New Straits Times articles from March 2006

New Straits Times archives from March 2006

MPs clash over court case.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Leslie Andres; Shamini Darshni; Ranjeetha Pakiam THERE was an uproar in the Dewan Rakyat when Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum spoke on the issue of rape and murder of...

Joining private colleges online.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.K. Megan KUALA LUMPUR: A one-stop centre for applications to private institutions of higher learning, similar to the Education Ministry's Unit Pusat Universiti-Universiti (UPU), has...

Mustapha freed of CBT charges.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: After having a charge hanging over his head for seven years, former Felcra director-general Datuk Mustapha Juman was yesterday acquitted. During the seven years there was a change of...

Authorities blamed for lack of info on AIDS.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Siti Nurbaiyah Nadzmi SEGAMAT: Felda Palong Timur Satu folk want the authorities to do more to keep them informed of the deadly HIV/AIDS disease. HIV patient Norizan Ismail, 46, who...

'Interests of MAS staff will be protected'.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Leslie Andres; Shamini Darshni; Ranjeetha Pakiam THE interests of Malaysia Airlines employees affected by the route rationalisation plan agreed to between the airline and AirAsia will be...

Declare assets or face action, civil servants told.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hamidah Atan PUTRAJAYA: Most of the 2,080 civil servants who have not declared their assets feel there is no need for them to do so, simply because they think they do not have anything to...

Women Syariah judges by this year.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Leslie Andres; Shamini Darshni; Ranjeetha Pakiam IT is "highly likely" that women judges will be appointed to the Syariah courts this year, Women, Family and Community Development Minister...

Battle fatigue.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE Israeli elections have been a triumph for the comatose former prime minister Ariel Sharon. The Kadima party he founded last November, just weeks before falling terminally ill, has defeated both his...

Anderson: We can make quarter-finals.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: R.G. RAJ ANDERSON School, sixth in the Division One standings, only need three more points from their remaining three matches to advance into the quarter-finals of the Junior Hockey...

The goals are set, the rest is up to you.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hardev Kaur THERE are Great Expectations for boosting economic growth, spreading wealth, reducing poverty, upgrading infrastructure, enhancing capacity-building, improving and increasing...

Devaleela puts KL on top.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA Lumpur are the new league leaders of the Raja Noora Aishikin Cup after they demolished Selangor 8-0 at the Pantai Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. They have nine points after four...

Confident Zaid aims to do well.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: AJITPAL SINGH TEEN bowling sensation Zaid Izlan Ibrahim Hakimi, the latest addition to the Gemilang 2006 squad, is brimming with confidence and looking for a good outing in the Men's...

Up to 7pc price cut for national cars.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Edar, the distribution arm of Proton Holdings Bhd, has launched a special promotion package for selected cars, which will cut prices by five to seven per cent. "We believe...

Getting Myanmar to budge.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Michael Vatikiotis RARELY has a diplomatic issue proved so thorny and so disruptive as the struggle Southeast Asian nations are facing over Myanmar. The diplomacy is dignified and courteous...

Kumon for the joy of learning.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Edith Lim THE Kumon method of learning emphasises basic education and mastery of mathematics and language. What matters most is not the subject Kumon instructors teach but the life-long...

Fine them and cane them, too.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Y.C.W. NEW federal traffic chief SAC II Nooryah Md Anvar's statement about booking irresponsible road users is welcome. She should start by going on the rounds every weekend along the...

We can't accept this.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: CHANDRAN SUKUMARAN SMELL is one of the most important aspects of drinking water. It is surprising to note that the water authorities are telling the public that the water in the tap is safe...

Return the captive animals.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: N.N. OVER the weekend, I visited Aquaria KLCC to see the Reptilian Encounter exhibition. Among the many turtle and tortoise species on display were Indian Star Tortoises, Pig-nosed Turtles...

Set up rules on quality.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: SHAMINI NAIR BASKERAN AT last, the much talked-about biodiesel fuel has arrived. The Prime Minister launched it on March 23 and in the initial stages, 25 vehicles owned by the Government...

Charity run for a noble cause.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PETALING JAYA: For nine-year-old Tavis Smith, age is no barrier to charity work. Last year, he participated in the Terry Fox Run to raise funds for cancer research. He plans to take part again...

Fake credit cards: Five men held.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Alang Bendahara KUALA LUMPUR: They looked like typical Malaysian tourists on a shopping spree overseas, but the credit cards they used were forged. On Wednesday morning, five men...

A building in disrepair.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K.N. DAMODARAN I WOULD like to invite the Minister of Youth and Sports to visit the youth complex in Kota Tinggi which has been abandoned for a number of years. It was reported (NST,...

Handprint matched, court told.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SHAH ALAM: A handprint lifted from a television box that contained a body belonged to police Lance Corporal Abdul Halim Hassan, the High Court was told yesterday. Fingerprint expert Puwira Jaya...

Big advantage over others.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: MARK I REFER to your report "Government to gradually ease GLCs' social role" (NST, March 25). It was stated by Minister of Finance (II) Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop that "more and more...

Sultan: Take rising prices in stride.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: Rising prices should encourage people to live within their means, the Sultan of Kelantan said yesterday. In his speech at the investiture ceremony for his 56th birthday, Tuanku Ismail...

Take advantage of the best technologies.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: TRACEY GUO IT has been reported that some people believe Malaysia will be adversely affected if it enters into a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. A particular concern is...

Others, too, are affected by the price hike.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. G. CUEPACS should re-think its decision to press for a cost-of-living-allowance from the Government to offset the oil price increase. It would send a wrong signal to the public already...

Water facilities to be upgraded.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOHOR BARU: SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd, Johor's water supply concessionaire, will spend RM11 billion on upgrading its services. Chief executive officer Ahmad Zahdi Jamil said old asbestos cement pipes...

Offer to help bus operators.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: The State Government has offered assistance to bus operators here. State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said subsidies would be given...

Stay of proceedings.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Kenneth Lee Fook Mun, convicted of murder, was granted a stay of proceedings in a civil suit against him. Judge Datuk Tee Ah Sing of the Ampang High Court granted the stay...

Measures in place to counter abuse.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: ADELINA ISKANDAR THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has noted the various complaints in the Press on Short Messaging Service with downloads. The MCMC, together with...

Due diligence.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V.R.K. I REFER to the the purchase of the motorcycle maker MV Agusta by Proton. I must say that normally before an acquisition of this magnitude is contemplated, there would have been a...

Acting V-C for UM appointed.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: The question of who will be Universiti Malaya's next vice-chancellor will be decided in a month. In the interim, UM's deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs and alumni) Professor...

We must move with the times.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: ADRIAN JOHN Teo's somewhat simplistic views regarding the rationalisation of domestic air services "The time has come for an open skies policy" (NST, March 18) deserves a response. Indeed,...

Tourists catch Shah Rukh Khan in action.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) LANGKAWI: The presence of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan at the peak of Gunung Machinchang over the past week has rocked many a cable car here. Excited tourists caught glimpses of the...

Victim of domestic abuse saved.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: Neighbours intervened to rescue a woman who was a victim of domestic violence here. Rohani Awang, was beaten unconscious at her home in Kampung Telok Kitang on Wednesday. The...

Court upholds death sentence.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: The Court of Appeal yesterday upheld a High Court decision to send an Indonesian man to the gallows for trafficking in cannabis. The appeals court, presided by Datuk Gopal Sri Ram,...

Man charged with cheating.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: A chicken seller was yesterday charged in the magistrate's court here with six counts of cheating a chicken supplier. Mohamed Faizal Kamaludeen, 24, was accused of cheating Ang Eng...

Gambling operator held again.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Shahrul Hafeez IPOH: He does not seem to have learnt his lesson. Despite being convicted three times for running an illegal betting operation, the 59-year-old man was caught red-handed...

Drug pusher dies in fall.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: A man believed to be a drug pusher fell to his death from the sixth floor of the Sri Murni Flats in Jalan Ipoh while trying to escape a police raid. City narcotics chief Assistant...

Bikers, too, need relief.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: MOHD FAIZAL ABDULLAH THE announcement that car prices would be reduced after slashing the various taxes when the National Automobile Policy was unveiled last week, was good news for...

Get on with the business of the day.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: NORAMTAZ ABDULLAH I REFER to your report "MV Agusta - The untold story" (NST, March 28) on Proton's sale of the motorcycle maker Agusta. The Proton board has made the right decision in...

Shocking lack of urgency.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M.M.H. APATHY and indifference were the order of the day recently when the staff of general wards in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaaan Malaysia (HUKM) failed to live up to their promise to an...

Manager killed by copter blades.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sharanjit Singh; Adie Suri Zulkefli NIBONG TEBAL: He was the person most concerned with safety, rushing in to check if the doors of the helicopter were securely latched shortly before...

If only he had stooped...
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Adie Suri Zulkefli NIBONG TEBAL: It happened in a split second. A loud thud, followed by a man falling to the ground, part of his skull ripped from his head. It was followed by the...

THE MAKING OF THE Ninth Malaysia Plan.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE details of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, tabled in Parliament today, are mapped out over 559 pages, less than the previous plan, and presented unlike previous plans that had followed the same format...

A-Z OF WHAT TO EXPECT.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) A is for agriculture. The focus in this sector will be on large-scale commercial farming and making agriculture the third engine of growth.If this sector takes off, it will do more to raise the living...

Wild boar hunter killed by his own gun.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA KRAI: "Please take care of mother, I'm counting on you," were the last words Nagapan Verathan, 59, uttered to his son, as he lay dying of a gunshot wound. Nagapan, who was Pasir Klang MIC...

Woman, 61, ordered to strip.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ranjeetha Pakiam; Iskandar Alang Bendahara KUALA LUMPUR: A 61-year-old woman claimed yesterday that she was ordered to strip naked, ordered to turn around thrice and teased at a police...

135 granted citizenship.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) OF the 2,584 people who applied for Malaysian citizenship last year, 135 were successful. Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho said some of the applicants had emigrated and wanted to return....

Subsidy eligibility.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) EIGHTY-FOUR per cent of all registered diesel vehicles, or 275,890 of them, are eligible for subsidised fuel under the fleet card system. Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie...

'Bank officer' gets two years for cheating.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Nurris Ishak KUALA LUMPUR: Her modus operandi was simple: She posed as a bank officer and convinced her victims that she would be able to secure houses up for auction. After her...

MAS move dismays Johor.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ravi Nambiar JOHOR BARU: Johor is "shocked and dismayed" at news that the Senai Airport might be dropped as a main hub for Malaysia Airlines under its new route rationalisation plan. ...

Appeal for direct flights.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ALOR STAR: Kedah hopes AirAsia will fly European tourists directly to Langkawi, now that Malaysia Airlines has ceased its twice-weekly Langkawi-London flights. State Tourism Committee chairman...

Kindergartens to reopen on Monday.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sulok Tawie KUCHING: All 488 kindergartens and 534 pre-schools in Sarawak will reopen on Monday, exactly a month after they were ordered to shut down to prevent the transmission of hand,...

Comments on current issues.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Proton issues THE reasons for dumping MV Agusta shares seem wise. Buying them firstly was confounding. Buyers not using their own money make wasteful purchases. - Dick THE Government made the right...

Celebrities to take part in Putrajaya flea market.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) CATCH your favourite artistes - Adam AF2, Misha Omar, Siti Sarah and Ruffedge - in action at Alamanda Putrajaya's two-day carnival this weekend. "It will be a fun-filled and exciting carnival," said...

Extreme stunts - no sweat!
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE Rexona "No Sweat" Challenge is back! Following the previous year's successful Rexona "No Sweat" dance competition, the challenge is now bigger than before. This year's quest is to find the most...

Write way to celebrate 100 years.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) EVERY Montblanc writing instrument is crafted with love and passion, giving it soul, and making it a faithful, life-long companion. In conjunction with its 100th anniversary, the German manufacturer...

Lunch dishes ready in 10 mins.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) LOOKING for a place where you can have quick lunches? Check out Cafe Biscotti's quick lunch menu which features Western and local delights. Served within 10 minutes, the meals are accompanied with...

Tucson gunning for another win.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Go-Ram LAST-start winner Tucson wrapped up her preparations for a back-to-back success in the Class 3 - 1200m sprint in Race 9 on Sunday with a smart workout at Kranji yesterday. Taken...

Hafiz to play vital role in Thomas Cup.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) HAFIZ Hashim (pic), despite his indifferent form on the international grand prix circuit, will be the vital cog of the Malaysian Thomas Cup squad due to his fondness for team events. Malaysia, seeded...

ONLY CHONG WEI LEFT.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K.M. Boopathy LEE Chong Wei was the only Malaysian to reach the men's singles quarter-finals as the rest fell by the wayside in the Asian Badminton Championships at the Johor Baru City...

MNCF in a spot, says Abu Samah.
March 31, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul THE Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) is likely to bear the brunt of penalties imposed by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a result of the lackadaisical...

Driving innovation.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Zaid Hamzah PREVIOUSLY, I touched on how governments are creating digital assets and how such assets can be exploited for economic gains. This week, we will consider the impact of the...

Growing need for mobile VPN technology.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Azhar Abu Bakar TRADITIONALLY, virtual private networking focuses on creating a private network using the infrastructure of the public Internet. Reason being, the Internet is sometimes...

Versatile machine.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Aimie Pardas DELL'S latest all-in-one (AIO) isn't just a photo printer, scanner and copier. It is also a fax machine, which makes it pretty much everything a home office needs. An...

Cutting-edge and affordable.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sarah Ann Benedict THIS year the Kuala Lumpur International AV Show 2006 is out to disprove the misconception that cutting-edge audio-video equipment are available only to high-end...

Enhanced visual performance.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan INFOCUS, a leading proponent of the digital light processing (DLP) video imaging format is among the very first to introduce new models to counter the huge advance made by the...

Correct pricing.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IN March 23 edition of Tech&U's AV/IT Column, the prices for the Palladine EPT 3700M and the EPT 3200M were erroneously quoted. They should read RM7,888 and RM 6,388 respectively. The error is...

Impressive acoustics.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan THE existence of specialist companies like Avantgarde Acoustic, known for its highly select range of horn-loaded loudspeakers, proves that it is impossible to dampen the passion of...

Designed to refinely reproduce music.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan SUGDEN is one of a handful of quintessential British audio companies that believe in the maxim that a truly revolutionarily good design is able to last the test of time. Such...

Affordable high-performance screens.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan MANUFACTURED by OS Screens in Japan, the new Pure mat II Plus front projection screen is now available to big-screen home cinema buffs looking for high-performance screens that do...

Gritty survival tale.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hazimin Sulaiman IN yet another movie centred on dogs, this action-adventure is one which you should try to watch. The link between animals and humans is epitomised in this emotionally...

Feel-good family fare.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hazimin Sulaiman SHAGGY Dog is a movie you can compare directly with the original Disney releases back in the late 1950s and 1970s. Especially if you've seen any re-runs of the old Disney...

Kung fu action, rag doll style.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Lee Yu Tang RAG Doll Kung Fu is built around a single premise: Make a simple task hard to execute and hope the latent challenge that manifests makes for an entertaining enough gaming...

Tool-less design and fashionable.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Bruno Dieter Chan MANY gamers today are concerned with the appearance of their PC gaming rigs. But how much should one spend on a casing just to please the eye? Well, I was in the process...

Tougher stance on software piracy.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Chandra Devi FOR the first time in the country an on-the-spot arrest has been made of a general manager in connection with his company's suspected use of pirated software in his business...

Bullies are cowards, so stand up to them.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ahmad Faiz BULLYING is a problem that will not go away until the bullied stands up to the bully. It does not matter what era you live in - whether it is the stone age or the virtual space...

Getting creative with PC design.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Chooi Yew Tzen THE Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry Malaysia will reward the top three most creative PCs entered in its new contest, Pikom PC Fair Most Creative PC...

Affordably-priced digital SLR.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hazimin Sulaiman CANON Marketing Malaysia has released its latest digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera within the popular EOS range which it claims will enhance the photography...

Largest IT concept store opens in Sabah.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Prasanna Raman THE Karamunsing Complex in Kota Kinabalu, albeit being one of the oldest shopping and office complex, is likely to turn into an information and communications technology...

Superior backups with OneTouch III.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hazimin Sulaiman ONCE again Maxtor has proven why they are tops when it comes to external and convenient back-up storage with its newest range of OneTouch III with capacities of 100...

Go wide and get close.
March 30, 2006... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Lim Yeh Ern THE Kodak EasyShare V570 is dubbed as two cameras in one, which "goes wide and gets close". Prior to the Kodak approach, wide angle on a compact camera usually meant having...