Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms crash landing of Emirates flight at Dubai airport |
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms crash landing of Emirates flight at Dubai airport
- ‘I’m gay’, WNBA star Elena Delle Donne says
- ‘Suicide Squad’ cast defend film after it is universally panned by critics (VIDEO)
- Knife attack in London kills one, injures six
- Asian stocks track US rebound with oil above US$41, Aussie gains
- Rio sorry as Olympic Village suffers new theft
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms crash landing of Emirates flight at Dubai airport Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:41 PM PDT
Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms crash landing of Emirates flight at Dubai airport
The airport authorities report that all 282 passengers and 18 crew members are safe. So far, two (2) Malaysians are confirmed to be in the aircraft. Contact has yet to be established with them as they are still in the emergency response room. The Consulate General in Dubai is in close cooperation with the local authorities, with good cooperation received. So far, the area has been secured and temporarily cordoned off with no flights taking off and landing. Most of the flights in and out of the airport are expected to experience delays because of this. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Consulate General of Malaysia in Dubai will continue to monitor the situation and render the necessary assistance to Malaysians affected by this incident. ― Bernama  |
| ‘I’m gay’, WNBA star Elena Delle Donne says Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:40 PM PDT
Delle Donne, a 26-year-old guard-forward for the Americans and last season's Women's NBA Most Valuable Player, came out as gay yesterday in the new issue of Vogue magazine. "It isn't a big story. One day it won't be a story at all," she said. "My face doesn't change because I told you I'm going to marry a woman. "Nor does it affect my image. If it affected a brand then I don't want to be part of that brand anyway." She has been engaged to Amanda Clifton since June 2 and while generally quiet about her personal life was glad to have the story out there as she prepares for her first Olympics with the US dynasty. "They were able to come in and see what a key role she plays in my life," Delle Donne said. "We were being honest and open. I'm definitely fine with it. "'Oh my god she had a coming out story.' What's awesome is it's kind of normal. It doesn't need to be a story anymore. "That's what is so great about this situation. One day these things won't exist and we won't have to talk about it. If you push it under the rug, they will stay forever. The world is changing for sure." She doesn't want too much change on the court, though. The US women are on a 41-game Olympic win streak with five gold consecutive medals and seven of the past eight. She wants to lengthen that run. "We have the wherewithal and the skill to get it done. It's about putting it out there every single time," Delle Donne said. "The history is special. These women have inspired us to where we are. They have made sacrifices that were important to us." The other WNBA newcomer to the US team is 25-year-old center Brittney Griner, who has been openly gay since her earliest days in the league. "I'm a lesbian. With my spotlight, I'm able to show the right way of going about things in life," she said. She also knows coming out, as Delle Donne did, is different for everyone. "It's tough coming out. It's something you have to do in your own time," Griner said. "It's a process. I was younger, nervous, scared they wouldn't accept me, my friends, my parents. You feel isolated and it's a horrible feeling. That's the hardest part, the isolation." 'A target on our back' Now she is united with friends around a common goal. And when some non-players resisted wishing her luck because of the US legacy of success, Griner made it clear nothing is taken for granted. "It's not that easy. Tell us 'Good luck.' We all walk around with a target on our back. These other teams aren't going to roll over and take it," Griner said. "I don't want to let down the ones who came before." Delle Donne knows exactly how that feels. "The biggest thing is to be ourselves and have the veterans help us along, physically and mentally," she said. "It's something I want to carry on for the next generation." So Delle Donne has allowed hereself to imagine what winning a gold medal would be like. "It would be emotional. I would definitely have chills. A dream come true," she said. "I have wanted this all my life. To get a gold medal, it would just top it all off." — AFP |
| ‘Suicide Squad’ cast defend film after it is universally panned by critics (VIDEO) Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:38 PM PDT
'Suicide Squad' cast defend film after it is universally panned by critics (VIDEO)
"The critics have been absolutely horrific, they're really, really horrible. You know, I just don't think they like superhero movies," Cara Delevingne, who plays the Enchantress, told Reuters at the film's London premiere. Delevingne added that while "this movie isn't perfect," it was made for the fans. Suicide Squad, out in cinemas tomorrow, follows a rogue group of anti-heroes with special powers — Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Boomerang, Killer Croc and El Diablo — who are held hostage by Gotham's government to use as weapons to protect the city. Many critics have panned the film, with Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair calling it "too shoddy and forgettable to even register as revolting." The film has a 31 per cent rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Will Smith, who plays Deadshot, commended the film's writer-director David Ayer for weaving together the stories of 10 characters and setting up a new world within Warner Bros.' expanding cinematic superhero universe. "I think people had expectations that may have been different, but I'm excited for the fans to get to vote," Smith said. Ayer added, "I made the movie for real people who live in the real world. I made the movie for people who actually love movies and go and see movies." The flurry of negative reviews led more than 17,000 people yesterday to sign an online Change.org petition calling for Rotten Tomatoes to be shut down. Abdullah Saleh, a 22 year-old university student in Alexandria, Egypt, launched the petition, telling Reuters he felt "there is some kind of pattern for movie critics to give DC Extended Universe movies bad reviews." "I created the petition just to gather DC Fans and express their anger just for fun. I didn't mean it to be taken that serious," Saleh said. He later suspended the petition, saying "the only thing that it does is spreading a speech of hate and online fighting." Suicide Squad showcases a new direction for Warner Bros' DC superhero universe, which has taken a more dramatic and serious tone in action films such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It is expected to gross US$125 million (RM505.6 million) in North America when it opens this weekend, according to box office analysts. — Reuters |
| Knife attack in London kills one, injures six Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:38 PM PDT
"Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage," police said in a statement. — Reuters |
| Asian stocks track US rebound with oil above US$41, Aussie gains Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:36 PM PDT
Mining shares and energy producers drove the regional index up from its lowest level since June 24, the day after Britain elected to leave the European Union. US crude extended gains into a second session after the steepest drop in US gasoline supplies since April soothed concern over a glut. The rebound burnished risk sentiment, with the yen holding losses with gold as Australian government debt continued its retreat. The Aussie dollar strengthened with the Korea won and the Malaysian ringgit. Crop futures climbed. The global equity rebound that took hold in July started to falter as we moved in to August, with oil descending into a bear market and data failing to bolster confidence in the world economy. While central banks and governments have signaled unprecedented support, Japan's latest efforts — which include monetary and fiscal stimulus — haven't had their intended effect amid concern the plans won't be enough to revive price growth. The Bank of England is expected to cut benchmark interest rates today, while jobs data in the US today could provide clues as to the outlook for Federal Reserve policy. "The theme remains dominant in markets that monetary policy has effectively done as much as it can and that reflation, if required, should come via other means," Sharon Zollner, a senior economist in Auckland at ANZ Bank of New Zealand Ltd., said in a note to clients. "The reality is that interest rates remain at record-low levels and, in an environment of moderate growth and low inflation, that is supportive of higher-yielding assets and Asia-Pacific markets should continue to benefit, as long as the growth picture holds together." Australia reports on retail sales today, and an update on consumer confidence in Thailand is due. China issues figures on its current-account balance, while in Japan, Toyota Motor Corp — the biggest-weighted stock on the Topix gauge — will report earnings. Stocks The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.4 per cent as of 9.20am Tokyo time, clawing back some of last session's 1.9 per cent slide. The index, which jumped 5.8 per cent in July, is headed for a 1.1 per cent drop this week. The Topix climbed 0.5 per cent, after also dropping the most in more than five weeks yesterday. Oil and gas companies led Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index to a 0.6 per cent rebound, as the Kospi index in Seoul gained 0.4 per cent following last session's 1.2 per cent decline. New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 Index added 0.3 percent, rising for the first time in three days. Futures on the S&P 500 rose 0.1 per cent, to 2,159.50, following a 0.3 per cent increase in the underlying index yesterday. The US benchmark had fallen 0.8 per cent over the previous two sessions. "There's slow movement in a market that's looking for a reason to go up or go down — it just hasn't found any," said Jeff Carbone, managing partner of Cornerstone Financial Partners, which oversees almost US$1.1 billion (RM4.5 billion) in assets in Charlotte, North Carolina. "We haven't seen that breakout that would suggest the market is based on fundamentals, it's still very tied to central banks." In Hong Kong, contracts on the Hang Seng and Hang Seng China Enterprises indexes were up 0.5 per cent in most recent trading, while FTSE China A50 Index futures added 0.4 per cent. Currencies The yen was steady at 101.29 per dollar after retreating 0.4 per cent yesterday. Japan's currency has gained 0.8 per cent this week, as traders react to the Bank of Japan's decision last Friday to only bolster purchases of exchange-traded funds, as well as fiscal package flagged Tuesday by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Aussie added 0.3 per cent, following a drop of the same magnitude last session. The won also gained 0.3 per cent, as the ringgit bounced with oil, climbing 0.5 per cent from a four-day low. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, a gauge of the greenback against 10 major peers, slipped 0.1 per cent after rising 0.3 per cent yesterday, when emerging-market currencies led declines. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans told reporters yesterday that a rate hike "could be appropriate this year." Odds on the Fed boosting benchmark borrowing costs in 2016 have dropped to 39 per cent, with last week's weaker-than-expected US growth data damping expectations of tightening. — Bloomberg |
| Rio sorry as Olympic Village suffers new theft Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:31 PM PDT
Denmark's chef de mission Morten Rodtwitt told broadcaster TV 2 that mobile phones, clothing and an iPad had gone missing. "In connection with the many extra workers, cleaners and housekeepers who have been squeezed into the Olympic village because of our requirements and requests, we have been subjected to a series of thefts," he said, adding that he himself had his iPad stolen. "It's everything from phones, iPads and clothes to something as trivial as bed sheets." Since July 18 the Danish delegation has lodged around 150 complaints over problems in its 36 apartments in the Olympic village. "The buildings are simply not in order," Ulrik Wilbek, sports director of the Danish Handball Federation, told TV 2. The news follows the theft of a laptop and team shirts from the Australian delegation during a fire evacuation on Friday. Australia chef de mission Kitty Chiller said during the evacuation she had noticed three fire marshals apparently stealing the Australia team shirts. "When I arrived, which was halfway through the evacuation, I saw three fire marshals — I don't know who they were — walking out with team shirts," she said. "I thought maybe they have helped evacuate people and we've given them a shirt. It doesn't seem to be what happened. "We don't know how many team shirts were taken and, yes, that's concerning." After the fire, Chiller said Rio 2016 organisers had increased security throughout the Olympic village. Rio's crime rate has been one of the biggest concerns heading into the Olympics. China revealed on Friday members of its Olympic delegation had already fallen victim to theft. Mario Andrada, spokesman of Rio 2016, apologised to the tourists and athletes who have been victims. "They are our guests in Brazil. We feel very sorry. I hope they understand that we are very sorry about this," he told China's Xinhua news agency. "We will communicate with the security to make sure we find quickly an answer about why they were robbed, where they were robbed and by whom to see if something could be recovered." Rio Olympics' overall security personnel is around 88,000 — the figure is more than double that used for the the London Olympics in 2012. "Don't count money in the street. If you have a nice camera, put it into a bag and only use when you have to take pictures," advised Andrada. "If you are alert, if you are looking around and paying attention, your chance of being a victim will be decreased. The bad guys usually look for people who are not paying attention." Chiller said the vast size of the Olympic Village, which houses thousands of athletes and support staff, theft was "inevitable". — AFP |
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