Eileen Ng

'We put bricks and mortar at the centrepiece of our economic development but pay little attention to developing human resources.'

The pretty 26-year-old pop princess will perform at London's Royal Albert Hall on April 1, becoming the first Malaysian to hold a solo concert at the famous London venue.

The concert on Friday brings together US artistes and Asian stars including Malaysia's jazz queen Sheila Majid, Hong Kong pop singer Nicholas Tse and former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Singapore's former premier Goh Chok Tong present an upbeat assessment of chances of resolving the issues in revived negotiations today.

Asean's biggest member Indonesia and the Philippines also voiced concern over Rangoon's seemingly mixed signals about reform, while Malaysia took a more cautious stance.

The Thai PM met the leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia to soothe tensions after he threatened to walk out of the Asean summit here if leaders raised the unrest.

Anwar Ibrahim has called for dozens of alleged Islamic militants detained without trial to be released or charged in court, warning that governments should not use terrorism as a pretext to silence dissidents.

Anwar says his release last month after six years in jail was just the start of a new chapter in the struggle to reform a government which he says is corrupt.

Analysts say it is premature to determine if the deal will ensure Proton's long-term survival, unless the partnership with VW is cemented with an equity exchange in the long-run.

Prime Minister Abdulah Ahmad Badawi marks his first year in office this Sunday with a mixture of positive reviews and criticism that he has not lived up to his promises.

Party president Abdullah is expected in his maiden presidential speech to outline his agenda to help improve the lot of the economically weak Malays, who make-up some 60 percent of the country's 25 million people.

The government today set a new growth target of 7.0 percent for 2004, the highest in four years, after a stronger-than-expected first half.

The aim is to promote its eight-year-old Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and seek out new business deals to bolster growth in the high-tech zone.

Malaysia will seek to lower the cost of business to remain competitive as one of the region's top outsourcing centres, says premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The unexpected release from jail today of charismatic former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim threw a new twist into Malaysian politics, already in the grip of change after the retirement of veteran prime minister Mahathir Mohamad last year.

The country's costliest-ever movie, 'Puteri Gunung Ledang', hit screens nationwide today amid high hopes it will become the latest international success from Asia's booming cinema industry.

Bank Negara says it will issue three new licences to foreign banks this year, with the first one awarded to Kuwait Finance House in May.

The World Health Organisation warns that liberalising the trade would incur major health and economic costs.

Soaring oil prices and a slowdown in China's economy are a double-whammy for Asian countries but will not plunge the region into a recession or derail economic recovery.

Sales had picked up after confusion over car prices following the imposition of new duties in January was resolved, with consumers then accepting the higher prices

The hi-tech factory in Tanjung Malim north of Kuala Lumpur was awarded the Conformity of Production (COP) certificate from Britain's Vehicle Certification Agency less than seven months after it had begun operations.

Asia currently imports some 62 percent of its oil needs, mainly from the Middle East, but this is expected to rise to 74 percent in 2010.

Experts are worried that Asia's soaring tiger could come in for a hard landing because of energy supply concerns.

From its main entrance, it is a 15-minute walk to a fortress-like structure behind high fences standing starkly against a lush backdrop of green rolling hills.