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Cavendish wins Tour de France 15th stage Posted: 17 Jul 2011 08:43 AM PDT MONTPELLIER, July 17 — Mark Cavendish delivered a textbook sprint in the finale of the 193-km 15th stage of the Tour de France today to snatch his fourth victory in this year's event. Perfectly set up by his lead-out man Mark Renshaw, the Briton surged with 200m to go before the finish line in Montpellier to easily beat American Tyler Farrar and Italian Alessandro Petacchi. The win, his 19th overall in the Tour de France, strengthened the Manxman's top spot in the race for the green jersey. In the points classification, Cavendish now leads Spaniard Jose Joaquin Rojas by 37 points and Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert by 71 points before the second rest day in this Tour. The overall leader's yellow jersey remained on the back of Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, who finished within the main pack. Voeckler leads Luxembourg's Frank Schleck by one minute and 49 seconds with Australian Cadel Evans third 2:06 behind. The long ride along windy roads from Limoux included a long breakaway involving Dutchman Niki Terpstra, Russian Mikhail Ignatyev and Frenchmen SamuelDumoulin, Mickael Delage and Anthony Delaplace. The last of the escapees, Terpstra, was caught two kilometres from the line. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Magical Mickelson joins Clarke in the lead Posted: 17 Jul 2011 08:23 AM PDT Mickelson picked up an early birdie at the second. — Reuters pic SANDWICH, July 17 — World number six Phil Mickelson launched a typically pugnacious charge to join overnight pacesetter Darren Clarke at the top of the leaderboard in the final round of the 140th British Open today. American Mickelson has flattered to deceive at the third major of the season, managing just one top-10 finish in 17 previous appearances, but he showed he meant business by racing to the turn in a wind-defying 30 strokes, five under. Ignoring 35-mph gusts, the strongest winds of the week at Royal St George's, and squally showers, Mickelson picked up an early birdie at the second. He then struck a long, raking approach under the breeze at the par-four fourth, one of the most difficult holes on the links course, before knocking in a 15-foot birdie putt. Mickelson, a four-times major winner, picked up another stroke at the sixth before joining Clarke on five-under by coaxing in a 20-foot putt for an eagle three at the seventh. The triple US Masters champion then produced a laser-guided missile of an approach to 12 feet at the eighth but his putt agonisingly lipped out. Mickelson had a chance to go out in a remarkable 29 strokes but his 15-foot birdie putt slipped by the hole at the ninth to leave him five-under for the championship. Clarke opened with a birdie at the second before bogeying the fourth to go back to his overnight position of five-under. In third place on three-under was Clarke's playing partner Dustin Johnson of the US American Rickie Fowler and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark were on two-under through seven holes. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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‘Harry Potter’ rings up record US$168m box office Posted: 17 Jul 2011 08:33 AM PDT The sum beats the previous record of US$158.4 million held by the 2008 Batman movie, "The Dark Knight." — Reuters file pic LOS ANGELES, July 17 — The final "Harry Potter" film shattered box office records with US$168.6 million (RM507.1 million) in ticket sales over its debut weekend, the best three-day opening ever in the United States and Canada, distributor Warner Bros. said today. The staggering sum for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2," beat the previous record of US$158.4 million over the initial three days for the 2008 Batman movie, "The Dark Knight." Warner Bros is a unit of Time Warner Inc. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Swiss police arrest 21 at Montreux festival Posted: 17 Jul 2011 05:18 AM PDT The arrests came after revellers attacked security guards at the festival. — Reuters pic ZURICH, July 17 — Swiss police arrested 21 people during two nights of clashes between drunken revellers and security at Montreux, one of Europe's most prestigious summer jazz festivals, police said today. They said in a statement they had arrested 11 people, including two minors, on Friday evening and 10 people last evening after festival-goers attacked security guards at the two-week festival which ended yesterday. The drunken crowds threw bottles, rocks and chairs at police and security guards, injuring one guard seriously and several others slightly. Several cars were damaged, the statement said. Carlos Santana and Sting were among the artists who played the 45th annual Montreux Jazz Festival on Lake Geneva, which draws about 250,000 people a year. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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World’s top 10 ugliest buildings Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:45 AM PDT Industriens Hus in Copenhagen is plastered in advertising. — Reuters file pic LONDON, July 17 — Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but then again, so is ugliness and the members and editors of travel website VirtualTourist.com have some very strong opinions about buildings that fall into the latter category. With this in mind the site has announced its third annual list of the world's top 10 ugliest buildings and asked Mark Baez, A.I.A. and Principal Project Designer at Venice, California-based M Designs to comment on the final list. Of one particularly unsightly choice Baez asked "An exercise in geometry in dire need of an exorcism?" Reuters has not endorsed this list: Sheffield Hallam University is said to resemble a mash up of a Jiffy Pop package, a salad spinner and a food processor. — Reuters file pic 1. Sheffield Hallam University; Sheffield, UK Resembling a mash up of a Jiffy Pop package, a salad spinner, and a food processor, this unusual complex was originally built as the National Centre for Popular Music. When it closed down after just over a year of business it was sold to Sheffield Hallam University and is now the school's student union. 2. Grand Lisboa Hotel; Macau With a solid resemblance to the "I Dream of Jeannie" lamp, this flashy structure can at least be admired for its campiness. As if it weren't flashy enough as is, the exterior actually lights up with over one million colourful LED lights. 3. M2 Building; Tokyo-to, Japan A creation of lauded Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the M2 is disjointed, depressing and downright dirty. VirtualTourist.com member "robertbaum" said it all: "The building seems to be used by a funeral service provider." 4. Spruce Tree Center; Saint Paul, Minnesota Proving that it's not easy being green, the Spruce Tree Centre is like an 80s version of the Emerald City. Occupying a significant chunk of city real estate, it almost forces residents to look at it. Critics say Grand Lisboa Hotel is reminiscent of the "I Dream of Jeannie" lamp. — Reuters file pic 5. Palace of Justice; Florence, Italy It's almost impossible to believe that the same city that's home to the Uffizi, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Ponte Vecchio could also be home to this. While it would be a blight almost anywhere, this structure, which looks like three buildings that got into a wreck with each other, seems especially out of place here. 6. Whitney Museum of American Art; New York City, New York While many praise this building's simplicity, others much prefer the aesthetics on the inside. Followers of VirtualTourist's Ugly Buildings lists may be distressed to learn that the museum's new building was designed by Renzo Piano, architect of the Pompidou Center which appeared on the list two years ago. 7. Industriens Hus; Copenhagen, Denmark Whether this advertising-covered box is seen in the harsh light of day or glowing in all its neon glory at night, it's hard to know which is the best (or worst) state in which to view it. Smack dab in the middle of the city, it's all but impossible to avoid. 8. Hong Kong Museum of Art; Kowloon, Hong Kong It's the non-descript factor of this building that seems to bother its critics the most. While it may be bland and featureless on the outside, inside it's a dynamic and fascinating place with over 15,000 separate works of art. 9. Van Gogh Museum; Amsterdam, The Netherlands The bland, almost colourless facade of this museum has little to do with the vibrant, expressive works of the artist to whom it pays tribute. Resembling half of a half-open hatbox, this building looks as if it has yet to be completed. 10. Plattenbauten; Germany Pre-fab, a term that can set the heart of an architect aflutter, is given new meaning in parts of Germany. Glum and impersonal, these charmless apartment buildings which are remnants of the city's communist past look more like storage units than dwellings. Mercifully, many are being either renovated or torn down. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Hong Kong exhibition embraces its love of superheroes Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:08 AM PDT A familiar face pops up in Chow Kar-hoo's "The World's Local Cop," 2011. — AFP/Relaxnews pic HONG KONG, July 17 — Stan Lee knows a good thing when he sees it. The man who created such comic heroes as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man has sent the internet abuzz with news that he is now eying the Chinese market and has plans to help develop the "world's first" Chinese superhero. "I have been eagerly awaiting this great opportunity — a chance to combine the best of American superhero epics with the best of Chinese and Asian classical filmmaking for a motion picture that would be excitedly received worldwide," Lee said in the statement made earlier this month announcing his plans. Down in Hong Kong, the influence of Lee's characters — and indeed of all manner of superheroes — has long been spread throughout all facets of society, a fact that is being reflected in a new exhibition being staged at the city's Shin Hwa Gallery titled "Heroes Next Door." Local artists Chow Kar-hoo and Chris Lam — members of what Hong Kong calls the "post-80s generation" — have turned their attention to the characters they call the "avatars for our hopes, dreams and desires." "The iconic figures have the ability to address serious issues, toward self and society, identity and ideology," Chow said in launching the exhibition, which will run until the end of the month. By placing familiar figures such as Spider-Man and Superman in distinctly "Hong Kong" settings, the artist says he "wishes that the traditions in Hong Kong will not face extinction." Lam's images too mix up recognised characters with current social issues in both Hong Kong and China — hence Captain America's distended jaw depicts the region's growing "greed." The issues raised are pertinent in Hong Kong as the city works towards the government's goal of becoming Asia's "arts hub" — and there is much debate over how much international influence should be allowed in such projects as the city's HK$21.6 billion (RM8.3 billion) West Kowloon Art District. That area is being planned in order to put the city on the world's artistic map, and is in direct opposition to such projects as Singapore's Marina Bay entertainment and arts district. — AFP/Relaxnews Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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176 doktor Perak desak Putrajaya bebas MP Sg Siput, lima ahli PSM Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:32 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Julai — Lebih 170 pakar perubatan yang mewakili pertubuhan perubatan Perak mendesak Putrajaya membebaskan Ahli Parlimen Sungai Siput Dr. Michael Jayakumar dan lima anggota Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) yang ditahan di bawah Ordinan Darurat. Kesemua mereka telah ditahan lebih daripada tiga minggu kerana didakwa cuba memerangi Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Dalam satu kenyataan yang ditandatangani 176 pakar perubatan, kesemua mereka menyifatkan penahanan keenam-enam individu tidak sah selain mendesak Putrajaya melalui Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) membebaskan mereka dengan segera. "Kami mengambil berat dan risau akan penahanan Dr Michael Jeyakumar (gambar) yang juga rakan sejawat kami dan kami bimbang kesihatan beliau akan terjejas ekoran penahanan itu. "Ia satu perkara yang menyedihkan, menyakitkan dan mengecewakan apabila badan kehakiman (yang sepatutnya bebas) menangguhkan tarikh pendengaran permohonan habeas corpus ditangguhkan," katanya kenyataan itu. Tambah kenyataan bersama itu, penahanan Jeyakumar dan lima ahli PSM itu tidak sah kerana tiada bukti sahih yang mengaitkan dengan tuduhan yang dikenakan terhadap mereka. "Malaysia adalah anggota Majlis Hak Asasi Manusia, kerajaan Malaysia seharusnya memberi keadilan selaras dengan kedudukannya dalam majlis ini dengan mengiktiraf hak Michael Jeyakumar dan lima ahli PSM yang ditahan tanpa sah. "Cara terbaik yang boleh dilakukan adalah berpegang kepada prinsip hak asasi manusia dan tidak melanggarnya. "Dengan berpegang kepada prinsip ini adalah tidak adil sekiranya penahanan Michael dan lima yang lain dibuat tanpa mendapat pembelaan seadilnya di mahkamah," katanya. Minggu lalu, ribuan rakyat Malaysia telah menyertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 untuk menuntut pembaharuan sistem pilihan raya. Pada perhimpunan itu lebih 1,600 peserta termasuk pimpinan Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0), Pakatan Rakyat  dan Pemuda Umno ditahan. Sementara itu, Angkatan Warga Aman Malaysia (Warga Aman) berkata pihaknya menyokong lapan tuntutan Bersih 2.0 yang perlu dilaksanakan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR). Lapan tuntutan Bersih 2.0 adalah agar SPR membersihkan daftar undi, mereformasikan undi pos, gunakan dakwat kekal, akses media yang bebas dan adil, tempoh kempen minimum 21 hari, diperkukuhkan institusi awam, hentikan rasuah dan hentikan politik kotor. Selain menyokong lapan tuntutan itu, menurut Setiausaha Agungnya Barathidasan Saminathan, pihaknye mengutuk sekeras-kerasnya kegagasan polis yang dilakukan semasa menghuraikan perhimpunan itu. "Kami mengutuk, kecewa dan kesal dengan tindakan polis dan KDN yang bertindak kejam dengan menggunakan kekerasan terhadap peserta perhimpunan... banyak bukti polis menggunakan kekerasan," katanya. Selain itu, beliau juga mendesak agar kesemua individu yang ditahan di bawah Ordinan Darurat dibebaskan selain menuntut keadilan untuk seorang peserta Himpunan Bersih 2.0 yang meninggal dunia semasa perhimpunan itu. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Semua negara demokrasi benarkan demonstrasi kecuali Malaysia, kata Hadi Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:11 AM PDT AMPANG, 17 Julai — Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang menegaskan semua negara demokrasi kecuali Malaysia sahaja yang tidak membenarkan demonstrasi diadakan walaupun ia termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Jelas Ahli Parlimen Marang (gambar) ini, mana-mana negara demokrasi membenarkan rakyat mengadakan demonstrasi untuk menyatakan hasrat dan rasa hati kepada pemimpin negara. Tegas Hadi, hanya negara komunis tidak membenarkan rakyat meluahkan perasaan mereka. "Semua negara demokrasi moden mengizinkan rakyat meluahkan perasaan bukan sahaja melalui ahli Parlimen, (malah) melalui demonstrasi yang dibenarkan oleh kerajaan. "Di mana kerajaan membenarkan demonstrasi (diadakan) dan polis bertindak mengawal keselamatan, yang tidak benarkan untuk demonstrasi hanya negara komunis," katanya pada sidang media di sini. Hadi berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas kenyataan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak bahawa demonstrasi jalanan bukan jawapan bagi melahirkan rasa ketidakpuasan hati terhadap kerajaan kerana perbuatan itu boleh menjadi terkawal dan mungkin mengakibatkan kecederaan serta kerosakan harta benda. "Sekiranya ada pihak yang masih tidak berpuas hati dengan kerajaan, marilah kita selesaikannya apabila tiba pilihan raya dan biar rakyat yang membuat keputusan. "Kami akan bentangkan kes kami dan pembangkang akan kemukakan kes mereka. Biar rakyat yang menentukannya," kata Najib. Kata Najib: "Kita tidak perlukan semua ini (demonstrasi). Mengulas lanjut mengenai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 minggu lalu, Hadi berkata perhimpunan anjuran Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0) mendapat respons yang menggalakkan daripada rakyat walaupun dihalang pihak keselamatan. "Himpunan Bersih 2.0 yang kita sertai mendapat respons yang positif (daripada rakyat) dengan jumlah yang begitu besar yang datang," katanya yang terlebih dahulu mempengeruskan mesyuarat bulan parti Islam itu. Minggu lalu ribuan rakyat Malaysia telah menyertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 untuk menuntut pembaharuan sistem pilihan raya. Lebih 1,600 orang ditahan kerana menyertai perhimpunan Bersih 2.0. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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On toothless tigers Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:11 PM PDT JULY 17 — Barisan Nasional has proven to this nation and its citizenry time and again, if not just rather blatantly in the recent days through their denials and openly disproven lies, that it is arrogant, relentlessly hostile and even, and you may quote me on this, downright stupid.  Let's begin by stating the obvious for those who read my piece on LoyarBurok. Yes, I did join the Bersih 2.0 rally, wearing pink. Unfortunately I didn't brandish a gigantic yellow umbrella as promised, so for that I apologise.  That aside, the experience was an eye-opener on two levels. One was very obviously the crackdown by the police force and the government. Second was the charity and compassion of those who took part in the Bersih 2.0 rally themselves.  For the first point, I wish to submit a request to our government. If you truly want to lie to the public and control the spin of what really happened during the Bersih 2.0 rally, then I suggest you take out the national 50 per cent broadband penetration agenda from your agenda for Malaysia.  Because, dear members of my government who I did not vote for, increasing Internet access, and being a stupid liar while there are videos and photos emblazoned all over cyberspace to prove that you are in fact a stupid liar is like having you coming to my doorstep, pissing on my foot and telling me to vote for you.  As for the second point, it was on this day that I truly saw charity, unity and compassion at its best. True, people were screaming political slogans and even religious doctrine as well, but it didn't matter.  Those who didn't adhere to either religious or even political views kept chanting slogans in line with Bersih. This was also the day where mineral water, isotonic beverages and salt were shared among the people, regardless of race or religion.  Barisan Nasional used to be the party of unity for all races, with each single component party taking care of their own groups based on the racial divide. This all took place historically during an era where there was racial segregation of every single aspect of life within the nation, from economic to housing. It was the way the British worked, and the establishment of all these parties — Umno, MCA and MIC — were to look out for the interests of their specific racial communities.  Sincerely speaking, after some 50 odd years, Malaysians have moved past that. Unfortunately, for some odd reason, Umno has not. And MCA, once a conservative Chinese lobby group for the economic interests of the Chinese which evolved to support the rights of the Chinese people in the nation, is nothing more than a shadow of its true self. And as for the MIC, they've become irrelevant.  I was truly surprised to hear that the MCA did not come out to condemn the tear gas bombing and water cannon spraying of two truly Chinese medical institutions, Tung Shin Hospital and also the Chinese Maternity Hospital. That in itself just shows how the MCA, once speaking out for the Chinese community, has become a toothless tiger.  As a closing, I have two questions for our prime minister.  Umno hosted a gathering of 6,000 members after Bersih 2.0 as a show of force. In fact, in his speech, the party president and our prime minister stated that Umno can gather 6,000 people in under a day, and, with three million members, can "conquer" Kuala Lumpur at any given time.  So, my first question would be; in 2008, where were these three million members when you lost all but one seat in Kuala Lumpur?  And secondly, if you truly preach 1 Malaysia, why weren't MCA and MIC invited to this event at PWTC?  After all, Bersih 2.0 was a gathering of people from every state, religion, race and political identity. That being said, it is my humble opinion that Bersih 2.0 has proven the prime minister to be one of the worst leaders since Bush 2.0. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Good cop, bad cop Posted: 16 Jul 2011 05:10 PM PDT JULY 17 — A few days ago, I had a conversation with a taxi driver who was excited about July 9th. While he had supported the rally, and could list out the points for free and fair elections, he was too scared to attend because of the heavy police presence.  He told me of a Vietnamese passenger he had that day, who was curious about the many roadblocks around the city.  "I explained to him about the rally, and how the police were there to stop the people from entering the city."  The Vietnamese was so surprised at his explanation, he told me.  "He said that it should be the other way around. That the police should be impartial, be there to protect the people, and let them rally for a few hours. He told me Malaysia is not a democracy. It's true, isn't it? Malaysia isn't a democracy?"  I have but mixed feelings about the police and FRU behaviour on that day myself.  In my opinion, the tear gas attack in the KL Sentral tunnel was heavy-handed and extremely dangerous. [See my first-hand account of what happened in the tunnel on LoyarBurok: While there were some injuries (Anwar Ibrahim was among those who was hurt when shot at with a tear gas canister), there were thankfully no other casualties in the tunnel that day.  However, it could have been a different story. We cannot forget how Baharuddin Ahmad had paid for his rally participation with his life. Currently there are accusations that the police had withheld immediate treatment for Baharuddin.  I ask this: is tear gas or chemical water the wisest way to disperse groups of peaceful, and unarmed rally participants? Especially when they have nowhere else to run but into a confined space?  It was cruel and unnecessary, especially since the FRU were apparently ordered to fire tear gas canisters directly towards the people. What I saw that day, seems to confirm this accusation.  Then there are accusations of police brutality towards men who were suffering from the effects of tear gas. Don't just take my word for it, take a look at the many videos documenting such attacks. In my opinion, it is not very brave to tackle people who are already partly incapacitated.  And yet, when the dust was settled, and the police had captured the people that they wanted to capture, we were treated with kindness and decency.  The police kept offering us water, and food. All acts of intimidation were dropped — and why not? We were already caught like lambs to the slaughter.  One officer told me, "Saya hanya ikut arahan."  "Ya, saya faham tapi polis juga harus adil dan tidak ikut arahan membuta-tuli."  I wanted to explain more but felt tired and confused.  While I have some sympathy for the police who felt that they were just doing their jobs, I feel that they, and the rest of us, have to take personal responsibility for their own actions.  We do have a choice to take the extra step, whether to withhold treatment for a dying man, or to punch someone who is already gasping for air and on the ground.  We have a choice to be humane, and yet still do our job.  I hope for the day where the rakyat can fully trust the Malaysian police in being treated with fairness and decency. I hope for the day that when I, along with thousands of fellow countrymen, who decide once again to assemble peacefully as per our Constitutional right, will be protected by the police, instead of being harassed, shot at with tear gas, and chased down. I hope for the day where I see the Malaysian police as my protector, instead of my oppressor.  In the meantime, I will wear yellow every Saturday, in support for the on-going call for electoral reforms in my country. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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