IF YAHOO SAID NO TO MICROSOFT WHAT COULD IT DO?

By Anupreeta Das

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - For Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) to avoid Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) bear hug, it could potentially partner with companies ranging from eBay Inc(EBAY.O: Quote, Profile, Research) to Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research), though an alternative deal would be unlikely to match the Microsoft offer.

Retailer Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , iPod maker Apple Inc(AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and phone company AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research) all could argue that integrating Yahoo's services and ads would be strategically smart, and some already have Internet-advertising partnerships with Yahoo.

None, however, is expected to be able to compete financially with Microsoft, whose offer is now worth about $41 billion, making the alternative deals longshots at best.

Web auction leader eBay struck a multiyear partnership in 2006 with Yahoo, centered on search and advertising, online payments and call functions.

A merger could further benefit eBay if it integrated its Web auctions with Yahoo's search technology, said Brian Bolan, an analyst with Jackson Securities. It could also yield cost savings for eBay on Internet search advertising and merge users of Yahoo's email and instant messaging services with eBay's Skype users, he said.

"But such a deal wouldn't solve the question of how you could make online search better, and that's why you would want to buy Yahoo," Bolan said.

Also, eBay -- which recently announced a new chief executive -- is itself facing challenges in reinvigorating its auction site and would have to raise debt to buy Yahoo at a higher price, making it an unlikely acquirer, analysts said.

One analyst suggested that Yahoo might find a "natural home" in Apple since it was unlikely Yahoo could stand alone.

"It may be that (Yahoo's) focus on controlling a customer experience means they will finally end up in the arms of Apple," said Colin Tyler, a director at OC&C Strategy Consultants.

A deal between Apple and Yahoo would center on Yahoo providing mobile applications for iPhones, some analysts said. Apple and Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) already work together to provide iPhone users with an array of mobile applications, from maps to mail.

But Trip Chowdhry, an analyst at Global Equities Research, said such a deal wouldn't generate much revenue for Yahoo because "any two high school kids could come up with a cool mobile application."

A deal focused on combining Yahoo's other assets is even more unlikely, since Apple makes much of its money from trendy gadgets and Steve Jobs has not indicated he is interested in the Internet-based services such as e-mail, search, messaging and advertising for which Yahoo is best known.

Instead, Chowdhry forwarded the idea that Web marketplace Amazon.com might have already talked with Yahoo about an alliance, whereby Yahoo would close its ailing e-commerce business or merge it with Amazon.com's in the same way that it recently closed its online music business and migrated customers to RealNetworks Inc's (RNWK.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Rhapsody service.

The two could then join forces against eBay and Amazon could benefit from incorporating Yahoo search and advertising functions on its site, Chowdhry said.

A Yahoo official declined to comment and an Amazon official did not return a call seeking comment.

Yahoo already has display-advertising deals with communications companies AT&T and Comcast, which also could see value in a closer alliance with Yahoo.

AT&T customers can access Yahoo search on their mobile phones and computers as part of their deal, and the two companies have agreed to share revenue.

Under Yahoo's deal with Comcast, the search company sells online video and display ads on Comcast's Web portal.

"Comcast has pushed very heavily into a variety of Internet-based services and so could theoretically benefit from Yahoo's footprint in communications, content delivery and broadband penetration," said one analyst who declined to be named because he was speculating.

Rob Sanderson, an analyst at American Technology Research, agreed that Comcast could be a bidder.

"While the synergies are less direct and its share price was 20 percent higher at the time, recall that Comcast made a $66 billion bid for Disney (Walt Disney Co (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research)) in February '04," Sanderson said.

Since Microsoft made its buyout offer for Yahoo public on February 1, Yahoo has talked with at least three potential partners, including News Corp (NWSa.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Google and Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) AOL, according to sources and press reports.

Analysts doubted that any of these companies except News Corp could cough up the cash to rival Microsoft's cash-and-stock offer, which was originally valued at $31 a share and put a 62 percent premium on Yahoo's stock price.

Analysts also said the size of the Microsoft bid diminishes the chance of private equity coming in with a higher offer.

Yahoo, meanwhile, has not publicly discussed any of these talks but has said its board continues to review all strategic options.

Two Yahoo shareholders who declined to be named said they were unwilling to consider the idea of an alternative deal, saying it was unlikely a better offer would emerge.

"There is no way large institutional shareholders are going to accept business as usual versus a transaction" with Microsoft, said one investor who owns both Yahoo and Microsoft shares. "And I can't fathom what the alternative is," she said.

(Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

USM TOPS MALAYSIAN ACADEMIC REPUTATION SURVEY (ARES)

PULAU PINANG – The USM Vice Chancellor Prof. Dato’ Dzulkifli bin Abdul Razak expressed his sincere appreciations to the USM campus citizenry who had strove assiduously to ensure that USM attained a five star rating that enabled the university to top the rankings in the recently concluded Academic Reputation survey conducted by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) initiated in 2005. News reports quoted the Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Mustapa Mohamed, as saying that the selection of USM as the best university amongst the 17 local IPTAs was made on the basis of the university’s excellent achievements in the academic arena and its contribution to the advancement of research in the country. He further added that these factors had enabled USM to be the sole university to be accorded five star status and be categorized in the excellent category and consequently be ranked as the most reputable IPTA in Malaysia. ``USM’s achievement is subsequent to its success in topping the Likert scale in 4 of the 10 aspects surveyed in the study.USM also led the other universities in attaining the most excellent academic staff reputation ratings with the International Islamic University (UIAM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) performing creditably,’’ he said. He disclosed this in a press conference after attending the launching ceremony of MQA,previously known as the National Accreditation Board (LAN), in Putrajaya yesterday. Dato’ Mustapa further remarked that USM was the preferred tertiary institution of many students who cited Universiti Malaya (UM) as their second choice. Prof. Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, in commenting on the achievement, attributed USM’s latest success to the impact of a variety factors including the recent announcement listing the institution as one of the four research universities in the country. More importantly, the success was the culmination of the support, commitment and dedication of the campus citizenry who collectively aspired and strove to place USM on its current pedestal as the nation's premier university. Prof. Datuk Dzulkifli added that 70% of lecturers in USM possessed doctorates (PhD) and this factor played a key role in enhancing the credibility of a university. The seminal study, to be conducted annually, was implemented to evaluate the perceptions of local and regional academia, the corporate world and employers regarding local institutions of higher learning (IPTAs). MQA and several lecturers from UKM and UM were tasked with the responsibility of conducting the research and the evaluation of the 10 question listed was based a six point Likert scale with one point classified as "weak" and six points classified as "outstanding".
Date Submitted	:	3-11-2007
Date Start	:	3-11-2007
Date End	:	3-11-2007
Related File	:	USM in RESEARCH.JPG

BBC SPORTS QUOTES

BBC Sports Quotes

"You always lose when your opponents score and you don't."
Words of wisdom from France coach Raymond Domenech after losing 1-0 to Spain.

ACADEMIC CHAIRS ABROAD ENNOBLE MALAY LANGUAGE - NAJIB

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- The establishment of Malay Studies academic chairs by the government at selected foreign universities is aimed at ennobling and globalising the Malay language, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said the chairs already established were the Tun Abdul Razak Chair at Ohio University in the United States, Malay Studies Chair at Leiden University in the Netherlands and Malay Studies Chair at Victoria University in New Zealand.

"Another such chair will be established soon at the Foreign Studies University in Beijing," he said at the International Malay Language Elocution Contest for the Deputy Prime Minister's Trophy held at the Putra World Trade Centre here tonight.

The text of Najib's speech was read out by Higher Education Ministry's secretary-general Datuk Dr Zulkefli A. Hassan.

Najib said the government was committed to ennobling the Malay language which now had some 300 million speakers, including those from the "Malay Diaspora" who had settled in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and the United States.

"Language lovers and proponents must change their mindsets to ensure that the Malay language remains relevant in this era of globalisation and be at par with the world's other major languages of communication, such as English, French, Spanish and Mandarin.

"To do this, we need imaginative, innovative and well-planned efforts to attract foreigners to learn and master the Malay language," he said, referring to Malaysia's academic cooperation with well-known foreign universities.

Najib said to date, 129 higher learning institutions in the American continent, Asia, Australia and New Zealand were offering Malay Studies.

He said the setting up of the Malay Language International Council in 1997, aimed at encouraging and coordinating Malay language studies overseas, was another proof of the government's commitment to ennobling the Malay language.

"We hope all these initiatives would help increase the number of Malay speakers in the world," he said.

-- BERNAMA

UNTUK EMPAT ANAK PEREMPUAN SAYA

Seorang kawan telah menghantarkan email seperti berikut. Saya tujukan Doa ini kepada kesemua empat anak perempuan saya semoga mereka selamat di dunia dan akhirat...........

DOA SEORANG ISTERI UNTUK MENYATUKAN HATI SUAMINYA DENGANNYA

Ya Allah bagi Mu segala kepujian dan kesyukuran sebagaimana layak untuk Mu dengan kebesaran kekuasaanMu dan kemulian wajahMu dan ketinggian kemulianMu yang bilamana Engkau menjadikan dia sebagai suamiku.

Ya Allah Engkau jadikanlah dia penyejuk mataku dan pembantu untuk aku mentaati Mu

Ya Allah Engkau jadikanlah aku sebagai penenang untuknya dan penasihat yang diberkati

Ya Allah Engkau kasihkan aku kepadanya dan kasihkanya kepada aku

Dan rezekikan kami zuriat yang soleh yang menjadi kebaikan kepada agama dan dunia

Ya Allah jadikan antara kami berdua sebagimana antara Ali dan Fatimah

Ya Allah satukan hatiku dengan hati-hati ahli keluarganya dengan rahmatMu Wahai Yang Maha Pemurah

Ya Allah tutupilah keburukanku padanya dan tutupilah keburukannya kepada ku

Dan perlihatkanlah kepadaku kebaikannya dan redhakan aku apa yang telah Kamu beri kepadaku dan berkati aku padanya

Ya Allah permudahkanlah ia bagi ku dan permudahkan urusanku bersamanya dan jauhikanlah aku keburukannya

Jadikanlah aku berpuashati dengannya dan dia berpuashati denganku

Ya Allah jadikanlah aku dimatanya hebat dan jadikanlah ia dimataku kecil

Ya Allah bukakanlah antaraku dan suamiku dan ahli keluarganya sesungguhnya Engkau sebaik-baik pembuka

Ya Allaha yang menghimpunkan manusia pada hari Kiamat, himpunkan aku dan suamiku dalam kebaikan

Ya Allah Engkau jadikan aku sebagaimana yang ia sayangi dan jadikan ia sebagaimana yang aku sayangi dan jadikan kami sebagaimana yang Engkau sayangi

Ya Allah Engkau jadikan hati suamiku tergantung kepadaMu dan kemudian tergantung kepada rasulMu dan kemudian kepadaku

Ya Allah Engkaulah yang menguruskan kenikmatan dan kelazatan dalam kesusahanku,

Jadikanlah kegarangannya terhadapku suatu kesejukan dan keselamatan sebagaimana engkau jadikan api ke atas nabi Ibrahim suatu kesejukan dan keselamatan

Ya Allah berikanlah petunjuk kepadanya sebagaimana yang Engkau kehendaki dan redha

Ya Allah Engkau yakinkanlah hatiku bahawa sesungguhnya aku tidak akan dicelakai dan Engkau sentiasa bersamaku

Ya Allah perkenankanlah

Ya Allah perkenankanlah

Ya Allah perkenankanlah

ELECTION 2008: GUAN ENG LEADS DAP CHARGE

NST Online

DAP ini nyata sangat sifatnya yang chauvanis. Ia tahu bakal Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang semesti berbangsa Cina dari parti Gerakan. Ia hanya ingin memecah belahkan hubungan antara parti komponan Barisan Nasional.

GEORGE TOWN: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng yesterday confirmed that he would be making a comeback to active politics by contesting and leading the opposition party’s charge in Penang.

Lim said he chose Penang because of its importance to the DAP as a front-line state.

He announced this at a press conference where party adviser Lim Kit Siang and chairman Karpal Singh were also present.

Lim, who was the Kota Melaka member of parliament between 1986 and 1995, missed the previous two elections due to a automatic five-year ban resulting from a sedition conviction in 1998.

Lim said the party’s battle cry was to reduce Umno’s political dominance and deny the Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority.
“We are willing to even support a Gerakan candidate to ensure that the Penang chief minister’s post does not fall to Umno in the event we manage to deny the BN its two-thirds majority,” he said.

The DAP will be contesting seven parliamentary and 19 state seats in the upcoming general election.

The party has so far announced that blogger Jeff Ooi, political researcher Liew Chin Tong and political scientist Prof Dr P. Ramasamy will contest in Penang.

The others are incumbent Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh and Chong Eng (Bukit Mertajam).

The state DAP is scheduled to make a formal announcement on its list of candidates standing in Penang here today.

BN SELANGOR UMUM CALON JUMAAT INI

20/02/2008 3:50pm-Utusan Malaysia

SHAH ALAM 20 Feb. _ Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN) Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo akan mengumumkan senarai calon parti itu yang akan bertanding dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12, Jumaat ini.

Beliau berkata, daripada senarai itu, sebanyak 90 peratus telah diluluskan oleh Pengerusi BN Pusat, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, semalam, manakala 10 peratus lagi akan ditentukan esok setelah dibuat penelitian semula termasuk sokongan pengundi di kawasan masing-masing.

Pada hari Sabtu ini, kesemua calon yang layak akan diperkenalkan kepada pengundi di kawasan Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) yang dipertandingkan.

Pada pilihan raya umum kali ini, sebanyak 22 kerusi Parlimen dan 56 kerusi DUN dipertandingkan termasuk di negeri itu.

ALL FOR THE SAKE OF WINNING VOTES

Apakah yang tersurat dan tersirat dalam ruangan ini? Sama-samalah kita fikirkan. Ini penting direnungkan kerana Pilihan Raya Umum akan diadakan setiap lima tahun sekali. Apa senarionya sepuluh atau lima tahun lagi? Dimana agaknya kuasa politik Melayu masa itu?

On The Beat Sunday February 10, 2008
By WONG CHUN WAI
Come the general election, there is an unusual degree of tolerance and flexibility in matters of race, language and religion as politicians try to woo the people. Why can’t it be like this every day?
IT doesn’t look like it will happen in Malaysia for a long, long time. The world is currently glued to the US presidential elections where the front-runners in the primaries include an African-American and a woman.
The Americans do not care if their candidate is black, yellow or white as long as he or she is the right person. Their supporters comprise Americans of all races and gender. Throughout the campaign, candidates have so far managed to stay clear from race and gender.
More important, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both Democrats, have debated in a civil and intelligent manner, focusing on substantial issues.
Young Malaysians following the race must have surely asked when our politicians would live up to such qualities.
For a start, those who have overstayed must know when to leave.
Most of the voters are finding it difficult to swallow the argument put up by these leaders that they still need time to carry out their work.
Surely, they can’t expect us to believe them after holding on to their posts for decades.
Used to walking the corridors of power and enjoying the prestige and perks that come with their positions, many find it hard to be like us, ordinary Malaysians, again.
The thought of not seeing their names and pictures in the newspapers must be difficult to fathom.
By clinging on to their posts, it is also an insult to their party members because the impression, which they like to create, is that no one else is suitable to take over.
No one else seems good enough to fill their shoes. You find these politicians on both sides of the political divide; they seem to be there forever.
Then there are those who have had their chances. They had served in various capacities but had to quit in the most controversial situations.
Now in their 60s, the age when most Malaysians are thinking of spending time with their grandchildren and watching the sunset with their loved ones, they dream of staging a comeback.
Some of these figures do not even know how to surf the Internet and have no inkling of what young people are saying about them in cyberspace.
They probably assume that the new voters, like their grandchildren, have forgotten the trouble they had landed themselves into, or the huge embarrassment they had caused their party.
Their renewed ambitions must be difficult for the younger leaders in the party, especially those in their 40s and 50s, who have worked faithfully and are waiting in the wings.
Then there are one or two Mentris Besar or Chief Ministers.
It’s amazing how some of them seem to assume that their respective states are their personal fiefdoms.
They show their displeasure at even the slightest suggestion that they ought to contest a parliamentary seat.
They lobby to remain at their posts but then advise the other state assemblymen that they must abide by what their party bosses tell them to do.
Also, there are those who still continue to play the race card, in this age and time.
At their party conferences each year, they play to the gallery by projecting themselves as the communal heroes.
But during the general election, they shamelessly become the true Malaysian leaders we dream of.
They greet their voters in Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil; and if they can speak all these languages fluently, they would do so.
But for the rest of the five years until the next general election, they would insist only on one language for us.
Never mind if we all know that they send their children to boarding schools in England or Australia.
Some, it is said, have homes there, too.
Of course, they are upset if we do not send our children to national schools, questioning our loyalty to the country.
Suddenly, all these languages are used in posters, bunting and advertisements, and you wonder why Malaysia cannot be like this every day.
Why can’t we embrace such Malaysian features and why must multi-culturalism be acceptable only during election campaigns?
Such an unusual degree of tolerance and flexibility seems almost unbelievable.
Even PAS is prepared to stop talking about an Islamic state during the elections but throughout the next five years, we can be sure they will tell us how certain principles cannot be compromised on religious grounds.
Politicians are also busy visiting places of worship and meeting religious leaders, including those of other faiths.
Yet we know we will continue to grapple with various bureaucratic problems relating to faith issues because these same politicians will struggle to stand up for the rights of all citizens once the election season is over.
Fortunately, there are many who take their positions as MPs and assemblymen seriously. They work hard, help their constituents and speak with decorum.
They are a credit to their party and the people who voted them in.
How we wish we could have elections more regularly instead of just once every four or five years.
But hey, good things don’t happen every day.
Let’s enjoy all the attention while we still can.
It’s good to tell the politicians what we want once every four or five years and do our best to hold them to their promises – every single day.

OUTLETS TO MARKET HERBAL PRODUCTS

Feb 16 (NST Online) -- KUALA LUMPUR: Bumiputera entrepreneurs in the herbal industry are getting a helping hand to market their products. The Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry will soon be setting up trading outlets known as 4PU (Pusat Pengumpulan dan Pemasaran Produk Usahawan) in Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Johor and Selangor.

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the 4PU would be a one-stop centre for the collection and marketing of the herbal products. It will also brand and re-package the products and ensure they meet international standards. "We are talking about a RM8 billion herbal industry with 40 per cent, or RM3 billion, of the herbal products manufactured locally," Khaled said at the opening of a 4PU outlet at Herbal Plaza in Jalan Medan Tuanku here yesterday.

The outlet is a joint venture between the ministry and the Malaysian Herbal Corporation. It has 300 lots for entrepreneurs to display and market their products. So far, only 147 lots have been taken up. At present, Malaysia's exports of locally manufactured herbal products is worth about RM300 million, with most of it comprising herbal extracts. Khaled said the country's rainforests were extremely rich in biodiversity and had immense potential in terms of medicinal or herbal value. He said this wealth should be tapped with effective biotechnology research and development.

The country could create a niche for itself and market the products not only locally but throughout the world. The ministry, he said, had an annual allocation of RM10 million to help entrepreneurs advertise and market their products locally and internationally. "We even help entrepreneurs who have not named their products, or who cannot afford attractive packaging or have low quality products. "We help them to brand, re-pack and improve on the quality so that they can sell their products," he said. The ministry, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Malaysia Airports last year, had also held a meeting on Thursday to allow Bumiputra entrepreneurs to promote and market their products at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The outlet will be situated at the bridge link from the KLIA parking lot to the main terminal. It is scheduled to begin operations by June. Khaled said there would be 23 booths selling six categories of herbal products including food and drinks, drugs and health products. "These products are those which have complied with international standards. "Tourists will have no problem buying them and taking them back to their countries," he said, adding that the ministry, together with the 4PU, would also aggressively promote herbal products to Malaysians.

The 4PU centres are also expected to be listed by travel agencies and tour operators as tourist destinations. "By doing all this, we will be creating employment opportunities for many Malaysians in rural and urban areas," said Khaled. He said if demand for the herbal products was good, the ministry would also promote contract farming and manufacturing.

NAZRIN: COURTS NOT OPERA HOUSES

The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The courts should not be allowed to sink to the level of theatrical operas or turned into an arena for individuals to gain political mileage, said Perak Regent Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

“We must, at all costs, never allow the courts to degenerate to a level where society regards them as a theatre performing an opera scripted by certain directors.

Perak Regent Raja Dr Nazrin Shah

“Control must also be exercised to prevent anyone from turning the courts into an arena to garner political mileage,” he said at the 13th convocation of the Certificate in Legal Practice Year 2007 examination at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

He said a legal system that was just and had the people’s confidence was a prerequisite for ensuring that peace in the country is not undermined.

“A just legal system is an effective instrument to deter citizens from seeking disastrous alternatives which could lead a developed country into a state of anarchy,” he said.

Raja Dr Nazrin emphasised that a transparent and credible legal system was also an important component in enhancing the confidence of the outside world, particularly foreign investors, in the country.

He said today’s borderless world opened up opportunities for local legal practitioners to offer their services abroad.

While striving to garner experience at the international arena, the legal practitioners should maintain their good name and the integrity of the legal service so that the country’s legal practitioners were not regarded with prejudice, he said.

“This development demands that the legal profession in the country introduce stricter professional criteria to maintain the good name and integrity of the legal service,” he said.

Raja Dr Nazrin advised the 248 graduates to always give priority to quality of service and professional principles in discharging their responsibilities.

He said that though it is hoped that an increase in the number of legal practitioners could expedite the process of justice, the strength of the profession did not hinge on the rising number of lawyers but on the quality and integrity of the service offered.

He said legal practitioners were duty-bound to uphold the sovereignty of the country’s judicial system and set a good example for the people.