KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10): Velesto Energy Bhd announced that it had completed the offline capabilities upgrading works for NAGA 5 and NAGA 6, making them the first Malaysian jack-up drilling rigs to be equipped with offline capabilities. The offline capabilities of the two jack-up rigs will reduce the total time spent on wells, as the rigs are able to do multiple scopes of activities while drilling, said Velesto in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 10). With fewer rig days per well, Velesto said the offline capabilities will help to bring down the overall drilling project cost for clients, and indirectly reduce the industry’s emission footprint. “This is the first time that Velesto has carried out upgrades for its jack-up rigs. “The offline capabilities will further strengthen Velesto’s value creation as a local company on a par with global players, offering sustainable competitive advantages,” said Velesto president Megat Zariman Abdul Rahim.

Digging into Putrajaya’s past, did this city get its name from our first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman? VERDICT:TRUETHE name "Putrajaya" was derived from the name of Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj. The city was named as such, in honour of Malaysia’s Father of Independence. "In Malay, the word 'putra' means prince or male child and 'jaya' means success or victory. "Therefore 'Putrajaya' literally means victorious men or victorious people," read an explanation from a website, called "Toponymy Heritage Places of Malaysia".

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 8): FGV Holdings Bhd has formed a joint-venture company (JV) to develop an integrated dairy farm business in Chuping, Perlis, a filing with Bursa Malaysia showed on Saturday (Aug 6). The plantation giant said its wholly-owned subsidiary FGV Integrated Farming Holdings Sdn Bhd had entered into a conditional shareholders agreement with Qatar-incorporated Baladna for Trading and Investment W.L.L, and Touch Group Holdings Sdn Bhd. According to FGV, Baladna's principal activities are trading feed, investment and management of agricultural projects and investments outside Qatar. Separately, trading of FGV shares was suspended for one hour on Monday, from 9am to 10am. At the time of writing on Monday, shares in FGV were unchanged at RM1.51, giving it a market capitalisation of RM5.51 billion.

He might be an able corporate man but he’s politically naïve. In turn, he would campaign for DAP and Teresa in the Kinrara state seat, a BN stronghold. Ever the practical man, Khalid argued that the GCE would in the end pay for itself, not through the traffic volume but the revaluation of Guthrie’s plantation land. One Selangor parliamentarian described him as “a no-nonsense go-getter corporate man, never willing to compromise on doing what is right”. While wanting to manage the state his way, the practical man in the end got caught up in the impractical side of politics, which led to his being sacked from the party in 2014.

Does that make someone a great communicator? Cross-cultural communication highlights the processes that underlie all communication (Tannen, 1984). I stood in awe of the various nationalities on campus when I first came to Sunway University. This will help anyone to refine the cultural adaptation as it plays a great role in communication efficiency. I quote my own PhD thesis (2018) which noted, “Further effort needs to be executed in order to search for explicit cross-cultural communication”.

SERDANG: The government is prepared for the next general election (GE15) if any party decides to withdraw its support, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. “If support is withdrawn, then we have no choice but to dissolve Parliament and have GE15 as the solution. We’ll just wait,” he said when responding to reports of Perikatan Nasional threatening to withdraw support for the current administration. Ismail Sabri said he was aware of the reports, noting that everyone was free to speak their mind in a democratic country. “I have already met with Perikatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar albeit in an informal meeting.

THE 56 convent schools nationwide, which are run by the Infant Jesus Sisters (IJS), are in desperate need of financial support with at least 90% of the school buildings in dilapidated conditions in the absence of sufficient maintenance funds. Many of these highly regarded convent schools were built over 100 years ago, with the first IJS school as well as orphanage set up in Light Street, George Town, in 1852. Sister Theresa describes the plight of convent schools in Malaysia, which have produced hundreds of thousands of students including prominent figures, as desperate. “Often, the Sisters have no means to make proper major repairs as evidenced in the latest Convent Bukit Nanas landslip. To support the Convent schools -– OCBC Bank Bhd, Account No : 701-157675-5For more information, also call Sr Theresa Chua, Tel- 03-20318243 or 03-20780615

TAIPEI (Aug 7): Chinese and Taiwanese warships played high-seas "cat and mouse" on Sunday ahead of the scheduled end of four days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises launched in reaction to a visit to Taiwan by the US house speaker. The island's defence ministry said in a release multiple Chinese military ships, aircraft, and drones were simulating attacks on the island and its navy. China's military said on Saturday the sea and air joint exercises, north, south-west, and east of Taiwan, had a focus on land-strike and sea-assault capabilities. The United States called the exercises an escalation. China has also warned the United States not to "act rashly" and create a greater crisis.

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 6): Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) senior executives signed the Declaration of Corruption-Free Pledge with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Friday (Aug 5). The pledge was led by the national oil firm's president and chief executive officer Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik at its headquarters, said the MACC in the statement. Petronas chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh and MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki witnessed the signing ceremony. The commission noted that the Corruption-Free Pledge was initiated in 2018. So far, 1,802 entities including corporations, non-governmental organisations, government agencies, government-linked companies and ministries have signed the pledge, according to the MACC.

SIBU: The Federal Constitution needs to be amended to allow Malaysian women to confer citizenship to their children born overseas, says Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew. The Bawang Assan SUPP chairman said that an amendment to the Federal Constitution needs to be done by inserting words to include "mother" so that Malaysian women are afforded the same right as Malaysian men. "I fully support the call for Part II, Section 1 (b) and (c) of the First Schedule (Article 14 (1) of the Federal Constitution to be amended by inserting words to include 'mother'. "These wordings in the Constitution reflect the era where men were given the higher status in the family unit. Justice Kamaludin (has also) said only Parliament can rewrite the Constitution, not the court," said Lau who is a lawyer by profession.

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 5): Here is a brief look at some corporate announcements and news flow on Friday (Aug 5), which include Leong Hup International Bhd, PPB Group Bhd, IOI Corp Bhd, S P Setia Bhd, SLP Resources Bhd, Hong Seng Consolidated Bhd, Green Packet Bhd, Cycle & Carriage Bintang Bhd, D’nonce Technology Bhd, ILB Group Bhd and Caely Holdings Bhd. Hong Seng Consolidated Bhd has sold a 20% stake in digital healthcare platform operator eMedAsia Sdn Bhd to Green Packet Bhd for RM20 million. This reduces Hong Seng’s stake in eMedAsia — held through wholly-owned subsidiary HS Bio Sdn Bhd — to 60%. The group said 82%-owned Attractive Venture (JB) Sdn Bhd is buying the land from ACL Group Sdn Bhd, which is 60% owned by Tang Mei Yean and 40% by Chia Swee Beng. Koo bought 10 million shares on Aug 3 in an off market transaction, bringing his total stake to 49.38 million shares.

We are all grateful beneficiaries of Covid-19 vaccination — the development, testing, manufacturing and global distribution of the vaccines. One example is the use of a novel platform technology, mRNA, which has been used and approved in the United States and Europe in the development of Covid-19 vaccines. Ultimately, public financing for Covid-19 vaccines is an important aspect of international initiatives to ensure equitable and affordable access for all countries. Malaysian experts are already developing two types of Covid-19 vaccines. Malaysia has potential investment capabilities for vaccine production, with well-established manufacturing sectors leveraging the country’s competitive advantages.

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 5): Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has said that his decision to enter politics was a tough call but a much-needed one to continue to serve the nation. “If you want to continue to serve the nation, you need to be actively involved in politics. “My focus now is to continue with the fiscal reform and to continue in the longer term. Although the decision could be unpopular, Tengku Zafrul said it is the right decision and it is important that people understand why such a decision needs to be made. The problem when making a tough decision is you do not find the time, and the best way is to communicate this well.

4IR tools and technologies can play a critical role in boosting Malaysia’s manufacturing sector — and driving sustainable, responsible growth. Sustainability Lighthouses demonstrate innovative breakthroughs in environmental improvements while simultaneously boosting productivity and profitability. But some Lighthouses are taking this even further, and becoming Sustainability Lighthouses as a result. However, there are several key components that all Lighthouses have in common that can help other manufacturing players navigate a 4IR transformation. Agile digital studios3.

In response, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) introduced regulations under the Strata Management Act 2013 (SMA) to tackle the growing concerns of affected strata owners. Able to provide skills of both property management (soft people skills) and facilities management (technically competent). Sound up-to-date knowledge of strata issues, prevailing laws and regulations under the Strata Management Act and Strata Title Act. You can search by firm, real estate agent or real estate negotiator. If the owner is unhappy after the exclusive period, which is usually three to six months, he or she can appoint a new exclusive agent.