Day: May 28, 2024

A group of 20 trainees from the APSARA National Authority have been practicing mixing mortar for stone repair and strengthening as part of their training course on stone conservation skills, said the APSARA National Authority in a news release this afternoon.

The trainees, who are officials and staff of the APSARA National Authority, are part of the second generation to undergo this training, it pointed out.

According to the same source, the training course, led by conservation expert and stone conservation trainer Ms. Helen Jacobsen, is currently in its 10th stage out of 13. In this session, the participants are learning about the theory and application of mortar. They are being introduced to different types of mortar, such as wet mortar, cement mortar, Epoxy for bonding stones, and Ethyl Silicate for mixing with mortar.

After learning the theory, the participants are practicing directly with damaged stones at the Banteay Samre Temple. They are learning how to treat decay and cracks, as well as techniques
for waterproofing and using mortar in different situations.

Through this hands-on experience, the trainees are gaining a deeper understanding of the materials and techniques involved in stone conservation. They are developing specific skills in producing mortar for repairing and reinforcing stones.

The training course on stone conservation skills in the Angkor area is a collaboration between the APSARA National Authority and the GIZ of Germany. It began in mid-2022 and aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to preserve and protect the ancient stone structures in the region.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse

BEIJING, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrived here today, marking the final stop of his official visit to China, which began on May 22 and will conclude on Saturday.

Accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Hamidah Khamis, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, was welcomed by Malaysia’s Ambassador to China, Datuk Norman Muhamad, at about 4.30 pm local time.

This visit is Ahmad Zahid’s first official trip to China since assuming the role of deputy prime minister in December 2022, made at the invitation of China’s vice-premier Ding Xuexiang.

Ahmad Zahid arrived in the Chinese capital after kicking off his visit in Hong Kong on May 22, followed by Shenzhen the next day and Shanghai from last Saturday until yesterday.

During his stay in Beijing, he is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Chinese Premier Li Qiang and hold discussions with Ding and State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong.

Ahmad Zahid will also host a gala reception and atten
d the 50th anniversary celebration of the establishment of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, co-organised by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing.

During his visit to Shanghai yesterday, he witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between MARA Corporation and two major Chinese companies, which aim to explore new business ventures, particularly in renewable energy, electric vehicle (EV) bus repair and maintenance and solar energy storage and batteries.

Ahmad Zahid, who also chairs the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Committee, attended a luncheon with the Malaysian community and students in Shanghai on Sunday.

He also visited Huawei’s headquarters and attended a dinner with the Malaysian community and students in Shenzhen during his visit to the region. In Hong Kong, he paid a courtesy call on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

Ahmad Zahid
is accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin on the 11-day official visit.

According to a statement from Wisma Putra, Ahmad Zahid’s official visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations, focusing on exploring cooperation opportunities in education, particularly TVET, the development of the halal industry and people-to-people exchanges.

Malaysia and China established official bilateral relations on May 31, 1974. The visit is part of the exchange of high-level visits lined up for the year to commemorate the 50th year of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations.

In 2023, trade between Malaysia and China reached RM450.84 billion (US$98.80 billion), accounting for 17.1 per cent of Malaysia’s global trade.

During the same year, 64 manufacturing projects with investments totaling RM12 billion (US$2.6 billion) were approved.

China ranks as the fifth largest investor in Malaysia, with these projects expected to create 9,305 job opportunities.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SHAH ALAM, The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) will hold the ‘Pilih Karnival PKNS’ campaign in four selected townships, as one of the initiatives to further increase sales of property development projects, worth more than RM1 billion, implemented this year.

PKNS deputy chief executive officer (Development), Ir Dr Kamarzan Md Rais said the carnival-themed campaign will commence in Shah Alam on June 29 and 30, followed by Selangor Cyber Valley (July 27-28) and Antara Gapi (Aug 24-25) respectively, before moving to the final location in Kota Puteri township on Sept 28 and 29.

‘This carnival allows us to showcase various real estate products of PKNS and its subsidiaries, in line with the agency’s desire to demonstrate the PKNS Group brand, in conjunction with its 60th anniversary in August.

‘It also serves as a platform to attract the interest of potential new buyers as well as existing buyers, in addition to strengthening the public’s awareness of PKNS real estate products through the promotion
of existing and upcoming projects,’ he said at a press conference, after launching the campaign today.

Kamarzan said that PKNS is targeting a total attendance of around 5,000 visitors, with an estimated sales value of more than RM740 million; more than double the RM310 million recorded through a similar campaign last year.

He said that various interesting activities await visitors, such as cycling activities, planting trees, cooking competitions, mini petting zoo, colouring competitions, Forum Perdana and performances. The carnival will also serve as a platform to bring PKNS closer to the community, and to foster relationships with the residents in the PKNS townships.

Kamarzan expressed hope that the campaign can position PKNS as the people’s preferred developer, apart from keeping its brand on par with fellow developers in the real estate industry, especially in Selangor.

‘Through this campaign, prospective buyers also have the opportunity to enjoy attractive sales packages, in addition to purchasing bra
nded electrical goods at special prices for PKNS home buyers, as a sign of appreciation for the buyers’ support for the development of PKNS,’ he said.

In the meantime, he said that Pilih Karnival PKNS is a rebranding from the Discover PKNS campaign, implemented in previous years, which has had a positive impact on the PKNS brand and its townships.

Apart from successfully increasing the value of annual property sales, the Discover PKNS campaign received an overwhelming, response in every location and was named StarProperty Readers’ Choice (Newsmaker of the Year – by Highest Vote) at the StarProperty Awards 2024, recently.

‘However, we decided to rebrand the campaign to Pilih Karnival PKNS this year, to create a fresher element with some reforms, to ensure the continuity of the impact of the campaign,’ he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, MYNIC Berhad (MYNIC), an agency under the Ministry of Digital, is committed to ensuring that organisations and individuals in the country keep pace with the developments in the digital economy.

Various initiatives have been implemented by the agency, which manages one of the nation’s digital assets, with the latest being the “RevUp and Register” campaign launched on May 1, 2024.

The campaign aims to attract more Malaysians, particularly Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), to use the .MY domain name for their websites and emails to expand their business operations.

MYNIC chief executive officer Datuk Hasnul Fadhly Hasan said the agency, which had around 300,000 domain users since its establishment in 1987, had introduced various programmes to train the community towards expanding their digital businesses and completing their e-commerce ecosystem.

“Domains are essential to make a business more stable, sustainable, and reduce the risk of online fraud. Consumer trust will also increase
for businesses using the .MY domain, as it requires a valid business licence to own such a domain,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview recently.

He added that acquiring a domain also played a crucial role in transforming a business online, while business networking and digital branding could also be expanded globally.

Speaking about the “RevUp and Register” campaign, Hasnul said the programme was among MYNIC’s efforts to support the government’s call, especially by the Digitial Ministry to drive the nation’s digital agenda.

“This campaign is one of our initiatives to encourage Malaysians to register a .MY domain. If they use the domain name correctly, it will strengthen and increase the visibility of their businesses,” he said.

According to Hasnul, new domain registrants from Jan 1 to Dec 31 this year had a chance to win prizes worth RM200,000, including a Proton X50, gold bars, and electrical and electronic devices such as a PlayStation 5, mobile phones, and tablets.

Several special drives would
also be organised from May 1 to the end of this year to increase the number of registrations, he added.

“Special periods such as the Aidiladha celebration, National Month, Deepavali, and the end of the year will give new registrants double the entries, providing greater chances of winning the prizes on offer.

‘Some of these special series will offer up to 10 times the entries,” he said, noting that campaign winners would be announced in January next year.

Meanwhile, Hasnul said MYNIC was developing an application that would allow netizens to search for various types of businesses, goods, government offices, eateries, and health centers available in the country.

“This year we are starting a pilot project called Malaysia Directory Exchange (MYDX), a local directory that serves as a one-stop center for Malaysians to find information about local businesses.

‘Our goal is to create a directory similar to Google My Business. It is a crucial point of interest, enabling users to find all information on MYDX,” he
said.

He explained that the MYDX application would connect users with MSMEs and the services they offered, while MYNIC would continue to guide MSMEs achieve positive growth through innovative digital solutions.

“The myKomuniti.my program was introduced specifically for the alumni of our Digital Entrepreneurship Training programme, providing a platform where members receive ongoing guidance, including the latest information on digital marketing algorithm changes, additional training, upskilling, and the latest developments in the digital world.”

“Learning content will be continuously updated in line with current developments and needs to ensure they can dynamically adapt their online businesses while strengthening their product branding,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hasnul said the agency is also in the process of exporting the .MY domain globally this year to promote, expand, and increase the usage of the domain name.

“This month we are collaborating with several major international registrars for them to come o
n board. When they do, they can start selling the .MY domain names.”

“This initiative positions the .MY brand and identity at a global level, further strengthening the .MY domain beyond geographical boundaries. By making the .MY domain accessible and recognizable worldwide, it will indirectly increase its visibility and credibility, thereby boosting user trust,” concluded Hasnul.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency