IMF chief says oil prices drop means small growth for advanced economies |
- IMF chief says oil prices drop means small growth for advanced economies
- Steve McQueen’s Winchester rifle sold for €19,000
- People still eyeing Apple Watch, survey shows
- Food for thought — Gareth Corsi
- Mexico leader’s popularity hammered as thousands take to the streets in protest
- US box office: ‘Hunger Games’ survives Thanksgiving weekend at top
| IMF chief says oil prices drop means small growth for advanced economies Posted: 01 Dec 2014 04:50 PM PST
"There will be winners and losers, but on a net basis it's good news for the global economy," she said in Washington. Oil prices have fallen sharply since late June, losing around 30 per cent as supplies increase and global demand for oil grows more slowly. While some exporters are hurting from the price fall, overall it will add significantly to global growth as consumers and businesses pay less for energy. "It's likely to be an additional 0.8 per cent (of growth) for most advanced economies, because all of them are importers of oil, whether you look at US, Japan, certainly Europe... and China," she said. Crude oil exporters "are taking a hit, for some of them it's a calculated hit," Lagarde said, in a reference to the Gulf producers like Saudi Arabia, which have been reticent to cut production to firm up prices. In October, the IMF cut its forecast for global growth this year to 3.3 per cent and to 3.8 per cent in 2015, citing stagnation in Europe and Japan and the slowdown in emerging economies. Lagarde was speaking at a conference of corporate chief executives sponsored by the Wall Street Journal. — AFP  |
| Steve McQueen’s Winchester rifle sold for €19,000 Posted: 01 Dec 2014 04:45 PM PST
The Winchester Model 1894 wielded with devastating speed by gunslinger Josh Randall played by McQueen in the Western series fetched €19,000 (RM81,364), far surpassing the €3,000 it was expected to go for. Delon's Colt Frontier 1873 pistol, which he wielded in the 1971 Western "Red Sun" starring Charles Bronson, found a buyer at €8,600, about six times the estimate. The sale included 80 lots of weapons and souvenirs collected over the years by the veteran actor, who shot to international fame playing a hitman in "Le Samourai". Delon said recently that he had been "collecting everything all my life". "It turns out that, at my age... I have accumulated a mountain of stuff. Rather than leave these weapons to my children, I'd rather leave them money," Delon said in a recent interview in Le Figaro magazine. "I can assure you you'll never see a 'Alain Delon posthumous sale'," said the 79-year-old. Arnaud Cornette, who runs the auction house that sold off the collection, said: "These are not cops and robbers weapons but a journey into a passion of Alain Delon." Delon "built up his weapons collection with the same rigour, the same passion, the same high standards as he did with his other collections of paintings, sculptures, drawings, watches or wine," said Cornette. "Certain lots are genuine works of art and will be coveted by collectors the world over," he added. — AFP |
| People still eyeing Apple Watch, survey shows Posted: 01 Dec 2014 04:40 PM PST
The survey, of 4000 consumers in four countries (the US, UK, China and Italy) shows that there is indeed excitement about the Apple Watch and was part of a note sent to investors yesterday and seen by Apple Insider. However, for the moment at least, it is Samsung that is proving more popular with those looking to snap up a wearable technology device. The data shows that 10 per cent of consumers are very likely to buy a smartwatch over the next 12 months, but 37 per cent of those respondents want a Samsung Gear. Apple has to make do with second place of 25 per cent, but according to UBS that figure will represent a projected 24 million devices sold over the course of 2015. And, despite the Apple watch's premium pricing—the entry-level model will cost US$349 (RM1198) — plus the fact that it won't be launched until March 2015, it is still comfortably ahead of the smartwatch in third place, the Sony Smartwatch (6 per cent) and fourth-placed Moto 360 (2 per cent). However, perhaps the most noteworthy finding from the study is that when asked, a large majority of respondents said that they would purchase a smartwatch in addition to, rather than instead of, a traditional watch. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Food for thought — Gareth Corsi Posted: 01 Dec 2014 04:36 PM PST
It was not too long ago that even Malay Mail was carrying related headlines on its front page, yet soon enough — in true Malaysian fashion — that explosion of bluster was followed by a clearing of the throat, a whimper, then nothing. And with that, Johnny Foreigner steps into a local minefield. Cruel, Malaysian, irony, food? What does this Mat Salleh know? Hasn't someone taken him to Penang yet? Malaysians are born instinctively knowing how important good food is to its culture, it is almost engrained in their DNA. And indeed, there does only seem to be one mealtime, which appears to run from midnight all the way through to the following midnight. Here, culinary wizards have — over the centuries — whipped up a blend of dishes that would keep many a gourmet palate happy for an eternity, such is that offshoot of a mishmash of cultures and civilisations. Well, this tourism-marketing monkey's wet dream is about to get a rude awakening, or a metaphorical premature ejaculation, depending on how you look at it. So, for those who want to live in blissful ignorance, then please turn the page now. Go on, finger, thumb, corner of the paper, that's it, bye-bye! I'm not offended; no one reads this column anyway. However, for those who are intrigued to know how this Mat Salleh is going to dig himself out of this culinary grave, then try a few facts: the average adult male needs 2,000 calories a day, a female needs 1,800 calories. A small curry puff is 250 calories; a bowl of cendol 600 calories, nasi goreng 772 calories and a 1kg bag of murukku is a whopping 8,000 calories. The recommended daily sugar intake is six teaspoons, but the average Malaysian consumes 26 teaspoons. It doesn't stop there. Nasi lemak (at least 500 calories) is by definition not healthy (fat rice) but more specifically, it is high in oil. Meanwhile, char kway teow (744 calories) contains more salt than you will find in the Dead Sea. So what harm is the occasional unhealthy meal? None at all, really. In fact, the experts recommend it. But this isn't a country of occasionally unhealthy, more perpetually. People devour one unhealthy meal after another without a second thought. I once watched a mother bemoaning her overweight son as he gobbled up his second plate of chicken rice, spoons in both hands working alternately as he shovelled down the repast as fast as he could. The auntie similarly shovelling more rice on to his plate couldn't keep up. The mother couldn't understand why the boy was so overweight, while the auntie actually thought it was funny, encouraging a young boy to gorge himself silly. And to cap it all off, there was a can of Kickapoo within striking distance of his pudgy fist, his third of the day and it was only 2pm. For those unaware, a can of the peecoloured stuff is 550 calories and contains tartrazine. Lots of it. This food colouring has a tendency to send kids bonkers, like run-around-the-house-screaming-and-yelling-for-hours-and-hours bonkers. You see, the best of Malaysia is also the worst. I should know, being devoted to the shrine of banana leaf rice (calorie count off the chart) and my expansive gut is the end product. It makes looking in the mirror the most depressing sight imaginable. Malaysians are dependent on a staple of really good tasting, but ultimately bad food. We have become carb junkies, unwilling to wean ourselves off our addiction. I would like to say "unable", but unwilling is the word. I have — in a previous editorial incarnation — received the finger from any Malaysian in the culinary arts I have approached about this. Tradition is set in stone, reinforced with tungsten carbide barriers. Of course, the culinary geniuses of the Mediterranean and the Far East will show you how traditional dishes can be adapted to accommodate modern medical knowledge, add a bit of this, take out a bit of that, easy. But who are these filthy foreigners telling us to adapt, to forgo tradition? What do they know of Malaysia and its traditions? Why look forward, when forever backward will do? Well, the Singaporeans do, for a start. For those with short memories, Singapore was once part of the fold, so its traditions are not too far removed. All calorie counts in this article have been made available by the Singapore Health Promotion Board because they are not available in Malaysia, not least from the Health Ministry. Why isn't the ministry giving Malaysians detailed nutritional advice? Why, even its National Dietary Guidelines 2010 are more about who gets credit (the first 14 out of 27 pages) than informing the nation. Moreover, Singapore has recipes for healthier char kway teow, among other dishes, and advises its people on healthier eating. It has been for years, and continues to do so because issues like this need to be reinforced constantly over time. Meanwhile, Malaysia has tradition, which needs more reinforcing because progress is such a bad thing. * Gareth Corsi is news editor at Malay Mail. He can be reached at gareth@mmail.com.my or on Twitter @garethcorsi. ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online. |
| Mexico leader’s popularity hammered as thousands take to the streets in protest Posted: 01 Dec 2014 04:36 PM PST
A poll published by El Universal newspaper showed just 41 per cent of Mexicans approve of his performance, while the daily Reforma found 39 per cent were satisfied. It was the worst approval rating for a president since Ernesto Zedillo in the mid-1990s, underscoring the magnitude of the crisis Pena Nieto is facing since the 43 students vanished in September. In the latest protest to hit the country, thousands of people marched in Mexico City, chanting for Pena Nieto to resign and waving blackened flags in anger over the case of the missing students. "I put myself in the place of the mothers who don't know where their children are, and it's hard, it's painful," said Reina Cruz, 66, as others shouted "Pena out!" Thousands more protested in the southern state of Guerrero, where a drug gang has confessed to killing the aspiring teachers after local police handed them over in September. A group of protesters ransacked the Guerrero state prosecutor's office in the regional capital, Chilpancingo, and set five vehicles on fire, including two police cruisers. "We no longer recognize Enrique Pena Nieto as president of Mexico, because he has not met our central demand, which is to present our sons alive," said Felipe de la Cruz, a spokesman for the families of the missing. Families refuse to believe the 43 young men are dead and demand they be found alive. Federal prosecutors have stopped short of declaring them dead, saying they await DNA tests on charred remains sent to an Austrian university. Teachers and students led another protest in the neighboring state of Oaxaca, where some 1,500 people blocked the local airport for four hours, causing two flight cancellations. Pena Nieto, meanwhile, announced that he had sent constitutional reforms to Congress aimed at disbanding the country's notoriously corrupt municipal police forces to allow the federal government to take over gang-infiltrated towns. The president unveiled the plan last week, two months after the students were attacked by police in the city of Iguala, allegedly under the mayor's orders. The case has put a spotlight on Mexico's struggle to end corruption and impunity amid a drug war that has left 100,000 people dead or missing since 2006. "What happened in Iguala marks a before and an after," Pena Nieto said yesterday during a visit to the impoverished southern state of Chiapas. "It showed the institutional weakness to face organized crime, which today have more numbers, weapons and power than in the past," he said. — AFP |
| US box office: ‘Hunger Games’ survives Thanksgiving weekend at top Posted: 01 Dec 2014 04:29 PM PST
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1," starring Jennifer Lawrence as rebellious Katniss Everdeen, grossed nearly US$57 million (RM195.71 million) on its second weekend, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. That added to US$122 million on its debut weekend, which made it the biggest grossing opener this year. Fox's animated-animal film "The Penguins of Madagascar" meanwhile pulled in about US$25.4 million in its first weekend in theaters, earning the second box office spot. That debut knocked animated robot flick "Big Hero 6" from second to third on the charts, after the Disney feature took in over US$18.8 million in its fourth weekend in theatres. Space exploration epic "Interstellar," directed by Christopher Nolan grossed almost US$15.7 million to take the fourth spot. In fifth place was "Horrible Bosses 2," the sequel to a 2011 workplace comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, which hauled in US$15.5 million in its weekend debut. Screwball comedy sequel "Dumb and Dumber To," starring Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey, took the sixth spot with a US$8.4 million haul after a box-office topping debut two weeks ago. The film has grossed about US$72 million overall. The life story of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything" tripled its weekend earnings, charging into the seven spot with a US$5 million take-in. Thriller "Gone Girl" starring Ben Affleck pulled in about US$2.5 million this week for the eighth spot. Dark comedy "Birdman" starring Michael Keaton held onto the ninth box office spot with another week of about US$1.9 million in sales. Comedy "St Vincent," starring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts, dropped to the 10th spot with US$1.7 million in earnings. — AFP |
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