JOHOR BARU, Nov 21 - Lego, the Danish manufacturer of toy building blocks, is close to concluding a deal to build a theme park in Johor.
State authorities familiar with the project said a breakthrough in negotiations was proceeding well and preliminary works on “Legoland Malaysia” could start as early as June next year.
The project, to be sited on some 400 acres of land off Danga Bay, is expected to entail an initial investment of under RM1 billion.
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 - Not too many years ago, Malaysians would look over their shoulders before daring to whisper criticism of the country's "social contract", or Malay rights.
But today, these are openly debated, with the minority communities no longer holding back, and the boundaries of discussion being pushed further and further.
The status quo has been upended, and there is a strong sense of uncertainty as the three major communities grope for a new equilibrium.
JOHOR BARU, Nov 21 - A British university and a private Malaysian school have signed up with Iskandar Malaysia, kick-starting an ambitious move by the Johor development region to attract Singaporeans and other foreign students.
Newcastle University will open a medical faculty in Iskandar by 2011, while Malaysian education group Cempaka Schools is to open an international boarding school for boys in the next few years, it was announced yesterday.
Both institutions will be located in Iskandar's education hub, Educity, which is near the Second Link at Tuas.
UPDATE 2
By Shannon TeohKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda said today that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had never met his Mongolian lover Altantuya Shaariibuu who was brutally murdered two years ago.
"I know that Najib and his wife had never met the deceased Altantuya," Abdul Razak told a packed press conference at a hotel here today and pleaded for the media and the public to stop spreading "lies about Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife."
He said that those who have slandered the Deputy Prime Minister and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor can "never produce authentic evidence because there is none."
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — This year's break-up of utility giant Telekom Malaysia Berhad into fixed-line and mobile units to unlock their share value has achieved the reverse and is shrinking their market capitalisation in the current global financial turmoil.
Government sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the main shareholder that pushed for the demerger, had predicted the market capitalisation of both units would touch RM40 billion. But the share prices have tanked with the combined market capitalisation now about RM25 billion.
Telekom slipped 3 sen to RM2.77 per share yesterday while TM International closed 2 sen lower at RM3.98 a share, the lowest to date. Khazanah's advisors had estimated a post-demerger value of Telekom at RM11 billion or RM3.05 a share while the indicative value of TM International was RM29 billion or RM7.85 a share.
