malaysia

Hot dogs 'must be renamed' in Malaysia, says religious government body

The Malaysian Islamic Development Department, a religious government body, said it adopted the ruling after complaints from Muslim tourists.

Director Sirajuddin Suhaimee said the name might cause "confusion".

"In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification," he said.

Malaysian halal food guidelines say "halal food and halal artificial flavour shall not be named or synonymously named after non-halal products such as ham, bak kut teh, bacon, beer, rum and others that might create confusion," local media said.

'Budgie Nine': F1 driver Ricciardo defends Malaysian GP strippers

The men stripped down to swimwear emblazoned with the Malaysian flag after the Australian driver's win.

The group - branded the "Budgie Nine" - have been held in a facility Kuala Lumpur since Sunday while being investigated for public indecency.

The men are expected to be charged when they appear in court on Thursday.

Malaysia has strict rules on any display of public indecency and foreign offenders are typically issued a fine before being deported.

The Malaysian 'Pokemon soft toy uncle' rescued by the internet

'Uncle David' has a regular spot peddling soft toys

For the last 15 years, a man known affectionately as "Uncle David" has frequented a corner of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. He sells trinkets and soft toys daily to make ends meet.

On most days, you will find him outside a bank in the centre of the city.

He was diagnosed with cancer last year, and has now recovered, he says, but kept on plying his trade.

One customer placed a huge order

PNG belts Malaysia in friendly

With the team spirit still on fire after the OFC nations Cup final last weekend, the Kapuls outdid Malaysia with a stunning victory with two goals from PNG's utility Tommy Semmy.

PNG bagged the first goals with a set play from Raymond Gunemba and Tommy Semmy.

Gunemba placed a left footy through for Semmy to easily slide the ball to the back of the net in the early minutes.

Minutes later, Semmy scored his second with a header that slipped off the goalkeeper's hand before he made a second attempt with a touch from the tip of his boots to find the net.

Malaysia detains 8 suspects for questioning about Thai blast

National deputy police chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim said they were detained in the past week in Kuala Lumpur as well as in northeastern Kelantan state.

Uighurs are an ethnic minority in China and complain of oppression by the government. Some Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs) have been involved in a separatist movement in the Chinese region of Xinjiang where most of them live.

7 firms, 133 people named suspects in Indonesia forest fires

National Police spokesman Col. Suharsono said 27 more companies and 85 individuals are still under investigation by police task forces in six provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo.

President Joko Widodo has ordered law enforcement agencies to take "stern actions" include revoking their forest concessions and blacklisting those responsible for the fires.

Malaysia says most of the debris in Maldives not from plane

Last week, Malaysia said a wing fragment found on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion was confirmed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The plane disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people aboard while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Media reports in Maldives indicated debris found in recent weeks was brought to authorities' attention following the discovery on Reunion.

Malaysia, France differ on Malaysia Airlines Flight part, frustrating relatives

Malaysia's prime minister announced that a plane wing section that washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean was "conclusively confirmed" to be from Flight 370, saying he hoped the news would end "unspeakable" uncertainty for relatives of the 239 people aboard. 

The announcement was in line with the Malaysian conclusion that the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all aboard.

State Departmen, Malaysia, Cuba, Blacklist

Thailand, downgraded with Malaysia last year because of pervasive labor abuses in its lucrative fishing industry, remained on the blacklist. 

That will add to the growing strains in its once-strong relations with Washington. Critics contend that Malaysia's upgrade is related to its participation in a U.S.-backed trade agreement among Pacific Rim countries. Thailand is not part of the proposed agreement.