- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Kanger International Bhd, which is involved in the manufacturing and trading of bamboo flooring and furniture, hardwood and laminated flooring and property development, said its Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Zuellig Pharma Sdn Bhd and K-Star Sport Ltd have been terminated after it failed to get the Drug Control Authority (DCA) of Malaysia's approval to be the registered holder for China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines in Malaysia. On Oct 23, 2020, it entered into an MoU with Zuellig Pharma to collaborate on the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in Malaysia. Another MoU was signed between Kanger and K-Star on Oct 26, 2020 for the purpose of appointing K-Star as the sale agent of the vaccines for private clinics here. In separate bourse filings on Wednesday (May 18), the ACE Market-listed Kanger said the MoUs have been terminated following the approval by the DCA for another company to be the registered holder for the Sinopharm … [Read more...] about Kanger terminates MoUs after failing to get nod to distribute Sinopharm vaccines
Vaccinations for malaysia
Malaysia is ready to work with US, UK on timber shortage, says Zuraida
Reuters filepix for illustration purpose only - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Malaysia is prepared to work closely with the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) to address the shortage of timber and timber products faced by the two countries. Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said this can be done by sourcing and value-adding from other countries, especially for PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) — certified timber products. In a statement on Wednesday (May 18), she said the sanctions on Russian timber products imports to the US have undoubtedly led to American importers looking for alternative sources of material, especially for plywood. “The current market sentiments on Malaysian timber in the US is positive, especially for Meranti and Keruing, with year-on-year demand for Meranti and Keruing sawn timber increasing by 9% and 467% respectively,” she said. Zuraida noted that the … [Read more...] about Malaysia is ready to work with US, UK on timber shortage, says Zuraida
Malaysia to increase location production incentives to attract investors
Malaysia is set to increase the value of its location-based incentives from the current 30% to 35%, the government is expected to announce this week in Cannes. The Film in Malaysia Incentive (FIMI) was launched in 2013, around the time that the Iskandar Malaysia studios were opened in the south of the country, and is administered by the National Film Development Corp (Finas). Finas and Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa will lead a Malaysian delegation at the Cannes Market and is expected to reveal details of the FIMI upgrade at a Malaysia-focused conference on May 19. "Finas intends to use the Marche film market as a platform to promote Malaysia as an international filming destination that offers 30% cash rebate through FIMI and up to 5% [additional] through a cultural test," Finas chief executive Prof Dr Md Nasir Ibrahim told state news agency Bernama, in a pre-departure briefing. Details of the cultural test may be outlined at the Cannes presentation. … [Read more...] about Malaysia to increase location production incentives to attract investors
StudioCanal shows interest to shoot film in Malaysia
CANNES: StudioCanal, a film production and distributor in France, has expressed its interest in Malaysia as its filming destination. Suraya Filem Production (M) Sdn Bhd director Shures. R (pic) said the matter was expressed by StudioCanal Head of Production Elsa Bonomi and Head of Sales and Distribution Mathilde Mourey during a discussion and luncheon session with Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa on Tuesday (May 17). He said the company was also interested in the 30% cash rebate offered through the Film in Malaysia Incentive (FIMI) and an additional up to five per cent through the cultural test. "All this while, we have made a lot of distributions and bought a lot of content. So now, why not bring forward the production to Malaysia? If the storyline of the film requires a Malaysian background, why not come to Malaysia, rather than Thailand or other countries? We can get a better rebate. "They (StudioCanal) has decided to bring the head of their … [Read more...] about StudioCanal shows interest to shoot film in Malaysia
Vaccine skeptic Eric Clapton catches Covid-19, postpones concerts
Eric Clapton, who has railed against lockdowns and vaccines, has tested positive for Covid-19. The 77-year-old English singer has cancelled two upcoming concerts, Tuesday (May 17) in Zurich and Wednesday in Milan, after being diagnosed, his team announced Tuesday. “It is very frustrating that having avoided Covid throughout lockdown and throughout the period when travel restrictions have been in place Eric should have succumbed to Covid at this point in time, but we very much hope he will be sufficiently recovered by the end of the week to be able to perform the remainder of the planned performances,” his team said in a statement. The decision to cancel shows is in part to avoid infecting his band, crew, promoters, staff or audience. The two concerts are expected to be rescheduled and Clapton hopes to get back out on the road by Friday, when he’s due in Bologna, Italy. The Layla singer has been loudly outspoken about his disapproval of health measures to protect people from … [Read more...] about Vaccine skeptic Eric Clapton catches Covid-19, postpones concerts
Thailand News Today | Crashed China eastern flight possible “intentional nosedive”
Black box data on crashed China Eastern 737 suggests possible “intentional nosedive” Investigators are now examining further if the crash of China Eastern Airlines 737-800 on March 21 was indeed due to “intentional action on the flight deck”. The early reports say that there is, so far, no evidence of a technical malfunction. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that flight data from one of the two “black boxes” on the Boeing jet indicated that “someone in the cockpit intentionally crashed the plane”. The comments were made by people the WSJ cited as “familiar with the preliminary assessment by US officials”. US National Transportation Safety Board officials have been working with engineers from Boeing and investigators from the Civil Aviation Administration of China since the crash. Boeing, the US manufacturer of the jet, has so far declined to comment on the early leaks and, instead, referred all questions to the Chinese regulators. At this stage, the CAAC, … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | Crashed China eastern flight possible “intentional nosedive”
Serba Dinamik units seek restraining order, proposes ‘100% return’ scheme of arrangement
Serba Dinamik seeks restraining order against units, proposes '100% return' scheme of arrangement to creditors - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Four subsidiaries of Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd are seeking a restraining order and a leave to convene a creditors' meeting -- a move seen as to revive the troubled oil and gas group which is facing a winding up petition from its creditors. In a bourse filing on Wednesday (May 18), Serba Dinamik said its subsidiaries, namely Serba Dinamik Group Bhd (SDGB), Serba Dinamik Sdn Bhd (SDSB), Serba Dinamik Development Sdn Bhd and SD Controls Sdn Bhd, have filed an application for the two purposes on May 13. SDGB and SDSB are also among Serba Dinamik’s three subsidiaries, which together with the listed entity were slapped with winding-up petitions from six financial institutions for failing to service its RM1.2 billion syndicated term financing. The lenders are HSBC Amanah Malaysia Bhd, Ambank Islamic Bhd, Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd, … [Read more...] about Serba Dinamik units seek restraining order, proposes ‘100% return’ scheme of arrangement
Goldman cuts China 2022 growth forecast to 4%
- A + A HONG KONG (May 18): Analysts at Goldman Sachs said on Wednesday they were lowering their China 2022 gross domestic product growth forecast to 4% from 4.5% as a result of Covid-19-related damage to the economy in the second quarter of this year. It was more likely China's economy would undershoot than overshoot their target, they added. "Even this lower growth projection embeds the assumption that Covid is mostly under control going forward, the property market improves from here, and the government provides substantial policy offset through infrastructure spending in coming months," they wrote. China's retail and factory activity fell sharply in April as widespread Covid-19 lockdowns confined workers and consumers to their homes and severely disrupted supply chains. China's uncompromising strategy to fight Covid-19 has placed hundreds of millions of people in dozens of cities under restrictions of some kind, and has disrupted a global rebound in … [Read more...] about Goldman cuts China 2022 growth forecast to 4%
Sunway REIT’s 1Q net property income jumps 77% on strong pick up in business activities
- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust's (Sunway REIT) net property income (NPI) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (1QFY22) jumped 77.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM118.9 million from RM67.02 million driven by strong pick up in business activities for the retail and hotel segments due to the relaxation in movement restrictions. Earnings per unit rose to 2.96 sen from 0.94 sen a year earlier, Sunway REIT informed Bursa Malaysia on Wednesday (May 18). Quarterly revenue grew 47.67% to RM153.97 million from RM104.27 million underpinned by higher revenue from all segments. Gross revenue for the retail segment soared 83.5% to RM98.4 million from RM53.7 million a year ago, primarily contributed by strong performance from all retail malls on the back of pent-up demand, festive spending, relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures and marginal rental support. The hotel segment’s gross revenue increased 28.6% y-o-y to RM18.5 million compared … [Read more...] about Sunway REIT’s 1Q net property income jumps 77% on strong pick up in business activities
E.A. Technique’s auditor flags doubt about ability to continue as going concern
- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): E.A. Technique (M) Bhd, a Practice Note 17 (PN17) company, said its external auditor Messrs Ernst & Young PLT (EY) has expressed a disclaimer of opinion in its audited financial statements for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2021 (FY21). According to E.A. Technique's bourse filing on Wednesday (May 18), EY had pointed to the group's and the company's reported net loss of RM150.6 million and RM161.2 million respectively for FY21. It also noted that at end-December 2021, the group’s and the company’s current liabilities exceeded their current assets by RM405.3 million and RM416.9 million respectively, but the group and the company only had cash and bank balances of RM6.4 million and RM5.5 million respectively. "These events and conditions indicate the existence of material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt on the group’s and the company’s ability to continue as a going concern," said EY. Nevertheless, E.A. Technique … [Read more...] about E.A. Technique’s auditor flags doubt about ability to continue as going concern