New Straits Times articles from October 2009

New Straits Times archives from October 2009

Pakatan unstuck.
October 31, 2009... LIKE her information chief, the president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat couldn't quite resist the predilection for blaming a "hostile" press for its troubles. But she did avoid the propensity for exaggeration found in the former's claim of a...

RSC thump Frontiers to stay at the top.
October 31, 2009... ROYAL Selangor Club scored a thumping seven-wicket victory over Frontiers to stay top of the Stonor Shield cricket tournament over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur. It was the second win for RSC in the eight-team league following a morale boosting...

Swallow your saliva.
October 31, 2009... FOOTBALLERS have been warned that spitting during matches could increase the risk of spreading swine flu after players at Blackburn and Bolton were struck down by the virus. A Health Protection Agency spokesman said: "Spitting is unhygienic...

Burnley 'beast' is tamed.
October 31, 2009... BURNLEY'S goalkeeper Brian Jensen sustained an ankle ligament injury during the home defeat by Wigan on Saturday. The damage was described by the club as only "slight" and the Dane, nicknamed "The Beast", may recover to play against Hull...

No show by Kitingan at meeting.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Jaswinder Kaur KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Christina Liew, who resigned from senior posts in Parti Keadilan Rakyat on Wednesday, did not turn up for the first meeting chaired yesterday by the party's newly-appointed...

Kelantan bring back cheer.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh PERENNIAL underachievers Kelantan have restored a semblance of romance to the Malaysia Cup with their run to the semi-finals aided by their fanatical fans. The possibility of an all-East Coast final between Kelantan...

Fighting for his future.
October 31, 2009... HULL City manager Phil Brown has urged striker Jozy Altidore to play his way back into favour after being punished for arriving late for the weekend match against Portsmouth. The 19-year-old American arrived at the KC Stadium 40 minutes later...

Fergie is public enemy No 1 with referees but he is still the greatest.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Jeff Powell SIR Alex Ferguson might be best advised not to stray down any dark alleys as he embarks on his customary winter's journey towards all the football prizes glittering in the sunshine of the next English spring. This...

Playboy aquilani is ready to play.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Ian Ladyman IN one corner of Anfield's Kop, they have had a banner waiting for Alberto Aquilani for some time. "Il Principino A Hero has Arrived", it reads. Whether Aquilani will go on to fit such weighty billing remains to be...

Rogan Josh Kashmiri + Briyani + Murgh Makhanwala + Samosa + Pistachio kulfi + Tandoori = A masala of tingles.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Su Aziz SU AZIZ is enamoured with northern Indian cuisine, with its explosion of flavours. THERE'S very few reasons not to like northern Indian cuisine. What's not to like, really? Its flavours don't are assault one's palate. In...

Peace for Afghanistan calls for a new vision.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Mohammad Hashim Kamali THE security and economic situation in Afghanistan is now so untenable that only a radical rethink of American military policy and exit strategy towards the country can yield results, writes MOHAMMAD HASHIM...

Simply divine.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Kitty Kaye KITTY KAYE shows you how to truly savour fine champagne cognacs. THE best way to enjoy cognac, according to Remy Martin's international ambassador Patrick Mariuz, "ees ze way you like eet". He is French, of course,...

Curious reads.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Reviewed by Su Aziz THERE'S no method to how SU AZIZ chooses books to read. Even the ones that have a 25 per cent discount on them. All she recommends is that you pick one or two from the titles below. She reckons you'll enjoy them....

Skipper Wei Ming, Malaysia's 'Wolverine'.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Ajipal Singh MALAYSIA rugby captain Lee Wei Ming is known as comic character "Wolverine" by his teammates because of the many steel plates in his body. In 2005, the Sabahan broke metacarpal bones in both his hands, leading to...

Accountant to pay RM500,000 to cosmetic firm.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: An accountant and his partner were ordered by the High Court yesterday to pay RM500,000 in exemplary damages to a beauty products company for fraudulent misrepresentation. P. Subramaniam and Timothy Sylvester, both of Sylvester...

Gerakan seeks new direction at assembly.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Sajahan Abdul Waheed KUALA LUMPUR: The two-day Gerakan general assembly starting today would discuss ways to rejuvenate the party and its direction for the next few years. Party deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn said yesterday...

Oh, what a howler.
October 31, 2009... FULHAM striker Bobby Zamora's howler against Manchester City will go down as one of the misses of the season. The ex-England Under-21 international missed the target from just five yards out with City keeper Shay Given flat on his back. ...

Help for reps who back BN.
October 31, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional will come in to assist independent elected representatives who are supportive of the ruling party to ensure their responsibilities and duties to the people were not compromised. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri...

Jian Beng gets Laos Sea Games boost.
October 31, 2009... SWIMMER Foo Jian Beng's Laos Sea Games preparation received a shot in the arm when he was anointed as the Best Sportsboy at the Education Ministry's sports awards function in Putrajaya yesterday. Jian Beng and divers Pandelela Rinong and Nur...

Hairuddin out to make Terengganu pay.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Zainuddin Muhammad HE was one of the players who helped Terengganu lift the Malaysia Cup in 2001. Now Hairuddin Omar, who is from Saujana in Setiu, is plotting to deny his previous employers from winning the trophy a second time....

Khalid urges PM to ask Badrul to vacate seat.
October 31, 2009... SHAH ALAM: Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yesterday challenged the prime minister to advise Parti Keadilan Rakyat defector Badrul Hisham Abdullah to vacate his Port Klang assemblyman's seat to make way for a by-election. "If Umno...

Most hilarious ever musical to grace the land.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Johan Jaaffar THE cover of the souvenir book is reminiscent of the poster for the first Ghostbusters movie in 1984 - Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis in full regalia. They were the flaky chasers and flushers of, what else,...

Bad decision that cost him great pain.
October 31, 2009... Byline: V. Shuman KUALA LUMPUR: The decision to cross the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan, where he had gone to attend a wedding, cost British citizen Rahul Ahmed almost three years of his life. At age 18 then, Rahul was "arrested"...

Rio the Actor, Needs to Clean Up His Own Act
October 31, 2009... Byline: Matt Dickinson WISH I did buy the argument, expressed by some disillusioned Manchester United fans, that Rio Ferdinand's horrible season stems from a lack of focus. It would make life a lot simpler if we could attribute his...

Food security, trade on D-8 agenda.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Anifah Aman DEVELOPING Muslim nations or D-8 members should not allow themselves to be side-tracked by factors and issues that could derail the various action plans lined up to strengthen their socio-economic standing. Looking at...

Dragons wary of winless Tigers.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh INCONSISTENT Kuala Lumpur Dragons will be searching for their first home win in the Asean Basketball League when they face winless Thailand Tigers at Maba Stadium in Kuala Lumpur today. Sandwiched by two lopsided...

100 ways to great dining.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Anusha K. FROM appetisers and mains to desserts, one is spoilt for choice at Toh Lee Restaurant's 100 dishes promotion. ANUSHA K. writes. A better and smarter option to avoid buffets is by paying a fixed amount and to order what...

Facing trial after 6 years on the run.
October 31, 2009... KLANG: A 33-year-old former constable was charged at the magistrate's court with murdering a 2-year-old boy and his nanny six years ago. Mohd Nahar Abu Bakar, from Taman Desau Thu in Negri Sembilan, had been on the run for six years and was...

Damage control in match against China.
October 31, 2009... NATIONAL women's hockey coach Yahya Atan will adopt a defensive strategy to minimise goals when they meet China tomorrow in the Asia Cup at the Queen Sirikit Stadium in Bangkok. After beating Thailand 3-0 on Thursday, the Malaysian women will...

12 teams vie for Monsoon Cup slot.
October 31, 2009... TWELVE Malaysian teams will vie for a ticket to the Monsoon Cup when they compete in the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) on Nov 23-26. The winning team in the MMRC will get to compete against world-class sailors in the Monsoon Cup,...

Empowering women.
October 31, 2009... LIMKOKWING University was invited as the sole private academic institution to participate in a recent exhibition by the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Institute for the Empowerment of Women (NIEW). NIEW felt that the university, with its...

Trainee kept flying lessons secret.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The trainee pilot who was killed in an air crash near the Beringin Golf Club in Rawang was keeping his training a secret from his mother. Mohamed Ehsan Saiyed Abu Tahir may have wanted to present his private pilot license (PPL)...

Gunners too powerful for Spurs.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Jack Howller TWO teams who misfired badly last week are up against each other today in what could turn out to be an explosive London derby. Derbies between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have always been fiery but it is expected to...

Ex-MTA president appeals for pow-wow.
October 31, 2009... THE affiliates of the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) have been urged to reconsider their decision to reject an amended constitution for the sake of the sport. Taekwondo's exclusion from the Malaysia Games is yet another blow to a sport...

Hoy puts his faith on The Able One.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Go-Ram FIRST-UP winner The Able One looks ready for his second straight success in the Blanche Niege for Class 4 sprinters over 1400m (Race 10, 5.50pm) in Penang today. The six-year-old Australian gelding by Carnegie, who arrived...

I Tawt I Taw impresses in workout.
October 31, 2009... THE grey I Tawt I Taw worked impressively at Kranji yesterday morning. After cantering one lap on the Polytrack, the Michael Freedman-trained four-time winner stretched out beautifully over the final 600m of his second lap in 40.7sec. He...

Lure of exotic species.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Seet Cher Hung SEET CHER HUNG looks at some of the more exotic freshwater species of fish that inhabit our waterways, lakes and reservoirs. AS anglers, we all dream of landing that once-in-a-lifetime catch, whether at home or...

Shin Yii grabs silver.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh NG Shin Yii was the star of the day for the Malaysian wushu team when she delivered an unexpected silver medal on the final day of the World Championships in Toronto on Thursday. Shin Yii garnered 9.79 points in the...

BlackBerry for youth.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Chandra Devi Renganayar THE BlackBerry Curve 8520, one specially made for youth, is now available from Celcom Bhd. The telco is expecting to lure youngsters with the slim smartphone via its prepaid service, Xpax. The smartphone,...

Match-ups.
October 31, 2009... TODAY Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium The North London derby has taken on added significance this year following Tottenham's bright start to the season with last season's 4-4 draw at the Emirates still fresh in the mind. The...

Rangers and Celtic's barbaric Old Firm bigotry is last thing the EPL needs.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Martin Samuel FOR who would leave, unbrib'd, Hibernia's land, or change the rocks of Scotland for the Strand?' Well, Rangers and Celtic, for a start. It would come as a shock to Dr Johnson, who wrote those lines in his poem,...

Di Matteo must wise up.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Neil Moxley IN football, the word "experience" is used to describe players knowing what they can and cannot do on a pitch. Instances like not playing backpasses on sodden surfaces where the ball may be likely to stick. Or not...

A short but fruitful posting.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Balan Moses THE cars parked outside the large bungalow nestled along one of the myriad side roads in the Jalan Duta area stretched bumper to bumper over a kilometre or so. The owners were not attending a late Deepavali dinner...

Surprise catch of a 'guitarfish'.
October 31, 2009... LANGKAWI: The "guitarfish" has resurfaced here. After a hiatus of a year since its last sighting in Teluk Air Tawar in Penang, the peculiar-looking fish with a stingray-like head and a shark's body, resurfaced in Kampung Belanga Pecah...

Where's the RM5 million?
October 31, 2009... Byline: Meor Shariman IT'S a waiting game for three producers who want to make films of national interest. The government announced a RM15 million grant in December last year to make three such films. The money, from the Information,...

Designer game heaven.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Reviewed by Edwin Wong LAST week saw the 27th edition of SPIEL, the world's largest and most popular designer games convention held in Essen, Germany. EDWIN WONG tells us more. ONCE again, the latest edition succeeded in breaking...

Rafa Fans Missing the Point
October 31, 2009... THERE are many good reasons to defend Rafael Benitez, manager of Liverpool, but citing his points average in his first five seasons - superior to that of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, apparently - as one...

Strachan has made his mark on Boro.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Colin Young LIKE the new headmaster aiming to stamp his authority on his pupils on the first day of term, so Gordon Strachan has made his mark on Middlesbrough already. Strachan and his assistant Garry Pendery have called their new...

Van driver gets death for rape, murder.
October 31, 2009... JOHOR BARU: A van driver was sentenced by the High Court yesterday to death for murdering a woman on Christmas Eve in 2006. Kartigeyan Krishnan, 21, was alleged to have murdered Choo Meng Luh, 21, at a bush in Hock Lam oil palm plantation in...

You's pick of the week.
October 31, 2009... WANT to get an idea of how Halloween first started? This short animated clip by SuperNews! is probably not the most accurate description of how it came about. But there is no denying its funny take on what the holiday has become today. In...

DPM: Recce area first.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Farrah Naz Karim PUTRAJAYA: A "reconnaissance" team will be sent out before students converge at any facility outside of the school compound to guarantee their safety and security. Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this...

Media Prima to show the best on TV next year.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Leading integrated media investment group Media Prima Bhd unveiled its line-up of international and local programmes for next year at its annual Television Networks Screening event last night. Held at the KL Convention Centre,...

Bridge builder to be revealed today.
October 31, 2009... IPOH: When the special team investigating the collapsed bridge in Kuala Dipang meets for the first time today, members hope the most important question at this point of time will be answered: who built the bridge? When the bridge collapsed on...

Panel to check on child abuse cases.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Alang Bendahara KUALA LUMPUR: Police have set up a committee to check on recent cases of sexual abuse of children in the Klang Valley. Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said the committee's...

Ruling on Anwar's appeal on Nov 6.
October 31, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal will rule on Nov 6 whether the public prosecutor has the right to withhold key documents sought by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in preparation of his sodomy trial. Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hasan Lah, who sat with...

Exhumation hearing on Wednesday.
October 31, 2009... SHAH ALAM: The application to exhume the body of Teoh Beng Hock will be heard at the coroner's court on Wednesday. Counsel Gobind Singh Deo, who is representing Teoh's family, said the date was fixed yesterday. The application to exhume...

Baroque treats.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Compiled by Dennis Chua ENJOY spellbinding performances by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP), KLCC at 8.30pm on Nov 7 and 3pm on Nov 8. Under the baton of Bernard Labadie, the MPO will...

So who got the Alonso millions at Liverpool?
October 31, 2009... Byline: Dan King LIVERPOOL spent less than STG5 million (RM28.5 million) of the STG30m they received for Xabi Alonso on injured midfielder Alberto Aquilani. According to a release by Aquilani's former club, Roma, at the time of the deal in...

Poll's Poser.
October 31, 2009... Question: Graham, shouldn't referees receive pay in line with the stars they control? If the refs were offered wages that would be comparable with the footballers we would have many more. I'm a youth ref and it doesn't seem very attractive to...

Speaker can challenge EC.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday granted leave to Kedah Assembly Speaker Datuk Dr Abdul Isa Ismail to challenge the Election Commission's decision that the Kota Siputeh constituency was not vacant. Judge Datuk Alizatul Khair Osman...

Prominent lawyer strangled at home.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Alang Bendahara KUALA LUMPUR: A prominent corporate lawyer was strangled by three assailants in his house in Jalan Batai, Bukit Damansara here early yesterday morning. M. Thiruchelraegaran, 75, was believed to have been murdered for...

War dance.
October 31, 2009... STRIKER Peter Crouch, who has been banned from late night partying by Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp, aims to dance at Emirates Stadium today against Arsenal in a Premier League match. Crouch, famous for doing his trademark robot...

Contractor gets 18 years' jail for first-date rape.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Rita Jong KLANG: A 44-year-old contractor broke down and wept when the Sessions Court yesterday sentenced him to 18 years' jail and eight strokes of the rotan for raping a 26-year-old woman on their first date seven years ago. ...

Sinar Harapan looks ready to shine.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Go-Ram SINAR Harapan wound up preparations for a comeback win in the Port Star Handicap for Class 4 sprinters over 1400m in Race 9 tomorrow with a one-round workout in Penang yesterday. Taken out by race-jockey Salee Saad, the...

Sonia goes down to Xiaojia.
October 31, 2009... SONIA Cheah's fate was sealed after being drawn to meet China's Asian Junior champion Chen Xiaojia in the fourth round of the World Junior Championships but the 16-year-old has provided some promise for Malaysia with a fighting display. She...

Printmaker's showcase.
October 31, 2009... IZAN Tahir, one of the country's foremost printmakers, presents her second solo exhibition on home soil, "Where Are You?", at Wei-Ling Gallery from Nov 16 to Dec 2. In this series of works, she explores one's desire to connect to others and...

2 Malaysians undeterred by rocket attacks.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Minderjeet Kaur PUTRAJAYA: Two Malaysians escaped four rocket attacks in Kabul three days ago, finding shelter in a bunker three floors below a hotel lobby after the first blast. Jagdish Singh, 40, and Sivanathan Subramaniam, 29,...

Sorry, Sir Alex, you're wrong.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Graham Poll ANOTHER big game, another referee under siege Let's deal with the decisions first. It is frustrating for referees to get things right, then be criticised by observers who are ignorant of the laws. For a player to be...

Art for everyone.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Nurjehan Mohamed A BAZAAR dedicated to debunking the notion that art is only for snobs is making waves among young Malaysians, writes NURJEHAN MOHAMED. ART is sometimes viewed as something that belongs to some social hierarchies...

Homely feel for new police base.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Ahmad Fairuz Othman JOHOR BARU: One of Danga Bay's eight traditional Malay houses, built to represent all the districts in the state, would have a different feel to it beginning today. The Rumah Limas would house a police station....

Kien Keat-Pei Tty fall in quarter-finals.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh KOO Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty's gallant run in the French Open ended in the mixed doubles quarter-final stage in Paris yesterday. The unseeded Kien Keat-Pei Tty were beaten 21-12, 21-17 by eight seeds Tao Jiaming-Zhang...

Vote Barnes as candidate for the Emirates.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Rod Liddle WHO should be the next manager of Arsenal, seeing that the club hasn't won a thing since 2005 and they believe it is their divine right to do so every year? There is quite a lot of speculation that Arsene Wenger, having...

Big games need brilliant referees... but there are only 11 top officials for 10 matches.
October 31, 2009... IT is widely expected that Keith Stroud and Steve Tanner will have their professional refereeing contracts cancelled this week and return to the ranks of England's national list of referees. Both men were dismissed at the end of last season...

Great escape by Iskandar.
October 31, 2009... Byline: K.M. Boopathy ISKANDAR Zulkarnain Zainuddin rose from the brink of defeat to reach the boys' singles semi-finals of the World Junior Championships at Sultan Abdul Hamid Stadium in Alor Star yesterday. Iskandar, who saved three...

Orang Asli get judicial review nod.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday granted 27 Orang Asli leave to seek judicial review over the Environment Department director-general's decision to approve the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the Kelau Dam project in Raub,...

'This Is It' opens in cinemas with a bang.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Michael Jackson's highly anticipated documentary This Is It, opened in more than 50 cinema halls nationwide yesterday to a record-breaking number of 26,000 attendance - the highest ever for a film of a musical genre in the country....

RM2m boost for Indian businesses.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday said the government would allocate RM2 million to the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to equip Indian entrepreneurs with skills to succeed in their...

Ong: No need to fear unity plan.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Eileen Ng KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has thrown down the gauntlet, declaring war on his central committee. He attacked his former loyalists, pointing out that he was mystified as to when deputy president...

Coming out to party for Malaysian Art.
October 31, 2009... THE International Art Expo Malaysia 09 (AEM 09) to be held at Martrade Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC), in Kuala Lumpur, from November 19 to 23, will feature more than 100 Malaysian artists represented by 17 reputable local art...

Clean-up begins (HL).
October 31, 2009... Byline: Hamidah Atan PUTRAJAYA: A task force has been formed to study the findings of the 2008 Auditor-General's Report and recommend appropriate action in line with efforts to create a high-performance culture in the civil service. Prime...

Charged with murdering maid.
October 31, 2009... Byline: Rita Jong; Alang Bendahara KLANG: A night market trader was yesterday charged at the magistrate's court with the murder of Indonesian maid Muntik. A. Murugan, 35, is alleged to have committed the offence at his home at No. 11 Jalan...

Boy in a bind for want of birth cert.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Chen Jia Junn only received a name at 2 years of age when his "adoptive" parents decided to stop waiting for his biological father to return. His "papa", Fong Guo, and "mummy", Huang Su Qin, felt the boy was their own as his...

Chua's backers want fresh polls.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Leaders aligned to former deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek are backing the move to have fresh polls to resolve the party crisis. However, the Oct 10 central delegates EGM action committee said the best way to do so...

Youth wing: Reveal plan.
October 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: MCA Youth has joined the growing chorus of voices calling on president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to give details of the party's "greater unity plan". The wing also ticked off Ong for clinging on to power, pointing out that the...