TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran said on Monday it wants a review of the UN-brokered nuclear fuel deal, insisting it prefers to purchase the supplies directly from any world producer.

TAIPEI (AFP) - British banking giant HSBC Holdings said Monday it is eyeing acquisition opportunities in emerging markets and plans to open new branches in China.

European palm oil buyers who are refusing to purchase expensive eco-friendly palm oil were named and shamed Monday by environmental campaigners WWF International.

MOHALI, India (AFP) - The Indian team received rousing support from some unlikely fans here on Monday with members of China's national women's cricket squad cheering raucously from the stands.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Maxis, Malaysia's top mobile operator, is tipped to receive a warm welcome back to the bourse this month in an IPO worth around 3.43 billion dollars, billed as the biggest in Southeast Asian history.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia's conservative Islamic party has urged Muslim men to marry single mothers as additional wives instead of "young virgin girls", a state official said.

Search and rescue operations are under way in Malaysia for primary school children feared drowned after a suspension bridge collapsed during a camping trip.

One child died and two others are missing after a bridge collapsed at a campsite in northern Malaysia, sending a group of students plunging into the river below, police said Tuesday.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - One child died and two others are missing after a bridge collapsed at a campsite in northern Malaysia, sending a group of students plunging into the river below, police said Tuesday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A new footbridge across a river collapsed while schoolchildren crossed it during a camping trip in Malaysia, killing at least one girl and leaving two missing and feared drowned in the currents below, officials said Tuesday.

JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (AFP) - Mars Pucay of the Philippines closed in on Indian leader Himmat Rai when he posted a superb second-round seven-under-par 65 at the Iskandar Johor Open on Saturday.

Malaysia slashed government spending in the 2010 budget, moving to rein in a fiscal deficit swollen by stimulus measures aimed at pushing the economy out of recession.

JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (AFP) - India's Himmat Rai stole the limelight by taking the second-round clubhouse lead at the Iskandar Johor Open on Friday with tournament marquee name K.J. Choi hot on his heels.

SEPANG, Malaysia (AFP) - Valentino Rossi is on course to lift his seventh premier class title at this weekend's Malaysian Moto GP, going into the race with a thumping 38-point advantage in the world championship race.

HUA HIN, Thailand (AFP) - Southeast Asian leaders are to officially launch a "historic" human rights body on Friday, despite criticisms that it will be too soft on members such as military-ruled Myanmar.

HUA HIN, Thailand (AFP) - Asian leaders meet in Thailand amid tight security this weekend to discuss ways to deepen economic ties and sustain the region's rebound from the recent global downturn, officials said.

COLOMBO (AFP) - Fear of persecution and a lack of jobs at home are driving thousands of Sri Lankans to risk perilous boat rides to developed countries, according to officials and politicians.

HUA HIN, Thailand (AFP) - Asian leaders meet here this weekend to discuss ways to deepen economic ties further in order to sustain the region's rebound from the recent global downturn, diplomats and analysts said.

VANCOUVER, Canada (AFP) - Detention hearings began for two of 76 migrants who were arrested Saturday on a mystery ship off Canada's coast and are believed to be Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka.

BEYONCE has pulled out of a planned concert in Malaysia after the country's conservative Islamists raised moral concerns about the flamboyantly sexy show.