KUALA LUMPUR: The Indian government is giving out scholarships to children of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) for undergraduate professio­nal and general courses in India during the 2010-11 academic year.

The undergraduate courses include engineering, architecture, technology, humanities, liberal arts, commerce, management (business administration and business management), journalism, hotel management, agriculture/ animal husbandry, sciences and law.

HRH Crown Prince Haakon & Crown Princess Mette-Marit, file pix from florakommune.no

KUALA LUMPUR: Norway considers Malay­sia a worthwhile place to invest, Crown Prince Haakon Magnus said.

He added that the business sector was the key element for his three-day visit to Malaysia with Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

“The sizeable business delegation accompanying me on this official visit is substantial evidence that the Malaysian markets are interesting for Norway, and that our countries have mutual interest in strengthening our business relations,” Prince Haakon said at the Malaysian-Norwegian Forum of Competence yesterday.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is confident that it will be removed from the United States’ “watch list” for DVD piracy soon.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said amendments to be made to the Copyright Act in Parliament would further prove to the international community how serious the Government was in fighting the “copyright piracy war”.

PUTRAJAYA: The Prime Minister announced a range of initiatives that the Government has started to increase salary and expedite promotions of doctors, dentists, pharmacists and top teaching staff in the public sector.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the career advancement plan for public health care experts would enable this group to be promoted to Grade 54 (a higher grade) within a shorter period of time.

Lina Tan of Red Communications, Pix from sun2surf.com

PETALING JAYA: Local film producers are taking a “wait and see” attitude towards the Home Minis­try’s recent announcement of a new set of censorship guidelines which will be introduced on March 15.

Television and film producer Lina Tan of Red Communications, however, hopes that the guidelines will be beneficial to all filmmakers.

pix from mca.org.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen has confirmed that she will defend her MCA vice-president’s post in fresh party polls on March 28.

“I will contest for the vice-presidency again,” the Tourism Minister said at a press conference on 1Malaysia International Shoe Fest­ival to be held at the Putra World Trade Centre from April 2-4.

Malaysia-instinct.com: This story was published on: Saturday, April 07, 2007 in Daily Express. It happened few years back...but it is still something that we should not simply forget. 

Kota Kinabalu: The mother of 11-year-old Donni John Duin - the SK Kinarut pupil who was found hanged from the ceiling of their house at Kg Suangon in Kinarut, Papar, on March 20 - thought he would never do so again after advising him on a previous attempt.
Hina Joloni, 37, believed the abject poverty that the family of six siblings endured proved too much to make him want to try again.

"He told me he could not take it anymore living in the conditions we were in," she said, adding that towards the end, Donni also had to endure cruel teasing at school by classmates who likened the porridge he brought from home daily to that of dog vomit.

(http://www.malaysiafinance.blogspot.com/)

What's the difference between a good CEO and a great one? In Malaysia there are not many great CEOs for sure. Many of our top companies are still family controlled companies, and generally its very rare to get family members that are also great CEOs.

Family owned enterprises are usually started by a great entrepreneur but as you mushroom into a listed company, many have problems in letting go.

An entrepreneur may be able to build a business from scratch to earning RM50m profit a year, but as you expand and scale up, you need a professional person with the vision and execution ability to bring the company to the next level. Ask many CEOs, they don't even talk about what is the next level.

With MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat hinting that he will defend his position in the upcoming party elections on March 28, there appears to be three blocs in the contest.

Although it may be too early to predict what will happen, party insiders and political analysts believe there could be three cliques in the fray.

Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin has challenged Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to resign as PKR president.

He also dared her to contest against him for the Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentary seat.

Companies should include employees’ involvement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives when assessing their performances and determining annual salary increments or bonuses.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this would motivate and encourage the employees to actively participate in CSR activities.

By Azmi Anshar

After the Pakatan Rakyat plundered the spoils from the March 8, 2008 general election debacle structured by the Barisan Nasional, the PR people bragged that “people power” - while failing to topple the ruling party - had ripped it apart, succoured by an electorate warm to the idea of an alternative political regime.

The PR’s overweening conquest was natural – unparalleled victories raking in a motherlode of 82 out of a possible 222 Parliamentary seats and a scintillating land grab of five State Governments, six if you count the near clean sweep of the Kuala Lumpur federal seats.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar is not in favour of accepting Kulim-Bandar Baru Member of Parliament Zulkifli Noordin into the party.

Doing so was against the spirit of consensus among Pakatan Rakyat members, he said.

Several women old enough to be grandmothers were among the 200-odd crowd who watched the erotic male dancing by The Chippendales at the new Resort World Sentosa in Singapore on Friday night, China Press reported.

The women, aged 60 and above, were seen cheering and screaming when the male dancers made their appearance.

By Wee Choo Keong

It has been reported in The Star Newspapers of today edition that YB Karpal Singh, the DAP Chairman and MP for Bukit Gelugor, has said that “Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can remain as Opposition Leader because he continues to command the confidence of opposition MPs, said DAP chairman Karpal Singh.”

The position of the Opposition Leader, which is held by YB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has not been questioned by any of the oppostion MPs.  

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is disturbed by the acts of cruelty committed against children as reported in the media lately.

He said it was saddening to see how adults could do such things to children.

The sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister and finance minister 11 years ago was lawful, the Federal Court here ruled Monday.

Court of Appeal President Alauddin Mohd Sheriff and Federal Court judges Mohd Ghazali Mohd Yusof and Abdull Hamid Embong unanimously dismissed Anwar's final appeal for a declaration that his dismissal from his cabinet posts in Sept 2, 1998, was unconstitutional.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday he was willing to let DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang take the position if need be.

Describing Lim as being more experienced as an opposition leader, Anwar said: "I have more experience as a minister but Lim earlier on told me that it (Anwar being opposition leader) was not an issue."

PETALING JAYA: Supporters of the Human Rights Party (HRP) demonstrated in front of the PKR headquarters against the Pakatan Rakyat coalition for allegedly failing to look into the welfare of the Indian community.

The group, led by HRP pro-tem secretary-general P. Uthayakumar, submitted a memorandum addressed to PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.