Malaysia’s prime minister urged ethnic Indians today to shun a protest aimed at airing their economic grievances, saying its planners were suspected of encouraging people to rebel.

Malaysia’s 13th king formally ascended to the throne today, pledging to reign wisely and safeguard the sanctity of Islam in a ceremony marked by traditional Malay rites and imperial pageantry.

Turks have today demanded Pope Benedict XVI make amends over comments on Islam that enraged Muslims before visiting the predominantly Muslim country in November.

MALAYSIA plans to push the boundaries of space travel — making tea.

Muslim leaders demanded an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah yesterday at an emergency meeting in Malaysia, where Iran’s hard-line president said the solution was the obliteration of the Jewish state.

The Islamic world’s biggest bloc today demanded an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and a role for Muslims in a UN peacekeeping force, stressing that a slow end to Israel’s warfare could drown chances for lasting peace.

Malaysia’s leader today warned of a “huge chasm” between Muslims and the West, as thousands of people took to the streets in Asia for the largest demonstrations yet in the Prophet Mohammed cartoons row.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has ordered a nationwide ban on owning or distributing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that have outraged the Islamic world, saying they could trigger public tensions.

Southeast Asian nations pressed Myanmar’s (Burma’s) generals to get serious about democracy as they opened a summit today aiming for broader Asian integration – an uphill task as shown by a feud raging between China and Japan.

Malaysia’s deputy police minister appeared to defend the stripping of a Chinese woman in custody, saying foreigners should “go back to their own country” if they think police there behaved maliciously.

A Malaysian court in Kuala Lumpur has quashed a London casino’s bid to recover a gambling debt of more than 7 million ringgit (€1.47m) racked up by a senior politician in the country’s ruling party.

Malaysia’s largest Islamic opposition party denounced the Thai government today after 85 Muslims died during a military crackdown on protesters in the country’s south.

Survivors of a shooting of Malaysian villagers by British colonial troops in 1948 are renewing a campaign to pressure the British government to acknowledge the killings were unjustified.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today urged the Britain and the US to take swift and stern measures to prevent any of their soldiers from abusing Iraqi prisoners.