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US embassy to close for American holiday on Monday

KUALA LUMPUR: The United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur will be closed on Monday( May 27) in observance of Memorial Day in the US.

Ukraine PM acts to patch up relations with media after clash

KIEV: Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov backed down on Thursday from his order to revoke the official accreditation of a dozen local reporters after they displayed slogans at a cabinet meeting to protest against an attack on two colleagues.

US kidnap case hero gets burgers for life

CLEVELAND: The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for a decade in an Ohio house will never have to pay for another burger in his hometown.

5 dead in Lebanon clash of Assad foes, backers

BEIRUT: Opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad traded heavy machine gun fire and mortar shells in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, leaving five people dead in what was described as some of the heaviest fighting there in years, officials said Thursday.

Special team formed to probe lockup death

KUALA LUMPUR: The police have set up a special team from Bukit Aman to investigate the death of a 32-year suspect at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters lockup on Tuesday due to the presence of criminal elements.

New registration for KL vehicles on Expiry of WYY series starts from W1A

PUTRAJAYA: The big question of new registration for Kuala Lumpur vehicles once the WFY series ends has been answered.

<font color=red>BANTING MURDERS:</font> Full Judgement

BANTING MURDERS: Full Judgement

Following is the 15-page judgement by Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir

Simultaneous car bomb attacks in Niger

NIAMEY, Niger: Attackers in Niger detonated two car bombs at dawn on Thursday, one in the city of Agadez where a military barracks was targeted and one in Arlit where a French company operates a uranium mine, injuring more than a dozen people.

GSK flu shot may raise adult narcolepsy risk: Finnish scientists

HELSINKI/LONDON: GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s H1N1 pandemic flu shot may put adults at higher risk of developing narcolepsy, not only children as previous studies found, Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare said on Thursday.

Man shot by FBI had ties to Boston bombing suspect

ORLANDO: A Chechen immigrant shot to death in central Florida after an altercation with an FBI agent had ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, and was being questioned at the time of the shooting.

Road closures in city in conjunction with Wesak Day float

KUALA LUMPUR: Several roads in the city will be closed from 7pm till midnight tomorrow to facilitate a float parade in conjunction with Wesak Day.

Police must have basis, solid evidence to detain opposition, NGO leader, says Ahmad Zahid

PUTRAJAYA: The police must surely have the basis and solid evidence to detain Pakatan Rakyat vice-president Tian Chua and two others today under the Sedition Act 1948, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

UK PM Cameron says London attack was betrayal of Islam

LONDON: British authorities have established that one and possibly both of the men who hacked a soldier to death on a London street was born in Britain of Nigerian descent, a source with knowledge of the investigation said on Thursday.

Czech police seek US man suspected of 4 murders

PRAGUE: An American man suspected of killing four people is on the run in the Czech Republic and likely armed, officials said Thursday.

Road closure in Kuala Lumpur Sentral CBD

KUALA LUMPUR: A section of road in Kuala Lumpur CBD will be closed to traffic for several hours starting from midnight to 5.00am from May 23-31.

Bulgaria’s largest party will not try to form government

SOFIA: Bulgaria’s largest party GERB declined on Thursday to try to form a new government, opening the way for the rival Socialists to put together a technocrat administration and end a political impasse.

Two best friends die in crash

REMBAU: Two best friends died when the motorcycle they were riding was hit by an oncoming car at KM18 of Jalan Seremban Tampin here yesterday.

Partial closure of Jalan Damansara heading towards Bangsar

Kuala Lumpur: Three lanes of a section of Jalan Damansara heading towards Bangsar will be closed to traffic from 7 p.m. to 12 noon on May 24-26.

10 Indonesian women among 21 illegal immigrants detained

SEREMBAN: 10 Indonesian women were among 21 illegal immigrants detained by Negri Sembilan Immigration department in four separate raids at Nilai and Seremban for violating the immigration acts.

Msians should adopt zero tolerance attitude towards crime

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should adopt a zero tolerance attitute towards crime in order to further reduce crime in the country.

<font color=red>BANTING MURDERS:</font> Guilty verdict brings closure for victims' families

BANTING MURDERS: Guilty verdict brings closure for victims' families

SHAH ALAM: Erni Dekritawati Yuliana Buhari can now heave a sigh of relief after waiting for three years because the four men accused of murdering her mother, Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, have been found guilty.

Ghafar Baba's son detained for making seditious remarks

KUALA LUMPUR: The son of former deputy Prime Minister Tun Ghafar Baba is the latest arrest made by police for allegedly making seditious remarks during a forum on May 13 making it three arrest so far.

<font color=red>BANTING MURDERS:</font> Chronology of events

BANTING MURDERS: Chronology of events

Aug 30, 2010: Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, her lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, banker Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and driver Kamarudin Shansudin, 44, went missing.

Proposed Ulu Tubai road to costs RM84 mil, benefits 2,500 people

KUCHING, May 23 (Bernama) -- The proposed construction of the 35km Ulu Tubai road to Mentawai in the state constituency of Batu Danau in northern Sarawak at an estimated cost of RM84 million is expected to benefit about 2,500 people, mostly Iban and Tagal.

Czech police search for American suspected of killing family

PRAGUE: Police are searching for an American man suspected of killing four members of a family in the Czech Republic’s second-largest city Brno, police said on Thursday.

Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep staff

TOKYO: Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands.

Call to Bakti members to be active, help promote image of country's leaders

PUTRAJAYA: The Prime Minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor today called on members of the Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti) to participate actively in activities organised by the association.

Illegal immigrants told to take up the 6P Amnesty programme

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Penang Immigration Department has advised illegal immigrants and those who have overstayed to opt for deportation under the 6P amnesty programme which has been extended indefinitely.

<font color=red>BANTING MURDERS:</font> Judge praises police investigators

BANTING MURDERS: Judge praises police investigators

SHAH ALAM: The police investigators in the Banting murder trial were commended for their work which was viewed to be of world-class investigations.

Keris lodges police report against Malaysiakini

KUALA LUMPUR: Non-governmental organisation Kelab Warisan Malaysia (KERIS) today lodged a police report against news portal Malaysiakini.com for publishing the text of a speech of a panellist at a closed forum held here on May 12.

Kelly Tan clinches MLAO for second time in three years

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's top amateur golfer, Kelly Tan won the 30th Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open (MLAO) crown at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Bukit Kiara, here today.

Barred from poll, Rafsanjani calls Iranian leaders ignorant

DUBAI: Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran’s leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday.

Suspect in spate of car break-ins in Pulau Tikus nabbed

GEORGE TOWN: Police caught a 44-year-old man who was behind a spate of car break-ins in Pulau Tikus in the past few months.

Labourer ordered to enter defence in Dirang's murder case

JOHOR BARU: A labourer was today ordered by the High Court here to enter his defence on a charge of murdering five-year-old Nurul Nadirah Abdullah or Dirang, whose skeletal remains was found in an oil palm plantation in Nusa Damai, Masai, in March last year.

Father of Afghanistan cricket captain abducted

KABUL, Afghanistan: Gunmen kidnapped the father of Afghanistan’s national cricket team captain near his home in an eastern city, officials said Thursday.

State associations must set up integrity committees to combat match-fixing, bribery - Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin wants all state football associations to set up an integrity committee in their respective states, to combat bribery and match-fixing.

Malaysia remains China's top Asean trade partner

BEIJING: Malaysia continues to be China's top trading partner in Asean, with bilateral trade between both countries hitting US$33.88 billion (RM102.21 billion) in the first quarter of this year, up 23.9 per cent year-on-year.

Paul McCartney writes in support of Pussy Riot

MOSCOW: Beatles frontman Paul McCartney has asked a Russian judge to release members of the Pussy Riot punk group from prison.

German chancellor Angela Merkel retains top ranking on Forbes' 100 most powerful women

SINGAPORE: Forbes today announced its 10th annual ranking of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel topping this year’s list for the third consecutive year and eight times in total.

Siti Hanisah conquers world's highest peak

KUALA LUMPUR: A 23-year old mountaineer from Felda Jerai I Scheme, Gemas, Negri Sembilan reached the top of Mount Everest at 7.41 local time (9.56 am Malaysian time) to become Malaysia's youngest female climber to conquer the world's highest peak.

Form three student dies after falling from third floor of school block

KUANTAN: A male Form Three student died after falling from the third floor of his school building block at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tok Sira near here this morning.

New Maybank chief should further regionalise the bank, says Wahid

KUALA LUMPUR: The new chief to helm the country's largest bank must be equipped with sound banking knowledge, be experienced in handling large corporations and possess the ability to further regionalise the bank.

Brave woman tried to reason with London attackers

LONDON: An unlikely hero has emerged from the apparent terror attack that left one man dead on the streets of London.

UK emergency committee meets after attack

LONDON: The British government’s emergency committee is set to meet Thursday after two attackers butchered a man in a brutal daylight attack in London that raised fears terrorism had returned to the capital.

Japanese octogenarian becomes oldest to reach Everest summit

KATHMANDU: An 80-year-old Japanese mountain climber who has had four heart surgeries reached the top of Mount Everest on Thursday becoming the oldest person to conquer the world’s highest mountain.

IMF head Lagarde in court in fraud probe

PARIS: International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is facing questions at a special Paris court Thursday over a controversial financial deal that she oversaw as French finance minister.

Crane accident cuts power to one-third of Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam: One mistake by a clumsy crane operator caused a 10-hour blackout over about a third of Vietnam, exposing the fragility of the nation’s power grid.

Simultaneous car bomb attacks in Niger

NIAMEY, Niger: Attackers in Niger detonated two car bombs, one in the city of Agadez where a military barracks was targeted and one in Arlit where a French company operates a uranium mine, injuring more than a dozen people.

20 days to file election petitions - EC

KUALA LUMPUR: Political parties have yet to file their election petitions after the results were gazetted yesterday.

EC to redelineate constituency boundaries this year

KUALA LUMPUR: A study on the redelineanation of electoral constituencies, which was postponed two years ago, will begin soon, said Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

China’s Li effusive in praise of Pakistan, but not everyone buys it

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang praised the Sino-Pakistan relationship to the hilt on Thursday, urging the “all-weather friends” to boost cooperation in business, trade, energy and infrastructure and build a long-vaunted economic corridor.

CONSENT ORDER: Seven parties allowed to submit in dispute over use of word "Allah"

PUTRAJAYA: Six state islamic religious councils and an association were allowed to be made parties in a dispute over the use of "Allah" in a Catholic weekly paper, Herald.

Brown hounded for calling Manila `gates of hell'

MANILA: Dan Brown’s description of Manila as “the gates of hell” in the American novelist’s latest book has not gone down well with officials in the Philippine capital.

US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart

JERUSALEM: The United States and Israel are raising hopes for a restart of the Middle East peace process after more than four years of hardly any talks.

Bangladesh: Owners' many failings led to collapse

DHAKA: The defects and errors that led to the world’s deadliest garment-industry accident extend from the swampy ground the doomed Rana Plaza was built on, to “extremely poor quality” construction materials, to the massive, vibrating equipment operating when the eight-story building collapsed, a committee appointed by Bangladesh’s government concluded.

M23 rebels announce ceasefire for UN chief’s Congo visit

GOMA: Rebels in eastern Congo announced a ceasefire on Thursday in fighting with government troops hours before a visit to the conflict-plagued zone by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Five killed, 50 wounded in Lebanon’s Tripoli

TRIPOLI: Five people were killed and more than 50 wounded in overnight clashes in Tripoli between Lebanese gunmen backing rival factions in Syria’s civil war, doctors and security sources said on Thursday.

Heat wave causes power outages, anger in India

LUCKNOW, India: A blistering heat wave has caused massive power cuts and water shortages across much of north and western India, and some people are taking to the streets to express their anger with the government.

Sarawak CM calls for setting up taskforce on long-term museum development

KUCHING: Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud wants the Sarawak Social Development Ministry to set up a taskforce to devise a strategic long-term plan for the development of the state's museums from social and cultural aspects apart from focusing on anthropology.

Car bomb kills 12 in southwest Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan: A car bomb targeting a police vehicle killed 11 policemen and one civilian Thursday in an area of southwest Pakistan wracked by a separatist insurgency and Islamic militancy, police said.

Indonesian police arrest 2 suspected militants

JAKARTA: Indonesian police said they have arrested two suspected militants in connection with an alleged plot to bomb the Myanmar Embassy.

DIRANG MURDER:Murder case accused chose to give unsworn statement

JOHOR BARU: The accused in the murder of four-year old Nurul Nadirah Abdullah, Muidin Maidin, 26, chose to give an unsworn statement from the dock after High Court Judge Datuk Abd Halim Aman ordered him to enter the defence.

Israel government divided on peace issue: Livni

JERUSALEM: Israel’s government is divided on the issue of peace with the Palestinians, its top negotiator and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said Thursday ahead of a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Restaurant torched in 4th night of Sweden riots

STOCKHOLM: Groups of youth have burnt down a restaurant, torched more than 30 cars and injured three police in a fourth night of riots in suburbs of the Swedish capital that started following a fatal police shooting.

Soldier hacked to death in attack in London

LONDON: A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street, in what Prime Minister David Cameron said appeared to be a terrorist attack.

Miners Vale, Rio Tinto accused of neglecting displaced Mozambicans

MAPUTO: Human Rights Watch accused Mozambique’s government and foreign mining companies on Thursday of “serious shortcomings” in resettling communities to make way for coal mines, leaving thousands without proper homes, food or sources of income.

Medan wants to learn community development from Malaysia

MEDAN: The Kota Medan Community Information Cluster (KIM) here wants to learn Malaysia's approach in developing the local community, particularly in the rural areas, through its agriculture and food production socio-economic initiatives.

Israel government divided on peace issue

JERUSALEM - Israel’s government is divided on the issue of peace with the Palestinians, its top negotiator and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said Thursday ahead of a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Immigrations Dept keeping watchful eye over foreigners

PUTRAJAYA: The Immigrations Department is keeping a watchful eye over foreigners in the country and has vowed swift and stern action against those who abused their visas.

PKR to file 27 petitions in court over GE13 results

KUALA LUMPUR -- Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is to file 27 petitions in court soon over the results of the 13th General Election, its vice-president Tian Chua said today.

KL vehicle number plates to start with W, ends with A

PUTRAJAYA: The new car registration number (plate number) for all vehicles in Kuala Lumpur will start with a W, followed by a number up to four digits, and end with an 'A', starting this July.

Tian Chua, Haris Ibrahim arrested for seditious remarks

KUALA LUMPUR: Two more people arrested under Section 4(1) of Sedition Act 1948 today.

Bomb kills 12 in southwest Pakistan: police

QUETTA, Pakistan: A bomb planted in a rickshaw tore through a vehicle used by security forces in southwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, police said.

Tabung Haji officer and staff charged for khalwat

BALIK PULAU: A high-level Lembaga Tabung Haji officer and a staff were today charged at the Lower Syariah Court here with committing khalwat (close proximity).

Ship overturns in China, 6 killed

NINGBO (Zhejiang Province, China): Six people have been confirmed dead since a ship they were aboard overturned on Wednesday afternoon in east China's Zhejiang Province, China's Xinhua news agency reported quoting local authorities as saying on Thursday.

Hundreds protest against burial of Argentine dictator

MERCEDES, Argentina: Sometimes you can’t go home: hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets Wednesday to protest against the possible burial of the late former dictator Jorge Videla in his home town.

Hamza called as witness in RCI on immigrants in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: State Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib was called on as a witness in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah hearing, this morning.

Building materials blamed in Bangladesh disaster

DHAKA, Bangladesh: A government investigation says poor quality construction materials and building code violations contributed to the collapse of building housing garment factories last month in Bangladesh.

Octogenarians race to be oldest Everest climber

KATMANDU, Nepal: An 80-year-old Japanese extreme skier who climbed Mount Everest five years ago, but just missed becoming the oldest man to reach the summit, is back on the mountain to make another attempt at the title.

Adam Adli pleads not guilty to giving seditious speech

KUALA LUMPUR: Student activist Adam Adli Abd Halim pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court with giving seditious speech in a forum on May 13.

<font color=red>BANTING MURDERS:</font> N. Pathmanabhan, three farm hands gets death

BANTING MURDERS: N. Pathmanabhan, three farm hands gets death

SHAH ALAM: It was greed that drove lawyer N. Pathmanabhan to kill cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya in a brutal manner three years ago.

S. Korean girl killed by suicide jumper

SEOUL: A seven-year-old South Korean girl was killed instantly after being struck by the body of a man as he plunged from his tenth-floor apartment in an apparent suicide, a report said Thursday.

Obama honors Carole King at White House concert

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama says music is often one place where people turn during trying times, both for comfort and for inspiration.

Ford to halt car production in Australia in 2016

MELBOURNE: Car manufacturer Ford announced Thursday it will cease making vehicles in Australia in 2016 and axe 1,200 jobs, having produced its first car in the country in 1925.

Kim Dotcom mulls suing tech giants for 'copyright breach'

WELLINGTON - Internet mogul Kim Dotcom said Thursday he was considering taking legal action against tech giants such as Twitter, Google and Facebook for infringing copyright on a security measure he invented.

Woman confronted London attackers to deflect danger

LONDON: A woman who challenged knife-wielding assailants suspected of hacking to death a British soldier in London on Wednesday said she intervened because “it was better having them (the weapons) aimed on one person”.

Twitter beefs up security after media hacking spree

Twitter Inc unveiled technology to boost security for its users, following a spate of attacks on accounts of prominent media outlets including the Associated Press, the Financial Times and The Onion.

Polish man gets quick face transplant after injury

WARSAW, Poland: A 33-year-old Polish man received a face transplant just three weeks after being disfigured in a workplace accident, in what his doctors said Wednesday is the fastest time frame to date for such an operation. It was Poland's first face transplant.

US soldier accused of secretly taping naked women

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Army said a soldier has been charged with secretly photographing and videotaping at least a dozen women at the U.S. Military Academy, including in a bathroom.

4 Americans killed since 2009 in US drone strikes

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration acknowledged publicly for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009 in Pakistan and Yemen. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy.