KUALA LUMPUR: Amnesty International yesterday said Malaysia was a "dangerous" place for refugees who were often abused, arrested and "treated like criminals".

Amnesty said the refugees, mainly from military-ruled Myanmar, were subjected to a litany of abuses as the government did not recognise their status.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) may be the new Parliament House as the cabinet has rejected the RM800-million proposal to build a new building.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the cabinet had proposed that PICC be converted into a new Parliament building.

KUALA LUMPUR: The seven new Suhakam commissioners are committed to protect and promote human rights, although the team has been more than halved to seven from the previous 16.

Chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, for one, is giving up his post as Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations executive chairman to commit to Suhakam full-time.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $1.5 billion on Monday in a joint push with the United Nations to improve the health of women and children, while launching a lobbying effort to get governments and other non-profit groups on board.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has announced the appointment of new members for Suhakam with Tan Sri Hasmy Agam becoming the new chairman.

Hasmy is the Institute of Diplo-macy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) executive chairman, which is under the Foreign Ministry.