New Straits Times articles from March 2007

New Straits Times archives from March 2007

Renault's Kovalainen fastest.
March 31, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul REBUTTING Robert Kubica's statement on Tuesday, Ferrari's Felipe Massa declared his team were on the same planet after falling short of the resurgent Renault of Heikki Kovalainen...

Keadilan leader gets bankruptcy notice.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: A senior Parti Keadilan Rakyat office bearer was served with a bankruptcy notice for not paying his former business partner RM4.069 million. The notice was served in January on...

Long wait for the cheque.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Cecilia Kok I WOULD agree with any taxpayer who says that dealings with the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) is troublesome. We are fined for delays in remitting tax payments and yet they are...

Azizul the key in Malaysian bid.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) JOSIAH Ng, Rizal Tisin and Azizul Hasni Awang are down for their biggest assignment yet as a trio when they start their World Championships campaign in the team sprint qualifying in Palma de Mallorca,...

Harsh penalty for wrong outfit.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MUAR: Twelve Form Two students were allegedly forced to leap like frogs, run around in the school field and caned on their backs and buttocks for failing to wear the appropriate sports attire during a...

McLaren's engines finally purr.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul AFTER two days of lagging behind, the McLaren-Mercedes pits seemed to have gotten their act together as Lewis Hamilton ran fastest all day on the third day of the F1 Teams...

Student's face splashed with acid while sleeping.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SEREMBAN: A Form Four student at a religious school in Rembau will be scarred for life after his face was splashed with acid. Wan Mohamad Zulkarnain Wan Mohammad, 16, was sleeping in the hostel on...

Muslim pupils must take 'core subject'.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IPOH: When checking her UPSR result slip four years ago, Noorliyana Yasira Mohd Noor was stumped when she noticed that she had failed Fardu 'Ain Basics. It was not so much the offending grade which...

Time to tap resource's rich potential.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Jan Bahari BIO-DIESEL is now viewed as the most promising replacement or alternative to fossil fuels as an energy source. With qualities similar to fossil fuels, it may be adapted to...

No segregation of sexes.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Bulbir Singh THE views expressed in the editorial "Staying together" (NST, March 27) deserve some comment. The National Service has got it right. There have been some hiccups. We are not...

Kudos to our caring king.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: R.K. ON behalf of all Malaysians, I wish to extend a note of thanks to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for his address in parliament urging the government to do more to eradicate corruption. ...

Abu Samah: Government hired other media company.
March 30, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MALAYSIAN National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president Abu Samah Wahab yesterday revealed that it wasn't the federation, but the Government which paid a media company said to be in duplication of...

For heavy multimedia usage.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Nigel Yap WHEN Lenovo took over IBM's PC business, it inherited IBM's tradition of quality products with dull designs. The notebooks were good but their physical design leaves a lot to be...

Stiff but light speakers.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan DALI is one of Denmark's top producers of loudspeaker system and it offers a wide selection of speaker systems to cater to every genre of music and multi-channel home theatre use....

Up close with sockets.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan NOW that you have splurged on a digital flat-screen TV (liquid crystal display or plasma) you would want to make the best use of it. So, it's probably wise to familiarise yourself...

Display mounts for compact spaces.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan ABTUS makes a comprehensive range of wall mounts for digital display systems such as liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma TVs and projectors. Made from durable steel and other...

Better genetics homework.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ellen Whyte IF you have brown eyes, curly hair, nice ear lobes and can curl your tongue, and you marry someone with blue eyes, straight hair, no ear lobes, who is not a tongue curler, can...

Animation brings touching story to life.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Reviewed by Prasanna Raman WITH superb three-dimensional (3-D) rendering, the animated characters, introduced throughout Meet the Robinsons, are brought to life cleverly. Take the...

New Titan Quest expansion offers fast and fun action.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Reviewed by Chris Chan THE world of Olympus seems troubled all the time. In Immortal Throne, the latest expansion of Titan Quest, gamers are called upon by the developer to take the...

Command & Conquer sequel demo a letdown.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Reviewed by Bruno Dieter Chan LET'S start off with the fact that I do not like any of the Command & Conquer games. But I decided to give the demo Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars a chance...

More compelling reasons to go online.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IT'S encouraging to know that Malaysians are getting more Net savvy. According to a news report based on a survey conducted by University McCann, Malaysian Internet users are spending more time online,...

Integrating technology and culture.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Chandra Devi IN a recent trip to India, one billboard advertisement caught my eye. It showed a woman draped in traditional Indian women's garb, the saree, which had a pocket to hold a...

Canon targets bigger market presence.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hazimin Sulaiman CANON Marketing Malaysia is aiming for at least a 20 per cent increase in sales turnover this year, based on a positive market outlook and good consumer spending trends on...

Fast and easy Internet connection.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) USERS of TM Home Prepaid, TM iTalk and Ring Ring Card telephony services can now get online much easier with tmnet EZnet Internet access. Tmnet EZnet is a narrowband Internet access service...

Kampung boy reels it right.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Lim Yeh Ern TOP 10 semi-finalists, five days and there could only be one. A self-pro- claimed kampung boy, Kamal Sabran, who worked with local folk-country artiste Pete Teo on Teo's...

All-round protection from online threats.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Izwan Ismail ONLINE threats are a major source of concern for an increasing number of people, which, if left unchecked, could impede the growth of business- to- consumer e-commerce. ...

Simply innovative.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Edwin Kee TALKING HOMER FRIDGE MAGNET IN order to satisfy the hordes of people who are looking forward to the Simpsons movie later this year, a Talking Homer Fridge Magnet has been...

Setting up your dream home theatre system.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili; Hazimin Sulaiman HAVE you been dreaming of setting up a home theatre system but just don't know where to start? Well, C.W. Low, manager of Audio Visual Designs Sdn...

Impressive specifications, but average performance.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hazimin Sulaiman THE inclusion of a dual-core AMD Athlon 64 processor in the Acer Aspire system is promising. It offers consumers an alternative to the mainstream dualcore solution from...

Cure for pricey drugs.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SOME local pharmacists and doctors are taking the maxim "health is wealth" quite literally, in seeking to make a fortune from others' physical well-being. Operating in a free-market environment, many...

'Water war' between Kedah and Penang.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) ALOR STAR: A water war is brewing between Kedah and Penang. Kedah wants to charge Penang for taking water from Sungai Muda but Penang says it will not pay. Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri...

Full force for Asian meet.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Christopher Raj NATIONAL NO 1 Lee Chong Wei and rising doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will, despite earlier speculation, lead Malaysia's challenge in the Asian Badminton...

Raikkonen heats up Sepang circuit.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul AFTER lagging just slightly behind in Tuesday's first day of testing, Kimi Raikkonen sent out warnings of the Ferrari F2007's true potential when the Finn shaved almost a...

Green architecture the way of the future.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SHAH ALAM: Green architecture is in. With Malaysians becoming more aware of environmental issues, an increasing number of companies are requesting for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly...

Students behaved strangely.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SHAH ALAM: "Where's my child? Who are you? Let me go, I want to go back!" These were among the chilling words uttered by students hit by mass hysteria at SMK Seksyen 11 here on Tuesday. Some of the...

Harvesting rainwater the norm in Carey Island.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Shankar Ganesh KUALA LANGAT: Collecting rainwater and using it to water plants and wash cars is nothing new for several hundred households in Carey Island. They have been doing it for...

Mass hysteria? Blame it on stress, anxiety and spirits.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Mazlinda Mahmood KUALA LUMPUR: Stress, anxiety, dissociation and the supernatural. These are cited as causes of mass hysteria. Hospital Bahagia Tanjung Rambutan director and senior...

Rexy shifts focus to new pairs.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Christopher Raj HAVING seen what national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky has achieved by pairing Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, new scratch pairs Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Latif...

Malaysian detainees at Guantanamo Bay named.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; Anis Ibrahim; R.S. Kamini THE Foreign Ministry has released the names of the two Malaysians detained at Guantanamo Bay. They are Mohd Farik Amin and Mohammed Nazir Lep. Wisma...

Hotel room booked in victim's name by mystery woman.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: A woman may be at the centre of the mystery surrounding the death of a 20-year-old International Islamic College student on Saturday night. The body of fifth semester Diploma in...

Blind couple's quest for jobs.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: They very much want to work and be financially independent but sadly, there are no takers. Due to employers' reluctance to hire them, partially blind Che Yatim Yahya and his blind wife...

Boat people hold dear grave finder.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sean Augustin KUALA TERENGGANU: For a decade, he travelled the peninsula, tirelessly searching and identifying the unmarked graves of the Vietnamese boat people. Alcoh Wong located...

Teens caught with drugs.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA BARU: A college student and six other teenagers have been nabbed for possessing 700 methamphetamine pills worth RM24,500. Kelantan Narcotic chief Superintendent Wan Azmy Wan Hashim said a...

RM490m distributed to needy students.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; Anis Ibrahim; R.S. Kamini THE Poor Students' Provident Trust Fund, under the purview of Education Ministry, has distributed over RM490 million to underprivileged students. ...

MP raps integrity panel for leaking information.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; Anis Ibrahim; R.S. Kamini A BACKBENCHER has criticised a parliamentary select committee, saying information it obtained from witnesses was being used to victimise people. ...

Too Phat at Kanye West concert.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Local hip-hop duo Too Phat will add another feather to their cap by being the opening act for hip-hop R&B sensation Kanye West here. West will perform at Stadium Negara on April 8....

No hike in rates without state nod.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IPOH: The 15 local councils in Perak cannot raise rates without the approval of the state government. This new ruling took effect immediately, said state Local Government Committee chairman Datuk...

Sri Lankan charged with theft.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PETALING JAYA: A Sri Lankan national was charged at the magistrate's court yesterday with stealing luggage belonging to a pilot. Suresh Saravanakumar, 28, from Avissawella, Sri Lanka, was alleged...

41 arrest warrants against Ah Long.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; Anis Ibrahim; R.S. Kamini POLICE have investigated 1,169 cases of violence involving loan sharks up to last year, the Dewan Rakyat was told yesterday. The Housing and...

Bakun plant to start operating in May 2011.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; Anis Ibrahim; R.S. Kamini THE Bakun Hydroelectric plant is expected to start operating in May 2011. The entire project is now 60 per cent complete with the main dam...

Grants for disabled businessmen.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Audrey Dermawan GEORGE TOWN: Financial grants are now available for disabled entrepreneurs who want to expand their businesses. A total of RM22 million has been set aside under the...

Expensive ride for a desperate visitor.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: N.S. Brar I AM a tourist in Malaysia and it's my second visit to your beautiful country. Given the chance, I will definitely come again. Everyone here seems to be nice, polite, helpful and...

A fair shake is all we are seeking.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Y.Y.M. SOME friends and I sat for the STPM last year. We are unhappy with the calculation of marks for our co-curricular activities. School authorities only considered our participation...

Good slope care vital to prevent landslides.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Thomas DESPITE being the planned ultra-modern administrative capital of Malaysia, Putrajaya, too, suffers from the poor-maintenance culture syndrome afflicting the rest of the country....

Trainees down with food poisoning.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) TAMPIN: Ten National Service trainees from the Titian Bintagor Camp in Kota near here were hospitalised after complaining of stomach ache. The 10 female trainees initially complained of stomach ache...

Insist that helium is used.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Wong Soo Kan I REFER to your report "Rep hurt after firing shot" (NST, March 26) on the burning-balloons incident involving Selangor state assemblyman Datuk Tang See Hang. Hydrogen is...

Woman fails in bid to renounce Islam.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KOTA KINABALU: A 24-year-old Muslim woman yesterday failed in her application to renounce Islam on the grounds that she did not practise the religion and was never given religious education. Syariah...

Grouses aplenty among victims.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PUTRAJAYA: The evacuees who had to vacate their homes following last week's landslide have a lot to complain. Among the complaints is that their temporary residence in Precinct 14 is too isolated...

Insist on your rights.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Tam Yeng Siang THE problems M.S.G of Johor Baru had regarding the use of his credit card for automatic payments ("When it's so hard to cancel a payment" - NST, March 28) came as no surprise...

More checks on Putrajaya slopes.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hamidah Atan PUTRAJAYA: Putrajaya Corporation will conduct scheduled inspections on all slopes in the federal administrative capital. Its president Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said the...

Good idea, wrong place.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Tam Yong Yuee IT is commendable that the Malacca government has renamed a road after Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam (NST, March 27) in recognition of the late politician's contributions to the...

No sense of urgency.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Suthichana Tharmapalan MY mother was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and now it has spread to the bones and other organs. From what I understand, all patients in Johor Baru will...

End these unethical practices.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: S.T. Raj ZAITON Jamaluddin, president of the Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia (PhAMA), has explained the various regulations and guidelines which regulate and govern pharmaceutical...

PSC retain title.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K. Kandiah PENANG Sports Club (PSC) retained the Datuk Dr Ratnalingam Challenge Trophy when they beat Australian Defence Forces (ADF) by 25 runs in the Penang Cricket Association (PCA)...

Don't give us short end of stick.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: L.Y.C. I APPLIED to withdraw my savings from Account 2 of my Employees Provident Fund to pay off the balance of my housing loan on Feb 15 through the Shah Alam EPF branch. Previously, it...

Consumers pick Shanghai as grand final venue.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Shirlexia Tan THE seventh edition of the Maxis Team Golf Tour will tee off at the Impian Golf & Country club on April 14 with the winner of each of the 12 legs playing in the grand final in...

Chong Wei needs to regain confidence.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Christopher Raj EXACTLY a year ago, national shuttler Lee Chong Wei was at the top of his game and, if not gold, was touted as a potential medalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Twelve...

The RM155k question.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) A RM1.06 million explanation has been made by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF), but already a RM155,000 stinker is the first to surface as the federation comes under the microscope again...

Cancer vaccine to be tested here.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: A new cancer vaccine may give new hope to terminally ill patients. The vaccine, developed by Dr Gisela Gonzalez Marinello of the Centre of Molecular Immunology in Cuba, will be...

14-year-old boy shot while protecting mom.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUCHING: A former deputy minister's grandson was seriously injured in a botched robbery on Tuesday night. Gregwalter Lancky, 14, the grandson of Datuk Sri Peter Tinggom, was warded at the Sarawak...

Witness says he had a multi-faceted role.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: An accountant agreed he wore several hats in his dealings with Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam and the listing of the PPB Oil Palm Bhd (PPBOP) shares in 1997. Vincent Chia, a former partner in...

MRA 'Oscars' on Saturday.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE Malayan Racing Association (MRA) will hold its version of 'Oscars' night at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. The MRA will honour the 'best of the best' - personalities and horses...

Brogan's Burn looks much fitter.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Go-Ram LIGHTLY-raced Burn drew attention to his chances of breaking through in the Restricted Maiden, Div 1 event over 1100m on Sunday with a smart trial in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. ...

Shalin best Malaysian in qualifiers.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ajitpal Singh SHALIN Zulkifli was Malaysia's best performer in the EuroMed-Storm International Challenge Classic qualifiers at the Pearl Bowling Centre in Manila yesterday. Shalin, a...

Malaysia score narrow win.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MALAYSIA kept alive their slim hopes of qualifying for next year's Beijing Olympics with a 1-0 win over nine-man Hong Kong in a Group B preliminary match at the Mongkok Stadium yesterday. A...

Thirukumaran, Choon Seang beat Korat mark.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Devinder Singh LOH Choon Seang hopes to continue Malaysia's proud race walking tradition in the Korat Sea Games after beating the qualifying mark at the Asian 20km Race Walking...

Performance and price ratio combo.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dick Tan REGA of UK is one of a handful of specialist audiophile manufacturers that still makes turntables to cater to a selected group of audiophiles. It makes an incredibly wide range of...

Quicker payment of unclaimed monies.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; Anis Ibrahim; R.S. Kamini A TOTAL of RM1.93 billion lies with the Registrar of Unclaimed Monies, but a new database should speed up the payment of the money to its owner. ...

Returns on EPF investments increased.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan; Anis Ibrahim; R.S. Kamini THE Employees' Provident Fund invested RM285.9 billion last year compared with RM259.9 billion in 2005, the Finance Ministry's parliamentary...

Washington caught in its own Pyongyang mess.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Frank Ching THE breakdown of the six-party talks last week shows that, despite four years of talks, the United States still lacks a good understanding of North Korea. It also illustrates...

Big bother to get corruption figures.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Amir Muhammad IT took a bit of hassle for this worthy organ to get the latest figures of the International Corruption Index. Although the figures were released worldwide, some countries...

Wife files affidavit.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Anbalagan PUTRAJAYA: The wife of former Cambodian police chief, Heng Peo, has filed a second affidavit to support the committal proceedings against two high-ranking immigration officers...

Register early if you want to vote.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Deborah Loh PUTRAJAYA: Those who want to vote in the next general election are advised to register early as it takes three months to verify a voter's details before his or her name is...

No need to fear enriched Iranians.
March 29, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Amir Muhammad THE public has been warned not to heed the propaganda of several Western nations that are against the idea of enriched Iranians. "Enriched Iranians are not a threat to...