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Business forum permanent feature in future dialogues Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:40 PM PDT Business forum permanent feature in future dialogues Announcing new initiatives and measures to further enhance the dialogue, which began in 1995, and the smart partnership movement, he said the forum would include small-and-medium enterprises and business franchise opportunities between Malaysia, Africa and the Caribbean. PUTRAJAYA: The business forum will be a permanent feature of the smart partnership dialogue which will be held biennially, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said at the end of the Ninth Langkawi International Dialogue here today. The next dialogue, the Southern Africa International Dialogue (SAID) will be hosted by Tanzania, he announced in an "Outcome Document" at the closing ceremony of the three-day LID attended by leaders, ministers and officials from 14 African and Caribbean countries including Malaysia. Najib said steps would be taken to promote technology-driven smart partnership cooperation to address socio-economic disparity and increase productivity and income. Besides this, leaders agreed there would be initiatives to enhance and facilitate specialisation and internalisation of research and development within governments to nurture knowledge and innovation-based economies. Leaders attending LID2011, held for the first time in Putrajaya, also agreed there was need for smart partnerships to progress towards ensuring good governance and effective administration. This was to preserve social cohesion and achieve socio-economic growth and political stability, the Prime Minister said. He also said leaders agreed for the dialogue to be held biennially so as to allow more time for participating countries to implement initiatives and plan for future prospects. -- BERNAMA Air your comment on this issue: Business forum permanent feature in future dialogues Log in with your Facebook account or use the form below to comment. New Straits Times reserves the right not to publish offensive or abusive comments and those of hate speech, harassment, commercial promos and invasion of privacy. Your IP will be logged and may be used to prevent further submission.The views expressed here are that of the members of the public and unless specifically stated are not those of NST. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Teachers make ‘Interlok’ changes manually Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:02 PM PDT 2011/06/21 Maizatul Ranai and Predeep Nambiar news@nst.com.my A list of amendments to be made to the controversial Interlok textbook following a directive from the Education Ministry. KUALA LUMPUR: The government has initiated cost-cutting measures to amend certain words and phrases in the Interlok textbook. Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the process was being done manually by teachers instead of reprinting the book. He said only nine pages in the book were affected and it would not be a burden on the teachers. Interlok, by national laureate Datuk Abdullah Hussein, is the text literature for Form Five students. Only schools in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor and Negri Sembilan are affected. The books were recalled from the students last week to allow for the amendments to be made. Puad said adhesive cut-outs, supplied by the ministry to the schools, were being used to make the amendments. "The amendments are made to the words and phrases that have been identified. It is easier this way. "Reprinting the book will incur wastage as we are not changing the whole book, only the parts affected." The New Straits Timeswas made aware of this when a reader called to say that teachers were required to make amendments to the textbook manually. She said last Saturday, a school had recalled several of its teachers to carry out the task. Puad said it should not be too much for the teachers to handle, adding that it was part of a teacher's responsibility and did not require hard labour. "There are usually five classes of fifth formers in a school. This totals about 200 to 250 books." Puad also said representatives from the textbook division would be monitoring the amendments to be made. Among thewords and phrases replaced are "kasta pariah" (pariah caste) with "go - longan yang sama" (the same group) and "tuhan" (god) replaced with "d e wa " (de - ity). National Union of the Teaching Profession president Hashim Adnan said it should not be a problem for teachers because it was their responsibility. "If teachers don't do it, who else will? The books have already been sent out to the schools. Logistic costs will be higher if the books are sent back to the publisher s." However, National Parent-Teacher Association president Datuk Mohd Ali Hassan said it was a hassle because teachers had to devote extra time for the job when they should be doing other academic-related work. "It should be done by the publisher and not the teachers. "On the whole, it will be better if the book is reprinted as it is a national literature book." Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim concurred and said the job was not within a teacher's scope of duties. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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2 car bombs kill 25 in central Iraq Posted: 20 Jun 2011 11:26 PM PDT BAGHDAD: Two car bombs near the home of the provincial governor killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 30 in the city of Diwaniyah in central Iraq on Tuesday, a defence ministry official said. "Two car bombs exploded almost simultaneously near the governor's home in Diwaniyah, killing 25 people and wounding more than 30," the official told AFP. It was not immediately known if the governor, Salam Hussein Alwan, was among the casualties. - AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Flight chaos in Australia as ash cloud returns Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:54 PM PDT SYDNEY: Thousands of passengers were grounded Tuesday as the Chilean ash cloud returned to Australia with a vengeance, with hundreds of flights cancelled to Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. The cloud, created by the eruption of the Puyehue volcano high in the Andes more than two weeks ago, has looped the globe and made its way back Down Under to wreak fresh havoc. State broadcaster ABC said more than 120,000 people had their travel plans thrown into disarray. "The ash cloud is denser and larger than that which caused widespread disruption to flights last week," said Airservices Australia, adding that the plume was hovering between 20,000 and 40,000 feet (6-13 kilometres). "It is also predicted to linger longer over southeast Australia. It is spread in a large band below the Australian continent and is predicted to continue to move to the northeast and east in coming days." Qantas suspended services to and from the South Australian capital Adelaide as well as Canberra and Sydney — Australia's busiest airport. Its discount airline Jetstar also called off Adelaide and Sydney flights while Tiger Airways grounded its entire fleet, with no services anywhere. Virgin, meanwhile, suspended flights to Adelaide and Canberra, with routes to major hubs Sydney and Melbourne as well as Tasmania not flying from 4:00pm (0600 GMT), with the disruptions expected to spill into Wednesday. "Volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Puyehue Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile continues to cause flight disruptions to the Qantas network," Qantas said. "At Qantas safety is our first priority and a number of flights have been cancelled or re-routed to avoid the volcanic ash cloud." Its morning services from Sydney to Bangkok, London, Singapore and Frankfurt were not affected, but international flights later in the day were hit. Some services, including from Singapore and Johannesburg, were diverted to Brisbane, while its Hong Kong and Los Angeles flights have been delayed. A spokesman said announcements would be made later on other international routes, including its evening services to London and other parts of Europe. Meteorologists said that while the ash had thinned during its travels around the world it was still clearly visible on satellite images and was moving at an altitude where aircraft generally cruise. "It is the same cloud that has gone right around the world. It is still dense and it is still hazardous to aviation," a spokesman at the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre. The cloud first entered Australian and New Zealand airspace just over a week ago, causing some airlines to ground all flights to affected areas while others chose to divert their planes under and around the plume. Flights were also affected across Argentina and Uruguay. The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre's director Andrew Tupper said the plume was a rare occurrence and a third loop back to Australia was not likely. A third time round would be unprecedented," he said, adding that it was a testing time for airlines. "It is a very complex problem for the airlines to manage. Obviously they have to take a conservative approach." Ash poses a significant threat to aircraft because once sucked into engines it can be converted into molten glass as a result of the high temperatures and potentially cause an engine to fail. - AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Both sides display professionalism Posted: 15 Mar 2011 08:21 AM PDT Both sides display professionalism 2010/10/26 Patrick Sennyah and Aidi Amin news@nst.com.my GUA MUSANG: Leaders from both the Barisan Nasional and Pas demonstrated a high level of professionalism during nominations for the Galas state seat today, ensuring a smooth, fast and clean nomination process. The BN delegation was led by Umno vice-president, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Wanita Umno chief, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Wanita MCA chief, Datuk Ng Yen Yen and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, while the Pas delegation was helmed by its party president, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Azmin Ali and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang. Both delegations arrived separately and though seated in different tents were seen chatting with each other in a very cordial and peaceful manner. At one point, Shahrizat was seen leading a delegation of Wanita Umno members to visit the Opposition tent. There, Shahrizat warmly greeted Hadi Awang, who stood up to greet her, along with Kit Siang and Azmin. Hadi Awang asked Shahrizat how the recently concluded Umno general assembly had progressed and congratulated her on a smooth and successful assembly. "It went well. There were no problems and everyone was happy," said Shahrizat, who also took time to ask Kit Siang about his health. "I'm well ... how about you," asked the DAP stalwart. The group then spent a few minutes chatting and later returned to their respective camps. Overall, there was not a single untoward incident and supporters from both sides demonstrated a high level of professionalism. "We are very happy with how the nominations progressed and hope this same kind of spirit will prevail throughout the campaign period and on polling day also," said Kelantan police chief, Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi. Abdul Rahim has assured both the Barisan Nasional, who will be fielding Abdul Aziz Yusoff, 49, for the seat and Pas' Dr Zulkefli Mohamed,44, that the police will not reject any permits for ceramahs, as long as it is submitted a day earlier. There were more than 500 supporters on each side and police, who had anticipated large crowds had took steps to place the groups 180 metres apart as opposed to only 60 metres as in previous by-elections. There was also very smooth traffic flow, with no major disturbances to the locals who were busy on their way to work. "We did not close any major roads and did our best not to disturb the daily lives of the people here," said Abdul Rahim. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

New faces expected in Sarawak election Posted: 14 Mar 2011 03:12 PM PDT 2010/11/23 By Lian Cheng news@nst.com.my KUCHING: The coming state election may see the most number of new faces within the Sarawak Barisan Nasional in its history. In the past, it has been the practice of BN to maintain the incumbents to ensure political stability - the fewer changes made, the less risk would be at stake. However, since the last state election in 2006, the general public's mentality seems to have shifted to opt for new blood and younger state representatives, especially after the op position made it a point to recruit young professionals with no historical baggage or even political background to stand as their candidates. While BN had little time to react to this change in the last state election, this time around, however, one can expect to see BN putting forth new faces to replace some of the incumbents, especially those who did not secure impressive majorities in the last state elections. Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), for instance, did not wait for the coming election to make known its intention to replace some of the incumbents. As early as November 2008, its president Tan Sri Taib Mahmud replaced three PBB assistant ministers when reshuffling his Cabinet - Datuk Bolhassan Di (Assistant Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communica tion), Datuk Hamden Ahmad (Assistant Minister of Youth as well as Tourism) and Datuk Ambrose Blikau (Assistant Minister of Rural Development as well as Public Utilities). With growing rumours that a state election would take place March 26 (which coincides with Taib's 30th an niversary as Chief Minister) next year, there are predictions that more than a handful of PBB incumbents would be dropped after Taib's declaration of 30 per cent new faces. PBB was allocated 35 out of the 71 state seats in the last elections and 30 per cent new faces would mean 10 new candidates, which was also confirmed by party insiders. Those on top of the list speculated to be dropped are the three dropped assistant minsiters Bolhassan (Beting Maro), Hamden (Belawai) and Blikau (Katibas). Others included Dr Wahbi Junaidi (Saribas; 94-vote ma jority), Simoi Peri (Lingga; 1870-vote majority), Gramong Juna (Machan; 2,289-vote majority), Frederick Bayoi (Kedup; 1981-vote majority) and Wan Wahap (Sadong Jaya, 858-vote majority). Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), meanwhile, has been going on its rounds to solve issues, reaching out to young voters and recruiting thousands of them. SUPP has also produced dramas to rekindle among the veteran party members their initial love and sacrifice for the party. These efforts were taken note of by the Chinese, but initial grassroots feedback seems to indicate no significant impact as yet on Chinese voters. "Every day, we make it a point to spend time with our voters. We are experiencing a total transformation especially with regards to our candidates," said its president Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam. SUPP plans to put forth at least 30 per cent new faces and no "recycled candidates". These changes are expected in all the areas it had lost ground previously, such as Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Kidurong, Merandong and Bukit Assek. SUPP has 19 allocated constituencies. Only one recycled candidate would be expected, namely Datuk Alfred Yap, contesting in Kota Sentosa which he lost by 531 votes to Sarawak DAP secretary general Chong Chieng Jen. For Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) which has been allocated nine seats, its president Datuk Seri Dr James Masing has stated that there would be at least two new faces, speculated to be at Ngemah and Pelagus. Ngemah was lost to Gabriel Adit, a former BN member who is now Parti Cinta Malaysia Sarawak state chief. Pelagus, a seat of dispute due to Larry Sng's expulsion from the party after challenging Masing's presidency, remains a problem that BN needs to solve before the state elections is called. To Masing, the Pelagus seat is non-negotiable. Sng, who has been a partyless assistant minister over the last three years, would have to be absorbed by other component parties and contest in another constituency besides Pelagus if he wished to stand under the BN banner. Speculation is that he would either stand in Meradong, the birthplace of his tycoon father-in-law Tan Sri Ting Phek Kiing, if he is to be absorbed by SUPP; or Meluan, replacing Wong Judat, should he be accepted by Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP). Holding eight seats, SPDP's president Datuk Seri William has said that he would retain all the incumbents. However, it has been reported that the four state as semblymen within "the disgruntled five" namely Datuk Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu), Sylvester Entri (Marudi) and Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) would be replaced with new faces. "The disgruntled five", which also includes Mas Gading Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, was given the nickname when they teamed up to call on party president Mawan to resign. They claimed that Mawan, who is also the State Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation, was influenced by an invisible hand when he did not re-appoint Entri as the party secretary-general. The five walked out from a SPDP supreme council meeting when Mawan replaced Entri. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Football: Malaysia pumped up by away result Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:10 PM PDT 2011/06/21 Ajitpal Singh ajitpalsingh@nst.com.my Malaysia's Wan Zack Wan Nor (left) tries to stop a Lebanon player at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on Sunday. The teams drew 0-0. — Picture by Supian Ahmad MALAYSIA showed good organisation and resilience to hold Lebanon to a 0-0 draw in their Olympic Qualifier second round first leg match in Beirut on Sunday. Although, the team would have liked to have returned from the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium with an away goal, they can take comfort from their defensive excellence, led by centre-back Muslim Ahmad. The game also witnessed a selfless, industrious 90 minutes from midfielders Gary Steven Robbat and K. Gurusamy, who both made life difficult for Lebanon in the middle. It would have been, however, so much better for Malaysia if substitute striker Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim had converted in injury time to break the deadlock in Beirut. The result put Malaysia in a favourable position as they host the West Asian team in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Coach Ong Kim Swee is, however, wary of Lebanon utilising the away-goals rule to their advantage in the return leg. "We played cautiously here to avoid conceding goals but we also created enough chances to win as well," said Kim Swee when contacted in Beirut yesterday. "An away draw is a good result but we should not celebrate like we've won. We still have 90 minutes of football to play. My players must remain focused for the return leg." Kim Swee attributed the draw to the team's regimented play. "My team played to instructions to prevent Lebanon from playing their normal game. They did everything right except for the strikers, who I felt should have done better," he said. Defender Muslim expressed his delight after playing an instrumental role in Beirut. "I've been guilty in the past for making mistakes but I did not make any yesterday (Sunday). " I am confident the result here will give us the confidence to play better in the return leg," said Muslim. Lebanon coach Samir Saad said the Malaysian team had been unbreakable. "They were outstanding as a unit with a good defensive approach. However, I don't think they will play like this in Kuala Lumpur. "The match will be more open in the return leg. "The draw is not the end of the world for us. We will come back stronger," warned Samir. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Hockey: Malaysia fight back to hold Korea Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:05 PM PDT MALAYSIA held South Korea to a 2-2 draw in Group B of the Asian Hockey Federation Under-18 Cup in Singapore yesterday. Malaysia took the lead but let Korea equalise and then allowed them to snatch the lead before fighting tooth-and-nail for the equaliser. Malaysia had beaten China 3-0 on Sunday and play Sri Lanka on Thursday where they are assured of full points. Sri Lanka lost 8-0 to South Korea on Saturday. In Group B, Pakistan went on a rampage in both their matches when they whitewashed Brunei 18-0 and Taiwan 17-0. Singapore, also in Group B, have won two matches comfortably as they hammered Brunei 12-0 and pummeled Kazakhstan 18-0. RESULTS -- Group A: Pakistan 17 Taiwan 0; Group B: Malaysia 2 South Korea 2. TODAY: Group A: Kazakhstan v Brunei (5pm); Group B: Sri Lanka v China (7pm). All matches in Singapore. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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State of 'keroncong' on the upbeat Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:29 PM PDT State of 'keroncong' on the upbeat 2011/06/19 By Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed MORE than 2,000 keroncong enthusiasts were enthralled by the performances of 16 ensembles from Johor, Indonesia and Singapore at the recent Keroncong Gala Festival at the MBJB indoor stadium. It was the first such event to be organised by Yayasan Warisan Johor (Johor Heritage Foundation). The keroncong groups were from YWJ, state district government departments and institutions of higher learning. Also there by special invitation were high-profile groups from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Fans, some from as far as Muar, thronged the venue as early as 6pm to grab places nearest the stage to be closer to their idols. M. Nasir, Zarina AF, Asmida Ahmad and Adila Idris were among the stars of the festival. Guest-of-honour was Johor Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Asiah Mohd Ariff. The audience were swept off their feet by the melodious sounds of Kumpulan Keroncong Harmoni Chinese from Bandung, Indonesia, who added traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu, bu-ching, pipa and dulcimer to the standard keroncong set. Indonesian group Congrock 17 from Semarang stirred the audience, notably the younger set, with a string of pop and rock hits. The moniker "Congrock" is a combination of the names of the genres "keroncong" and "rock". Except for the flute and the violin, the group's instruments were electrically amplified. The tenor saxophone and the trumpet added strength to the ensemble's harmonisation. The keroncong, originating from Indonesia, typically consists of two ukulele-type instruments known as cak and cuk, the flute, violin, melody guitar, cello, double bass and a female or male vocalist. It was introduced to Johor by Javanese immigrants, and highlighted by YWJ 20 years ago. The versatile M. Nasir looked a little weary but exhibited excellent showmanship as he belted out three of his hits, Keroncong Untuk Ana, Mustika and Srikandi Cinta Ku. Thunderous applause greeted the end of his performance. Asmida, Zarina AF and Adila Idris were also in superb form as they each crooned Pulau Aur, Aksi Kucing and Aku dan Dia, respectively. The four artistes were accompanied by musicians from the YWJ orchestra conducted by the foundation's music director Jaafar Abdul Rahman Idris, better known as Jari. Ali Isa, 29, from Pasir Gudang, was on the upbeat after an evening of excellent entertainment. "All of the performances were excellent. It was also pleasant to listen to English pop hits played keroncong-style," said the school teacher who sat through a three-hour traffic jam to reach the venue. Three days prior to the performance, the 16 ensembles performed at four venues for the benefit of fans who wanted to avoid the mad rush of gala night. The shows were at IOI Mall in Kulaijaya, JB Night Bazaar in Lengaran Segget, Kompleks Pasir Gudang and Johor Tokoh Muzium in Jalan Yayha Aldatar. There was also a muscians' workshop at New York Hotel in Jalan Abdullah Tahir. There was a session for the music groups to get to know one another, and a talk on keroncong by YWJ culture officer Jaafar Ismail. Congrock 17 performed later, to the delight of the participants. Participant Osman Md Ali Rawa said: "Today's input enhanced my perception of contemporary keroncong." The 53-year-old music lecturer is from Temenggong Teachers' Institute, which students performed at the three-day festival. At the festival's close, a joyful Jari proclaimed this year's edition to be by far the best and most exciting. "Following this is the state-level keroncong ensemble competition," he said. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

12-year abandoned project revived Posted: 19 Jun 2011 08:09 AM PDT Senator Gan Ping Sieu (right) addressing the home buyers at the dialogue session. THE Taman Mengkibol housing project, which has been abandoned for the past 12 years, will be given a new lease of life come September. Also known as Success Villa, the project will see the revival of 440 low-cost and terrace houses. Kluang MCA chairman Senator Gan Ping Sieu said the project will be completed within 18 months. He said this during a dialogue with the 200-odd buyers in Kluang recently. Present were representatives from the Housing and Local Government Ministry, Bank Negara, Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB), liquidators and also members from the Taman Mengkibol House Buyers Committee. About 20 per cent of the low-cost flats have been completed and 351 units have been sold. The single- and double-storey terrace homes are between 50 and 80 per cent complete. House buyers will have to pay an additional 10 per cent based on the new hire purchase agreement due to the increase in the price of building materials. However, the low-cost homeowners are exempted from this. Gan said the Housing and Local Government Ministry will appoint a liquidator, through the courts, who will be given the full authority to deal with the buyers and coordinate with the contractors. "We need to ensure that the abandoned project can be rehabilitated according to the given time frame," said Gan. He said buyers who did not attend the dialogue session at the Kluang Municipal Council Hall on June 16 can surf the Internet and visit the Taman Mengkibol Facebook page for more information. "I am glad that there was positive feedback from the parties concerned even though the project had been abandoned for 12 years." Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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