Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has lost a final bid to have his sodomy trial held in a lower court, ending a long wrangle over where the case should be heard, his lawyer said Thursday.

The Court of Appeal rejected the application and affirmed an earlier decision that the politically charged case should be heard in the High Court. The trial is due to start July 8.

Amid widespread doubts over the standards of Malaysia’s judiciary, Anwar’s supporters have said they fear authorities will be able to manipulate the case more easily in the High Court.

“The decision is not appealable. I am most disappointed with the decision today,” his lawyer Sankara Nair told AFP.

Anwar, 61, has repeatedly rejected sodomy allegations levelled by a 23-year-old former aide; the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago, as a government conspiracy to derail his plan to topple the ruling coalition.
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His mother took the first step Monday when she petitioned the Superior Court of California to be named the administrator of the late singer’s estate. Katherine Jackson said in the filing she was acting to ensure Michael Jackson’s three children are the beneficiaries.

It’s the opening salvo in a complicated battle for a fortune that includes a lucrative music catalog of the King of Pop’s own hits, the rights to songs by the Beatles, and the Neverland ranch that could one day be a tourist attraction.

There’s even an elaborate video production, dubbed the “Dome Project,” that was overseen by Jackson and finished two weeks before he died.

The high stakes and array of people involved will likely make the fight far more convoluted than recent high-profile squabbles over the estates of singer James Brown and ex-Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith.
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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the government will create a special scholarship called Biasiswa Nasional (National Scholarship) under the Public Service Department (JPA) next year based totally on merit.

He said the scholarships would be given to the best qualified students irrespective of race, in line with the Education Ministry’s decision to review the award of government scholarships.

“Only the best will be get the scholarships. It is the government wish to place people first. We must consider the people’s interest,” he said at an MCA dinner at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here tonight.

Najib said the national scholarship was not introduced this year as the Education Ministry had limited the subjects for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
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Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim has suggested that both the “swine flu” and Influenza A(H1N1) terminologies be used by the media in reporting the disease.

This was a better and more accurate way of reporting the pandemic to the public, he said. He added that many international media organisations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, Voice of America and Australian Broadcasting Corporation as well as search engines like Google and Yahoo were using the term swine flu.

“As a responsible ministry, we should use both terminologies when explaining the issue.

“We in the ministry will continue to use the easy-to-understand term. We will use the A(H1N1) terminology but for subsequent mentions, we will proceed with the term ‘swine flu’,” he told reporters after the launching of the “1Malaysia” logo by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak here.
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The cause of Michael Jackson’s death will not be known for several weeks after the Los Angeles County Coroner ordered more tests but no signs of foul play have been found.

Craig Harvey, operating chief officer of the Los Angeles County Coroners office, gave a briefing on the results of the autopsy on the body of Michael Jackson.

A three-hour autopsy failed to reveal a cause of death and toxicology tests are to be carried out with the results expected in four to six weeks.

Coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey said: “The cause of death has been deferred, which means the medical examiner wants additional tests, such as toxicology and other studies.”

Harvey said there were no signs of foul play or external trauma to the 50 year old singer’s body. He refused to comment on any drugs found in Jackson’s body until the completion of the drugs tests which can take up to six weeks to complete.

But Harvey did say the coroner was aware Jackson was taking some prescription medication.
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Entertainer Michael Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, CNN confirmed.
A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson’s home after a 911 call.

Lt. Fred Corral, the Los Angeles County Coroner said Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. Thursday.

He also said Jackson was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital.

Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, said he was told by brother Randy Jackson that Michael Jackson collapsed at his home in west Los Angeles, California, Thursday morning.

Family members were told of the situation and were either at the hospital or en route, Oxman said.

“I can only tell you that the family members are crying,” Oxman said.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.

Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.
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Maid abuse has become the latest irritant in a diplomatic spat between Malaysia and Indonesia, as labour groups press for better protection for vulnerable migrant workers.

Pictures of Indonesian domestic worker Siti Hajar with horrific scars all over her body were splashed across newspapers recently after she was reportedly tortured by her Malaysian female employer for three years.

The 33-year-old, from West Java, says she was beaten with a cane and doused with boiling water. Her employer, 43-year-old Hau Yuan Tyung, has been charged in a Malaysian court and faces a 20-year jail term. Hau denied the charges.

Reliving her painful ordeal, Hajar said she was still haunted by the actions of her employer, who allegedly threatened to kill her if she ran away.

“I still can’t sleep well at night as I always dream of her pouring hot water on me,” she said in an interview with AFP.

“I came here three years ago after the divorce with my husband as I needed money to pay for my two children’s school fees.
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Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has asked a Malaysian court to throw out a sodomy charge against him, two weeks before the start of a trial that he maintains is politically motivated, his lawyer said Thursday.

The government has repeatedly denied Anwar’s claim that the charge was orchestrated to block him from leading a three-party opposition alliance that severely eroded the ruling coalition’s parliamentary majority in the March 2008 election.

Anwar submitted a petition to the High Court on Wednesday that said the case was a conspiracy concocted by his foes in the government, his lawyer Sankara Nair said in a statement.

In his application, Anwar asserted that a medical report dated July 13 last year by a government hospital found no evidence of anal penetration on his accuser.
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After numerous allegations of abuses had been made by his wife, Manohara Odelia Pinot, since they were married, Tengku Temenggong Tengku Mohamad Fakhry Sultan Ismail Petra finally came forward to make a denial.

The son of the Sultan of Kelantan today lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi Police Station at about 7 pm, accompanied by his lawyer, Mohd Haaziq Pillay.

At the press conference shortly after the report was lodged, Mohd Haaziq said:

“I act for Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Temenggong Kelantan; a police report has been lodged this evening by YAM Tengku Temenggong, we will be contemplating legal action with regard to the false allegation by anybody against Tengku.

“We don’t want to make any comment. Let the authorities investigate,” he said.
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