Malaysia

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No More Cigarettes for Smoking Orangutan

'Shirley' forced to quit cigarettes before move to new wildlife center

(Newser) - A chain-smoking orangutan who achieved notoriety when she became a symbol of Malaysia's horrid zoo conditions has been forced to quit her tobacco habit, reports the AP . The 20-year-old orangutan, Shirley, would smoke lit cigarettes thrown to her by zoo visitors. But now Malaysian wildlife officials have removed her...

Gay Malaysian to Defy Gov't With Wedding Banquet

Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng plans Kuala Lumpur event for next year

(Newser) - A gay Malaysian pastor who plans to marry his American partner in New York pledged today to throw a wedding banquet in his Muslim-majority home country despite criticism by government politicians. Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng, an ordained minister who has mainly lived in the United States since 1998, says he...

Man Sues Runaway Bride for $360K

Masran Abdul Rahman suing his former bride-to-be for distress, embarrassment

(Newser) - A Malaysian man is suing his former fiancee for more than $360,000 for leaving him just six hours before their wedding. Masran Abdul Rahman and his family were distressed and deeply embarrassed when Norzuliyana Mat Hassan called off the June wedding at the last minute. Masran, 32, had invited...

Malaysia: Woman Can't Quit Islam

Court refuses to grant 'teapot cultist' permission to change religion

(Newser) - Kamariah Ali may consider herself a member of the Sky Kingdom sect—known as the "teapot cult"—but she is a Muslim under the law, a Malaysian civil court has decided. The court rejected the 60-year-old woman's request to leave Islam to avoid being jailed for apostasy,...

Bornean Rainbow Toad Found By Malaysian Researchers: First Sighting Since 1924
 'Lost' Toad Spotted in Borneo 
Jul 14, 2011 9:52 AM CDT

'Lost' Toad Spotted in Borneo

Bornean Rainbow Toad: 1, Extinction: 0

(Newser) - Scientists scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a toad species last seen in 1924 by European explorers, and have given the world the first photographs of the colorful creature. The Sambas stream toad, also known as the Bornean rainbow toad, had been on a world list of the "Top...

Malaysia Arrests 1,600 Protesters

Marchers in Kuala Lumpur demand electoral reform

(Newser) - Today's global hotspot: Malaysia. At least 20,000 demonstrators jammed the main city of Kuala Lumpur to demand electoral reform, reports AP . Prime Minister Najib Razak sent out riot police who fired tear gas and detained about 1,600 people during the five-hour standoff, including several senior opposition figures....

New Mushroom Species Named After 'SpongeBob'

Gary had no comment

(Newser) - It wasn't discovered living under a pineapple or even under the sea, but a new mushroom species has been named after SpongeBob SquarePants. The species unearthed last year in Malaysia was dubbed Spongiforma squarepantsii because of its spongy similarities to the popular cartoon character, reports National Geographic . (Click the...

Wives' Club Pushes 'Hooker Sex' to Keep Men Calm

Want to avoid violence? Be hot, says founder of Malaysia club

(Newser) - Malaysian politicians and feminists are furious about a new "Obedient Wives Club" that urges women to provide "prostitute-like" sex to avoid domestic violence and keep their husbands faithful, reports Reuters . The group, started by a group of Muslim women who also support polygamy, says women must believe in...

Man Must Tweet 100 Apologies
 Man Must Tweet 100 Apologies 
Jun 2, 2011 11:47 AM CDT

Man Must Tweet 100 Apologies

Outspoken Malaysian activist Fahmi Fadzil settles case with magazine

(Newser) - A Malaysian social activist is probably going to feel a little déjà vu: He'll spend the next three days tweeting 100 identical apologies. It's the unusual settlement in a defamation case with a magazine publisher, and it has sparked debate among Internet users about the pitfalls of...

Saudis Forming Anti-Shiite 'Club of Kings'

Royal family moves to form alliance against Iran, uprisings

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is moving to firm up alliances with Sunni nations in a bid to limit Iran’s influence and stem the tide of revolts in the Arab world. It has asked several countries across the Middle East and Asia, including Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to join an informal alliance...

'Effeminate Boys' Sent to Macho Malay Boot Camp

Human rights groups scream as official talks of 'right path'

(Newser) - Human rights groups have expressed alarm after some 66 boys determined to be "effeminate" by Malaysian public schools have been picked for re-education at a macho boot camp. The education department in Terengganu state established the camp to help boys deal with "identity issues" and place them on...

Malaysia to Grade Students on Their Weight

Move is designed to curb obesity

(Newser) - Soon, if you want to be an "A" student in Malaysia, you'll have to study and exercise hard. Schools across the country will add students' body mass index alongside their usual grades in a bid to curb childhood obesity, the country's health minister says. The move is...

Malaysia Nabs 80 in Anti-Valentine Raids
Malaysia Nabs 80 Lovers
in Raids ... on Hotel Rooms
operation valentine
Feb 15, 2011 4:29 AM CST

Malaysia Nabs 80 Lovers in Raids ... on Hotel Rooms

Unmarried couples busted in anti-valentine hotel sweeps

(Newser) - Malaysia's morality police—making good on a vow to crack down on Valentine's Day canoodling —detained 40 unmarried Muslim couples in hotel rooms across the country yesterday. Authorities—who have deemed Valentine's Day un-Islamic—say the couples busted in the raids on cheap hotels during "Operation Valentine" will...

Tiger Fought Off With Soup Ladle

Malaysian man's wife saves him with kitchen implement

(Newser) - A Malaysian man survived a tiger attack after his wife bashed the animal with a wooden soup ladle. The man was hunting squirrels near his home in a jungle settlement in northern Malaysia when the tiger attacked, the BBC reports. The man, who was badly lacerated and is recovering in...

Malay Muslims Crack Down on Valentine's Day
Malaysia Plans Hotel Checks to Squash Premarital Sex
happy valentine's day?
Feb 14, 2011 2:18 AM CST

Malaysia Plans Hotel Checks to Squash Premarital Sex

Muslims told not to celebrate 'immoral' Valentine's Day

(Newser) - Happy Valentine's Day—not! That's the unlovely message Malaysian leaders are issuing to Muslims who may fall into the holiday "trap" and indulge in "immoral behavior," they warn. "Avoid the Trap" brochures urging students to avoid marking Valentine's Day have been distributed at universities, and several...

700K Condoms Missing in Japan

Malaysian police investigating disappearance

(Newser) - Say, have you by any chance seen 700,000 condoms laying around? If so, you might want to let Malaysian police know. They’re investigating the disappearance of ultrathin Japanese condoms after the shipment went missing somewhere between Malaysia and Japan, AFP reports. The container arrived in Tokyo from the...

Malaysian May Get Jail Time Over Facebook Page

He's accused of mocking a former king

(Newser) - A man in Malaysia has been arrested for mocking a former ruler on Facebook. He allegedly created a fake profile for the late Sultan Iskandar Ismail, with the stated purpose to "expose the treachery of the sultan against his race and religion," reports AP . Authorities tracked down the...

200 Malaysians Face Charges for Deviating From Islam

Leading scholar slams country's 'Talibanization'

(Newser) - Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism are accepted in Muslim-majority Malaysia, but the government has stepped up efforts to quash non-Sunni strains of Islam. More than 200 Shia Muslims have been arrested in a swoop on outlawed Islamic sects, and they are likely to be charged with "following the teachings of...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Battle Dengue

Malaysian scientists to release males into wild to breed

(Newser) - Malaysia could be the first country in Asia to use genetically modified mosquitoes to battle a rise in dengue fever, government authorities said today. The program calls for genetically engineered male mosquitoes to be released into the wild that would mate with females and produce offspring that live shorter lives,...

Newborn Dies After Being Snatched by Monkey

Four-day-old was briefly left alone in living room

(Newser) - A bizarre tragedy in Malaysia: A four-day-old baby girl died after being snatched from her family’s living room by a monkey. The newborn had been left alone for a few minutes and disappeared; her mother and grandmother saw blood stains on the floor and then found her outside with...

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