KUALA LUMPUR: Stocks to watch on Monday include Widad Group Bhd , Alam Maritim Resources Bhd , ATA IMS Bhd , IOI Corp Bhd and Pharmaniaga Bhd , according to JF Apex Research. Alam Maritim and its wholly-owned subsidiary Alam Maritim (M) Sdn Bhd secured the required court orders to facilitate the group's restructuring plan by way of a scheme of arrangement with its creditors. IOI Corp, Pharmaniaga, PIE, Pecca, Inari, JAKS Resources, Choo Bee, Excel Force , Pintaras Jaya , New Hoong Fatt recorded better year-on-year quarterly results. IOI’s net profit surged to RM401.3mil in its latest financial quarter ended March 31, 2021 (3QFY21), from RM100,000 in the corresponding financial quarter last year. On the other hand, Advancecon, Perdana Petroleum, Only World posted weaker year-on-year quarterly results.

Although at least one such video has since been found to be a case of misunderstanding, others are still awaiting investigation. The nurse was very professional, showed her the vial and syringe both before and after the jab. Such different experiences at two vaccination centres beg the question: Does the SOP for the healthcare workers who administer jabs require them to show the vial and syringe before and after each jab? If yes, well and good, all nurses should just follow the SOP and no questions will be asked. If no, I think it is high time the authorities review the SOP to ensure such transparency in the vaccination process.

GEORGE TOWN: Although Wesak Day will be a virtual or at-home affair this year, it will be a meaningful one for devotees. Rev Ji Zun said to celebrate Wesak Day, which falls on Wednesday, devotees could recite chants and bathe their Buddha statues at home. In a joint statement, MBA and the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) said there will be no Wesak Day procession this year. The theme for Wesak Day this year is “Concerted Efforts Towards Global Immunisation”. “YBAM encourages all Buddhists to perform online Buddha bathing on Wesak Day to purify one’s mind and recollect the virtues of the Buddha, ” it added.

Datuk Yasmin Yusuff was a well-known radio deejay who hosted the morning show for RTM’s Radio 4 for 13 years. She would wake Malaysians up at 6am with her cheery signature greeting, “Good morning, good morning, good morning!”. After Radio 4, she went to a few more private Malaysian radio stations to work as general manager and programme manager. This former Miss Malaysia had been in the public eye as early as 1972 when she took part in RTM’s singing competition Bakat TV, which later became known as Bintang RTM. Standing the test of time: Yasmin was the host of RTM’s Radio 4 morning show for 13 years.“I entered as a trio as well, with my sister and a friend.

You might be asking yourself “shouldn’t I be planning my finances today to avoid working during my retirement years?”You are absolutely right. Before we go further, I’d like to clarify that the topic of “working during retirement” that will be discussed here is not for the purpose of generating income. Working in retirement can be a very different experience from working during your prime years. To ensure that this is the case, make sure that you have drawn out a proper retirement plan at least 20 years before you plan to retire. To enjoy a comfortable retirement, do regular pulse checks every year to ensure you are on track to your retirement goals.

PETALING JAYA: For some senior citizens, it can be a mad scramble to sign up for the AstraZeneca vaccine programme, and they are enlisting the help of their children who live abroad. A teacher in Penang, who only wanted to be known as Tan, wanted to register her husband, who is in his 60s and classified as “high risk”. “We tried to register but all the slots were filled up within 20 to 30 seconds. When her turn comes to register for the vaccine, Tan said she would ask her daughter to do it for her as she could not risk another technical error. About 30 minutes later, the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee said that the technical issue was resolved.

GEORGE TOWN: Limiting customers to two hours at retail premises, including shopping malls, will not badly impact businesses because many consumers are used to strict measures, say retailers. Clothing store assistant Angel Soon, 48, said most retailers had been operating with more stringent Covid-19 precautions before the tightened standard operating procedure (SOP) was announced. “It does not matter if people are only allowed to stay for one or two hours. Shoe store supervisor Kenny Lee, 40, agreed that the tightened SOP would make little difference to retail stores. However, sales assistant Christina Soon said limiting customers’ time to two hours in her optometry shop would have a bad impact.

THe Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) has been moved from September this year to March next year in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In the absence of a physical show this year, the MIFF Furniverse Online Exhibition will take place in August. “We regret that we are unable to bring MIFF’s physical event back this year. “However, we have never stopped connecting the global furniture market and providing trade opportunities to exhibitors and buyers, ” said MIFF founder and chairman Datuk Tan Chin Huat. “The online exhibition connects the industry in this challenging time.

KUALA LUMPUR: Palestine values the strong support of Malaysia as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas enters its fourth day, says its top diplomat here. We still need Malaysia’s influential leadership and expertise to help find a permanent resolution and bring peace to Gaza and the West Bank. Walid said his people and the government greatly appreciated the love and support shown by all Malaysians during the escalation of violence by Israel. “In Malaysia, we have the support of all, irrespective of political affiliation. Hishammuddin had said that the UNGA meet was also due to the insistence of Muhyiddin, Indonesian president Joko Widodo and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

The SOPs, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, have to change in accordance with the Covid-19 situation at any one time. He said authorities have the power to arrest offenders or impose RM10,00 fines precisely because the SOP has been gazetted. Asked about alleged double standards in enforcement of the SOP, Muhyiddin said there was no such thing in government policy. “There are those who asked why there is no total lockdown, ” Muhyiddin said. He added that the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme would also help improve economic sentiment and outlook.

THE one-off electricity bill subsidy for the tourism industry announced by the Penang government is open for application from today. State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the state government has responded swiftly to the movement control order 3.0 by allocating RM1mil for Penang’s tourism industry within 48 hours of the announcement. This one-off subsidy will be given to hoteliers, travel agencies, tourist attractions and theme parks within the state, and is open for application until June 25. Five-star hotels will receive a subsidy of RM5,000; four-star hotels (RM4,000); three-star hotels (RM3,000); two-star hotels (RM2,000); one-star hotels (RM1,000) whereas hotels with orchid ratings 1,2 and 3 will receive RM800. Budget hotels and hotels which have yet to receive their ratings will receive RM500; theme parks (RM5,000); tourist attractions (RM1,000) and travel agencies (RM1,000).

PETALING JAYA: Many Malaysians agree with the two-hour limit on their shopping, saying that they are already restricting their time in stores. Teacher Michelle Tan, 28, said the two-hour limit was definitely enough time for anyone to buy essentials during the movement control order. “When I went to one of the hypermarkets last Friday, shoppers were continuously reminded to get their shopping done within 30 minutes. Malaysian Retail Chain Association president Shirley Tay said there were concerns as to how the two-hour limit would be enforced and monitored. “So, shopping malls must not be singled out – rather, (there must be) a fair assessment across the board, ” she said.

PETALING JAYA: Two-time Olympic Games silver medallist Lee Chong Wei is delighted and has given the thumbs-up to a decision to stick with the badminton scoring format – the good old 21x3 system. Chong Wei says the Badminton World Federation (BWF) have made the right call to maintain the current format as that is what the players had wanted. Chong Wei was involved in both finals. At the London Games, Chong Wei was engaged in a gripping encountner that saw him lose at 21-15,10-21,19-21 to Lin Dan. At the Rio edition, Chong Wei upstaged Lin Dan in the semi-finals but went down fighting to Chen Long of China in the title-match.

Akademi GA aims to close the digital skills gap by offering classes in software engineering and digital marketing, among others. A lot of people tend to only think about upskilling and reskilling when it is too late, he adds. Since these centres have close relationships with industry partners, they could also match the supply and demand for tech skills. Ram does not think there will be an oversupply of tech talent because tech cuts across all industries, including healthcare and education. As the tech industry grows, more innovation will occur and more tech talent will be needed.

Many of us would like to adopt a sustainable lifestyle but it is not always easy, especially when it comes to fashion. According to a McKinsey & Company and Global Fashion Agenda study, the global fashion industry produced around 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions in 2018, equalling 4% of the global total. Sustainable fashion, however, is not just about boycotting fast fashion or dumping clothes made out of polyester or woven on power looms. Luckily, there are easy things we can all do to reduce our fashion footprint. 4 Look for a second life — recycleWhen your clothes are tattered beyond redemption, look for proper ways to recycle them.