Malaysia planning for Olympic squash glory
Malaysia is introducing a seven-year programme to build a world-class squash team that it hopes will result in a haul of medals if squash is adopted as a new Olympic sport. The International Olympic Committee will decide in October on two new sports for the 2016 Games. Squash is up against golf, baseball, karate, rugby 7s, roller speed skating and softball. Datuk A. Sani Karim, president of the Squash Rackets Association of Malaysia, said,” We are currently looking at identifying juniors, who will be ready to meet the challenges. We will work out programmes so that in seven years’ time the...
April 28th, 2009
Najib plans civil service shakeup
In a bid to modernize the civil service, Prime Minister Najib Razak is proposing to open up top jobs to talented people from the private sector and Government Linked Companies (GLCs). “We need selected talents, the best and tested for the benefit of the people,” he told a special assembly of civil servants. And he added that civil servants should be seconded to the private sector in order to gain new skills. “Under this concept, we would be able to benefit from a cross fertilization process between talents from the civil service and private sector,” he said. Najib also said that the size...
April 28th, 2009
Strengthen UK and Malaysian trade ties, says Minister
Malaysia is ideally placed for UK companies looking to penetrate ASEAN and East Asian markets, said International Trade & Industry Minister, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed. Speaking at a seminar on trade and investment opportunities in Malaysia, Mustapa said that the country’s strategic location offered advantages in a number of sectors including ICT, pharmaceuticals, financial services, Islamic banking and the halal industry. Mustapa also said that Malaysia and the UK should explore the synergies between London’s role as an international financial centre and Malaysia’s position as an international...
April 28th, 2009
Entrepreneurship to be encouraged by ratings, says Bureau
SME needs should be addressed, said Aziz Malaysia’s new SME Credit Bureau will begin to rate Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to help push the sector’s growth, said its chairman, Datuk Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad. He said that the Bureau would provide financial institutions and other lenders with easy access to timely, accurate and reliable credit information on SMEs. This will facilitate faster credit decisions and speed up financing activities. “The SMEs can also use their positive credit history as ‘collateral’ to access loans at better rates and seek more competitive terms...
April 28th, 2009
Malaysia’s east coast courts German investors
Members of Malaysia’s East Coast Economic Regional Development Council have visited Germany in a bid to attract more foreign investors to the region. The Council highlighted the potential of the Pekan Automotive Industrial Park, Pahang Technology Park, the Halal Park, and Kuantan Palm Oil Industrial Park, amongst others, to German business leaders. The chief executive of the Council, Datuk Jebasingam Issace John, told reporters that the Council wants to accelerate the region’s development by five to seven percent of GDP and to create half a million new jobs by 2020. Due to the imbalance in...
April 27th, 2009
Malaysia to be hub for halal fragrances
Malaysia is to position itself as a global hub for ‘halal’ fragrances and cosmetics and has attracted a leading French perfume company, Atelier des Parfums, to take part in the Sixth Malaysia International Halal Showcase in May. Atelier des Parfums, vice president Hermann Portner said, “We are looking at using Kuala Lumpur as the hub from which to conduct our business not only for the region but globally. Being an Islamic country, Malaysia has great advantages in enabling us to penetrate the vast Islamic market.” Mr. Portner added that he is looking for potential joint venture partners...
April 27th, 2009
University sets up forest lab
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) will set up a laboratory in the Ayer Hitam forest reserve in Puchong to research and record the local flora and fauna. The lab is expected to cost RM18 million and is due for completion in 2011 says the University’s Dean, Associate Professor Dr Awang Noor Abdul Ghani. He told reporters that the lab is a part of a long-term plan by the university to save and preserve the plant and wildlife species in the reserve and to research the medicinal potential of forest plants.
April 27th, 2009
Route for KL Marathon announced
The route for Kuala Lumpur’s first Marathon has been announced and will feature popular tourist attractions and historic landmarks. The race, which will take place on June 28, will start and finish at the Clock Tower in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and take in the National Mosque, the National Museum, the Petronas Twin Towers and the Parliament building amongst others, race director Hemant Dua told reporters. ”The route has been designed to appeal to runners from beginners to professionals,” he said. “Our goal is to establish the Standard Chartered KL Marathon as...
April 27th, 2009
Raffles to open hotel in Kuala Lumpur?
The hotel industry is awash with rumour that Singapore’s famous Raffles hotel will expand into Malaysia. Raffles, which is owned by the global hotel group, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, declined to comment but the brand is expanding in a number of markets and now has Raffles hotels in Dubai, Phnom Phen and Beijing with a new opening planned for Moscow in 2011. Malaysia has among the lowest hotel rates in Asia but is beginning to attract luxury hotel brands. The Four Seasons hotel is earmarked to occupy a new 65-storey tower in Kuala Lumpur that will alter the city’s skyline and St...
April 27th, 2009
Proton to mass produce electric cars
Malaysia’s national car company Proton has signed a deal to mass-produce electric cars under license for Detroit Electric, a privately owned start-up. The plug-in cars will be sold in Europe, the US and China with a price of around US$23,000 and will be powered by lithium-ion batteries. The new venture aims to sell 40,000 vehicles globally in its first year and 270,000 by 2012 and is targeting countries with strong tax incentives for low emission vehicles including Denmark, France and the UK. The new vehicles will be produced on Proton’s saloon car and hatchback manufacturing platforms and...
April 27th, 2009
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