New Straits Times articles from January 2007

New Straits Times archives from January 2007

Balancing security, privacy and commerce.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SECURITY will increasingly be defined by balancing security, privacy and safe international commerce this year. According to Unisys, addressing security "without borders" will focus on effective...

Building people to build Patimas as regional brand.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) WHAT makes a company tick? For Law Siew Ngoh, managing director of Patimas Computers Berhad, it is a combination of teamwork and hard work. She also believes that people are an asset to any company, and...

Broadband-like speed in thin body.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) FOR those who want style and speed, it is worth checking out the new MotoRazr V3xx multimedia mobile phone. Measuring in at 14.9 millimetres, this model is Motorola's thinnest High Speed Downlink...

Good grade for education plan.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) HE local information and communications technology fraternity has given the newly launched National Education Blueprint the thumbs-up for recognising the role of ICT in delivering quality education. The...

Supercomputing grid from Mimos.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MIMOS Berhad will make available its high-performance computing (HPC) grid facility to local research organisations, institutions of higher learning and businesses. The facility is expected to...

All about IT security.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IF you want to find out more about the latest trends and developments in IT security, check out SecurAsia Congress 2007. Organised by Marcus Evans, the event is a combination of a multi-track...

E-govt is not just about services for citizens.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Shyla Sangaran SINCE the start of the new millennium, Malaysia has launched a number of initiatives to transform public sector services delivery from the traditional to an electronic one....

Injecting urgency in bridging divide.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Rozana Sani DIGITAL divide in Malaysia - expressed as the difference between sections of society in terms of their access to information and communications technology (ICT) - is a serious...

RM50mil for RIC programme.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Foo Eu Jin THE country's effort to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban communities under the Medan InfoDesa, or Rural ICT Centre (RIC), programme is being intensified under...

MAS in five-year plan to boost e-ticket sales.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Izwan Ismail ONLINE booking currently contributes a small portion to Malaysia Airlines' ticket sales revenue, but this is expected to change over the next couple of years. Its assistant...

Discovery journey of human origin.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Subashini Selvaratnam HAVE you ever wondered about your origin? Well, the goal of the non-profit Genographic Project is to help people better understand their history, learn about ancient...

New student found dead in hostel, ragging suspected.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sulok Tawie KUCHING: A Form Four student who had just enrolled in a new school was found dead, believed to be a victim of ragging. Matheus Mering August, 16, walked into SM Teknik...

Orphanage building illegal, says council.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ALOR STAR: A private religious school which defied a shut-down order from religious authorities may be in for more trouble. The Alor Star City Council (MBAS) will charge Pusat Tahfiz Amal for...

Make sure your marriage is legal.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians marrying foreigners must make sure the ceremony is conducted by a registrar of marriages. Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho said even assistant registrars of...

Sabah school wins environmental award.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA KINABALU: The building housing Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Datuk Peter Mojuntin does not look 30 years old. The school, located in Dongonggon, Penampang, the heartland of the Kadazandusun...

Old hands to the fore.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) LIKE other government agencies, the police have had to face their fair share of criticism. From allegations of wrongdoing to the shoddy investigative work that causes court cases to be thrown out, the...

Cuban envoy wants to up trade tempo.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K.P. Waran KUALA LUMPUR: If Cuban ambassador Pedro Monzon Barata has a gadget that monitors trade relations between Havana and Kuala Lumpur, he would like to have his fingers firmly pressed...

Kolam drawing session at market.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: To mark the Thaipusam celebration, the Little Penang Street Market here organised a kolam drawing session at the market here yesterday. Five members of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam's Gelugor...

Traffic advice for Thaipusam.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: Motorists are advised to avoid roads leading to the Sri Nattukuttai Chettiar temple in Jalan Kebun Bunga during Thaipusam. Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azam...

Batu Caves to host 1.5m visitors.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: June Ramli; Nik Nurfarizan KUALA LUMPUR: It will be the biggest Thaipusam celebration yet with some 1.5 million devotees and tourists expected in Batu Caves on Thursday. Sri Maha...

Picking up the pieces to start new year.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Chuah Bee Kim; Siti Nurbaiyah Nadzmi KOTA TINGGI: Celebrating the Lunar New Year is the last thing on the minds of the Sim family here. Their first priority is to get back on their feet in...

Move may haunt MHF.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Amita Kaur WHILE I congratulate the new committee members elected to the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF), I feel it was too harsh to sack S. Kuhan, the team captain, without even having...

400 reformed Mat Rempit help clean up homes.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA TINGGI: Once looked on as a menace, 400 reformed Mat Rempit showed their good side on Saturday. They joined hands with 600 Putera Umno members and undergraduates to clean the houses of flood...

Not the right thing to do.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: T.W. THE act of releasing fish into the Cyberjaya Lake for a fishing competition in your report titled "What a bumpy way home" (NST, Jan 25), leaves much to be desired. As a concerned...

Disgusting act.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Cheong Yoke Ling I REFER to the picture showing various VIPs as well as singer Zainal Abidin releasing fish on the steps leading to the Cyberjaya Lake. I am totally disgusted. I believe...

Norizan now has a base to work on.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul HE has finally found a base to work on towards the Asian Cup, but still national coach Norizan Bakar's biggest problem isn't about to be solved. It is an age-old...

It's so cruel.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Y.G. THE picture and caption of fish being released in the report "What a bumpy way home" (NST, Jan 25) really upset me, and perhaps many others. The act of releasing fish on the concrete...

Living in fear of armed criminals.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Scott Thong Yu Yuen A YEAR ago, I moved to Johor Baru for my job. I had heard many warnings about the crime rate here. Having stayed in Johor Baru for a few months, these warnings became...

A disgrace.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: N. Naidu I REFER to "What a bumpy way home" (NST, Jan 25). How could the VIPs just stand there and watch the fish struggling, jumping and gasping for air on their way to the lake? I simply...

Chrystal pursues Olympics dream.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ranjini Thangaraju CHRYSTAL Lim aspires to be the first Malaysian rhythmic gymnast to qualify for the Olympics following her impressive showing in the Doha Asian Games. This, from an...

Malaysia to import Chinese cattle.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUANTAN: Thousands of young cattle will be imported from China to boost the country's meat production industry. The move is to supplement supply from traditional sources of cattle for livestock...

Housewife's RM100,000 income.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Mazlinda Mahmood KUALA LUMPUR: Speaking hesitantly in a thick Terengganu accent, Zainun Tahir comes across as the quiet, reserved housewife that she is. Well, last year, she took home...

Old hands will only teach, guide officers.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Fadhal Ilahi Abd Ghani KUALA LUMPUR: The retired police officers who will be re-hired on contract basis will not be placed in operational positions. They will be re-employed as...

Practice makes perfect.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dr M.A. Nair "ENGLISH proficiency still low at local varsities", says the report (NST, Jan 23). This happens despite the many years Malaysians spend learning the language, as opposed to the...

Let there be refreshing voices of change in our society.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Judith Loh-Koh WITH reference to your report "Muslims face 'corruption of knowledge'" (NST, Jan 14), the All Women's Action Society (Awam) welcomes the comments by Institute of Islamic...

South Africa seek to make it three-in-a-row.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ANOTHER strong showing in Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) is expected from the best performing national team in the race's 12-year history, as South Africa return with an eye on both the overall individual...

Charges only for some transactions.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Wong Suan Lye IN response to Tam Yong Yuee's comments on bank charges ("Nothing's free" - NST, Jan 10), the Association of Banks in Malaysia would like to clarify that all banks offer...

BN wins convincingly, opposition loses deposit.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; M. Hamzah Jamaludin RAUB: The Barisan Nasional retained the Batu Talam state seat with a majority of 5,857 votes, more than double the margin in the last general election. ...

Opposition must rethink boycotts for future elections.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan WHAT next for the opposition? They spent the last two years criticising the government at their ceramah, in their party organ and on the Internet. The boycott of the Batu...

So what meat is safe?
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M. Husairy Othman; Annie Freeda Cruez IPOH: Pigs are not the only farm animals fattened with banned growth boosters. Beef, mutton and duck meat have also been found to contain...

Pirated DVD pipeline busted.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Lee Shi-Ian KUALA LUMPUR: At first glance, the cylinder packages that went through the scanner looked like PVC pipes. But upon closer inspection by alert cargo staff, it was discovered...

10-second scans to curb smuggling.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Farrah Naz Karim PUTRAJAYA: If you think you can hide a Ferrari among the boxes in your shipping container, or duck the duty on liquor by packing it in VCD boxes, forget it. The Customs and...

The Malaysians living in limbo.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sonia Ramachandran; Suganthi Suparmaniam; Chan Ming Yang PETALING JAYA: They have no birth certificates nor identity cards. And though they were born here, they enjoy none of the rights of...

No school, no job, no bank account and no hope.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) BANTING: They live in a durian shack. A sign - "Dilarang lembu masuk kawasan ini" (No cows allowed) - greets visitors. A bath means a 10-minute walk to a home two kilometres away, or when nature...

Man shot trying to evade arrest.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah Syed Abdullah KOTA BARU: A man was shot and wounded by police after the driver of the car he was in rammed into a police patrol car while trying to evade arrest in Pulau...

Father looking for daughter.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUANTAN: A father who rejected a marriage proposal for his 17-year-old daughter, who was waiting for her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results, says she is missing. He claims she was "charmed" and...

Success guru to share tips.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Leadership and personal growth guru Robin Sharma will hold a seminar tomorrow on how to become successful individuals. Sharma, 42, from Toronto, Canada, has written eight books on...

1,500 women walk their way to a fitter tomorrow.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: More than 1,500 women took part in the Nestle Fitnesse-Malay Mail 5km Ladies' Walk at the Lake Club yesterday. The event was aimed at creating awareness of the importance of...

Hotel's tribute to the King and Queen.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur recently paid tribute to the newly installed King and Queen by presenting two royal gifts at the Istana Negara. The hotel's general manager Christian Bock presented...

Millions infected, Hope rising.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MALAYSIAN AIDS Foundation recently received a boost of RM45,000 from the Renaissance and Marriott Hotels & Resorts in Malaysia through their Hope Campaign. General managers Robert Frager of...

For sandwich lovers.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IMAGINE rye bread smothered with slices of smoked salmon, fresh lettuce, cucumber, onions, mayonnaise and cheese mustard. Or fresh croissant with turkey ham topped with tomatoes, spinach and sour cream...

Blossoms of Thai cuisine.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) EVERY year, Thailand celebrates the Chiangmai Flower Festival during the first weekend in February. It is the time when the city is awash with vibrant colours ranging from the electric orange and lilac...

Evergreen Sargasso does it again.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Go-Ram VETERAN campaigner Sargasso outclassed his 10 rivals to capture the RM70,000 Da Ma Cai Stakes for Classes 2 & 3 horses over 1700m (Race 7) in Penang yesterday. Partnerd by...

Airil eyes winning in Manila.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: R.G. Raj PAKISTAN Open champion Airil Rizman Zahari aims to make a winning return to the Asian PGA Tour when he competes in the Philippines Open at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in...

Impressive response for unity.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE SportsUnite-Milo-MSSS (Selangor School Sports Council) Under-12 tenpin bowling unity carnival was launched with an impressive 48 teams signing on for the meet at the Sunway Megalanes in Bandar...

Sahar, Adnan to chart course for Malaysia.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ajitpal Singh JAMALUDDIN Hassan and Iskandar Arshad, who have resigned as coaches of the national sepak takraw team, will be replaced by Sahar Omar and Adnan Saidin. The Sepak Takraw...

Yoges: No need for a 'hand over'.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) FORMER Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) coaching chairman Datuk R. Yogeswaran yesterday strongly denied that he has not "handed over" documents to new chairman C. Paramalingam. In fact,...

Will mobile WiMax dominate?
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Neale Anderson AT both the ITU Telecom World and 3G World Congress in Hong Kong last month, WiMax was much in evidence. While the hype of one or two years ago has largely subsided, there is...

Carving niche in takaful.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Rozana Sani INSURANCE Services Malaysia Berhad (ISM) has a huge task on its hands. When conceptualised in 1998 by the General Insurance Association of Malaysia under the Malaysian...

To have a pleasant stay in Bangkok.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Subashini Selvaratnam IF you are in Bangkok and looking for a place to stay, do consider Plaza Athenee. This five-star hotel is located in the Wireless Road, which is the heart of...

Hi-tech hotel of tomorrow.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE travel industry is always seeking new ways to improve the guest experience and operational efficiency, and no doubt technology has the potential to deliver tangible benefits. Rather than a barrier,...

Duplex printing at high speed.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Subashini Selvaratnam SPEED and print quality are crucial in a high-volume cutsheet printing environment. Realising this, Oce has introduced the VarioPrint 6250, which is capable of...

Performance boost in new Hitachi mid-range storage.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) HITACHI Data Systems is strengthening its position in the mid-range storage market by making significant performance enhancements to its Adaptable Modular Storage, model AMS1000. By virtue of...

Empowering for second digital revolution.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Rozana Sani DID you know that if we could somehow bridge the digital divide that exists in all regions around the globe, the world would be poised for a second digital revolution? According...

Tips to close the gap.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Rozana Sani TO help address the digital divide issue in the country, Dr Richard Leete, United Nations Development Programme's resident representative for Malaysia, has several...

Turning Terengganu into ICT hub.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Izwan Ismail THE Terengganu Government has set aside RM140 million this year to turn the State into a hub for global creative content and software development activities. Five main...

HP is a recycling powerhouse, too.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) HEWLETT-PACKARD Co has managed to recycle over 74 million kilograms of hardware and HP print cartridges - the equivalent weight of over 600 jumbo jet airliners - globally in its 2006 fiscal year, up 16...

Tales of wonder a far second to experience gained.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Shahriman Johari THOSE who have been to the World Economic Forum often tell of their Davos moment. It ranges from waiting for the bus with former hedge-fund operator George Soros,...

Chinese association wants to build mosque.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Jason Gerald John MALACCA: The call for the country to have mosques run by Chinese Muslims for the community has given new hope to a Chinese Muslim association here. The Malacca...

Malays more prone to genetic form of eye cancer.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sheridan Mahavera KOTA BARU: It is estimated that at least one in 15,000 children here are prone to develop a genetic form of eye cancer. Most die by the time they are six years old because...

Cancer survivors provide empathy, strength to other patients.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: As she was being wheeled into the operating room for her second cancer surgery, Goh Siew Fan made a promise to God. "I promised that if I am cured, I would quit my job to be a...

Megat Azrafiq gets big promotion.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Jugjet Singh AT the rather young age of 23, Megat Azrafiq Megat Termizi (pic) has found himself as the most senior player in the national hockey team. Megat Azrafiq, with only 36 caps...

(What I saw on telly).
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Debra Chong AMAZING is a word that's very often overused. So much so that it seems to have lost meaning. But last weekend, I found it again. Meaning, that is. The National Geographic...

Penang okays affordable housing.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: S. Arulldas NIBONG TEBAL: The state government has approved 13 affordable housing projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rashid Abdullah said the...

Test all sauces for cancer-causing agent.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: S.M. Mohamed Idris THE Consumers Association of Penang calls on consumers to be careful when eating Thai food as some ingredients used in Thai cooking were found to be tainted with 3-MCPD,...

Delays in disbursement.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Bec Ng MY daughter is doing her first year in a private university. She has taken a loan from the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN). She started her second semester on Jan 8. All...

Safety permit for amusement parks to be a must.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Under new regulations, owners of amusement parks will have to get a safety permit from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) as well as a business licence to operate....

Ithnin: Meeting was legal!
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Jugjet Singh MALAYSIAN Professional Golfers Association (MPGA) president Datuk Ithnin Yacob yesterday dismissed as "baseless" the demand by disgruntled members for an extraordinary general...

He goes where the birds are.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Nisha Sabanayagam; Sean Augustine KUALA LUMPUR: A flock of plain pouched hornbills flying across the skies made Dennis Yong's heart beat at a rapid pace. The professional bird-watcher...

Civil courts can hear apostasy cases.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Nurjaanah Abdullah I WISH to correct the wrong impression created in your news report "Dons: Use Syariah, civil systems jointly" (NST, Jan 26). Readers will come to the conclusion that...

Margin of victory clear sign of support for PM.
January 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) RAUB: The Barisan Nasional's ability to increase the majority by more than 100 per cent is a clear message that the people support Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership. Deputy Prime...

'Noah' goes to the rescue of animals.
January 28, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Eileen Ng KUALA LUMPUR: He'll never hear a thank you from those he rescued, but for the hundreds of dogs and cats, Raymond Wee is nothing short of Noah with his life-rescuing ark. Just...

Adopt open system for selection of judges.
January 28, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Chok Suat Ling THE way judges are selected has long been a subject of debate. The recent round of transfers has sparked off, once again, calls for an independent judicial commission, writes...

'Axis of evil' haunts Bush.
January 28, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dzulkifli Abdul Razak A SOMEWHAT subdued George W. Bush delivered his sixth State of the Union address last week. It is in some ways significant as Bush is a lame duck (Republican)...