Gran spared death penalty

MALAYSIA has decided to abolish the death penalty, a senior minister said with more than 1200 people on death row set to win a reprieve following a groundswell of opposition to capital punishment.

The move means Sydney grandmother Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 54, who was arrested in 2014 and found guilty of drug smuggling by an appeals court in May, will win a reprieve.

Human Rights Watch hailed the “fabulous news”, saying the move would increase pressure on other countries in the region to follow suit.