Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigned Thursday after obtaining the consent of the country's constitutional monarch, paving the way for his deputy Najib Razak to be declared the new premier.

Abdullah, 70, arrived at the royal palace in the capital Kuala Lumpur early Thursday, to hand in his letter of resignation.

Government officials said Najib is due to be sworn in as the country's sixth prime minister on Friday.

Abdullah served as premier for slightly over five years, after he took over from former leader Mahathir Mohamad in November 2003.

Johor Baru, Apr. 1 : Malaysia's notorious guest relation's officers are now offering two-in-one services - apart from the regular flesh trade, they are also teaching English to their clients.

In a bid to remain competitive, the flirtatious GROs are doubling up as English tutors to help clients brush their language skills.

"After falling for the flirtatious ways of the GROs and the extra English lessons, the client usually comes back to the entertainment center to seek their services," the Star Online quoted a source, as saying.

Sepang, Malaysia  - Sebastian Vettel is looking to put the mistake that cost him a podium place in last weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix behind him when the Red Bull driver takes his place on the grid for Sunday's Malaysian GP in Sepang.

Vettel lay second with less than three laps remaining at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne when he pulled wide on a corner, and as Robert Kubica of BMW-Sauber tried to capitalize from the mistake, the German crashed into him.

Kuala Lumpur  - A 9-year-old boy said to be suffering from a central nervous system disorder died after he was caned by his teacher at school, official news reports said Wednesday.

The boy complained of dizziness after he was disciplined and caned by the female teacher at a school in the southern state of Negeri Sembilan, said state police chief Osman Salleh.

His parents were alerted, and they immediately sent the boy to a hospital for treatment, Osman was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Singapore - A housewife and her mother were sentenced to jail terms Tuesday after they pleaded guilty to abusing the family's Indonesian maid.

Loke Phooi Ling, 38, a permanent Singapore resident from Malaysia, was sentenced to eight and a half months while her mother, Teng Chen Lian, 67, received a four-week sentence, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

Both women changed their pleas last week midway through their trial in a Singapore district court.

Kuala Lumpur - The Japanese government on Monday pledged a grant of 29.9 million ringgit (8.1 million dollars) to boost Malaysia's maritime security efforts in the Malacca Strait.

"Safety and security in the strait is a high priority not only to Malaysia but also for international users like Japan," said Japanese Ambassador Masahiko Horie during a signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.