Malaysian opens forum to push African ties (AFP)

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Malaysia's biennial convention to promote economic collaboration with Africa will begin Sunday with the attendance of controversial Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.

Dubbed the Langkawi International Dialogue and a brainchild of ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad, the forum aims to stimulate economic collaboration between Malaysia and a continent beset by conflicts, coups and political turmoil.

The 87-year-old Mugabe, who is banned from travelling to the European Union over his regime's human rights record, arrived in Malaysia on Saturday and will be among leaders from 20 countries expected to attend the four-day event in Putrajaya, south of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Around 500 delegates from countries including Lesotho, Gambia, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya and Namibia will be welcomed by Prime Minister Najib Razak when he kicks off proceedings at the 14th forum, the ninth to be held in Malaysia.

Africa is a good bet for growth, say analysts, with the International Monetary Fund expecting it to expand faster than the global average in the coming years, with six of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies coming from the continent last year.

Malaysia's heavily trade-dependent economy needs to find new markets for the manufactured products, oil and palm oil that it exports.

Deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay said total trade between Malaysia and Africa in 2010 stood at 25 billion ringgit ($8.2 billion), a 39 percent surge from the previous year.

"There are tremendous opportunities for Malaysia. We need to explore the various opportunities," he added.

Officials say investors will meet potential partners and identify opportunities during the forum while leaders will map ways to promote trade and economic ties.

However, the invitation to controversial African leaders with poor human rights records have caused concern among activists with Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, pulling out amid opposition to his presence from rights groups.

Former president of the Malaysian Bar Council Ragunath Kesavan urged authorities to uninvite Mugabe as it will be seen as condoning his abuses.

"We should not engage with Mugabe. We should not add legitimacy to this international pariah," he said.

"It will be seen as condoning and sympathetic to what Mugabe is doing in his country," Ragunath added.

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Aussie parliament condemns Malaysian refugee deal (AP)

CANBERRA, Australia – Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her government will forge ahead with a proposed referee swap deal with Malaysia despite the Australian parliament condemning the policy in a rare show of defiance Thursday.

Australia wants to send 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in return for Australia resettling 4,000 registered refugees from among the 93,000 languishing in that Southeast Asian nation, which has not signed the U.N. Convention on Refugees and has been criticized for their harsh treatment.

The aim is to deter asylum seekers from coming to Australia by boat.

A motion condemning the policy was passed by the House of Representatives with the support of two key lawmakers whose support Gillard's Labor Party relies on to stay in power. The Senate passed the same motion in May.

The Greens party lawmaker Adam Bandt, who proposed the motion Thursday, said it is the first time in the 110-year history of Australia's federal parliament that both chambers have condemned a government policy. That claim could not be immediately verified Thursday.

But while embarrassing for the government, the motion does not force the government to change it plans.

Gillard's government commands a single-seat majority in the House of Representatives with the support of Bandt and three independent lawmakers. But her fragile government does not need to pass laws to implement the deal with Malaysia so does not need the parliament's endorsement of the plan.

Gillard said the policy was necessary to stop an increasing number of asylum seekers from paying people smugglers to bring them by boat from transit points in Malaysia and Indonesia.

"I intend pursuing the discussions of the Malaysia agreement to finality and then I intend to implement it because I intend to break the business model of the people smugglers," she told Parliament.

The plan, first announced last month, has been criticized by rights advocates including the U.N. human rights commissioner.

The government has promised that the deal will have the endorsement of the U.N. refugee agency UNHRC.

Australia has sent a delegation to Geneva to discuss details of the plan with UNHCR officials.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen played down media suggestions that the visit could indicate that UNHCR support for the deal is collapsing.

"It's singularly unsurprising that there might be a meeting in Geneva as well as a meeting in Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere as we sort out finer details," Bowen told Sky News television on Thursday.

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Landslides bury Malaysian orphanage

(CNN) -- Rescue workers were looking for at least a dozen children reported missing following two landslides that buried a Malaysian orphanage, killing at least 16 people and injuring nine others, the nation's official news agency reported Sunday.

Rescue workers scoured the area for up to two dozen children believed buried in the landslides that hit the orphanage near Hulu Langat, southeast of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the Bernama news agency said.

It was not immediately clear how many of the 16 killed were children. Earlier reports said the bodies of at least five children, between the ages of 11 and 14, were pulled from the debris.

Eight children, between the ages of 11 and 17, and a 22-year-old adult were pulled out alive from the debris by rescue workers and villagers, Selangor Police Chief Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said at a news conference late Saturday. But rescue workers were still searching for dozens missing, the police chief said.

The landslides, which were triggered by heavy rains Saturday, struck the orphanage at about 2:30 p.m., while many of its 49 male residents, including five adults, were outside setting up tents on the hillside for an outdoor event later in the day, the police chief said.

"We understand that two landslides occurred within seconds of each other. All of them in the camp were trapped," Tun Hisan said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he "instructed relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the mishap," the news agency said.

A nearby mosque was also struck by the landslides, though it was not immediately known whether there was anybody in the building at the time.

There were conflicting reports about the number of children in the area at the time of the landslides.

The prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, told the news agency that about 70 children were believed to have been sent to orphanage to attend a "Teaching In English" program and "that some of them were victims."

The prime minister, who was attending meetings in the United States, said the government would rebuild the orphanage and provide payments to the victims.

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Malaysian cyclist has wood removed from leg after crash

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang staggered across the line at the Track World Cup with a bronze medal and a 7.8-inch piece of wood sticking through his left calf.

After a crash at the Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England on Saturday, a 7.8-inch piece of wood got stuck in the left calf of Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang.

Awang had surgery Sunday to remove the massive splinter, a day after a crash at the Manchester Velodrome sent it through his leg.

Awang managed to remount his bike after the high-speed crash in Saturday's Keirin final and stagger across the line to claim a bronze medal.

He was rushed to the hospital but doctors waited until Sunday to carry out the procedure to remove the splinter.

"Operation done. Splinter taken out cleanly," Awang wrote on his Twitter account. "Thanks for the prayer n support."

Awang, who is renowned for his trademark wheelie as he crosses the line, has been ruled out of the world championships next month.

"He was in a lot of pain but he's a really tough kid, all these Keirin riders are," Malaysia coach John Beasley was quoted as saying on the Daily Telegraph website. "It was decided to leave it overnight to get a specialist surgical team in and scan the injury from all angles to aid the operation.

"The good news is that there doesn't appear to be much nerve damage, which is your first worry."

The focus now for the 23-year-old Awang is getting back in shape in time for the 2012 Olympics in London.

"We will take it easy now and travel back to Melbourne, where we are based, next week and take our time with the recovery," Beasley said. "Another thing to avoid with these injuries is infection after surgery. His season is obviously over so there is no rush — our priority now is to get him right for the Olympics.

"I've been involved in cycling a long time and you hear tales of these injuries, riders being speared through the ribs, but that is by far the worst I have seen, although initially I wasn't aware of it."

British rider Jason Queally, the Sydney Olympic champion in 2000, now rides only against the clock — rather than elbow-to-elbow races — after crashing at an Edinburgh track in 1996 and being pierced by an 18-inch piece of wood.

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Malaysian cyclist has wood removed from leg after crash

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang staggered across the line at the Track World Cup with a bronze medal and a 7.8-inch piece of wood sticking through his left calf.

After a crash at the Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England on Saturday, a 7.8-inch piece of wood got stuck in the left calf of Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang.

By Jon Super, AP

After a crash at the Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England on Saturday, a 7.8-inch piece of wood got stuck in the left calf of Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang.

Awang had surgery Sunday to remove the massive splinter, a day after a crash at the Manchester Velodrome sent it through his leg.

Awang managed to remount his bike after the high-speed crash in Saturday's Keirin final and stagger across the line to claim a bronze medal.

He was rushed to the hospital but doctors waited until Sunday to carry out the procedure to remove the splinter.

"Operation done. Splinter taken out cleanly," Awang wrote on his Twitter account. "Thanks for the prayer n support."

Awang, who is renowned for his trademark wheelie as he crosses the line, has been ruled out of the world championships next month.

"He was in a lot of pain but he's a really tough kid, all these Keirin riders are," Malaysia coach John Beasley was quoted as saying on the Daily Telegraph website. "It was decided to leave it overnight to get a specialist surgical team in and scan the injury from all angles to aid the operation.

"The good news is that there doesn't appear to be much nerve damage, which is your first worry."

The focus now for the 23-year-old Awang is getting back in shape in time for the 2012 Olympics in London.

"We will take it easy now and travel back to Melbourne, where we are based, next week and take our time with the recovery," Beasley said. "Another thing to avoid with these injuries is infection after surgery. His season is obviously over so there is no rush — our priority now is to get him right for the Olympics.

"I've been involved in cycling a long time and you hear tales of these injuries, riders being speared through the ribs, but that is by far the worst I have seen, although initially I wasn't aware of it."

British rider Jason Queally, the Sydney Olympic champion in 2000, now rides only against the clock — rather than elbow-to-elbow races — after crashing at an Edinburgh track in 1996 and being pierced by an 18-inch piece of wood.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

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Malaysian cyclist has wood removed from leg after crash

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang staggered across the line at the Track World Cup with a bronze medal and a 7.8-inch piece of wood sticking through his left calf.

After a crash at the Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England on Saturday, a 7.8-inch piece of wood got stuck in the left calf of Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang.

Awang had surgery Sunday to remove the massive splinter, a day after a crash at the Manchester Velodrome sent it through his leg.

Awang managed to remount his bike after the high-speed crash in Saturday's Keirin final and stagger across the line to claim a bronze medal.

He was rushed to the hospital but doctors waited until Sunday to carry out the procedure to remove the splinter.

"Operation done. Splinter taken out cleanly," Awang wrote on his Twitter account. "Thanks for the prayer n support."

Awang, who is renowned for his trademark wheelie as he crosses the line, has been ruled out of the world championships next month.

"He was in a lot of pain but he's a really tough kid, all these Keirin riders are," Malaysia coach John Beasley was quoted as saying on the Daily Telegraph website. "It was decided to leave it overnight to get a specialist surgical team in and scan the injury from all angles to aid the operation.

"The good news is that there doesn't appear to be much nerve damage, which is your first worry."

The focus now for the 23-year-old Awang is getting back in shape in time for the 2012 Olympics in London.

"We will take it easy now and travel back to Melbourne, where we are based, next week and take our time with the recovery," Beasley said. "Another thing to avoid with these injuries is infection after surgery. His season is obviously over so there is no rush — our priority now is to get him right for the Olympics.

"I've been involved in cycling a long time and you hear tales of these injuries, riders being speared through the ribs, but that is by far the worst I have seen, although initially I wasn't aware of it."

British rider Jason Queally, the Sydney Olympic champion in 2000, now rides only against the clock — rather than elbow-to-elbow races — after crashing at an Edinburgh track in 1996 and being pierced by an 18-inch piece of wood.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

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