Its capital, Kuala Lumpur, may feel like the set of Bladerunner, but Malaysia has a rich cultural and culinary mix, great beaches and amazing sights, including orang-utans, writes Pól Ó Conghaile

TRAILFINDERS have again linked with Etihad Airways to feature late deals to Malaysia, but interested clients need to be fast — bookings have to be made by tomorrow.

An Irish man who was mauled to death by dogs in Malaysia ran a furniture restoration business in Co Galway before leaving for the Asian country three months ago.

A PATHOLOGIST who carried out a postmortem on Irishman Maurice Sullivan has said he died after massive blood loss caused by more than 50 dog bites.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to the family of an Irishman mauled to death by dogs in Malaysia.

JOINING forces once again, South-west France holiday rental specialists The Gascony Secret and Simply Périgord offer a range of striking properties at prices for different pockets, the high range including historically important Chartreuse set in about 180 acres of land.

SUNWAY has special deals on flights from Cork to Lisbon, with options of accommodation for the month of June. Flight only is priced at €299 and a week’s accommodation at either three or five star accommodation is between €599 and €999.

INCREDIBLE INDIA hopes to take advantage of the exposure this vast country has received since the latest round of Oscar awards.

The Tánaiste Mary Coughlan will officially open the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in Dubai today.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took his place today as a member of Malaysia’s Parliament, a major step in his goal to topple a government weakened by electoral defeats and internal dissent.

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today won a landslide victory in a special election, marking a triumphant return to parliament more than a decade after he was thrown out for alleged sex crimes.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s ruling coalition suffered its biggest upset in nearly four decades in general elections today, reflecting widespread unhappiness at his failure to curb racial tensions, corruption and inflation.

THE world’s best-known shoe-maker Jimmy Choo said he hopes to live out his lifelong dream of coming to Ireland soon to get some inspiration to design his world-famous footwear.

Malaysian authorities issued a false tsunami warning today but quickly withdrew it and blamed the blunder on a technical glitch.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu has spread to northern Malaysia, authorities said today, after several dead chickens were found infected in a poultry-rearing village.

JOE WALSH TOURS is offering return flights with Malaysia Airlines to Auckland, out of Ireland, from E729 plus taxes, in a deal that includes a free stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Lankawi.

A 20-DAY-OLD baby was found alive floating on a mattress in her parents’ damaged restaurant in northern Malaysia after the region was slammed by tidal waves, it was reported yesterday.

A 20-day-old baby was found alive floating on a mattress in her parents’ damaged restaurant in northern Malaysia after the region was slammed by tidal waves, it was reported today.

Rescuers scoured Malaysian beach resorts and towns for about 100 missing tourists, fishermen and villagers missing after tidal waves killed at least 52 people and injured more than 220 others.

AT least 42 people, including foreign tourists, were killed yesterday after being swept away by tidal waves on a Malaysian resort island and in other areas, government officials and police said.

More than 2,000 of people have been killed today as one of the most-powerful earthquakes in years triggered massive tidal waves slammed into coastlines across Asia.

At least two foreign tourists were among five people killed when a bus plunged into a ravine in northern Malaysia today.

TECH company Altera is to establish its European Shared Services Centre at Cork Airport Business Park in a move that is expected to create 60 jobs over the next five years.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister was expected to retain power easily as voting began today in an election that will also decide how strong the fundamentalist Islamic opposition will be in the mostly Muslim country.

Britain, the US and their supporters were continuing to back their intelligence services today, after Tony Blair rejected charges that the British government had doctored evidence on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

Asia reported 17 more Sars deaths today as Beijing officials were ordered to step up efforts to fight the virus and Hong Kong school pupils went back to class wearing surgical masks after a three-week shutdown.

President McAleese left for Dublin today after wrapping up visits to Malaysia and Thailand, the first to the Southeast Asian nations by an Irish head of state.

President McAleese has agreed with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that international conflicts should be resolved through diplomacy, officials in Kuala Lumpur said.

Police wielding canes and backed by water have broken up a rally of about 500 people against Malaysia's longtime leader Mahathir Mohamed.