Malaysia

Malaysia's soccer federation apologized after Chelsea complained about anti-Semitic abuse directed at Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun during a preseason game. Benayoun was the first Israeli in recent memory to play in Muslim-majority Malaysia when he took the field on July 21. The Football Association of Malaysia didn't admit the abuse occurred, but said Friday, "if such an incident did happen, we would like to apologize to the player … and also to Chelsea FC. " It said the abuse would have "involved a small section of spectators.

A Malaysian court on Thursday sentenced to death three Mexican brothers and two other people for drug trafficking, rejecting the defense argument that evidence was tampered with. The Mexicans are from Sinaloa state, the cradle of their country's drug trade, but have no criminal record at home. They were arrested at a secluded drug-making factory in 2008 and claimed they had been cleaning the place, not making drugs. Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Mohamad Zawawi Salleh convicted the five men, ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Authorities in Malaysia caned three Muslim women for having extramarital sex, making them the first women in the country to receive such punishment under Islamic law, an official said yesterday. The caning of women has fueled debate about whether Islamic conservatism was intruding into people’s personal lives in this moderate Muslim-majority country. Another woman, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old mother of two, was sentenced to caning last year for drinking beer.

Malaysian police say they've arrested six suspects linked to the kidnapping of a Dutch boy who was freed after his parents paid a ransom. Twelve-year-old Nayati Moodliar was held for six days this month after being snatched while walking to school in a Kuala Lumpur neighborhood where many expatriates live. Police said in a statement Wednesday that they have arrested five men and a woman in the past two days. They also recovered part of the 300,000 ringgit ($98,000) ransom and are searching for two more suspects.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - An Islamic court in Malaysia put on hold indefinitely the caning of a woman found guilty of drinking beer because the sentence was too harsh, a Cabinet minister said yesterday. The chief judge of Pahang state’s Shariah court decided on Monday to defer the caning of 32-year old Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno pending a review, as it was deemed too extreme, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. Malaysia’s home minister indicated the caning was unlikely to be carried out, arguing the prisons department did not have staff with the...

Malaysian marine police say they have detained 105 illegal immigrants from Indonesia who were trying to sneak out of the country on a boat. Marine police official N.Kalai Chelvan says the 89 men and 16 women were caught early Tuesday off southern Johor state after a 30-minute boat chase. He says the boat’s driver, however, escaped by jumping into the sea. The migrants were believed to be heading to Indonesia’s Batam island, less than an hour from Johor on a fast boat. Chelvan says they are under investigation and could be charged with immigration offenses or...

Malaysian authorities say they have seized hundreds of African elephant tusks worth 4 million ringgit ($1.3 million) that were being shipped to Cambodia. Customs official Azis Yacub says inspectors at Port Klang harbor found the tusks hidden in containers of handicrafts from Kenya's Mombasa port. The shipment was headed for Cambodia's beach resort area of Sihanoukville. Officials said Tuesday they had no precise figure for the number of tusks, which weighed nearly two tons.

Eight illegal immigrants have drowned when their boat capsized off Malaysia's southern coast, officials said Thursday. Eighteen others have been rescued. Marine police official N.Kalai Chelvan said the boat was heading to Indonesia's Batam island early Wednesday when it sank in choppy waters. He said the boat was carrying a group of men from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq who were likely trying to reach Australia through Indonesia. Chelvan said 14 men were initially believed to have drowned but officials later verified that only eight bodies were recovered from the...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Police ordered gay rights activists in Muslim-majority Malaysia yesterday to scrap an annual arts festival aimed at fighting discrimination. The "Sexual Independence" festival has been held under low-key circumstances in Kuala Lumpur since 2008, but growing awareness about the event has led to criticism by politicians and religious leaders. This year's five-day festival - scheduled to start next Wednesday at a private arts center and themed "Queer without Fear" - featured planned musical performances of "queer anthems sung by fierce local singers and drag divas who...

A gibbon attacked two children, including one who was seriously injured, after escaping from an enclosure at a zoo in southern Malaysia, an official said Thursday. The male siamang first bit a 5-year-old girl on her ankle Tuesday, Malacca Zoo director Ahmad Azhar Mohammed said. Minutes later, the ape attacked a 3-year-old boy and ripped off part of his right thigh, he said. The girl received outpatient treatment, but the boy, Muhammad Afiq Haziq, was hospitalized in serious condition, the zoo director said.

At least 8,000 workers have marched in the Philippine capital to demand an increase in the country's minimum daily wage. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III rejected the May Day pleas for a $3 daily pay hike, saying it would worsen inflation, spark layoffs and turn away foreign investors. Manila police chief Alex Gutierrez says about 8,000 members of a huge labor alliance marched for four kilometers (2.5 miles) Tuesday to the heavily barricaded Mendiola bridge near the presidential palace.

A massive street rally demanding electoral reforms in Malaysia raised questions Sunday about whether the long-ruling coalition government will delay calling elections in the face of such a strong show of force by the opposition. Police used tear gas and chemical-laced water Saturday against some 50,000 people and arrested more than 450 at the demonstration. Officials said three demonstrators and 20 police were injured, and all those arrested were released by Sunday. The rally was held to pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak's ruling coalition — which has been...

Malaysian officials on Friday sealed off parts of a public square where activists plan to hold a rally demanding more transparency in upcoming elections, while police got a court order forbidding people from assembling at the site. Thousands of people are expected to gather Saturday near Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square to seek sweeping changes in polling regulations. The planned rally is part of a push by an opposition-backed group to curb fears of fraud in elections that many speculate will be held in June.

SANDAKAN, Malaysia - A luxury cruise ship stranded at sea for 24 hours by a fire limped to a Malaysian port Sunday as emergency services and embassy officials prepared to help the 1,000 people on board. The Azamara Quest was adrift in waters off the southern Philippines for a full day after flames engulfed one of its engine rooms Friday night, injuring five crew members. Propulsion was restored the next night and the ship reached the harbor of Sandakan on Borneo island late Sunday.

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent Brookline Superintendent of Schools Bill Lupini has appointed Newton North High School's Deborah Holman as the next headmaster of Brookline High School. Holman, the vice principal at Newton North since 2008, will takeover at Brookline High School on July 1 pending the completion of her contract, which is anticipated to be done next week, according to the superintendent's office. She will succeed longtime Brookline High School Headmaster Robert Weintraub, who retired in June.

Eight illegal immigrants have drowned when their boat capsized off Malaysia's southern coast, officials said Thursday. Eighteen others have been rescued. Marine police official N.Kalai Chelvan said the boat was heading to Indonesia's Batam island early Wednesday when it sank in choppy waters. He said the boat was carrying a group of men from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq who were likely trying to reach Australia through Indonesia. Chelvan said 14 men were initially believed to have drowned but officials later verified that only...

Malaysian opposition-backed activists say they will scrap plans for a large rally this weekend if the country’s constitutional monarch personally urges them to do so. The cancelation of the demonstration would ease political tensions that have soared in the past two weeks. Police have detained nearly 200 activists who urged people to join the July 9 rally to demand more electoral transparency ahead of national polls widely expected by mid-2012. Malaysian King Mizan Zainal Abidin warned in a rare political statement late Sunday that street demonstrations “bring more bad than...

A coroner has ruled out foul play in the death of a man interrogated by Malaysia's anti-corruption watchdog. It is Malaysia's second inquest involving suspicious deaths involving anti-graft officials. The cases have pressured the government to tackle complaints that police and other officers use violence during interrogations. The coroner concluded Monday that customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed fell to his death accidentally from a third-floor ledge at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's office in Kuala Lumpur last April.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was acquitted yesterday on sodomy charges, surprising good news not just for him but for the very government he wants to topple. The verdict avoids the public outrage that a conviction might have inspired and it also buttresses Prime Minister Najib Razak's assertions that he does not interfere with the judiciary and that his promises of ensuring civil liberties are serious. After a two-year trial filled with explicit sexual allegations that captivated and polarized the country, a High Court judge took only two...

A gibbon attacked two children, including one who was seriously injured, after escaping from an enclosure at a zoo in southern Malaysia, an official said Thursday. The male siamang first bit a 5-year-old girl on her ankle Tuesday, Malacca Zoo director Ahmad Azhar Mohammed said. Minutes later, the ape attacked a 3-year-old boy and ripped off part of his right thigh, he said. The girl received outpatient treatment, but the boy, Muhammad Afiq Haziq, was hospitalized in serious condition, the zoo director said.