Life game ‘InZOI’ challenges ‘The Sims’

Lifestyle

April 4, 2025

SEOUL (AFP) – South Korean game publisher Krafton released early access to its life simulation game InZOI, hoping its powerful lifelike graphics will unseat the decades-long dominance of The Sims hit franchise.

Krafton, the developer of battle royale PUBG: Battlegrounds, says it offers a fresh take on the concept using striking visuals – with InZOI shooting to the top of wishlists on the online Steam platform.

“What stood out the most when I played InZOI was just how visually stunning it is,” said YouTuber known for playing The Sims Kim Rail, a game whose last instalment debuted nearly a decade ago.

“The game’s character is rendered with such precision that they look almost like a real person,” Kim said. “After decorating interiors, taking a screenshot makes it look like a magazine photo due to the high visual quality”.

The Sims, a spin-off from the popular SimCity franchise, takes players inside individual homes, allowing them to customise everything from furniture to relationships.

Over 25 years, The Sims and its three sequels have sold more than 200 million copies, and Electronic Arts is now planning a multi-player version. But InZOI producer and director Kim Hyung-jun said they offered something new.

“I believe InZOI offers something that The Sims does not, and that users will find a different kind of enjoyment in that,” he said.

ABOVE & BELOW: A view of the city in ‘InZOI’; and the visuals of the characters in the game. PHOTO: STEAM

ABOVE & BELOW: Photos show in-game shots from life simulation game ‘InZOI’. PHOTO: STEAM

InZOI topped the best-selling games chart by revenue on Steam just 40 minutes after their launch last week, while Krafton stocks in Seoul rose six per cent.

InZOI producer Kim, an avid player of The Sims, said it was an “honour” to be compared to the game.

The Sims is a philosophical work that offers diverse interpretations of life,” he said. “At times, it felt like a miniature version of real life, and I was often amazed by how thoughtfully the developers portrayed various aspects”. But Kim told AFP he wanted to focus more on how the “relationships” are portrayed in his game.

“For instance, if a player gets into a fight somewhere, the news spreads, and they may receive criticism or support through social media. We’ve built a system where one event leads to another,” he said.

It also has a unique twist from its home nation, drawing on maps including one from South Korea – and a possible career path that allows players to become a K-pop idol.

“Tapping into the global interest in K-culture, the game features detailed recreations of Korean streetscapes, convenience stores, karaoke rooms, and traditional restaurants, allowing players to explore and engage with uniquely Korean settings,” said Kim Jung-tae, a gaming professor at Dongyang University.

It “lets players experience a wide range of everyday Korean life”, he added.

InZOI uses “Unreal Engine 5” developed by Epic Games, the first for a life simulation title, which supports detailed customisation options for characters, including features such as eye bags and iris size. But the impressive graphics come at a cost.

The recommended systems for InZOI include an Intel i7 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3070 – a significant leap from The Sims 4, which runs on the more modest requirements of an Intel i5 and a GTX 650. Content creators suggest the challenge will be to woo the huge numbers of players of The Sims, who are used to more moderate graphics but also lower computer specs.

“The game’s success is expected to hinge on the stability of its live service and the developers’ ability to consistently deliver new content,” said Kim, the professor.

Krafton said the ambition to challenge a leader like The Sims came from the global success of PUBG, a combat survival game whose mobile version surpassed one billion downloads and recorded 50 million daily active users.

“Even within the company, no one truly expected that success,” InZOI producer Kim Hyung-jun said. “Back then, the idea of creating something like that in Korea was an unusual challenge”. So, despite Krafton having “limited understanding” of the life simulation genre, the company backed the idea, he said, adding that thankfully early release responses were “more enthusiastic ” than they had expected. But, compared to The Sims, Kim accepts his game still has “a long way to go”.

The Sims 4 has been in service for 10 years, while InZOI has only been in development for two. I’d say it’s about 20 per cent complete in comparison,” said Kim.

“I don’t view the comparison negatively. Just as everyone lives a unique life, The Sims and InZOI are separate ‘lives’, each with their value and appeal”.

Syria accuses Israel of deadly destabilisation campaign

World

April 4, 2025

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Syria accused Israel yesterday of mounting a deadly destabilisation campaign after a wave of strikes hit military targets, including an airport, and ground incursions left 13 people dead.

Israel said it responded to fire from gunmen during an operation in southern Syria and warned interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa that he would face severe consequences if its security was threatened.

Israel has carried out an extensive bombing campaign against Syrian military assets since rebels toppled long-time strongman Bashar al-Assad in November. It has also carried out ground incursions into southern Syria in a bid to keep the forces of the new government back from the border.

Authorities in the southern province of Daraa said nine civilians were killed and several wounded in Israeli shelling near the city of Nawa.

The provincial government said the bombardment came amid Israel’s deepest ground incursion into southern Syria so far.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead were local gunmen who were killed “while attempting to confront Israeli forces“.

According to the Israeli military, its forces were conducting operations in the Tasil area, near Nawa, “seizing weapons and destroying terrorist infrastructure” when “several gunmen fired at our forces”.

They “responded by firing at them and eliminated several armed terrorists from the ground and from the air”, a spokesperson said. There were no Israeli casualties.

“The IDF (military) will not allow the existence of a military threat in Syria and will act against it,” the spokesperson added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded in February that southern Syria be completely demilitarised and said his government would not accept the presence of the forces of the new government near Israeli territory.

In December, Netanyahu ordered troops to enter the United Nations-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces along the 1974 armistice line on the Golan Heights.

On Wednesday, Israel hit targets across Syria including in the Damascus area. The Syrian foreign ministry said the strikes resulted in the “near-total destruction” of a military airport in the central province of Hama and wounded dozens of civilians and soldiers.

“This unjustified escalation is a deliberate attempt to destabilise Syria and exacerbate the suffering of its people,” it said in a statement on Telegram.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz hit back with a warning to Sharaa in which he pointedly referred to the president by the nom de guerre he used as an rebel commander. “I warn Syrian leader Jolani: If you allow hostile forces to enter Syria and threaten Israeli security interests, you will pay a heavy price,” he said.

“The air force’s activity yesterday near the airports in T4, Hama and the Damascus area sends a clear message and serves as a warning for the future,” he added. The Israeli military said its forces “struck military capabilities that remained at the Syrian bases of Hama and T4, along with additional remaining military infrastructure sites in the area of Damascus”.

Israel has said it wants to prevent advanced weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities, whom it considers extremists.

File photo shows a woman walking past damaged apartment buildings in Daraya, Syria. PHOTO: AP

High-octane, blue-collar vigilante justice

Entertainment

April 4, 2025

AP – Jason Statham cosplays as a construction labourer when A Working Man begins. He’s making sure the rebar is spaced correctly and the concrete is correctly mixed. But we all know where his real strengths are: Beating up people, ferociously.

Soon enough – faster than this one-time springboard diving champion used to hit the water – Statham will be doing what he does best in an action movie made by millionaires that hopes to tap into blue-collar chic.

Statham plays a sort of hero-laying-low in director and co-writer David Ayer’s latest collab – they previously teamed up on The Beekeeper – with the addition of a co-writer who knows a thing or two about lone-wolf underdogs – Sylvester Stallone.

When the 19-year-old daughter of his boss is snatched during a night out with girlfriends in Chicago, they turn to Statham, a former anti-terrorist commando for the United Kingdom’s Royal Marines, which at least explains the British accent.

But he can’t help them – he’s given up that old life. “I’m a different person now,” he says.

It’s not who I am anymore.” Admittedly, he says this shortly after fighting off a gang messing with one of his workers, attacking them with a bucket of nails, an axe and a bag of gravel.

He’s a widower and a single father saving up money to fight – legally this time – for more custody by sleeping in his Ram truck. His in-laws want to limit his visitation, alleging he suffers from PTSD, a very cynical use by the movie-makers of a popcorn flick with a body count north of a hundred. “I hurt, too,” he tells his daughter. A visit to an old military buddy – David Harbour, superb – helps change his mind. “God help them,” said Harbour’s character after the decision is made. He knows what’s in store for anyone getting in the way of Statham’s oddly named Levon Cade (scramble the letters and you get Novel Aced, go figure).

So begins Statham’s version of Taken mixed with a blue-collar version of John Wick. Our construction worker-turned-vigilante is reassuring to the family of the missing teen. “I’m gonna bring her home. I promise,” he vows. We soon plunge into an underworld of Russian mobsters, designer drugs, human trafficking, corrupt cops and a vicious biker gang run by a guy who sits on a throne of motorcycle parts. People are waterboarded, shot, stabbed, smashed with animal skulls, blown up by grenades and burned with hot coffee.

“All of this is for a girl?” asks one incredulous Russian mob boss, who is tied and dangled over his own swimming pool as Statham tortures him while munching on some toast he’s made in his fancy kitchen.

Shall we talk about the rich now? The upper-level mobsters wear cravats, bow ties and hold gold-tipped walking sticks. The drug dealers wear buffoonish designer duds, “do business” in restaurant banquets and all have attache cases with stacks of banded money, like it’s still the ’80s.. The big finale takes place in a tucked-away farm casino with fancy-dressed fat cats.

This is in contrast to Statham, an orange safety vest kind of guy with a soldier’s moral compass. He at one point throws into the air enough dollar bills to buy a Lamborghini. But he’s not doing it the money, even though he needs it. He’s there for the girl. A Working Man fetishises its blue-collar ethic at a time when extremely wealthy Americans have taken key roles in the second Donald Trump administration and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is slicing at government jobs (veterans are increasingly facing the burden). Trump himself donned an orange vest when he cosplayed a garbage man on the campaign trail.

Everyone loves the working class these days.Anyway, we’re not here for a lesson, we’re here for some ultra-violence. A Working Man does it well, especially a struggle in the confined space of a moving van.

The plot gets a little stretched over two hours – including a ludicrous motorcycle chase scene when enough bullets are fired at Statham as were expended in the Battle of Fallujah – but a bright moment is having the snatched teen (a very good Arianna Rivas, someone to watch) step into her own power.

A Working Man is exactly what you expect when you unleash Statham on a noble mission. “You killed your way into this,” he’s told by his buddy. “You’re gonna have to kill your way out of it.” In other words, let Statham work, man. – Mark Kennedy

ABOVE & BELOW: Photos show scenes from the movie. PHOTO: AP

US reciprocal tariffs spark dismay, calls for talks

Business

April 4, 2025

AP – Sweeping new tariffs announced recently by United States (US) President Donald Trump provoked dismay, threats of countermeasures and calls for further negotiations to make trade rules fairer.

But responses were measured, highlighting a lack of appetite among key trading partners for an outright trade war with the world’s biggest economy.

Trump said the import taxes, ranging from 10 per cent to 49 per cent, would do to US trading partners what they have long done to the US. He maintains they will draw factories and jobs back to the US.

“Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” he said. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”

Trump’s announcement of a new 20 per cent tariff on the European Union (EU) drew a sharp rebuke from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said it was a “major blow to the world economy”.

“The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe,” von der Leyen said.

Groceries, transport and medicines will cost more, she said while visiting Uzbekistan, “And this is hurting, in particular, the most vulnerable citizens.”

Von der Leyen acknowledged that the world trading system has “serious deficiencies” and said the EU was ready to negotiate with the US but also was prepared to respond with countermeasures.

President Donald Trump shows an executive order on the reciprocal tariffs at the White House in Washington, DC, United States. PHOTO: AFP & XINHUA

A labourer carries a sack of potatoes at a market in Jalandhar, India. PHOTO: AFP & XINHUA

A shopper at the meat section in a supermarket in Sydney, Australia. PHOTO: AFP & XINHUA

NOBODY WANTS A TRADE WAR

British Prime Minister Kier Starmer said the United Kingdom government would react with “cool and calm heads”.

“Clearly, there will be an economic impact,” he said, telling business leaders in London that he hopes to get the tariffs lifted with a trade deal with Washington.

“Nobody wins in a trade war, that is not in our national interest,” Starmer said.

Japan, America’s closest ally in Asia, plans to closely analyse the US tariffs and their impact, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, while refraining from talk of retaliation. But he said the moves would have a big impact on relations with the US.

Italy’s conservative Premier Giorgia Meloni said the higher tariffs would benefit neither side.

“We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the US, with the aim of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favour of other global players,” Meloni said in a Facebook post.

Brazil, hit with a 10-per-cent tariff, said it was considering appealing to the World Trade Organization. Its congress unanimously passed a bill to allow retaliation for any tariffs on Brazilian goods.

BLOW TO THE WORLD ECONOMY

Financial markets were jolted, with US stock futures down by as much as three per cent yesterday and a 2.8-per-cent drop in Tokyo’s benchmark leading losses in Asia. Oil prices sank more than USD2 a barrel.

“The magnitude of the rollout – both in scale and speed – wasn’t just aggressive; it was a full-throttle macro disruption,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

While the longer-term ramifications could encompass a dismantling of supply chains built up over decades, a more immediate concern is the higher risk of recession.

“The (average) US tariff rate on all imports is now around 22 per cent, from 2.5 per cent in 2024. That rate was last seen around 1910,” Fitch Ratings’ Head of US Economic Research Olu Sonola said in a report.

“This is a game changer, not only for the US economy but for the global economy. Many countries will likely end up in a recession. You can throw most forecasts out the door, if this tariff rate stays on for an extended period of time,” Sonola said.

The burden falls heaviest on Asia-Pacific nations, with the highest tariffs for impoverished, financially precarious countries like Laos at a 48-per-cent tariff, Cambodia at 49 per cent and Myanmar at 44 per cent.

MINIMISE DAMAGE

Asian countries that are among the biggest exporters to the US pledged to act fast to support automakers and other businesses likely to be affected.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told officials to work with business groups to analyse the impact of the new 25 per cent tariff to “minimise damage”, the trade ministry said.

China’s commerce ministry said Beijing would “resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests,” without saying exactly what it might do. With earlier rounds of tariffs China reacted by imposing higher duties on US exports of farm products, while limiting exports of minerals used for high-tech industries such as electric vehicles.

“China urges the US to immediately cancel its unilateral tariff measures and properly resolve differences with its trading partners through equal dialogue,” it said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would wait to see how Trump’s announcement will affect Mexico, which like Canada was spared for goods already qualified under their free trade agreement with the US, though previously announced 25 per cent tariffs on auto imports took effect yesterday.

“It’s not a question of if you impose tariffs on me, I’m going to impose tariffs on you,” she said on Wednesday morning. “Our interest is in strengthening the Mexican economy.”

Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs in response to the 25 per cent tariffs that Trump tied to the trafficking of fentanyl. The EU, in response to the steel and aluminium tariffs, has imposed taxes on EUR26 billion worth (USD28 billion) of US goods.

NO BASIS IN LOGIC

Some countries took issue with the White House’s calculations.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the tariffs were totally unwarranted, but Australia will not retaliate.

“President Trump referred to reciprocal tariffs. A reciprocal tariff would be zero, not 10 per cent,” said Albanese. The US and Australia have a free trade agreement and the US has a USD2-to-USD1 trade surplus with Australia. “This is not the act of a friend.”

Trump said the US bought USD3 billion of Australian beef last year, but Australia would not accept US beef imports. Albanese said the ban on raw US beef was for biosecurity reasons.

A 29-per-cent tariff imposed on the tiny South Pacific outpost of Norfolk Island came as a shock. The Australian territory has a population of around 2,000 people and the economy revolves around tourism.

“To my knowledge, we do not export anything to the US,” Norfolk Island Administrator George Plant, the Australian government’s representative on the island, told the AP yesterday.

Chinese manufacturing expands innovation

Business

April 4, 2025

XINHUA – China’s manufacturing sector has seen growing innovation capabilities, according to an industrial index released by the China Center for Information Industry Development.

A report by the centre, which is affiliated to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, reveals that the innovation index for the country’s leading manufacturing enterprises had consistently increased, with an annualised average growth rate of 11.6 per cent during the 2013-2023 period.

The manufacturing innovation index comprises five first-tier indicators covering innovation resources, innovation output, innovation collaboration, innovation performance and innovation environment, as well as another 17 sub-indicators that track data such as the proportion of large firms that have set up specialised research and development centres and their number of invention patents.

The report said the impact from Chinese firms’ innovation has been steadily growing, and collaboration in innovation has also experienced rapid growth.

It advised further efforts to promote cooperation among industries, colleges and research institutions, and to optimise the environment for innovation.

China’s industrial production experienced accelerated growth in 2024, driven by the country’s continued efforts to optimise and upgrade its industrial structure. Its manufacturing industry has also maintained the top position globally in terms of scale for 15 consecutive years.

There has been a more upbeat sentiment recently following the release of data early this week, which showed the nation’s manufacturing sector continues to expand in March as business production accelerated amid sustained economic recovery.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for China’s manufacturing sector came in at 50.5 in March, up 0.3 percentage points from February. A PMI reading above 50 reflects expansion.

An automated production site at the final assembly workshop of Chang’an Auto Digital Intelligence Factory in China. PHOTO: XINHUA

Tesla sales fall 13pc amid Musk backlash, competition

Business

April 4, 2025

AP – Tesla sales fell 13 per cent in the first three months of the year, another sign that Elon Musk’s once high-flying car company is struggling to attract buyers.

The leading electric vehicle (EV) maker has faced a growing backlash from Musk’s embrace of right-wing politics and his role in the Trump administration. Opponents have staged protests at Tesla showrooms in the United States (US) and in Europe, where the sales declines have been steeper.

Tesla’s line-up is ageing, and some consumers may have held off from buying its bestselling Model Y while waiting for an updated version. The Austin, Texas, company also faces fierce competition from other EV makers offering vastly improved models, including those of China’s BYD.

Tesla reported deliveries of 336,681 globally in the January to March quarter. The figure was down from sales of 387,000 in the same period a year ago.

The decline came despite deep discounts, zero financing and other incentives and could be a warning that the company’s first-quarter earnings report later this month could disappoint investors.Dan Ives of Wedbush said Wall Street financial analysts knew the first quarter was likely bad, but turned out even worse than expected. He called the sales results a “disaster on every metric”.

“The brand crisis issues are clearly having a negative impact on Tesla…there is no debate,” he said.

Musk has been President Donald Trump’s point man in his effort to cut government spending. As criticism of Musk mounted and Tesla’s sales and stock price slumped, Trump last month held an extraordinary press conference outside the White House in which he praised Tesla, blasted boycotts against the company and bought a Tesla himself while TV cameras rolled.

Tesla investors have complained Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency has diverted his focus from running Tesla. On Tuesday, New York City’s comptroller overseeing pension funds holding Tesla stock called for a lawsuit accusing a distracted Musk of “driving Tesla off a financial cliff”.

Officers from Ottawa Police Service at a Tesla Service and Showroom centre in Canada. PHOTO: AP

Nintendo Switch 2 sparks excitement despite high price

Business

April 4, 2025

AFP – Nintendo fans excited over the upcoming Switch console said yesterday they were disappointed by the high price tag, as United States (US) tariffs bite.

The Japanese video game giant revealed details about the Switch 2 on Wednesday, announcing an update to the hugely successful 2017 original that has sold over 150 million units.

But shares in the Kyoto-based company tanked nearly six percent following the announcement, partly because the recommended retail price – USD449.99 in the US, GBP395.99 in Britain and EUR469.99 in France – is at least a third more than its predecessor.

Shares closed down 3.3 per cent in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping levies.

These include 46 per cent on Vietnam and 49 per cent on Cambodia – countries where Nintendo has reportedly shifted an increasing share of its production in recent years. The Switch 2 games, including Donkey Kong Bonanza, Kirby Air Riders and Mario Kart World, will cost EUR80-90 (USD86-USD97).

“I will buy it, but maybe not when it’s released,” 33-year-old data analyst Felix Sorge told AFP in Tokyo. “It’s quite expensive in comparison to the old one.”

Industry research firm Niko Partners poured cold water on the idea of waiting for a discount, however.

A man walks by a Nintendo Switch display at an electronics retail chain store in Tokyo, Japan. PHOTO: AP

“We do not expect a price drop for the Switch 2 within its first five years given continued uncertainty around reciprocal tariffs, global trade and higher component costs,” it said.

The original Switch was an all-ages hit thanks to its hybrid concept, which allows players to use it on the go and connect to a TV. The new version retains many of its features, including detachable Joy-Con controllers.

What’s new is a C button that activates GameChat – allowing users to speak with one another while playing.

“Even when you’re apart, you can play games and hang out as if you were together in the same room,” Nintendo said.

The Switch 2, which will be released on June 5, will have eight times the memory of the first Switch at 256 gigabyte, and a 7.9-inch screen up from 6.2 inches for the original. Its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse, a new functionality the company clearly hopes game developers will use.

A GameShare function will also enable users to share games with friends and temporarily play together.

A 21-year-old Japanese university student, Rio Narita, called the wider range of gameplay possibilities a big deal and said Sony’s PlayStation 5 console was also expensive.

“Given all these functions and the larger screen, it’s sort of unavoidable,” he said.

But student Sayaka Motoya, 18, said the price was “tough for younger people or those who don’t have much money”.

Nintendo offered a glimpse of the hotly anticipated new console in mid-January, ahead of the live presentation Wednesday.

“The Switch 2 is more of an iteration than a reinvention of the wheel,” Niko Partners said.

Despite recent diversification efforts into movies and theme parks, Nintendo’s core business still relies on video games.

The company could sell around 19 million units in 2025 and 21 million the following year, Toyo Securities estimated.

Trump’s tariff hikes pull Asian shares, US futures sharply lower

Business

April 4, 2025

AP – Shares tumbled in Europe and Asia and United States (US) futures tumbled yesterday following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of big increases in tariffs on imports of goods from around the world.

The double-digit tariff hikes sent shivers across world markets, as economists warned it raises the risk of recession.

The future for the S&P 500 dropped 3.1 per cent while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.6 per cent, auguring potential losses when US markets reopen yesterday.

Germany’s DAX fell 1.7 per cent to 21,998.48, while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 1.8 per cent to 7,716.66. Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 1.2 per cent to 8,506.44.

In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index dipped four per cent briefly, with automakers and banks taking big hits. It closed down 2.8 per cent at 34,735.93.

United States President Donald Trump is shown on a screen at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. PHOTO: AP

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s shares plunged 7.2 per cent as the potential impact of the 24 per cent tariffs on the export-dependent Japanese economy dashed expectations that the central bank will keep raising interest rates. Mizuho Financial Group skidded eight per cent.

Sony Corp.’s stocks sank 4.8 per cent and Toyota Motor Corp gave up 5.2 per cent.

Japan’s yen gained, with the US dollar falling to JPY147.42 from JPY149.28. The euro rose to USD1.0952 from USD1.0855.

In South Korea, which was hit with a 25-per-cent tariff, the benchmark Kospi fell 1.1 per cent to 2,486.70.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.7 per cent to 22,813.22, while the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.2 per cent lower to 3,342.01.

The announcement came as a “major shock”, Yeap Junrong of IG said in a commentary.

“China, in particular, was hit with an additional 34 per cent tariff, bringing its total tariff burden to 64 per cent when accounting for previous measures.” However, losses were partly blunted by expectations of further economic stimulus from Beijing to offset the impact of the higher tariffs.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.9 per cent to 7,859.70.

Bangkok’s SET shed 1.1 per cent after Thailand was assigned at 36 per cent tariff on its exports to the US.

That could cause Thai exports to fall by USD7 billion to USD8 billion, or about 2.3 per cent of the total, Kasem Prunratanamala of CGS International said in a report.

Malaysian ringgit stable against US dollar, ends marginally higher at 4.44

Business

April 4, 2025

BERNAMA – The ringgit, which faced pressure against the US dollar following United States (US) President Donald Trump’s announcements on global reciprocal tariffs, closed relatively stable today, said an analyst.

At 6pm, the ringgit traded marginally higher at 4.4400/4460 against the greenback from Wednesday’s close of 4.4510/4565.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the ringgit traded weaker in the morning session against the US dollar to MYR4.4822 but regained ground by late afternoon.

He said traders, investors, and analysts were weighing the potential fallout due to the tariff announcements.

“In response, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry expressed openness to engage in discussions with the US, signalling Malaysia’s pragmatic stance. A tit-for-tat approach, after all, could backfire-import tariffs essentially function as a domestic tax burden.

“This measured response also helps maintain diplomatic ties, with both sides appearing keen to resolve tensions. Nonetheless, market sentiment is expected to remain fragile in the short term as the risk of broader retaliatory actions looms, potentially dampening global demand,” he told Bernama. Mohd Afzanizam said that given this backdrop, the ringgit is likely to trade within the MYR4.44 to MYR4.45 range in the near term.

Meanwhile, SPI Asset Management managing director Stephen Innes said the road ahead for the ringgit could be challenging from a fundamental perspective.

“However, foreign exchange is a relative game, and local traders are already shifting focus to the US side of the equation – specifically, the growing probability that this tariff shock triggers a US Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate cut, maybe even sooner than the market’s current pricing.

“So, while the ringgit’s still nursing wounds, the narrative has shifted. (Now) it is less about the ringgit’s weakness and more about the US macro blowback, which could eventually lend some support for the ringgit. A Fed dovish pivot could be timely,” he said. On April 2, Trump declared America’s ‘Liberation Day’ from the White House Rose Garden and signed an executive order launching a sweeping global tariff regime.

Heat humble Celtics for sixth straight win, Thunder roll on

Sports

April 4, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The Miami Heat ended Boston’s nine-game NBA winning streak with a 124-103 victory that pushed the reigning champion Celtics further behind Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland – who rallied to beat New York.

Tyler Herro scored 25 points to lead seven players in double figures for the Heat, who fought off a late Celtics surge to notch a sixth straight victory.

Boston connected on just 37.2 per cent of their shots in the first half in the face of stout Miami defense and the Heat extended their lead to 22 points early in the third quarter.

The Celtics, led by 24 points from Jaylen Brown, cut the deficit to three, but Miami had pushed it back to 10 entering the fourth quarter.

After the Celtics pulled within four early in the final frame the Heat relentlessly pulled away again.

“That just plays into that connection piece that we’ve been talking about the last couple of weeks,” Herro said.

“Playing as one, playing as a unit. They made their run – we stayed together. We didn’t fold, we didn’t let go of the rope.”

Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson drives to the basket against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. PHOTO: AP

The victory solidified Miami’s position in the Eastern Conference play-in while the Celtics fell five games behind the Cavaliers atop the conference with six games left in the regular season.

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and Jarrett Allen added 21 on impressive 10-of-11 shooting for the Cavs, who rallied from an early 15-point deficit to beat the Knicks 124-105 in Cleveland.

After leading by as many as 15 points on the way to a 60-53 halftime lead, New York ran out of gas.

New York’s OG Anunoby made five of six from three-point range on the way to 19 first-half points, but scored just four in the second half.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the third-placed Knicks with 25 points and 13 rebounds, but after closing the first half on a 10-2 scoring run the Cavaliers outscored the Knicks 38-25 in the third quarter to seize control.

“We didn’t put our best foot forward at the start,” Mitchell said. “We came out kind of sloppy… For the rest of the game, the last three quarters, we did what we were supposed to do.”

The Knicks remained three games ahead of the fourth-placed Indiana Pacers, who were fuelled by 22 points and 10 assists from Tyrese Haliburton in a 119-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder took their winning streak to 11 games with a 119-103 home victory over the Detroit Pistons. Most Valuable Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points, Jalen Williams added 23 and Chet Holmgren chipped in 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who are assured of the top seed in the West.

Behind them, the second-placed Houston Rockets clinched a playoff spot in emphatic style, beating the league-worst Utah Jazz 143-105.

The Rockets are three games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets – who fell 113-106 to the San Antonio Spurs as Denver coach Mike Malone rested all five of his regular starters one day after their double overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The absentees included reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who scored 61 points and played 53 minutes in Tuesday’s defeat but has been nursing elbow and ankle injuries.

In Dallas, Anthony Davis took an elbow to the eye early but came back to drive for the game-winner with 3.4 seconds left in the Mavericks’ 120-118 victory over the Hawks.

Davis, who suffered a cut over his right eye when teammate Daniel Gafford accidentally elbowed him, scored a game-high 34 points with 15 rebounds and the Mavs gained a much-needed win as they battle for a play-in tournament berth.

The top six finishers in each conference qualify automatically for the playoffs, while teams placed seventh to 10th will battle through the play-in tournament for the final two spots.