Elisia Yeo

In calm seas and under clear blue skies, marine security forces from Japan, Malaysia and Thailand swing into action, launching a dramatic rescue operation involving patrol boats and helicopters.

With nearly all of the oil powering its economy travelling through the Malacca Straits, Japan has said it is prepared to help guard the waterway and has stepped up aid to fight piracy.

President Pervez Musharraf has drummed up support for his plan to find an Islamic solution to Mideast violence in talks with the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia.

With gourmet kitchens, lush gardens for meditation, hi-tech security and even individual swimming pools, foreign interest is now on the rise.

free The nation's highest court ruling on an appeal by Lina Joy is said to be pivotal to the direction the country will take on religious freedom.

Mizan Zainal Abidin, who at 44 will be Malaysia's second-youngest king ever, has handed the sultanate of Terengganu over to his eight-year-old son while he serves a five-year term in KL.

updated version Golden Hope Plantations, Sime Darby and Kumpulan Guthrie are expected to merge and form the world's largest palm oil group.

And China has reaffirmed its goal of increasing trade with the region by more than 50 percent over the next four years.

State energy firm Petronas said today it will supply China with liquefied natural gas for the first time in a landmark deal worth RM91 billion (US$25 billion) over 25 years.

'Abdullah was a very good deputy but people change when they have power,' said Mahathir, who is back on the attack a day after his meeting with his handpicked successor.

The group's economic ministers agree to push for the creation of a single regional market by 2015 to avert the loss of foreign investment to China and India.

Such demolitions could also reinforce the feeling among members of cultural minorities that their democratic and religious space is being squeezed, says Aliran.

Cherie Blair muncul di Mahkamah Persekutuan pagi ini yang mendengar rayuan terhadap menolak permohonannya untuk mewakili kes di Malaysia.

updated version The barrister wife of British PM Tony Blair made a surprise appearance in the Federal Court today as she fought a ban on acting in a controversial case.

Violence erupted in Dili last month after 600 soldiers were sacked when they deserted their barracks after complaining of regional discrimination over promotions.

The international shipping industry should not drop its guard, says the Internatonal Maritime Bureau.

Often seen as squabbling siblings, relations between Malaysia and Singapore continue to see-saw between cooperation and mistrust.

The Ninth Malaysia Plan, to be tabled in Parliament on Friday, will spell out strategies for boosting economic growth and spreading wealth more equally.

Ambassador Christopher LaFleur says the agreement will help Malaysia, the US' 10th biggest trading partner, cement its most important economic relationship.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rapped the UN's nuclear watchdog, saying its decisions were politically motivated and made under the influence of world powers.

No one will give Kamariah Ali a job, relatives and one-time friends shun her, and much of her time is spent in the law courts - all because she no longer wants to be a Muslim.

Tahun 2006 menjadi "titik perubahan" bagi Penerbangan Malaysia mengurangkan kos dan meningkatkan pendapatan bagi menghadapi persaingan hebat dalam industri penerbangan serantau.

The troubled national carrier is facing a critical year in 2006 and must restructure, cut costs and boost revenue to survive the pressures of increasing regional competition.

So-called eco-lodges, luxury hotels nestled in rainforest, and tourist encounters with nature are often merely "green-washed" - given a veneer of environmental friendliness in order to lure tourists.