New Straits Times articles from February 2011

New Straits Times archives from February 2011

Zoom around and record.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili FANS of the Hot Wheels toy cars can now take videos too, writes SITI SYAMEEN MD KHALILI. ARE you a fan of the Hot Wheels toy cars? If you are, the newly announced Video Racer line will get you excited. ...

Designed for trendy lifestyles.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Izwan Ismail SONY Malaysia is looking at making an impact in the local HD and 3-D home entertainment market with a wide range of new products such as cameras, camcorders and notebooks under the Bravia, Handycam, Cyber-shot and Vaio...

Digital expressions.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Izwan Ismail JOEY Cason's passions for drawing and technology have allowed him to express himself through a relatively new art form. IZWAN ISMAIL talks to the digital artist. JOEY Cason has always had a penchant for creating cool...

Food aid the cashless way.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Rozana Sani MYKASIH uses technology to feed the poor via a cashless food programme but, as ROZANA SANI finds out, it's much more than just that. SOMEWHERE in Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, housewife Zaiton Che...

New dSLR cameras.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili CANON Marketing Malaysia Sdn Bhd has introduced a new range of digital SLR cameras, with a more refreshed look, features and performance capabilities. The EOS 1100D and EOS 600D cameras come with DIGIC 4...

PM promises more progress for Labuan.
February 28, 2011... LABUAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak says the government will continue to develop Labuan island intensely to further boost its status as a duty-free destination and an International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC). "Making Labuan...

MIC branch chief falls to his death.
February 28, 2011... MASJID TANAH: Selangor's Jalan Langat MIC branch chief S. Gopal fell to his death from the window of a bedroom in the Al-Khawarizmi Astronomy Complex here yesterday. Gopal was among 20 people from Barisan Nasional component parties attending...

Disabled teen so happy to meet Rosmah.
February 28, 2011... TEMERLOH: Teenager Mohd Azlan Dahnian could not stop grinning when asked about his first meeting with the prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, yesterday. The 18-year-old, who cannot walk since birth, said he had only seen Rosmah...

'Pas afraid to field vice-president'.
February 28, 2011... TEMERLOH: Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Pas did not field its "star" candidate for the Kerdau by-election to save face. He said vice-president Datuk Ibrahim Tuan Man was left out because if he lost in the...

'I have my family's full backing'.
February 28, 2011... JASIN: The family of Pas candidate Yuhaizad Abdullah yesterday held a press conference at his mother's house in Kampung Chin Chin here to deny talks he did not get full support from immediate family members to contest in the March 6 polls. It...

Roslan proves mettle on walkabout.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Ling Poh Lean JASIN: The Barisan Nasional candidate for Merlimau, Roslan Ahmad looked fresh as he got ready to take part in a gotong-royong at Taman Merlimau Baru yesterday morning. Not bad for someone who only had three hours of...

Easier for Barisan now to win Indian vote.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Jason Gerald MERLIMAU Pasir is a success story. Plantation workers have moved out of quarters at the local plantation into better homes. The new, more uplifting ambience is generally credited to the Barisan Nasional which probably...

'We won't touch native land'.(Conference notes)
February 28, 2011... Byline: Desmond Davidson BINTULU: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud yesterday said disputes involving Native Customary Rights land affected only two or three per cent of the one million hectares already declared as NCR land. ...

Roadblocks, traffic jams spoil weekend for KL folk.
February 28, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: The disruption caused by a rally to protest the use of the novel Interlok in schools was kept to a minimum by the police yesterday. However, police's decision to set up roadblocks here to prevent protesters from gathering upset...

109 'Interlok' protesters freed.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Masami Mustaza; Hariz Mohd; Elizabeth Zachariah KUALA LUMPUR: A rally calling for the government to ban controversial novel Interlok in schools saw the arrests of 109 people, aged between 18 and 66, yesterday. City police chief...

Hisham: Illegal rally a nuisance.
February 28, 2011... IPOH: Supporters of the banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) who participated in an illegal gathering near KLCC acted against the law and were a nuisance to public order, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein yesterday. He...

All-round support for teachers' reward scheme.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Zulita Mustafa THE performance-based reward scheme - "New Deals for Teachers" - has received the thumbs up not only from principals and teachers but also parent-teacher associations and the national teachers' union. Applauding the...

Are they a boon or bane?
February 28, 2011... Byline: Hariz Mohd; Rozanna Latiff BOOM barriers, guard posts and perimeter fences have become a common feature of gated communities and guarded neighbourhoods in recent years. But are these really protecting the respective communities?...

Vital to create a business class.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Santha Oorjitham INDIAN equity has expanded but the focus should be on entrepreneurship and control rather than share ownership, experts tell SANTHA OORJITHAM. Here's a little known fact: Indian equity rose from 1.1 per cent in...

Wife says hubby set house on fire.
February 28, 2011... KUALA TERENGGANU: Police are looking for a 39-year-old man who is believed to have torched his own house after a quarrel with his wife in Kampung Balik Bukit in Setiu on Saturday. In the 12.30am incident, the man's 35-year-old wife was at her...

15 flee as bus burns.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Patrick Sennyah REMBAU: Fourteen passengers on an express bus, including foreigners and children, escaped death when they managed to get off the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames during an incident at Km224.2 of the North-South...

Enough to keep him off the jungle.
February 28, 2011... Byline: P. Chandra Sagaran "I AM not going back into the jungle... I am afraid the animal will attack me again." This was the response of tiger-attack victim Tambun Gediu, 60, when asked whether he would continue hunting in the jungle. The...

More animal attacks with loss of habitat.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Evangeline Majawat FROM wild macaques living in suburban areas to tigers in the east coast, more and more animals are turning on humans. EVANGELINE MAJAWAT finds out why. Tambun Gediu was hunting for squirrels in the fringes of...

Victims recount how they fought... and lived.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah ONE fought a bear, another a wild boar, and both survived to tell their tales. Osman Musa of Kampung Tengku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Balah, Jeli, was attacked by a sun bear last December while riding his motorcycle...

98 return from Libya.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Elvina Fernandez KUALA LUMPUR: The first batch of 98 Malaysians evacuated from Libya arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 6.50am today. They left Rome at 12.20pm local time yesterday (7.20pm in Malaysia)...

Search goes on for missing Malaysian.
February 28, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: The search and rescue team in Christchurch is constantly on the move to locate missing Malaysian, Sandra Hii. Hii, from Sarawak's Sibu town and a King's Education College employee, is reported to be the only missing Malaysian...

Islamic moderates on march forward.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Azmi Anshar MALAYSIA and Turkey have taken an undocumented pledge to dampen, if not neutralise, religious extremism while holding on strong to their Islamic faith, writes AZMI ANSHAR who was in Turkey last week. Following up on the...

Misguided protests.
February 28, 2011... NOW that some protesters against the decision to retain a revised version of Interlok as a school textbook have been detained, this will no doubt be seen as further evidence of a denial of the freedom of expression. But as some anti-Interlok...

Nalanda's glorious past a uniting factor in future.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Mahendra Ved BY end-2013, an Asian university with a universal outlook and approach will take shape 887km east of New Delhi, to match what is being billed as the "Asian century". No geopolitics in it, although India's soft...

Bandar Tasik Selatan hub lacks facilities for disabled.
February 28, 2011... Byline: L. Lena IT was reported recently that the Bandar Tasik Selatan integrated transport terminal would be equipped with the latest facilities which would be disabled friendly. Bandar Tasik Selatan is a busy public transport hub where...

Social sciences vital, too.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani MALAYSIA, in the process of becoming a developed state, must strengthen its research and development (R&D) activities, not only in science and technology but also in social sciences and humanities. ...

Introduce energy efficiency labelling.
February 28, 2011... Byline: S. Piarapakaran THE Malaysian Automotive Association announced that the sales of passenger vehicles in 2009 was the highest in five years and that it would continue to grow. The Department of Environment's 2009 report states that...

Disturbing.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Aafina Zamil I HAVE been a regular user of Klang Valley's public transportation system for many years now. I applaud KTMB's move to provide ladies' coaches. I recently travelled in one of these coaches. It gave me a feeling of...

KTM must solve the real problem.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Samuel Yesuiah I REFER to the letter, "Men, stop this invasion" (NST, Feb 9) on men getting onto the ladies' coaches. The writer has expressed dissatisfaction over finding men in these coaches. Although men have no excuse to be in...

Not all employers at fault.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Akhlily Farhana Hazizan I REFER to the letter "We must start to treat them better" (NST, Feb 8) from M.S. on the treatment of maids. I agree with what M.S. said but sometimes, even with care and love, maids still tend to run away or...

Nature's best left marred.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Noel F. D'Oliveiro TAMAN Alam Kinta in Batu Gajah is an excellent bird-watching haven where many ornithological species seek sanctuary. It is accessible by a dirt road, which runs parallel to Sungai Kinta. Sadly, there are no...

This queue system is unfair.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Dr K.M. Koshy MOST banks have some sort of privileges and perks for their priority customers. These highly valued customers are served at a special counter set up exclusively for them. However, a leading bank's branch in this...

Nirnasha recovers and learns to walk.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Teresa Yong KUALA LUMPUR: Nineteen-month- old Nirnasha Sharavaanam's heart problems are far from over, but after two surgeries and having a pacemaker implanted, her condition is slowly improving. Her cardiac defects were detected...

Helping women arthritis sufferers.
February 28, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Rheumatoid arthritis, a common disease throughout the world, affects about five in 1,000, or nearly 135,000 people in Malaysia. But what is not well known is that it strikes more women than men, with 75 per cent of those...

Missing link has villagers in a bind.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah JELI: Villagers of Kampung Tengku Abdul Rahman here are having problems selling their agricultural produce since three years ago after a wooden bridge connecting their village and orchards collapsed and was swept...

60,000 throng Batu Caves to meet guru.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Maizatul Ranai KUALA LUMPUR: More than 60,000 people thronged Batu Caves' Murugan Temple here yesterday to commemorate the Rajayoga Power Transcendental (RPT) founder's birthday. The heat was unbearable, but disciples and...

19 Danes in Sabah for adventure.
February 28, 2011... PENAMPANG: A group of Danish youth will soon be travelling in mini buses, live in wooden houses and probably even learn how to speak Kadazan here. The 19 arrived here yesterday for a two-month programme organised by Denmark-based Adventure...

Yours Truly scores narrow victory.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Go-Ram YOURS TRULY, who managed to beat only one home in the Class 3 event over 1200m in good going in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 5, made it a pillar-to-post affair in the Class 3 event over 1100m straight (Race 6) in Ipoh yesterday. ...

Jarmila hungry for success.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Ajitpal Singh IT has been a breakthrough season so far for Australia's Jarmila Groth despite the year being only two months old. Jarmila's first success was winning her second tour title at the Moorilla Hobart International before...

Marion riding impressive form.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Ajitpal Singh FRANCE'S Marion Bartoli is expected to be in sparking form and full of confidence when she begins her campaign in the BMW Malaysian Open which starts today at Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort. Fresh from...

Shebby: Carnival provides solid platform.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Fadhli Ishak FORMER international and renowned football pundit Shebby Singh commended the organisers of the Milo Hidup Bola Futsal Carnival for providing a platform for schoolchildren to compete in the sport. Speaking at the launch...

It all comes down to the players.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Vijesh Rai INCENTIVES have been announced, targets set and team officials finalised as the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) eyes the 2012 London Olympics and the urgency is understandable for failure to qualify is not an option, not...

SSBP lift MCKK 7s title.
February 28, 2011... Byline: P. Chandra Sagaran SEKOLAH Sukan Bandar Penawar (SSBP) Johor emerged as the champions of the inaugural Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) Premier 7s competition after thumping Sekolah Menengah Sultan Yahya Petra (SMSYP) Kelantan 36-7...

Cobra hang on to edge Panthers.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Fadhli Ishak COMBINED Old Boys Rugby Association (Cobra) hung on to an early lead to edge Johor Panthers 7-5 in the inaugural Guinness-Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) Super 10s Cup final at the Royal Selangor Club Sports Annexe, Bukit...

Malaysia pip Singapore to go fifth.
February 28, 2011... THE national women's cricket team finished a commendable fifth at the ACC Women's Twenty20 Championship in Kuwait on Friday. Malaysia edged Singapore by one wicket in the playoff for fifth and sixth placings in Hubara, successfully chasing...

Eain Yow claims title.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Devinder Singh NG Eain Yow underlined his growing reputation as one of the best juniors in the country when he upstaged older rivals to win the boys' Under-17 title in the opening leg of the CIMB National Junior Circuit in Bukit Jalil...

Keglers looking to ride on Commonwealth success.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Ajitpal Singh THE national bowling team did creditably well in their first international of the year, the 5th Commonwealth Championships which concluded on Saturday with Singapore emerging as overall champions. Zulmazran Zuikifli...

Kim Her forced to tinker with doubles squad.
February 28, 2011... Byline: K.M. Boopathy BACK-UP doubles coach Tan Kim Her has done a mini reshuffle and has now partnered Goh Wei Shem with Lim Khim Wah following Teo Kok Siang's long lay-off due to a recent ankle surgery. Wei Shem and Kok Siang, the World...

Devan remains upbeat.
February 28, 2011... Byline: JJ Shah SELANGOR are feeling the heat and the lacklustre goalless draw against Johor FC at the Pasir Gudang Stadium on Saturday meant they remain in mid-table. Coach K. Devan, however, is not worried. Instead, he is confident...

Back-up riders get chance to shine.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul THE national cycling contingent for the Sea Games in Jakarta on Nov 11-25 are set to be made up of only back-up squad riders. Not that the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) is taking the biennial meet...

Tablet challengers.
February 28, 2011... WHILE the Apple iPad currently dominates the tablet market, here are some potential iPad 'killers'. 1. SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB Samsung is the first company to rise to the iPad challenge. At just seven inches, its Galaxy Tab is slightly smaller...

Malaysia's Top 10 Fastest Rising Searches on Google (Feb 18-24, 2011).
February 28, 2011... 1. Arsenal vs Barcelona The highlight of the Champions League's round of 16 first-leg matches on Feb 16 saw the Gunners score two goals in the last 12 minutes to beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium in London. 2. Mohsen Namjoo The...

Satisfying sound of money.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Reviewed by Noor Husna Khalid THE addictive Millionaire Tycoon makes a refreshing change to the Monopoly style gameplay, writes NOOR HUSNA KHALID. EVER dreamt of building an empire and owning villas, hotels and office buildings?...

Chic notebook for fashionistas.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Tatee Hassan WITH excellent design and performance, the Lenovo IdeaPad U460 is built to please, writes TATEE HASSAN. WITH its fashionable top design and textured aluminium cover, the IdeaPad U460 offers performance, comfort and...

To catch a cyber-criminal.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Rozana Sani EFFECTIVE co-operation between the tech industry and the law fraternity is the key to combating cyber-crimes, reports ROZANA SANI. THE figures are alarming. According to the Norton Human Impact Cybercrime Report, 45 per...

Universal disc player.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Dick Tan THE DBP-1611UD from Denon is a universal disc player that's able to play practically all known digital discs, including Super Audio and DVD-Audio. It is also 3-D ready. In addition, its HDMI 1.4 output also supports...

All-in-one hi-fi system.
February 28, 2011... Byline: Dick Tan DESCRIBING the RCX-1500 as a CD receiver is a bit misleading as it is much more than that. In addition to its CD section (based on its popular separate CD player model RCD-1520 and its analogue FM tuner), the Rotel RCX-1500...

Settlers happy with new deal.
February 28, 2011... Byline: M. Hamzah Jamaludin TEMERLOH: More than 7,800 settlers from 28 Felda schemes nationwide will be given three options for cess payments after they switched their crops from rubber to oil palm in 2004. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib...

BN confident but cautious (HL).
February 27, 2011... Byline: Joniston Bangkuai; M. Hamzah Jamaludin LABUAN: Although all indications point towards Barisan Nasional retaining the Merlimau and Kerdau state seats, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said BN must not be lulled into complacency....

Of buns and ovens.
February 27, 2011... THERE are many ways in which children become part of a family. While adoption and blended families are some of the more traditionally accepted non-traditional methods, the advancement of medical science has added artificial insemination and...

Modular system from this year to make STPM attractive.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Suzieana Uda Nagu; Sharifah Arfah KUALA LUMPUR: THE future looks bleak for Form Six. Of the more than 400,000 fifth-formers who sit the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination each year, only eight per cent will take the Form Six...

Rediscovering self through wayang.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal OUR sense of self can be discovered through traditional performances. Eddin Khoo, the founder and director of Pusaka, tells INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL more. LOOKING like a man on a mission, the...

Tough yet the best choice.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Suzieana Uda Nagu; Sharifah Arfah ALTHOUGH many consider it as Plan B, students stand to gain from sitting Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia, write SUZIEANA UDA NAGU and SHARIFAH ARFAH. THERE are only two students in the upper six...

Bringing out the artist within.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Nurjehan Mohamed ART is an outlet for expression and escape for a group of artist who is enjoying success in its second exhibition, writes NURJEHAN MOHAMED. IF a picture is worth a thousand words, then the works at the recent...

A show of knowledge.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Rachel Jenagaratnam THE Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia's exhibition on science and innovation in the Islamic world shows that knowledge can be attained anywhere, writes RACHEL JENAGARATNAM. IN the galleries of the Islamic Arts Museum...

PM, DPM to visit each state from next month.
February 27, 2011... TEMERLOH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin are scheduled to go on a whirlwind tour of the country starting next month. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hish-ammuddin Hussein said Sarawak would be the first...

Five IELTS takers to be awarded scholarships.
February 27, 2011... FIVE Malaysians who take their International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test with the British Council between now and end July will be awarded scholarships valued at US$3,500 (RM10,675) each. The scholarship is valid for an...

With convenience comes responsibility.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Juneita Johari NOT too long ago, I read that rubbish collectors threatened to boycott homes where owners threw disposable diapers soiled with faeces into the bins. I was shocked, not because of the boycott, but because of the fact...

Make the right career choice at Facon fair.
February 27, 2011... MAKING the right decision on higher studies can prove to be a daunting task. Choosing the right college or university has to come with added considerations of future market demand. At the upcoming Facon Education Fair, participating...

2 die as fire rescue effort is 'barred'.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Hariz Mohd KUALA LUMPUR: A 33-year-old woman and her daughter died in a blaze that destroyed their rented house in Taman Sri Sinar, Kepong, here yesterday. It appeared that firemen had lost precious time getting to the house...

SEGi beefs up facilities at faculty.
February 27, 2011... SEGi Education Group has invested heavily in the best possible teaching personnel and specialised facilities to produce high quality graduates. The latest investment went into its allied health science programmes. The Faculty of Medicine...

Bedside horror as man stabs himself to death.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Hariz Mohd KUALA LUMPUR: A former bank officer took his own life by stabbing himself repeatedly in the chest and stomach as he laid in bed in his house in Bukit Antarabangsa here, about 6am yesterday. Lee Soong Chin, 56, of Taman...

The role of role models.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Zaid Mohamad CHILDREN learn by watching people around them, such as parents, family members, teachers or public figures. These are commonly referred to as role models. While the first three groups are close to home, public figures...

How to retire comfortably.
February 27, 2011... Byline: Yap Ming Hui LET'S take a look at how much you need for your retirement. If you have a couple million ringgit worth of assets, you may feel very confident with your existing financial position and perhaps, take it easy with your money...

BN, Pas in straight fights.
February 27, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: The Kerdau and Merlimau by-elections will see straight fights between Barisan Nasional and Pas on March 6. Only the two parties fielded candidates during nominations yesterday at the constituencies in Pahang and Malacca. ...

48 of Sunway's ADTP students on Dean's list.
February 27, 2011... RECENTLY 48 students from the Sunway American Degree Transfer Programme (ADTP) made the Dean's list. The August to December semester students produced 10 Summa Cum Laude achievers, nine of which scored 4.0 in their GPA and one who scored 3.91...

Barisan parties confident of support.
February 27, 2011... TEMERLOH: Barisan Nasional component parties are confident the people will support Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad, 44, in Kerdau. MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the people knew that BN would be better able to deliver and serve...

Syed Ibrahim shows Al-Azhar degree.
February 27, 2011... TEMERLOH: Barisan Nasional candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad yesterday produced the original copy of his university degree to end speculation about his educational background. He said he had chosen to be silent about his degree because he did...

Opposition sees tough battle for Kerdau.
February 27, 2011... TEMERLOH: Opposition leaders said yesterday the fight to win the Kerdau constituency from Barisan Nasional would be a challenging task. DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said the opposition was entering a difficult battle in the Kerdau by-election,...