Noh Seung-yul with his caddie Stewart Slover. PHOTO: AP
WASHINGTON (AFP) – South Korea’s Noh Seung-yul grabbed the clubhouse lead with an 11-under par 60 in Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Byron Nelson tournament, matching the event’s 18-hole record.
And he did it despite suffering a broken driver head on the 12th hole in his bogey-free round at TPC Craig Ranch in suburban Dallas.
“Everything was going amazing,” Noh said. “Off the tee, missed two drivers because the crack of the driver head. Except two shots off the tee, everything going perfectly.
“I’m really happy for my career low on the PGA Tour. One shot missed to 59, but I’m really happy with that.”
Noh, the 2010 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, captured his only PGA title at the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, three years before it shifted to its current pairs format.
Noh Seung-yul with his caddie Stewart Slover. PHOTO: AP
He had a three-shot lead over Australian Adam Scott and Chian’s Dou Zecheng.
Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, posted his best opening round on the PGA Tour since a 62 at the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational. World number two Scottie Scheffler headlined a group on 64 that also included Aussie veteran Jason Day and Americans Luke List, Richy Werenski, Scott Piercy and Ryan Palmer.
Noh’s bogey-free round matched the Byron Nelson record shared by four other players and most recently achieved previously by Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz in last year’s opening round.
The most recent prior 60 on tour was by American Patrick Cantlay in the third round of last October’s Shriners Children’s Open.
After a birdie at the 11th hole, Noh smashed his tee shot well to the right of a cart path at the par-4 12th, Noh checked his driver head.
“When I hit on 12, I’m swinging so nicely, but keep like 70 yards going right,” Noh said.
“So I just look at the driver and it got the crack in it.”
Noh sent his next tee shot way left of the 13th fairway and then took the club out of play before saving par again with a six-foot putt before obtaining a replacement driver head.
Range Rover Dynamic. PHOTOS: INDERA MOTORS SDN BHD/JLR
Contributed by Indera Motors Sdn Bhd
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) recently announced exciting plans to accelerate its transition to become the world’s leading modern luxury car manufacturer revealing its Halewood plant, in the United Kingdom (UK), will become an all-electric production facility and its next generation medium-sized SUV architecture, electrified modular architecture (EMA), will now be pure-electric.
In an update to global media at JLR’s centre in Gaydon, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adrian Mardell reaffirmed the business’ commitment to its Reimagine strategy, which will reposition the company as an electric-first, modern luxury carmaker by 2030, as JLR makes strides towards its financial goals of achieving a net cash positive position by FY25 and double-digit EBIT by 2026.
Adrian Mardell said, “Two years ago, we launched our Reimagine strategy and since then we have made great progress, including launching two new critically acclaimed modern luxury Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models, joining the Defender family, for which there is record demand. We achieved this while navigating the headwinds of the pandemic and chip shortages, and successfully ramping up production of our most profitable models to deliver profit in Q3.
“Today I am proud to announce we are accelerating our electrification path, making one of our UK plants and our next-generation medium-sized luxury SUV architecture fully electric.
This investment enables us to deliver our modern luxury electric future, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be carbon net zero by 2039.”
Range Rover Dynamic. PHOTOS: INDERA MOTORS SDN BHD/JLRRange Rover Defender
INVESTING IN NEXT GENERATION ELECTRIC MODELS
Announcing news of its next generation electrification roadmap, JLR confirmed it will start to invite applications for client orders for the modern luxury all-electric Range Rover from later this year.
The first of its next generation medium-sized modern luxury SUVs will be an all-electric model from the Range Rover family, launching in 2025 and built at Halewood in Merseyside, in a move that further affirms JLR’s commitment to the future of the UK car industry.
And while EMA will now be electric only, as the trend to electrification in certain markets increases, JLR will retain the flexible modular longitudinal architecture (MLA) on which Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are built offering internal combustion engine (ICE), HYBRID and battery electric vehicle (BEV) options. This gives JLR uncompromised flexibility to adapt its vehicle line up to meet the needs of different markets around the world that are moving at different speeds towards carbon net zero targets.
HOUSE OF BRANDS
As a next step within the Reimagine strategy, it was revealed JLR will move to a House of Brands approach, to amplify the unique character of each of its brands – Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar – and accelerate the delivery of the company’s vision, to become proud creators of the world’s most desirable modern luxury automotive brands for the most discerning clients.
Commenting on the House of Brands approach, JLR’s Chief Creative Officer Professor Gerry McGovern OBE said, “Pivotal to our Reimagine strategy is the formation of the House of Brands, which is a natural evolution, with a purpose of elevating and amplifying the uniqueness of our characterful British marques. Our ultimate ambition is to build truly emotionally engaging experiences for our clients that, overtime, will build long-term high equity for our brands and long-term sustainability for JLR.”
JLR also announced that the first of three reimagined modern luxury Jaguars will be a four-door GT built in Solihull in the West Midlands, UK. With power output more than any previous Jaguar, a range up to 700 kilometres, and with indicative pricing from GBP100,000, new Jaguar will be built on its own unique architecture, named JEA.
More details of the new four-door GT Jaguar will be released later this year, before going on sale in selected markets in 2024, for client deliveries in 2025.
“We have radically reimagined Jaguar as a modern luxury brand. The key to Jaguar’s transformation is that the designs convey that they are a copy of nothing,” said Professor McGovern.
Adrian Mardell said, “With Range Rover, the original luxury SUV, available for pre-order in pure electric form later this year, and the first of three breath-taking electric reimagined Jaguar models to be launched in 2025, we are stepping into an incredibly exciting new electric era for JLR as a modern luxury business.”
INVESTING IN JLR’S UK INDUSTRIAL FOOTPRINT
In addition to the news that its Halewood plant in Merseyside, UK, will become an all-electric production facility and its next generation medium-sized SUV architecture, EMA, will now be pure-electric.
JLR also revealed its Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton, UK, currently producing Ingenium internal combustion engines for its vehicles, will have an electric future producing electric drive units and battery packs for JLR’s next generation vehicles. It will be renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre to reflect the move.
In positive news for the future of the historic Castle Bromwich site, JLR confirmed that its stamping facilities that prepare pressed body metalwork for JLR’s vehicles will be expanded to play a key role in the company’s electric future, by providing body work for next generation electric vehicles. JLR continues to explore options for other parts of the Castle Bromwich site.
The mosque takmir committee reciting Surah Al-Kahfi. PHOTO: AZLAN OTHMAN
Azlan Othman
The Kampong Sungai Besar Mosque takmir committee enlivened their place of worship yesterday with the recitation of Al-Quran verses of Surah Al-Kahf.
Village Head of Kampong Sungai Besar, Kampong Serdang and Sungai Belukut, Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Haji Awang Zaini bin Haji Awang Damit said such activity is highly recommended and can reap multiple rewards.
The village head, who is also the mosque takmir committee secretary, said the activity also helps occupy I’tikaf, or solitude at mosque.
Acting Director of Mosque Affairs at the Ministry of Religious Affairs Haji Amir Hisham bin Haji Masri and mosque takmir committee advisor Haji Mohiddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman were also present.
The mosque takmir committee reciting Surah Al-Kahfi. PHOTO: AZLAN OTHMAN
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Elon Musk on Thursday said he has hired someone to replace him as boss of Twitter and its newly named X Corporation parent.
Twitter users in December voted to oust owner Musk as chief executive officer (CEO) in an unscientific poll he organised and promised to honour, just weeks after he took charge of the social
media giant. “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter,” Musk said in a tweet, without disclosing the name of his replacement but adding that she would start in the job in about six weeks.
“My role will transition to being exec chair and chief technology officer, overseeing product, software and system operations,” the billionaire added. Musk’s running of Twitter has been criticised as taking his attention away from his jobs heading Tesla and SpaceX.
However, he appears to be “finally reading the room” regarding “this Twitter nightmare” and the “impossible task” of trying to balance running Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.
If Musk follows through on the announcement, he will be belatedly fulfilling the promise he made to honour the results of his Twitter poll.
A total of 57.5 per cent of more than 17 million accounts voted for him to step down.
“I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!” Musk tweeted at the time.
Musk has fully owned Twitter since late October and has repeatedly courted controversy as CEO, sacking most of its staff, readmitting far-right figures to the platform, suspending journalists and charging for previously free services.
NBCUniversal head of global advertising and partnerships, Linda Yaccarino, was a potential candidate for the Twitter chief job, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
“I think whoever he hired deserves our compassion and pity,” said independent tech analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.
“The real test will be whether he can step aside and let her do her job.” Musk remaining as chairman and chief technology officer at Twitter could give users, employees and advertisers the impression he is still in charge at Twitter, making it tough to win back trust, the analyst reasoned.
“The situation really does require him to fully step out,” Enderle said of Musk releasing Twitter’s reins.
“Otherwise, people won’t believe she will be free to do what she needs to do.”
Musk recently made the tech firm part of an “X” shell corporation, getting rid of the Twitter company name but continuing to use it for the platform.
The controversial tech magnate has talked publicly of using Twitter to build an all-purpose “X” application that combines messages, payments and more.
This week, he announced the addition of encrypted direct messages on Twitter as well as plans for audio and video call features.
The San Francisco-based company, which generates most of its revenue from advertising, is set to earn less than USD3 billion in 2023, down from USD4 billion in 2022, according to Insider Intelligence.
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a house after it was struck by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AP
GAZA CITY (AP) – The most violent confrontation in months between Israel and Palestinian militants continued for a third straight day yesterday, as Israeli warplanes struck targets in the Gaza Strip and militants fired rockets toward Jerusalem and southern Israel.
There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side yesterday, as foreign mediators pressed ahead with efforts to reach a cease-fire. The past few days of fighting have killed 31 Palestinians in Gaza and a 70-year-old man in central Israel.
A burst of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip sent warning sirens wailing near the contested capital of Jerusalem, breaking a 12-hour lull that had raised hopes that Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations (UN) could soon be able to broker a cease-fire. Residents in Israeli settlements surrounding Jerusalem reported hearing explosions and seeing black smoke rising from the hills after an apparent missile interception.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was conducting a security assessment. The Israeli military said its warplanes struck rocket launchers. Gaza residents reported blasts in farms near the southern city of Rafah.
The cross-border exchanges this week have pitted Israel against Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza after the territory’s Hamas rulers. Since Tuesday, Israel says its strikes have killed five senior Islamic Jihad figures. In that time, Israel’s military said it has used airstrikes to hit at least 215 targets in Gaza, including rocket and mortar launch sites and militants preparing to use them.
Israeli bombs and shells have destroyed 47 housing units, and damaged 19 so badly they were uninhabitable, leaving 165 Palestinians homeless, Gaza’s housing ministry reported. In addition, nearly 300 homes sustained some damage. Palestinians yesterday surveyed the wreckage wrought by the fighting.
“The dream that we built for our children, for our sons, has ended,” said Belal Bashir, a Palestinian living in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, whose family home was reduced to a heap of rubble in an airstrike late on Thursday. He and his family would have been killed in the thundering explosion if they hadn’t ran outside when they heard shouting, he said.
“We were shocked that our house was targetted,” he added as he pulled his young children’s dolls and blankets from a bomb crater.
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a house after it was struck by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AP
I wish to get some form of clarification from the authorities on the need to register and obtaining a permit on imported wireless equipment such as phones and laptops.
I can understand the requirement for the registration of drones for personal use as it may create some disturbances with the radio frequency.
However I was disappointed to learn that a permit approval is required on my online purchases which include a cordless telephone, a set of Bluetooth earpiece and a laptop, before those items can be handed over to me.
I assume that the manufacturer’s brand might not be familiar in our country but to consider any of the gadgets may pose any form of security threat is far from the agenda. A quick inspection of the gadget upon arrival should suffice instead of holding on to it for days, which I see is just a waste of resources and time.
Mums of the Rotary Club of Belait (RCB) celebrated Mother’s Day with a dinner event on Wednesday.
President of RCB Henrietta Hiew highlighted the important role mothers play in the family as one that, “does not ask for reward, is selfless and has no regrets in giving all their love and attention to their children”.
AP/AFP – In 1958, Saint Laurent unveiled his first collection for Christian Dior. It was a global event which saw the designer draw thousands upon thousands of screaming fans who thronged avenues. Some things never change, even in 65 years.
Kim Jones used that women’s collection as the inspiration for his men’s – mirroring its contrasts of masculine versus feminine and British tailoring versus couture.
Jones also captured its fluidity to produce a gender-neutral display with softened shapes and loose waists. Unbuttoned suits that unfurled cut a nice trapeze silhouette, as did clever white knit sweaters with sleeves snipped away to flap like a poncho.
Jones did his homework. In Saint Laurent’s debut, he famously abandoned Dior’s cinched waists and lengthy fabrics in favour of more fluid shapes in which the body disappeared, effectively inventing the trapeze silhouette.
Some Jones styles, like an update marine sailor top, were lifted directly from the 1958 archive.
But this sublime show was much more than mere homage. Three-dimensional printed shoes followed contemporary sheer organza vests with tiered banding, and looked aggressive yet feminine. Off the shoulder tailoring on one embellished pearl coat simultaneously evoked a slouchy rebel and an opening flower.
People at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, United States. PHOTO: AP
ORLANDO (AP) – Over 74 million visitors came to the Orlando, Florida, area last year, a benchmark just short of pre-pandemic levels, tourism officials in the United States (US) said on Thursday.
The number of tourists was 25 per cent greater than it was in 2021, when central Florida was still recovering from the blows to tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted international travel and caused convention cancellations. The area’s theme parks closed for several months in 2020 in an effort to stop the virus’ spread.
“This past year proved to be a key recovery timeframe for Orlando’s tourism industry, with a lot of pent-up demand from our top US and international markets,” said President and Chief Executive Officer for Visit Orlando Casandra Matej, the area’s tourism promotion organisation.
The Orlando area had over 69 million domestic visitors, with most of them visiting for vacations, a segment that has fully recovered, tourism officials said. Business visitors still lagged behind pre-pandemic levels.
People at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, United States. PHOTO: AP
NEW YORK (AFP) – South Korea’s Kim Sei-young, seeking her first LPGA victory since 2020, fired a bogey-free six-under par 66 to grab a one-stroke lead after Thursday’s opening round of the Founders Cup.
The 30-year-old from Seoul, who won the Founders Cup in 2016 when the event was staged in Arizona, grabbed a one-stroke lead over compatriot Ryu Hae-ran after 18 holes at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey.
“This course is a favourite course,” Kim said. “Keep the fairway it’s really important this week. Greens are really fast, way faster than in practice round.”
World number 33 Kim has won 12 career LPGA titles, including a major at the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship, but last captured a crown at the 2020 Pelican Championship.
Kim birdied the par-4 third and par-3 sixth and reeled off four birdies in a row from the par-5 12th through the par-3 15th holes to seize the lead.
The event celebrates the pioneers who began the LPGA Tour and Kim appreciates the chance to pay tribute to their legacy.
“It means a lot because of the legends, legacy players,” she said. “We had a chance to meet them at 18. Really glad to meet them. It’s good emotionally to share with them, so it’s really a special tournament to me.”
