YANGON - MYANMAR'S military rulers disbarred a prominent lawyer who applied to defend pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her upcoming trial, the attorney said on Saturday.

Suu Kyi, who was taken from her home on Thursday by police, faces a possible five-year prison term for allegedly violating terms of her house arrest by sheltering an American man who swam across a lake to her home.

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA on Saturday confirmed its second case of swine flu, just a day after announcing its first.

'Malaysia has a second case of the A(H1N1) influenza, which was confirmed by the Institute of Medical research this morning,' the health ministry's deputy director general Ramlee Rahmat told reporters. 'She is a student, she was on the same flight as the first case (and) she is a friend of the first case,' he added.

HONG KONG - THAILAND'S prime minister said his country is getting 'back to business' after months of political and economic turmoil that has felled Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva met with investors, business leaders and officials in Hong Kong on Friday to offer assurances about Thailand's stability after violent protests rattled the international community.