Readwrotes Blog

Sat, Jun 27, 2009 The Star PETALING JAYA, Malaysia: The Tengku Temenggong of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Sultan Ismail Petra has ordered his estranged wife Manohara Odelia Pinot to return to him by July 2, failing which he will proceed with legal action. Stating that he was her lawful husband under Syariah law, he said Manohara's rightful place was by his side and that she should obey him as long as it was according to the law. Tengku Muhammad Fakhry said this to Manohara in a letter that was passed to his lawyer in Indonesia to be forwarded to her. A copy of the letter was also sent as a press release to the media by his lawyer Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar here yesterday. Tengku Muhammad Fakhry's letter further read that he had engaged Zainul Rijal as his Syariah lawyer and Mohd Haziq Pillay as his civil lawyer. Manohara, 17, a former Indonesian teen model, had fled from her husband on May 31 when the...

i ndonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari (C) speaks during a press conference in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, June 24, 2009. Supari confirmed here on Wednesday that a 37-year-old Indonesian pilot and a 22-year-old British woman were tested positive for A/H1N1 flu virus in the country. It is the first time for Indonesia to report A/H1N1 flu cases. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) JAKARTA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari confirmed here on Wednesday that a 37-year-old Indonesian pilot and a 22-year-old British woman were tested positive for A/H1N1 flu virus in the country. This is the first time for Indonesia to report A/H1N1 flu cases. The minister said that both patients were infected abroad. The pilot visited Perth of Australia on June 16 and China's Hong Kong on June 18 and got medical treatment at Sulianti Saroso Hospital in Indonesia on June 19 because of having fever, Supari said. The Britis...

Indonesian police are still frequently involved in the torture and other abuse of suspects, a new report by Amnesty International says. The organisation says some cases are directly linked to attempts by police to obtain bribes or sex from prisoners in return for better treatment. Women, drug addicts and sex workers are among the most vulnerable. Amnesty says attempts in the last decade to make police more accountable have not stopped widespread abuse. The London-based human rights organisation says some of the abuses involve shootings, electric shocks and beatings. 'Loved not feared' Police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira defended the record of the police, saying: "By 2010 we aim to be an institution loved, and not feared, by the people." The police say restructuring of the force is still in progress, and that there is a mechanism in place to punish officers who take bribes. But Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific deputy director, Donna Guest, said the new report...

By WARREN P. STROBEL McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama acknowledged Friday his hopes for a direct U.S.-Iran dialogue, one of his signature foreign policy initiatives, have been dashed for now by the Iranian government's violent quashing of protests over the disputed June 12 election. Obama's proposed direct outreach to Iran dates back to the 2008 presidential campaign. Even last week, well after Iranian police began beating and shooting at mostly young protesters, the president and his aides insisted engagement was still possible. On Friday, however, Obama said there was "no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks." Nevertheless, Obama said Washington will continue to take part in multi-nation talks with Tehran over its suspected nuclear weapons program "because the clock is ticking," a reference to the poss...

by Jim Farber DAILY NEWS MUSIC CRITIC Saturday, June 27th 2009, 4:00 AM Hershorn/Reuters Britney Spears presents the Performer of the Millennium award to Michael Jackson at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Aug. 29, 2002. Corkery/News Mi...

By BETSY MCKAY The new H1N1 swine flu may cause more-severe illness than similar seasonal strains but may spread less easily, according to preliminary findings from a study of ferrets to be published soon by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists. CDC officials said Friday they received reports of nearly 6,300 new U.S. cases in the past week, more than in any other week since the outbreak began in late April, signaling the virus isn't letting up despite summer's arrival. Almost all flu cases now tested are the new H1N1 flu rather than regular seasonal flu, the agency said. U.S. government officials and manufacturers are preparing to produce 600 million doses of vaccine for the H1N1 virus, an effort that would dwarf seasonal-flu campaigns and would include enough for those vaccinated to receive two doses. As many as 60 million doses could be ready by September, they said at a meeting Friday of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. But f...

By AMIR EFRATI Ruth Madoff, the wife of one of the most reviled swindlers in history, has agreed to give up almost $80 million worth of assets, keeping just $2.5 million in cash in an agreement reached with federal prosecutors. The settlement with the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, which brought the criminal case against her husband, Bernard Madoff, was approved late Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin, who is scheduled to sentence Mr. Madoff on Monday. The settlement involving Mrs. Madoff was finalized alongside a court order of forfeiture against Mr. Madoff in the amount of $170 billion, which represents the amount of money that prosecutors say flowed into his investment firm. However, that massive amount is likely largely symbolic and simply an indication that prosecutors can tap any assets of Mr. Madoff's they can find. Much of that money went back out to investors in the form of withdrawals but also funded the Madoff family's lavish lif...