Malaysia Airports Technologies Won The Information Security Organisation Of The Year Award

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia Airports (Technologies) Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia Airports’ subsidiary which undertakes IT business ventures, has received the Information Security Organisation of the Year in the Malaysia Cyber Security Awards 2010.

The award acknowledged the company’s effort in continuously benchmarking and improving its processes to be at par with the best in the industry. The award was presented by YB Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation to Kamaruddin Mahmood, General Manager of Malaysia Airports Technologies at the Malaysia Cyber Security Awards and Gala Dinner 2010 on 27 October, held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Malaysia Cyber Security Awards highlight and recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations in the field of information security. The awards serve as acknowledgement of their innovation, commitment, industry and product/service leadership, and sound business strategies within the information security sector in Malaysia.

Malaysia Airports Technologies’ main focus is to provide Operation & Maintenance (O&M) for the entire ICT infrastructure for KLIA on a round the clock basis. Its code of ethics established the rules on information security and similarly, the IT policies also provide rules and guidelines towards sustaining security posture. 

Kamaruddin said: “IT Transformation initiatives launched in the last few years have transformed Malaysia Airports Technologies from just an O&M operator into an ICT Service provider for entire Malaysia Airports, not just KLIA. This transformation includes reorganisation, improvement of processes, cultural alignment, standardisation and ICT governance.”

He added: “Malaysia Airports Technologies has always shown commendable Information Security Governance framework and has adhered to international standards and best practices set in the industry.”

From Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhad

 

TMIM Offers More Convenience

TM Info-Media Sdn. Bhd. (TMIM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) today signed two agreements with its partners, ePage International Pte. Ltd and Simfoni Maya Sdn. Bhd. (Simfoni Maya) that will allow its customers to benefit from enhanced solutions.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Nasaruddin Mohd. Zaini, Chief Executive Officer of TMIM, said: “TMIM has taken yet another important step in bringing advertisers and consumers closer. With the introduction of e-Yellow Pages and Yellow Pages TV (YPTV), advertisers can look forward to more exposure and exciting opportunities while consumers have added convenience and choices.”

In line with the current digital lifestyle, the need for a digital version of yellow pages directory is relevant as customers may want to look up for any desired retailers contact numbers anytime, anywhere without the hassle of flipping through a thick book.

In view of this, TMIM has developed e-Yellow Pages, the digital version of its existing Yellow Pages directory. This digitization of Yellow Pages is made possible with TMIM’s collaboration with ePage International Pte. Ltd.

With e-Yellow Pages as a new source of high-quality directory information, customers can now view the directory at their convenience, anytime, anywhere by downloading it into their PC or laptop. They can also enjoy more interactivity as customers can obtain more information about any particular product or services by clicking on the advertiser’s advertisement in the e-Yellow Pages, which will then link customers directly to the advertiser’s official website.

In addition, viewing is made easier with e-Yellow Pages. The digital directory is completely scalable, making it easy to fit any screen size and yet maintaining the full page of the directory. Customers would be able to view the directory without needing to scroll downward or sideways.

As compared to the printed Yellow Pages which is printed once a year, e-Yellow Pages is updated on a monthly basis. This will greatly benefit the advertisers as they can have their advertisements available to the masses much faster and reap the benefits of potential sales quickly.

e-Yellow Pages can be downloaded at www.yellowpages.com.my for free and once it has been saved into customers’ PC or laptop, they can view it anytime.

With the collaboration with Simfoni Maya as the technology enabler, TMIM is introducing YPTV, yet another new product. This new product provides advertisement space on plasma TV placed at 106 TMpoint outlets nationwide. Through this electronic channel, customers are able to acquire useful information on local retailers featured in colourful and attractive manner, 8 hours, 22 days every month while making their transactions at TMpoints. In addition, YPTV is also available in KTM trains for the viewing pleasure of the commuters.

Advertisers will greatly benefit from the wide reach of potential customers everyday as a myriad of customers from all walks of life walk into TMpoint outlets and KTM trains.

To encourage the loyal existing advertisers of the printed version of Yellow Pages to move to this electronic channel, a special package is offered to them while new advertisers can enjoy a competitive advertising rate.

Commenting on the collaborations, Datuk Bazlan Osman, Chairman of TMIM who is also the Group Chief Financial Officer of TM, said: “I would like to commend TMIM on this initiative in providing more avenues for advertisers in marketing their products while at the same benefiting customers at large. Advertisers particularly should take opportunity of these new solutions to market their products and services.”

The agreements were signed by Nasaruddin on behalf of TMIM while ePage International Pte. Ltd. was represented by Christopher Sweeting, Chairman, ePage International Pte Ltd while Simfoni Maya was represented by Razenan Hanafi, Chairman of Simfoni Maya respectively. Datuk Bazlan Osman witnessed the signing.

From Telekom Malaysia Berhad

Sime Darby Sets Up Country’s First Mechanised Paddy Farm In The Northern Corridor

BAGAN SERAI, 5 February 2009 - Malaysia’s first fully mechanized paddy farm was launched today, part of a move by Sime Darby Berhad to bring innovation to agriculture in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER). Once fully implemented, the mechanised paddy plantations using superior seeds will result in higher yields and thus help to address the government’s concerns over Food Security issues while expanding Sime Darby’s footprint in food production.

The 200 ha farm set within the Kerian/Sg Manik rice granary area will be a template for other paddy farms which the diversified multinational hopes to operate in other parts of the country. Sime Darby said today that it was also prepared to share its expertise and innovation with smallholders and rehabilitate idle agriculture land in the NCER.

The project was launched by YAB Dato' Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia and witnessed by Sime Darby Bhd Chairman, Tun Musa Hitam. Also present were YB Dato' Mustapha Mohamed, Minister of Agriculture & Agro-based Industries and Dato Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid, President and Group Chief Executive of Sime Darby Berhad.

Some 168,000 Ha of land within the NCER is currently cultivated with paddy but local farmers mostly operate on a small scale with an average of 1.06Ha per farm with yields of between 3 and 4 MT/Ha annually. In order to facilitate mechanisation and thus greater efficiency, it would be necessary to form larger contiguous parcels of paddy plantations. Sime Darby has proposed a co-operative structure to facilitate the creation of such paddy plantations, which would allow local farmers to participate as shareholders in the venture with the option of working the fields.

“When we announced our intention to venture into paddy cultivation, many were sceptical but the reality is that, for us, this is an extension of our existing core business. We are planters and we are in the food business,” Tun Musa said at the launch event. He added that from the country’s perspective food security is a critical issue and any initiative by the government to address it should receive the support it rightly deserves.

Food Security is an issue that has been raised in recent years and Malaysia’s dependence on rice imports has been viewed as a critical area of concern. Malaysia hopes to achieve self-sufficiency by producing 90% of the country’s rice needs and reducing imports to just 10% by 2010. Currently about 25% of all the rice consumed in the country is imported. “Sime Darby’s venture into paddy cultivation will assist the government in this quest to achieve selfsufficiency,” Tun Musa added.

Sime Darby’s RM12.5 million farm will feature state of the art irrigation systems, a fully mechanized paddy nursery, boom sprayers and a combined harvester designed specifically for paddy. With the improved irrigation system and these other innovations, Sime Darby is confident that not just paddy yields but also harvest cycles will increase. It is projected that the farm will produce yields of 5 to 6 metric tonnes within the first three cycles and 8 to 10 MT from the fourth cycle onwards.

From Sime Darby’s perspective, Ahmad Zubir said that the mechanized paddy farm in Bagan Serai is another step the Group is taking to grow its food production business within the plantations division. Although the cultivation of oil palm is still the mainstay of the Plantation Division and will constitute at least 75% of commercial crop cultivation, the remaining 25% will be used for other commercial crops including paddy.

"This project in Perak is the first and we hope to replicate this across Peninsular Malaysia and in Sabah and Sarawak in the near future," Ahmad Zubir said. "We will extend our expertise and services to smallholders in the area and we hope to work with the state authorities to replicate this model in abandoned paddy farms and idle land across the NCER," he added at the launch today.

Sime Darby was the master planner of the NCER which was launched in mid- 2007. Since then, the implementation of one of the country’s growth corridors has been handed over to the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA). Sime Darby, has identified the NCER as the ideal area to spearhead its move into paddy cultivation.

After declaring open the model paddy farm, the Prime Minister opened the Paddy Gallery in Gedong today. The gallery charts the history of paddy cultivation in the country, the processes that have been used as well as a showcase of new mechanization techniques, equipment and irrigation systems.

Meanwhile, Sime Darby Plantation today also signed a collaborative research agreement with the China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI). The CNRRI is one of the world's leading authorities on rice research and this collaboration is expected to result in the production of superior quality grains that are not only cost efficient but also capable of producing higher yields. 

From Sime Darby

A Variety of Methods Can Be Used to Tap Into Phone Messages

LONDON — The term “phone hacking” dominating headlines around the world refers broadly to a variety of methods journalists at The News of the World and other British newspapers could have used to listen to thousands of voice mail messages until the scandal came to light. 

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police, the force investigating the matter, said it was defining the practice as “the illegal interception of messages relayed by telecommunications that were not intended for the person who has intercepted them,” without providing specifics.

In practice, as court documents and interviews with those involved have demonstrated, the hacking involved a number of techniques.

They took advantage of default codes — like 1111 or 4444 — that cellphone providers in Britain gave users to retrieve their voice mail. Many customers did not change this standard number to a more secure code, allowing hackers to use it in one of two ways.

In the first way, according to current and former tabloid journalists interviewed for an investigation by The New York Times Magazine into the practice, one reporter would call the intended victim’s phone, engaging the line. A second reporter would call simultaneously, and would be directed to the voice mail system. There, the default codes could be entered, potentially allowing access to messages (which were then often deleted to prevent other rival newspapers from hearing them).

The second method was detailed on a recording obtained by The New York Times as part of the same investigation. In the recording, Glenn Mulcaire, a private detective jailed for six months in 2007 for phone hacking, described a method of calling into a voice mail system by dialing an external number provided for checking messages from other telephones, like land lines. It, too, required the default code to be entered.

If any of the intended victims had changed their codes, the hackers would resort to what they called “blagging” — calling cellphone companies, pretending to be authorized users or company insiders, and requesting that the access code be reset to the default.

Britain’s major cellphone companies — Orange, Vodafone, O2, Three and T-Mobile — said in interviews on Wednesday that their voice mail access procedures had become more stringent since the early 2000s, the heyday for phone hacking.

Orange, Three and T-Mobile no longer provide default voice mail pass codes; users must set their own. O2 and Vodafone will allow codes to be set only from the cellphones they supply. If that number is reset, the new code is also sent directly to the phone. Vodafone alerts customers if three failed attempts are made to enter the number, and O2 locks voice mail services. 

From The New York Times

Island Author Announces iPad Health ed ap

 

The Human Body Detectives, a series of action-packed fiction stories developed by a Big Island writer and naturopathic doctor, expands with Battle With The Bugs, its corresponding educational and entertaining iPad app.

Kids ages 6 to 10 will love this series of award winning educational adventure stories which follow two “Human Body Detectives”, Merrin and Pearl, who magically enter different systems in the body to solve a health mystery and learn a bit of nutrition along the way. The series is now available in story-book (versus audio), ebooks, and now iPad and iPhone apps.

The plot surrounds main characters Merrin and Pearl’s little cousin Max, who is sick, threatening everyone’s Mexican holiday. This time the detective girls find themselves inside Max’s body, witnessing firsthand the immune system in action. They befriend a white blood cell warrior who leads them into battle against the offending bacteria, and learn why it’s important not to eat candy and sugar when you have an illness, as these only feed bacteria and viruses more, making you feel sicker.

The book series is authored by Dr. Heather Manley, a Hawaii-based naturopathic physician who saw a need for books that teach kids about their bodies and health in an imaginative, fun way. The main characters are based on Dr. Heather’s daughters of the same names, Merrin and Pearl.

The series, for kids ages 6-10, currently features The Lucky Escape, teaching about the digestive system; Battle with the Bugs, about the immune system; and the latest, A Heart Pumping Adventure, about the circulatory system.

“My goal is to help children strive for optimal health,” said Manley. “Understanding how various body systems work and which foods fuel each system is critical. Kids need to know how the food they eat plays a direct role in how their bodies function.”

Device Requirements:

• Compatible with iPad
• Requires iOS 3.2 or later
• 32.4 MB

Pricing and Availability: Battle With The Bugs [iTunes link] is $2.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Books category.

About The Human Body Detectives

The Human Body Detectives (HBD) story and website for kids was founded by naturopathic physician, Dr. Heather Manley in 2008. As a doctor and a mother, Dr. Heather believes that if kids understand how the food they eat plays a direct role in how their bodies function, they will be more inclined to make healthy food choices. In her search for books and resources that provide healthy eating tips and encourage parents to make healthy food choices for kids, and more importantly, encourage kids to make healthy food and lifestyle choices for themselves, she discovered there were very few books out there doing this in a fun way. That is when the idea for the Human Body Detectives series came to her.

From Hawaii Star

Sri Lanka is World’s 5th Best in Development of ICT Sector, says ICTA CEO

From left:ICTA Investment and Private Sector Development Programme Head Fayaz Hudah, CEO Reshan Dewapura, Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Head, Jagath Seneviratna and e-College Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. Director and General Mmanager and SLASSCOM Director and Capacity Building Head Nalina Wijesundara at the head table during question and answer time at the media conference.

Sri Lanka ranks fifth in the world in development in the ICT sector, says ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) Chief Executive Officer, Reshan Dewapura.

Dewapura said so during his address at the launch of the National ICT Workforce Survey 2010 Report cum media conference held in Colombo last Thursday (23).

Speaking further on the occasion, Dewpura said that the IT workforce in Sri Lanka estimated as at end of 2010, had stood close to 60,000 which was a significant growth of almost 100 per cent from 2006. "It is also estimated that the number of direct ICT job opportunities created in the coming years will be close to 10,000 per year", ICTA CEO revealed.

Dewapura said that it was not surprising that all information coming out of the survey indicated the enormous increase, the year-on-year growth of the national IT workforce reflecting the development of the ICT sector in Sri Lanka. Pointing out to a globally accepted indicator of success and Sri Lanka’s ranking in the world, he said: "The one indicator that beautifully captures these successes in a nutshell is the NRI or the Networked Readiness Index where Sri Lanka’s percentage position has gone up in the last five years from 72 to 48". Alluding to the World Economic Forum , Dewapura said that the WEF, in its report had commented that in the last five years Sri Lanka had the biggest improvement in the NRI and hence the fifth best development in the ICT sector in the world.

Explaining the cause of this growth ICTA CEO said that Sri Lanka’s tireless pursuit in the implementation of the e-Development agenda under the guidance of the Government policy document ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ was yielding positive results.

Referring to the need for the survey Dewapura said that ICTA had undertaken the survey due to the multitude of requests from different stakeholders in the ICT industry, the academia and also potential investors.

"The aim of this survey was to gain a clear understanding of the extent and composition of the ICT workforce in Sri Lanka and then to weigh that against the supply of skilled personnel., Dewapura said clarifying the purpose of the survey.

The survey also has been able to capture anticipated gaps between supply and demand for the future employment opportunities in the IT/BPO sector in Sri Lanka. It also contains specific information related to ICT training in Sri Lanka.

Participating in the occasion ICTA Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Head, Jagath Seneviratna explained the modus operandi of the survey and the basis of its findings: " The survey findings are based on information gathered from 510 organisations which included 75 IT companies, 80 Government organisations, 30 IT/BPO companies, 75 IT training organisations and 250 IT user companies". Responding to a query from the audience on the spread of the survey Seneviratna said that while most IT related companies were headquartered in Colombo the staff serving in them hailed from all parts of the country. He emphasised that, as could be seen from the methodology explained in the report , rules of sampling etc. required for the validity of the findings had been strictly adhered to.

From The Island (Sri Lanka)

ICT can Contribute Optimally to Sri Lanka’s National Development and Prosperity- Minister

The Federation of Information Technology Sri Lanka (FITIS) announced the launch of ‘Mini Infotel Kegalle: Towards a Knowledge Nation’, the largest regional ICT exhibition in 2011. FITIS is organizing the event on July 30-31 in partnership with the Ministry of Telecommunication and IT and Presidential Task Force for English and IT.

Speaking about the event, Minister of Telecommunication and IT, Ranjith Siymabalapitiya said the Ministry is making every effort to implement policies and programs to ensure that ICT can enrich the life of every citizen of this country. "ICT can contribute optimally to Sri Lanka’s national development and prosperity".

"While bringing out necessary policy initiatives to achieve this, it is also important to take the ICT message to all parts of the country. This helps us to achieve our national ICT objective of achieving 75% ICT literacy in five years and to create awareness of the benefits of ICT to citizens", he noted.

"It is in that spirit and with these objectives in mind that we partnered with FITIS to conduct the Mini Infotel ICT exhibition in Kegalle. We would like to invite entire ICT industry to join hands with FITIS in this initiative and appeal people of Kegalle district to get the best benefit out of this opportunity", the Minister said.

Wasantha Weerakoon, President of FITIS Hardware Chapter said the Mini INFOTEL regional exhibitions and ICT career guidance program are a joint private public partnership to promote ICT in outstation areas. The Minister has taken a keen initiative to promote ICT among rural youth to meet national ICT objectives of 75% ICT literacy, US$ 1 billion ICT export revenues and encouraged FITIS to conduct more regional ICT exhibitions.

Promoting Information Technology usage and taking its benefits to all citizens and regional economies is one of the objectives of FITIS as well, he said. "We are also working hard with our 160 member plus companies to promote wider usage of information and communication technology to enhance the competitiveness of industries vital to the economy. In order to achieve these objectives, we are planning to hold more regional exhibitions in main provincial towns".

FITIS Chief Executive Officer Damith Hettihewa said, "Information technology skills are vital to build a vibrant knowledge-based economy. In order to attract more youth from Kegalle district to the field of Information and Communication Technology, arrangements have been made to hold an ICT career guidance program parallel to the Mini Infortel Kegalle Exhibition. Awareness programs on professional ICT education, ICT usage in SME sector and lectures on free and open source software (FOSS) will also be organized parallel to the Mini Infotel 2011 exhibition.

A large number of local and multinational organizations representing the ICT field will be participating in the exhibition. Stalls can be reserved under the categories of Computers, IT Solutions, Telecommunications and Broadband Services, Gaming, Media and Entertainment, Computer Gaming , Software, Electronics Retail, Banking and Insurance, Manufacturing and SME, eCitizen Services, ICT training , Professional Education , English and Higher Education, Food and beverages. Hettihewa said.

From The Island (Sri Lanka)

No Phone? Local Firms Test The Idea

Except for the clock tower and elevator overlooking Lake Union, there is nothing particularly noteworthy about the two-story building at 2100 Westlake Ave. N. in Seattle.

Yet this building, headquarters for Innovative Communications Technologies (ICT), is unique for what it doesn't have: There are no phone lines.

Calls made from the building are beamed from a dish on the roof to the Westin Building in downtown Seattle, where the company's equipment transmits the calls as packets of data across the country.

Fifteen miles away in Redmond, employees at BeComm, a fledgling software company, have thrown out their phones altogether. All of the company's communication needs--e-mail, phone, fax--are done solely via computer.

Welcome to the business office of the future, where the traditional phone call is a thing of the past. Thanks to advances in switching and routing technology, a phone call is indistinguishable from video, e-mail or Internet content. Such information can be digitized into packets and then transmitted across the country over a single fiber-optic line.

"Voice is merely data," said Barry Henthorn, ICT's chief executive officer. In the future, "Companies won't be selling just phone service or Internet access. They will be selling an allocation of bandwidth."

ICT's headquarters is outfitted to use the very technology, called Global Private Telecommunications Networks (GPTN), the company hopes to sell to customers who rack up expensive long-distance bills.

GPTN essentially acts as the caller's private phone network by eliminating the need for long-distance carriers.

Here is how it works: A phone call made in Seattle is digitized into a packet of information and then sent across a fiber-optic line ICT leases from companies such as Global Crossing; it then re-emerges as a local phone call in Boston.

"Our technology makes a call to the rest of the country look like a local phone call," said Henthorn.

ICT, he said, can save customers money by charging a flat rate instead of the traditional fee per minute long-distance carriers favor.

BeComm's office is also wired to the very product it has developed: the Strings operating system.

The goal of Strings, said Edward Ballassanian, BeComm's president and CEO, is to create a media hub that manages all of the digital information that is sent to a home or business.

With Strings, said Ballassanian, a worker can not only make phone calls over the Internet but also turn on a TV with a cell phone. By transmitting e-mail into voice data, employees can listen to their e-mail over the phone.

Both Henthorn and Ballassanian said it was important to test their technology on their employees before selling it to others.

A year ago, said Ballassanian, the company had a "telephone throwing-out party" when employees threw all of their phones into a garbage can. Ballassanian had challenged his employees to use the very technology they had bragged about.

It's a good thing they did, he said, because Strings did not work properly for a few months. As they worked out the system's kinks, workers found it hard to communicate.

Someone had thrown out all of their telephones.

From The Seattle Times,

By Thomas Lee

Except for the clock tower and elevator overlooking Lake Union, there is nothing particularly noteworthy about the two-story building at 2100 Westlake Ave. N. in Seattle.

Yet this building, headquarters for Innovative Communications Technologies (ICT), is unique for what it doesn't have: There are no phone lines.

Calls made from the building are beamed from a dish on the roof to the Westin Building in downtown Seattle, where the company's equipment transmits the calls as packets of data across the country.

Fifteen miles away in Redmond, employees at BeComm, a fledgling software company, have thrown out their phones altogether. All of the company's communication needs--e-mail, phone, fax--are done solely via computer.

Welcome to the business office of the future, where the traditional phone call is a thing of the past. Thanks to advances in switching and routing technology, a phone call is indistinguishable from video, e-mail or Internet content. Such information can be digitized into packets and then transmitted across the country over a single fiber-optic line.

"Voice is merely data," said Barry Henthorn, ICT's chief executive officer. In the future, "Companies won't be selling just phone service or Internet access. They will be selling an allocation of bandwidth."

ICT's headquarters is outfitted to use the very technology, called Global Private Telecommunications Networks (GPTN), the company hopes to sell to customers who rack up expensive long-distance bills.

GPTN essentially acts as the caller's private phone network by eliminating the need for long-distance carriers.

Here is how it works: A phone call made in Seattle is digitized into a packet of information and then sent across a fiber-optic line ICT leases from companies such as Global Crossing; it then re-emerges as a local phone call in Boston.

"Our technology makes a call to the rest of the country look like a local phone call," said Henthorn.

ICT, he said, can save customers money by charging a flat rate instead of the traditional fee per minute long-distance carriers favor.

BeComm's office is also wired to the very product it has developed: the Strings operating system.

The goal of Strings, said Edward Ballassanian, BeComm's president and CEO, is to create a media hub that manages all of the digital information that is sent to a home or business.

With Strings, said Ballassanian, a worker can not only make phone calls over the Internet but also turn on a TV with a cell phone. By transmitting e-mail into voice data, employees can listen to their e-mail over the phone.

Both Henthorn and Ballassanian said it was important to test their technology on their employees before selling it to others.

A year ago, said Ballassanian, the company had a "telephone throwing-out party" when employees threw all of their phones into a garbage can. Ballassanian had challenged his employees to use the very technology they had bragged about.

It's a good thing they did, he said, because Strings did not work properly for a few months. As they worked out the system's kinks, workers found it hard to communicate.

Someone had thrown out all of their telephones.

UN Says Asian Tech Exports Far Outpace US

GENEVA —

Asia is now exporting two-thirds of the world's mobile phones, personal computers, digital televisions and other high-tech goods for information and communications, in a significant shift in world trade accentuated by the global financial crisis, the U.N. reported Wednesday.

The new U.N. data shows that China and Hong Kong exported $498 billion in such goods in 2009, more than four times the United States share of $113 billion. Also included in such trade were cameras, iPads, CD and DVD players and other consumer electronics.

Global exports of information and communication technology, known as ICT - key to developing economies - represented 12 percent of world merchandise traded last year, up about 1 percent from a year earlier, according to the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development figures.

"The striking thing is that Asia really has emerged as a very dominant player," said Torbjorn Fredriksson, who heads the ICT analysis section at the U.N. trade organization known as UNCTAD. "And you can also see that within just one year, their share increased by 2.5 percent, which is quite a large share globally, and we link (that) to the financial crisis."

Asia's gain has come mostly at the expense of the U.S., Japan and Europe, he said, with the quick rebound of Asian economies also playing a role.

Trade in ICT goods is increasingly dominated by Asia; seven of the top 10 exporters - led by China and Hong Kong - are Asian.

The next closest is the U.S., which exports almost 11 percent of ICT goods. The U.S., China and Hong Kong are also the biggest importers of ICT goods - partly a reflection of the inter-Asian trade in components.

The latest data support "recent findings that the global financial crisis has led to significant shifts in world trade of ICT goods towards Asia," UNCTAD said.

Most major exporters saw a decrease in ICT goods due the financial crisis, but the decline was sharper in Portugal and Finland, where the drop was more than 50 percent, and in Ireland, where it fell 36 percent. In Czech Republic, France, Germany and Sweden it decreased 20 percent.

China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Korea and Thailand also notched modest losses.

By contrast, India's exports soared 244 percent and its imports of ICT goods also rose. Exports of those by Romania, Israel and Malaysia also rose sharply, UNCTAD reported.

But imports of ICT goods declined by more than 35 percent in Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Russia and Spain for a mixture of factors that include the financial crisis, Fredriksson said.

UNCTAD says that mobile telephones and other ICT goods were helping blaze the way for new "micro-enterprises" that are mushrooming in developing countries - sometimes creating new livelihoods for the poor.

For example, Kenya has more than 20,000 agents for the M-PESA mobile-based transaction service, Fredriksson said.

Some 1 million people are now involved in India's mobile phone sector, he said. UNCTAD, citing Grameenphone figures, said Bangladesh has an estimated 350,000 "village phone ladies" who run mobile phone booths in remote places so others can call relatives or get health care.

From The Seattle Times,

By John Heilprin

P-Noy Says ICT Brings More Jobs, Sustains Economy

MANILA, Philippines –  The information and communications technology (ICT) industry helps government bring more jobs and opportunities to Filipinos whose lives also improve with more access to technology, President Aquino said at the formal opening of an industry-led ICT exhibition in Pasay City last Thursday.
In his message to the Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines (COMDDAP) through Trade and Industry Undersecretary for International Trade Adrian S. Cristobal Jr., the President also outlined his government’s commitment to remain competitive in the ICT and BPOmarkets to sustain the economy.
COMDDAP is a pioneering non-stock, non-profit trade group with leading IT players as members whose annual four-day exhibition is the country’s longest-running IT event. COMDDAP Expo Manila 2010 runs until today at SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia Complex.
“Our BPO and ICT industry is experiencing continuous and remarkable growth,” Mr. Aquino said.
He said the country is now the third leading player in the global BPO market with both IT and BPO revenues reaching $7.3 billion in 2009 or a 20 percent improvement despite the global crisis.
“Over the years, we have pursued policies that strengthen our investment potential,” Mr. Aquino said.
Among his government efforts include improving digital infrastructure and connectivity all over the country, introducing policies for appropriate legal and business environment within the ICT framework and developing highly skilled human capital.
The President also cited meaningful partnerships to advance the ICT industry among ICT associations, the academe and government in promoting the different sub-sectors of ICT and BPO such as animation, game and content development and other IT or IT-enabled services.He commended COMDDAP as among those associations which, for more than two decades now, has gathered IT distributors and consumers alike to update the public on latest innovations in the IT sector.
“As we anticipate global economic expansion following the most recent global downturn, today’s COMDDAP Expo provides one of the perfect venues to effectively make technology more accessible to our increasingly global-minded countrymen,” he said.
According to International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency for ICT issues, 90 percent of the world’s population now has access to mobile networks. By end of 2010, there will be over two billion Internet users worldwide with 1.2 billion coming from developing countries like the Philippines.

From The Philippine Star

CapSquare Centre to be Aspires World- Class ICT Mall

KUALA LUMPUR: Property developer Bandar Raya Development Bhd is positioning its retail complex, CapSquare Centre, as the information, communic ation and technology (ICT) mall following its partnership with PIKOM, the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry.

The mall, located in the heart of town in Jalan Ampang, which has been in operation over the last three years, enjoys some 70 per cent occupancy rate and attract mostly weekday crowds from surround ing office areas.

"CapSquare is vibrant during the weekday but it is very quiet over the weekend because we rely on office workers," said head group retail operations John Sironic during a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"We realize we need to be specific and attract a continuous crowd to the mall. PIKOM approached us at the right time. We aspire to be a world class ICT mall and has benchmarked ourselves to the likes of the famous Funan ICT mall in Singapore," he adds.

"ICT is a growing and vibrant market. Consumers can come and see new genuine products while at the same time enjoy the many food and beverage outlets available at CapSquare," said Sironic.

Fifty tenants including Apple, Acer, Garmin, HP, Celcom and Digi have confirmed to come on board at the four-storey mall which is scheduled to open on September 15. There will be 80,219 sq ft of retail area and 4,080 sq ft of kiosk area dedicated to PIKOM ICT mall.

PIKOM president Shaifubahrim Saleh hopes to sign- up about 300 tenants over the next two months. Rental offered for PIKOM retailers is between RM2.50 and RM7.70 per sq ft, depending on the floor.

Potential retailers can also take advantage of the growing catchment area within the integrated development with both commercial buildings like Menara Multi-Purpose, the upcoming CapSquare office tower and CapSquare residences coming into place.

"This is the first PIKOM mall that will provide genuine and quality ICT products to consumers. Due to the location, we aim to attract tourist as well. In future, we hope to have PIKOM mall nationwide," he said.

The mall will hold events like new product launches, product preview, product trainings and seminar plus special appearance by brand ambassadors as part of its promotional activities. CapSquare has also allocated RM1 million in advertising and pro motion budget to help promote PIKOM ICT mall for the first year.


From Business Times,
By Zurinna Raja Adam

Keepin’ em Posted

There is now a new generation of teachers who share their thoughts and communicate with students through blogging.

IT IS a “place” where she expresses her thoughts and feelings freely and to Saodah Ajil, the writings on her blog are a reflection of herself.

Hailing from Kelantan, this teacher likes sharing educational articles and inspirational sayings with her students and her own brood of children at 
saodahajil.wordpress.com.

She adds that she also loves to express the beauty she finds in prayer, children and education on her blog, as they are inspiring.

While keen to improve her proficiency in English, she is also proving the point that older, “motherly” teachers like her can be tech-savvy too.

Similarly Cyril Dason, a young teacher, who is also into blogging says “it’s good for networking and putting my thoughts out there. I also have students reading my blog and it’s a platform to share my knowledge with them”.

Cyril blogs voraciously in 
http://cyrildason.com about his personal thoughts but sometimes offers his followers a dose of current issues together with automotive and tech news.

The ICT (Information Communication Technology Literacy) teacher in Kuching who also heads the fraternity of Sarawak Bloggers —
http://sarawakbloggers.com, says that it is exciting to get to know people and see how their life is different from his. “My close friends at the moment are mostly from the blogging circle. Not all of them are teachers though – some are executives, CEOs (chief executive officers), varsity students and even people involved in health care. On top of that, blogging helps improve my English.”

Blogging expands one’s social network and allows an individual to vent their feelings, says Caroline Charles, who adds that in the end, one is addicted to sharing their daily thoughts on his or her blog!”

This young teacher from Keningau, Sabah, says that she first began blogging to record the progress of her chemotherapy sessions while being treated for Persistent Thropoblastic Disease.

Blogging to her was so therapeutic that she continued even after her treatment had ended.

“I blog mostly about my personal life that revolves around my passion for beauty, travel, weddings, dog, shoes, shopping, books and self-reflection. I had so much to blog about my students that I finally created another blog just for school-related entries.” Her blogs are : 
http://carolchs.com ;
http://kaychs.blogspot.com and
http://caitleya.blogspot.com.

She also reflects on what she has written. “Once the year is up, I look through my posts and note what I have and haven’t achieved. This helps me put my life goals back on track.”

Amanda, another young teacher, blogs to air her opinions on current issues and trends. In addition, she writes her own poems. Her blogwww.amandachristinewong.blogspot.com is also an invaluable teaching tool because she uses it to post literature notes for her students. Content-wise, teachers have to be careful.

“As a teacher, I have to watch what I write,” agrees Amanda. “As a role model, it’s tough to be pure in heart, words and deed. And that’s where the problem lies. No sensitive issues! It’s a complete oxymoron to want to speak my mind, and at the same time be polite about it!”

Her principal can read her blog too! While she toes the line somewhat, Amanda feels she needs to remain “real” to her students who understand only too well where her angst comes from.

Meanwhile, Muhd Radin Muhd Imaduddin, who is currently attached to the Education Ministry’s Curriculum Development Division, blogs to move forward with the times.

He started his blog in 2004 because as a member of PEPIAS (Persatuan Pelajar Islam Selangor), he was dissatisfied at what was achieved in small circle meetings.

While his blog allowed him to compile and organise the essence of their discussions, it died a natural death when he was posted to Sarawak in 2007, where online access was denied to him.

A year later, upon his transfer back to Peninsular Malaysia, he revived his blog and even got students to improve its “cosmetic” appeal.

“Why blog?” I ask him. “Why not?” he replies, “it’ is free, isn’t it? Besides, it’s easy to create, enhance and maintain. For its very flexibility, I love blogs.”

For Radin, his blog is not only his “personal space’’, but also a platform where he can open up to his students and be more available for them.

“I think today’s youngsters need mentoring, and in order for us to reach them, we need to be seen as people who understand their concerns.

“A teacher’s blog opens up channels of communication between him and his students and allows them to know how approachable he is.”

Radin directs his students to his blog whenever he sees them struggling with a particular issue.

“In my blog,” he reveals, “there are a wide variety of sayings and articles – both religious and secular – which can motivate and inspire my students.”

In complete agreement is Guru Cemerlang (excellent teacher) Rahmah Sayuti. However in her case, she focuses on teacher development. The tagline for her blog 
www.engoasis.blogspot.com is the “thinking teacher”.

She believes “teachers should think about what they do and why they do it.”

A professional blogger, Rahmah uses her blog to help “create more awareness” while “sharing the best practices in the teaching business” with “linking useful materials for teacher development.”

She is justifiably proud when she tells me that her post on the tried and tested “basic sentence patterns in English” has been downloaded 5,674 times since 2008!

In fact, the ideas and links that she has been posting so far are so useful, that one ardent fan described her as a “gift” to the teaching world.

To sum up, blogs today are fast becoming a way to open up the world of teachers to others.

So, the question is whether to blog or not to blog?

Our Prime Minister in his keynote address at the First Malaysia-Asean Regional Bloggers’ Conference in Kuala Lumpur last month, said that it was important to learn from the views and constructive criticisms of bloggers as this would help build a better Malaysia and future for all of us.

“The relationship must be based on mutual respect. We might not agree all the time, but we cannot be disagreeable,” he said.

“The government-knows-all” era is over, he added, reminding bloggers that they should know better than to trespass the line between posting their honest views and spreading lies and half-truths.

From The Star Online,

By Nithya Sidhhu