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The Star
24 minutes ago
- Business
- The Star
Sabah's energy sector sees promising transformation under ECoS
KOTA KINABALU: Just over a year since assuming regulatory control, the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) is beginning to see tangible progress in stabilising, reforming, and future-proofing the state's energy sector. ECoS chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Nasser Abdul Wahid ( pic ) highlighted that Sabah's energy landscape, once plagued by supply instability and limited rural access, is now moving towards a more resilient and inclusive system. "When we came in, the priority was to stabilise the grid. We had to put the house in order before we could talk about transformation," Nasser shared in an interview with Niaga Spotlight. The turnaround began with urgent interim measures: leasing 200MW of diesel and gas generation capacity, and deploying 100MW of battery energy storage systems (BESS). These initiatives were crucial in preventing outages and restoring confidence. Sabah is now on track to achieve a 25% reserve margin by the third quarter of 2025, with plans to phase out diesel systems and replace them with permanent gas plants by 2026–2027. "Electrification of remote areas is another area where progress is accelerating. With 96% rural electrification already achieved, ECoS is collaborating with federal and state agencies, including the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW), UPEN Sabah, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), and JELaS, to reach full access by 2030," he said. Nasser emphasised that innovative off-grid solutions powered by renewables and supported by local communities will be key. 'Electricity is not a luxury. It is a right. We want communities, especially those long left behind, to be part of this journey,' he explained in a statement on Wednesday (June 25). Under the Sabah Energy Roadmap and Master Plan 2040 (SE-RAMP 2040), Sabah aims to achieve 40% renewable energy by 2030 and 80% by 2050. So far, 600MW of renewable capacity, mostly hydropower, has been approved, with a total target of 2,000MW by 2040. 'These projects create jobs, build skills, and unlock business opportunities, especially for youth and indigenous communities,' he said, stressing that this green transition must benefit everyone. Major developments like the Upper Padas Hydropower Project will be guided by strict environmental and social safeguards, with early stakeholder engagement, environmental protection, and fair compensation at the core. Sabah's abundant bioenergy potential, estimated at over 800MW, is being positioned as a new growth area. ECoS is working on policies that cap biomass exports, encourage methane capture, and support Government Linked Companies-led aggregation, while introducing premium tariffs for green electricity. 'Bioenergy is a hidden gem for Sabah. It's sustainable, scalable, and it creates rural income,' Nasser noted. While ramping up renewables, ECoS remains clear-eyed about energy security. Natural gas will continue to serve as a key transition fuel, bridging the shift to a greener grid. Sabah's strategy supports both the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and SE-RAMP 2040, ensuring national alignment with local priorities. Through the TVET Angkat ECoS programme, the agency is investing in vocational training, aligning curricula with industry needs, and equipping local youth to participate in, and benefit from, the energy transition. 'We don't just want to build infrastructure. We want to build people,' said Nasser. Looking ahead, Sabah is poised to become a regional energy hub. The long-planned Sabah-Sarawak grid interconnection, expected to be completed by the end of 2025, will enable cross-border electricity trade and support ASEAN energy integration. 'Our goal is to make Sabah a model of a just and sustainable energy transition,' Nasser said.
The Star
24 minutes ago
- Business
- The Star
With Kipyegon, Nike hopes to break a record - and win back women runners
NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -Nike is betting its endeavor to help Kenyan athlete Faith Kipyegon run a mile in under four minutes will recapture the attention of women consumers who have been looking elsewhere for running shoes and clothes. Industry experts and women runners say it will take more than a bold spectacle to draw women back to the brand. Kipyegon's attempt, branded "Breaking4", set for Thursday at the Stade Charléty in Paris, is part of new CEO Elliott Hill's efforts to pull Nike out of a sales slump and improve its image. From 2021 to 2024, Nike's share of the global sports footwear market dropped from 28.8% to 26.3%, according to Euromonitor International, with consumers defecting to smaller, newer brands like On and Hoka. Nike's popularity has slipped with women in particular. Sales of Nike Women products grew just 4.4% over that three-year period, while Nike Men sales grew 13.5%. Nike has been "obsessed with getting women back" since at least 2021, said a former Nike manager who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. Understanding its female consumer base and how to draw in more women has been a key internal priority as Lululemon and others have eaten into its market share among women, the person added. Beaverton, Oregon-based Nike declined to comment on those details. But Chief Innovation Officer John Hoke told Reutersthe company is doubling its investment in research on women athletes' anatomy and biodynamics versus 18 months ago. Hoke declined to disclose the amount of that investment, but said in an interview that the company's Sports Research Lab historically "had over-indexed on males, so what we are doing is we're now right-sizing." Kipyegon will wear new track spikes that are lighter than those she wore to win 1,500-meter gold at the Olympics last year, a running suit with 3D-printed beads to minimize friction, and a 3D-printed sports bra Nike says is more breathable than anything on the market. Mindful that track spikes are a niche product, Nike is putting its marketing emphasis on the bra, in development for more than two years, which it expedited for Kipyegon's run, Hoke said. Prototypes have been tested on other Nike athletes, including WNBA star Caitlin Clark, he said, adding that the company plans to market it commercially by 2028. Nike's goal with Breaking4 is to attract the attention of serious runners, says David Swartz, an analyst at Morningstar. But whether and when the publicity will translate to sales is unclear. Nike has launched a line of running shoes and clothes in Kipyegon's name, but the people most likely to buy them may not overlap with Breaking4's target audience. Angelina Monti, a Pittsburgh-based physiologist who, at 23, has already competed in 17 marathons, says she's intrigued by Kipyegon's effort, but isn't likely to base a purchase on it. LESS GROUNDBREAKING The market is more competitive now than in 2017, when Nike held its last unofficial record attempt - Breaking2 - in which athletes Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese attempted to run a marathon in under two hours. None succeeded at the time, but Kipchoge did break two hours in a subsequent 2019 attempt and the hype created around the Vaporfly shoes he wore helped Nike's market share in running climb to a record high. The Vaporfly, first introduced in 2016, included a carbon plate to help runners go faster for longer, and sparked a "super shoe" race among sports brands. Nike's innovations for Kipyegon's attempt seem less groundbreaking, experts say. "The suit seems to be quite unique and envelope-pushing, whereas the footwear just seems to be a better version of what she has run in in the past," said running shoe designer Richard Kuchinsky. Still, "it's nice to see (Nike) invest in a woman, even if this one feels more of a stretch than Breaking2," said Alison Wade, a former college track & field coach and creator of Fast Women, a newsletter dedicated to women's competitive distance running. Nike has announced several initiatives focused on women since Hill took over, including the "After Dark Tour" series of half-marathon and 10-kilometre races in seven cities around the world. But as it tries to regain credibility with women, it starts at a deficit. In April, the company agreed to settle a 2018 lawsuit from female employees alleging widespread workplace discrimination. Nike's partnership with Kim Kardashian-owned Skims drew criticism from some former employees for its emphasis on products to make women "feel strong and sexy." The partnership has yet to launch a product. Any record Kipyegon sets on Thursday would be unofficial, as she will have pacers and won't be in an official competition. Running experts are skeptical Kipyegon can break a four-minute mile, which would require shaving 3.1% off her previous record. "But," Wade said, "maybe Nike has something up its sleeve and it'll turn out we were all wrong." (Reporting by Helen Reid in London and Nicholas Brown in New York, Editing by Lisa Jucca and Bill Berkrot)
The Star
24 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Star
Africa on a shoestring: Ukraine seeks allies with aid and embassies
NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) -On Africa's dry western tip, Mauritania has become an unlikely staging post for Ukraine's increasingly global struggle with its adversary Russia. Kyiv's new embassy in the country's capital Nouakchott - among eight it has opened in Africa since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine - has overseen food aid deliveries to refugees from neighbouring Mali, embassy and aid officials say. Kyiv is also offering to train Mauritanian soldiers, Ukraine's top envoy to Africa told Reuters, amid tension between Mauritania and Mali, where Moscow backs government forces against Tuareg rebels. Moscow's soldiers and mercenaries guard presidents in several West and Central African countries, while Russian mining companies are entrenched in the Sahel region that includes Mali. Russia's military presence in the Sahel "undermined stability", the envoy, Maksym Subkh said in an interview in Kyiv. "Ukraine is ready to continue training officers and representatives of the Mauritanian armed forces, to share the technologies and achievements that Ukraine has made" on the battlefield against Russia, Subkh said, adding that Ukraine had previously provided such training prior to Russia's invasion. The Mauritanian government did not respond to a request for comment about Ukraine's offer of more training. Russia's embassy in Mauritania did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier in June, the Kremlin said Russia would increase cooperation with African countries including in sensitive areas such as defence. Russia is the largest weapons supplier to Africa, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Reuters' interviews with four senior Ukrainian officials, two aid officials and Western diplomats and analysts for this story, along with access to new missions in Mauritania and Democratic Republic of Congo, reveal new details about Kyiv's Africa strategy including the deliveries of aid to Malian refugees, the proposal to train Mauritania's military, and the broader bid to counter Russia's much more entrenched presence. Early in the Ukraine war, many African countries declined to take Kyiv's side at the United Nations, even after Russia's bombing of Ukraine's ports drove up prices on the continent as exports of food and fertiliser were curtailed. Months later, Ukraine produced its first Africa strategy, a public document. The stated goals were to counter Russia's narrative and increase trade and investment on a continent that remembers Russian support in the Cold War and Moscow's stance against apartheid. Subkh was appointed to lead the effort, and Kyiv has since opened eight out of 10 new embassies announced in 2022, he said, bringing to 18 the number of missions Ukraine has in Africa. Host countries include Ivory Coast and Congo, which condemned Russia's invasion early on. Kyiv plans to open an embassy this year in Sudan, where Russia is accused by the U.S. of arming both sides in a brutal conflict. Russia denies a role there. However, Kyiv cannot match an opponent with deep commercial and security ties, including a long-standing presence of Moscow's intelligence agencies. In total, Russia has around 40 missions in Africa, and recently announced plans to open seven more. FIGHT FOR FREEDOM? Ukraine wants to persuade African nations that its fight against Russia, its Soviet-era master, has parallels with their own efforts to overcome the legacy of European colonialism, Subkh said. Despite the offer of military training, Ukraine's wartime effort to win African allies has largely focused on food. Kyiv says it has sent nearly 300,000 tonnes as aid, distributed through the World Food Programme (WFP) under an EU and U.S.-financed scheme called Grain from Ukraine that rivals a similar Russian food aid plan for Africa. The Ukrainian-branded aid has reached 8 million people in 12 countries, the European Policy Centre, a think-tank, said in April. Recipients have included Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya and Sudan. In Mauritania it has mostly been destined for Mbera, West Africa's largest refugee camp, housing soaring numbers of Malians fleeing the Russia-backed forces across the border. And after the reopening of Black Sea ports bombarded and blockaded by Russia in the first two years of war, Ukraine exported nearly 10 million tonnes of grain to Africa in 2024, almost double the previous year, agriculture ministry data shows. By showing it is a major alternative to Russian food supplies, Ukraine hopes African nations that have maintained neutrality over the war will begin to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. "Maintaining its role as one of the guarantors of the world's food security, Ukraine can prevent Russia from using food supplies as political leverage," Roman Sereda, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Nouakchott, where Russia has had an embassy for six decades, said in an interview. Ukraine is gaining visibility. In April, Volodymyr Zelenskiy became the first Ukrainian president to visit South Africa, a close Russia ally. He called for recognition of Ukraine's struggle and playing up potential deals on energy, fertiliser production and security. South African foreign ministry spokesman Chrispin Phiri said both Ukraine and Russia were allies. He said South Africa advocated for peace and was mediating on humanitarian issues such as the return of Ukrainian children Kyiv says were taken to Russia. However, South African analyst Tim Murithi said Ukraine's Africa strategy lacked coherence, pointing out that Kyiv had not nominated an ambassador in Ethiopia, a key posting that countries including Russia use to engage with the influential African Union, based in Addis Ababa. Ukraine's commercial exports are heavily tilted towards North Africa, with sub-Saharan nations including Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria buying a fraction of what they imported before the war, Ukrainian data shows. Mauritania itself bought far less food from Ukraine last year than in 2021. There have been setbacks in Ukraine's Africa drive, such as the downgrading of a planned October 2024 Ukraine-Africa summit to a video conference. Moscow hosted a well-attended Africa summit in 2023. "At the beginning, they wanted to have it physically in Kyiv," said Jean-Yves Ollivier, chairman of the Brazzaville Foundation, a conflict prevention organisation that Ukraine consulted on the summit. The downgrade has not previously been reported. Subkh did not respond to a request for comment about the event. MALI REFUGEES At times, Ukraine's higher profile has been controversial. Mali broke off relations with Kyiv over a Tuareg rebel attack in July that wiped out 47 Malian soldiers and 84 Russian fighters supporting the government, after a Ukrainian intelligence official appeared to suggest Ukrainian involvement. Ukraine has since strongly denied it was involved. Ukraine had no role in covert operations in the region, Subkh said. Now, a small quantity of Ukraine's aid has reached the Malian refugees fleeing the violence, WFP's spokesperson in Mauritania confirmed in response to questions for this story. The camp's population has almost tripled in two years to about 250,000 people. Three deliveries amounting to a total of about 1,400 tonnes had arrived in Mauritania by December, one of Ukraine's diplomats in Nouakchott, Viktor Bort, said. The split peas, vegetable oil and wheat were still being distributed to Mbera in May, the WFP spokesperson said. Bort, 29, who staffed the mission alone when it opened in May 2024, told Reuters his focus was to build relationships in the government and oversee the deliveries of aid to WFP for the Malian refugees, who he said were fleeing Russians. Kyiv's senior Africa envoy, Subkh, said aid distribution was decided by WFP. Ukraine's contributions were strictly humanitarian and the country opposed politicising aid, he said. Mauritania's communications ministry said the government had accepted Ukrainian food aid deliveries. It said it did not know that Ukrainian aid had reached the camp. DIPLOMACY ON A SHOESTRING Ukraine's new missions are thinly staffed and it has sought support from volunteers and donors. Two diplomats from other countries said the embassy official in Mauritania, Bort, initially travelled without security, relying on friendly envoys from other countries for help, but quickly gained notice for his energy and networking. Sereda, the chargé d'affaires who joined Bort some months ago, said Ukraine's outreach and aid deliveries had improved Kyiv's reputation and Mauritanians' understanding of its position, with increased trade links hopefully to follow. The Mauritanian government declined to comment. Elsewhere, aid recipients have included war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ukraine's ambassador Vasyl Hamianin told Reuters the two countries were discussing long-term agriculture and food security agreements. "We accepted the Ukrainian embassy in a spirit of openness and cooperation. There is no need to link its presence to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," Congo's presidential office said in a statement. (Reporting by Jessica Donati in Nouakchott and Olena Harmash in Kyiv, additional reporting by Ange Adihe Kasongo in Kinshasa, Nellie Peyton in Johannesburg and Kissima Diagana in Nouakchott; Editing by Estelle Shirbon and Frank Jack Daniel)
The Star
39 minutes ago
- The Star
Factbox-Key facts in Australia's mushroom murder trial
(Reuters) -The jury in the trial of an Australian woman accused of a triple murder with a meal she allegedly laced with toxic mushrooms is expected to begin considering its verdict this week, in a case that has gripped the country. Here are the key facts and main arguments in the case. KEY FACTS Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. All were relatives of her estranged husband Simon Patterson, who declined the invitation for the July 29, 2023 lunch. The four gathered at Erin Patterson's home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) southeast of Melbourne where the mother of two served them individual Beef Wellingtons accompanied by mashed potato and green beans. The wellingtons were later found to contain death caps, among the world's deadliest mushrooms. Within hours, the four fell seriously ill and were admitted to hospital. Ian Wilkinson, who spent weeks in an induced coma, was the only survivor. Erin Patterson was arrested in November 2023 and has been in custody ever since. THE TRIAL The trial began on April 29 in Morwell, a former coal mining town about two hours east of Melbourne. Overseen by Justice Christopher Beale, it has generated huge interest in Australia and internationally, with the six seats in the court reserved for media allocated in a daily ballot. Members of the public have also queued each morning to be able to watch proceedings from the gallery. Public broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is the country's most popular, while streaming service Stan has commissioned a documentary on what it says is "one of the highest profile criminal cases in recent history". The charges carry a life sentence. PROSECUTION The prosecution, lead by Nanette Rogers, spent a month laying out its case against Erin Patterson. Rogers told the court that the accused had foraged for the death caps, dried them and measured out a "fatal dose" on her kitchen scales before adding them to her guests' Beef Wellingtons, ensuring her own food was untainted. It was all part of a "sinister deception", Rogers argued, saying Patterson had lied to police when asked whether she had ever foraged for mushrooms or owned a food dehydrator, which was later found in a landfill site and contained traces of death caps. Dozens of witnesses, including relatives and forensic, medical and mushroom experts, gave evidence for the prosecution. Among them was Simon Patterson, who told of the couple's strained relationship in the months before the fatal lunch. Ian Wilkinson also gave evidence, telling the court the accused had served her own meal on a different coloured plate. DEFENCE Erin Patterson's defence, led by barrister Colin Mandy, did not dispute there were death caps in the meal or that she had lied to police about key details such as foraging for mushrooms. But Mandy told the court the deaths were a "terrible accident" and that while the accused might have had "spats and disagreements and frustrations" in her relationship with her estranged husband she had no reason to kill her lunch guests. Erin Patterson gave evidence in her own defence and spent eight days in the witness box including five days of cross-examination by Rogers. She was the only witness for the defence. JURY Fifteen jurors were initially selected for the trial and 12 will be chosen by ballot to take part in the final deliberations. Justice Beale has repeatedly instructed the jury not to conduct their own research on the case, or to discuss it outside the jury room. One juror was dismissed last month for allegedly discussing the case with family and friends. Jurors in Australia are not responsible for sentencing and are not allowed to speak publicly after the trial. Juries in murder trials in Victoria, the state where the case is being held, must return a unanimous verdict. If the jury cannot reach a verdict within a reasonable time frame, the judge can order the trial to be held again. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
The Star
39 minutes ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Transport Ministry reveals companies with most traffic summons
PUTRAJAYA: In an effort to reduce accidents involving heavy vehicles, the Transport Ministry has announced a list of companies with the most overdue traffic summonses. Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated that 11 companies operating goods vehicles have over 1,000 overdue traffic summonses. Additionally, there are 17 express bus companies with more than 200 overdue traffic summonses. "The list is long. But, as a warning, we will just reveal a part of it. "This is because Malaysians want to see a change in culture. We don't want another bus tragedy that sacrificed so many lives," said Loke during a special press conference at the Transport Ministry on Wednesday (June 25). More to come
