New Straits Times articles from December 2009, page 5

New Straits Times archives from December 2009

Murugiah's replacement proposed.
December 27, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The People's Progressive Party (PPP) has submitted the name of a candidate to replace Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Senator Datuk T. Murugiah. The party considers Murugiah an "illegal deputy minister",...

Finding Noryn.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Shuib Taib JAZZ is her passion but it was a pop album that Noryn Aziz released in the mid-1990s when she was a member of the Sister Sister singing duo. When Sister Sister was disbanded, Noryn went on to pursue a diploma in...

Poachers roam in forest paradise.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Veena Babulal THE Belum-Temengor rainforest in Perak is where the wonders of nature come alive. Over 130 million year of age, this tropical paradise is home to a vast number of species of animals and plants, many of which cannot be...

Trouble looms as metal and wood clash!
December 27, 2009... Byline: Chai Mei Ling BRACE yourself for a challenging year ahead. Natural disasters, man-made destruction, accidents and nations in conflict are expected in 2010. Feng shui master Clarice Georgia Victoria Chan explains that this is...

'No gathering will be held at Selangor Pas office'.
December 27, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: By now, scores of people would have received a text message stating that a gathering will be held at the Selangor Pas office in Shah Alam at 11am today to demand Selangor Pas to leave Pakatan Rakyat. However, no such gathering...

Two-headed surprise.
December 27, 2009... BUKIT MERTAJAM: A goat breeder from Kampung Pertama here had a shock when one of the animals gave birth to a double-headed kid. The kid, however, lived only three days. It died on Friday. Mohd Fariz Zakaria, 30, said the "special" goat was...

Govt lifeline for Zoo Negara?
December 27, 2009... Byline: Sonia Ramachandran KUALA LUMPUR: Zoo Negara may become a government-linked company. This is one of the options being considered by the government. Zoo Negara is now managed by the Malaysian Zoological Society (MZS), a...

Jewellery shop robbery foiled.
December 27, 2009... SUBANG JAYA: Quick action by workers of a jewellery shop foiled a robbery attempt by four men, armed with a sledgehammer and parang, in Bandar Kinrara 4, Puchong, yesterday. Subang Jaya deputy police chief Superintendent Abd Aziz Abd Majid...

Snatch thief falls into drain.
December 27, 2009... KOTA TINGGI: In a desperate attempt to escape from a group of men, a snatch thief tried to leap across a 2.5m drain. But he fell into the drain and his pursuers pounced on him while he was still dazed and dragged him to the nearest police...

Trader beaten after refusing to move.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Looi Sue-Chern GEORGE TOWN: A couple operating a seaside souvenir stall in Batu Ferringhi here are being harassed by gangsters. Their refusal to give in to the gangsters' demands for the past 10 months and move their business out...

150 needy pupils get aid.
December 27, 2009... PEKAN: It was a joyful moment for 150 poor pupils here yesterday when they received school uniforms, bags and stationery for the new school term next month. The pupils also got to meet Datuk Seri Khalid Mohd Jiwa or "Datuk K", who is the...

More smuggling expected to meet year-end demand.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Sulaiman Jaafar PENGKALAN KUBUR: Security forces are working extra hard to prevent a year-end increase in smuggling activities at the Malaysia-Thailand border. Pengkalan Kubur marine operations force commander Deputy Superintendent...

Hostel life for 180 kids.
December 27, 2009... KANGAR: A total of 120 children from rural areas in Kedah and Perlis have been selected to participate in the Educational City-Hostel (Edu Citi-Tel) programme under the Northern Corridor Economic Region development plan. The programme gives...

Deadly animals in the urban jungle.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Chandra Devi Renganayar ARE we safe from the wild animals? We might think we are protected within our man-made landscapes of glass, concrete and steel, but we are wrong. Wild animals wander in the fringes of our towns and villages...

Spices help keep the big C at bay.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Rajen M. SPICE, herb or medicine? Indeed, two of the most common spice in any Malaysian kitchen could be an inhibitor of a the disease that women fear most. An article published online on Nov 7 in the journal Breast Cancer Research...

Kiko's Return one to beat.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Go-Ram MULTIPLE Classic winner Kiko's Return has a good chance of making it back-to-back wins in the final classic of the 2009 season, the RM1 million Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Gold Cup for Malaysia Group 1 horses over 2200m (Race 8,...

Turf Spec reigns as Queen Of The Turf.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Go-Ram MALAYSIAN-bred Turf Spec scored a thrilling victory in the RM150,000 National Stud Farm (NSF) Queen Of The Turf event for National Premier Sales fillies and mares over 1400m (Race 7) in Penang yesterday. Partnered by jockey...

Four athlete eating myths.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Farah DiBa Khan AS an athlete, you receive all kinds of nutrition advice. Some you know are true such as the benefits of low-fat milk and whole grains. But there are also loads of myths out there. Here are the four most common myths...

Dollah fails to boost strikeforce.
December 27, 2009... Byline: T.N.Alagesh DESPITE the good news that Pahang will be playing in the Malaysian Super League next season, coach Dollah Salleh remains frustrated over his failure to lure suitable players to fill various positions in the team. The...

Top four to vie for elite trophy.
December 27, 2009... THE Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) will hold the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh on April 13-18. "The AHF Champions Trophy is catered to provide elite tournaments for the better teams in Asia and the top four...

RAMD come back to win Selangor League.
December 27, 2009... ROYAL Malay Regiment (RAMD) edged UiTM 3-2 to lift the Selangor Hockey League overall title at the Pandamaran Stadium in Klang recently. RAMD, the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Division One runners-up, had to come from behind twice to seal the...

Track side sizzle, road team struggle.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul THIS was a year in which Malaysian track cycling confirmed it's world class status, while it was just the opposite for their siblings on the road programme which continued its backwards freefall. The UCI Track...

Super Zatil outshines Shalin.
December 27, 2009... Byline: K. Kandiah ZATIL Iman Abdul Ghani produced her best just when she needed to as she edged Shalin Zulkifli to lift the Penang Pesta International women's Open title at the Mega Lanes in Prai yesterday. Zatil Iman, 21, was ecstatic as...

Hafiz wins Tour of Terengganu.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul HAFIZ Rozli completed his first senior stage race win in the Tour of Terengganu, which ended in Kuala Terengganu yesterday. The 22-year-old Le Tua Cycling Team rider held on to the overall lead at the end of the...

No hope if states don't change.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh STATE affiliates hold the key in ensuring change takes place in the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU) hierarchy following the national track and field squad's worst performance at the Sea Games in 34 years. A...

SRAM's youth pool shrinking.
December 27, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh IN a sign of the shrinking pool of junior squash talent, Malaysia will not have a representative in the British Junior Open boys' Under-19 event on Jan 2-5 in Sheffield, England. The Squash Rackets Association of...

Property sector sees real gains in tax review.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Sharen Kaur KUALA LUMPUR: The property sector has received a much needed shot in the arm with the government's decision to review the real property gains tax (RPGT). Property players and analysts said the new rule would spur...

Quorum pledge (HL).
December 25, 2009... Byline: Farrah Naz Karim PUTRAJAYA: The Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Council, aware of the potentially disastrous outcome of the poor attendance of BN members of parliament during a vote on the 2010 Budget, has promised that such a situation...

What Christmas means?
December 25, 2009... CHRISTMAS Day is an annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It is celebrated on December 25, but this date is not known to be Jesus' actual birthday, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the...

Who will host 8TV Quickie?
December 25, 2009... Byline: Dennis Chua DENNIS CHUA finds out more about the six 8TV Quickie finalists. COME Jan 8, popular 8TV talk show 8TV Quickie will announce two new hosts who will take the show on a new, fun-filled direction with their distinct...

'Spread Christmas cheer and goodwill'.
December 25, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called on Malaysians to spread goodwill and cheer, particularly to the infirm and poor. "This festive season, as enjoyable as it is, can produce excesses, even in these financially less...

Villagers ask for low-cost houses.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Naveen Mathew Menon KUALA LUMPUR: Residents of Kampung Railway in Sentul, who have been asked to relocate by New Year's Eve to make way for a development project, want a better compensation package. Satha Sivam, one of the affected...

Revocation order on USJ6 project in limbo.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Nuradzimmah Daim SUBANG JAYA: The fight is far from over for USJ6 residents who are objecting to a development project which is to be built on Telekom utility land in the neighbourhood. During a hearing at the state government's...

Correction.
December 25, 2009... IN our report, "Lejadi hosts Boney M concert", it has been brought to our attention that the Lejadi Group is actually organising another show titled "100% Kylie" by a Kylie Minogue tribute artiste in April and not as reported. The error is...

Where's your big bag of goodwill?
December 25, 2009... Byline: Kongster I MET a rather unusual Santa Claus on Christmas Eve at a watering hole in Subang Jaya last night. After a few mugs of malt, I asked the red-garbed fat fellow where he was coming from. "I just came from the North Pole....

Celebrating High School Musical on stage.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli The recent stage performance brought the three hit movies to life, writes BIBI NURSHUHADA RAMLI. THE High School Musical fever in Malaysia remains high, with the six-day High School Musical Summer Celebration...

Cheerful givers spread joy of the season.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Dawn Chan; Noel Achariam; V. Josephine KUALA LUMPUR: It's a time for sharing and giving and Santa Claus and his helpers have been busy bringing festive cheer to city folk, especially the less fortunate. Orphans, old folk and the...

Kudos to Kak Pah & Co.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Khairul Anwar Mohamed DATUK Sharifah Aini and her guests made it a night to remember at her concert in KL recently. KHAIRUL ANWAR MOHAMED was there. IT was the first of the Sharifah Aini & Friends concert series in Malaysia,...

Celebrate the New Year in style.
December 25, 2009... Byline: A.R. Sivarajan BID farewell to 2009 and welcome 2010 in style with your loved ones at La Maison in Maytower Hotel & Serviced Residences. The hotel's chef has prepared an exclusive mouthwatering spread for you and your family...

Defence Ministry yet to inform Audit Dept about theft.
December 25, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry has yet to inform the National Audit Department about the theft of the two jet engines belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang said according to a Treasury...

Hishammuddin: All agree for ISA to stay.
December 25, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: From discussion and engagement, it was clear that all parties, including academicians, members of the public, politicians and lawyers, were all for the Internal Security Act (ISA) to remain, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin...

US wants full report on engines.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Alang Bendahara KUALA LUMPUR: The US government has requested a full comprehensive report from the Malaysian government over the stolen Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) F5-E/RF-5E jet-fighter engines. US Embassy in Malaysia...

Vintage Vijay.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Reviewed by K.N. Vijiyan NOW SHOWING VETTAIKAARAN (Tamil) Directed by Babu Sivan Starring Vijay, Anushka, Salim Ghouse, Ravi Shankar, Sayaji Shinde, Sri Hari, Sukumari, Satyan, Sanchita Padukone POOR Vijay. He may be famous, he...

Usher in the New Year with a big bang.
December 25, 2009... Byline: A.R. Sivarajan MARRIOTT Putrajaya Hotel prides itself on its gastronomic spread. So, if you are looking to end the year with a bang, the hotel is the place to be. Gather your family and friends and join in the fun at Marriott as...

2010 countdown at Pearl International.
December 25, 2009... Byline: A.R. Sivarajan BRING your family and friends to Pearl International Hotel to usher in the New Year. You will be spoilt for choice because the hotel is offering a wide range of culinary treats this New Year's Eve. At the Deli...

Action comedy in the jungle.
December 25, 2009... SELF-ABSORBED actors get thrown into a life-or-death situation in Tropic Thunder. Catch it this weekend on MAX. BEN Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr lead an ensemble cast in Tropic Thunder, an action comedy about a group of...

A Thai-style welcome to 2010.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Compiled by K.Harinderan; Nuradzimmah Daim KUALA LUMPUR: Sri Ayutthaya restaurant is offering special dishes to celebrate the New Year. Restoran Sri Ayutthaya Sdn Bhd's media manager Vivien Low said the special menu is only...

Top three places to party.
December 25, 2009... ON New Year's Eve, Future will rock the city from 8pm at "KL Live" at 20, Jalan Sultan Ismail. Expect a line-up of international and local acts including The Bloody Beetroots, who are performing with their trademark Venom masks. For details,...

Terengganu still in top spot.
December 25, 2009... KUALA TERENGGANU: The state maintains its position with the best grade average in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) in the country this year. State education director Ariffin Embong said the 2.60 grade average was a slight improvement over...

Free Granada TV.
December 25, 2009... TO celebrate the New Year, Astro customers can look forward to Granada TV (Astro Channel 735), a free channel, until March 20. Granada TV is a British entertainment channel by ITV Global Entertainment, one of England's most successful...

High pass rate for Kadazan paper.
December 25, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: The Kadazan language paper, introduced for the first time in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination, saw a 94 per cent passing rate. Sabah deputy education director Muhiddin Yusin described it as "quite an...

Curtain rises for performing arts students in PMR.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Farrah Naz Karim PUTRAJAYA: The first batch of more than a hundred students received not only their Sijil Pendidikan Kesenian (Certificate in Performing Arts) but also their Penilaian Menengah Rendah certificates. They were part of...

Pop sensation Ke$ha to release debut album.
December 25, 2009... AFTER five weeks in the iTunes top 10, Ke$ha's first single TiK ToK kicks off the week as the number one greatest airplay gainer on Top 40 radio. TiK ToK crashed into the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart recently, currently at No. 3....

Top three live performances.
December 25, 2009... THE fabulous Three Degrees will be raising temperatures at The Royale Chulan Hotel on New Year's Eve at 7.30pm. The gala event is at the Grand Ballroom on level G, in aid of the Malaysian Diabetes Association. For details, call 03-2688 9688. ...

A time for loved ones.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli BIBI NURSHUHADA RAMLI finds out how TV personalities William Quah, Joanne De Rozario and Daphne Iking celebrate Christmas. ALL they want for Christmas is... family. For TV personalities William Quah, Joanne...

Proud moment for student with impaired vision.
December 25, 2009... KUALA TERENGGANU: Having limited vision did not stop Mohd Fariz Hafizi Mohd Sepai from scoring seven As and one B in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah examination. The 15-year-old student of SMK Sultan Sulaiman, who is blind in the right eye and...

Five As is below his target.
December 25, 2009... PASIR MAS: Special needs student Ahmad Fajrul Adha Mohd Kamil scored five As and two Bs in his Penilaian Menengah Rendah examination but was far from happy with the results. The 15-year-old, who was born with brittle bones, expected to score...

Double joy for mother of twins.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Adie Suri Zulkefli KEPALA BATAS: It was double joy for Faridah Harun when her twins, Nur Fatehah Md Shakur and Nur Fatin Nadirah, were among 72 students of SMK (Agama) Al-Irshad who scored nine straight As in the Penilaian Menengah...

9As scorer cries on getting the news.
December 25, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: Norain Jaini surprised everyone, including her father, when she burst into tears during a press conference yesterday where she was given her Penilaian Menengah Rendah result slip. "I was overwhelmed and relieved at the same...

Rounding off a rough decade.
December 25, 2009... A week from now, we will be bidding farewell to the 2000s - the first 10 years of this century. It has been a decade that we should be thankful is coming to an end - one that was bookended by 9/11 at the beginning and a financial meltdown at the...

Special needs students score big in Johor.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Chuah Bee Kim JOHOR BARU: They may need extra attention but several special needs students recorded excellent results in their Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination. Take 15-year-old Debbie Lim, of Permas Jaya, for example....

Pioneer batch's feat makes school proud.
December 25, 2009... KUANTAN: Tears flowed freely soon after the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) results were announced at Sekolah Maahad Tahfiz in Tanjung Lumpur here yesterday. It was an expression of joy as teachers joined parents in applauding the success of...

Let the festivities grow on you.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Desmond Ho YOUR garden should reflect the festive cheer, writes DESMOND HO. THE spirit of being Malaysian can be seen in how we celebrate the various cultural and religious festivals and the way we do up our homes to reflect the...

Tips on indoor gardening.
December 25, 2009... Before buying an indoor plant, decide on the location of where you want to place the plant. Does the location have sufficient sunlight? Be sure to put it in a location with sufficient lighting. Artificial lighting with a fluorescent lamp...

Decorate with quilts.
December 25, 2009... YOU know that cuddling up with a quilt is one of life's small pleasure, especially somewhere up in the highlands. A good book, a cup of hot chocolate, a roaring fire, maybe - the picture just isn't complete without a comfy quilt to wrap yourself...

'MIC will bounce back stronger'.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Suganthi Suparmaniam MIC's newly-appointed secretary-general S. Murugesan is wasting no time in working towards bringing about change in the party and reconnecting with the grassroots. He shares his views with SUGANTHI SUPARMANIAM. ...

Musa: FRU does not use excessive force.
December 25, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The use of force by the Federal Reserve Unit to quell and disperse street demonstrations is not overly excessive as alleged by certain quarters, says Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. "While dispersing...

Dept's haste could spell death of Sungai Sedili Kecil.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Sim Bak Heng MONTHS ago, the upper reaches of Sungai Sedili Kecil in Kota Tinggi, Johor, were the pride of the nation. Besides having giant Malaysian river prawns (udang galah) in abundance, it is also home to a rare Betta tomi...

MP: Seek alternatives to coal power plant.
December 25, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: There is a need to look at other ways of generating electricity for the east coast of Sabah, instead of a coal-fired power plant. Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians Conference of Environment and Development secretary-general Datuk...

40pc carbon cut 'achievable'.
December 25, 2009... Byline: R. Sittamparam KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's commitment to cut carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 is achievable. A prominent environment activist said this was because the pledge by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the...

Police to quiz Guan Eng over remark.
December 25, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will have his statement recorded by Selangor police after he allegedly said that former political aide Teoh Beng Hock was murdered. Lim is alleged to have made the claim at a Pakatan Rakyat...

SPDP needs fresh faces, says Ngo.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Sulok Tawie KUCHING: Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party deputy Youth leader Philip Ngo defended his decision to vie for the No. 2 post in the party, saying that there was a need to bring in fresh faces to the party's hierarchy. ...

Noordin's father-in-law nabbed in Java.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Amy Chew THE father-in-law of Noordin Mohammad Top, who is on the wanted list of the Indonesian police, was arrested in Garut, West Java, yesterday in the early hours of the morning. Bahrudin Latif @ Baridin, was arrested in the...

MIC denies failing to register eligible voters.
December 25, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has dismissed as untrue the Election Commission's claims that the party had neglected to register eligible voters among its members. "The EC fails to understand the registration selection...

A vote for inapathy.
December 25, 2009... THERE should be 16 million names on the electoral roll, but there are only 11 million. That means four out of 10 Malaysians above 21 have not registered as voters. Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the figure was...

One mynah bird in one papaya tree.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Rehman Rashid THERE is a tendency in this country to associate national holidays with particular communities. It seems only reasonable, after all: Deepavali is Hindu, Aidilfitri is Muslim, the Lunar New Year is Chinese New Year, and...

On climate change, power plants and democracy.
December 25, 2009... Byline: John Teo IT can be comically naive how so many the world over assume that, faced with unimpeachable scientific evidence of the collective threat to humanity from the effects of global warming, our leaders will sit together with a deep...

Rude nurse given a warning.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Dr Zaidah Hussain I REFER to Thulasi Murugiah's complaint about rude service by a nurse at Ipoh Hospital's eye clinic ("Nurse with no time for senior citizens" - NST, Dec 18). This incident happened at the Ophthalmology Clinic in...

MIC is back on track.
December 25, 2009... Byline: P. Kamalanathan THESE are tumultuous times for political parties in Malaysia. Since the general election last year, there have been changes in the way parties have attempted to become more attuned to the voice and needs of the...

Who can we blame now?
December 25, 2009... Byline: S.M. Mohamed Idris ONCE again, Terengganu has provided the setting for another potentially life-threatening man-made accident. Barely six months after the collapse of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium roof, four workers were...

A bus driver to be avoided.
December 25, 2009... Byline: E.L. ON Dec 16, I had the misfortune of meeting a very unpleasant and unprofessional S&S International Express bus driver on the 1.30pm Mersing-Kuala Lumpur bus service ( registration number JJJ 7987). The Mersing-Kluang leg of...

Rethink 1Malaysia clinic move.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Dr David K.L. Quek WHEN the government announced in the 2010 Budget the setting up of 50 1Malaysia clinics in urban areas, the Malaysian Medical Association was perplexed. That these clinics are to be be set up at all is perhaps a...

Study effectiveness of fogging ops.
December 25, 2009... Byline: A.M. THE realisation by the health minister that his ministry's efforts at dengue control have left much to be desired ("RM120m spent but dengue is still around" - NST, Dec 23) is a welcome though long overdue development. I...

Go back to those days of excellence.
December 25, 2009... Byline: Lai Pong Hin I REFER to the letter "Think again about those elite schools" (NST, Dec 23) from A.B. Ibrahim. Ibrahim, I salute you. You are a man of wisdom and foresight. If our ruling government has 10 people of your calibre,...