Scientists scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a toad species last seen in 1924 by European explorers and provided the world with the first photographs of the colorful, spindly legged creature, a researcher said Thursday.

In recent years, the Washington-based Conservation International placed the Sambas stream toad, also known as the Bornean rainbow toad, on a world "Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Frogs" and voiced fears it might be extinct.

The U.N. human rights office expressed disappointment Tuesday at Malaysia's crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, saying that police appeared to have used excessive force.

Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon and arrested more than 1,600 people to end a rally to demand electoral changes on Saturday, drawing intense criticism from human rights groups.

Malaysian police on Thursday shot in the head a man who took 30 pre-school children and four teachers hostage at a kindergarten, ending a dramatic seven-hour standoff.

Authorities said all the children and their teachers were rescued unharmed after a sharpshooter ended the crisis in southern Malaysia with a single shot after a team of elite police stormed the building.

Prime Minister Najib Razak is due to meet Pope Benedict XVI mid-July as Malaysia embarks on a plan to establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican, a top official said Tuesday.

"The meeting with Pope Benedict XVI is set for July 18. The meeting with the pope is to show that Malaysia respects all religions," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

British luxury handbag maker Mulberry said Thursday that annual profits more than quadrupled, as the group celebrated its 40th anniversary with stunning sales growth and eyed more global expansion.

Pre-tax earnings rocketed by a staggering 358 percent to £23.3 million ($37.6 million, 26.6 million Euros) in the 12 months to the end of March, Mulberry said in a results statement.

Rights group Amnesty International urged Malaysia on Tuesday to withdraw its invitation to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and arrest him if he travels to the Southeast Asian country.

Bashir and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe are among several African leaders expected to take part in the Langkawi International Dialogue from June 19 to 21.

Malaysia's police chief said Wednesday an Indonesian businessman had been held under the country's tough security laws for recruiting for regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

Police officials on Tuesday said Abdul Haris Syuhadi, 63, had been detained over the weekend at his home in central Selangor state under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for alleged terrorism activities.

A Malaysian social activist will apologize 100 times on Twitter in an unusual settlement with a magazine publisher in a defamation case, his lawyer said Thursday.

The penalty has sparked debate among Internet users about the pitfalls of social media in Malaysia, where authorities have repeatedly warned people to be more cautious about they write on blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

Malaysia's Sepang Formula One event is losing traction, according to the circuit's boss who admitted the shabby stadium and tropical temperatures have caused ticket sales to plunge.

The Malaysian event has also been outshone by neighboring Singapore, which offers not just adrenaline-packed night racing on a street circuit, but teams it with live entertainment by big-name performers like Beyonce.

More than 700,000 condoms have been stolen in transit between Malaysia and Japan, a major Japanese rubber manufacturer said Thursday.

About 726,000 polyurethane condoms were loaded into a container at a factory in Malaysia, said Sagami Rubber Industries, founded in 1934 as the first condom maker in Japan.