first Pixar film in more than two years to debut exclusively in theaters. So it may be a bit of a buzzkill to call “Lightyear” — the biggest kids movie to come along in a while — a failed mission.

MORE and more investors are worried about a sharp slowdown in the global economy as strong stagflation risk hammering growth, compounded by higher interest rates and tighter financial conditions. The pace of growth will be around 2.9% in 2023 to 2024 and many countries are likely to face recession, it added. It is not an easy task for the Fed to suppress inflation while averting a hard landing or recession. The 1981 to 1982 US recession was triggered by tight monetary policy in an effort to fight mounting inflation. The eurozone’s subdued economic growth in the first quarter of 2022 is leaning more to downside risks with a recession risk rising.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 14): Sapura Energy Bhd and 22 of its wholly-owned subsidiaries have obtained a nine-month extension of the restraining order (RO) from the High Court against their creditors. Besides Sapura Energy, the other companies which have sought the extended RO are Sapura Marine Ventures Sdn Bhd, Sapura Geosurvey Sdn Bhd, Sapura Drilling Probadi Sdn Bhd, Sapura Subsea Services Sdn Bhd, Sapura Geosciences Sdn Bhd, Sapura Subsea Corporation, Sapura Engineering (Offshore) Sdn Bhd, Sarku Engineering Services Sdn Bhd, Sapura Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Sapura Fabrication Sdn Bhd, Sapura Engineering Sdn Bhd, Sapura Offshore Sdn Bhd, Sapura Petroleum Ventures Sdn Bhd, Sapura 1200 Ltd, Sapura Geotechnics Sdn Bhd, Sapura Pinewell Sdn Bhd, Sapura TMC Sdn Bhd, Sapura 3500 Ltd, Sapura Dana SPV Pte Ltd, Sapura Nautilus Sdn Bhd, Sapura 900 Pte Ltd and Sapura Drilling Pte Ltd — which are all wholly-owned units of Sapura Energy. Sapura Energy said it “is continuing to engage with the remaining minority MCF financiers with a view to agreeing a standstill with such MCF financiers in short order”. The company further said that creditors of each applicant (Sapura Energy and its wholly-owned units) are required to submit respective proof of debt on or before June 30 this year as ordered by the High Court. Earlier this month, Sapura Energy announced former Velesto Energy Bhd president Rohaizad Darus and Lim Fu Yen as directors of the Practice Note 17 or cash-strapped company, effective June 1.

Malaysia’s proposed subsidy reform intends to replace blanket fuel subsidies with a targeted system to help those most affected by rising fuel prices. Fundamentally, governments struggle to address the vexsome political economy behind fuel subsidy reform of overcoming resistance from those who benefit from the status quo — typically the richer segments of society. Both countries established inter-ministerial task forces on energy subsidy reform. These efforts helped the government secure a broad mandate to start energy subsidy reforms in 2014, culminating in a fuel subsidy phase-out in 2019. Coordination of government programmes supporting well-being and energy affordability spread across ministries can radically improve effectiveness and prevent reversals of energy subsidy reform.

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO/TAIPEI (June 13): China's semiconductor industry is showing signs of flourishing even in the face of Biden administration efforts to counter its growth, raising alarm bells in Washington. President Joe Biden then inherited a set of rules aimed at restricting some Chinese companies' access to technology. Some US chipmakers have expressed concerns that Chinese companies are paying above-market rates to obtain the machinery. If at any point we found evidence of preferencing Chinese companies, then we would take action to address it immediately." The major US chip-equipment makers, which may receive federal chip funding, are still unlikely to give up the Chinese market willingly.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 29.12 points to 1,464.83 from Friday's close of 1,493.95. Total turnover rose to 3.27 billion units worth RM2.26 billion compared to 2.26 billion units worth RM1.69 billion on Friday. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index dropped 240.22 points to 16,179.91, the Plantation Index lost 213.74 points to 7,382.91 and the Industrial Products and Services Index was 4.51 points easier at 188.82. Main Market volume expanded to 1.83 billion shares worth RM2.02 billion from 1.35 billion shares worth RM1.47 billion on Friday. ACE Market volume increased to 759.65 million shares worth RM144.19 million from 509.05 million shares worth RM158.21 million last Friday.

PETALING JAYA: Data leaks are a threat to national security and those culpable should be made accountable, says the National Patriots Association (Patriot). In response to The Star’s articles on data leaks, Patriot president Brig-Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji urged a permanent and effective solution to the issue. “This is not the first time we read about such grave security breaches. “This cannot be and Patriot demands a permanent, effective and dependable resolve from all those in office charged with the responsibility to safeguard the citizens and the nation. He said it was worrisome as the data could be accessed easily using Google search engine with the need of a high-tech hacking wizard.

Caely appointed Virdos Lima in early April to conduct a forensic audit on allegations of suspicious and irregular transactions at Caely. On April 20, the lingerie maker announced that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had issued a freeze order on all the operational bank accounts of the company and its subsidiaries. Two of its board members, namely executive director and chief executive officer Lim Chee Pang and independent non-executive director Lim Say Leong, subsequently resigned on April 29. She was redesignated to be the executive chairman on May 17 when she was an executive director. She joined Caely's board as an executive director on April 28.

THE past two years have seen investors — amid a market flush with liquidity — piling into growth stocks in the rubber glove, semiconductor and healthcare industries following exponential demand growth due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And stocks that were once the darlings of investors have seen sharp corrections in recent months, with analysts predicting that investors could make the switch and start buying defensive stocks. As these growth stocks underwent a rollercoaster ride, stocks in defensive sectors have held steady. While it is a good time to look at growth stocks with strong fundamentals, Wong says investors need to be cautious. “Just because commodity prices are high, it doesn’t mean that investors should go into growth stocks in the oil-and-gas or plantation sectors.

China aims to double its wind and solar capacity by 2025, according to a new road map that also allows for more coal-fired power plants to bolster energy security. The world's biggest polluter earlier estimated it needs to double wind and solar use by 2030 to deliver on its pledges under the Paris climate accord. "In 2025, the annual power generation from renewable energy will reach about 3.3 trillion kilowatt-hours... and the wind power and solar power generation will double," the plan said. China, already the world's largest producer of renewable energy, has accelerated investment in solar and wind projects to tackle pollution at home, which researchers say kills millions every year. Investment in solar energy nearly tripled in the first four months of the year to 29 billion yuan (RM18.9bil) compared with January to April investment in the previous year, data from the National Energy Administration shows.

GEORGE TOWN: A shortage of skilled workers in the hospitality sector is hitting the tourism sector at a time when it is seeing an upswing in business, and is threatening to get worse by the year end. Tourism is a major revenue earner for Malaysia, contributing RM86.14bil to the country’s economy with 26.1 million tourists in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, according to Tourism Malaysia. The sector is also grappling with the pull of foreign workers by sectors like construction and plantation, which do not require skilled employees. In addition, over 30 MICE events that the state agency is in the final stages of bidding will also happen in Penang. These MICE events, added Ashwin, involved congregations of between 200 and 5,000 people from around the world.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 13): The ringgit weakened past 4.41 against a strengthening US dollar on Monday (June 13) after the US reported last Friday that May 2022 inflation accelerated at a faster-than-expected month-on-month pace of 1%. The US Dollar Index, which measures the value of the US dollar against a basket of foreign currencies, rose 0.62% to 104.77. "Following the broad strength in US dollar, ringgit and other regional currencies also depreciated last week. Ringgit weakened to RM4.402, back to the level last seen in Mar-20," MIDF said. "So, it's going to be a weak ringgit this week along with other regional currencies due to a stronger US dollar," he told Bernama.

Humans have always struggled in striking a balance between short-term gains and long-term returns because the human brain is hard-wired to favour instant gratification. Responsible policy making will ensure that any trade-offs were worth the gains, whether in the long or immediate term. To build the foundations for long-term reforms through immediate-term decisions, the MoF is guided by three key principles — responsive, responsible and reformist. Hence, MoF-curated responsive short-term measures must also fulfil the responsible criteria. Reforms premised on ESG considerations to build long-term socioeconomic resilience are our best defence against future shocks and pandemics.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob expressed pride in the fighting spirit shown by the national football team in their second Group E match of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers against Bahrain on Saturday (June 11) night. In a Facebook post, he said victories and defeats are part of a competition and national coach Kim Pan Gon must continue to prepare the Harimau Malaya squad for their next match against Bangladesh on Tuesday. ALSO READ: Gloomy skies add to Harimau Malaya's woes in 1-2 defeat to Bahrain"To the players, this is not the end but an opportunity to do better. Rise and fight!” he said. Earlier, despite an impressive showing, the national team went down to Bahrain 1-2 in the match played at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 12): "I get so sad when people say 'Oh, it's just a food court'," laments Huen Su San only half-jokingly. Having soft-launched on March 31, the Artisan's Playground follows on Huen's original Cookhouse concept — where food entrepreneurs rent kitchen space to support their businesses without the need for heavy capital investment — but with a seriously stylish and decidedly more premium twist. Artisan's Playground's large and adaptable space means it is also able to accommodate every variety of event or entertaining scenario. after you read up on chef Chai Chun Boon's culinary showcase at The Datai, Langkawi. P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.