New Straits Times articles from July 2011

New Straits Times archives from July 2011

Offenders opt to serve society rather than jail term.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Shanti Gunaratnam KUALA LUMPUR: Some 300 minor offenders have been sentenced to community work instead of prison time, with the implementation of the Compulsory Attendance Order (CAO). This move, introduced in September last year,...

Fasting, not feasting.
July 31, 2011... THE holy month of Ramadan is upon us again. It is a time for fasting, abstinence and prayers. But, many an outsider would be forgiven for thinking that, in Malaysia, at least, the holy month is also one for feasting. Weeks before the fasting...

Caution: gruelling contest ahead.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Suzieana Uda Nagu WHEN spellers step off the RHB New Straits Times National Spell-It-Right Challenge stage, they not only enrich their vocabulary but also learn valuable life lessons, writes SUZIEANA UDA NAGU. THE confetti has...

Grounds for playing safe.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN finds out how parents and caretakers can minimise playtime pains for children. FEW things make a child happier than a sunny afternoon at the playground with friends, running and...

Palanivel to be minister.
July 31, 2011... Byline: V. Shankar Ganesh; Sean Augustin; Suganthi Suparmaniam PUTRAJAYA: MIC president Datuk G. Palanivel will be made a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced yesterday at the party's...

Grooming potential Asian leaders.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Suzieana Uda Nagu FOURTEEN young Malaysians will vie for the chance to represent the country at the 11th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) in Hanoi next year. HYLI Malaysia selection panel is in the process of selecting the...

Explain talks, Nik Aziz told.
July 31, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Pas spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has been asked to explain his involvement in a discussion which would want to appoint Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the next opposition leader to replace Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. ...

Samy Vellu gets warm welcome and award.
July 31, 2011... PUTRAJAYA: Despite stepping down from his post nine months ago, former MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu continues to be a towering figure at the party's 65th annual general assembly yesterday. At the Putrajaya International Convention...

MIC outlines 10-point wish-list to Najib.
July 31, 2011... PUTRAJAYA: The MIC's 65th annual general meeting started yesterday with a hard-hitting speech by party president Datuk G. Palanivel who summarised the Indian community's problems and aspirations. Attended by about 4,000 members at the...

Deal with pain lovingly.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Juneita Johari AS a caregiver, you're practically the best person to detect and assess your loved one's pain. Naturally, it's distressing to see them suffer, especially when you don't know what to do or how to respond. It's worse if...

Govt mulls food stamps for poor.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Rizalman Hammim PAGOH: The government is considering several measures, including introducing food stamps to help people cushion the impact of rising food prices. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the cabinet...

Sri Lankans turn to OUM.
July 31, 2011... OPEN University Malaysia (OUM) achieved another milestone recently with the participation of a chief minister in a training programme it organised for Sri Lanka's education officials. The university has been training staff from the Sri Lankan...

Make time to bond with kids.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Zaid Mohamad I WOULDN'T have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Thanks to social networking sites, I recently read one of the most heartfelt conversations between a mother and her young daughter. "Mummy, can you just...

Medical studies in Russia made easy.
July 31, 2011... RUSSIAN Resources Sdn Bhd (RRSB) is a highly experienced local company that has been placing students at four top-ranking medical universities in the Russian Federation. RRSB, with 14 years of experience in handling all the laborious but...

Sii shows why he's One of the best.
July 31, 2011... GRADUATING designer from The One Academy, William Sii Tong Ung, seized a top five placement as the sole world winner from Malaysia in the Hiiibrand International Logo Design Award 2010 (student category) recently. The award, which saw...

Living your full potential.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Tessie Lim I WORK to promote courage, confidence and freedom. Why freedom? Because many of us are shackled by our emotions and our limitations. We are blocked by our assumptions and our expectations. Don't you know that we only...

Young life ended amid broken hopes.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Satiman Jamin; A. Azim Idris KUALA TERENGGANU: Mohd Ashraf Hafiz Abdul Aziz, 26, whose application to change his name to Aleesha Farhana was rejected by the High Court here on July 18, died at 5am yesterday. His mother, who wanted...

Timing the market.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Yap Ming Hui THE idea of trying to time the market never seem to die. For many investors, the global stock market crash of 2008 shows why timing the market is necessary. Market crashes are not new. Since 1997, there have been three...

Best of New Zealand education at fairs.
July 31, 2011... NEW Zealand has an international reputation as a provider of quality, affordable education. Its educational system is based on the British system, so qualifications gained in New Zealand are recognised and transferable around the world. It...

Ashraf officially buried as a man.
July 31, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Ashraf Hafiz Abdul Aziz had to be buried as a man because he had not been certified as a woman, an Islamic Development Department officer said yesterday. The officer said although Ashraf had undergone a sex change, he was...

Yip can thank SEGi for career change.
July 31, 2011... EXPERIENCE and exploration taught Alicia Yip Ai Lin where her true passion lies. After many U-turns and roundabouts in her career path, she finally realised that teaching young children is it. At first, she did what was expected of a good...

He only wanted to be treated as a human.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Satiman Jamin AS a journalist, a phone call in the wee hours is not extraordinary, but the call I received from Ashraf's mother, Mak Yah, at 1.45am yesterday came as a shock. I first met Mak Yah only a few weeks ago, after she...

Different shots, shared dreams.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Kasmiah Mustapha BRITSH photographer Paul Gadd tells KASMIAH MUSTAPHA how his exhibition material turned into a book. AT first, the project was meant only for an exhibition. But the more people Paul Gadd met and captured with his...

Motorists stunned by 'shootout'.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Roy See Wei Zhi KUALA LUMPUR: Motorists stuck in the usual Saturday afternoon traffic jam at Jalan Bukit Bintang were surprised when four teenagers, armed with "guns", suddenly jumped off a black pick-up truck in the middle of the...

Capturing the spirit of rural life.
July 31, 2011... Byline: John Tiong HIS water colour paintings on life in rural villages are arresting to say the least. Khalil Ibrahim tells JOHN TIONG more about his artistic journey. "TAKE me on a drive and I'll tell you all about my life," says Khalil...

Pursue a noble profession at Allianze.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Yiswaree Palansamy DESPITE its "old-fashioned" image, nursing is enjoying a surge in popularity. A number of youngsters is making a beeline for the profession.Plus, its appeal is no longer limited to girls. Young men, too, are signing...

23 saved as ship sinks in collision.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Ben Tan JOHOR BARU: The 23 crewmen of a ship that sank after a collision near Pulau Pisang on Friday were picked up by a passing vessel and taken to Singapore early yesterday. Their vessel, the MV Oceania, went down after it...

Get a head start in pharmacy at MAHSA.
July 31, 2011... SPECIALISING in allied health sciences, MAHSA University College offers a host of programmes in pharmacy. Its comprehensive programmes aim to equip students with all the essential know-how required to build a rewarding career in pharmacy. ...

Breaking fast treats to share.(Recipe)
July 31, 2011... Byline: Shuib Taib; Tan Choe Choe WITH Ramadan beginning tomorrow, SHUIB TAIB and TAN CHOE CHOE ask several prominent personalities what their favourite buka puasa must-haves are. Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, 54, celebrity chef (better known as...

Mirror of reality.
July 31, 2011... Byline: U-En Ng IN the end, theatre is a subjective experience," said a friend who works at the box office of a local theatre. We were talking about how a group of people sharing similar backgrounds and experiences might come to disagree...

Secure a solid foundation at MSU.
July 31, 2011... SEVERAL interesting disciplines await foundation students at MSU. These disciplines are offered after taking into account the one-year duration that will be spent and a student's state of preparedness before he begins the first-year bachelor's...

PTPL banks on accounting diplomas.
July 31, 2011... THE Diploma in Accountancy aims to leverage on a unique learning opportunity in the combined disciplines of law, finance and management. Students pursuing the programme will be exposed to the rich tradition and rigour of accounting and audit,...

Security forces train together.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Patrick Sennyah PORT DICKSON: The first combined passing-out parade of the armed forces and police signals the start of greater cooperation between the two security forces. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the historic...

Exercising family values.
July 31, 2011... Byline: James Campbell LAST weekend I celebrated my father's 80th birthday along with my family. Eighty years seem to me to be quite an achievement and despite the recent cancer scares, my father seemed in robust health. Despite being...

Storm wreaks havoc on happy day.
July 31, 2011... PORT DICKSON: What was meant to be a happy and memorable day for many who came to see their children become policemen and soldiers turned into a painful experience when a two-hour storm wreaked havoc on event at the Army Basic Training Centre...

2 more books to boost teaching.
July 31, 2011... SERDANG: The Department of Higher Education and Universiti Putra Malaysia have launched two books with the aim of boosting the quality of teaching systems in all institutions of higher learning. The books, Hala Tuju Bidang Kaunseling di...

New administrative centre for Putatan.
July 31, 2011... KOTA KINABALU: A 400-hectare site at the Dumpil Bay area has been earmarked as the new administrative centre for Putatan district near here. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin said plans had been drawn up to develop the area with a...

UTM now country's top-ranked university.
July 31, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is now the country's highest ranked university, according to two online-ranking systems. The two - Webometrics (www.webometrics.info) and 4 International Colleges and Universities (www.4icu.org) -...

New engineering initiative by UPM.
July 31, 2011... SERDANG: Universiti Putra Malaysia has introduced the student-centred learning (SCL) approach for engineering education, making it the first in the world. The pioneering initiative follows the launch of the book, Case Study: A New...

Unique, not necessarily universal.
July 31, 2011... Byline: A. Murad Merican WHAT is to be done? We live in an Eurocentric world. We have heard of responses and critiques against the West and colonialism over the last 50 years. The postcolonial predicament remains. Decolonising Our...

The nation looked for Ting Song Sheng.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Chandra Devi Renganayar ON a rainy evening on Jan 12, 1996, 7-year-old Ting Song Sheng went missing from his school in Klang. His disappearance became a national concern and despite a massive search that went beyond the country's...

Heart-stopping moments!
July 31, 2011... CHEERS and tears were aplenty at what is so far the toughest grand final that the RHB New Straits Times National Spell-It-Right (SIR) Challenge has seen in its four years. While contestants grappled with words such as "antimacassar",...

Touched by Archie.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Subhadra Devan AMERICAN Idol Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta came, sang and conquered the hearts of his fans with ease, writes SUBHADRA DEVAN. DAVID Archuleta, at a mere 173cm (the same height as kungfu exponent Donnie Yen), is...

War on terror - the boomerang effect.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Dzulkifli Abdul Razak THE simpleton, former United States president George W. Bush, did not see it coming, but a decade later, he is hoisted by his own petard. The "war on terror", which he hastily declared, is "boomeranging" back in...

Demands which are debatable.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Zainul Arifin I AM still pondering over the eight demands put up by Datuk S. Ambiga et alia, which when not met to satisfaction resulted in the much publicised Bersih 2.0 rally. Many are for free and fair elections, and yet were...

Train graduates to apply knowledge in the workplace.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Adie Suri Zulkefli THERE are various reasons that lead to unemployment among fresh graduates and the top five factors have been identified as lack of industrial training, poor command of English, low problem-solving skills, lack of...

Oslo rampage sparks 'terrorising' comments.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Wan A. Hulaimi A MAN so angered by the sight of Muslims and driven up the wall by the word multiculturalism, by the intrusion of foreign elements into his "pure" society, that he went out, bought a farm, stacked it with fertilisers,...

Don't get hopes too high ... yet.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Ahmad A. Talib IF we were disappointed with the outcome of last Thursday's football match, we only have ourselves to blame. Not so much the team as a whole, but us - the fans, who put such tremendous pressure on the players. It was...

Will Razaleigh fill in for Anwar?
July 31, 2011... Byline: Shamsul Akmar IF there is one name in the contemporary history of Malaysian politics that gets mentioned as a possible prime minister whenever an alternative is sought over existing candidates, it has to be Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's....

Safeguarding peace in a world of violence.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Paddy Bowie ASSALAMUALAIKUM - peace be unto you - the traditional Muslim greeting. What better way to open an article on the subject of peace. But is this an ideal or a reality? I remember former United Kingdom prime minister...

Nothing to fear at all.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Dr Koh Soo Ling I NEVER knew I could feel so at peace sitting in a gryke, with my face to the wind and my back to a dolmen. A gryke is a crevice in a limestone floor and a dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually...

Don't burden primary pupils.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Ummu Atiqah Mohd Roslan IN my opinion, homework is a vital element that should be given by the teachers to the students. Homework is very important in order to train the students to solve problems, increase their critical thinking...

Pity the children, too.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Marisa Demori I REFER to the letter "Filial pity dying fast" (New Sunday Times, July 24) by David Tih. The writer states that aged parents are "abandoned by their families in today's very materialistic and self-centred world". Well,...

Break free from bondage.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Samuel Yesuiah MUCH has been said on the subject of mental illness and the need to seek early treatment for people suffering from mental illness or depression. The onus is on the families and relatives to overcome the stigma and...

Look for beauty of her soul.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Jose Mario Dolor De Vega I AGREE with what Tih of Malacca wrote in the article "Embracing who you are makes you beautiful" (New Sunday Times, July 17). Indeed, he is without a doubt a good husband. Such a quality would lead us to...

Our wildlife living on borrowed time.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Chai Mei Ling SOME cry in cinemas, moved by touching scenes. But, on Friday, when a number of people in the dark hall of a cinema teared up, it was not over a work of fiction but what was happening in real life. The images...

Not tonight, or any other night, honey.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Audrey Vijaindren LOW sexual desire is a very real problem among married couples. AUDREY VIJAINDREN talks to experts who say there must be more awareness on this increasingly common problem to ensure it does not lead to marriage...

Fresh water that braves the sea.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Munifah Alwi Back in the days when Kuala Terengganu was a regional trading hub, the Air Berani beach on Pulau Perhentian was the only place where ships could get fresh water supply when they took shelter from the monsoon on the...

Nature gets a helping hand from sci-fi tech.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Chai Mei Ling SEVEN years after getting off the ground, hyperspectral imaging - the technology which enables specific objects on land to be identified from the sky - is still flying high, writes CHAI MEI LING. The aircraft glided...

On a quest for green films.
July 31, 2011... THOSE who believe that the current generation is apathetic clearly have not heard of the Anugerah Hijau competition, a youth-based competition to find the next young filmmaker in the country. But many of the youth who participated are not just...

When thereis a will, there is a way.
July 31, 2011... Byline: P. Selvarani WILLS are not just for those on their deathbed but more for the living whom they will be leaving behind. As such, it is important to leave one, but many people still do not bother to for various reasons, chiefly...

Rosmah: Women recognised as key players.
July 31, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Women today are being recognised and acknowledged as key players in shaping the economic and social landscape of Malaysia. Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the prime minister, said that the rapid paradigm shift had allowed...

Orang Asli boy held over shooting.
July 31, 2011... MARAN: A 16-year-old Orang Asli boy has been remanded to facilitate police investigations into the death of his younger sister Siti Nordiana, who was believed to have been accidentally shot dead at their home in Kampung Bangas near Sungai Jerik...

Viets lose fishing licences.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Melissa Darlyne Chow GEORGE TOWN: The Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry has ordered the Fisheries Department to revoke the licences of 185 Vietnamese deep-sea vessel operators using local licences. Deputy Minister Datuk...

2 students warded after bee attack at outing.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Desmond Davidson KUCHING: Two students of Lodge International School in Tabuan Jaya here were reported to be in "serious condition" after they were attacked by a swarm of bees during a school outing at Permai Rainforest Resort at the...

Fire destroys eight cars at workshop.
July 31, 2011... KAJANG: Eight cars sent for repairs at a workshop in Batu 9 were destroyed when fire razed the premises yesterday. Among them were two BMWs and two Volvos. Total losses is estimated at RM1 million. Kajang Fire and Rescue Department operation...

6 traders rescued from watery death.
July 31, 2011... MUAR: Six Indonesian barter traders were rescued by Muar Customs officers after their boat sank near Pulau Undan about eight nautical miles off the coast here at 2am yesterday. Tekong Jamiludin Kursia, 38, sustained a cut on his forehead while...

So much for being an outcast.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Shuib Taib AS a child, Azhan Rani had very fair skin, brown hair and brown eyes. So much so that he was nicknamed "Mat Salleh" by his school mates. Both his parents are Malay but his dad had a skin condition which Azhan inherited. ...

Actress caught with lover in lift.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Miss G THIS popular actress has been linked to this VVIP for a while, yet when pressed by the media, she has always denied it. She has said that she does not need a wealthy man to support her because she can make a comfortable...

Hot haute couture.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Cheong Phin COUTURE has often been described as works of art. There was plenty of it at the recent Haute Couture Autumn Winter 2011 shows in Paris where designers went wild with feathers, fur, crystals, wool and high-tech materials to...

Super Cop guns down rivals.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Go-Ram SUPER COP put up a superb performance to take the RM65,000 Novice event for five-year-olds and below over 1400m (Race 3) on the first-day of the Selangor Turf Club's (SLTC) July/August meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. ...

Joe Czarina poised to strike.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Go-Ram LIGHTLY-raced Joe Czarina has a bright chance of going two up when he takes on 13 rivals in the Class 4 event over 1200m (Race 8, 5.45pm) in Kuala Lumpu rtoday. The three-year-old Australian gelding by Falvelon, who arrived...

Go for Waikato.
July 31, 2011... MONEYSPINNER Waikato has a first-rate chance of re-entering the winning list when he takes on nine rivals in the S$300,000 (RM720,000) Chairman's Trophy, a Group 2 event over 1800m (Race 10, 5.25pm) at Kranji today. The seven-year-old New...

Nicol moves on after rare loss.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Devinder Singh NICOL David will take stock of her unexpected defeat at the CIMB Singapore Masters in her hometown Penang next week before launching an assault on the Australian Open which she will contest for the first time. ...

Triumphant debut for Malaysian duo.
July 31, 2011... AZLAN Shah Kamaruzaman and Mohd Emir Firdaus did Malaysia proud when they won the four-hour class of the 34th Coca-Cola Zero Suzuka Eight Hours Endurance Road Race at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan yesterday. The Boon Siew Honda Racing duo...

Disappointment off the pitch hard to bear.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Vijesh Rai THURSDAY was, by all accounts, a massive letdown. If the national team failed on the pitch, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) did the same in the stands. Though the determination and spirit of K. Rajagobal's players could not...

Land offer (HL).
July 30, 2011... Byline: Minderjeet Kaur KUALA LUMPUR: In a bid to encourage developers to build quality homes below RM220,000 in the Klang Valley, the government is looking at providing suitable land for them, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said. ...

AirAsia chief to buy QPR?
July 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes is plotting a GBP100 million (RM486 million) move to buy English club Queens Park Rangers (QPR). British tabloid Daily Mail yesterday reported the multi-millionaire...

Standard Language Centre.(Company overview)
July 30, 2011... Byline: Gerald Chuah WANT to learn a new language in a conducive, relaxing, and comfortable atmosphere, then head to Standard Language Centre (SLC), one of the biggest language schools in Malaysia with 12 branches throughout the country. ...

Hospital urges visitors to use feeder bus service.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Ramesh Pillai SEREMBAN: Lack of parking space on hospital grounds and construction work on the road leading to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital are causing a lot of inconvenience to hospital visitors. They claimed a lot of time is wasted...

Umno AGM from Nov 29 to Dec 3.
July 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: This year's Umno annual general assembly will be held from Nov 29 to Dec 3. Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, said the assembly would kick off with an international forum. He said...

Schoolgirl's double joy in winning and meeting PM.
July 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: When 11-year-old Pija Shafiza Sharani decided to send a birthday greeting online to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, she never expected to meet the man himself. The soft-spoken schoolgirl from Perlis said she was very...

Love, cucumber and roses.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Kitty Kaye REFINED, discreet and incredibly sexy. KITTY KAYE finds the perfect companion and not a moment too soon! IT had been a rather exhilarating exercise for Fluid Academy's inaugural Cocktail Week, which ended yesterday. The...

Mad about wine.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Kitty Kaye WHEN a 25-year-old Australian winery aspires to challenge the French in the art of wine making, KITTY KAYE's curiosity is piqued. WITH a name like MadFish, who can resist? For some reason, the name takes me back to the...