i’m saimatkong

Okie… Confirmed tiered fuel plan scrapped but now what? “Fuel prices set to rise…” for all the CC no matter you driving 800cc Kancil or or aboce 2.0cc cars… It’s no different, this is because it’s set to rise 10 sen.

Will it affect our roti canai, teh tarik, mamak or kopitiam price again? Please do not do that… Petrol price increased, they increase the roti price but when petrol price reduce the increased price will not be decreased… It’s not fair right? =(

So you will see more cars queuing up at petrol station waiting for get their tank full on 30th April, before 1st of May and less car on the road the next day due to the fuel price increased. and there will not be any jam after the fuel price increase? It’s like previously, just less car for 1 week then the jam will be back!

We need the subsidy.

Tiered fuel plan scrapped; Govt will not increase price for now

By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

Tiered fuel plan officially scrapped

PUTRAJAYA: The Government has officially scrapped its plan to introduce the two-tiered restructuring of fuel subsidy following negative feedback from the public.

Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Con­sumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision was taken because the Government did not want such an important policy devoid of public support or acceptance.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has stated that this is the people’s Government and it is open to views. Today, the Government has proven that we are not rhetoric and we truly hold on to our words.

“We have heard the people’s voices and now we have proven that we are willing to scrap the plan because the rakyat do not want it,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Ismail Sabri said the price of fuel would remain the same for now as “there was no directive to announce any hike”.

“I don’t know when that will happen but the public must remember that fuel price fluctuates.

“Foreigners can still purchase fuel according to petrol pump price. But the policy governing the sale of petrol to foreign-registered vehicles at border areas remains,” he said, adding that the ministry would be proposing to the Cabinet another “policy for foreigners”.

Foreign-registered vehicles are only allowed to pump a maximum of 20 litres at petrol stations within 50km radius from the border.

Ismail Sabri said the Government was subsidising nine sen more now in addition to the 30 sen it was already forking out for every litre of RON95 due to the commodity price increase.

Last year, the Government forked out RM3.4bil to subsidise petrol and RM1.9bil for diesel.

The plan, originally set to be implemented on May 1, was to introduce a two-tiered pricing system for petrol based on engine capacity while foreigners would have to pay the market price.

It called for the mandatory use of MyKad to differentiate Malaysians from foreigners, requiring the need for MyKad readers at petrol stations.

Ismail Sabri also said that a subsidy rationalisation laboratory headed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala was studying the implementation of government subsidies.

Source : TheStar

Fuel prices set to rise

By DANNY YAP

PETALING JAYA: The Government is likely to revert to slight increases in fuel prices over time now that it has been officially announced that the proposed two-tier fuel subsidy scheme based on vehicle engine capacity has been scrapped, analyst and economists say.

The proposed fuel subsidy scheme was originally set to be implemented on May 1.

Maybank Investment Bank analyst Mohd Khair Mirza said: “We may see an increase of about 10 sen in petrol prices post May 1.” He added that it was the only viable option for the moment unless the Government came out with a better fuel subsidy scheme.

Mohd Khair said the two-tier fuel subsidy scheme proposed in theory appeared good on paper but issues such as implementation and enforcement were questionable.

He said: “At least with the slight increase in fuel prices over time it is applied across the board and the Government is able to close the gap on the fuel subsidy which remains unsustainable.”

Mohd Khair said that based on US$80 per barrel of crude oil, the Government was currently subsidising fuel at the pump at around 40 sen per litre.

An economist from a rating agency said although the proposed two-tier fuel subsidy scheme has been scrapped, it should not deter the Government from continuing to look for other schemes that were more practical and viable.

He said a viable scheme should meet two objectives – ensure the hardcore poor are not badly affected and address the fuel subsidy.

A local economist from a broking house said the Government’s decision to scrap the proposed two-tier fuel subsidy scheme based on vehicle engine capacity came as no surprise.

“We figured it (scrapping of the scheme) would happen. There was a lot of talk that the subsidy scheme was not practical, despite a lot of effort by the Government to implement it,” he said.

The economist believed some individuals were waiting to exploit the scheme (if implemented) thinking they could benefit from the scheme.

“Thankfully the Government realised the proposed subsidy scheme was not foolproof and decided to scrap it,” he said.

Source : TheStar

So it’s confirmed that the credit card holder need to pay RM50 for the tax yearly? The answer is “Yes“.

Alright I’m gonna cancel all of my Credit Cards and keep 2 cards. I have 6 Credit Cards in total, so now I will keep only the most frequent use card in case of emergency and I would say credit card is useful to me as I do not bring excessive cash with me because feel more secure that way. Moreover, it’s actually very convenient as we may make payment by installment using the credit card. Furthermore we could collect points and enjoy discounts that normally given to credit card to attract customer to use that card.

What about you? How many cards do you have? Do you plan to cancel all your credit cards or just pay RM50 because the amount is not significant to you? Potong your credit card or not? Haha.

I’m canceling my Citibank AirAsia card. If you want to cancel Citibank Credit Card coz do not want to pay RM50 tax act fast, download the form here and send it to them to process the cancellation.

Credit card tax for existing users to start on anniversary date

By CHAN LI LEEN and JOSHUA FOONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Applicants issued with new cre­dit and charge cards next year will have to pay the RM50 service tax upfront.

For existing card holders, the charge will be im­­posed on the anniversary date of cards.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, who confirmed this with The Star yesterday, said the Government would impose the service tax for credit and charge cards from next year.

“Existing cardholders will only be charged the ser­vice tax through their issuing banks upon the aniversary date of the card.

“For example, if the card’s anniversary date is in January, then you pay the tax in January. But if the date is in April, then you only pay the tax in April,” he added.

The minister’s clarification puts to rest nagging doubts among the millions of credit card holders in the country who have been raising queries since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak an­­nounced the new tax when he unveiled Budget 2010 in October.

Najib, who is also the Finance Minister, had said that a RM50 service tax for principal credit and charge cards and a RM25 for supplementary cards would be imposed from January.

This has led to card holders asking if the charges will be imposed from Jan 1 or on the anniversary dates of the cards, which are usually issued for a three-year period.

Those holding a string of cards were most eager to know before deciding to cancel some of their ac­­counts.

A check with the customer service departments of several commercial banks showed that they had yet to receive any definite confirmation.

Some banks said they were still awaiting for a directive from Bank Negara, while others think the tax would be imposed on the anniversary dates.

A third group of banks has also offered to absorb the tax for the cardholders, on condition a certain amount of money was spent within a certain timeframe.

Cardholder Y.L. Sim, who called up the bank to cancel his credit card, said the bank advised him “not to be hasty.”

“The officer said that they had yet to receive a formal directive from Bank Negara (on when to impose the tax). But I was worried as the New Year was nearing,” he said.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung, when contacted, advised cardholders to plan accordingly, saying holding two credit cards was enough.

““Even I intend to hold only two credit cards,” he added.

He urged those who had large outstanding credit card debts to stop using the cards and meet the issuing banks to work out a repayment mechanism.

There are some 11 million credit cards circulating in the country.

Source : TheStar

It’s actually very surprise for me that MOL bought over Friendster and it’s now a Malaysia owned online social networking website. Do you think it’s a smart move for the Berjaya group to spend such amount of money just to buy over the Friendster? Will it make our country become famous and more ppl actually know about Malaysia? Malaysia Boleh?

For me personally, I would think that Friendster actually dead after the blooming of Facebook and most of the Friendster’s users / members actually move over to Facebook because of the platform, instant update, easy to use apps in those smart phones like Blackberry / iPhone and there’s plenty of apps and games for the members to play and they will not get board by just logging in to Facebook everyday! Friendster been very active recently to capture their users by introducing new layout, more features and more apps but it’s still way to go mate.

New Friendster Layaout

I started using Friendster when I was in my college era, everyone will be adding friends, busy writing testimonial to your friends, updating their shoutout and check who viewed me and all and there’s a time where there’s another local guy make it for local version with Kawanster.com or something but I just checked and the page is not exist anymore now?

Berjaya bought over Friendster should have their own reason and maybe there’s some big plan which they are yet to reveal or just they want a huge database to make their business grow even faster? What do you think and are you still using Friendster or will you start to use Friendster from now on? Will the privacy be an issue in the future like what Facebook facing (and now Facebook come up with new pricy)?

Friendster vs Facebook…

MOLGlobal acquire Friendster – Press Conference

Photo taken from MOL’s Facebook, since they own Friendster now why aren’t they using Friendster but Facebook? Haha.

Check this out even we have 1Malaysia / SatuMalaysia on Facebook! I got to know this 1Malaysia Facebook thru a TV advertisment and you know social networking it’s the future but are those on Facebook like 1Malayisa, our Prime Minister Najib, other politicians that been using Facebook to talk to Malaysian going to change to Friendster? That’s no the concern but will Friendster bring more good to Berjaya Group?

MOL Global to Acquire Friendster

MOL Retail and Payment Channels and Leading Online Social Network Combine to Form Massive Content Distribution and E-commerce Platform in Asia for Over 100 Million Users

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – December 10, 2009 – MOL Global Pte. Ltd. (“MOL Global”), an affiliate of leading online payment solutions provider MOL AccessPortal Berhad (“MOL”), and Friendster, Inc. (“Friendster”), the operator of a top global web site based on traffic and a leading social network in Asia, announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement under which MOL Global will acquire 100% of Friendster. The principal shareholder of MOL is Tan Sri Vincent Tan, the Chairman and CEO of Berjaya Corporation Berhad, a leading, diversified Malaysian conglomerate that has annual revenues in excess of US$1.8 billion. Following the acquisition, the operations of MOL and Friendster will be combined to create Asia’s largest end-to-end content, distribution and commerce network, pairing MOL’s offline retail channel partners and payment platform with Friendster’s large online footprint, social network and user community in Asia.

“The merger with Friendster will continue to transform the social networking industry, combining a highly intuitive and successful social media site and online marketing channel with an integrated payment platform and content network which includes games, goods, gifts, music and video. We are creating a unique company that will be well positioned to provide content to a huge, regional user base, here in Southeast Asia,” said Ganesh Kumar Bangah, president and chief executive officer of MOL.

MOL uses the leverage of a network of over 500,000 physical and virtual payment channels across 75 countries worldwide to collect payments for content and services. Its core markets are Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and India. MOL has relationships with over 70 online game publishers that have a suite of over 200 online game titles. It also has partnerships with music, movie and video content owners and distributors across the region.

“Friendster and MOL are both industry pioneers and are close partners. This combination is a natural progression of our relationship and will be an industry-changing event,” said Richard Kimber, chief executive officer at Friendster. “The new combined entity gives Friendster the kind of financial backing, retail distribution, and e-commerce infrastructure that will enable us to accelerate our strategy and create a locally relevant, fun experience for our users in Asia, both on and offline.”

In 2003, Friendster pioneered social networking, and today is a leading web site in Asia, with over 75 million registered users and over 90 percent of daily traffic coming from the region. Asian youths have embraced Friendster and use it as their primary means of connecting to and keeping in touch with friends, self-expression, sharing content and news with friends, and as a source of entertainment.

Friendster users also enjoy local music, gifting, photo sharing, online games, and using Friendster on their mobile devices. All of these are incorporated in Friendster’s product suite and will be further developed over time with MOL, specifically with Asian youths in mind.

Friendster and MOL entered a global partnership in October of this year where MOL was appointed to provide an integrated payments platform, as a foundation for The Friendster Wallet and The Friendster Gift Shop, for Friendster’s users. The new combined entity will now build upon that initial set of products to deliver a content distribution network and e-commerce platform, enabling a wide array of content to be distributed to Friendster’s community and monetize via micro-transactions using MOL’s payment platform. MOL will use the leverage of its physical distribution networks to localize and extend the online reach of social networking in Southeast Asia to the physical world through Tan Sri Vincent Tan’s substantial assets across Malaysia and the region, including retail franchises in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia such as Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Borders, Krispy Kreme, Wendy’s and Papa John’s Pizza, just to name a few.

Friendster recently launched a new brand and web site packed with new features representing a significant milestone in the company’s history and further signifying the company’s evolution to focus on the Asian youth market. The notable changes include a new fun-centric brand, and a redesigned web site with a focus on local relevance, fun and simplicity.

The combined entity will maintain offices in various locations, around the world, including Mountain View, CA (USA), the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Ganesh Kumar Bangah will become the Group Chief Executive Officer of the combined entity while Richard Kimber will become the Non- Executive Chairman.

###
About MOL
MOL is a MSC Malaysia Status Company that operates and develops payment systems. MOL handles over 60,000,000 payment transactions a year with an annual payment volume of over US$200 million. It leverages on a network of over 500,000 physical and virtual payment channels across more than 75 countries and linked to 65 banks in 15 countries worldwide to operate its key payment products, namely MOLePoints, an online micropayment system for content and services; MOLeTopUp, an electronic prepaid distribution infrastructure; MOL Freedom, a multi-application prepaid payment card; GamesHive, an online game payment aggregator; MOL Wings, a payment aggregator for wired and wireless internet service providers; MOL Zone, a multi application mobile payment service; and MOL SafePay, an escrow-based payment system for micro-merchants.

MOL was recognized as one of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing technology companies in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific Awards in 2005 and 2006 and has won a Merit Award for the Best of E-Commerce Applications in the MSC Asia Pacific ICT Awards.

About Friendster
With more than 115 million members worldwide, Friendster is a leading global online social network. Friendster is focused on helping people stay in touch with friends and discover new people and things that are important to them. Friendster is one of the best sites that allow people to meaningfully participate with others in exciting and fun ways. Friendster prides itself in delivering an easy-to-use, friendly and interactive environment where users can easily connect with anyone around the world via www.friendster.com or m.friendster.com from any Internet-ready mobile device.

Friendster has a growing portfolio of patents granted to the company on social networking, with more expected over the next several months. For more information,visit www.friendster.com

Source : Friendster’s Blog

Malaysia’s MOL AccessPortal to acquire 100% of Friendster

KUALA LUMPUR: MOL Global Pte Ltd is acquiring the entire equity in social networking website operator Friendster Inc, creating an entity with a combined annual revenue exceeding US$110mil upon the completion of the acquisition exercise.

MOL Global is an affiliate of online payment solutions provider MOL AccessPortal Bhd, which has Berjaya Corp Bhd chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Tan Sri Vincent Tan as the principal shareholder.

Following the acquisition, the operations of MOL and US-based Friendster will be combined to create Asia’s largest end-to-end content, distribution and commerce network.

The combined operations will be paired with MOL’s offline retail channel partners and payment platform with Friendster’s large online footprint, social network and user community in Asia.

MOL AccessPortal president and CEO Ganesh Kumar Bangah said the acquisition had a strategic value and the new entity would retain Friendster’s offices in various locations.

“We are creating a unique company that will be well positioned to provide content to a huge, regional user base here in South-East Asia,” he told a press conference after the parties signed a definitive agreement yesterday.

He said he would become the group CEO of the combined entity while the current CEO of Friendster, Richard Kimber would become the non-executive chairman.

MOL has a network of over 500,000 physical and virtual payment channels across 75 countries worldwide to collect payments for content and services.

Ganesh shrugged off questions on the transaction value of the acquisition, saying “we’re private companies, so we can’t disclose the amount.”

Quoting a source, Reuters reported that Friendster would be sold for more than US$100mil.

An industry blog, TechCrunch, had in July valued Friendster at US$210mil, a fraction of Facebook’s estimated US$10bil valuation.

Kimber said the new combined entity would give Friendster the kind of financial backing, retail distribution and e-commerce infrastructure that would enable the company to further expand in the region.

“We target the acquisition to be completed by year-end,” he said.

He said Friendster had recently launched a new brand and website packed with new features representing a significant milestone in the company’s history and further signifying its focus on the Asian youth market.

“We have 115 million registered users currently with 90% of the daily traffic coming from the Asia region,” he said.

Source : TheStar

Analysts welcome MOL’s purchase of Friendster

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 11,2009) : Malaysian-based payment on line company MOL Global’s purchase of social networking site Friendster has won praises from industry observers.

Media, the marketing and communications newspaper for Asia Pacific, in its on-line report today, quoted the observers as saying that it is a company like MOL, and not another social network, that will advance Friendster’s status in the future.

Yesterday, MOL Global confirmed it was buying 100% of Friendster and that the deal would be finalised by year end.

In a statement, Friendster said this would effectively create “Asia’s largest end-to-end content, distribution and commerce network, pairing MOL’s off-line retail channel partners and payment platform with Friendster’s large online footprint, social network and user community in Asia”.

Friendster’s head of Asia Ian Stewart told Media that, because the website is looking to differentiate itself through its digital payment service, the merger makes sense because MOL is the company that is best able to improve this side of its business and has the clearest reach to Friendster’s cache of Southeast Asian users.

“This deal consolidates the business direction of the company. We believe that having a strong virtual-currency offering will better connect users to the Facebook virtual store, and then into our gaming aspects and music. Through payment mechanisms, Friendster can become a social-shopping platform, kind of like eBay but on a social network,” he said.

The report said Friendster and MOL first began working together in October, when MOL was enlisted to develop an integrated payments platform that would lay the foundation for the Friendster Wallet and the Friendster Gift Shop. Stewart said this partnership demonstrated MOL’s dominant positioning in Southeast Asia, “and in the last two months of the acquisition process, MOL joined the conversation.”

“We were gravitating to the virtual payment possibilities, and with geographic reach and users’ attraction. MOL was obviously going toward that expansion, and when we were going through the acquisition process, we were looking for a partner who would fit these criteria as much as possible,” he explained.

From July, when Friendster first announced its intentions to be acquired, the company has been vocal about wanting to find an Asian-based suitor. Friendster has made strides in centralising its operations in the region to accommodate its strong user base here: Asia makes up more than 90% of Friendster’s audience, and it claims a leading position in Southeast Asia. Friendster is still the number one social networking site in the Philippines.

The Media report said rumours recently circulated of Tencent’s interest in the site, as reports noted that the Chinese online giant was on Friendster’s acquistision shortlist. Reports additionally cited Facebook as a potential early contender for the company, though hurdles related to competition and intellectual property rights prohibited further negotiations.

But according to regional analysts, Friendster did well to partner with a firm that would most adequately advance its operations and allow it to advance its brand.

“I think it was a brilliant idea – combining a platform that has immense social reach with a group of very influential connectors, and then making it easy for audiences to engage via e-commerce,” said vice-president of business development for Adify, Andrew Tu. “I think it’s a marriage made in heaven because, when you look at an acquisition, you need to look at the synergistic components that can help you grow, more than just expanding your reach.”

Jeremy Woolf, managing consultant of Text 100, also said Friendster’s move was a smart one because it enables the site to connect more effectively with local audiences, which will be key to its long-term success. “This is Friendster fishing where the fish are – it is centralising the company where it has the greatest population of users and will work with a company that will preserve the brand,” he said. “It will solidify Friendster’s future as a niche, hyper-local social network.”

Stewart noted that Friendster’s focus on micropayments would give it an operating model that is more parallel to those of Japan’s Mixi, Korea’s Cyworld and Tencent’s QQ rather than globally focused social networking sites like Facebook.

“Looking to micropayments and focusing on localised research and development makes a lot of sense,” said Mindshare’s regional business director Brian Stoller. “Look at QQ’s success – QQ makes its money through micropayments and financial transactions, and its earnings aren’t based on advertising. Focusing on this and working with a Malaysian company that specialises in it is very good on its behalf.”

Source : TheSun

Quote : “BUCC general affairs manager Paul Fernandez said they decided to reopen the road out of goodwill to facilitate the traffic study as requested by the Mentri Besar.”

Why why why?? Why open for two weeks? What’s the use open Jalan Tanjung for two weeks? If good will then open until the proposal of widening Jalan Tanjung to a four-lane road from its current two-lane road completed by MBPJ. Hmm sumore open but only one way… Then this road will be close again before Christmas?

Refer to previous post about Road closure in Bandar Utama – Jalan Tanjung

Jalan Tanjung reopened for one-way traffic for two weeks

By TAN KARR WEI

AFTER a late Monday night fiasco between the various parties involved in the re-opening of Jalan Tanjung in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, the road was eventually reopened early yesterday morning.

A week after Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim made the announcement to re-open the road to ease traffic congestion, the Bandar Utama City Corporation (BUCC) had granted permission to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to remove the barricades on Monday night.

In an unexpected turn of events, the Bandar Utama Residents Association (Bura) representatives also showed up in front of the 1 Tech Park to prevent the road from being opened.

Bura chairman Datuk Manpal Singh had informed those present that they had at 6pm on Monday night filed a writ summons and application for injunction against BUCC and MBPJ to prevent them from opening the road.

Making their stand clear: The banners put up by Bandar Utama Residents Association around the Jalan Tanjung area calling for the road to be closed.

It was scheduled to be opened at 9pm but MBPJ officers and BUCC representatives debated the legality of opening it for more than an hour before deciding against it.

In the end, BUCC relented and re­opened the road at about 2.30am.

BUCC general affairs manager Paul Fernandez said they decided to reopen the road out of goodwill to facilitate the traffic study as requested by the Mentri Besar.

He said all legal matters would go ahead and they would attend the hearing fixed for Dec 8 at the Shah Alam High Court.

Meanwhile, the joint action group against the road closure headed by Tropicana Residents Association Mohamed Shukri Zain called for an emergency meeting yesterday morning at the Tropicana Golf and Country Resort to discuss the matter.

The group decided that they too would file an application for an injunction by Thursday but would discuss it with their solicitors on who to file it against.

About 50 people attended the meeting including those from Tropicana Residents Association, Riana Green, Citra Damansara, Palm Springs and Casa Tropicana.

During the meeting, some of the issues raised by the representatives of the joint action group included:

·The application of injunction filed by Bura, which would go against the Mentri Besar’s request to reopen the road to facilitate a traffic study;

·The setting up of a booth at the 1 Utama shopping centre by Bura to collect signatures for their petition to keep the road closed, raising questions to the credibility of the signatures collected; and

lThe putting up of banners along Jalan Tanjung to protest the reopening of the road by Bandar Utama residents, which is seen as in bad taste.

Meanwhile, the Selangor government thanked BUCC for re-opening Jalan Tanjung in Bandar Utama as agreed with the state, MBPJ and Dijaya Corporation at the meeting on Nov 22.

Khalid said as agreed at the meeting, the reopening of the road for two weeks would not prejudice the ongoing legal disputes between BUCC and Dijaya.

The move will now allow MBPJ to study the feasibility of widening Jalan Tanjung to a four-lane road from its current two-lane road.

He said this study was not limited to the widening of Jalan Tanjung and was part of a holistic traffic dispersal study to other access routes in search of long-term solutions to the problem of bad traffic conditions in Dama-nsara.

Apart from the reopening of Jalan Tanjung, MBPJ plans to implement the short-term measure to ease traffic congestion which includes reassigning the U-turn at the junction of Jalan Tropicana Selatan and Jalan Hilir Bandar Utama near a nursery further up in the area; and building a road to link Jalan PJU1A/1 in Ara Damansara to Persiaran Tropicana.

The state is committed to finding long-term measures to address the problem and will be calling all developers in Damansara to take part in the process.

Source : TheStar

Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (“P1”) and ruumzNation Sdn Bhd (“ruumz’) today announced their extended support for the P1 Malaysian Filmmaker Showcase – 15Malaysia (15MY) project and the talented local filmmakers by sponsoring the directors travels to the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) in Korea, where the 15-film showcase was recently accepted to screen, but I was not sponsored anything and get nothing except the good short films!

The PIFF in Korea is one of Asia’s largest and most established annual industry event. It hosts numerous sideline events dedicated to promoting Asian cinema including the Asian Cinema Fund, the Asian Network of Documentary Fund, the Asian Film Academy and the Pusan Promotion Plan.

Whilst 15MY made its way to screen at PIFF, the festival organisers sponsored only three or four of the more established directors to the event. Michael Lai, CEO of P1 believes that none of the creators of 15MY should be left behind.

He said, “We’re extremely proud that 15MY is gaining international grounds. All 15 of the very talented local directors who created the showcase, should be there at Pusan. Our sponsorship of the directors to this important and highly regarded “serious filmmaker” event, hopes to provide them with the exposure and opportunities to move on to more and bigger scale projects. And I hope we all realise now that they’ve all got what it takes.”

To bring to life this exciting occasion for Malaysians, ruumz, which is the official online partner for 15MY will be featuring exclusive travelogue content (videos and blog) direct from Pusan over the course of the festival from 8th to 16th October. For more updates on the build-up to P1 and 15MY at Pusan, please go to www.ruumz.com/15malaysia .

“ruumz is a social media platform which showcases and enables Malaysian content developers to reach, interact and engage with audiences directly, in ways that wasn’t possible before the availability of high-quality & consistent broadband connections. 15MY is our showcase project on what the Malaysian creative community and ruumz can do, and the response has been absolutely amazing,” said James Chong, the Chief Executive of ruumz.
He added, “ruumz will enable the huge fanbase of 15MY to further engage with the directors on a much more personal level by providing exclusive and up-to-the minute 15MY at Pusan content. The directors’ interesting personalities and their interaction with this prestigious and colourful international film festival and its participants, for many of them a first – will make great online content.”

P1 launched 15MY in August as part of its branding effort and to support local content creation. 15MY is produced by Pete Teo, who also produced the successful independent online viral campaign, Malaysian Artists For Unity (“MAFU”). To date, 15MY has generated significant online buzz with close to 3 million ruumz and YouTube video streams and 11 million visits to the site. At its peak, its YouTube channel was also the 10th most watched channel in the world. The analytics is clear that 15MY has set the precedence for successful online viral campaigns for Malaysia.

Teo said, “15Malaysia encourages the broadening of minds, as well as move us towards more open public discourse of important issues that are close to the hearts of many Malaysians. The project was not something that many corporations would happily participate due to its social political themes, but P1 and ruumz were all for it because the project was unconventional and online, and because it creates relevant content and celebrates homegrown creativity. All the directors are really excited about going to Pusan.”

15MY has also received numerous invitations to other international film festivals including the much coveted Golden Horse Film Festival, Taipei. The Golden Horse is one of the most prestigious award showcases worldwide and the most well-regarded in the Chinese-language film industry.

For information and updates on “P1 15MY at Pusan”, please visit www.p1.com.my/15my or www.ruumz.com/15malaysia .

Shell New Ron95

Unleaded Ron95 Fuel

Wira 1.3, Unleaded only. So meaning my car can pump Ron95 but I have tried it feel like my car not enough power and the steering keep vibrating. Hmm not really sure whether it’s my car only or what. Sigh. It’s time to modified my car? Change extractor? Bigger Exhaust Pipe?

Should be pumping Ron97 for the last time as the price is gonna hike up to RM2.05 wow. Moreover, it’s now premium petrol. I can’t afford a premium thingy.

Ron95 and Ron97 in Mobil Station.

Ron95 and Ron97 pump in Shell Station.

Ron95 and V-Power pump in Shell Station.

It’s not easy to find Ron97 in Shell now. Some petrol station only have V-Power and Ron95 only, which is Taman Sea and Kayu Ara Shell Station, if you want to get Ron97, go to Bandar Utama Shell Station.

Ron95 – RM1.75 till today (Merdeka day 31st August) and after that will be increased RM1.80

Ron97 – RM1.80 till today (Merdeka day 31st August) and after that will be increased to RM2.05

It’s RM0.25 different between Ron95 and Ron97, if normally you pump 35-40 liter it will be RM8.75 – RM10 different.

Which one will you choose to pump? Ron95 or Ron97? Will it affecting you?

Price of RON 95 at RM1.80 from Tuesday

KUALA LUMPUR: The newly introduced RON 95 fuel is now priced at RM1.80 – five sen higher than the previous RM1.75.

Meanwhile, RON 97 is upgraded as a premium product and has gone up to RM2.05 from RM1.80.

Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the new prices were decided based on the current method of Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM).

“Although the price is now 5 sen higher, the Government is still subsidising 33.81 sen per litre (of RON 95) which is equivalent to RM304mil monthly,” he told reporters after the launch of Primax 95 by Petronas here on Monday.

Currently, the Government is subsidising RON 97 by 42.72 sen per litre.

The cost for RON 95 went up 102% from USD$ 40.75 per barrel to USD$ 82.30 in December last year and August respectively.

“If there is any changes in the global prices, we would revise it accordingly. It is up to the Economic Council to decide.

“RON 95 also adheres to the EURO2M specification where it can lessen pollution,” said Ismail Sabri, adding that consumers would get quality petroleum at a subsidised price.

With the new pricing, Ismail Sabri added that RON 92 was phased out from the market as the usage was only 5% from total petrol sale in the country.

In April last year, then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad said the Government was considering the use of petrol with higher research octane number (RON) to reduce fuel subsidies without hurting the lower-and-medium income groups.

A higher octane number means higher resistance to engine “knocking”. “Knocking” could possibly damage the engine over time.

Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia president Datuk Hashim Othman said petrol stations could easily recalibrate their pumps to adjust to the new price.

“With technology, all you need to do is push some buttons. It is almost automatic in most stations now, except for a few in the rural areas which are still using the manual system,” he told The Star.

He added that petrol dealers would make a slight gain with the price increase as they had bought their current stock at the old price.

“It is only a little as the price increase is small,” he said.

Source : TheStar

FUND INFORMATION

Fund Name : AMANAH SAHAM 1MALAYSIA (AS 1MALAYSIA / AS1M)
Type : Income
Category : Equity
Launch Date : August 5, 2009
Objective : The Fund seeks to provide regular and consistent income stream whilst preserving the unitholders’ investment capital over a long term horizon through a diversified portfolio of investment.
Potential Investors
Investors who:
* Have a medium to long-term investment horizon.
* Understand investment risk and reward.
* Seek regular income (if any) for their investments.
Eligibility
* Malaysians age 18 years and above.
* Others as specified by the Deed.
Investment Manager : Permodalan Nasional Berhad

TRANSACTION INFORMATION

Price per Unit : RM 1.00
Form of Investment : Investment book
Minimum Initial Investment : Investment book – 100 units
Minimum Additional Investment : Investment book – 1 unit
Maximum Investment : Unlimited, subject to availability of units of the Fund. (However, during the initial offer period the limit is 50,000 units per unitholder. Also, for those aged 55 years old and above during the offer period the limit is 100,000 units per unitholder. The Manager has the discretion to impose to any individual limit during the initial offer period or any other period determined by the Manager.)

Fund Size : 10.0 billion units
Sales Charge : None. However, the Manager has the discretion to charge up to 1% of the amount invested after the initial offer period.
Redemption Charge : None
Payment of Redemption : On-the-spot.
Cooling-off Period : None
Financial Year End : 30 September

Source : ASNB Official Website

Although they just announced today that there’s no sales charges for this AS1M but I forsee there’s no queue or so much havoc like the previous ASM and ASW2020. Moreover all the uncle and aunty taken out all their money invest in those two funds and not forgetting about Sukuk Simpanan Rakyat (Gov. Savings Bond).

Picture taken during last ASW2020 on April.

PNB: No sales charge for AS 1Malaysia unit shares

KUALA LUMPUR: No sales charge will be imposed on the sale of Amanah Saham 1Malaysia which will be opened for public subscription tomorrow.

Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) president and group chief executive Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said this was despite the provision for the imposition of sales charges. He did not give the reason for this.

Hamad said AS 1Malaysia, an equity income fund, could invest up to 90% from its value in the equity market.

He added that it was expected to generate competitive returns when the economy and market fully recovers.

“For example, Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 and Amanah Saham Malaysia which are both fixed price equity income fund has provided income distribution of between 6.25% to 8% in the past five years, which is comparatively higher than the prevailing fixed deposit rate of commercial banks,” he said.

The RM10bil AS 1Malaysia would be open to all Malaysians aged 18 years and above.

The minimum initial investment is 100 units and the minimum additional investment is one unit. The price of one unit is RM1.

Units will be available for subscription at all Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad branch offices and agents nationwide including Maybank, Pos Malaysia, CIMB Bank and RHB Bank.

Transactions at ASNB Offices and Pos Malaysia will be from 8am to 4.15pm. Transactions at ASNB agents will be from 9.15am till 4pm to 4.30pm depending on their respective operating hours.

Investments in cash, bank draft and banker’s cheque made payable to the account holder or Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad are accepted at all ASNB offices and agents.

Source : TheStar

Michael Jackson Is Dead – Rest In Peace, you will be remembered forever. Your songs will be playing all over the world today…”Beat It”

Updates with confirmation of death from coroner’s office

LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the “King of Pop” and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50.

Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.

The circumstances of Jackson’s death were not immediately clear.

Police are seen outside UCLA Medical Center, where Michael Jackson was taken in Los Angeles Thursday, June 25, 2009. Michael Jackson died Thursday at age 50. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 EDT, 1930 GMT), Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times.

The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.

Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album “Thriller” – which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” – remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies worldwide.

The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers.

Michael Jackson is seen in file pictures from top left, 1971, 1977, 1979, and bottom left, 1983, 1987, and 1990. Jackson has died in Los Angeles at age 50 on Thursday, June 25, 2009. (AP Photo)

Among their No. 1 hits were “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” and “I’ll Be There.”

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” said Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller.”

“He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time.

In fact, he united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie.

But as years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure – a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life.

His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice.

He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003.

He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him.

The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13.

He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

Singer Dionne Warwick said: “Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with … we have lost an icon in our industry.”

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson’s rented home, was roped off with police tape.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died,” a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was announced.

Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.

In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone.

“It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.” – AP

For latest news, pictures and videos on Michael Jackson from the AP Wire

Source : TheStar

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is the premier technical event for developers and IT professionals innovating with Apple platforms. Over 1,000 Apple engineers will be at Moscone West to present the latest Apple technologies and provide you with code-level guidance. You’ll learn how to harness the power of iPhone OS, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard in the most efficient and sophisticated way possible — saving you time and accelerating your development. Bring your MacBook and your imagination, and prepare to make your ideas happen.

Twitter update on WWDC :
http://twitter.com/wwdc
http://twitter.com/TDLLive

Website live updates :
http://live.gizmodo.com/
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/08/phil-schiller-keynote-live-from-wwdc-2009/#continued

Official Link : http://developer.apple.com/WWDC/

Aiyorr… Why la? Increasing petrol price again this September, a lot more burden for me as I need to travel to Cyberjaya daily =(

RON97 ain’t any premium ler. The problem is can my old car support this RON95 without damaging the engine?

Petrol price: RON97 to cost 20sen more

PUTRAJAYA: The RON97 petrol will be sold at RM2 per liter effective Sept 1, which is 20 sen more than its current selling price once RON95 is available nationwide.

The RON97 will be sold as a premium petrol product while RON92, the cheapest petrol currently available, will be removed from the market.

The RON95 – to be sold at RM1.75 – would be available to consumers in stages effective Wednesday and all petrol stations nationwide would sell the product by Sept 1, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“By Sept 1, RON97 will be the alternative petrol and a premium product.

Instead, the RON95 petrol will be the choice petrol for consumers and be rest assured, the product is of high quality and is good enough to be filled into even luxury and high-powered cars,” he said.

Ismail Sabri was speaking to reporters after the soft-launch of RON95 petrol here yesterday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to launch the nationwide sale of the petrol in September.

Ismail Sabri said the decision to phase out the RM1.70 per liter RON92 would not affect consumers as statistics show that only 5% to 10% of vehicle owners use the petrol, adding by paying only 5 sen a liter more, consumers would get to enjoy better quality petrol.

“I am pleased that petrol companies and the automotive industry players are supportive of the idea of having RON95 in the market.

What we provide for our consumers is much better than what is being enjoyed by others including those the United States, Japan and Europe,” he added.

He said at RM1.75 per litre, the government has to fork out 3 sen in subsidy for RON95 while a subsidy of 6 sen is paid for every liter of RON97, adding it could not be determined yet if there would be revenue for the government when RON97 be sold at RM2 as it all depend of the global petrol price.

“If it (petrol price) remains low, we can enjoy a bit of revenue but if it goes up higher, we have to subsidise more because the government has already pre-determined the selling price,” he said.

Ismail Sabri said the government, through his ministry has implemented various programmes to help the rakyat cushion the effect of an inrease in cost of living, including allocating RM812 million to kick off projects such as distribution of essential goods such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, flour and liquified petroleum gas (LPG).

Source : TheStar

RON97 to cost more from September

PUTRAJAYA: The RON97 petrol will be sold at RM2 per litre effective Sept 1, which is 20 sen more than its current selling price once the RON95 version is available nationwide.

The RON97 will be sold as a premium petrol product while RON92, the cheapest petrol currently available, will be removed from the market.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that RON95, to be sold at RM1.75, would be available to consumers in stages effective today and all petrol stations nationwide would sell the product by Sept 1.

Choice fuel: Petronas Dagangan’s Sabariah Mahjar filling up with RON95 at the soft launch of the petrol in Putrajaya yesterday. — Bernama

“By Sept 1, RON97 will be the alternative petrol and a premium product. Instead, the RON95 petrol will be the choice petrol for consumers and rest assured, the product is of high quality and is good enough to be filled in even luxury and high-powered cars,” he told reporters after the soft launch of RON95 here yesterday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to launch the nationwide sale of the petrol in September.

Ismail Sabri said the decision to phase out RON92 would not affect consumers as statistics show that only 5% to 10% of vehicle owners use the petrol, adding that by paying only five sen more for a litre, consumers would get to enjoy better quality petrol.

He said that at RM1.75 per litre, the Government has to fork out three sen in subsidy for RON95 while a subsidy of six sen is paid for every litre of RON97, adding that it could not be determined yet if there would be revenue for the Government when RON97 is sold at RM2 as it depended on the global petrol price.

He said the Government, through his ministry, has implemented various programmes to help the public cushion the effect of an increase in the cost of living, including allocating RM812mil for projects such as distribution of essential goods including rice, cooking oil, sugar, flour and liquified petroleum gas.

Source : TheStar

RON95 to be priced 25 sen cheaper than RON97

PUTRAJAYA: RON95 petrol will be priced at RM1.75 per litre, five sen cheaper than the RON97 available now.

When the RON95 petrol is introduced from Sept 1, RON97 petrol will cost RM2 per litre.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the fact that RON97 will be at a higher price has raised concern among the public but what most did not understand was that RON95 would become the grade of petrol that everyone would use.

“For many, even luxury and high-powered cars, RON95 is good enough. Malaysian consumers are currently using petrol which is of higher quality that what consumers get in other countries,” he said.

“And the best thing is, RON95 petrol, which is almost similar in quality to RON97, is cheaper. Meaning, consumers will be paying less for good quality fuel compared to now.

“The public should not be worried about the higher price of RON97 because it will become an alternative product,” Ismail Sabri said after chairing his ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Ismail Sabri said the RON97 petrol would join the league of other premium petrol products available in the market.

On another matter, the minister said that a committee to look into the price of chicken would be set up next week, which would comprise members representing breeders, wholesalers, retailers and consumers.

“The committee will determine whether there is justification to increase the price of chicken and the quantum of the increase,” he said.

Source : TheStar