Malaysia's first football millionaire risks FIFA ban
(TOKYO) Malaysian striker Safee Sali has become his country's first soccer millionaire by re-signing with Indonesian club Pelita Jaya but it could earn him an international ban.



TNB, Petronas plan 2 Sabah projects
(KUALA LUMPUR) Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) are investing RM2 billion (S$823 million) in a 300 MW gas-fired power plant and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Sabah, reported The Star.



Lynas gets nod for rare earths plant
(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia gave the green light yesterday for a controversial rare earths plant being built by Australian miner Lynas despite fears that its could produce harmful radioactive waste.



CEOs on the importance of human capital
THREE out of four chief executives believe the current financial reporting system to be too focused on financials and does not allow them to demonstrate the broader value of their business, according to findings of a recent global survey.



Changes reflect BNM's path to full liberalisation
MALAYSIA'S central bank's new liberalisation of foreign exchange transactions is aimed at the further development of domestic financial markets and could be another step towards the internationalisation of the ringgit, a British bank said yesterday.



Tenaga CEO to step down in June
(KUALA LUMPUR) Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) CEO Che Khalib Mohd Noh is stepping down from the national utility company when his contract expires in June this year.



Gas M'sia to sign sales deal with Petronas
(KUALA LUMPUR) GAS Malaysia Bhd, which is en route to listing, is expected to sign a gas sales agreement (GSA) with Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) early next month.



Khazanah boosting projects and investments in Turkey
(ISTANBUL) Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the Malaysian government's investment arm, is looking at good investment assets and projects with high margins, says its managing director Azman Mokhtar.



BLand to divest hotels abroad
(KUALA LUMPUR) Tycoon Vincent Tan Chee Yioun's Berjaya Land Bhd (BLand) is looking to divest a majority of its existing hotel properties abroad, sources say.



Public Bank Q4 profit grows at slowest pace since 2009
(KUALA LUMPUR) Public Bank Bhd, Malaysia's third-biggest lender, said fourth-quarter profit grew at the slowest pace since 2009 as operating expenses and bad debt allowances climbed with increased lending.



Malaysia to liberalise foreign exchange rules
(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia's foreign exchange administration rules will be liberalised progressively in order to broaden the participation of regional players in the domestic market, says Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.



Now let's get back to work
THE extra day provided by this year's leap year notwithstanding, Malaysian employees will spend a little more than a third of the 366 days away from work. This includes a minimum 121 rest days, including weekends and public holidays, local daily The Star calculated in an article earlier this month.



Malaysia raises sugar subsidies as elections draw nearer
(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia has more than doubled subsidies on sugar, a government source said yesterday - a sign that Prime Minister Najib Razak may be delaying economic reforms to appease voters ahead of elections.



DRB-Hicom plans RM8b residential project in Johor
MALAYSIAN conglomerate DRB-Hicom has announced plans to commence work on a 485ha property project in Johor by the middle of this year, adding to the large number of developments already there.



Investors jump into arowana breeding venture
(KUALA LUMPUR) Michael Liu smiled broadly and wished a customer 'Happy Chinese New Year' after he cashed in a RM1,000 (S$413) sale at his shop here.



Leading index signals weak M'sian recovery
A RESEARCH unit of a leading Malaysian bank said yesterday that Malaysia's economic recovery is likely to remain weak as its leading index - an index it tracks that signposts the economic trend going forward - fell 1.5 per cent last November.



Legoland M'sia targets a million visitors
(JOHOR BARU) Legoland Malaysia is projecting its nearly-completed theme park to attract a million visitors during its first year of operation.



Guessing game on who to lead Proton begins
IT may still be early, but the guessing game on the man to lead Proton Holdings Bhd into a new era has begun after Khazanah Nasional, the Malaysian government's investment arm agreed to sell its controlling 42.7 per cent stake in Proton to DRB-Hicom for RM1.29 billion (S$528 million).



Who cares what the erratic rating agencies think?
PERHAPS we should no longer bother with what the rating agencies have to say; investors don't seem to anyway. When Standard and Poor's (S&P) downgraded the United States' AAA rating, billionaire Warren Buffett scoffed, saying the US should be given a quadruple A rating instead. And more people have faith in Mr Buffett than the rating agencies because he has been more consistent over a longer period.



M'sia's 2012 growth seen missing target
(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia's growth will probably miss the government's forecast this year amid the faltering global economy, according to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research.



Capital flight seen if Najib stumbles
A PROMINENT regional economist said yesterday that Malaysia could witness capital flight if Prime Minister Najib Razak did not succeed in making real gains for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in the next general election.



Malaysia's central bank gets tough on household credit
(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia's central bank seems to be living by the old adage that its job is to take away the punch bowl just as the party gets going.



Rubber glove makers 'overweight': AMMB unit
A MALAYSIAN research house has called an 'overweight' on rubber glove makers ahead of its industry peers, citing increased margins from declining latex prices and a weakening ringgit.



Khazanah's portfolio slips to RM108.1b
(KUALA LUMPUR) The investment portfolio of Malaysia's state strategic investment arm, Khazanah Nasional, fell slightly to RM108.1 billion (S$44.4 billion) at the end of last year from RM112.6 billion at the end of 2010, its managing director Azman Mokhtar said yesterday. Khazanah has been aggressively scaling back its holdings in the South-east Asian country's top companies as part of a government strategy to boost liquidity in the stock market and lighten the state's heavy hand in the economy.



M'sia inflation slows to nine-month low in Dec
(SINGAPORE) Malaysia's inflation slowed to a nine-month low in December, giving the central bank scope to leave interest rates unchanged for a fourth meeting this month to support growth as the world economy falters.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld
"However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship."

Francis Beaumont
"Oh, love will make a dog howl in rhyme."

Catherine Deneuve
"Love is suffering. One side always loves more."

Bob Hope
"People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy."

Tallulah Bankhead
"If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."

Thomas A. Edison
"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."

Tom Stoppard
"I think age is a very high price to pay for maturity."

W. C. Fields
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with."