The Dewan Rakyat, or lower house, of Malaysia’s Parliament on Monday approved legal reforms to abolish the mandatory death penalty for some offences. Capital punishment would be removed as an option for some serious crimes that do not cause death, such as kidnapping and the discharging and trafficking of firearms. “This is an important breakthrough that will cause some serious conversations in the halls of upcoming ASEAN meetings,” he told AFP news agency, referring to the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc