malaysia

Malaysia declares Covid state of emergency amid political challenges

The move was requested by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and allows Mr Muhyiddin to suspend parliament at a time when his government is weakened.

The palace said the emergency would last until 1 August, unless cases were brought under control earlier.

Critics say it allows Mr Muhyiddin's unstable government to cling to power.

The prime minister came to power in March last year with a thin majority, but was facing threats from coalition allies to withdraw support for his government, triggering a snap election.

Malaysian man 'finds' monkey selfies on lost phone

The content - including footage of a monkey that appears to be trying to eat the phone - has been widely shared on social media since Zackrydz Rodzi posted it on Twitter.

The student said he thought his phone had been stolen while he was sleeping.

But it remained unclear exactly how the mobile went missing.

It was also not possible to verify the circumstances in which the photos and videos ended up on his phone.

Mr Zackrydz, 20, told the BBC he realised his smartphone was gone when he woke up at around 11am on Saturday morning.

Malaysia gets new PM, Muhyiddin Yassin, after week of turmoil

Muhyiddin Yassin, backed by the corruption-tarnished former governing party, was sworn in by the king.

Mr Mahathir, 94, who has dominated Malaysian politics for decades, described the appointment of Mr Muhyiddin as illegal and a betrayal.

He vowed to seek a vote in parliament to challenge Mr Muhyiddin's support.

Mr Mahathir, who was the world's oldest elected leader, had returned to power in 2018 in a coalition with his old rival Anwar Ibrahim.

Jennifer Lopez stripper film Hustlers banned in Malaysia

The country's film censorship board said Hustlers' naked breasts, erotic dances and scenes featuring drugs made it "not suitable for public screening".

Square Box Pictures, the company distributing Hustlers in Malaysia, confirmed the ban on social media.

The film is currently riding high in both the US and UK box office charts.

In Hustlers, a group of exotic dancers set out to fleece their wealthy clients.

Malaysia takes lead as investor in PNG

This was revealed by Investment Promotion Authority acting managing director, Clarence Hoot, during the PNG Investment Conference in Brisbane.

Hoot said Malaysia has replaced Australia, who is now sitting at third place.

“In the recent past there has been a huge increase in Malaysian investment, so the latest statistics we have Malaysia in front, followed closely by Singapore and Australia third.

“Where it (Malaysian investment) goes into is mainly forestry sector, mining and energy, and agriculture is slowly cropping up as well.”

Malaysia's ex-PM Najib charged with corruption over 1MDB

He pleaded not guilty to three counts of criminal breach of trust and one of abuse of power, and was freed on bail.

Mr Najib is accused of taking $700m (£517m) from a state fund he set up.

Police have recovered $273m in luxury goods and cash from raids on properties linked to Mr Najib. He and his wife say the items were legally acquired.

A new investigation into the state development fund 1MDB began after his shock election loss in May.

Mr Najib was arrested by anti-corruption authorities on Tuesday and spent the night in detention.

Malaysia court clears 'drug mule' grandmother who faced hanging

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was arrested at Kuala Lumpur airport in December 2014 carrying 1.1kg (2.4 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine.

The court accepted her argument that she had been unaware of the presence of the drugs in her luggage.

Her lawyer said she had fallen for an online romance scam and had been tricked into carrying the drugs.

Death by hanging is mandatory for drug trafficking in Malaysia.

Anyone found in possession of at least 50g (1.75 ounces) of crystal meth is considered a trafficker.

'Naive'

Kuala Lumpur school fire kills students and teachers

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning at the school in the Jalan Datuk Keramat area.

"The number of confirmed dead are 23 students and two wardens," Khirudin Drahman, director of the city's fire and rescue department, told the AFP news agency.

Their ages were not immediately clear.

Such schools - which children study the Koran - usually take children from between five and 18.

The official said this could be "one of the country's worst fire disaster in the past 20 years."

Chess dress 'ban': Malaysian girl's outfit 'provocative'

The girl's coach said an official had called her over-the-knee dress "too seductive".

A Facebook post detailing the incident was shared widely, causing outrage.

The Malaysian Chess Federation told local media the accusation was under investigation.

The girl was participating in last month's National Scholastic Chess Championship in Putrajaya, just south of Kuala Lumpur.

Afterwards, her coach, Kaushal Khandhar, wrote a long public Facebook post saying an arbiter interrupted her game to tell her she was violating the competition's dress code.

Malaysia MP: Ok for rape victims to marry their rapists

Shabudin Yahaya from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition said marriage could help victims "lead a better life".

Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, has just passed a new law on sexual offences against children.

Despite opposition efforts, the law does not ban child marriages.

It remains legal for Muslims under 16 to get married in Malaysia under certain circumstances.

'Remedy to social problems'