Facebook launches new video platform to compete with Youtube |
- Facebook launches new video platform to compete with Youtube
- Syria’s Assad says ‘open’ to dialogue with US
- Snoop Dogg releases new album ‘Bush’, ‘frankensteined’ by Pharrell
- #KitaLawan claims Perak lawmakers beaten by cops during midnight arrest
- Dunga: Brazil finally finding right balance after embarrassing World Cup defeat
- Mexicans mark six months after 43 students vanished with protest
| Facebook launches new video platform to compete with Youtube Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:57 PM PDT
Facebook is introducing a new embeddable video player, meaning that users can now bring clips from the social network directly to outside websites and blogs simply by copying and pasting a string of HTML code. Some observers consider the announcement somewhat overdue, since embeddable players have long been a feature of YouTube, Dailymotion and Vimeo, among other platforms. Previously, Facebook users could only embed videos as part of a supporting post, including the likes count and the comments feed. With the new player, videos from the social network can now be embedded on their own, making their integration into blog posts and website articles appear more seamless. 360-degree video: a new battleground In a related announcement, Zuckerberg revealed the social network will soon support immersive and interactive 360-degree videos that respond to different points of view. This content will be available on PCs as well as on VR headsets, including the products of the Facebook-owned Oculus VR brand. The announcement comes just days after Google introduced the first 360-degree YouTube videos, which are also available from multiple viewing angles. Facebook currently has around 1.39 billion users. Over the summer of 2014, the social network saw over one billion videos per day, and this figure is likely to have risen since then. Meanwhile, YouTube, which also has over one billion users, claims several billion views daily. — AFP-Relaxnews  |
| Syria’s Assad says ‘open’ to dialogue with US Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:50 PM PDT
Asked about recent comments by US Secretary of State John Kerry that Washington would have to negotiate with the Syrian leader to end the conflict there, Assad said: "As principal, in Syria we could say that every dialogue is a positive thing, and we are going to be open to any dialogue with anyone, including the United States, regarding anything based on mutual respect." While saying there had been no direct communication between Damascus and Washington, Assad, who has been fighting Islamist and other rebels since 2011, added: "Any dialogue is positive, as I said, in principal, of course, without pressuring the sovereignty of Syria." The United States still wants a negotiated political settlement to Syria's civil war that excludes Assad, US officials said earlier this month after Kerry's comments. The State Department said later that Kerry was not specifically referring to Assad and that Washington would never bargain with him. Washington has made clear its top priority in Syria is the fight against Islamic State militants, who have seized large parts of the country as well as parts of Iraq. — Reuters |
| Snoop Dogg releases new album ‘Bush’, ‘frankensteined’ by Pharrell Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:50 PM PDT
"I love trees. I love grass. I love bush," the 43-year-old rapper said to snickers Wednesday night as he previewed his album at a Hollywood club. Bush can have multiple meanings, and the cover of Snoop Dogg's 13th studio album offers a literal interpretation with neatly manicured shrubbery. But Snoop Dogg is also well-known through his lyricism for his love of other "bushes" ― marijuana and women's private areas. (It remains far less likely that the album title refers to the US political dynasty.) Whatever the inspiration, the album comes out on May 12 and offers an R&B-influenced dance feel to the rapper who long ago mellowed from his start as a gangsta rapper. A first single, "Peaches N Cream," builds off a funky bassline as Snoop Dogg is joined at the mic by R&B singer Charlie Wilson. The refrain, though, is classic Snoop: "Damn her *** is so big / Just keep it bumpin' / Peaches N Cream." Snoop Dogg has also announced the participation of R&B legend Stevie Wonder on the album. 'Frankensteined' by Pharrell The crowd-friendly dance sound shows the influence of all-star songwriter Pharrell Williams ― creator of the viral hit "Happy" ― who produced "Bush" in its entirety. Snoop Dogg said that he put his full trust in Williams, with whom he collaborated more than a decade ago for hit songs "Beautiful" and "Drop It Like It's Hot." "On this project, I was like, you do what you want. His whole team got to Frankenstein me," he said. Snoop Dogg said that he and Williams have developed a respect for each other. "I loved what he was doing and he loved what I was doing," Snoop Dogg said. "We started a journey together in terms of making music," he said. With both artists well into their careers and their 40s, Snoop Dogg said they decided artistically that it would be better for Williams to take charge of the whole project. Williams has had an active career as a producer and collaborator. He worked with French electronic duo Daft Punk on the Grammy-winning album "Random Access Memories" and co-wrote Robin Thicke's smash hit "Blurred Lines" ― which a jury controversially found to have been stolen from Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up." "Bush" is Snoop Dogg's first studio album under the name since "Doggumentary" in 2011. The California rapper has been keeping active with side projects and in 2013 released a reggae album under the name Snoop Lion. Snoop Dogg, delivering a keynote address this month at the South by Southwest festival, announced that he will produce a television show for HBO. The show will focus on a family living in inner Los Angeles during the 1980s and will explore the effects of president Ronald Reagan's social policies, he told the conference. ― AFP |
| #KitaLawan claims Perak lawmakers beaten by cops during midnight arrest Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:47 PM PDT
According to a statement by event organisers sent shortly after midnight, at least six individuals, including Perak PKR lawmakers Chang Lih Kang and Tan Kar Hing, were arrested during the clash. "The #KitaLawan sit-in venue was raided by the police and DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) at around 12.15am. "It is believed six were arrested, including Teja assemblyman Chang Lih Kang and Simpang Pulai assemblyman Tan Kari Hing, at Dataran Merdeka. "There were assaulted, and beaten before they were dragged into police cars," the organisers said in the statement. They alleged that the plainclothes policemen on duty had also behaved violently, throwing punches at those who were trying to calm the situation. Earlier last night, DBKL officers reportedly arrived at the historic square to request that the sit-in participants clear out of the area by midnight. But the event organisers reportedly refused, insisting that they had the right to occupy the venue for their peaceful protest, which is a precursor to this Saturday's mass rally. Following the late night altercation, the organisers said police and DBKL officers again arrived before dawn and removed a banner for its #PecatIGP campaign.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the organisers also vowed that their Saturday rally will go on despite the recent slew of arrests, and said no notice as required under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) will be given to the police. Jingga 13 Chief and PKR member Fariz Musa, who was arrested over a previous rally, insisted that police approval was not necessary and the event will take place regardless of authorities' views. Since Anwar's sodomy conviction last month, Khalid and his police force have engaged in an apparent crackdown on dissent by lawyers, politicians and social activist movements. Police have arrested at least 11 people over previous #KitaLawan rallies. |
| Dunga: Brazil finally finding right balance after embarrassing World Cup defeat Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:45 PM PDT
A 7-1 semi-final defeat by eventual world champions Germany, followed by a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands in third-place playoff left Brazil in tatters but yesterday's friendly victory in Paris showed Dunga has put some self-belief back into the squad. "I'm trying to give the players confidence after the World Cup and trying to find a balance," Dunga, in charge since the finals following a stint from 2006-10, told a news conference. Brazil have now won seven games in a row since their embarrassing World Cup exit, including yesterday handing France their first defeat since the finals. Oscar, Neymar and Luiz Gustavo gave Brazil an emphatic win at the Stade de France after Raphael Varane had opened the scoring for Les Bleus, benefiting from the visitors' clumsy defending at set pieces. Brazil were still a bit shaky at the back after going in level at 1-1 for the break but they proved too quick up front for the home side in the second half, with wingers Willian and Oscar tormenting the France fullbacks. Right balance "We played well and we tried to play with speed. We kept our shape well, we were compact," said Dunga, who skippered Brazil to their 1994 World Cup title. "We made some mistakes but once we got our balance right we were able to win the game." His France counterpart Didier Deschamps, the France captain when Les Bleus beat a Brazil team captained by Dunga 3-0 in the 1998 World Cup final, said the best team won. "You can always do better but you have to accept that your opponent has quality, and they showed it tonight," he told a news conference. France had opportunities to level for 2-2 but Karim Benzema missed a golden chance by firing a volley high over the bar. "We struggled to get our game going in attack, although we did well from set pieces," said Deschamps, who had to cope without influential midfielder Paul Pogba who was injured. "It's always difficult when you're 2-1 down but we reacted well. We had two or three chances to equalise but unfortunately we conceded that third goal." ― Reuters |
| Mexicans mark six months after 43 students vanished with protest Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:44 PM PDT
Relatives reject government conclusions that the students were slaughtered by a police-backed gang in a case that has become the biggest challenge of President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration. A Reforma newspaper opinion poll showed that his approval rating remained at a low 39 per cent. "Pena Nieto: Guerrero demands justice, not elections," read one sign held by demonstrators, referring to the southern state where the students disappeared, as they marched down the capital's main boulevard. Earlier, parents of the students delivered a letter to the National Electoral Commission demanding the suspension of June 7 elections in Guerrero and other states. "These last six months have been torture, painful, an agony for us," Meliton Ortega, uncle of a missing student, said outside the institute, where hundreds protested. The four-page letter says the violence and infiltration of gangs in politics make it impossible to hold elections. Instead, it says, popular town councils could be named by people or organisations of "high moral standards". Parents said the election institute's president promised to respond by April 4. Rights groups slam government Authorities say police in the town of Iguala abducted the aspiring teachers on the night of September 26 and handed them over to the Guerreros Unidos drug gang, which killed them and incinerated their bodies. Only one of the 43 students has been identified among the charred remains that were found in a landfill and a river in the town of Cocula, near Iguala. The attorney general's office issued a statement yesterday defending the investigation, saying it has been "transparent, exhaustive and in accordance with the law" and that it will continue looking for more suspects. The statement said 104 people have been arrested, including 64 Iguala and Cocula police officers and 40 civilians linked to the Guerreros Unidos. Iguala mayor Jose Luis Abarca and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, have been arrested over charges they ordered police to confront the students, who had travelled to the town in hijacked buses to raise funds for their left-wing college. Investigators believe Abarca feared the students would disrupt a speech by his wife, and that the gang confused them with members of a rival criminal group. Human rights groups have criticised the investigation, saying it relied too much on witnesses instead of physical evidence to conclude that the students were killed. "We express our concern over the recent attempts by the Mexican government to discredit and not take into account the recommendations and observations of international human rights organisations," Amnesty International and other rights groups said in a statement. Experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said last week that the fate of the students remains unclear and that they want to interview soldiers based in Iguala about the case. — AFP |
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