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Thousands Protest in Muslim Countries against Deadly Egypt Crackdown

Hundreds of Muslims demonstrated in Indonesia and Malaysia Friday against a crackdown on the protest camps of Egypt's Islamists which left almost 600 people dead.

It came as Cairo braced for more protests after supporters of Mohammed Morsi, ousted as president in a military coup last month, called for a "Friday of anger", and the U.N. urged "maximum restraint" from all sides.

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One Killed, Nine Wounded in Thai South Blast

A policeman was killed and nine other people wounded Tuesday in a bomb attack in Thailand's insurgency-hit deep south, officials said, as authorities vowed talks with rebels will continue.

The roadside bomb was detonated by suspected insurgents targeting police who had been called to the scene of a failed ambush on a senior local official in Sungai Padi district, Narathiwat province.

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Malaysia Arrests 10 over Bizarre Claim on Throne

Ten people dressed in ninja-style garb have been detained after they arrived at Malaysia's royal palace in a bizarre attempt to claim the throne, police said Tuesday.

The unarmed group, reported by local media to be suspected followers of a Malaysian Muslim figure claiming royal descent, were stopped by police guards in the confrontations early Monday morning at the palace in Kuala Lumpur.

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40 Indonesians Missing Off Malaysia after Boat Sinks

Rescuers were searching for 40 Indonesians including women and children on Saturday after a boat carrying them home to celebrate the end of the Islamic fasting month sank off Malaysia.

Two ships, four speedboats and two helicopters have been dispatched to scour the sea off southern Johor state to look for the missing, said Amran Daud, an official with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

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Thailand, Muslim Rebels Aim for Ramadan Peace

The Thai government and Muslim rebels have agreed to try to curb violence during Ramadan, a Malaysian official said Friday, marking a new step towards ending nearly a decade of conflict.

An insurgency in the Muslim-dominated region has claimed more than 5,700 lives since 2004 but talks between the Thai authorities and some rebel groups including the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) have brought tentative hopes of peace.

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Kerry Urges Progress on South China Sea Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday urged progress on a code of conduct to govern the hotly disputed South China Sea, after ally the Philippines warned of a Chinese military build-up in the strategically vital waters.

"We very much hope to see progress on a substantive code of conduct to help ensure stability in this vital region," Kerry told foreign ministers of Southeast Asian nations at a meeting in Brunei.

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23 Missing after Boat Flips in Malaysia, 181 Rescued

Twenty-three people are missing in remote Borneo after a boat overloaded with holidaymakers heading home for a festival capsized Tuesday in treacherous rapids on a jungle river, Malaysian police said.

"Twenty-three people are still missing," local police chief Bakar Anak Sebau told Agence France Presse.

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Thousands Defy Malaysia Govt to Hold Rally

Tens of thousands of people rallied near Malaysia's capital Saturday night against alleged electoral fraud, further raising the political temperature after divisive recent polls.

The latest in a series of protest rallies over the May 5 elections -- which the opposition says were won fraudulently by the 56-year-old ruling coalition -- saw a large crowd gather in an open field outside Kuala Lumpur.

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Bomb Kills Four Rangers in Thailand's Restive South

Four paramilitary rangers were killed and two others wounded in an ambush when suspected rebels detonated a bomb buried in a road in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south, local police said Friday.

The mid-morning attack was a grizzly reminder that rebels in Muslim-majority deep south have yet to curb violence against Thai security forces -- or civilians -- despite ongoing peace talks in neighboring Malaysia.

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Malaysian PM Unveils 'Reconciliation' Cabinet

Malaysia's premier on Wednesday unveiled a cabinet line-up which he said would help national reconciliation after a racially divisive election, but which was noticeably light on Chinese faces.

Prime Minister Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, which has ruled multiracial Malaysia for 56 years, fended off the strongest opposition challenge ever in an election marked by anger over racially divisive policies.

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