Editor resigns, paper apologizes

Editor resigns, paper apologizes

MALAYSIA: The editor of a newspaper that reported an alleged plot
to assassinate Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his top deputy
has resigned, and the paper published a front-page apology on
Thursday for running the story.

The Sun newspaper's apology said that the Christmas Day
exclusive, which cited unidentified police sources as saying that
local politicians had hired a hitman to kill Mahathir and Deputy
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was based on allegations
that had "no foundation."

Mahathir, leader of this Southeast Asian country for 20 years,
has brushed off the report and said that police had not informed
him of any such plot. He expressed concerns that Malaysia would
get a reputation as a hotbed of terrorism and that the economy
would suffer. --AP