M Jegathesan

'At last there is a judgment which finally takes full cognisance of the conspiracy to destroy my political career which has always been my position from day one.'

Asean senior officials meeting in Penang warned that dry weather and monsoon winds meant the smog could worsen if the fires were not controlled.

In contrast to his predecessor who had a penchant for grandiose schemes like the Proton national car, Abdullah told the delegates that the government was committed to resolving nuts-and-bolts issues like the deficit.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi urges Muslim nations to move towards forming an Islamic common market.

Abdullah announces that Bank Negara will establish an endowment fund of RM200 million to support the development of the potentially lucrative Islamic finance sector.

Among the hurdles the industry faces are a lack of financial products to suit a wide range of industries, a shortage of skilled human resources and high product cost, observers say.

The premier says the purpose of energy diplomacy would be to lessen reliance on energy supplies from outside the region and reduce dependence on stockpiling which would in turn decrease pressure on oil prices.

PAS president Hadi says that if Anwar is the opposition front, existing Umno members may want to join the opposition, boosting its strength and credibility.

Leaders of opposition Islamic party PAS are meeting this week to rebrand themselves and woo back voters, but analysts say they face a tough task in this multicultural nation.

The overhaul is to project Muslim nations to be seen as moderate countries and be mainstream players in international politics, says Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

The sect has had run-ins with the authorities in the past, with four members being jailed for two years in 1998 for attempting to renounce Islam.

Despite the fact that women in many parts of the world have become more emancipated, women in many Muslim countries continue to be marginalised and discriminated against, says the premier.

School and commercial buses, trucks, taxis and even fishing vessel operators are also finding it difficult to get enough for their daily needs after quotas were introduced for petrol stations.

Government and rebel negotiators hail a "breakthrough" in efforts to end a decades-old Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern Philippines.

MILF dan Manila sedang cuba mencari perkara-perkara yang boleh dipersetujui bersama. Setakat ini mereka belum mencapai sebarang kata sepakat, kata pihak penganjur rundingan tersebut.

The three-day meeting is an exploratory start to what are expected to be tough negotiations between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Frontover territorial issues.

A Japanese-owned bulk carrier was boarded today in the fourth pirate attack in the Malacca Straits in just over a month, as Malaysia announced plans to place armed police on ships using the vital trading route.

Former lecturer Wan Min Wan Mat admits having been a Jemaah Islamiah leader and now fears for his life as he was seen as a turncoat.

The Malaysian marine police believe that Indonesian separatist rebels may have carried out the armed attack on a Japanese tugboat in the Malacca Straits and the kidnapping of three crewmen.

We have five ships and a police helicopter combing the northern tip of the Malacca Straits, says marine police force commander Abdul Rahman Ahmad.

The Indonesian-owned tanker was carrying a cargo of methane gas from Kalimantan to Sumatra when it was boarded in the early evening on Saturday.

The government's crackdown on illegal immigrants has dealt a severe blow to the construction and agriculture sectors which are heavily dependent on cheap foreign labour.

Some 450 civilian volunteers and 13 immigration officers carried out the first raid shortly after midnight on a construction site in Cheras, which netted 62 Indonesians.

Some 300 people from Burma, Cambodia and Indonesia's Aceh province lined up today at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) hoping to secure UN support to remain in Malaysia.