New Straits Times articles from April 2011

New Straits Times archives from April 2011

Syed Nadzri bags best columnist award.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Azura Abas KUALA LUMPUR: The New Straits Times Press Group bagged four Malaysian Press Institute-Petronas awards last night. New Straits Times group editor Datuk Syed Nadzri Syed Harun was named the winner in the Best...

Shazryl takes oath.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Rahmah Ghazali KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah took a religious oath (sumpah laknat) that opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the man in the sex video. Flanked by former Malacca chief minister Tan...

The oxymoronic chief minister of Penang.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Azmi Anshar PENANG Chief Minister and DAP heir apparent Lim Guan Eng has spewed the most specious oxymoron of his career when he asserted that Malaysians can easily be "brainwashed with Hitlerian ideas that one is superior to another...

IRB offices to remain open till 8pm today.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: All Inland Revenue Board (IRB) offices around the country will keep their service counters open from 8am to 8pm today, the last day to submit the 2010 income tax returns. A total of more that 1.5 million returns have been...

Privileges panel orders lawyer to pay RM20,000.
April 30, 2011... SHAH ALAM: The Selangor House Rights and Privileges Committee yesterday cleared Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah of alleged contempt of the state assembly. Three members of the panel, chaired by Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. ...

Romance of good old journalism is here to stay.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Johan Jaaffar I LIKE to tell the story of Sher Mohammad, a 14-year-old boy soldier whom I and my two colleagues met near Jalalabad back in the spring of 1989. I did that again last Tuesday to participants of the Federation of Library...

Tears flow for murdered baby.
April 30, 2011... Byline: P. Chandra Sagaran IPOH: Even the sky opened up when the body of an innocent 9-month-old baby boy placed in a coffin was taken out in a hearse from the house in Taman Indah Sakthi, Bercham here yesterday. It was raining heavily...

'Showcase our achievements'.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Sean Augustin PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians have trouble speaking about their accomplishments, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the prime minister, said yesterday. She said Malaysians often spent more time fending off the negatives or...

Can Maya shine as the new 'Katerina'?
April 30, 2011... Byline: Meor Shariman WHEN word that a sequel to the hit film, Lagenda Budak Setan, was in the works, fans became ecstatic. The film, based on a best-selling novel by Ahadiat Akasha, made RM4.3 million last year, becoming the most...

Rape accused faces abduction charges.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: A yoga instructor facing rape charges was yesterday slapped with two counts of abducting two witnesses. Abdul Malik Abdullah, 55, pleaded not guilty to abducting and confining A. Mariammah, 17, and R. Amala, 16, in a house with...

Help little Cai Wai lead normal life.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: It was smooth sailing for Chai Mui Lee during her first year of motherhood. However, the 34 year old had been living a nightmare in the past few months because her 19-month-old toddler had poor appetite and was often panting...

Zac Heaven looking good.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Go-Ram ZAC HEAVEN looks ready to greet the judge in the Rocket Man 2009 & 2010 Handicap, the Class 5, Div 1 over 1400m in Race 1 tomorrow going by his final gallop at Kranji yesterday. Taken out by a track rider, the...

English Premier League 2010-2011 season.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Devinder Singh TODAY Wigan Athletic v Everton at DW Stadium It's a sprint to the finish and Wigan have a reasonable chance of reaching safety first with their final four matches against sides near and around them. Manager Roberto...

Building an exciting car company.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul IT was either peer pressure or mischief that drove the Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes conglomerate to buy Caterham Cars. But somehow, the purchase of a car company, any one that was realistically available, seemed to be...

International flavour for mountain bike race.
April 30, 2011... ANUAR Manan and Suhardi Hassan have confirmed their entries for the inaugural Putrajaya Challenge mountain bike race at Putrajaya Challenge Park in Precinct 5 this weekend. The duo, along with competitors from nine nations, make it an event...

Fujiwara sets fastest time.
April 30, 2011... JAPANESE Katsuaki Fujiwara stamped his mark in the SuperSports 600cc qualifying session in the opening leg of the Petronas Asia Road Racing Championships at Sepang International Circuit yesterday. The Manual-Tech Beet Kawasaki Racing rider,...

Not a renaming exercise.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul TEAM Lotus Enterprise co-owner Datuk Kamarudin Meranun has denied that the company's acquisition of Caterham Cars is an attempt to rename the team. Instead, Kamarudin seemed to hint that Caterham may appear as a...

Chong Wei breezes into semis.
April 30, 2011... Byline: K.M. Boopathy LEE Chong Wei toyed around with his opponent before storming into the semi-finals while men's doubles Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong remained in contention after clearing a tricky hurdle in the quarter-finals of the India...

Duo to have stint in Australia.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Jugjet Singh SHUKRI Mutalib and Faizal Saari have been selected to play in the Australian Hockey League (AHL), as Malaysia prepare for the Olympic Qualifiers next year. Both the national players will also notch a first, as before...

Selangor live dangerously.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Zainuddin Muhammad SELANGOR lived dangerously at times but held off Terengganu to secure a 1-1 draw at a packed Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium yesterday and maintain their slender lead at the top of the Super League. A win...

Gibson, Pornpong share the lead.
April 30, 2011... VETERAN Canadian golfer Rick Gibson turned back the clock to share the second round clubhouse lead with Pornpong Phatlum of Thailand at the Clearwater Masters at the Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort in Batu Gajah, Perak. yesterday. Gibson,...

Che Ku Marzuki is back, Yunus stays in T-Team.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Zainuddin Muhammad CHE Ku Marzuki Che Ku Mohd Noor is back with T-Team but Yunus Alif is not going anywhere. But both coaches will not be involved in the preparation for the visit of neighbours Pahang today as the former has yet to...

Nafiizwan upsets Farhan.
April 30, 2011... Byline: K. Kandiah THE stage is set for an all Malaysian men's final between Ong Beng Hee and Mohd Nafiizwan Mohd Adnan in the Asian Squash Championships. Nafiizwan upset second seed Farhan Mehboob of Pakistan 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 in the...

PM: Govt confident of healthy investment growth.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Farrah Naz Karim PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government was confident of ensuring a healthy growth in both foreign direct investments (FDIs) and domestic investments. FDIs in Malaysia totalled US$1.4...

MCA to stay out of govt if rejected by Chinese.
April 30, 2011... MALACCA: MCA yesterday defined what will constitute "failure to secure the mandate of the Chinese community in the next general election" that will, in turn, see the party staying out of government at all levels. Its presidential council...

Shazryl's oath-taking a personal choice, says Najib.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah's decision to take a "religious oath" is a personal choice and has nothing to do with Umno or the government. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government was not stopping or encouraging...

Police seek help in sex video probe.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Police will seek assistance from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission as they investigate the uploading of several segments of a sex video allegedly depicting an opposition leader and a woman on YouTube. Deputy...

'Saman ekor' ops stay, says deputy IGP.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Lee Shi-Ian; A. Azim Idris KUALA LUMPUR: The police will continue to issue saman ekor, or the sending of summonses to traffic offenders via the postal service, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar clarified...

For those who can't wait, they already got theirs from overseas.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Many Malaysians braved long queues at Apple stores yesterday to buy the iPad 2. However, there were those who could not wait for the local official launch day and had purchased the tablet overseas, although it meant paying more....

iPad 2 sold out within an hour.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Izwan Ismail KUALA LUMPUR: Move aside Justin Bieber, it's iPad 2's turn to turn Malaysians into frenzy mode. Apple did it again as thousands of iPad fans thronged its stores around the Klang Valley yesterday to get their hands on...

Heir of 'JBJ' legacy soldiers on.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Santha Oorjitham "IT'S like Ford or General Motors saying, 'Buy a car from Toyota but we'd like to supply you with a spare tyre'." That's how Kenneth Jeyaretnam, secretary-general of the Reform Party, sums up the "by-election"...

Alice Smith School celebrates regal wedding in style, too.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Though thousands of kilometres away, the royal wedding fever was felt at the Alice Smith School, one of the oldest British international schools in Southeast Asia. Its staff and pupils celebrated the wedding of Prince William...

Illness stops Azhar's return to assembly.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Lee Keng Fatt; Looi Sue-Chern GEORGE TOWN: Penag opposition leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim, who was to return to the state legislative assembly yesterday after serving out his suspension, missed the opening ceremony because of heart...

Stay in contempt move.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Jennifer Gomez SHAH ALAM: The High Court yesterday ordered a stay on the move by the Selangor House Rights and Privileges Committee to compel lawyer, Datuk Hafarizam Harun, to answer charges on alleged contempt of the state assembly....

Binding bonds.
April 30, 2011... THE fact that Malaysia was the first Southeast Asian nation to establish diplomatic relations with China 37 years ago is important not only from a historical perspective but also for the subsequent binding of bonds between the two countries. Of...

Hunt for motorist who knocked down woman cop.
April 30, 2011... SEREMBAN: A policewoman was injured when a Proton Satria knocked her down during an operation in Jalan Taman Bukit Mas, in Rahang, near here, on Thursday evening. Constable Rohayu Samalan, 24, from the Negri Sembilan narcotics police, was...

Flash floods hit Penang.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Phuah Ken Lin; Looi Sue-Chern BUTTERWORTH: A downpour which started at midnight and continued throughout the day caused flash floods in low-lying areas in three districts on the mainland yesterday. The rain also caused water levels...

2 win damages over shooting.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Halimatul Hamid GEORGE TOWN: A former pirated video compact disc (VCD) pedlar, who was shot in the chest by a Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs enforcement officer, and a bystander, who was hit by a stray bullet in the incident in...

Students help blind pupils with book gift.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Roy Goh TUARAN: Visually impaired pupils of a special primary school here received books designed to help them learn how to read. They can thank students from SM La Salle in Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, for the 20 tactile books, as...

Schools stand to win RM114,000 in mural contest.
April 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: A total of RM114,000 await 20 secondary schools with the best painters. The Plus Expressway Bhd's "Malaysians Unite For Road Safety" 2011 National Inter-school Mural Competition is back, and will give away RM20,000 to the school...

TBSS finish tops in Group B.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Jugjet Singh TUNKU Besar Secondary School (TBSS) of Tampin beat Perlis 1-0 to become champions of Group B in Division Two in the Junior Hockey League yesterday. TBSS will now either play Malacca High School or MSSPP-USM in the...

Rashid: Sad to see Misbun go.
April 30, 2011... Byline: K.M. Boopathy RASHID Sidek feels that the absence of his brother, Misbun Sidek in the national coaching set-up will be sorely missed, especially by young singles players. Misbun had been Rashid's mentor during the later stages of...

FAM proposal starts teams scramble.
April 30, 2011... Byline: Devinder Singh TEAMS in the bottom half of the Super League will be scrambling to pick up points today after the FA of Malaysia's proposal to cut the number of teams in the league to 12, increased the risk of relegation. As many as...

Will & Kate's new home (it's worth RM232m!).
April 29, 2011... Byline: Pavither Sidhu JUST like most newlyweds, Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton will be making an upgrade into a family home soon after their wedding today. In their case, however, "upgrade" is a monumental understatement. ...

Bank Negara in Beijing.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Farrah Naz Karim PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia-China bilateral relations were raised to a higher level with the inking of several agreements and memorandums of understanding here yesterday. The signing ceremony that marked another step...

Gen-Y out of the bottle.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Andrew Wong FOR years, they had been overlooked; perhaps thought inconsequential and not a force to be reckoned with. But every dog has its day, and theirs is now. They are now at the centre of worldwide attention and with that, you...

Chinese prime minister all praise for Najib's 1Malaysia.
April 29, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Local Chinese businessmen who joined Chinese embassy staff, investors and students for a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao here, came away with a feeling of pride about the 1Malaysia concept. Malaysia-China Chamber...

Oriental Pearl's shimmering in the south.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Chris Prasad HOW quickly things have turned for Penang. Not long ago, many feared the Pearl of the Orient was in danger of losing its lustre; much of its loss of appeal blamed on intense overbuilding around the George Town urban...

Cops seek 2nd sex clip blogger.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Lee Shi-Ian KUALA LUMPUR: Police said yesterday they had begun investigations into the individual who uploaded a segment of a sex video clip allegedly featuring an opposition leader and a prostitute on YouTube on Wednesday. Deputy...

Shazryl dares Anwar to take oath.
April 29, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah yesterday dared Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to join him in taking a religious oath at Masjid Amru Al-As in Bandar Baru Sentul today. Shazryl was speaking at a press conference here. Present were Tan Sri...

Four more clips appear on YouTube.
April 29, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Four new sex video clips allegedly featuring an opposition leader and a woman were uploaded on YouTube yesterday. The unedited and uncensored clips were divided into four parts and lasted approximately four minutes and 28...

Foo Wan Kien drives from City Motors to Ken City.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Gunaprasath FROM the early days of the country's Independence, it has seen prominent individuals doing their bit for society. Our former premiers including Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as well as business leaders...

New way to blacklist traffic offenders.
April 29, 2011... TUMPAT: The government will soon announce a new mechanism to blacklist motorists who fail to pay fines for traffic offences. Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the mechanism would be introduced once the cabinet gave its...

Doctor hesitates no more.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Santha Oorjitham TWENTY-FOUR new candidates for the People's Action Party (PAP) are meeting voters from dawn till late at night as they campaign for the May 7 parliamentary elections. Their ages range from 27 to 50 and they include...

HMs in rural areas seek higher grade.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Sean Augustin PUTRAJAYA: School heads with fewer than 150 pupils are hoping for a Teachers Day "gift" in the form of an increased grade to reflect better their responsibilities as administrators. There are 2,639 schools with fewer...

Retired major drops contempt suit.
April 29, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: A Royal Malaysian Air Force major, who was forced to retire early from the service, yesterday withdrew his contempt of court application against the Armed Forces Council and the government. Lt-Cdr (R) Zalil Mohd Mess, counsel...

Puchong's new landmark rising.
April 29, 2011... Byline: S. C. Cheah THE recently launched M Square is poised to be the new "heartbeat" of Puchong, Selangor, and will have several "firsts". Located next to Puchong Perdana, Puchong Indah and near Bandar Tasik Prima, M Square is part of...

944 held, 381 charged last year, says MACC.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Ili Liyana Mokhtar KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested 944 people and charged 381 in court last year, chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed said. The numbers were higher than in 2009,...

Defuse management time bomb.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Salleh Buang I received an email on "the lack of action in forming the Strata Titles Board" (STB) from a proxy for a council member of a management corporation (MC) of a condominium. She said "things are about to get heated up" at her...

Burglar goes back second time.
April 29, 2011... GEORGE TOWN: A scrap metal collector who broke into a Datuk's house and stole about RM553,000 worth of valuables was sentenced to three years' jail by the magistrate's court yesterday. T. Vijayan, 36, pleaded guilty to breaking into Datuk...

US to try two Malaysian 'Gitmo' detainees.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Nik Imran Abdullah KOTA BARU: The two Malaysians held in Guantanamo Bay for alleged terrorist activities will face trial in the American legal system. United States ambassador to Malaysia, Paul Jones, said yesterday the duo,...

More perks for IBS users.
April 29, 2011... THE government is drafting a comprehensive action plan and looking at providing more incentives to achieve the 50 per cent target in Industrialised Building System (IBS) usage in the private sector by 2012. Currently, it plans to offer fast...

Strong take-up for Lake Front shop-offices.
April 29, 2011... Strong take-up for Lake Front shop-offices SOUTHKEY Properties Sdn Bhd, developer of The Lake Front Shop-offices, has reported strong demand for its units launched last month. The project is the largest new commercial venture in Johor Baru...

Follow-up led to astounding discoveries.
April 29, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: It began as a simple follow-up to a police raid at a commune in Gombak six months earlier. The operation in Sungai Chincin, Gombak, Selangor, in early January last year saw police rounding up hundreds of foreign students from...

Condo living getting popular in JB.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Suppiah Vellaisamy WHILE the Malaysian property market generally recorded only moderate growth last year, things were especially vibrant in Johor during the second half of last year. Property consultancy Williams, Talhar & Wong...

New eco-benchmark for investments.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Geraldine Lim THE Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Foundation has launched its first survey on March 28 and the results, expected to be out in September, will aid in setting the 2011 benchmark. GRESB covers both...

US embassies going green.
April 29, 2011... UNITED States diplomatic buildings around the world are going green as part of the governments plans to provide a platform for low carbon building technologies and to promote energy efficiency investments. The US State Departmentaffiliated...

Govts, lenders doing more for first timers.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Zoe Phoon WITH global research showing recovery in the housing market has stalled and with first-time buyers holding the key to rejuvenating property prices, and at a time when raising a deposit is a challenge for many, governments...

Penang plans perks for heritage site.
April 29, 2011... THE state has proposed a world heritage site incentive programme to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to conserve and rehabilitate George Town's protected heritage site. It comprises financial and...

Tanjung Bungah beach accessible to all.
April 29, 2011... TANJUNG Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu told developers of ongoing projects along Tanjung Bungah, Penang, not to barricade areas leading to the beach which is on government land and everyone has the right to access it. He said that after a...

UEM Land JV to maintain Kota Iskandar.
April 29, 2011... CAHAYA Jauhar Sdn Bhd, a joint venture (JV) company of UEM Land Bhd, has entered into a facilities maintenance and management agreement with the Johor government to manage and maintain phase one of Kota Iskandar (P1KI). The contract covering...

IJM gets nod for NPE expansion.
April 29, 2011... THE proposed extension of the New Pantai elevated highway to Ampang-Kuala Lumpur has been approved by the Public Private Partnership Unit under the Prime Minister's department. IJM Corp Bhd's subsidiary New Pantai Expressway Sdn Bhd received...

Teoh's boss, family to testify next week.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Rita Jong KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the death of Teoh Beng Hock is expected to wrap up hearing testimonies from witnesses by mid-May. Chairman Tan Sri James Foong Cheng Yuen said the commission would be...

Give workers 24-hour coverage, Socso told.
April 29, 2011... PRAI: The Penang Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has urged the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to implement a 24-hour insurance coverage for all workers. Chairman S. Ravindran said there were many cases where claims and appeals...

Domain-name war begins.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Roznah Abdul Jabbar ALLPROPERTY Media Pte Ltd, owner of Malaysia's HomeGuru.com.my, has filed a lawsuit against iProperty for defamation and copyright infringement. The legal action followed iProperty's lawsuit against HomeGuru Sdn...

Desa ParkCity achieves zero-fire incidents.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Nicholas Leong DESA ParkCity has reported one year of zero-fire incidents since the Fire Prevention Council Malaysia (Fipcom) launched its Zero-Fire Community campaign in the township in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, in April 2010. Desa...

City status for Perlis by 2030.
April 29, 2011... PERLIS Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu has launched a campaign to encourage public feedback to the state's draft structure plan to make it a city by 2030. The plan is up for viewing at The Store in Kangar until May 3 and at the Urban...

Three charging robbers shot dead by police.
April 29, 2011... Byline: M. Hamzah Jamaludin; Hanif Salim MARAN: Three robbers, believed to be foreigners, were shot dead when they tried to attack a team of policemen with parang at an oil palm plantation in Felda Jengka 18 early yesterday. The trio, who...

Man assaulted after ticking off stranger.
April 29, 2011... LANGKAWI: A 21-year-old man, who ticked off a stranger for urinating in public, was assaulted by the man and his gang at a restaurant here early yesterday. Mohd Redzuan Abdul Rahman, who received six stitches on his forehead and left cheek, said...

Blogger snubs critics with second poem on 'sin city'.
April 29, 2011... JOHOR BARU: A United States-based blogger who raised much ire here with his poem denigrating the state capital as a sin city, has written a second "ode" to the city. The 11 stanzas entitled Gangsta City, Jay Bee? was uploaded on Dr Azly...

Ong 'a fine example of 1Malaysia spirit'.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Maizatul Ranai KUALA LUMPUR: Ong Kim Koon, the lorry driver who put his life on the line to rescue a couple in a road accident earlier this month, was a sterling example of the 1Malaysia spirit. Women, Family and Community...

Upset traders threaten to vote out Pas state leaders.
April 29, 2011... KOTA BARU: The MPKB Market Traders Association yesterday rejected the state government's proposal to relocate its members to the Tok Guru bazaar. Its chairman, Abdul Salim Ahmad, said the 300 association members would also consider voting...

MIC chief faces test over sacked members' return.
April 29, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: The reinstatement of MIC personalities sacked for their role in pressing former party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to resign presents his successor, Datuk G. Palanivel, with his first major test. Associate Prof Dr...

End of the road for boy, girl who love joyrides.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Looi Sue-Chern GEORGE TOWN: Police earlier this month nabbed two primary school children who had been stealing motorcycles around Teluk Kumbar for joyrides. The arrests at Taman Sahabat in Teluk Kumbar were made following tip-offs...