Kuala Lumpur

A rash of cases of Malaysian women being tricked into having sex with fraudulent "healers" has prompted a warning from authorities for women to beware of smooth-talking con men. In the latest case, a 41-year-old woman was tricked into having sex dozens of times with a medium who claimed to be the "Ninth Emperor of the Kingdom of God".

A 33-year-old Malaysian man who married a 104-year-old woman said it was "God’s will" that he tie the knot with someone old enough to be his great grandmother. "It may seem strange to those who don’t understand us but I have found peace since we got married two months ago," said Muhammad Noor Che Musa.

Malaysian wildlife officials denied capturing a baby "Bigfoot" on Thursday, amid fevered speculation over the existence of the mythical creature in the nation’s southern jungles. The <i>Berita Harian</i> newspaper reported that a young Bigfoot was caught by a group of men thought to be from the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) near the southern town of Kota Tinggi two weeks ago.

A Malaysian executive was killed when his head was struck by a helicopter’s whirling rotor blades in the northern Penang state. Joseph Chan Sum Foo (45), general manager of a construction company, was struck on Thursday after he helped five school children onto the helicopter, which was used in an event to promote his company’s latest property development site.

Australia, Britain and New Zealand may play a role in securing the piracy-prone Malacca Strait but the sovereignty of bordering states would be safeguarded, Malaysia’s defence minister said on Monday. "They are interested in the situation in the Straits of Malacca," Najib Razak said after talks with the armed forces chiefs of Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and Singapore.

A former Malaysian snake farm worker may have set a new world record after kissing a poisonous snake 51 times in three minutes, a report said on Sunday. Shahimi Abdul Hamid’s feat in kissing the 4,6m-long king cobra weighing 10kg 51 times in three minutes and one second was a record waiting to be verified, the <i>Sunday Star</i> newspaper said.

An international piracy watchdog on Friday warned of fresh attacks off Somalia after heavily armed pirates fired on a United Nations food aid ship. ”About five pirates armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades tried to hijack the UN-chartered ship,” said Noel Choong, head of the Piracy Reporting Centre of the London-based International Maritime Bureau.

A 16-year-old who claims he was knocked off his motorbike by a road safety official in northern Malaysia has received a bicycle from the government — as a reminder that he should stick to pedal power until he gets a driving licence. Villagers allege that an officer hurled a chair at the young man, causing him to crash in a heap.

Amri Abdullah, convicted and jailed for cheating, has paid his dues to society. Now he wants the Malaysian government to pay him his dues — -million for holding him an extra 217 days in jail because of an administrative error, a news report said on Thursday.

A Malaysian snake charmer announced on Thursday that he will attempt to kiss a poisonous snake 50 times in 10 minutes in an attempt to break a current world record. Shahimi Abdul Hamid (33) said he plans to attempt the feat in March this year at the hill resort of Genting Highlands.

A Malaysian man is claiming a new record after teaching non-stop for 88 hours, in a feat involving hundreds of students which left him with a sore back and high blood pressure, a report said on Friday. "My doctor actually advised me against doing this, but I was determined to show my love for teaching," A. Elanthevan told the <i>New Straits Times</i>.

The pen probably isn’t mightier than the sword — and sometimes it runs out of ink as well. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi got a helping hand on Wednesday from an unlikely source, rival Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, when his pen didn’t work as the two leaders signed the inaugural declaration of the East Asia Summit.

A Kuala Lumpur bank’s computer glitch resulted in an eight-year-old boy being summoned to settle a loan that he purportedly stood as a guarantor for, a report said on Tuesday. According to the bank located, Desmune How signed as guarantor four years ago for a car loan taken out by one Zakaria Hamdan.

A Malaysian university on Monday defended its decision to compel non-Muslim women to wear headscarves at graduation ceremonies, after drawing criticism from student leaders and civil society groups. "IIU will stand by its decision. We will not change it," said International Islamic University Malaysia public relations director, Shamsul Azhar Mohamad Yusof.

An idyllic wedding planned by two Brazilians on a Malaysian island ended in a violent brawl after a member of Malaysia’s royal family led a group of rowdy gate-crashers to the nuptials, police said on Tuesday. About 90 guests from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan and Singapore had gathered on Saturday for the wedding.

Demand for palm oil, which is widely used in processed foods, is driving the orang-utan towards extinction by speeding the destruction of their forest habitat, Friends of the Earth said on Friday. The campaigners said Asia’s only great ape could be wiped out within 12 years unless there was urgent intervention in the palm oil trade, which it said was also linked with human rights abuses.

World champion Valentino Rossi says he is confident of capturing his seventh MotoGP world title in Malaysia this weekend, after crashing out of the Japanese Grand Prix last week. ”I am not feeling any more pressure than before and I will be riding to win at every round,” the 26-year-old Yamaha rider said in an e-mail.

A Malaysian prison is offering adventurous travellers the chance to experience the joys of prison life — right down to the food and lack of toilets. Johor Baru prison, Malaysia’s oldest, has been turned into a visitor’s centre and is offering an overnight package for 50 ringgit (about R81). But so far there haven’t been any takers.

Malaysians rushed to pay up their traffic fines on Thursday after the police offered a 50% discount on 3,4-million unpaid summonses as part of efforts to clear a huge backlog. Police reported a good response to the discount, which started on Thursday and lasts until September 22.

Anger over Indonesia’s inability to douse forest fires that have smothered parts of Malaysia with a dangerous haze mounted on Friday as the crisis worsened in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The opposition Democratic Action Party held a protest at the Indonesian embassy in pollution-shrouded Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia’s west coast was plunged into twilight on Thursday as thick yellow clouds of smoke from Indonesian forest fires rolled in from the sea, engulfing ports and villages. The Malaysian government imposed a haze emergency in two towns, closing workplaces indefinitely and banning all burning activities.