Cheung would rather have wrinkles than a stiff face

Compiled by C. ARUNO and RAGANANTHINI VETHASALAM

HONG Kong Cantopop superstar Jacky Cheung (pic), despite acknowledging the increasing wrinkles on his face, says he will not get Botox injections, Sin Chew Daily reported.

“Time flies and I am now in my 60s. No matter how old I am, I will strive to become a better Jacky Cheung,” he said during a performance in Taipei last Friday.

However, he admitted that some things are inevitable.

“For instance, my skin now has wrinkles. It’s no longer as smooth as before.

“But if you want me to inject Botox, I cannot accept the idea of my face becoming stiff.”

Cheung was quick to add that he respects those who choose Botox to enhance their appearance.

“If you like it, just do it. There’s nothing wrong with trying to improve yourself. Everyone wants to look good, including me,” said Cheung, 63.

> Sin Chew Daily also reported that a woman in Sitiawan, Perak, rented her terrace house for RM900 a month to a company that claimed to need it as staff accommodation starting in July 2023.

However, the landlady who wanted to be known only as Wei, later discovered from a neighbour that police and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) staff had raided her house due to illegal bitcoin mining activities.

She was shocked to receive a letter from TNB, notifying her of her staggering electricity bill.

In another similar case in Sitiawan, a woman named Lin rented her house out for RM5,000 per month from June to November 2023.

When she couldn’t reach the tenant to collect rent, she visited the property and was surprised to find the gate open.

A neighbour informed her that the house had been used for bitcoin mining. Subsequently, Lin received a staggering RM276,000 electricity bill from TNB.

“This is my first time being a landlady, and I’ve ended up with such a huge debt. I no longer dare to rent it out. I’d rather leave it empty,” she said.

The Energy Commission said that TNB has been experiencing significant losses due to electricity theft for bitcoin mining since 2018, estimating the total loss between 2018 and 2024 to be around RM3.86bil.

According to the commission, these syndicates have moved their operations from commercial properties to residential homes in isolated areas to avoid detection.

Their method of stealing electricity involves directly tapping into TNB cables and bypassing the property’s electricity meter.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.