Most Asian stocks advance despite steep drop in US retail sales |
- Most Asian stocks advance despite steep drop in US retail sales
- Blogger seeks date for dinner at exclusive Noma pop-up in Tokyo
- Tun Razak was a PM who met the challenges of his time, says Nurul Izzah
- Lonely Carey ‘begs’ Cannon for second chance
- Moyes makes light of dismissal, jumps over fence after sending-off
- Next Media Video: AirAsia flight QZ8501 fuselage located in the Java Sea
| Most Asian stocks advance despite steep drop in US retail sales Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:56 PM PST
About two shares rose for each that fell on the MSCI Asia Pacific Index, which lost 0.1 per cent to 137.35 as of 9:16 am in Tokyo, before markets opened in China and Hong Kong. Japan's Topix index added 0.6 per cent as the yen weakened after crude rose the most in 2 ½ years yesterday. "Given the return in oil prices and the deep sell-off yesterday in Japanese stocks, the conditions could be there for a rebound," Mitsushige Akino, an executive officer at Ichiyoshi Asset Management Co in Tokyo, said by phone. "The risk-off sentiment pushed the dollar-yen pair to as low as 116, but that was probably going too far in the short term." The steepest drop in US retail sales in almost a year heightened concern over the global slowdown after the World Bank downgraded its own prediction for the world economy this week. The Bloomberg Commodity Index of 22 energy, agriculture and metal prices plunged to a 12-year low this week as oversupply spurred a rout in oil and as slowing economic growth in China and Europe means less demand for raw materials such as copper, which has tumbled to the lowest since 2009. Global shares are on course for a third weekly slide. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index declined 0.7 per cent and New Zealand's NZX 50 Index slipped 0.4 per cent. South Korea's Kospi index added 0.1 per cent. South Korea and Indonesia are projected to keep interest rates on hold in policy reviews today, and Australia is due to report jobs data. Futures on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 0.1 per cent. The underlying gauge dropped 0.6 per cent yesterday in a fourth day of losses, paring a slump of as much as 1.7 per cent after a Federal Reserve survey indicated gains in consumer spending and as a rally in US crude sent energy stocks higher. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 0.6 per cent today after advancing 5.6 per cent yesterday. — Bloomberg  |
| Blogger seeks date for dinner at exclusive Noma pop-up in Tokyo Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:53 PM PST
Finding the perfect date to join you can be even harder. Mobile tech entrepreneur Stephanie Robesky was among the lucky few to get a reservation at Noma, open only until Valentine's Day in the Japanese capital, out of 60,000 who applied. Even better, it's on her birthday, during the last week of January. But with no one special in her life right now, the San Francisco single gal posted a date-wanted notice on her Nerdgirl.com blog with a demanding set of criteria. Single. Male. Between 28 and 46 years of age. Good conversational skills. "Easy on the eye," in her words, and capable of using a fork and knife correctly. "I was thinking, if I got 10 people who applied, that would be nice," she told AFP by telephone on Tuesday. "And then it just got crazy." As of Tuesday, more than 300 applications had come through, and Robesky expects still more to trickle in before she calls a group of friends over to help her come up with a short-list. She'll then invite the three most interesting prospects out for coffee — hence the stipulation they must all be from the San Francisco Bay area — before making a final decision by Tomorrow. The winner must pay his own way to Japan, and get his own accommodation. But Robesky will pick up the tab at Noma, which runs at 64,900 yen (nearly RM1,970) for the multi-course meal with wine pairings — before tax and tip. So heated is the competition that 82 friends of one hopeful, software engineer Kyle VanderBeek, have signed an online petition at Change.org urging Robesky to pick him. "If you ask the undersigned, 'Who would you want to break bread and sup deadly hornet larvae with?,' we the undersigned would unanimously choose. Kyle," they said. "Kyle's your guy." Likes: reading, movies and good food Robesky's quest got an unexpected boost when Noma's 37-year-old chef Rene Redzepi — who founded Noma in 2003 in Copenhagen — gave it a shout out on his Twitter feed on Sunday. "Single 'Nerd Girl' wants Bay area dude for epic Tokyo Dinner," the Danish champion of New Nordic cuisine wrote. Crowned the world's best restaurant by Britain's Restaurant magazine for four of the past five years, including 2014, Noma is at Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental hotel from January 9 until February 14. It welcomes no more than 44 guests for lunch and dinner, with a set menu and wine pairings, and Redzepi himself in the kitchen with his 50-strong team brought over from Copenhagen. Robesky, whose big circle of friends mostly consists of gay men and married couples, and who gave up on her online dating accounts on New Year Day, concedes her approach is bold. "I know what I want and I'm successful at what I do, and if that is seen as a bad quality for women, which I think it is sometimes, I don't care," she said. On her blog, she describes herself as five-foot-six and "slim shady." She enjoys reading, movies and "bad TV," scuba diving, playing the ukelele, bald cats and eating "good food." But on her mission to find the right companion, ready to cross the Pacific for her one-of-a-kind birthday dinner, she's learned that "there are a lot of interesting people out there." "This has renewed my faith in dating in the Bay area." — AFP/Relaxnews |
| Tun Razak was a PM who met the challenges of his time, says Nurul Izzah Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:51 PM PST
In remembering Tun Abdul Razak Hussein Al-Haj on the 39th anniversary of his death, Nurul Izzah Anwar praised him for bravely eyeing "reconciliation" among political parties ― including Gerakan, PPP and PAS ― through the formation of Barisan Nasional (BN) in 1973. Faced with multiple challenges then amid a turbulent period of the country's history, Umno under Tun Abdul Razak, which was then not a strong party, had taken a "risk" to set up the coalition, Nurul Izzah said. "I think that was quite amazing because you are not talking about a time of calm and peace. "It was a decision that was not supported by internal echelons of Umno. Many disputes...yet he forged ahead and that's something admirable," the PKR vice-president said. In another illustration of how Tun Abdul Razak engaged with the people, Nurul Izzah said the leader was the first person to invite her father Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to join Umno. "So for me, that brought one word to mind which was engagement, the fact that a leader such as Tun Razak took time to engage a student and basically ask him to join his party," she said. Anwar was then a student leader and had turned down the offer, before eventually joining and rising to become Malaysia's deputy prime minister, before being sacked in 1998 and coming to his current position as the federal opposition's de facto leader. But beyond Tun Abdul Razak's reconciliation efforts, his greatest hallmark was to "meet the challenges of his time" ― through the setting up of national oil giant Petronas, introduction of the rural resettlement scheme FELDA and his education policies, Nurul Izzah said. Tun Abdul Razak's former aide Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad, who was at the same forum, cited the late leader's success in bringing together Malaysians after the May 13 riots as one of his "greatest legacies". Abdullah said the country's second prime minister ― who stepped into office over a year after the riots that split Malaysians up along racial lines ― had managed to unite the different races. "Tun Razak is a great unifier, he united the various races. If you want to remember, that's one of his greatest legacy," the 78-year-old told a forum here titled "Remembering Tun Razak" last night. Abdullah, who had served as Tun Abdul Razak's political secretary for 14 years, noted that race-based politics was gaining strength in Malaysia instead of losing steam as the then prime minister would have wanted. "Tun Razak tried his best. He believed in uniting the people and there was a good chance after May 13," the Umno member said. "We were unfortunate to have lost him so early," he later said, saying that Malaysia would be different today if the Umno leader had not passed on in 1976 after having served only six years as the country's prime minister. Tun Abdul Razak's political contemporary Lim Kit Siang, who was also at the forum, spoke about the Umno man's "hands-on" approach in handling the country's administration. It was under Tun Abdul Razak's administration that the National Consultative Council ― formed after the riots ― formulated the Rukun Negara, which was meant to be the roadmap to a more united and harmonious society, Lim said. The forum last night was organised by DAP's Malay-language news portal Roketkini. Tun Abdul Razak, now remembered in the footnotes of history as the nation's Bapa Pembangunan (Father of Development), took over the reins of the country on September 22, 1970 at the age of 48. He passed on due to leukemia on January 14, 1976, leaving behind five sons ― including the current prime minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak. |
| Lonely Carey ‘begs’ Cannon for second chance Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:49 PM PST
The 44-year-old split from the actor and comedian at the end of summer last year after six years of marriage. But the singer is allegedly pining for her former spouse and recently spent US$25,000 (RM89,627.50) on a shopping spree which included gifts for him. "She's hoping it would win him back," an insider told Life & Style. "She's extremely lonely. She wants things to go back to how they used to be." However Nick doesn't seem to feel the same and reportedly refused to meet with the "We Belong Together" singer on New Year's Eve. The couple had initially been rumoured to be spending the Christmas holiday together for the sake of their twins Moroccan and Monroe, but is seems Nick has no interest in rekindling the romance. "Nick put up with her mood swings, outbursts and demands longer than most guys would've," the source continued. "But now, he's tasted freedom. "There's no way he's going back!" The star has even had the large back tattoo of her name changed to a crucifix, which reportedly upset the singer at the time. "Mariah's pals are worried she's falling apart. She was stunned when she saw Nick's tattoo, especially since they only split in May," a source told British magazine Closer. "She breaks down a lot and last week she struggled to keep it together on stage. "Mariah thinks the only reason Nick has covered up the tattoo is because another girl doesn't want to look at it. "She's been asking her staff whether they know if Nick is in a relationship." — Cover Media |
| Moyes makes light of dismissal, jumps over fence after sending-off Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:42 PM PST
Moyes had already been cautioned for protesting a decision and was booked a second time and sent off for complaining about an offside with around 10 minutes remaining of Sociedad's King's Cup last 16, second leg at home to Villarreal. The former Manchester United and Everton manager prompted smiles among home fans and a wave of Twitter comments when he showed impressive agility to scale the fence and find a vacant seat. After accepting the crisps, the Scot, who is learning Spanish, turned down the offer of what looked like peanuts from another supporter. Sociedad drew the match at their Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian 2-2 and were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate, their latest reverse to Villarreal, who thrashed the Basque club 4-0 in La Liga last month. Moyes said the referee had been wrong on both occasions and criticised Spanish officials for showing too many yellow cards. "This is a Cup tie, it's a big game, but I think the referee just took the speed from the game," he told a news conference. "I think people want to come to see action and the two decisions I was yellow-carded for were incorrect," added the 51-year-old. Sociedad are 12th in La Liga with just under half the season played, but only three points above the relegation places, and Moyes has said that securing the club's top-flight status is his main priority. — Reuters |
| Next Media Video: AirAsia flight QZ8501 fuselage located in the Java Sea Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:36 PM PST Duration: 0:41, Published 15 Jan 2015 The fuselage of the stricken AirAsia jet which disappeared from radar screens on December 28 was located by a military ship yesterday in the Java Sea. — Reuters |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malay Mail Online | All To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
