NEWS : WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2009

NEWS : WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2009


Mat Rempit are now road thugs
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have relabelled Mat Rempit as road thugs (samseng jalanan) and are now seeking a mandatory jail sentence for them.

Two PKR reps want to quit, says NS MB
REMBAU: Two opposition state assemblymen in Negri Sembilan aresaid to have given out signals that they want to give up theirpositions.







All eyes on three-month summer break students
Thethree-month summer break in the United States begins this month andhundreds, if not thousands, of Malaysian students in that country areexpected to return home soon.

Snatch thief to face death
Asnatch thief, who caused the death of pregnant mother Jamilah Selamatin Ayer Hitam earlier this month, is likely to be charged with murder.

Son of prominent blogger pleads guilty to theft and trespass
MalaysiaToday portal editor Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin’s son pleaded guilty tofour separate counts of theft, receiving stolen property and criminaltrespass.

Monday's van heist in Cheras netted RM8.2mil, not RM4mil
Thesecurity van which was hijacked in front of a shopping mall in Cherason Monday was robbed of RM8.24mil in cash, double the amount that wasinitially thought to be stolen.

Selangor to be first to have freedom of information law
TheSelangor state government will be the first state to table a Freedom ofInformation (FOI) Enactment in its legislative assembly by the end thisyear.

BN unfazed by rivals’ talk
PUTRAJAYA:The Opposition can make whatever claims it wanted — including callingBarisan Nasional’s decision not to contest in Penanti state seat as acowardly act — but the coalition will stick to the collective decisionmade at its supreme council meeting on Monday.

EC expects less tense contest in Penanti
TheElection Commission (EC) expects a trouble-free by-election in Penantifollowing Barisan Nasional’s decision not to contest the state assemblyseat.

Umno denies sponsoring any independent in Penanti by-election
Umnohas not sponsored any independent candidate in the Penanti by-electionas alleged by certain quarters, said party information chief AhmadMaslan.

Rare red sandalwood seized at Westport
Exquisitered sandalwood worth RM4.5mil was seized at the Westport Free Zone,following weeks of surveillance by the Port Klang Authority and theMalaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB).

Royal welcome for Emir of Qatar
THE Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Khalifa Al-Thani makes a dignified grand entrance at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Two dead, seven hurt in bus-lorry collision
Twopeople died and seven were seriously injured in a road accidentinvolving an express bus and a lorry at Km31 on Jalan Kuantan-Maran onMonday night.

Cops: Send road thugs straight to jail
The police are calling for mandatory jail for “road thugs” (samseng jalan) – motorcyclists who endanger the public by speeding or riding recklessly.

Quarantine ends for 169 passengers and crew members
PUTRAJAYA:The 149 flight passengers and 20 crew members are due to be releasedfrom home qua­ran­tine today, Health Ministry deputy director-generalDatuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat said yesterday.

Passengers urged to report to authorities
Passengerson the same flights as the two patients who contracted Influenza A(H1N1) have been urged to come forward and report to the healthauthorities.

Port Klang acts to keep out flu virus
Port users in Port Klang have been assured that all precautions have been ta­­ken against the spread of influenza A (H1N1).

Trainee cops to be discharged
Exceptfor three, all trainees from the Police Training Academy (Pulapah) inAir Hitam near Bahau recently admitted into two hospitals here forshowing flu-like symptoms have been discharged.

Nizar asks for dissolution
DatukSeri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin has verbally conveyed his wish for adissolution of the state assembly to the Perak royal family.

Danajamin gives SMEs easier access to funding
Theestablishment of the country’s first financial guarantee institution,Danajamin Nasional Bhd, will give companies, especially small andmedium enterprises (SMEs), easier access to funding.

Ong: Barisan will not play Opposition’s games
BarisanNasional places priority on the people instead of playing theOpposition’s political games, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keatsaid.

Gas leak knocks out students and teachers
Frightenedparents rushed frantically to SRJK (T) Ladang Emerald near here asseveral students started fainting after inhaling fumes from a gas leakat a station nearby.

Uthayakumar skips meeting at Kamunting
Former ISA detainee P. Uthayakumar failed to appear before an advisory panel meeting at the Kamunting detention camp near here.

Clean-up order goes out as second Myanmar dies
Allthe 12 migrant detention camps nationwide have been ordered to improvefood hygiene standards following the second death on Sunday from theleptospirosis outbreak at the Juru detention camp.

Malacca free of meningitis
Thelast three Road Transport Department (JPJ) trainees discharged fromMalacca Hospital yesterday after being treated for bacterial meningitisare glad their ordeal is over.

Hotline plan to help end crime against children
Themany incidents of child abuse, abduction and murder has led to aprivate initiative called Childline Malaysia, involving 150non-governmental organisations, government agencies, the private sectorand a global network.

MP and rep among 11 arrested
AnMP and an assemblyman were among 11 people arrested following acandlelight vigil here calling for the dissolution of the Perak stateassembly.

Indonesia: Political stability will curb pirate attacks
Theincreasing number of pirate attacks off the shores of Somalia can beresolved if political stability is achieved there, said Arif HavasOegroseno of the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department.

National anti-piracy law in the pipeline
A national anti-piracy law is in the making to improve enforcement in the country’s waters.

UN has to lead fight against pirates, says confab
Aninternational conference on piracy organised by the MalaysianGovernment has asked the United Nations to coordinate maritime forceoperations to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Motor insurance agents urged to give excellent service
ManyMalaysians will continue to stick with their motor insurance agents ifthe services rendered are excellent, said Datuk Chor Chee Heung.

New Indian party vows no street protests, non-violence
The newly-formed Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party will not resort to street protests, preferring to solve things through discussions.

BN service centres to be set up nationwide
BarisanNasional service centres will be set up nationwide and will co-existwith those run by the coalition’s parties, newly-appointed Barisanchief coordinator Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.

Wanted men gunned down in high-speed chase
Twomen high on the police’s wanted list were gunned down after ahigh-speed chase that climaxed in a shootout near Damansara Kim herelast night.

MACC asked to probe PAS over land deal
KelantanUmno Youth has urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) toinvestigate alleged abuse of power in the PAS-led Kelantan governmentand claims of money politics in the party.

Mentally-ill man who killed wife acquitted
A production crew member who killed his wife with a keris was acquitted after a High Court judge declared that the man was of unsound mind when he stabbed her three years ago.

Two lose RM50,000 in mega Internet jackpot scam
Anassistant director with a government agency and an executive at aprivate company have lost more than RM50,000 after falling for anInternet scam luring victims with false mega jackpot wins worthmillions of ringgit.

Student gets RM4,695 refund of fees over postponed classes
Atraining institute has been ordered to refund part of the fees paid bya student after it postponed her classes indefinitely for the past 10months.

Few takers for Train and Place scheme
The Human Resources Ministry is puzzled over the poor response from retrenched workers to its “Train and Place” programme.

Walk-in sous chef fills hotel’s job vacancy
Opportunitiessometimes show up in unexpected ways, as a hotel executive discoveredwhen conducting a job interview at Studio V, 1 Utama Shopping Centre.

Aid for hardcore poor in Sabah
A better quality of life beckons for 5,500 hardcore poor families in five poverty stricken districts in Sabah.

RM100mil to construct cheap homes in Sarawak
The Federal Government has allocated RM100mil to build affordable houses in Sarawak.

Fake Upin and Ipin goods seized
Wantingto cash in on the Upin and Ipin craze, a businessman brought inmerchandise depicting the local animation characters from Thailand fordistribution at night markets.

Malaysia and Brunei sorting out border travel obstacle
Malaysiaand Brunei are trying hard to resolve nagging technical woes that haveresulted in the temporary suspension of the Frequent Travellers Card(FTC) system between Sarawak and the sultanate.

Labourer claims trial to raping girl
An Indonesian labourer, Seni Rifaie, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to raping a nine-year-old girl.

Khir Toyo suspended from state assembly
FormerSelangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is slapped with astring of harsh calls for him to be suspended from the state assembly -as well as the suspension of his state assemblyman’s allowances andprivileges.

NS recalls 10,800 stint letters, cites technical fault
TheNational Service (NS) Training Department has retracted offer letterssent to 10,800 would-be trainees in Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan,citing a technical error.

Mother of four on the run from abusive hubby
A MOTHER of four has moved homes more than 20 times in Kuala Lumpur to evade her abusive husband, Harian Metro reported.

Nurture ties with other races, MIC tells Indians
TAMIL Nesan reportedthat the Indian community should give priority towards maintaining thegood relationships with the other communities in this country.

Woman who lost gems fears release of nude pics
SIN Chew Daily reported that a make-up artist is living in fear that naked pictures of her would be posted online by her former boyfriend.