Malaysia

A hazardous haze dissipated in Malaysia, but anger mounted against Indonesia for failing to control forest fires at the root of the pollution, which forced the closure of schools and workplaces and increased respiratory ailments. "Enough Is Enough, Indonesia," said a headline in the Star newspaper. The haze is caused by the annual fires on Sumatra island -- across a narrow strip of sea from Malaysia -- where farmers, plantation owners and miners clear land during dry weather.

Indonesia will prosecute 10 companies, eight of them Malaysian, for illegally lighting fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island that have enveloped much of Malaysia in smoke, Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban said. The haze, which began Aug. 2, has forced the closure of schools and workplaces and dramatically increased respiratory ailments. Farmers, plantation owners and miners on Sumatra, near Malaysia, light fires to clear land during dry weather.

Madonna's performance was struck from Malaysia's television broadcast of the Grammy Awards because her skimpy outfit and steamy dance moves were too risque for audiences in this Muslim-majority nation, a network official said Friday. The Grammys aired Thursday night on Malaysia's 8TV station, 12 hours after the show took place in the United States, but Malaysian fans were surprised when the show kicked off without the much-hyped opening act, Madonna and the cartoon-fronted rock group Gorillaz.

Malaysia's leader was expected to retain power easily as voting began in an election that was primarily about deciding how strong the fundamentalist Islamic opposition would be in the mostly Muslim country. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's secular coalition was almost certain to be returned to power nationally and in the vast majority of states after ballots for Parliament and 12 state assemblies are counted today.

Malaysia's ruling coalition suffered its biggest electoral upset ever, losing control of four state governments and more than one-third of parliament, amid public frustration over racial tensions, crime and corruption. It was a humiliating outcome for the National Front coalition, which has governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, and raised questions about the political future of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. A key issue in the elections was disillusionment among ethnic Chinese and Indians, who have long complained of discrimination, particularly an affirmative action system that gives Muslim Malays preference in jobs, business and education.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi assured illegal immigrants that they would not be arrested or persecuted if they left the country voluntarily under an amnesty offer, national news agency Bernama reported. Abdullah said illegal workers should leave immediately to avoid bottlenecks in the closing days of the amnesty. Malaysia has said it hopes to evict 400,000 of its estimated 1.2 million illegal foreign workers during the 17-day amnesty that began Friday.

Harrods department store in tony Knightsbridge shines as a London tourist spot, but will Harrods hotels be as popular? Qatar Holding, which owns the department store that opened in 1849, recently announced plans to launch Harrods hotels in London, Malaysia, New York and Paris. "Qatar Holding ultimately intends to grow Harrods into a global enterprise that defines the luxury retail and leisure sectors," the company said in a statement . "Preference will be given to construct on sites already owned by Qatar Holding or its affiliates," the statement said, including London's Chelsea Barracks in the City of Westminster.

Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby and two of its units Thursday agreed to sell their businesses, marking the first step toward a complex merger involving seven other companies that would create the world's No. 1 palm oil producer. The boards of Sime Darby, its 51%-owned Sime UEP Properties and 70%-owned Sime Engineering Services said they accepted an offer by Synergy Drive to buy their businesses and would ask shareholders to consider the merger plan.

When the young and beautiful second wife of a raja who is second in line to the throne of Perak state was found dead and bound at the foot of a waterfall, the case had a whiff of royal intrigue. The mystery erupted into full-blown royal scandal Friday after police detained the royal's older first wife, Raja Nor Mahani, for questioning about the slaying this month. Malaysian newspapers splashed photographs of Raja Nor being led from court by police after being remanded into custody Thursday.