Malaysia delays release of Beauty And The Beast film
KUALA LUMPUR • The Malaysian release for the highly anticipated Disney film Beauty And The Beast has been postponed indefinitely.
The movie, which has met with controversy overseas for including a gay character - Le Fou, played by Josh Gad - was scheduled to open in Malaysia on Thursday.
It has been postponed due to an "internal review", film distributor The Walt Disney Co (Malaysia) said in an e-mail.
No further reason for the postponement was given, and there was no indication of what the new release date would be.
Starring Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast and Luke Evans as Gaston, Beauty And The Beast is a live-action remake of Disney's classic animated feature, which became the first animated film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in 1991.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Vietnam reports avian flu outbreak
HANOI • Vietnam has reported outbreaks of avian flu H5N1 and H5N6 in northern Cao Bang province, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology said yesterday.
The death of chickens was recorded in three separate communities in Cao Bang, the local Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper reported.
Cao Bang's authorities have culled a total of 4,015 chicken and 18 doves.
XINHUA
Jail term for duo in Bali killing
DENPASAR • An Australian woman and her British DJ boyfriend were jailed yesterday over the killing of a policeman who was beaten to death on a beach on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
Sara Connor and David Taylor were convicted of the fatal group assault of officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose battered body was found in the popular tourist area of Kuta in August last year.
Connor, 46, was jailed for four years and Taylor, 34, was sentenced to six years.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Sri Lanka wants more time for probe
COLOMBO • Sri Lanka has asked the United Nations for two more years to investigate war crimes as a previous deadline lapses, Colombo said yesterday.
The request fuelled international concerns of a "worryingly slow" probe.
A UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015 granted Sri Lanka 18 months to establish a credible investigation into abuses committed during the island's 37-year ethnic war.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
