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Malaysian Family Jailed over Child's 'Exorcism' Death

A Malaysian high court on Friday jailed three family members who suffocated their two-year-old to death by piling on top of her in a suspected exorcism ritual.

Chua Wan Zuen, aged two, died after being pinned down under a blanket in August last year with eight people, including her parents, crushing her for several hours in an attempt to drive away evil spirits.

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Malaysia Summons Singapore Envoy over Spying Report

Malaysia summoned the high commissioner from neighboring Singapore on Tuesday over a media report that said the city-state helped facilitate U.S.-Australian surveillance in the region.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman had already summoned the heads of the U.S. and Australian missions earlier in November in protest over reports that a vast U.S.-led surveillance network included a listening post in America's Malaysian embassy.

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Malaysia Summons U.S., Australia over Spy Row

Malaysia summoned the heads of the U.S. and Australian missions in protest at spying allegations, its foreign minister said Saturday, as a row over a vast U.S.-led surveillance network deepened in Asia.

China and Indonesia have already demanded explanations from Australia over reports that Canberra's missions were being used to monitor phone calls and collect data as part of American surveillance.

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Malaysia Bans Ke$ha Concert, Cites 'Culture' Clash

Authorities in Muslim-majority Malaysia have banned a planned concert by U.S. pop singer Ke$ha after deciding it would hurt cultural and religious sensitivities.

Concert organizer Livescape said it received a letter about the decision on the eve of the show that was to be held Saturday at a Kuala Lumpur stadium.

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Australia Strikes Deal with Malaysia on Asylum-Seekers

Australia said Friday it has struck a deal with Malaysia to disrupt the transit of asylum-seekers through the Southeast Asian nation to Indonesia, where they board boats heading for Australian waters.

The arrival of thousands of boatpeople has for years proved a major political headache in Canberra and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison estimated that more than half of those who reach Australia come through Malaysia.

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Iran Warns Malaysia against Hanging Iranian Women

Iran's foreign ministry warned Malaysia Wednesday against executing two Iranian women convicted of trafficking methamphetamine into the Southeast Asian country.

"The execution of two Iranian women in Malaysia will have negative effect on our bilateral ties," Hassan Ghashghavi, deputy foreign minister in charge of consular affairs, was quoted as saying by official news agency IRNA.

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Kerry Lauds Multi-Faith Malaysia as Model for World

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry lauded Malaysia Friday as a modern, innovative and multi-faith model for the world, heaping praise on a country the United States regards as a valuable Muslim ally.

On the final day of a curtailed Asian tour in which he has filled in for U.S. President Barack Obama, Kerry said Malaysia's young people were an inspiration for the Arab Spring.

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One Dead after Plane Crashes in Malaysian Borneo

One person died and five were injured when a passenger plane crashed into a house in eastern Malaysia's Sabah state on Thursday, Malaysia Airlines said.

But a woman and her 11-year old son who were in the house's living room at the time escaped unhurt when the aircraft hit the bedroom, dining hall and porch, the New Straits Times reported.

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Fear Grips Western Myanmar after Five Muslims Killed

Terrified women and children hid in forests and security forces patrolled tense villages in western Myanmar on Wednesday, residents said, after sectarian clashes which left five Muslims dead.

President Thein Sein was expected to visit the violence-racked area as part of his first official visit to Rakhine state since a wave of religious bloodshed erupted there last year.

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Obama Cancels Trips to Malaysia, Philippines because of Shutdown

Due to the U.S. government shutdown, President Barack Obama has canceled the Malaysia and Philippines legs of an upcoming trip to Asia, the White House said.

Obama's presence at two international summits -- an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meet in Bali and the East Asia summit in Brunei -- is also in doubt.

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