Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said diplomats now have to share the international stage with many more actors, including civil society organizations. [...] In his speech titled “Transfor­mation for 21st Century Diplomats”, the Sultan said long-established and reputable cause-and-issue oriented international NGOs make invaluable contributions to alleviating human suffering.

In Southeast Asia, President Barack Obama has taken a softer tone on human rights and corruption in a part of the world that rights groups claim is rife with abuses.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday said that the India-Japan bilateral relationship has the “greatest potential,” a view that was shared by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Malaysia will set up a regional centre that sends out the "right" message to counter the distorted narrative of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in its recruitment of foreign fighters for its cause.

With malicious intent strongly suspected in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, American intelligence and law enforcement agencies renewed their search over the weekend for any evidence that the plane’s diversion was part of a terrorist plot. But they have found nothing so far, senior officials said, and their efforts have been limited by the Malaysian authorities’ refusal to accept large-scale American assistance.