New Straits Times articles from March 2010, page 19

New Straits Times archives from March 2010

The home that Sharifah Aini built.
March 13, 2010... Byline: P. Selvarani DATUK Sharifah Aini single-handedly oversaw the refurbishment of her home into a luxurious abode with a Mediterranean feel, writes P. SELVARANI. WHEN songstress Datuk Sharifah Aini's contractor up and left even before...

On fast lane to segmented news.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Rashid Yusof A REPORTER who returned to work recently after 11 years found the role of the media enhanced and segmentisation more pronounced. Imagine 22 fast lanes transporting the anxieties and prejudices of the populace. One can...

Viva women film-makers of the world!
March 13, 2010... Byline: Johan Jaaffar THERE was a lot of commotion when Kathryn Bigelow won the coveted Best Director award for The Hurt Locker. That is understandable considering she is the first woman to win the award in the Oscar's 82-year history. It...

Woohoo time at the box office.
March 13, 2010... THE year of the tiger is proving to be a good year for the local film industry. In just 2 1/2 months, box-office collections for local movies has hit RM15.23 million from six films shown till March 11. Last year, the box-office collection...

Bigger, bolder and better.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Reviewed by Faizul Azim Saiful ASSASSIN'S Creed II is more than an improvement on the first chapter - it's a new game altogether, gushes FAIZUL AZIM SAIFUL. Assassin's Creed II PS3, Xbox 360, PC IT'S hard to develop a game when the...

50pc of houses to have broadband by year-end.
March 13, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A 50 per cent household broadband penetration is targeted by the end of the year under the soon to be launched National Broadband Implementation (NBI) policy. At present, only 32.4 per cent of households have broadband...

Hotels, events and eateries honoured.
March 13, 2010... JOHOR BARU: Three restaurants and the annual Chingay festival won prizes at the inaugural Johor Tourism Award 2009 last night. Restoran Singgah Selalu, a 24-hour eatery serving local and western cuisine in Johor Baru, won the Anugerah Cengkih...

Ah Long may face Emergency Ordinance.
March 13, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: Police are likely to use the Emergency Ordinance against Ah Long who intimidate loan defaulters as well as their neighbours. State police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said this was justified in view of a string of threats from illegal...

1,000 congregate to pray for rain.
March 13, 2010... KOTA BARU: More than 1,000 people congregated at Padang Perdana here for special prayers for rain to end the drought in the state. Their prayers appeared to be answered briefly with a slight drizzle as Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat led...

Record tourist arrivals.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Evangeline Majawat KUALA LUMPUR: A global recession, credit crunch and even an influenza pandemic did not stop a record 23.6 million tourists from flocking to Malaysia last year. Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board chairman Datuk Dr...

Former NRA secretary told to enter defence.
March 13, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A former secretary of the National Rifle Association (NRA) was ordered by the Sessions Court to enter his defence on a charge of making a false claim for RM441,000. Ismail Zainuddin, 45, is alleged to have submitted two Vision Arms...

Held for molesting married relative.
March 13, 2010... SETIU: A 62-year-old man was arrested this week for allegedly molesting his married relative several times over the past five months. The 35-year-old victim, a housewife who lives near the suspect at Kampung Bukit Peparit, Permaisuri, lodged a...

Please come home, plead kin.
March 13, 2010... ALOR STAR: "Please come home. We miss you." That was the plea from 17-year-old Nasiroh Abu Bakar to her sister Zarina, 28, whom her family believed had eloped with an Indonesian man last year. Nasiroh said she believed her sister was now...

The other boy wizard.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Rizal Soloman RIZAL SOLOMON praises Mike Carey's storytelling ability in this dark tale of the boy wizard Tom Taylor The Unwritten: Volume 1 Tommy Taylor and The Bogus Identity (Vertigo) THE first collected edition of The Unwritten...

Best-Sellers.
March 13, 2010... NON-FICTION 1. Happiness in Hard Times by Andrew Matthews 2. Why Men Want Sex and Women Need Love: Solving the Mystery of Attraction by Allan Pease & Barbara Pease 3. Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom 4. The Monk Who Sold His...

Man, 55, dies in room fire.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Looi Sue-Chern GEORGE TOWN: A disabled man suffocated to death moments before neighbours put out a fire in the victim's bedroom at the Sun Moon City flats here yesterday. Chong Kok Leong, 55, who was bedridden due to a spinal...

Youth denies raping housewife.
March 13, 2010... JOHOR BARU: A 19-year-old pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court yesterday to raping a housewife, who is also a university undergraduate. Steven Lim Beng Chuan was alleged to have raped the 26-year-old at her house in Kangkar Pulai, between...

Juvenile killer seeks clemency.
March 13, 2010... JOHOR BARU: A 21-year-old man, who was charged with murder when he was still a juvenile, was jailed yesterday pending a request for clemency from the sultan of Johor. High Court judge Datuk Jeffry Tan Kok Hwa said the accused was convicted...

Charged with trying to kill wife.
March 13, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A constable was charged at the Sessions Court yesterday with attempting to murder his wife. T. Ravindran, 30, from Pantai Dalam, is alleged to have shot Prema Ganason, 24, with a revolver at her family's flat in Kerinchi Pantai...

Special guest at heritage house.
March 13, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: A newly-restored heritage house here, which has opened its doors to the public, was visited by the Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas yesterday. He was accompanied by Heritage Commissioner Prof Emeritus Datin Paduka...

Prisoner to know fate on Monday.
March 13, 2010... KUANTAN: The fate of a 45-year-old prison inmate, who was charged at the High Court with murdering his cell mate in 2003, will be decided on Monday. Mat Zaid Muhammad from Temerloh, a former canteen operator, was alleged to have murdered...

Special child needs help.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Siti Idayu Rohayu Awang KOTA BARU: The mother of a 3-month-old boy, who is suffering from multiple birth defects, including a heart disease, is appealing for public donations for her son's medical expenses. Mohd Alif Putra Ahmad of...

Driver speeds off with collection.
March 13, 2010... SHAH ALAM: A security firm van driver drove off with more than RM300,000 in cash and cheques when his colleagues got down for another cash pick-up. The driver, an officer and an armed escort guard were on their rounds at TMpoint outlets to...

PWD worker acquitted of graft.
March 13, 2010... SEREMBAN: Public Works Department technical assistant Noraizi Nordin was acquitted by the Sessions Court yesterday of a corruption charge without his defence being called. Judge Sabariah Atan ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish...

Wire-stealing attempt foiled.
March 13, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: Two men who tried to steal wires from a lightning arrester in a high-rise building here were caught by members of a voluntary residents patrol in Paya Terubong yesterday. George Town district police chief Assistant Commissioner...

And the real victim is ...
March 13, 2010... Byline: Haris Hussain I WAS in the middle of wolfing down a chunk of chicken sandwich when the next news item rolled in on TV3's Buletin Utama. My focus initially was more on the sandwich, which was as thick as a state-wide phonebook,...

Boring? No way!
March 13, 2010... JASON Schwartzman, who plays a bumbling detective in a HBO series talks about his character and the show. BORED To Death is anything but boring. The eight-episode offbeat comedy blends noir mystery and neurotic humour. Originally written...

Seasoned violinist to appear on Asia Uncut.
March 13, 2010... SOLO violinist and songwriter Dennis Lau is set to perform on the latest season of Asia Uncut. Lau is a UCSI Bachelors of Music graduate under the Newcastle Australian Music Degree Programme. He began his musical adventure with the piano...

Upbeat on Odin.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Aref Omar EVERY gesture has meaning. AREF OMAR gets a glimpse of Odin Teatret's method. LOCAL theatre practitioners Sabera Shaik, Lim Soon Heng and Shanthini Venugopal are enthusiastic when talking about their experiences at Odin...

West Side Stephen.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Aref Omar STEPHEN Rahman-Hughes is excited about putting his own spin on West End and Broadway hits in a series of concerts, writes AREF OMAR. THE man who gave Hang Tuah a singing voice and stole the hearts of theatre audience in...

Flying Cat looking much fitter.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram FIRST-up winner Flying Cat geared up for back-to-back wins in the Gilded Dome Handicap for Class 4 horses over 1100m in Race 9 tomorrow with a one-round workout in Penang yesterday. Taken out by a track rider, the...

Buanne makes it three.
March 13, 2010... ITALIAN crooner Patrizio Buanne, who has just released his third album, Patrizio, will be in town on March 20 and 21, for a showcase and meet-and-greet sessions as part of his promo tour. With over a million album sales already to his credit,...

Reflections of death.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Reviewed by Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli MIRRORS Directed by Alexandre Aja Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart Distributed by Movie Magic Sdn Bhd WATCHING this film definitely made me think twice about looking into my mirror,...

Shall We Talk ready to score.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram SHALL We Talk, the pre-race favourite, looks ready to shed his maiden status when he takes on 12 rivals in the New Year Stakes for Restricted Maiden horses over 1200m (Race 4, 2.50pm) in Penang this afternoon. The...

Match-ups.
March 13, 2010... TODAY Tottenham Hotspur v Blackburn Rovers at White Hart Lane Tottenham fired blanks against Fulham in the FA Cup last week as Jermaine Defoe sat on the bench nursing a tight hamstring injury but the striker should be back to lead Spurs to their...

Renault chief livid over 'illegal' McLaren.
March 13, 2010... THE new Formula One season had barely started when the sport's first technical row erupted yesterday leaving top teams resigned to an expensive "arms race" and copying McLaren's innovative rear wing design. Livid Renault chief Bob Bell said a...

Malaysia finally motoring on right track.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul WHAT a build-up we've had to the start of the motorsports season for Malaysia, which begins with the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. Just a year ago, the start of the Formula One World Championship...

Exciting day for Lotus at Sakhir.
March 13, 2010... Byline: From Arnaz M. Khairul LOTUS Racing was not among the front-runners in practice yesterday for the season-opening Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix but the Malaysian-owned team have reason to feel good. They were the fastest among the...

Historic pole position for MalaysiaQI-Meritus.
March 13, 2010... THE mood was upbeat in the MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com team pits when they earned their first ever pole position in the GP2 Asia Series as driver Luca Fillipi outpaced his rivals to clock 2:07.087 seconds at the Bahrain International Circuit...

Selangor weather Kelantan storm.
March 13, 2010... SELANGOR weathered a ferocious Kelantan storm to escape Kota Baru with a point after their Super League clash ended 0-0 at the packed Sultan Mohamed IV Stadium yesterday. The home side laid siege to the Selangor goal for most of the match but...

Rosnizam has experience to contribute.
March 13, 2010... ROSNIZAM Md Noor's knowledge of two wheel motorsports is vital for Modenas Yuzy Pachie's development this season. Team manager Shahrol Yuzy Ahmad Zaini said Rosnizam, 32, possesses the spirit to push himself hard to get results and this will...

Beng Hee, Ivan try Amazing stuff.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Devinder Singh IF national squash players Ong Beng Hee and Ivan Yuen were thinking of a career change, they could try becoming reality television stars. National No 1 Beng Hee and world junior runner-up Ivan will be auditioning for...

Champs KL will be.
March 13, 2010... Byline: Jugjet Singh DEFENDING champions Kuala Lumpur are the team to beat in the National Under-16 championship at the Sandakan Stadium starting today. KL, who have 14 players from Bandar Penawar and Bukit Jalil Sports Schools, will open...

Open trials for Razak Cup.
March 13, 2010... KUALA Lumpur HA will hold an open trial on Monday to select players for the Razak Cup which will be held on March 24-April 4 in Kuantan. The trials will start at 8.30pm at the KLHA stadium. For details, call KLHA secretary K. Rajamanickam at...

Koo-Tan eye Basel after Birmingham slump.
March 13, 2010... THE Swiss Open was the salvation for World No 1 Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong last year after another failed attempt to capture the All England title. They are in a similar situation as they look for comfort again in Basel next week. Defending...

Pro pairs do it better.
March 13, 2010... Byline: K.M. Boopathy CHOONG Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen, playing as professionals for more than a year now, put the national men's doubles to shame when they advanced to the quarter-finals of the All England in...

Ka-bloom!!! goes the home.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Abby Lu WITH a name that sounds like a 1970's music player, the Bloom Box is not something that speaks volumes of its revolutionary potential. However, this is precisely what its makers are promising - that soon enough, an entire...

It's time to buy.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Kenny Loh PRICES of residential properties are expected to rise when the government implements the goods and services tax (GST) by mid-2011, according to industry professionals. They said although such properties are considered a...

Go online, not stand in line.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Andrew Wong SHOULD last week's news that our Uniform Building By-Laws may be amended to make broadband infrastructure mandatory in all new developments including housing schemes, come true, we could at last look forward to being...

He seeks justice in Indonesia.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Irdiani Mohd Salleh KUALA LUMPUR: After winning a defamation suit against his Indonesian wife and mother-in-law here, Tengku Temenggong of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Sultan Ismail Petra is now taking the fight to Jakarta. He...

Govt plans to make broadband a must in new projects.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Kenny Loh; Nicholas Leong THE Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture (KPKK) and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) together with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are studying...

SunCity aims for ISO14001 certification.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Kenny Loh SUNWAY City Bhd (SunCity) aims to become an ISO1400-certified developer by year-end and put in place a more efficient environmental management system for proper resource management, according to its property development...

Recover fast, MCA advised.
March 12, 2010... Byline: B. Suresh Ram PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak hopes for a solution to MCA's problems to put the Barisan Nasional component party back on track. He said it did not really matter if the solution was through elections...

Two can't contest party elections.
March 12, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: As MCA awaits the full cast of contenders for the March 28 elections, it emerged yesterday that the mass resignations of central committee members last week to trigger the contests has claimed two casualties. Two CC members -...

TM has cost-effective business models.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Roznah Abdul Jabbar THE government's plan to compel developers to build and integrate broadband facilities in all their future developments need not be cost-prohibitive. "We can come up with a cost-effective business model for such...

In with the new.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Nicholas Leong RESIDENTIAL: From RM600,000 BOLTON'S latest condominium to replace deteriorating Bolton Court in Bukit Ceylon Fast Fact - Sixceylon Type - 33-storey condominium Total no. of units - 215 Built-up area (range) - Between...

It's not as easy as it sounds.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Roznah Abdul Jabbar GLOBAL research has found a number of companies are yet to be convinced that employees working from home is a good idea. They said they are concerned that employees with too much freedom may not get much work done....

Appeal filed to disqualify trial judge.
March 12, 2010... PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has filed a petition of appeal to disqualify the trial judge presiding over his sodomy case. It was filed at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, a day before the deadline, through the legal firm Nair &...

Taxi driver charged with killing toddler.
March 12, 2010... KUALA KUBU BARU: A taxi driver was charged in the magistrate's court here yesterday with the murder of toddler Syafiah Humaira Sahari. Mohd Fazli Azri Jamil, 28, who was the boyfriend of Syafiah's mother, looked dishevelled when he was taken...

Don't interfere, police tell political parties.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Kalbana Perimbanayagam; Jennifer Gomez PETALING JAYA: Police warned political parties to stay clear of the investigations into the death of 18-month-old toddler K. Haresvarra. District police chief Assistant Commissioner Arjunaidi...

MEF labour law reviewed to include concept.
March 12, 2010... THE Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) is pushing for the work from home concept to be formalised under law so that there will be clarity about employer-employee rights and duties in such a scenario. The federation's executive director...

Ideas for creating a home office.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Annie Deakin FED up of early starts and office politics? Join the masses who are setting up base at home. Here are some tips: 1. Are you sitting comfortably? You'll spend plenty of time in your chair so don't scrimp. Choose one...

Check for flippers.
March 12, 2010... Byline: S.C. Cheah IF you are thinking of making some quick money by buying many properties beyond your means, better think again. The flipping and leveraging game may be over! Mortgage interest rates are creeping upwards, there's an...

Najib: New model is on track.
March 12, 2010... PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday quashed rumours that the New Economic Model, to transform the nation into a high-income economy, was delayed. Rather, he said the announcement would be made on time and in two stages....

More pro-business steps.
March 12, 2010... Byline: B. Suresh Ram PUTRAJAYA: Pemudah, the special task force dedicated to facilitate all aspects of doing business in Malaysia, will undertake improvements in five more areas. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the...

Naza, TH Properties to build bungalows in Bandar Enstek.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Roznah Abdul Jabbar NAZA Properties Sdn Bhd and TH Properties Sdn Bhd have entered into a strategic alliance to develop a high-end residential enclave comprising bungalows located within timur@enstek in Bandar Enstek, Negri Sembilan....

NS trainees to help out at F1.
March 12, 2010... SEPANG: For three days next month, 120 National Service trainees will have a taste of what a Formula One race is like. They will serve as customer service staff, ushers and information centre staff at the Malaysian Grand Prix from April 2-4....

Helix the world's top high-tech hotel.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Roznah Abdul Jabbar THE yet-to-be-built Helix Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, heads the list of high-tech hotels, according to AskMen.com, a website known for online polls and top 10 lists of various matters. It said...

All out to nab culprit.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Rizalman Hammim MUAR: Police have pulled out the files on patients with mental illness in the district as investigations into the horror attack at a kindergarten here intensified yesterday. They have also enlisted the help of the...

Injured children still warded.
March 12, 2010... JOHOR BARU: The three children injured in the horror attack on Wednesday are still being monitored closely by doctors. All three are still warded at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (SAH) here, but one of them is expected to be discharged today....

'He didn't utter a word'.
March 12, 2010... MUAR: "This is the first time anything like this has happened to me in my 21 years as a kindergarten teacher." This was the reaction from kindergarten operator Voon Siew Kiun, 45, after a man armed with a hammer carried out a senseless attack on...

Enter a new world of high fashion.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Lim Lay Ying WHEN news of a top-class fashion designer adding interior furnishing to his or her list of accomplishments reaches my ears, I can't help but smile indulgently. Why not, especially as others have come out with even more...

Making of a new Kampung Baru.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Salleh Buang FEDERAL Territories and Urban WellBeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin has said every landowner in the Malay heritage enclave of Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, can become a millionaire if he or she accepts...

Progress to suit way of life.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Roy Goh KINABATANGAN: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday said it was not easy to bring development to rural areas. "But that does not mean that the government is not trying," he said, adding that the important...

Probe into two child marriages.
March 12, 2010... KOTA BARU: The state Religious Department has identified two cases of girls under 12 who were given away in marriage by their parents. Deputy director Mohd Salleh Mat Jusoh said the enforcement division had begun investigating the cases which...

Gleneagles' new phase ready by 2013.
March 12, 2010... GLENEAGLES Hospital Kuala Lumpur has started work on a RM130 million mixed-development on five acres next to its medical centre in Jalan Ampang. To be ready by 2013, it will include a 10-storey medical block with an integrated laboratory...

Sime plans RM2b property trust.
March 12, 2010... SIME Darby Property Bhd (SDPB), the property arm of Sime Darby Bhd, is considering to set up a property trust with assets worth over RM2 billion. Group managing director Datuk Tengku Putra Badlishah said its plan may include buying or...

Mah Sing unit buys Cyberjaya land.
March 12, 2010... MAH Sing Group Bhd's wholly-owned Myvilla Development Sdn Bhd has proposed to buy 6.32 acres of freehold land next to the 115.25-acre Garden Residence in Cyberjaya from Cyberview Sdn Bhd and Setia Haruman Sdn Bhd for RM21.74 million. It said...

Equine sells Petaling land for RM11m.
March 12, 2010... EQUINE Capital Bhd's wholly-owned Tujuan Ehsan Sdn Bhd is selling 8.47 acres of leasehold land in Petaling district, Selangor, to Meridian Score Sdn Bhd for RM11.1 million. The company said it is disposing of the land due to its steep...

Penang car parks must have CCTVs.
March 12, 2010... COME 2011, all private carparks in Penang must have CCTV cameras installed in order to get an operating licence from the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP). MPPP licensing committee alternate chairman Tay Leong Seng said both open air and...

Malaysia Green Building Confederation launched.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Alex Lee THE Malaysia Green Building Confederation (MGBC), founded in 2007 and one of the country's pioneering groups of professionals to advance the green initiative, has been officially unveiled on Wednesday.

Community mediators to step in.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Suganthi Suparmaniam KUALA LUMPUR: After a year of training, the country's first batch of peace ambassadors are ready to help settle minor disputes in neighbourhoods. They will mediate between neighbours, residents and their...

'Programme teaches us to be impartial'.
March 12, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: The newly-appointed peace ambassadors, or community mediators, found the training not only useful in their everyday lives, but it had also made them better people. Retired doctor Datuk Dr Ong Hean Tee, 62, who has been in the...

BKP contractors get quality 'ang pau'.
March 12, 2010... Byline: Chris Prasad TWELVE contractors involved in Bukit Kiara Properties Sdn Bhd's (BKP) Verve Suites project in Mont' Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, received Chinese New Year "ang pau" last week totalling over RM300,000. BKP said the special...