New Straits Times articles from March 2006, page 9

New Straits Times archives from March 2006

HinterWars package from DiGi.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) DiGi is taking on the challenge to migrate a set of demanding and heavy online users into the mobile frontier. Gamers - those ultra-savvy technology leaders - are identified as the thrust behind the...

Supernatural saga continues.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Edwin Kee WHEN it comes to action-horror flicks, things rarely get cerebral. Underworld: Evolution is the sequel to Underworld, a Romeo-and-Juliet tango that involves vampires and...

War against global terror.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Reviewed by Bruno Dieter Chan TITLE: Conflict: Global Terror PUBLISHER: Pivotal Games Demo URL: http://www.3dgamers.com/dlselect/games/conflict4/ conflict_gs_demo.exe.html FILE SIZE: 357MB...

Tech star wars (HL).
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Aimie Pardas IF you see Akademi Fantasia 3 winner Asmawi Ani, better known as Mawi, using a Canon digital video camera, would you use one too? If you're a huge fan of Mawi, you just might....

Enabling the mute to talk.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Prasanna Raman EVEN with the advances in technology, the hearing and speaking impaired still lead their lives in silence because no one has actually invented any gadget to allow these...

Expanding scope beyond ICT.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ahmad Faiz COMPUTIMES was a 20-year-old educational tool on computing technology. Its name was derived from two things: "computer" + "New Straits Times" = "Computimes". But why...

Feature-rich Dopod.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IN an attempt to display its fine sense of fashion, Dopod International has introduced its first smartphone in Southeast Asia - the Dopod 577W, a sophisticated two-tone black and grey smartphone that...

Pikom receives Apricot award.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ASSOCIATION of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom) received a recognition award as the 2001 and 2004 host for the Asia- Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational...

Kingston to unveil memory products at PC Fair.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) VISITORS to PC Fair I in Kuala Lumpur from April 14 to 16, will get to see Kingston Technology Company Inc's full range of memory products displayed at the fair. Kingston is reputed to be the world's...

Linking hot couture with cool cars.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) LEADING Up to the Malaysian Grand Prix race, Intel continued to rev up the noise on its sponsorship of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Two hundred specially invited guests were treated to witnessing how...

Bahasa Melayu option in new Handycams.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SONY Corp has unveiled its new MiniDV Handycam models - the DCR-HC96, DCR- HC36 and DCR-HC26 - designed to provide an easy aim-and-shoot experience for clear colour reproduction in images. The company...

Talk to the palm.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) FUJITSU Asia has announced the launching of PalmSecure palm vein biometric authentication device for the Asean and India markets. Recently exhibited at the CeBIT tradeshow held in Hannover,...

Convenience for older folks.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) I REMEMBER the days when my mother used to go grocery shopping. It was a monthly affair for non-perishable goods which she bought from provision shops, and weekly for perishable items like meat and...

Going grocery shopping online.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Chandra Devi MINI markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, 24-hour convenient stores and grocery stores - everywhere we set our eyes upon in the city and suburbs, there's some form of...

Educating consumers about online risks.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SYMANTEC Corp announced the launch of Symantec Internet Threat Meter. Available at www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice, the free resource provides consumers with up-to-date information on the risk level...

Property firm charged with open burning.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Neville Spykerman KLANG: A Cyberjaya-based development company was charged in the Sessions Court yesterday for allowing open burning on their land, which had contributed to the haze over...

Nothing wrong being single.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: R.K. AFTER reading Dev Anand's views on women and marriage ("When men fail to measure up", NST, March 17), I realise that the argument about single professional women has been taken from a...

RM1.16b security plan.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.K. Megan Shamini Darshni; Anis Ibrahim THE Education Ministry has allocated RM1.16 billion to pay 128 security companies to keep students' safe. However, most security companies find...

DRB-Hicom sees positive impact.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: The National Automotive Policy (NAP) will help remove any doubt over the Government's direction for the sector and attract more foreign investments into Malaysia, industry players said....

Gender empowerment yet to be achieved.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.K. Megan Shamini Darshni; Anis Ibrahim THE target of filling 30 per cent of the Government's decision-making posts with women by 2005 has not been achieved. Acknowledging this, Women,...

Call to set up police internal affairs division.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.K. Megan Shamini Darshni; Anis Ibrahim AN Internal Affairs Division within the police force instead of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission? This was a suggestion...

'Cloned' APs used to bring in cars.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PUTRAJAYA: Customs officers recently seized two Mercedes Benz E240 imported with "cloned" APs. Their owners were two businessmen, one from Serendah and the other from Muar. Customs preventive...

Don't penalise, teachers warned.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.K. Megan Shamini Darshni; Anis Ibrahim SCHOOLS and teachers cannot penalise students who refuse to wear the tudung, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar said. "Any teacher who...

Golf club in dilemma over 'takeover' talk.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K.P. Waran KUALA LUMPUR: Subang National Golf Club members should be a jubilant lot as their club celebrates its 38th anniversary on Saturday. But this is not the case, as they huddle...

FAQ.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Top five likely questions about the New Automotive Policy: Q: Will cars be cheaper? A: Yes, they should be. Import and excise duties on most categories have been reduced, which means lower costs for car...

Marital malady.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) AIDS began mainly as a male disease, and many people still think that only gay men - and drug users - can contract it. But as the infection keeps spreading from these familiar high-risk groups into the...

People from all walks of life say farewell to Ongkili.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) TUARAN: The death of Datuk Dr James Peter Ongkili drew an outpouring of sympathy and remembrance from the who's who of the Kadazandusun community and the common folk alike. Ongkili has left an...

Fu: Headscarf ruling not for non-Muslims.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.K. Megan Shamini Darshni; Anis Ibrahim THE directive that policewomen must wear headscarves at official functions does not apply to all of them, said Deputy Internal Security Minister...

More govt offices needed in Sabah, Sarawak.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.K. Megan Shamini Darshni; Anis Ibrahim MORE branches of government agencies should be opened in Sabah and Sarawak to enable quicker implementation of policies and plans, said Prime...

Company charged with illegally importing waste.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KLANG: A company was charged in the Sessions Court yesterday, under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, for importing scheduled waste without authorisation. Karima Pemia Sdn Bhd was alleged to have...

It serves as a deterrent.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.S. MANIAM THE death penalty should stay. Although Malaysia is among 76 countries which still impose the death penalty, I am sure that Malaysia is a very safe country compared to many...

Take the lead by ending it.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: N.Y.H. THE issue of death penalty or capital punishment is not something new. As a student of the Faculty of Law, University Malaya, I have been confronted by international students who...

Restoration work on building.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: It was once an imposing structure smack in the middle of town. However, over time, the Penang Court Building in Lebuh Light, with its Graeco-Roman architecture, reminiscent of classic...

Annual health checks are unnecessary.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: CHAN WENG WOH SOME veterinarians have proposed that the Housing and Local Government Ministry make it compulsory for dog owners to obtain an annual canine certificate of health when...

Rural lives move up on the Chinese agenda.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Frank Ching FOR the first time since it embarked on economic reforms 27 years ago, China has placed energy efficiency and environmental protection ahead of gross domestic product growth. At...

Mandarin classes a hit among Johor folk.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOHOR BARU: Learning Mandarin is all the rage in Johor Baru these days. While such courses were popular only among English-educated Chinese in the past, these days they're in demand among those...

Vaccination may be an option.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Deborah Loh PUTRAJAYA: To cull or to vaccinate? The Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry is mulling the effectiveness of vaccinating local poultry against the bird flu virus but...

No reason to raise power tariff.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: MEJAR (R) MUHAMED GHAZALI TAIB TENAGA Nasional Berhad has been trying to increase its electricity tariff for the past 10 years without much success. Recently, they submitted a proposal...

Retention ponds are more effective.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. THOMAS THE recent floods in Shah Alam have shown the need for retention ponds and lakes as an effective means to control floods in urban areas. One is surprised why they have not been...

Personal hygiene is vital.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: DR A. SOORIAN IT is reassuring to read that Sarawak is seeing fewer new cases of the hand, foot and mouth disease. HFMD is caused by a virus and goes away in about a week to 10 days....

Rainforest music festival in July.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUCHING: Exotic music will resound at the Sarawak Cultural Village in the beach resort of Damai at the foot of Mount Santubong for the ninth edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival in July. ...

IT manager abducted for failing to settle debt.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Shuman KUALA LUMPUR: An Information Technology manager endured 15 hours of captivity after being abducted by three men for failing to settle a RM10,000 football betting debt. The...

Culling takes on air of street warfare.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PARIT: It looks like street warfare. Rifles in hand and closing down on their quarry lane by lane and from house to house, those conducting the culling exercise at several locations in Perak were...

Say 'no' to them.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: C.M. I AM so fed up with most of the taxi drivers. If they are not trying to rip you off, they are dangerous, inconsiderate and rude (or all four). If you make a booking, half the time they...

Recognise MAS' achievements.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: ADRIAN A. OVER the past few weeks there have been many articles in this newspaper trying to make sense of the Government's efforts to make air travel services more efficient. No doubt, the...

Saving Central Asia from Uzbekistan.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Chris Patten TO the list of the world's most self-destructively repressive regimes, we should add one name that is too often overlooked: Uzbekistan. Like North Korea or Zimbabwe,...

1,000 donor pledges for IJN.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: The Sri Sathya Sai Baba Central Council adviser V. Sugumaran handing over 1,000 donor pledges to National Heart Institute medical director Datuk Seri Dr Robaayah Zambahari at the...

WHAT THEY SAY.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Sobri Bakar, 42, civil servant It is good that the duties are being reduced. Currently, the rates are too high compared to other countries in Asean. In Thailand, for instance, petrol is expensive but...

Let us know your stand.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE death penalty. Do we keep it or abolish it? It's a tough and sensitive issue. Most Malaysians want it maintained, judging from the many SMS views we have received. Yet, others, notably members of...

80 sign up for HIV tests.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOHOR BARU: The Islamic Religious Council here yesterday saw about 40 couples signing up for HIV tests, which have been mandatory since 2001 for Muslim couples intending to wed. Ribut Huri, 22, a...

Customer turns thief.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Roy Goh KOTA KINABALU: Two retail outlets here reported the loss of a total of RM3,500 from their cash registers to a smartly-dressed man. Footage from the closed-circuit television...

Call to reduce national car prices.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Car dealers feel that national cars are too expensive and called for a price cut. Used car salesman Lai Yen Fong said the national car was overpriced and Malaysians would rather pay a...

Comments on current issues.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Hospital watch IS HUKM Cheras trying to cut costs by shutting down the air-conditioning system? Compromising comfort for the sick and taxpayers is not the way. - Stinger Can the Health Minister direct...

Angry robber ends up raping.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: A robber, infuriated because his intended victim did not have any money, raped her instead. It happened at a stall on Jalan Permatang Batu, Bukit Mertajam, in Central Seberang Prai...

Good news for Indian workers.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Indian nationals who want to work in Malaysia will not have to deal with cheating agents. The Construction Industry Development Board, through its subsidiary Construction Labour...

Jail and caning for robber.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: An unemployed man was sentenced by the magistrate's court yesterday to a year's jail and 15 strokes of the rotan for theft and armed robbery. Ong Peng Sun, 37, of Alor Star, had...

Car makers, buyers and sellers will benefit.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Lokman Mansor PUTRAJAYA: There was something for everyone when Malaysia unveiled its long-awaited National Automotive Policy (NAP) yesterday. For the country, the slew of measures,...

'A free Abu Bakar will unite extremists'.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Amy Chew ULAMA Abu Bakar Bashir is expected to become a rallying point for extremists in the country when he is released from prison in June. Abu Bakar's lawyers say the firebrand...

ACA probe on former imam.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: The state Anti-Corruption Agency is investigating the involvement of a former imam and two state Religious Affairs Department employees in a fake marriage certificate scam. The three are...

3,000km ride to raise money.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: Englishman Adrian Bebbington, 37, plans to travel to Cambodia from Kota Baru, a distance of 3,000km, on a classic scooter. Bebbington, who will be accompanied by Dutch nurse Linda...

En Ting to go for surgery.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Public donations have enabled three-year-old Choo En Ting to undergo surgery for her heart ailment. The girl from Taman Molek, Johor Baru will be operated on at the Royal Children's...

Man wants to know if his son is a thief.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ALOR STAR: Two weeks ago Che Halim Ismail's teenage son was detained by police on suspicion of stealing motorcycles. The Form Five boy spent a week in the lock-up, without the knowledge of his...

Maid did not suffer major depression, says defence.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: The defence for housewife Yim Peck Ha, charged with abusing maid Nirmala Bonat, yesterday challenged the medical diagnosis that the Indonesian suffered "major depression". Counsel...

Ravi set for solo Everest trek.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Gerald Chuah KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian climber Ravichandran Tharumalingam, 42, leaves on Saturday on his first solo expedition to scale Mount Everest. If things go as planned, he will be...

Big celebration to revive Pingat Hang Tuah.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: It may be seven months earlier than the usual national-level World Children's Day celebration but it will be a day to remember. The revival of the "Pingat Hang Tuah" after more than...

Improving bus services in Pahang.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUANTAN: Imagine having to wait for up to three hours for a bus, only to be told that it had broken down somewhere along the route and no replacement was coming. This, unfortunately, is quite a...

Biodiesel a must from next year.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Deborah Loh PUTRAJAYA: From next year, all diesel sold in the country must contain five per cent palm oil. New laws will make this mandatory. Plantation Industries and Commodities...

Transport firms told to go local.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PUTRAJAYA: Public transport companies have been advised to use locally-made vehicles to cut costs. Not only would this cut costs, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday, but...

A record 15,000 students apply for PSD scholarships.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Koh Lay Chin KUALA LUMPUR: A record 15,000 students have so far applied for Public Service Department scholarships for studies in foreign universities this year. As expected, the bigger...

Mawi raring to hit the road.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: It's his third car in less than a year since he became an artiste, and popular singer Mawi is set to conquer the road - as soon as he gets a driving licence. "Yes, I'm going to do it...

Bigfoot footprints destroyed.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: R. Sittamparam KOTA TINGGI: Tracks resembling giant footprints in forests around Kampung Lukut and Kampung Temening are being erased, seemingly to distract foreign tour groups on Bigfoot...

When the past isn't as far back as we'd like to think it is.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Brian Yap I NEVER thought I would one day use the phrase "back in my time", but it's hard not to be amazed at how much has changed in my short lifetime. Back in my time, the ubiquitous...

Students must play part in politics to be better citizens.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Brian Yap UNIVERSITY Malaya's recent dropping of charges against 15 of its undergraduates for attending a protest is a commendable step, but it should only be the first of many. The...

Don't confine learning to just the classroom.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Brian Yap PUTERI Umno president Datuk Noraini Ahmad recently cited data released by the Statistics Department that seven out of 10 women graduates in the country are unemployed. That...

Groundbreaking surgery by IJN team.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Annie Freeda Cruez KUALA LUMPUR: The upper and lower chambers of the heart beat in a synchronised rhythm. But not so for Chong Kee Jin, 60, whose heart beats rapidly and erratically,...

Family claims man died in custody.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) BACHOK: Mechanic Alias Othman became such a nuisance to a congregation at a mosque here on Tuesday night that police were called. Handcuffed, he was taken from the Kampung Pengkalan Datu mosque to...

Driven by 'simple values'.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Lydia Gomez KUALA LUMPUR: The highest-ranking woman in the traffic police in 199 years is clear about her first step as the newly-appointed federal police traffic chief. Senior...

Lua's food melts racial barriers.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Zainuddin Muhammad KUALA TERENGGANU: The thought of failure never crossed Lua Peng Soon's mind when he decided to open a food stall in Batu Rakit 30 years ago. He was just one of the...

Exorbitant charges a shame to profession.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: T.Y.K. AFTER reading Kalimullah Hassan's article "Beg, borrow or steal, life's too precious" (New Sunday Times, March 19), I would like to say that it is not just the private hospitals'...

No right to kill.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: DR G. JOHNSON ABOLISH the death penalty (NST, March 21). Yes! By all means. The death penalty is a remnant of ancient practice when the rule of law was an eye-for-an-eye and a life for...

Just reward for some.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: LOH SIEW EEM IT is inappropriate for the Bar Council to suggest the withdrawal of the death penalty. Some criminals are incorrigible and they should be sentenced to death. Human beings are...

Fear factor.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: DR M.A. NAIR CAPITAL punishment is retributive justice and it is not cruel, inhumane or degrading. Before a criminal is sentenced to death, he goes through a lengthy court process. If...

In recognition of MS caregivers.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Gerald Chuah THE Journal of a Disappointed Man published in 1919 described the life of British diarist W.N.P. Barbellion with a detailed account of his diagnosis and struggle with Multiple...

Something to put these women at ease.
March 23, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Suryani Dalip IN conjunction with the International Women's Day celebration, OSIM presented the Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) with a Noro massage chair at Sungei Wang Plaza in Kuala...