KUALA LUMPUR (March 11): Malaysian cinema chain, MBO Cinemas, has announced that it will cease operations permanently after many years of serving moviegoers across the country. “After many incredible years, MBO Cinemas will now be ceasing operations permanently. MBO Cinemas also thanked patrons for their continued support throughout its operations. “From all of us at MBO Cinemas, thank you for filling our seats, and our hearts,” the statement added. MBO Cinemas operated eight outlets located in Selangor, Melaka, Perak and Johor.

Hong Kong’s de-facto flag carrier said net income climbed almost 10% to HK$10.8 billion (US$1.4 billion or RM5.41 billion) last year, beating analyst estimates. Shares rose more than 5% in Hong Kong following the release of its results and are up about 5% this year. Some carriers are increasing their fuel surcharges or raising fares outright, with some Asian airlines mapping out contingency plans including grounding planes should the conflict persist. “We have built a strong foundation which has made Cathay resilient, efficient and adaptable,” outgoing chairman Pat Healy said, noting volatility in air traffic flows and jet fuel prices. Hometown rival Hong Kong Airlines said Tuesday it’s increasing surcharges.

JAKARTA (March 11): Indonesia's parliamentary financial commission will on Wednesday assess candidates for top jobs at the Financial Services Authority after an equity market rout in January triggered a spate of resignations. Parliament is considering 10 candidates for a total of five vacancies at the agency, known by its Indonesian abbreviation OJK. They include the current interim chair Friderica Widyasari Dewi and interim capital market supervisor Hasan Fawzi. Most of the other candidates are officials with OJK, the central bank, the finance ministry and the state deposit insurer. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewasaid on Tuesday that the appointments were being fast-tracked because of concerns about financial market volatility due to the conflict in the Middle East.

PETALING JAYA: A Royal Commis­sion of Inquiry (RCI) must be set up to investigate allegations of a “corporate mafia” and excessive shareholding involving Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com­mission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, says the MCA Youth central committee. According to its central committee, the decision to submit the memorandum was unanimously agreed during a meeting on March 6. MCA Youth is also calling for Azam to temporarily step aside as MACC chief commissioner pen­ding an investigation into the shareholding controversy. This came following a Bloomberg report outlining, among others, allegations against Azam and about some businessmen, supposedly working with certain MACC officers, in a “corporate mafia” network. Azam has filed a RM100mil defa­mation suit against Bloom­berg, while MACC has also dispelled talk about the existence of a “corporate mafia”.

SEREMBAN: The 41-year-old husband of a television actress claimed trial at separate courts here to two charges of cheating two individuals of almost RM300,000. At the Sessions Court, Mohd Apri Hazreen Mohd Sapri pleaded not guilty to a charge of deceiving a 56-year-old businessman of RM270,811. Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam then set bail at RM25,000 with one surety and allowed the other applications by the prosecution. At the Magistrate's court, Mohd Apri pleaded not guilty to a charge of deceiving a 48-year-old retired army officer of RM23,120 in exchange for a datukship from Terengganu. Magistrate Nurul Saqinah then set bail at RM3,000 with one surety.

"President Trump is maintaining stability of global energy during the military operations against Iran," Wright posted at 1:02 p.m. local time before the post appeared to be removed. "The US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets," Wright said. Trump's Republicans will soon be campaigning to retain control of US Congress in November midterm elections, with many voters worried about rising energy prices. Even if the war ends, oil supplies will not immediately rebound, said Simon Flowers, chairman and chief analyst at Wood Mackenzie. Saudi Arabia's Aramco, the world's top oil exporter, said there would be "catastrophic consequences" for global oil markets if the Iran war continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

THE damaged bell tower at Medan Selera Taman Kanak-Kanak in Jalan Raja Musa Aziz in Ipoh, Perak, will be demolished and replaced with another structure. This follows public complaints that the dilapidated structure had become an eyesore. Ng said the bell tower fell into disrepair due to persistent vandalism. On a related note, Ng said the presence of homeless folk in the area remained an issue. “Homelessness remains a challenging issue as some individuals refuse assistance and choose to return to the same spot.”She said while enforcement was an option, matters concerning the homeless fell under Social Welfare Department jurisdiction.

Pedestrians and motorists in Subang Jaya, Selangor, can look forward to safer streets following the rollout of smart traffic lights. Smart Sensor Awareness (Sensa) system, introduced by Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) last month, is a pedestrian detection and warning tool. It uses artificial intelligence to improve safety, especially in high-risk areas and near schools. “The system is capable of automatically detecting the presence of pedestrians and activating real-time audio and visual warnings for drivers and pedestrians,” MBSJ Corporate and Strategic Management Department said in a statement. “Its implementation using solar energy is in line with the aspirations of the smart city concept and the city council’s commitment to being a low-carbon city,” the department added.

However, she noted that some students without cellphones would rely on social media messaging to keep in touch, and believes teens may try to get around the rules. ALSO READ: Enforcement of age limit for social media use to take effect as early as July“It is already part of their lives. Whether social media is beneficial or harmful depends on the child’s maturity and understanding,” she said. “All my children have access to social media, but they understand the do’s and don’ts because we guide them,” she said. “Social media is part of their world, so our guidance and presence remain their strongest protection,” she added.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 10): The Dewan Negara has passed the Supplementary Supply Bill (2025) 2026 for the first additional operating expenditure for 2025 amounting to RM8.4 billion. Of the RM8.4 billion in additional operating expenditure, RM7.9 billion was tabled for approval under the Supplementary Supply Bill 2025, while RM472 million is for charged expenditures and was not debated. “The first supplementary operating expenditure estimate 2025 of RM8.4 billion was prepared to meet these needs, and this additional amount has already been included in the actual operating expenditure for 2025, which stood at RM330.8 billion. “This is still below the original operating allocation of RM335 billion approved for 2025,” he said in the Dewan Negara on Tuesday. On average, public universities’ dependence on government funding is at around 75% to 80%, particularly to cover emoluments and basic operating costs.

But what if one pursues a different scope of interest, and won an award in that field as well. Like, is there an Olympic gold medalist who has won an Oscar? Verdict:TRUEUS basketball player Kobe Bryant has made such an achievement, being both an Olympic gold medalist and an Oscar award winner. Byrant won his first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where he was part of the American team that won the event. In 2018, Bryant won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

SANDAKAN: A 76-year-old man died after being buried by a landslide while attempting to start a generator during a power outage at a hotel in Sandakan early Wednesday (March 11) morning. According to the Sandakan Fire and Rescue Department senior operation officer Jimmy Lagung, hotel staff members had attempted to activate a generator located behind the building when the landslide occurred. Witnesses at the scene said the victim, identified as Agustine Frederick J Lingam, was partially buried by soil while trying to start the generator. A team from the Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station used shovels to remove the soil and successfully extricated the victim at 7.14am. The operation was brought under control and concluded at 8.19am after authorities secured the area and confirmed there were no further hazards.

Compiled by BENJAMIN LEE, C.ARUNO and R.ARAVINTANA CHINESE educationist group is urging the government to delay allowing children aged six to enter Year One if adequate support for the policy is lacking, reported China Press. United Chinese School Com­mittees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) chairman Datuk Tan Yew Sing said that for the policy to succeed, there must be improvements in infrastructure, adjustments to the curriculum, additional teachers and administrative support for primary schools. “If each class requires two teachers, about 4,000 more teachers would be needed,” he said after chairing a Dong Zong central committee meeting. The nephew, surnamed Liu, visited his uncle on the second day of the New Year but was chided for having messy hair. Liu attended his uncle’s wake but was accosted by his aunt after seeing his fresh haircut.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 11): The ongoing Middle East turmoil may lead to prolonged higher natural gas prices that directly translate into better earnings for Gas Malaysia Bhd (KL:GASMSIA), said UOB Kay Hian. Gas Malaysia derives about 40% of its net profit from the sale of natural gas to more than 1,000 industrial customers, according to the research house’s estimates. Every 1% change in natural gas prices can swing Gas Malaysia’s net profit by 4%, the house’s analysis showed. If the conflict leads to elevated oil prices beyond six months, “Gas Malaysia stands to benefit as higher natural gas prices translate to growing profitability", UOB Kay Hian said in a note. Natural gas sold domestically, meanwhile, is set based on the Malaysia Reference Price that benchmarks against the value of exports.

(March 11): Bitcoin climbed past US$71,000 (RM278,710) as equity markets fluctuated, with traders responding to uncertainty over future oil supply amid ongoing tensions from the Iran war. The original cryptocurrency rose as much as 4% to US$71,785 on Tuesday before later paring some of those gains to trade around US$70,200. Investors are also piling back into US-listed spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds after the products saw outflows late last week. “The tape has been very strong for bitcoin since the war started, with the US$68,000 region being a very strong support,” said Pratik Kala, the head of research at Apollo Crypto. Traders continued to seek downside protection in options markets, with bitcoin puts traded on Deribit concentrated at the US$60,000 level.