BCorp goes on consumer path
PETALING JAYA: Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp) will be undergoing a reorganisation into five main business sectors as it morphs into a consumer group from its existing conglomerate status. Jalil said the strategic plan is a combination of improving and restructuring certain things and establishing some from scratch. BCorp will also put a dividend policy in place on all the companies under it. Once BCorp addresses its debt level, it will then put in a dividend policy at the group level. According to Jalil, Covid-19 has made BCorp rethink the sort of businesses it wanted to be in the future.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 23:17 UTC
Queries over SPM results
PETALING JAYA: The outcome of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2020 results remains in question after candidates spent most of their Form Five year learning from home, especially the highest national average grade achieved. Examinations Syndicate director Datuk Pkharuddin Ghazali dismissed claims that the SPM 2020 results were manipulated, as there was enough security to ensure the integrity of the results. Pkharuddin said the improvement in the national average grade was actually very small. The national average grade went up to 4.80 in 2020 compared to 4.86 in 2019. He also said that the SPM 2020 national average grade was also due to the candidates being more prepared for the exams as they had prepared for the exams three times due to it being postponed three times.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 22:41 UTC
Soccer-Juve, Barca and Real admitted to Champions League next season
(Reuters) - Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid have been admitted to next season's Champions League despite their involvement in the proposed breakaway European Super League project. Admission letters have been sent to all Champions League participants, European soccer's governing body UEFA has said. Disciplinary proceedings against Juve, Barca and Real over their involvement in the proposed Super League have been suspended by UEFA's independent appeals body. "Admission letters have been sent to all clubs participating in next season's UEFA club competitions today," UEFA told Reuters on Tuesday. Juve qualified for the Champions League on the final day of last season's Serie A campaign and have since changed coaches, with Massimiliano Allegri back for a second spell.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 19:01 UTC
World Wide Web code that changed the world up for auction as NFT
LONDON: The original source code for the World Wide Web that was written by its inventor Tim Berners-Lee is up for sale at Sotheby’s as part of a non-fungible token, with bids starting at just US$1,000 (RM4,117). Berners-Lee, a London-born computer scientist, invented the World Wide Web in 1989, revolutionising the sharing and creation of information in what is seen as one of the most significant inventions since the printing press appeared in Europe in 15th Century Germany. Also included are original HTML documents that instructed early web users on how to use the application. Bids for the NFT, a way of asserting ownership of a digital asset, start at US$1,000 (RM4,117) in a standalone online auction titled “This Changed Everything” running from June 23-30. “Over the past several centuries humankind has seen a succession of paradigm shifts that have brought us forward into the modern era... but none has had the seismic impact on our daily lives as the creation of the World Wide Web.” – Reuters
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 11:16 UTC
Lockdown to be relaxed once daily cases drop below 4,000, says PM
Muhyiddin said phase four, the final phase of the National Recovery Plan, is where life will return to normalcy. The Health Ministry projected the daily Covid-19 cases would have exceeded 13,000 if total lockdown was not implemented, and our public health system would have collapsed. The experiences of other countries have shown a significant decline in the number of daily cases when vaccinations were ramped up. The National Recovery Plan strategy encompasses four phases, involving gradual transitions that will be carried out in stages. We must continue to fight, unite and be together in ensuring the success of this National Recovery Plan.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 09:23 UTC
Najib still an MP, not a bankrupt despite court ruling, says lawyer
According to the lawyer, there are phases to a bankruptcy process that a person must go through before being declared bankrupt. Until this declaration is made by the court, Najib is still the rightful Pekan MP, he added. “Once an MP is declared bankrupt (by the court), only a Speaker can declare the seat vacant,” Mohamed Haniff said. A summary judgment is when the court decides a particular case summarily, without calling witnesses to testify in a trial. Najib is appealing against the High Court's decision on the July 22 summary judgment and the appeal would be heard at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday (June 16).
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 09:18 UTC
Striving to stay neighbourly during the lockdown
PETALING JAYA: It is understandable to notice your housemate’s annoying habits while you’ve been under lockdown for a while. Recently, police in Shah Alam received two reports of a fight between two groups of neighbours sparked by a disagreement over gardening and parking. According to Associate Prof Dr Anasuya Jegathevi Jegathesan, getting frustrated over the neighbours’ habits is expected when people are stuck at home during lockdown. “We feel stuck and that makes us feel helpless," the Taylor’s University Bachelor of Psychology and Centre for Human Excellence and Development director said on Tuesday (June 15). Anita said while it is normal to feel frustrated over our neighbours’ behaviour during lockdown, we can get over such feelings by being mindful and forgiving.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 08:26 UTC
Exclusive: India to expedite Amazon, Flipkart antitrust probe as tech focus intensifies -sources
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) initiated a probe in January last year on the basis of a complaint alleging Amazon and Flipkart promoted select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and that deep discounts stifled competition. Amazon declined to comment. PREFERENTIAL TREATMENTThe probe into Amazon and Flipkart is restarting at a time when both are battling accusations from offline retailers that their complex business structures allow them to circumvent foreign investment rules for e-commerce. While arguing to restart the probe, the CCI told a court in Karnataka state that the Reuters report corroborated evidence https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-india-idUSKBN2BB1UF. The antitrust body will examine the Reuters report and could use it as part of its investigation, one of the people said.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 07:18 UTC
Insider Moves: Sedania Innovator Bhd, UWC Bhd, Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd, Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd
The 43.5334 million shares he bought were part of Sedania’s plan announced last September to place out a stake of up to 20%, or 58 million shares. The EPF had a 5.37% stake, or 59 million shares, as at May 17 before it began taking some profit on its holdings. Separate filings show Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP) trimming its holdings to 4.53% after selling 26.032 million shares, or a 0.7% stake, on June 1. A May 28 filing shows the emergence of fund managers Fidelity Funds as a substantial shareholder of Muhibbah with 32.97 million shares, or a 6.82% stake, after the purchase of 8.88 million shares on May 17. That 6.82% stake is part of the 8.76% holdings that FIL Asia Holdings Pte Ltd is deemed interested in via four parties.
Source:The Edge Markets
June 15, 2021 06:00 UTC
Ministry clarifies: Cycling not allowed during lockdown
PETALING JAYA: Cycling is not allowed during the current lockdown, says the Youth and Sports Ministry. It clarified that all sporting and recreational activities are not allowed, with the exception of jogging and exercising within one's own neighbourhood. Only individual and static exercises without physical contact are allowed, such as skipping, running on the spot, stretching, and star jumps. As for “neighbourhood”, the ministry defined it as the area close to one’s home without the need to cross to another neighbourhood. The ministry also said that e-sports are allowed, but only in one's own home.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 05:03 UTC
Have you started procrastinating more during this pandemic?
Associating stress and homeBefore the pandemic, daily schedules and planning helped you stay on track, ensuring you achieved specific goals and completed tasks. But the pandemic has changed daily schedules, activities and how you plan your day. Similarly, if you have a stressful job and work from home, you may have noticed that you have started associating stress with home or the room you work from remotely. Order your tasks from one to 10, with one being the highest priority and 10 being the lowest priority task you can attend to later. If you fail, keep trying, think positively and use positive self-talk to encourage yourself to help you reach your goals.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 05:02 UTC
Lordstown Motors shares slump most on CEO exit
OHIO: Lordstown Motors Corp shares took their biggest one-day drop ever after its two top executives stepped down and the electric truckmaker’s board found evidence of inaccurate statements, dimming the shine of the one-time special purpose acquisition companies or SPAC star. Chief executive officer Steve Burns and chief financial officer Julio Rodriguez have resigned from the company, effective immediately, the company said in a statement yesterday. Burns declined to comment about his exit in a text message. Shares of the company sank 19% to close at US$9.26 (RM38.10) the lowest in almost three weeks. The stock is down 54% this year and more than 70% below its closing high of US$31.40 (RM129.21) in September.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 04:41 UTC
Rela to launch internal probe into involuntary registration of members
PUTRAJAYA: The People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) will launch an internal probe over the issue that many people have been unwittingly registered as Rela members. Many baffled Malaysians on social media had claimed that they were registered as Rela members without their knowledge, after performing a check on the department’s online portal. Rela said the department has embarked on a “whitening programme” to terminate members who have been inactive for a period of five years. “Individuals who found that they are registered as Rela members and wish to terminate their membership may call 03-8870 3770 or send an email to pro_rela@moha.gov.my to do so. “Members who are still interested in extending their membership can do so by notifying the director-general of Rela in writing,” the statement read.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 04:12 UTC
Police fire shots to halt deadly car chase with man high on drugs
GEORGE TOWN: Police fired three shots to end a deadly car chase with a 46-year-old suspect believed to be high on drugs, during which he crashed into a disabled man, killing him. "The man sped off, prompting a chase. He ran over a disabled man who was crossing the road at Jalan Perak Road near the market. “While at Jalan Batu Uban Dua, the suspect was instructed to stop but still acted aggressively and nearly hit a policeman. “Investigation revealed that the car used by the suspect was registered in the name of a rental car company in Bayan Lepas.
Source:The Star
June 15, 2021 03:42 UTC
My Say: Could a capital spending surge be the next surprise for the world economy?
As this scenario unfolds, we suspect that the recovered parts of the global economy will see a vigorous new capital spending cycle that will help to raise economic growth worldwide. The driving forces for a capital spending surgeThe data on capital spending is showing only some tentative evidence of strong upside. These will create new business opportunities that will usher in large increases in capital spending. Conclusion: Asian exporting economies will be big winners from this spending surgeAs this multi-year capital spending boom unfolds, our region should benefit greatly. While Hong Kong no longer has a large manufacturing sector that could gain from the spillovers from this capital spending, its specialisation in financial and professional services could see it gain from higher demand for financing the capital spending boom, as will Singapore.
Source:The Edge Markets
June 15, 2021 03:34 UTC