Sabtu, 24 Mei 2014

The Star Online: World Updates

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: World Updates


Gunman kills six in rampage in California college town

Posted: 24 May 2014 10:20 PM PDT

SANTA BARBARA Calif. (Reuters) - A 22-year-old gunman killed six people before taking his own life in a rampage across a California college town, shortly after he posted a threatening video railing against women, police said on Saturday.

Elliot Rodger, the son of a Hollywood director, stabbed three people to death in his apartment before gunning down three more victims on Friday night in the town of Isla Vista near the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Rodger opened fire on bystanders from his car and on foot in a killing spree that ended when he took his life after a shootout with sheriff's deputies, police said. Authorities found three legally purchased semiautomatic guns, two Sig Sauers and a Glock, and more than 400 rounds of ammunition in his car.

At least 13 people were wounded, including eight who were shot.

In a YouTube video, a young man presumed by police to be Rodger bitterly complains of loneliness and rejection by women and lays out plans to kill those he believes spurned him.

"It's obviously the work of a madman," Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference, adding the community college student had been seen by a variety of health care professionals and that it was "very, very apparent he was severely mentally disturbed." Witnesses reported seeing someone driving a black BMW through the streets and shooting at people in the beachside community where many college students live.

Brown said his department had three times been in contact with Rodger prior to the killings, including once after a family member asked them to check on his welfare last month. Deputies interviewed Rodger but found him to be polite and courteous and took no further action, Brown said.

"He expressed to deputies he was having difficulties with his social life and would probably not be returning to school within the next year," Brown said, adding that deputies determined he did not meet the criteria to be held involuntarily on mental health grounds.

The son of assistant director Peter Rodger on the 2012 film "The Hunger Games," Elliot Rodger had previously gone to authorities to report a roommate had stolen some candles. Another time, he reported being the victim of an assault. Authorities said they later suspected he may have been the aggressor.

"We offer our deepest, compassionate sympathy to the families involved in this terrible tragedy," lawyer Alan Shifman told reporters outside the family home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, reading from a prepared statement on behalf of the family.

"We are experiencing the most inconceivable pain and our hearts go out to everyone involved," he added.

WROTE MANIFESTO A YouTube video police were studying shows a young man who identified himself as Elliot Rodger pouring out his hatred of women who have rejected him and "popular kids," and threatening to kill people out of loneliness and sexual frustration. "You girls have never been attracted to me. I don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me. But I will punish you all for it. It's an injustice, a crime," he said in the video, his speech punctuated by bursts of laughter. The clip, since removed from YouTube as a violation of its policies, appeared to have been uploaded to YouTube on Friday night, shortly before the shooting. Brown said Rodger had also penned a 141-page manifesto, in addition to posting several disturbing videos.

Rodger's killing spree appeared to begin in his apartment, where he repeatedly stabbed three men, killing them and leaving behind what Brown described as a horrifying crime scene.

He then made his way to a nearby sorority house, whose members heard aggressive knocking on the door for at least a minute. But no one from the collegiate women's organization answered, Brown said.

He said that shortly afterward, witnesses reported seeing Rodger shoot three young women outside the sorority house. Katherine Cooper, 22, and Veronica Weiss, 19, died.

Driving off to a nearby delicatessen, Rodger shot dead 20-year-old UCSB student Christopher Michael-Martinez, Brown said. Police responded and Rodger fled in his car.

He shot at pedestrians as he drove, traded fire with police and struck two bicyclists before he crashed his car and officers found him with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Brown said. Richard Martinez told reporters that his son Christopher was an English major who wanted to go to law school.

"Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA," Martinez told reporters outside the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, close to collapsing from emotion. "They talk about gun rights, what about Chris' right to live? When will this insanity stop?"

The National Rifle Association, or NRA, supports the right to own and carry firearms, saying responsible gun owners should not be punished for mass shootings.

'TRIGGER HAPPY'

Trent Anderson, 21, a student at Santa Barbara City College, said in a phone interview that he and a friend went to the deli to get food and then walked away a short distance when they heard shots fired.

"It sounded like six to eight shots," Anderson said. "He just blasted it up. He unloaded the clips so fast it sounded like fireworks, he was trigger-happy." The incident was the latest mass shooting in the United States, where schools, shopping malls and military bases have been scenes of such crimes. In December 2012, 20 children and six adults were killed at an elementary school in Connecticut, six months after a gunman killed 14 people in a Colorado movie theater. The deadliest U.S. mass shooting in modern times was in 2007, when a student at Virginia Tech killed 32 people.

Following the latest attack, a crowd of about 5,000 people, most of them holding candles, met at UCSB for a vigil and then filled the narrow streets of Isla Vista as they converged on a park. The largely college-age crowd walked in a silence broken only by their footsteps on the pavement.

(Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis, Peter Cooney, Jonathan Allen, Jonathan Alcorn, Kevin Murphy, Ellen Wulfhorst; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Frances Kerry, Bill Trott and Lisa Shumaker)

Colombians vote for president with peace talks in the balance

Posted: 24 May 2014 10:16 PM PDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombians vote for a president on Sunday in the tightest election in two decades that may determine whether the country continues peace talks with leftist guerrillas or steps up its battlefield offensive to end a 50-year war.

The vote has largely become a plebiscite on President Juan Manuel Santos' strategy of negotiating disarmament of Marxist FARC rebels to end bloodshed that has killed some 200,000.

Right-winger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga dismissed the talks as pandering to terrorists and suggested he would scrap them in favour of U.S.-backed military campaigns similar to those led by his mentor, former President Alvaro Uribe.

Santos and Zuluaga are polling neck-and-neck following a race marred by accusations of electronic espionage and drug-linked campaign financing. Neither is seen winning enough votes to avoid a June 15 run-off.

"Peace is the hope for humanity, and Santos is peaceful, not a warrior," said Arley Bustos, 48, who was selling umbrellas and World Cup stickers on a street Bogota. "Peace will bring us progress."

Uribe fell out with Santos, 62, when the president launched peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) instead of sticking to the eight-year strategy of forcing the group's surrender on the battlefield.

Santos appeals to Colombians who hope the guerrillas will finally lay down arms after seeing top leaders killed and their numbers halved to about 8,000 fighters.

PAST PEACE FAILURES

The talks in Cuba have yielded agreements on three items of a five-point agenda, including one deal just signed in which the FARC agreed to step away from the drug trade.

But Zuluaga has galvanized conservative Colombians who believe the talks will fail like three similar attempts since the 1980s, including a 1999 peace deal that let the FARC bolster its ranks and boost involvement in drugs.

Three other candidates also on the ballot have mostly polled in single digits and are not seen reaching the second round.

While Colombians are desperate to see an end to the killing, many are outraged that guerrilla leaders accused of crimes against humanity could be pardoned or hold political office.

"All politicians promise peace, but we haven't seen progress and the guerrillas keep killing soldiers," said Otilia Tibovizco, 60, selling food on a Bogota street corner.

Zuluaga has travelled the country with Uribe, from coca farms in the south to cattle ranches in the northwest, reminding voters of how Uribe's confrontation of insurgents gave Colombia its biggest security gains since war broke out in 1964.

Polls show him surging over the last month to catch or even overtake Santos.

Those surveys may not reflect last-minute scandals including accusations that Zuluaga's campaign sought to sabotage the peace talks by hacking the negotiators' emails and allegations that Santos took drug money during his 2010 campaign.

Both deny wrongdoing.

The two candidates broadly back the same economic platform of attracting foreign investment, boosting output of oil and minerals and maintaining cautious fiscal policy that is applauded by Wall Street.

(Additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Helen Murphy and Lisa Shumaker)

Polling stations open in Ukraine's presidential election

Posted: 24 May 2014 10:15 PM PDT

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian polling stations opened on Sunday in a presidential election overshadowed by violence in the country's mainly Russian-speaking east and by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

Voting began at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) across the former Soviet republic of 45 million people. It will end 12 hours later, when exit polls will indicate a result ahead of an official outcome on Monday.

Voters will find many polling stations shut in the east, where armed pro-Moscow separatists are trying to block an election they say is illegitimate. European election monitors have largely pulled out of the Donetsk region, citing a separatist campaign of "terror" against Ukrainian officials.

Opinion polls put Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire confectionery magnate, well ahead of his rivals in an election expected to draw a high turnout. If no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote a run-off election will be held on June 15.

(Reporting by Gareth Jones)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews


Here's your chance to be in the new 'Star Wars'

Posted: 22 May 2014 01:30 AM PDT

J.J. Abrams invites everyone to be part of Star Wars: Episode VII — and support a Unicef initiative at the same time — in a special video message.

Filmmaker J.J. Abrams, who is currently on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII in Abu Dhabi, has recorded a special message inviting everyone to be a part of the movie, and make a necessary change in the world at the same time.

Abrams announced the launch of Star Wars: Force For Change, a Star Wars initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm that is dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign, which is also in collaboration with Abrams' production company Bad Robot, will raise funds and awareness for Unicef's Innovation Labs and its innovative projects benefitting children in need.

Disney has committed US$1mil (RM3.2mil) to the project, but for the rest of us who don't have as much extra cash to spare, we can also pledge for as little as US$10 (RM32). The best part about donating (apart from that warm, fuzzy feeling you get from knowing that you've helped) is that you automatically get the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be in Star Wars: Episode VII!

JJ Abrams meets a friend

This campaign, which kicked off earlier today, will run until July 18 (11.59pm PST). You now have 57 more days left to take part.

The grand prize includes an air ticket to London (where the film will shoot at Pinewood Studios) for the winner and a guest, as well as accommodations. The winner will be considered Abrams' "VIP guest", thus garnering him/her behind-the-scenes access to the movie as well as the opportunity to meet members of the cast.

Last of all, the winner will be transformed into a Star Wars character and then filmed for a scene in the movie.

The more money you pledge, the more chances you get to win the 'contest'.

Some of the rules and regulations are posted on the YouTube page of the video message: Firstly, you need to be 18 years old to participate. Another important note is that Belgium, Italy, Malta, Singapore and Thailand residents are not eligible for entry (!).

Malaysia is not mentioned anywhere in the statement, but you may need to get clarification from the organisers (or Abrams himself, if he's not too busy) on eligibility.

Star Wars: Episode VII is set for a December 2015 release and features some of the original actors from the first three films – Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels – as well as Domhnall Gleeson and John Boyega.

Head over to StarWars.com/ForceForChange for details of the rules and regulations, or visit omaze.com/starwars for more information on how to make a donation.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Business


Why investors make bad choices

Posted: 24 May 2014 04:43 PM PDT

Investments are a very serious matter. As with other important aspects of our lives, proper decision-making is integral when it comes to investing. While not every investment decision we make can be 100% accurate, we do possess the necessary prudence to differentiate what a smart choice is from a less ideal choice.

So, despite having the aforementioned prudence, why do we still make ill-advised choices in terms of investments? There are three factors that affect our choices, as these are closely in line with our behaviour.

Availability bias

According to behavioural scientists, availability bias is a person's tendency to assume that if a certain incident has happened before, then that incident happens to be "available" or can and will happen again in the future.

The problem is that people also have a tendency to exaggerate on the probability that those events deemed available will happen again.

In terms of investments, availability bias works both ways. For one, investors who have enjoyed a measure of success in a particular investment in the past will have a particular prediction to the same type of investment, even if the results strongly advise against further investments.

By the same token, people who have experienced some form of failure in specific investments will tend to exaggerate the frequency with which such instances do occur, thus clouding their decisions.

Loss aversion

Loss aversion is something that affects investors for the simple fact that nobody likes suffering loss of any kind. In fact, it is theorised that the level of impact loss has on a person is greater than the impact of a gain. This means people will not generally mind not gaining anything, as long as they do not suffer any loss.

From an investment point of view, losses tend to come with the territory. However, it is hard to bounce back from loss, even for seasoned investors.

A loss, especially a significant one, naturally affects choices investors will subsequently make; essentially preventing them from taking risks that may possibly yield high returns because the negative feelings—the disappointment, frustration, pain and even, to an extent, humiliation—associated with the loss are all too much to go through again.

While many will argue that a person tends to harden after several losses, behavioural theorists claim that loss aversion operates mostly on a subconscious level. Most of us even avoid loss without even knowing we are doing it.

Probability neglect

Probability neglect revolves around how people tend to become emotional during high-pressure situations or any scenario wherein there is a weighty consequence to every course of action.

Basically, this means that people get emotionally rattled, so much so that the focus will remain on the worst-case scenario of any situation instead of logically analysing probable scenarios and looking at the situation with a level head.

When it comes to investments, a level head can mean the difference between a smart call and a poor choice. Probability neglect prevents an investor from looking at all the available pieces of information regarding a particular investment—seeing, instead, only the pieces of evidence that reinforces the perceived worst-case scenario.

One solid example of this is the investing attitudes in the market after the recession. After the crash, investors were more reserved in their investing, due not just to probability neglect, but to a combination of all three factors specified here. The huge losses a lot of investors suffered have had most of them second guessing all the investment choices they have made.

After all, if they were wrong once, the possibility remains that they can be wrong again. They have suffered losses they do not wish to suffer through again. And, a lot of them have become focused on the potential of another crash that an objective and logical decision becomes harder to make.

This whole scenario shows that investors, despite all their power, resources and savvy, are also subject to the same kinds of pressures everyday Malaysians face. These factors are all normal human behaviour.

The difference between successful investors and failed ones, however, is not just making consistently right choices, but also knowing how to anticipate and appropriately deal with losses as they come.  

This content is created by Nazirah Ashari for the readers of The Star. Nazirah is Head of Content at CompareHero, the leading Malaysian financial comparison platform, aimed at helping Malaysians save time and money. Visit CompareHero here

Bursa Malaysia to rebound next week on favourable external factors

Posted: 23 May 2014 08:52 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The local bourse is expected to rebound next week due to favourable external factors, said Affin Investment Bank.

Vice-President/Head of Retail Research Dr Nazri Khan said global equity markets should benefit from a relatively dovish tone from the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committe meeting with prospects for easy monetary policy to remain intact for the foreseeable future.

"Signs of global monetary easing paved the way for global equities to edge higher, with underlying support coming from the latest signals from the US Federal Reserve that it was in no hurry to start raising interest rates," he told Bernama.

Nazri expects a positive response to the mega listing of 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Bhd and Boustead Plantations Bhd in late May and June, respectively, to provide the local catalyst to the domestic bourse.

Stock-wise, he said traders should accumulate world cup-linked blue chip stocks which would do well as the event approached, such as TM, Axiata, Digi, Astro, Dutch Lady, Gtronic, MPI, Unisem, IJMPlant and KMLoong.

On the technical front, he said the FBM KLCI closed above the 20-day and 50-day moving average, indicating the trend was still turning up, however, momentum studies were trending lower suggesting an ongoing pullback.

 "We believe this is a temporary correction and a healthy pullback to the 6.2 per cent gain made since early February this year," he said.

Nazri said the next area of upside is the all-time-high near the 1,890 points and ultimately the 1,900 points strong psychological resistance.

From the market breadth perspective, he said there was a slight negative distribution with weekly decliners beating advancers by a moderate four to three on a slightly heavier average daily trade of two billion shares worth RM2.1 billion.

During the trading week, the FBM KLCI hit a fresh all-time high of 1,887.07 points and an intra-day high of 1,889.47 points on Monday.

The Plantation Index fell 150.87 points to 9,215.24, the Finance Index eased 5.66 points to 17,078.19 and the Industrial Index decreased 9.72 points to 3,196.99.

The FBM Emas Index fell 71.52 points to 12,923.95, the FBMT100 Index trimmed 70.54 points to 12,574.26, the FBM Ace erased 70.73 points to 6,598.67 but the FBM 70 improved 16.93 points to 14,049.04. 

Weekly turnover expanded to 9.6 billion shares, worth RM10.5 billion, from last week's 6.71 billion shares worth RM8.66 billion.

Main market volume rose to 7.42 billion shares, valued at RM10.03 billion, from 5.32 billion shares, valued at RM8.29 billion, recorded last week.

Warrant turnover appreciated to 276.33 million units, worth RM40.8 million, from 179.98 million units, worth RM37.02 million, recorded previously.

The ACE market volume increased to 1.67 billion shares, valued at RM403.68 million, from 1.2 billion shares, valued at RM323.76 million, registered last Friday. - BERNAMA

CPO futures to trade higher next week on speculative buying

Posted: 23 May 2014 08:47 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is likely be trade between RM2,500 and RM2,600 per tonne on speculative buying.

Interband Group of Companies Senior Palm Oil Trader Jim Teh said next week's market could undergo a technical correction in cautious trading on uncertainties surrounding the market.
He said exports were expected to remain strong following the Ramadhan fasting month although the slow demand from China may cap gains.
Production of fresh fruit bunch was also expected to increase in May and June as the weather in these two months were most suitable for production.
For the week just-ended, the futures market was mainly bearish on the back of a stronger ringgit and weaker soybean oil market.
On a Friday-to-Friday basis, June 2014 decreased RM88 to RM2,541 per tonne, July 2014 lost RM67 to RM2,525 per tonne, August 2014 fell RM63 to RM2,517 per tonne while September 2014 slipped RM60 to RM2,582 per tonne. Weekly turnover rose to 171,620 lots from 117,248 lots last week while open interest narrowed to 208,997 contracts from 214,777 contracts last Friday.

On the physical market, June South eased RM20 to RM2,550 per tonne. - BERNAMA

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Nation


Thailand coup: Military assures VIP treatment for those in custody

Posted: 24 May 2014 08:49 AM PDT

BANGKOK: Thailand's military junta assures that those detained following a coup on Thursday, including former prime minister Yingluck Shinawara, are well treated.

However, the military junta declined to say where they are being detained and for how long.

"Former prime minister is being treated as a VIP. We need to provide some good understanding, we need to clarify, to create a good environment," Colonel Weerachon Sukondhapatipak told reporters at the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) at the Army Club, Saturday.

The NCPO deputy spokeman added that "we want them to be themselves".

"They don't have to answer any question and do anything apart from having time to relax and think over the situation," he said.

According to martial law, a person can be detained without charge for no more than one week, and many of those in custody are closely link to Yingluck's brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who is now in exile.

The military junta also tightened its grip on power by dissolving the senate and putting legislative power in its hand.

Anti-coup protests have occurred in the country since Friday with reports stating that at least five anti-coup protesters were detained in Bangkok central business district on Friday night.

There were more protests Saturday against the coup and calls for an early election.

Colonel Wintai Suwaree, the NCPO spokesman, said so far, the military had not taken legal action against anti-coup protesters as they preferred compromise by negotiating with the protesters.

On Saturday morning, about 200 anti-coup protesters gathered to protest in front of a shopping mall in northern Bangkok, and in the afternoon they moved to the Victory monument.

"Return power to the people, we want freedom and election, we don't want a coup," they shouted.

The military junta also allowed television channels to resume normal programming, except for international news channels such as CNN which remained blocked.

The coup will certainly have an adverse impact on the economy of Thailand, especially the tourism sector which targets to attract 27 million tourists this year.

The curfew between 10pm to 5am imposed in Bangkok has already affected nightlife in the capital.

However, thousands of rice farmers will be relieved as army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said that funds have been made available for them and is confident it could be paid within 20 days. – Bernama

Former Sungai Balang rep passes away

Posted: 24 May 2014 08:15 AM PDT

JOHOR BARU: Former state Women and Family Development, Welfare and Health exco Dr Robia Kosai (pic) passed away from heart problems at the Tawakal Hospital in Kuala Lumpur at around 8.30pm Saturday.

Robia, who was the former Sungai Balang state assemblyman, held the exco position for two terms before stepping aside after the 13th General Elections.

It is learnt that Robia had been undergoing treatment at the hospital. She is understood to have had heart surgery earlier this year.

Her remains are expected to be brought to her hometown in Muar where she will be buried.

Bukit Gelugor by-election: EC rejects Abu Backer’s decision to withdraw from polls

Posted: 24 May 2014 07:39 AM PDT

GEORGE TOWN: The state Election Commission (EC) has rejected the last-minute decision of independent candidate Abu Backer Sidek Md Zan (pic) to withdraw from the Bukit Gelugor by-election.

Abu Backer, 46, announced his decision to withdraw from Sunday's byelection at Padang Suria Kampung Melayu on Saturday.

When contacted, Penang EC deputy director Azizan Ahmad said that there could be no withdrawals once the nomination period ended at 10am on May 12.

The Bukit Gelugor by-election was called following the death of its member of parliament Karpal Singh in a road accident on April 17.

The by election will see a four-cornered fight for the seat involving Abu Backer, DAP's Ramkarpal Singh, Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan and independent candidate Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohd Nabi Abdul Sathar.
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Central


Pakistani premier to attend Indian PM-elect Modi's swearing-in

Posted: 24 May 2014 12:34 AM PDT

ISLAMABAD, May 24, 2014 (AFP) - Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif has accepted Indian prime minister-elect Narendra Modi's invitation to attend his swearing-in, his office said Saturday, in a bold diplomatic move aimed at mending strained ties.

Like all other heads of government from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which includes Pakistan, Sharif had also been formally invited by India this week.

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to visit India and attend the swearing-in of... Modi," his spokesman told AFP by telephone.

Modi will take the oath as prime minister on Monday, 10 days after his right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP scored a landslide victory, securing the first majority by a single party in 30 years.

Sharif, who is himself a centre-right leader, has hailed Modi's "impressive victory" and many diplomats hope the two men can thaw ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Japan launches new satellite to survey disasters

Posted: 24 May 2014 12:31 AM PDT

TOKYO, May 24, 2014 (AFP) - Japan successfully launched a new mapping satellite on Saturday that will be used to survey damage from natural disasters and changes affecting rainforests.

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) will be able to see scars left by catastrophes such as Japan's 2011 tsunami as well as monitor progress made in reconstruction, officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

"The satellite was successfully put in orbit," said an official from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, whose H-IIA rocket was used in the launch from a space centre on the southern island of Tanegashima.

The satellite will provide valuable data for Japan, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences 20 percent of all major earthquakes.

Memories are still fresh of the deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 that unleashed a tsunami that devastated the northern Pacific coast, killing more than 18,000 people and triggering the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The island nation is also routinely hit by typhoons while scientists say Mount Fuji could erupt at any time.

The new satellite, nicknamed "Daichi-2", will "conduct a health check mainly of the Earth's land areas in detail," JAXA project manager Shinichi Suzuki said.

The satellite will collect data related to deformation of the Earth's crust, but also the impact of floods and landslides, he said.

The satellite's predecessor was used to monitor damage caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The device uses a special radar to observe the planet's surface at night, during bad weather and even through vegetation.

JAXA plans to use the new satellite to regularly study tropical rain forests, which are difficult to observe because of the thick clouds that frequently cover them. It will also be used to observe snow and ice conditions in polar areas, officials said.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion


Oil painting certified as early work by Dali

Posted: 23 May 2014 07:10 PM PDT

A picture taken on May 22, 2014 shows a copy of an unreleased work by Spanish artist Salvador Dali titled The Intrautirine Birth of Salvador Dali during its presentation in Madrid. – AFP

Bought for RM600 in 1988, owner suspected it was by the artist but did not have proof.

An oil painting sold at a Spanish antique shop over two decades ago for around 150 euros (RM657) has been certified as Salvador Dali's first Surrealist work which he painted as a teenager, art experts said on May 22.

Tomeu L'Amo, a painter and art historian, found the canvas at a store in Girona in north-eastern Spain in 1988 and suspecting it was a work by Dali he paid 25,000 pesetas, Spain's currency at the time, for it.

"I was very happy. I felt like a kid in a candy store," he told a news conference in Madrid to discuss the conclusions of art experts who have studied the work.

"When I saw its colours I suspected it was a Dali. That was my opinion but I did not have proof. I investigated and little by little I realised it was a Dali."

The Intrautirine Birth of Salvador Dali, which depicts angels floating in the sky over a volcano, bears the Spanish artist's signature below a short dedication.

It was dismissed for years as the work of an unknown artist because the signature includes the date 1896 – eight years before Dali was born.

But after subjecting the painting to the latest high-tech tests – including infrared photography, X-rays and ultraviolet radiation – between 2004 and 2013 art experts have concluded that it is indeed the work of Dali and was made around 1921 when he was 17 years old.

The work employs thick brushstrokes with the figures defined by strokes of black and blue pencil, a technique frequently used by Dali, said Carmen Linares, the head of the conservation department at Barcelona's Frederic Mares Museum.

"Infrared photography has improved the visualisation of the black lines thus confirming the use of this technique which is also used in other works by the artist," she said.

'Dali laughing in grave'

Handwriting analysis also concluded that the script used in the ten word dedication in the lower right part of the painting corresponds with Dali's writing style at the time, said Jose Pedro Venzal, a handwriting analyst who was worked for global police body Interpol.

"Writing samples from the dedication and signature coincide with the handwriting and signature which the artist had in the 1920s," he said.

The dedication, which was written in Catalan, also contained a common spelling mistake made by Dali which was corrected so that it is not visible to the naked eye, Venzal added.

Experts also cited as evidence that the painting was made by Dali the fact that he is quoted as saying: "Very young I composed a piece on angels."

L'Amo believes Dali, who had a reputation for making outrageous claims and carrying out media stunts, used numerology to come up with date he put on the painting.

"Dali must be laughing in his grave at the thought that he managed to fool everyone for so many years," he said.

L'Amo said he sold the work earlier this month for an amount which he refused to reveal to a collector who wishes to remain anonymous.

"The painting can be considered the first surrealist work of Dali," said Nicolas Descharnes, a leading Dali expert who has studied the painting.

While the Surrealist movement was not formally founded until 1924 by French writer and poet Andre Breton, the term already existed when Dali made the painting, he added.

Dali died of heart failure in his hometown of Figueres in north-eastern Spain in 1989 aged 85.

He remains a controversial artist, loved for his creative genius but regarded by some as little more than a marketing maestro whose media stunts included burying himself in banknotes and signing books wired to a brain monitor. – AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: South & East


Pakistani premier to attend Indian PM-elect Modi's swearing-in

Posted: 24 May 2014 12:34 AM PDT

ISLAMABAD, May 24, 2014 (AFP) - Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif has accepted Indian prime minister-elect Narendra Modi's invitation to attend his swearing-in, his office said Saturday, in a bold diplomatic move aimed at mending strained ties.

Like all other heads of government from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which includes Pakistan, Sharif had also been formally invited by India this week.

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to visit India and attend the swearing-in of... Modi," his spokesman told AFP by telephone.

Modi will take the oath as prime minister on Monday, 10 days after his right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP scored a landslide victory, securing the first majority by a single party in 30 years.

Sharif, who is himself a centre-right leader, has hailed Modi's "impressive victory" and many diplomats hope the two men can thaw ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Japan launches new satellite to survey disasters

Posted: 24 May 2014 12:31 AM PDT

TOKYO, May 24, 2014 (AFP) - Japan successfully launched a new mapping satellite on Saturday that will be used to survey damage from natural disasters and changes affecting rainforests.

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) will be able to see scars left by catastrophes such as Japan's 2011 tsunami as well as monitor progress made in reconstruction, officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

"The satellite was successfully put in orbit," said an official from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, whose H-IIA rocket was used in the launch from a space centre on the southern island of Tanegashima.

The satellite will provide valuable data for Japan, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences 20 percent of all major earthquakes.

Memories are still fresh of the deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 that unleashed a tsunami that devastated the northern Pacific coast, killing more than 18,000 people and triggering the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The island nation is also routinely hit by typhoons while scientists say Mount Fuji could erupt at any time.

The new satellite, nicknamed "Daichi-2", will "conduct a health check mainly of the Earth's land areas in detail," JAXA project manager Shinichi Suzuki said.

The satellite will collect data related to deformation of the Earth's crust, but also the impact of floods and landslides, he said.

The satellite's predecessor was used to monitor damage caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The device uses a special radar to observe the planet's surface at night, during bad weather and even through vegetation.

JAXA plans to use the new satellite to regularly study tropical rain forests, which are difficult to observe because of the thick clouds that frequently cover them. It will also be used to observe snow and ice conditions in polar areas, officials said.

US suspends $3.5 million in military aid to Thailand

Posted: 24 May 2014 12:29 AM PDT

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2014 (AFP) - The United States Friday suspended $3.5 million in military assistance for Thailand, about one-third of its aid to the ally, and urged Americans to reconsider travel plans after the army seized power.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Washington was also reviewing the rest of US aid to Thailand - which totaled some $10.5 million in 2013 - to look for further cuts.

"We have already suspended approximately $3.5 million" in funding and training for the Thai military, Harf told reporters.

"We are reviewing all programs to determine other assistance which we may suspend."

Harf said the United States was looking through its allocated funding for international bodies, including the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, to identify money directed to Thailand.

The United States has contacted junta leaders to deliver the message, Harf said.

"We urge the immediate restoration of civilian rule, a return to democracy and, obviously, respect for human rights during this period of uncertainty."

Under domestic law, the United States is obligated to suspend assistance to foreign militaries that overthrow elected governments.

In updated travel advice, the State Department recommended that US citizens "reconsider any non-essential travel to Thailand" due to the unrest and restrictions on movements.

It said US government officials would put off all non-essential visits to the kingdom.

"US citizens are advised to stay alert, exercise caution and monitor international and Thai media," the advisory said.

Secretary of State John Kerry has strongly condemned Thursday's coup, saying there was "no justification" and that the move would have "negative implications" for relations between the two countries.

The top US diplomat urged the restoration of a civilian government, respect for press freedom and early elections.

Thailand is the oldest US ally in Asia and provided critical support in the Vietnam and Korean wars.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: TV Tracks

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star eCentral: TV Tracks


Pec-man Terry Crews talks about his addiction to porn

Posted: 23 May 2014 10:37 AM PDT

The well-built actor, who has a new movie out, also speaks candidly about his infidelity in an interview.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Stephen King is set to appear in 'Under The Dome'

Posted: 23 May 2014 07:42 AM PDT

Under The Dome – a TV series – is based on the celebrated author's novel of the same name.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Geeks rule!: 'Big Bang Theory' is the most-watched show

Posted: 22 May 2014 07:57 AM PDT

The popular sitcom has the highest number of viewers in the United States.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my
 

The Star Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved