ALOR SETAR: It has become almost unbearable for more than 4,000 residents of the Simpang Kuala Flats near here who have been plagued by improper disposal of refuse for over a year.

Simpang Kuala Flats Federal Village Development and Security Committee chairman Zakri Hassan said the problem cropped up after E-Idaman took over the contract of refuse disposal at the end of 2009.

ALOR SETAR: Bina Darulaman Berhad (BDB), a Kedah state government subsidiary, denied on Tuesday, Jan 11 alleged irregularities in the award of the contract to build the Insaniah University College (KUIN) campus in Kuala Ketil, Baling.

NEW DELHI: A proposed new city in Gujarat, a prosperous state in western India, has shown interest to replicate Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital.

Malaysia's special envoy for infrastructure to India and South Asia Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu said the state government was keen on Putrajaya's design, which he had proposed to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

LUSAKA: Zambian President Rupiah Banda has laid the foundation stone for the new state-of-the-art Lusaka Independence Stadium, which is to be constructed with the help of the Chinese government at a cost of US$94 million (RM289.52 million).

LIMA: Peru's President Alan Garcia said the housing sector could once again become one of the "most dynamic" components of the economy with estimated growth of over 20% this year.

PUTRAJAYA: Teliti Datacentres' current project involving the building of a 120,000 sq ft data centre facility has been named one of the key projects under the Business Services sector Entry Point Projects (EPP).

It was among the 19 more EPPs from 10 National Key Economic Areas (NKEA EPPs) announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Tuesday, Jan 11 in Putrajaya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices of Hektar Real Estate Investment Trust, the retail-focused REIT in Malaysia, has been upgraded to RM1.44 from RM1.37 by OSK Research.

This is due to the general re-rating of REITs and the pick-up in the inflow of foreign funds into the country.

DUBAI: Movenpick Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement to operate the Movenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA in Malaysia, which is scheduled to open in early 2014.

The property is located near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and F1 Sepang International Circuit outside Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Tuesday, Jan 11 announced 19 more Entry Point Projects (EPPs) under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

He said the projects would generate almost RM67 billion in investments, RM36 billion in gross national income and create 35,000 new jobs.

KOTA BHARU: Hotel occupancy in Kelantan increased 10.7% from January to September last year, state director of Tourism Malaysia Zurina Abdul Samad said on Tuesday, Jan 11.

She said that 638,000 people stayed in hotels in the state in those nine months, compared with 576,000 in the corresponding period of 2009.