New Straits Times articles from December 2006, page 5

New Straits Times archives from December 2006

Johor hit again after 3 days.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sonia Ramachandran KUALA LUMPUR: After a general improvement in the last three days, the situation in flood-stricken areas in Kota Tinggi and Johor Baru took a turn for the worse again...

All for a good cause.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: A fireworks display for Penang's New Year celebration has been called off for a good cause. The organiser will instead channel the allocation to flood victims in the country. Instead of...

Plucky neighbours help stroke victim.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUANTAN: Villagers of Kampung Kawah in Sungai Lembing took a courageous gamble when they carried a stroke victim across a flood-damaged bridge yesterday. Their action probably saved the life of...

All faiths in aid effort.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism has mobilised a special team to help flood victims here. The Johor branch of the council, which will be...

Indonesian worker latest fatality.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOHOR BARU: A 29-year-old estate worker became the eighth casualty of floods in Johor when his bloated body was found in Jalan Mersing, Kluang, on Christmas eve. Rescue workers stumbled upon the...

Enough greens despite the floods.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOHOR BARU: The floods in the state have not disrupted the supply of vegetables, and retailers have been warned not to raise prices. Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Mohd Shafie...

Round-the-clock effort.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Any organisation which wants to offer aid to flood victims can now contact the Welfare Department Flood Relief Secretariat. The secretariat, which is jointly managed by the Welfare...

When a video rocked the nation.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Zainul Arifin THIS was the year when the words "nude and squat" extended beyond the realms of personal hygiene, breaching even into diplomacy. The filming of a suspect via mobile telephone,...

Cambodian 'deported according to rules'.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PUTRAJAYA: Former Cambodian police chief Heng Peo's hasty extradition last week, which was criticised by a Federal Court judge, was in good faith, said the Immigration Department. Its enforcement...

Immigration dept: Come forward or face arrest.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hamidah Atan PUTRAJAYA: An order is out for the arrest of 12 chief executive officers of companies, including a public listed company, for harbouring 427 Bangladeshi workers without...

Big push soon to promote use of MyKad features.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PUTRAJAYA: Stung by reports of the underutilisation of MyKad features, the government will begin a series of special programmes next year to address the problem. "We are setting aside an...

Johor students get flood aid.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Siti Nurbaiyah Nadzmi BATU PAHAT: Acting swiftly to alleviate the plight of flood victims, the government yesterday announced more aid. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said...

It was a 'clear' Christmas this year.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Christians in the country celebrated Christmas amid uncertain weather conditions. Nevertheless, it was joy all round at functions and churches. Thousands attended Deputy Sabah Chief...

A Malaysian kind of celebration.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sonia Ramachandran KUALA LUMPUR: It was a Christmas celebration of the Malaysian kind. At the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) annual high-tea Christmas reception on Monday,...

16 couples say 'I do' on Xmas.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IPOH: It took two celebrations for long-time couple Ching Siew Yew and Chan Lai Come to finally tie the knot. After more than 10 years of courtship, nursery owner Ching, 58, and Chan, 42, started...

Traffic courts to hear cases in each state.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Anbalagan; Alang Bendahara KUALA LUMPUR: Beginning next month, traffic courts will be set up in major towns outside the Klang Valley to expedite disposal of outstanding cases. At...

Missing NS trainer found.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah Syed Abdullah KOTA BARU: A 25-year-old National Service trainer, who went missing in the jungles near her house 10 days ago, was found at the foot of a hill in Gunung,...

100 Mat Rempit nabbed in ops.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: Close to 100 Mat Rempit were detained during a two-day operation along Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra and in Taman Maju which ended on Monday night. Police also seized 96 motorcycles and...

Man held for stealing lorry.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: A 25-year-old suspected drug addict was arrested about an hour after stealing a lorry at Sungai Asap, Gua Musang, on Monday. State Criminal Investigation Department deputy chief Deputy...

Probe into gang rape of girl.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUANTAN: Police are investigating an alleged gang rape involving a young girl in Bukit Setongkol near here on Monday. The girl was taken to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital by her parents after she...

Tasty start to coming year.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) USHER in the New Year with a magnificent array of culinary delights at hotels in the Klang Valley. Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur: On New Year's eve, dine at Chatz Brasserie and Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant...

(What I saw on telly).
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Christina Lim Hsiao Wen IN this increasingly desensitised world, it's getting harder to shock people but in this aspect, Nip/Tuck truly excels as it never fails to deliver some new twist...

Jeram Special maintaining form.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Go-Ram JERAM Special, a big disappointment last week, geared up for his stake in the RM1.35 million Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Gold Cup for Malaysian Group 1 horses over 2200m on Sunday with a...

Expect a thrilling finale in Penang.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Go-Ram WITH the first two days of the final meeting this year completed, the Penang Turf Club (PNTC) are set close the season with a bang when they host the running of the richest race in...

Rexy: Qualify for KL first.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K.M Boopathy FORGET about qualifying for the Beijing Olympics for now. What national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky wants Asian Games champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong to focus on is...

Zulmazran, Shalin head challenge.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ajitpal Singh ASIA'S No 1 ranked men and women bowlers, Zulmazran Zulkifli and Shalin Zulkifli, will lead Malaysia's charge in the ABF Tour Tournament of Champions in Jakarta on Jan 12-15....

Sharon takes early lead in Penang.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ASIAN Games gold medallist Sharon Koh (pic) took the early lead in the women's Masters qualifying round of the Penang Pesta Championships at Seberang Prai Megalanes yesterday. The 19-year-old fired...

Clean sweep by Gemilang sailors.
December 27, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Devinder Singh GEMILANG 2010 sailors made a clean sweep of the six events at the 2006 MYA-Milo-NSC National Sailing Championships which ended on Saturday in Pasir Gudang, Johor. The...

Worry-free holiday tips.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IT'S that time of the year again when people take some time off from work to go on a holiday or vacation. Increasingly, there is a need for travellers to be extra careful when going away for long...

Greater biz efficiency with ERP system.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Izwan Ismail AS an electronics service provider which designs, develops and manufactures components like mobile phone accessories, computer peripherals and consumer technology end products,...

Putting Malaysia on open source map.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Izwan Ismail DESPITE its local debut nearly a decade ago, open source software (OSS) is still a grey area to many businesses. The lack of software applications for businesscritical...

Platform to enhance network performance.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Subashini Selvaratnam ORGANISATIONS which deployed application acceleration and data reduction solutions but still could not resolve performance-related issues in wide area network (WAN)...

Four new colour inkjets from Brother.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Subashini Selvaratnam BROTHER International (M) Sdn Bhd has unveiled four colour inkjet all-in- one machines under its balanced deployment strategy to allow users to maximise productivity...

TNB takes ICT training seriously.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Izwan Ismail AS the country's biggest energy provider, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) spends millions of ringgit in information and communications technology (ICT) solutions to support its...

Addressing skills mismatch issue.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Subashini Selvaratnam ACCORDING to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, finding and retaining top technology talent will be a major battle for technology firms in 2007. The...

Industry looks forward to a better year ahead.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Rozana Sani IN less than a week, we will be bidding farewell to 2006 and saying hello to 2007. The local information and communications technology (ICT) industry is - in general -...

Narrowband growth slowing down.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Foo Eu Jin THE growth of narrowband is easing compared to broadband, but remains the more popular method of accessing the Internet in Malaysia. Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific's industry...

Mimos ties up with Altair in grid computing.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ALTAIR Engineering is collaborating with Mimos Berhad for the development and implementation of advanced grid computing applications. The tie-up between Altair Engineering and Mimos is expected to...

Moderate tech spending.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IF there is one word that can sum up the year 2006 in terms of the local information and communications technology (ICT) market, it will be "moderate". Industry observers reckon that growth has...

Time signs up WiMax and Wi-Fi services with MSCMS.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) UEM Group's information and communications technology (ICT) outfit Time Engineering Berhad has signed an agreement with MSC Management Services Sdn Bhd (MSCMS) for Air Broadband WiMax and Wi-Fi...

Dell receives RosettaNet Award.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) DELL has received the RosettaNet Award for the greatest number of RosettaNet implementations carried out with trading partners in 2006, beating 300 other companies. The RosettaNet-enabled trade engine...

Boost for AgriBazaar portal.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Foo Eu Jin PLANS are in the pipeline to boost the functionalities of the AgriBazaar portal to position it as a more effective Internet trading hub for agriculture products. The...

High percentage of prepaid registration.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE Government's move to register the country's prepaid mobile phone users, in which the deadline was Dec 15, was successful as 90 per cent of the subscribers registered. This translates to 17.8...

Oracle reports growth in Asia-Pacific.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ORACLE Corp announced significant customer traction across its database, middleware and applications businesses in the Asia-Pacific region during the second quarter of its fiscal year 2007. For the...

New appointments at Time dotCom.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) TIME dotCom Berhad has appointed Datuk Baharum Salleh as its managing director, overseeing the overall operations and management of the company. The appointment takes effect from Jan 1, 2007. ...

QtelMedia to expand with local base.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Foo Eu Jin UK content network services provider QtelMedia Group Ltd will bank on its Malaysian operations to strengthen its foothold in the regional mobile television (TV) content markets....

UM in RM4.5m IT project.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) UNIVERSITI Malaya is embarking on a computerisation project to deploy a campus-wide converged network which will pave the way for the implementation of high-performance and cost-effective voice, video...

Award for Tech&U journalist.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) TECH&U journalist Izwan Ismail was one of the top winners in the Malaysia's Information Management and Storage Journalism Awards sponsored by EMC Corp. His article, Cheaper storage may not be the...

MDeC launches two major initiatives.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MSC Malaysia has launched two major initiatives to help position the country as Asia's leading technology hub. The first initiative, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC)'s Technopreneur...

Five break into minister's home.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dennis Wong KUCHING: Five men broke into the house of the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi here yesterday. It is not immediately known what was...

Man killed in clash over car.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA TERENGGANU: A fight between two groups of men resulted in the death of one of them while another suffered broken legs. The youth, in his 20s, died of stab wounds to his body, arm and thigh,...

Baby on the road to recovery but hefty bills plague parents.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: After days of worrying over their 11-day-old baby as she fought for her life, V. Jeevan Naidu and M. Kasturi can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Dhurga Jeevan Naidu, their first...

Making the global grade.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) EDUCATION Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has confessed that he used to subscribe to the view that something was so fundamentally wrong with our schools that nothing less than a complete...

Driver's blood sample taken.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) BUKIT MERTAJAM: Police have taken a blood sample from the driver of a Proton Wira which plunged into a river in Prai on Saturday, killing three passengers. Seberang Prai Tengah police chief...

Segamat folk still isolated.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ravi Nambiar; Chuah Bee Kim; Siti Nurbaiyah Nadzmi SEGAMAT: Many parts of the district here are still cut off by the floods and relief workers are struggling to bring food and drinking...

Beaten up for reporting theft.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: A 24-year-old trader had informed police about a cable thief in his area. For his civic-mindedness, he was assaulted by four men, one of whom was the thief's older brother, on Friday. ...

Three Bills a boon for home buyers.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Roger Tan IT'S been a good year for home buyers, says ROGER TAN as a slew of Bills has been passed to protect their interest Over the last two weeks of the December parliamentary session,...

Concern over disease outbreak.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) LABIS: Floods in many affected areas are slowly receding but epidemic-prone diseases such as dengue, typhoid and cholera are lurking in the corner. The risk of a disease outbreak is always there,...

Youth jailed for shoplifting.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: A youth was sentenced to four months' jail and fined RM2,000 for stealing a packet of Milo. Nammad Amruzar Mohd Nawi pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing a one kilogramme packet of...

Tokyo, Delhi start a beautiful friendship.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Mahendra Ved A DELHI Metro station barely 50m from my house will soon provide me an alternative, a cheaper one I hope, to the Maruti Suzuki car that I have been driving to cross a bridge...

So-called stars fail to deliver yet again.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Vela Kumaran Velayutham WHEN it mattered most, they failed to deliver. Not once but four times in a row. I am talking about our so-called badminton stars, Lee Chong Wei and Mohd Hafiz...

It's love for kids after mission trip.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: As the superviser of Rumah Juara, pastor Elizabeth Ratnam has been a counsellor, teacher, friend, disciplinarian and mother to orphans since it started in 1998. The children calling her...

MNCF's rationale on Rushton.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul AIMING to keep a positive build-up towards the 12th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), organiser the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) has defended the...

Lingering nightmare of wrecked wedding feast.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SUNGAI PETANI: It has been two years since the tsunami hit his village in Kampung Masjid in Kuala Sungai Muda and wrecked his wedding feast, yet Mohamad Anuar Md Akhir still has nightmares. The...

Open house.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili will hold an open house in conjunction with the Christmas celebration today. It will be held at his house in Jalan...

Six-week police blitz on Mat Rempit in the city.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Alang Bendahara; Lee Keng Fatt; Adie Suri Zulkifli KUALA LUMPUR: Police have issued 4,000 traffic summonses to motorcyclists around the city, especially Mat Rempit, over the past six weeks....

Paralysis won't keep detective down.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Jassmine Shadiqe; Dean Dinesh JOHOR BARU: The 28-year-old detective was shot three times. One of the bullets lodged near his spine, leaving him paralysed waist down. But despite the...

Year of mixed fortunes.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul FROM depressing lows to high hopes for the future, Malaysian cycling tasted it all in 2006. The best-ever finish in the Asian Junior Championships in August, where...

Man, 26, admits having drugs.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: A 26-year-old man pleaded guilty to three drug possession charges in two separate courts here yesterday. Mohd Nizam Abdul Manaf, from Kampung Nakhoda Samah, Bachok, admitted in the High...

Coming to terms with their loss.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Audrey Dermawan; M. Husairy Othman; Alina Simon It has been two years since the tsunami struck, but survivors still remember the devastation. AUDREY DERMAWAN, M. HUSAIRY OTHMAN and ALINA...

Ministry must make a stand.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dr C.K.T. I REFER to Aaron Singh's "Look on the bright side" (NST, Dec 15) and Dr Teoh Siang Chin's "A heartbeat away from solving issues" (NST, Dec 18). A couple of years back, when I was...

Rates up but services remain poor.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: G.V. IT seems every two years, the assessment rates go up where I live in Desa Aman Puri. The area falls within the jurisdiction of the Selayang Municipal Council. I pay RM600 a year now,...

Not buying minister's rationale.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Victor Wong I LAMENT the passing of Bok House and thought the saga had come to a rest. However, I am compelled to respond to the Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister's stance towards its...

Johor, Selangor stay unbeaten.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOHOR and Selangor maintained their unbeaten records at the halfway mark of the women's Agong Cup national basketball championship at the Dewan Tun Mustafa in Kudat, Sabah yesterday. Johor beat...

More foreigners buying Sabah beach-front units.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA KINABALU: Foreign house buyers and retirees are moving away from popular spots like Bali and Phuket and looking towards Sabah. High-end properties and locations, previously not in demand, are...

Reduce long hours with shift-work.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dr Suhaimi Hassan THE debate on junior doctors' working hours has been a hot topic not only in Malaysia but also worldwide. I agree with the health minister that housemen today have all...

Kudos, homegrown heroes.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MSC Malaysia's search for remarkable heroes this year saw the recognition of 18 of the nation's best achievers for the MSC-APICTA 2006 Awards. To some of us, "MSC" may just be that designated part...

Security van drivers a menace.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Mohamed Shukri Mohamed Zain A QUESTION came to mind as I was driving on the Federal Highway one morning: Are security companies exempted from observing traffic laws? I have been the victim...

Fiq beats Ima in contest between champions.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Mentor champion Fiq beat Indonesia's Ima last night in a battle of supremacy between the winners of two reality TV shows. Dubbed the contest between champions, Fiq, fresh from his win...

Stressful to just phone Immigration offices.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Adzhar Ibrahim I HAD a stressful experience on Dec 22, which is, unfortunately, common place in Malaysia. I needed to get some information from the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration office....

Hell hath no fury like a wife scorned.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah Syed Abdullah KOTA BARU: Enraged that her husband had taken another wife, a woman apparently confronted the second wife and threatened to kill her on Friday. Shouting...

Diversity our real strength.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dr Chris Anthony RECENTLY, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah spoke of his vision for Selangor. His desire to see every child born in his state to be given hope, that with dedicated...

Darby foregoes Christmas celebrations for the game.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: R.G. Raj FOR Perak coach Steve Darby (pic), there will be no Jingle Bells this Christmas as he will be busy at work at the Perak Stadium today. Darby said, for him, football is more...

Funding vital to keep Kevin afloat.
December 25, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Devinder Singh THE wind will be taken out of his sails if Kevin Lim is unable to find funding to continue sailing. Kevin, who may have sailed his last race for Malaysia at the Doha...