malaysia

Kim Jong-nam's body released to North Korea

Prime Minister Najib Razak said a coroner had approved the release of Kim Jong-nam's body.

Mr Kim was murdered at Kuala Lumpur airport with a lethal nerve agent last month.

The assassination led to a major diplomatic dispute between Malaysia and North Korea.

Malaysia has not directly blamed North Korea for the killing, but there is widespread suspicion that Pyongyang was responsible.

Meanwhile, nine Malaysians who had been barred from leaving North Korea returned to Malaysia early on Friday. They include three embassy staff and six family members.

Malaysia blames North Korea for Kim Jong Nam's death

It comes amid a deepening diplomatic row over the February killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2.

"What we are facing now is the result of their action in assassinating their own citizen in Malaysia, on Malaysian soil, using a strictly banned chemical weapon," Najib told state media agency Bernama Wednesday.

A press official for Najib confirmed the comments to CNN. North Korea has repeatedly denied any involvement in Kim Jong Nam's murder.

Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysia and N Korea in tit-for-tat exit bans

The extraordinary tit-for-tat actions come amid North Korean fury at Malaysia's ongoing investigation into his death at a Kuala Lumpur airport.

The North Korean leader's half-brother was killed with a potent nerve agent.

Malaysia has not directly blamed the North for this, but there is widespread suspicion Pyongyang was responsible.

North Korea has fiercely denied any accusations of culpability and the row over the killing - and who has the right to claim Mr Kim's body - has rapidly escalated over the past two weeks.

Malaysia accuses North Korea of holding citizens 'hostage'

North Korean state media reported Tuesday that Pyongyang will not allow Malaysian nationals inside North Korea to leave until Kuala Lumpur guarantees the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.

Of the Malaysians believed to be in North Korea, four are embassy staff and their families, plus two United Nations employees, a Malaysian government official told CNN.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement Tuesday.

VX nerve agent used to kill Kim Jong Nam

Nerve agents are the most toxic and fast-acting substance known in chemical warfare -- and VX is the most potent of all of them, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Malaysia requests Interpol alert to help find North Korean suspects

Speaking to reporters, Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said police had also formally requested an interview with the North Korean embassy'ssecond secretary, who is wanted for questioning.

North Korean leader's brother dies in Malaysia

Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of the North Korean leader, was known to spend a significant amount of his time outside the country and had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the isolated state.

In a statement, Malaysian police said the dead man, aged 46, held a passport under the name Kim Chol.

Kim Jong Nam has been caught in the past using forged travel documents.

Police official Fadzil Ahmat said the cause of Mr Kim's death was not yet known, and a post mortem would be carried out on the body.

PNG Kapuls concede defeat in friendly with Iran

Kapuls captain David Muta told Loop PNG this morning that it was their first time to play against a World Cup team.

In the first five minutes of the game, Muta felt that they could match up their rival’s skills. However, as the game wore on, Iran proved to PNG’s national team that there’s a reason why they are 27th FIFA ranked while we are 159th.

“Football is all about 90 minutes,” says the Kapuls captain.

“We need to work harder.

Malaysia plaza sorry for throwing away 600kg of noodle soup

Social media users slammed the decision to get rid of the food, equivalent to 1,500 regular sized bowls.

The Plaza Merdeka in Kuching cited safety reasons for the move.

But it said the wastage was an "unfortunate oversight and misjudgement".

It took 15 cooks and 18 hours to prepare the dish.

Cheah Kheng Mun, the shopping centre's general manager, told reporters they could not "simply give away" the laksa because they had been advised to maintain the soup gravy at a certain temperature.

Pacific lifters target Comm Games qualification

Don Opeloge, the nephew of Ele, Mary and Niusila Opeloge, is competing in the men's 77kg division in Penang.

Sanele Mao is contesting the 105kg event, with Lauititi Lui in the men's super-heavyweight and Luniara Sipaia the women's super-heavyweight division.

Lifters from Fiji, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea are also competing.

Samoa Weightlifting head coach Jerry Wallwork said all four could seal their spot on the Gold Coast this weekend.