Official: Johor zoo to launch night safari before year is out
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — Johor Zoo's night safari is set to open by the end of this year, according to state executive councillor Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor.
The state government has approved RM5 million for phase two of the zoo's upgrading works, which will begin in the first quarter of the year.
According to The Star, Mohd Jafni said the upgrades will include better facilities, making 80 per cent of the zoo more accessible for the elderly, people with disabilities, and parents with strollers.
'Additionally, we aim to launch the night safari in the fourth quarter of this year,' he was quoted as saying.
He said the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) is also planning to invest RM10 million to develop a new carpark opposite the zoo to accommodate an increase in visitors.
Authorities are further considering using a parking area near the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque and adding a pedestrian crossing for safer access to the zoo.
Additionally, there are plans to create 200 more parking bays at the Ayer Molek Prison site, which currently serves as the zoo's main parking area.
MBJB is exploring the possibility of converting the old prison into a weekend night market to complement the night safari.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously mooted the night safari as a way to further increase visitors to the state's zoo.
Johor Zoo, which houses 373 animals from 65 species, has welcomed 500,000 visitors since reopening on August 31 last year following RM9.6 million in upgrades over three years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Ram Brand Launches 'Never Stop Being American' Marketing Campaign, New Brand Ethos 'Nothing Stops Ram'
"Never Stop Being American" marketing campaign takes off across broadcast and Ram brand's social media channels Campaign celebrates America, its people, pastimes and traditions, formally introduces the Ram brand's new tagline, "Nothing Stops Ram" Set to a custom version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the spot launches on Flag Day UFC's Dana White narrates the Ram brand anthem Launch follows on the heels of brand's recent announcements that the HEMI® V-8 has returned to Ram and Ram brand is back in NASCAR Ram brand to take part in America250 yearlong celebration as exclusive truck sponsor AUBURN HILLS, Mich. , June 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- It's not the 4th of July yet, but the Ram brand is already setting off the fireworks! On the heels of the brand's highly anticipated and long-awaited news that the HEMI® V-8 is making a comeback and that Ram brand is back in NASCAR, Ram is launching its new marketing campaign, "Never Stop Being American," and with it, even more attitude with the brand's new tagline, "Nothing Stops Ram." "Never Stop Being American" screams red, white and blue. Set to a custom version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Kenny Wayne Shepherd and narrated by UFC's Dana White, the 60-second spot, launching on Flag Day, explodes with fireworks, HEMI V-8s, NASCAR, tattooed grandmas, rodeos, burnouts, the Goodyear Blimp, the Ram Monster Truck, Ram trucks and fighter jets with patriotic smoke trails, mullets and blue suede shoes, just to name a few."Ram's new campaign, 'Never Stop Being an American,' is an ode to America, its people, its culture and time-honored traditions," said Olivier Francois, global chief marketing officer, Stellantis. "Launching it, and the new 'Nothing Stops Ram' tagline, sets the stage for an epic year for the brand that will be remembered for the HEMI V-8's comeback and return to NASCAR and, for the country, leading into America's 250th anniversary, in which Ram will play a leading role during the yearlong celebration as the event's exclusive truck partner." The news of the HEMI V-8 and NASCAR return was officially announced by Tim Kuniskis, global CEO of the Ram brand, during a live NASCAR event at the Michigan International Speedway on June 8."Last weekend, we let our Ram customers know that we heard them loud and clear, and the HEMI V-8 is back," said Kuniskis. "Nothing stops Americans, and nothing stops Ram, so when our drivers told us what they wanted in their trucks, we answered the call. This is just the start of what will be an unforgettable year for the brand and for our customers, which starts now by giving them what they've fought us to have, freedom of choice that includes the return of an iconic American powertrain." The "Never Stop Being American" marketing campaign was created in partnership with the Ram brand and Glue IQ, with Doner developing the "Nothing Stops Ram" tagline. Ram brand also launched its "Ram-Demption" campaign as part of last weekend's events at Michigan International Speedway, officially signaling the return of the HEMI V-8 and the brand's return to NASCAR. The 68-second video features Kuniskis behind the wheel of Ram's NASCAR concept truck at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, with the iconic Goodyear Blimp and jets flying overhead. Different versions of the "Ram-Demption" video include 60-, 30- and 15-second spots, which are running across NASCAR media and the Ram brand's social media channels, in addition to a long-form video running on the Ram brand's YouTube channel. "Ram-Demption" was created in partnership with Argonaut agency. The Ram brand will also play a big part in the festivities surrounding the 250th anniversary of America, announcing its exclusive truck brand partnership with America250, the bipartisan organization charged by Congress to lead the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Ram brand will also play a big part in the festivities surrounding the 250th anniversary of America, announcing its exclusive truck brand partnership last month with America250, the bipartisan organization charged by Congress to lead the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Ram brand will play a central role in the yearlong celebration, which includes providing trucks that move America250 official events across the country​. In addition, the Ram brand will reveal a limited-edition A250 vehicle within its truck portfolio to commemorate the yearlong celebration. More details will be announced as the celebration continues throughout the brand's parent company, formerly named after Walter P. Chrysler, celebrated its 100th anniversary on June 6, 2025. Ram BrandRam offers a full lineup of pickups and commercial vehicles; the Ram 1500, 2500/3500 Heavy Duty, 3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab and ProMaster Ram Light-Duty and Heavy Duty pickups are considerably improved for 2025 and offer new products in the fastest growing segment within the pickup space—Sport Trucks. Ram introduced the largest variety of off-road performance trucks the brand has ever offered, including the new Ram 1500 RHO with more horsepower per dollar than any other performance off-road the commercial business, Ram is launching the new 2025 Chassis Cab line with improvements to help customers and upfitters. Ram Professional is making considerable changes in process, execution and resources with a focus on commercial offerings, dedicated B2B-focused expertise, and sales and service support, which are critical to growing in this continues to outperform the competition, setting the benchmark in the most important areas for truck buyers: Segment-first: 1,000 lb.-ft of torque with Cummins Turbo Diesel Most luxurious: Ram 1500 Tungsten with air suspension, 24-way massage seats and 540 horsepower Ram 1500 and Heavy Duty: Best ride and handling with five-link solid rear axle with available, segment-exclusive, active-level air suspension Ram 1500 RHO: Best off-road performance per dollar Ram ProMaster: The most cargo space available in any traditional full size cargo van Ram Power Wagon: Most off-road capable full-size pickup Ram is improving market competitiveness and growth while maintaining pricing power through products, services and electrified offerings. Aligned under the global presence of the Stellantis Pro One commercial vehicle organization, Ram currently offers a wide range of products globally, from the Ram 700 compact pickup to the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab and a range of ProMaster is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit Follow Ram and company news and video on:Company blog: website: Truck brand: @RamTrucks, @StellantisNAYouTube: For more information, please visit the Stellantis media site for North America at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Stellantis Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
NBC Sports
12-06-2025
- NBC Sports
Trackhouse Racing engineer excited for chance to return home with NASCAR race in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Somewhere along pit road Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Jose Blasco-Figueroa will stand in line with his Trackhouse Racing teammates and hear something he's never heard ahead of a NASCAR Cup race. The Mexican national anthem. Just the thought of that had the 52-year-old Mexico City native 'getting emotional' when he talked with NBC Sports earlier this month. But there's something else that makes the senior performance engineer's path to this weekend even more special. He became an American citizen in April. The first Cup race he heard the 'The Star-Spangled Banner' after becoming a U.S. citizen was the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Set against the backdrop of Memorial Day weekend, the emotional pre-race ceremonies reached a crescendo with the anthem and flyover. Blasco-Figueroa admits he 'kind of felt different' hearing the anthem as a citizen compared to previous times. 'It felt great.' Just as he imagines what it will be like to hear the Mexican anthem ahead of the first NASCAR Cup points race outside the continental U.S. since 1958. 'Going back there and listening to it, that, to me, is going to be probably the best part of the race regardless of what happens,' he said. 'Because … I haven't heard it (at a Cup race before). I haven't experienced that.' Dustin Long, He is here 25 kilometers from his mother's home helping oversee engineering aspects for Trackhouse drivers Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez and Shane van Gisbergen. Each has won a road course race with the Next Gen car (since 2022). Blasco-Figueroa never imagined his path leading to NASCAR. He didn't come from a racing family but his interest in the sport was raised when he received a battery-powered toy Formula One car as a child. Intrigued by how things worked, he became an engineer. He spent his first 23 years in Mexico City and joined General Motors. The company sent him to Michigan for about 18 months before he returned to Mexico. He left GM to earn his master's degree in England. He hoped to get a job with a Formula One team but nothing materialized. Blasco-Figueroa returned to work for GM in Mexico. At one point, he was working for GM, teaching automotive engineers and working with a NASCAR Mexico Series team. He eventually quit his GM job to focus on racing. In 2016, he went to Charlotte, North Carolina, dropping his resumes off at race shops. A few days later, he had three job offers. He's worked at BK Racing, Richard Childress Racing and now Trackhouse Racing. He's working on different projects for Trackhouse and teaching some of the younger engineers Blasco-Figueroa recently completed the 'Data Science and Machine Learning: Making Data-Driven Decisions' 12-week program by the MIT Institute for Data, Systems and Society. He spent eight to 12 hours a week on the course. 'You got to keep up with technology,' Blasco-Figueroa said. 'Data science is taking over many things. … AI is just a small part of data science. For us, right here, racing, the amount of data we have is huge.' 'A lot of people just think about racing on the part of you've going to make fast cars. Yes, you've got to make fast cars, but you got to race, right? That's why strategy also is a part of the game. How you manage your car, how you manage your tires. All of that is coming into place. We just saw it in the (Coca-Cola) 600. (William Byron) dominated the race. Did he win it? No. We won it (with Chastain). Why? Strategy.' Should Trackhouse win Sunday in Mexico, it would complete a memorable day for Blasco-Figueroa that started with hearing the Mexican anthem for the first time before a Cup race.
Indianapolis Star
12-05-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Indy 500 drivers to win Borg-Warner Trophy 3 times or more: See the full list of racers
Louis Meyer won the Indy 500 in 1928, 1933 and 1936. Kirkpatrick Photo Wilbur Shaw won the Indy 500 in 1937, 1939 and 1940. KIRKPATRICK / IMS PHOTO Mauri Rose won the Indy 500 in 1941, 1947 and 1948. Star File A.J. Foyt won the Indy 500 in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977. Vern Atkins/Indianapolis News Bobby Unser won the Indy 500 in 1968, 1975 and 1981. Vern Atkins / The Star File Photo Al Unser won the Indy 500 in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. Lyle Mannweiler/Indianapolis News Johnny Rutherford won the Indy 500 in 1974, 1976 and 1980. Rick Mears won the Indy 500 in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991. Gary Moore/Indianapolis News Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar Dario Franchitti won the Indy 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012. Mike Fender / The Star
