PETALING JAYA: The 15 foreign seamen who were stranded in the MV Banga Biraj for over a year before being rescued on June 3 off Northport are seeking the Human Resources Minis­ter’s help to expedite their travel home.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor says there is evidence that Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi ordered the rape of hundreds of women as a weapon against rebel forces.

BANGI: The Rural and Regional Development Ministry will build 5,692 houses and repair 3,454 others this year, minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said yesterday.

Shafie said from January until May 27, the ministry built 548 houses and repaired 531 houses across the country.

KUALA LUMPUR: A new diploma course in humanitarian affairs put together by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS), International Islamic University and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is expected to be open to the public by the end of the year.

PETALING JAYA: Some 37,000 estate and mill workers in one of the country's largest plantation companies will have their basic wages raised by RM200 per month from July 1.

The new wage scheme will see the salaries of Sime Darby's workers and non-executive staff increase to between RM1,050 and RM1,100, from RM850 and RM900 previously.