Mahathir, media advocate?

When he was in power, he silenced the media with ruthless efficiency. Now Malaysia’s former premier Mahathir Mohamad has emerged as an unlikely champion for the country’s bloggers, arguing they provide a valuable source of news. Mahathir, who recently has complained he was being censored by mainstream media, said people were turning to blogs and online news journals because of Malaysia’s controlled media.

Rogue stud

A German veterinarian is transforming the image of an Asian elephant from an attacker to a stud able to help raise the population of the endangered species, Singapore’s Night Safari. The vet extracted semen samples from the 30-year-old bull elephant named Chawang. Chawang gored its zookeeper of 18 years, Gopal Krishnan, in 2001.

Danish film withdrawn

The Danish animated film Princess has been withdrawn from the Singapore International Film Festival after censors ruled that it denigrated a religious symbol, a cross. The production, the first animated feature from Danish director Anders Morgenthaler, focuses on a missionary priest who seeks to erase his dead sister’s past.

Terror network

Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiah has formed an assassination squad to attack police, prosecutors and judges, a Singapore newspaper claims. Citing an Indonesian official, Ansyaad Mbai, head of the anti-terrorism division at Indonesia’s security ministry, said the group planned to target a list of “infidels”.

Frustrating spies

Malaysia has banned mobile phones and installed electronic jamming devices in key parts of its administrative capital to block spying on official discussions. “The widespread use of these devices has serious implications on security,” The Star newspaper quoted Malaysia’s top bureaucrat, Mohamed Sidek Hassan, as saying in a recent message.