NEWS : TUESDAY 19 MAY 2009

NEWS : TUESDAY 19 MAY 2009


Penanti not an election provided for by Constitution
Najib: Barisan prefers to meet people's needs





MACC seizes papers on Bukit Botak land scam
PETALINGJAYA: The state Malay­sian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) hasconducted a raid on the Selayang Land Office in connection with a landscam dating back to the 1980s.

We will not dance to Opposition tune, says Najib
KUALALUMPUR: The Barisan Nasional has decided not to contest the Penantiby-election on May 31, coalition chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razaksaid.

Penanti by-election: It’s PKR vs (ex) PKR Former
GEORGE TOWN: Even with the Barisan Nasional opting out of the Penanti by-election, there will be a contest.

By-election a ploy to cover weaknesses, say BN leaders
GEORGETOWN: Penang Barisan Nasional has lauded the move to not contest in thePenanti by-election, dismissing it as another attempt by Pakatan Rakyatto divert attention.

Welcome to ‘sex orgy’ island
KUALATERENGGANU: Revellers at a recent wild party on Pulau Perhentian arebelieved to have had a sex orgy before Besut District Council (MDB)enforcement officers moved in on them.

Teenage girl set for English Channel challenge
PUTRAJAYA:Seventeen-year-old Zahra Masoumah Abdul Halim will attempt to becomethe first Malaysian teenage girl to conquer the English Channel’schilly waters in early July.

BN Youth sets up task force for next polls
KUALALUMPUR: Barisan Nasional Youth has set up a task force to come up withstrategies and plans to place the coalition in a better position in thenext general election.

LCCT-KL cab ride to cost more
SEPANG: Taxi fares from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Se­­pang to Kuala Lumpur will be raised soon.

Ipoh airport set for revival with new regional flights
IPOH:The under-utilised Sultan Az­­lan Shah Airport here will be revivedagain with the introduction of several regional flights.

Hundreds join 1Malaysia photo contest
KUALALUMPUR: The 1Malaysia.com.my photo contest, initiated by Prime MinisterDatuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, has attracted hundreds of entries.

No case of money politics in PAS, says Hadi
PETALING JAYA: PAS is free of money politics, said party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Barisan to let PPP sort out Murugiah problem
KUALALUMPUR: The Barisan Na­­sio­­nal supreme council will allow the PPP tosort out its internal party issues and the expulsion of party supremecouncil member Senator Da­­tuk T. Murugiah.

Search continues for 74 who boarded Flight AK5358 and MH091
KUALALUMPUR: The Health Ministry is still looking for 74 passengers who wereon board AirAsia Flight AK5358 and MAS MH091 on May 13 who weretravelling with two patients infected with the Influenza A ( H1N1)virus.

Selangor still trying to track down eight
PETALINGJAYA: The Selangor State Health Department is still trying to trackdown eight passengers of MAS Flight MH091 who are believed to be in thestate.

Woman passenger from Flight MH091 is virus-free
JOHORBARU: A female passenger from Flight MH091, in which two passengers hadtested positive for the Influenza A (H1N1), is expected to bedischarged soon as tests have confirmed that she is free from the virus.

News in brief

Build better houses for lower income groups, says Kong
SHAHALAM: The Government wants more affordable homes of higher quality anda better living environment for the lower income groups.

One set of rules for all local councils
KOTA KINABALU: The Govern-ment is planning to have uniform by-laws and regulations for all local authorities nationwide.

Tanker catches fire, two Indonesian crew missing
JOHORBARU: A tanker carrying sludge caught fire forcing 17 of its crewmembers to jump overboard off the waters of Pengerang near here.

KL offers anti-piracy expertise
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has of­­fered to serve in a United Nations contact group to combat piracy off So­malian shores.

Somalia seeks international help to set up a coastguard
KUALA LUMPUR: Somalia has appealed for international help to set up a coastguard force to fight piracy off its shores.

Expert: Arming ships not the answer
KUALA LUMPUR: Arming merchant ships with weapons is not the solution to combating piracy.

Cabinet to hear cases of 800 top scorers who didn’t get scholarships
PUTRAJAYA:More than 800 straight-A students will have their appeals for PublicServices Depart­ment (PSD) scholarships taken up to the Cabinet fordiscussion.

Ministry relaxes PTPTN study loan criteria
PUTRAJAYA: The prerequisites to apply for a National Higher Education Fund Board (PTPTN) study loan have been further relaxed.

Ops Sepadu cuts crime in the city by 19%
KUALALUMPUR: The all-out war against crime over the past month has resultedin a 19% drop in the city’s crime rate, prompting city police to extendtheir offensive for another month.

Koh: KPIs submitted to PM for review
PETALINGJAYA: All Cabinet Ministers have submitted their preliminary keyperformance indicators (KPIs) to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib TunRazak for review.

Teachers’ day out lands them in trouble
NILAI:While other teachers were celebrating Teacher’s Day in schools, twosecondary school teachers here decided to keep their celebrationprivate — and ended up being caught for alleged khalwat (close proximity).

Two held over kidnap-murder
IPOH:Police have arrested two men in connection with the kidnap-cum-murderof a three-year-old boy whose body was found in the estuary of SungaiKuala Bagan Tiang in Parit Buntar on May 11.

Police trainee died due to inflammation from Influenza B virus
PETALINGJAYA: Influenza B has been identified as the reason why trainees at thePolice Training Centre (Pulapah) in Air Hitam near Bahau fell ill.

Another 12 may be down with leptospirosis
BUTTERWORTH:Another 12 detainees from the Juru detention camp have been warded atthe Bukit Mertajam Hospital here for suspected leptospirosis, takingthe total number of detainees warded at hospitals to 35.

Uthayakumar will not be arrested, assures IGP
KUALALUMPUR: There is no arrest order out on banned Hindu Rights ActionForce leader P. Uthayakumar, said Inspector-General of Police Tan SriMusa Hassan.

Public funds shouldn’t be wasted on poorly-done projects, says Shaziman
KUALALUMPUR: Funds should not be wasted on poorly-done government projects,such as those forced to be reconstructed due to shoddy workmanship andplanning, said Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor.

Makkal Sakthi Party set up
KLANG:Several key Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) members have formed apolitical party which they say will remain neutral and strive to meetthe aspirations of the Indian community.

Rosmah meets NCWO members
KUALALUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor met with the National Council ofWomen’s Organisation (NCWO) for a discussion on issues like education,the economy, health and the social problems of youths here yesterday.

Soon - consumer complaints centre in all markets
IPOH:The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry is working to have aconsumer complaints centre in all markets nationwide every Saturday andSunday.

No emergency sitting, says Zambry
BATUGAJAH: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has brushedaside talk that an emergency sitting of the state assembly will beconvened soon.

Make changes to fit in disabled, bosses told
KUALALUMPUR: Employers should make adjustments to absorb employees whobecome disabled after work accidents, Human Resources Minister Datuk DrS. Subramaniam said.

Makkal Sakthi forges ahead
Anotherparty to speak for the Indian community may have the right agenda andconnections to regain the community’s support for Barisan Nasional.

End to KK blackouts, thanks to new power network
KOTAKINABALU: Blackouts in the city will be a rare thing when a new powertransmission system is fully operational by the end of the year.

Terengganu and Sarawak to get flights from Singapore
HULUTERENGGANU: Singapore’s low-cost carrier Tiger Airways is plan­ning tofly direct from the city-state to Kuala Terengganu’s Sultan MahmudAirport.

Sarawak yet to crack ‘turtle egg’ case
KUCHING:There were no concrete evidence or facts that turtle eggs werecon­sumed at a police function in Feb­ruary, initial investigationsshowed.

Armed robbers escape with RM4m in cash
KUALALUMPUR: Robbers are believed to have escaped with some RM4mil in cashafter a security van was hijacked by three men at gunpoint near Cherashere.

Duo nabbed with 3.7kg ganja at R&R area
BAGANSERAI: Two Penang-based dispatch riders were nabbed for trafficking in3.7kg of ganja at the Gunung Semanggol rest and recreation (R&R)area of the North South Expressway in Bukit Merah near here.

Seized bullets were for sale locally, say police
KOTAKINABALU: Police believe that the 36,000 rounds of ammunition found ona boat in the east coast Tawau district four days ago were not destinedfor militants but were for sale to illegal home-made shotgun owners.

Two nabbed in drug bust
AMPANG:Two people were arrested after the Selangor anti-narcotics team raideda house believed to be a drug processing laboratory in BukitAntarabangsa here.

More buses to ply Kuching
KUCHING:The city’s public transport is expected to improve when three morecompanies start operating stage bus services in three months.

Coffeeshop man looking for runaway daughter
IPOH: A coffee-shop worker is seeking help to locate his daughter who ran away from home on April 29.

Keep tabs on foreign workers’ health, Govt told
THEHealth Ministry and Immigration Department must beef up theprecautionary steps to closely monitor the health of foreign workers,said Sin Chew Daily.

MIC wants Perak to name street after philanthropist
THEPerak Government has been urged to name a street in the Teluk In­­tandistrict to honour the late Val­lal Rengasamy Pillai, reported Makkal Osai.

Ulama: Higher fares will put squeeze on pilgrims
TABUNGHaji should reconsider its decision to raise flight fares for pilgrimsby 11%, said Malaysian Ulama As­­­sociation deputy president Datuk MdSaleh Md Ahmad.