Last of the species in country, a female rhino named Iman, ‘died sooner than expected’
The Sumatran rhinoceros has become extinct in Malaysia, zoologists have announced.
The last of the species in the country succumbed to cancer in the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, it was revealed.
Continue reading...Animals act as natural pest control in Malaysia’s vast palm oil plantations, reducing crop losses from rodents
Scientists in Malaysia have said they were “stunned” to discover monkeys regularly killing and eating rats on palm oil plantations, providing a natural anti-pest measure in the country, which is responsible for 30% of the world’s palm oil production.
A report released in Current Biology on Monday, showed that southern pig-tailed macaques, generally thought to eat mainly fruit plus occasionally lizards and birds, foraged for rats on plantations. The authors said that the monkeys’ appetite for rodents showed that rather than being pests, as is commonly believed, the primates’ presence reduced crop losses.
Continue reading...The Tranquility, seized by authorities and sold for a ‘bargain’ $126m in April, is back on market after stint as celebrity hangout
A superyacht once owned by Jho Low, a fugitive at the centre of Malaysia’s 1MDB financial scandal, has been put back on the market after a few months as a celebrity party venue.
The vessel, now named Tranquility, is being sold for US$200m, an increase of more than $70m on its previous price tag. It is currently owned by the Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate with business interests in real estate, hospitality, plantations and energy supply.
Continue reading...Man who abused up to 200 babies and children found dead at Full Sutton jail in Yorkshire
A British paedophile, who targeted and abused up to 200 Malaysian babies and children, and shared images of his crimes on the dark web, has been murdered in jail, a source has said.
Richard Huckle, a photographer from Ashford in Kent, received 22 life sentences after admitting an “unprecedented and exceptional” 71 offences against children aged between six months and 12 years from 2006 to 2014. The 33-year-old, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years, was found dead at Full Sutton prison in North Yorkshire on Sunday.
Continue reading...During holiday, Janarthanan Vijayaratnam was killed with two other men and his wife is now missing
Relatives have demanded answers after a British resident was shot dead by police while on holiday in Malaysia, and his wife went missing at the same time.
Janarthanan Vijayaratnam, a 40-year-old Sri Lankan national and UK resident was fatally shot by police in an apparent car chase and shootout in the early hours of 14 September, alongside his Malaysian brother-in-law and a second Malaysian man. He was on holiday with his wife and three children, aged five, 10 and 17, at the time.
Continue reading...It swept over the settlement like a plague. First came a fever, then their throats swelled up, their eyes became bloodshot and their lungs rattled with coughing. And then they began to die.
Over two weeks in May, 15 members of Malaysia’s last nomadic people, the Batek, were killed by this mysterious disease, while more than 100 were hospitalised. By the end, only about 20 of the 186 people in the tribe living in their Kuala Koh settlement were left untouched.
Continue reading...Residents inhaling smoke from peat and trees burned hundreds of miles away
An increase in Indonesian forest fires – the sharpest rise since 2015 – has infuriated neighbouring Malaysia, where residents are inhaling smoke from peat and trees burned hundreds of miles away.
More than 14 megatonnes of carbon dioxide were discharged from the blazes on 5 September, more than triple the average on this day over the previous 15 years, according to satellite data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
Continue reading...Fishermen report seeing ‘snouts in the dark’ on Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes
A mystical Malaysian island is grappling with a “sea-borne invasion” of wild boar, which some believe are swimming kilometres across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes before destroying crops.
“The sea-borne invasion of wild boars leaves us in despair as the animal population is increasing,” said Norhizam Hassan Baktee, chairman of the Malacca agriculture committee, of the influx on the island of Pulau Besar.
Continue reading...Family of teenager found dead in Malaysian jungle say reports may hinder investigations
The family of Nora Quoirin, the British teenager found dead in the Malaysian jungle after a 10-day search, have dismissed “unhelpful” speculation about her disappearance.
The body of the 15-year-old, who had severe learning difficulties, was discovered less than two miles from an eco-holiday resort where her family had been staying.
Continue reading...Police say no evidence of kidnapping in case of London teenager who disappeared from eco-resort on 3 August
The autopsy of Nora Quoirin, the 15-year-old who went missing in the Malaysian jungle, has concluded that she likely died of starvation and stress after spending seven days in the jungle.
Speaking outside the police headquarters in Seremban, Negri Sembilan police chief Mohammad Mat Yusop said Nora had died “two to three days ago” from internal bleeding in her intestine, possibly caused by “prolonged starvation or stress”.
Continue reading...Postmortem examination to determine whether further police investigation needed
A postmortem examination will be carried out to determine the cause of death of Nora Quoirin, 15, whose body has been found in the Malaysian jungle.
The London girl’s body was discovered on Tuesday by a local team of hikers just over a mile from the resort where she had been on holiday with her family. The find brought to an end a 10-day search which had involved more than 350 volunteers and drawn offers of support from around the world.
Continue reading...Nora Quoirin’s mother has appealed to the public for information as the search for the missing 15-year-old British girl continues in Malaysia. A £10,000 reward has been offered to help find the vulnerable teenager who disappeared from her bedroom at a nature resort on 4 August. The sum was donated by an anonymous Belfast-based business, Meabh Quoirin said. Speaking of her daughter, she added: ‘She is so precious to us and our hearts are breaking’
Continue reading...Parents thanked police and volunteers as Irish band Westlife appealed to fans
The parents of a London teenager with learning difficulties who has been missing for almost a week in Malaysia have thanked teams taking part in a widespread search operation.
Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin, whose 15-year-old daughter, Nora, has been missing since last Sunday, said terima kasih (thank you) on Saturday to those searching for her.
Continue reading...Malaysia police continue hunt for vulnerable 15-year-old, saying ‘no proof’ of abduction
The family of missing Nora Quoirin have said she “is not independent and does not go anywhere alone”, as the search to find the vulnerable 15-year-old continued.
Nora, who has learning and developmental disabilities, disappeared six days ago from an eco-resort in Malaysia where she was on holiday with her parents.
Continue reading...A recording of Nora Quoirin's mother is being used by police searching for the missing British teenager in a Malaysian jungle. The family believe Nora, who has learning and developmental disabilities, was abducted after she disappeared from an eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on Sunday
Continue reading...Bank has been under scrutiny for its role in helping to raise $6.5bn through bond offerings
Malaysia has filed criminal charges against 17 current and former directors at subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs Group in a multibillion-dollar corruption investigation at state fund 1MDB, the attorney general said on Friday.
Goldman Sachs has been under scrutiny for its role in helping to raise $6.5bn through bond offerings for 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), the subject of corruption and money-laundering investigations in at least six countries.
Continue reading...Police not ruling out foul play after Nora Quorin, 15, disappeared from cottage
The family of a British girl missing in Malaysia have said they remain hopeful, as police leading the investigation refused to rule out a “criminal element” in her disappearance.
Nora Quoirin, 15, from London, vanished from the Dusun forest eco-resort, in southern Negeri Sembilan state, on Sunday.
Continue reading...Helicopter and sniffer dogs join search for British teen who disappeared from bedroom at resort on weekend
Police in Malaysia have deployed a helicopter and sniffer dogs in an expanded search for a 15-year-old British girl who disappeared from her bedroom at a nature resort over the weekend.
The district police chief, Mohamad Nor Marzukee Besar, said the operation to find Nora Quoirin, involving more than 150 people, resumed on Tuesday morning, with a helicopter, sniffer dogs and villagers helping in an expanded search through the dense jungle. An earlier mission ending at 3am on Tuesday found no further clues.
Continue reading...Police contradict charity helping family of London schoolgirl found to be missing on holiday
Malaysian police have denied that the disappearance of a 15-year-old London schoolgirl is being treated as a possible abduction, contradicting a statement from a charity supporting her family.
Nora Quoirin, who has special needs, is the daughter of an Irish-French couple who have lived in London for about 20 years. She went missing while on holiday with her family at the Dusun resort in a nature reserve near Seremban, 40 miles south of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The resort is adjacent to the 4,000-acre (1,600-hectare) Berembun forest reserve.
Continue reading...Proposal to replace restrictive legislation with independent media council could end closures of outlets but campaigners remain wary
The Malaysian government is considering repealing a restrictive media law and creating an independent watchdog to regulate the industry.
In a move that activists hope will become the first of many to improve press freedom in the country, the government is discussing the abolition of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).
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