The Malaysian Insider :: ALL

Analyst call May 25

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:50:36 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — This is a selection of morning calls by local research houses for the day. HwangDBS Vickers Market Preview Our Malaysian bourse could struggle to sustain its recovery momentum. The benchmark index — after rebounding 15.8-point or 1.0 per cent this week on thin trading volume — will probably show a downward bias as it faces ...

Ceramah PKR di Lembah Pantai dicemari insiden keganasan

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:41:19 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Mei — Ceramah PKR di Lembah Pantai yang turut disertai Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan anaknya Nurul Izzah Anwar malam tadi telah dicemari insiden keganasan apabila pemimpin dan hadirin dilempar batu dan telur. Ketegangan telah berlangsung sejak sebelum ceramah tersebut bermula malam tadi apabila ceramah PKR ...

Bersih 3.0 through the eyes of many

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:31:57 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — While the authorities and organisers argue about the number of people who attended Bersih 3.0 and who started the violence that marred the generally peaceful protest that fateful Saturday, a group of photographers want you to see what they saw on April 28, 2012. Professional photographer Vignes Balasingam, a co-organiser of ...

Suspect confesses to killing New York boy in 1979, says police

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:15:41 GMT

NEW YORK, May 25 — Police yesterday arrested a New Jersey man who they said had confessed to the 1979 killing of 6-year-old Etan Patz in a case that drew national attention to the plight of missing children and had frustrated law enforcement officials for more than three decades. New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Pedro Hernandez, 51, ...

Plead guilty to civil disobedience, WSJ urges Anwar

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:52:38 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should plead guilty to the charge of taking part in an unlawful street protest if the opposition leader believes his archrival Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s reforms are inadequate, says the Wall Street Journal. The international financial daily wrote in an opinion piece last night that “if Mr. Anwar wants ...

Cool (free) photo apps to try

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:47:05 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — The best thing about using an iPhone as a camera are the hundreds of apps that can tweak, filter, change, stitch, and layer the photos in so many ways a digital SLR can’t. Besides the staple apps like Instagram, Camera+, and Snapseed, what other iPhone photo apps would you need? Here are three apps that we think you should ...

Bringing the good goods to you

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:44:53 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — For consumers, a big part of what makes something cool has to do with the brand’s story — where it came from, who made it, where it was sourced from. The Goods Co — an idea formed last year by colleagues at Freeform (which co-owns titles like “Tongue in Chic”, “KLue” and “Junk”) — aims to be a curator of cool things, and ...

Guardiola calms waters ahead of Cup final and exit

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:36:21 GMT

MADRID, May 25 — Outgoing Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola sought to make the succession of his No. 2 Tito Vilanova as smooth as possible as he gave his last Nou Camp news conference yesterday, ahead of the King’s Cup final. Guardiola has the chance to exit the club with the 14th trophy of his four-year reign if Barca can beat Athletic Bilbao at the ...

A taste of southern Nyonya cuisine

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:28:22 GMT

PETALING JAYA, May 25 — As a true-blue northern Nyonya — well, at least half of one; my dear late father always proudly proclaimed himself a “Chinaman” — I am a life-long fan of the delicious, uber-spicy flavours of this unique cuisine. And nowhere are we more proud of it than in Penang… except possibly with the exception of Malacca! Being one of ...

Morgan Stanley adjusting some Facebook trades

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:20:25 GMT

NEW YORK, May 25 — Morgan Stanley will adjust thousands of trades to ensure outstanding limit orders to sell will be filled at no more than US$42.99 a share for Facebook stock from last Friday’s botched initial public offering, the firm told its brokers yesterday, according to several who listened to the call. Morgan Stanley said that limit orders ...

Facebook lessons: What not to do when planning an IPO — Jillian Mincer

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:17:54 GMT

MAY 25 — It’s been less than a week since Facebook went public, and while the IPO made CEO Mark Zuckerberg and many others very wealthy, the botched way in which the offering was done has sparked investigations, lawsuits and regulatory threats. It has also sparked a lot of anger toward the social media company, lead underwriter Morgan Stanley and ...

Facebook market makers’ losses total at least US$100m

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:04:42 GMT

NEW YORK, May 25 — Claims by four of Wall Street’s main market makers against Nasdaq over Facebook’s botched IPO are likely to exceed US$100 million (RM313.7 million), as they and other traders continue to deal with thousands of problems with customer orders. A technical glitch delayed the social networking company’s market debut by 30 minutes on ...

Volvo presents first pedestrian airbag

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:01:44 GMT

STOCKHOLM, May 25 — Swedish brand Volvo is the first carmaker to offer an airbag aimed at protecting pedestrians. The feature is available on its 2013 V40 model. The device, which is located under the hood, automatically inflates in a few hundredths of a second to cover about a third of the windshield when activated. It can only be launched at the ...

Miracle sweetener stevia may have a sour note

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:52:18 GMT

PARIS, May 25 — The meteoric rise of a natural, healthy alternative to sugar — a holy grail for the food industry — might just be a little too good to be true. In two years stevia, a plant used for centuries by Paraguay’s Guarani Indians, has shot to prominence in products by Coca-Cola, Danone and Merisant. Encouraged by distrust of artificial ...

Italy doctors save baby with smallest artificial heart

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:42:38 GMT

ROME, May 25 — Italian doctors have saved the life of a 16-month-old boy by implanting the world’s smallest artificial heart to keep the infant alive until a donor was found for a transplant. The doctors at Rome’s Bambino Gesu hospital said the operation was carried out last month and made public this week. The baby, whose identity has not been ...

Brotherhood makes claims as Egypt polls close

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:37:37 GMT

CAIRO, May 25 — Millions of Egyptians, choosing their leader freely for the first time in their history, voted yesterday, with the Muslim Brotherhood saying their candidate had an early lead over fellow Islamists and rivals who served ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Counting started after polls closed at 9pm with no reliable exit polls ...

PTPTN, in its current form, is not sustainable — Feizrul Nor Nurbi

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:29:03 GMT

MAY 25 — PTPTN, as the title suggests, is not sustainable. This is the crux of the debate that happened last Tuesday night, between YB Khairy Jamaluddin and Rafizi Ramli. Free education, as proposed by Rafizi and Pakatan Rakyat, is a secondary matter, an alternative solution to the problem regarding higher education financing. Whether free ...

Tech pressures Nasdaq in volatile trading

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:21:11 GMT

NEW YORK, May 25 — Stocks ended slightly higher in a third session marked by late-day swings, but the Nasdaq fell after NetApp gave a weak revenue forecast, casting doubt on the outlook for tech spending. Major indices were lower for much of the session, as investors found little reason to buy following three days of gains. In addition, economic ...

‘Idol’ finale slumps, but Phillips tops iTunes

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:06:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 25 — The “American Idol” finale audience slumped to a record low, but the show’s newly crowned champion Phillip Phillips hit No.1 on iTunes yesterday with his first single “Home”. The 11-year-old Fox singing contest, once a TV industry juggernaut whose finale attracted more than 30 million viewers in 2006 and 2007, was watched by ...

Five days in a learning nation — Andreas Schleicher

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:04:51 GMT

MAY 25 — I had always been interested in Asia’s success story of Singapore, that transformed itself from a developing country to a modern industrial economy in one generation. Last year, I had the opportunity of a visiting professorship at Singapore’s National Institute of Education (NIE) to learn more about this country. If I had to summarise ...

A road fraught with challenges — Randolph Tan and Tan Khay Boon

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:56:43 GMT

MAY 25 — For the first time in 28 years, the National Wages Council (NWC) is setting a minimum quantum of recommended wage increase for the lowest of the low-wage workers. While it represents a good start to addressing the widening income gap, this move is likely to be fraught with challenges. Notwithstanding the good intentions of its proponents, ...

Torres excited about future after Chelsea talks

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:49:17 GMT

MADRID, May 25 — Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has put a difficult season behind him and is itching to be part of the European champions’ future plans, the player said yesterday following talks with the club’s hierarchy. Torres voiced his concerns after being left out of Chelsea’s starting line-up for last weekend’s Champions League final ...

What exactly is a ‘Malaysian’ standard?

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:45:25 GMT

MAY 25 — The Health Ministry wants to register bandages, syringes and stethoscopes. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said in The Star (May 22, 2012) that this was to protect consumers from low-quality products that could pose health risks. “We are setting a Malaysian standard and once the new regulation is implemented, many of the ...

Those condemned to hell

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:40:35 GMT

MAY 25 — Many years ago, I was a big fan of Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, because I was a lover of wildlife and animals... just like him. I watched his shows on TV, wore khaki shorts (thankfully, I grew out of this phase!), copied his accent and even thought about dating his daughter once she grows up. Then came the day he died, killed by a ...

Guardiola’s final goodbye

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:35:22 GMT

MAY 25 — Just when we thought the European club season had been brought to a thrilling climax by Didier Drogba’s penalty in Munich last weekend, along come FC Barcelona to have the final word and remind everyone they still exist by taking part in tonight’s Spanish cup final against Athletic Bilbao (kick-off 4am Saturday morning, Malaysian ...

Iran, big powers agree to hold more nuclear talks in June

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:33:47 GMT

BAGHDAD, May 25 — Iran and world powers agreed to meet again in Moscow next month for more talks to try to end the long-running dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme, but there was scant progress to resolve the main sticking points between the two sides. At the heart of the dispute is Iran’s insistence that it has the right to enrich uranium and ...

In Lembah Pantai, violence erupts during PKR ceramah

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:25:56 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — A PKR ceramah featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar turned ugly when the crowd as well as opposition leaders were pelted with stones and eggs. Tensions were already running high before the event began last night, as the scheduled PKR function was located a mere 100 metres away from another ceramah ...

Putrajaya pertahan dakwaan ke atas Bersih 2.0, kerana melanggar PAA 2012

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:13:40 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Mei — Putrajaya mempertahankan dakwaan terhadap Bersih 2.0 atas kemusnahan yang dibuat ketika perhimpunan 28 April, kerana kumpulan pemerhati pilihan raya itu “jelas” telah melanggar undang-undang yang diperuntukkan Akta Perhimpunan Aman 2011. Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz berkata, akta berkenaan telah dikuatkuasakan dan sesiapa ...

Putrajaya defends Bersih 3.0 suit, says ‘obvious’ group broke the law

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:10:11 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Putrajaya has defended its decision to sue Bersih 3.0 for damages resulting from its April 28 rally, saying it was “obvious” that the polls watchdog had violated provisions in the Peaceful Assembly Act 2011. De facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz brushed aside critics of the move, pointing out that the Act was ...

US economy trudges along as others falter

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:02:12 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 24 – The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits dipped last week and factory activity grew but at a slower pace in May, indicating the economy was plodding along despite growing headwinds from Europe. Though today’s economic reports were a bit lacklustre, they offered no signs of deterioration in the world’s ...

Hay book fest marks 25th at ‘Woodstock of the mind’

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:18:16 GMT

LONDON, May 24 – For 10 days next month, some of the world’s top authors and their readers will descend on a small town on England’s border with Wales for a “Woodstock of the Mind” to talk about music, politics, the environment, but mostly about books. The Hay Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, bringing Nobel Prize-winning ...

Sarawak not ready for minimum wage, says Ta Ann CEO

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:53:16 GMT

SIBU, May 24 – Sarawak’s oil palm and timber sectors are going to be affected by the implementation of the minimum wage policy largely because the two sectors are still very labour intensive, Ta Ann Holdings Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Wong Kuo Hea said today. Speaking at the company’s 15th annual general meeting here, he said the situation ...

50 teachers apply to participate in politics: Puad Zakarshi

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:48:26 GMT

SHAH ALAM, May 24 – A total of 50 applications have so far, been received from teachers intending to participate in politics, said Education Deputy Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zakarshi. This follows a relaxation in the ruling in 2010, allowing government officers to be active and contest for positions in political parties. “Of the applications, 24 were ...

Hodgson a better communicator than Capello, says Lescott

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:46:36 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — England coach Roy Hodgson has made an instant impression on his players simply by speaking in his mother tongue after Fabio Capello's struggle to get to grips with the English language. According to defender Joleon Lescott, Hodgson is a better communicator than his Italian predecessor whose stumbling, truncated sentences remained ...

England friendly to trial goalline technology

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:41:04 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — England's home friendly against Belgium at Wembley next month will be used to test the Hawk-Eye goalline technology system, world governing body FIFA said on Thursday. Independent testers from EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) and representatives from FIFA will monitor the system although it ...

US hails Arab Spring but warns of instability

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:36:51 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 24 — The United States hailed on Thursday last year's "Arab Spring" popular revolutions in the Middle East but said instability and violence often precede greater respect for human rights. In its annual survey of human rights around the world, the State Department praised Myanmar for having freed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ...

Why are Greek and Italian politicians so bad?

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:25:01 GMT

ROME, May 24 — In Greece, conservative leader Antonio Samaras insisted on calling an election earlier this month that slashed his own party's share of the vote and set the country down a path that could see it crashing out of the euro. In Italy, politicians led by scandal-plagued premier Silvio Berlusconi were forced to admit they could not handle ...

Feigning injury could cause tragedy, says referee Webb

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:59:45 GMT

BUDAPEST, May 24 — Howard Webb, the referee when Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch with a cardiac arrest and nearly died in March, has warned players that feigning injuries could risk lives. Webb (picture) said in an interview that the Muamba incident during an FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur and his ...

McIlroy out of bounds and out of luck at PGA event

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:49:48 GMT

VIRGINIA WATER, England, May 24 — Rory McIlroy tossed his club to the ground after going out of bounds at the 12th hole as the world number one launched his PGA Championship challenge with a frustrating 74 at Wentworth on Thursday. His two-over-par effort was two strokes better than his first-round 76 in the 2011 edition of the European Tour's ...

Home Ministry bans Irshad Manji’s book titled ‘Allah, Liberty and Love’

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:45:38 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 – The Home Ministry has banned Irshad Manji’s book and publication titled ‘Allah, Liberty and Love’, as it contravened teachings of the Al-Quran and Hadith. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman said the ministry had decided to ban the book under Section 7 Subsection 1 of the Printing Presses and Publications Act ...

Short interest in Facebook shares rises

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:44:03 GMT

NEW YORK, May 24 — Demand to borrow Facebook Inc shares for shorting has increased, with nearly 8 percent of the stock out on loan, according to financial data company Data Explorers. About 70 percent of the shares available for lending are out on loan as demand to borrow, and possibly short the stock, strengthens, Data Explorers said on ...

German economy succumbs to euro gloom

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:29:41 GMT

BERLIN, May 24 – German business sentiment collapsed in May and the manufacturing sector shrank as turmoil in the euro zone unsettled firms, threatening to end the immunity of Europe’s largest economy to the troubles surrounding it. Germany’s “Teflon economy” has so far avoided the fate of its European peers thanks to strong exports to other parts ...

SapuraKencana secures RM1.3b contract extension

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:22:35 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — SapuraKencana Petroleum Bhd has secured a RM1.3 billion contract extension for the transportation and installation of offshore oil and gas facilities and structures for 11 Petronas production-sharing contractors. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, TL Offshore Sdn Bhd, received a confirmation from Petronas, which has exercised its ...

Bounty hunter on the trail of Arab Spring loot

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:54:35 GMT

GENEVA, May 24 — Growing up in Africa, he used to hunt buffalo, a passion that still serves Geneva-based lawyer Enrico Monfrini well. His dogged pursuit of ill-gotten assets has made him the scourge of many of the world's dictators and kleptocrats. An affable man with a sharp wit and a ready smile, the 67-year-old blends easily into a city of ...

Kidman ‘oversexed Barbie doll’ in gritty Cannes film

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:31:09 GMT

CANNES, May 24 — Nicole Kidman plays an "oversexed Barbie doll" in the hard-hitting murder drama "The Paperboy", premiering at the Cannes film festival on Thursday and notable for arresting scenes of sex, violence and urination. In the adaptation of a Pete Dexter novel, the Australian Oscar winner plays trailer-trash bombshell Charlotte Bless, who ...

Genting gets SC nod for RM2b bond issue

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:19:04 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — Genting Capital Bhd, a unit of gaming group Genting Bhd, has obtained the Securities Commission's approval for a 20-year, RM2 billion (US$636 million) bond programme to fund operations. The bonds, in the form of medium-term notes guaranteed by Genting, has been assigned a long-term rating of AAA(s) by Malaysian rating agency ...

Mahkamah rayuan kekalkan keputusan, Utusan diarah bayar Khalid Samad

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:11:21 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, 24 Mei — Mahkamah Rayuan di sini hari ini mengekalkan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi memerintahkan Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad membayar RM60,000 sebagai ganti rugi kepada Anggota Parlimen Shah Alam Khalid Abdul Samad (gambar) kerana menerbitkan artikel bersifat memfitnah di akhbar itu dua tahun lepas. Panel tiga hakim yang terdiri ...

CIMB posts RM1.3b Q1 profit

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:01:23 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — CIMB Group Holdings Bhd has posted RM1.341 billion pre-tax profit for its first financial quarter ended March 31, 2012, up 8.8 per cent from RM1.232 billion in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the three months also rose 18.4 per cent to RM3.255 billion from RM2.75 billion. The second biggest bank in Malaysia said the ...

Those unhappy with police investigations can complain to police media centre

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:44:24 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 – Police are advising parties who are dissatisfied with investigation reports against the force to submit their complaints to the Federal Police’s (Bukit Aman) Police Public Relations Centre. Inspector-General of Police Secretariat (Public Relations) assistant head ACP Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said whether they were political ...

Malaysian pleads guilty to Aussie money laundering charge

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:24:49 GMT

MELBOURNE, May 24 – A Malaysian who laundered almost A$6.3 million in five months in Australia and sent the money to China, was charged at the County Court here yesterday. Wong Lai Yean pleaded guilty to nine charges, including six which dealt with property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of criminal activities. He will be sentenced next ...