Neymar fails to spark Brazil in South Africa stalemate |
- Neymar fails to spark Brazil in South Africa stalemate
- ‘South Park’, ‘Watch Dogs 2’: Ubisoft reveals Gamescom line-up
- Tunisian Shakshuka spices up eggs and tomatoes
- Greek Acropolis restorers set to bolster west side of Parthenon
- Lily Tomlin to receive SAG lifetime achievement award
- Astro show apologises over blackface parody of Yuna-Usher clip
| Neymar fails to spark Brazil in South Africa stalemate Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:37 PM PDT
Neymar is by far the biggest name taking part in the football competition and has been tasked with restoring pride to Brazilian football after a catastrophic 7-1 defeat to Germany on home soil at the 2014 World Cup. However, he endured a frustrating afternoon on a sandy and slow surface in Brasilia as South Africa held out despite Mothobi Mvala's red card half an hour from time. Group A is now in a four-way tie on one point after Iraq and Denmark also played out a scoreless draw earlier. In contrast to the swaths of empty stands across the six cities being used to host the men's and women's football tournaments on the opening two days, the hosts commanded a near-capacity 70,000 crowd. However, the Brazilian side boasting Neymar, Manchester City's new £27 million (RM143 million) signing Gabriel Jesus and Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain did not provide the expected victory procession. South Africa's Lebo Mothiba had a host of chances to cause an almighty upset, but failed to make a ragged Brazilian defence pay for early nerves. Neymar proudly sported the captain's armband, but his desire to get involved by dropping deep often left him too far from the South African goal to make a telling impact. The Barcelona star had Brazil's best two efforts of the first-half with strikes from outside the box that forced South African 'keeper Itumeleng Khune into two stunning saves. South Africa dominated the early stages of the second-half with Mothiba and captain Keagen Dolly coming close. But their chances appeared to have gone when defender Mvala was sent-off for two quickfire yellow cards. Brazil ramped up the pressure. Jesus somehow turned the ball onto the post with the goal gaping, whilst a dipping drive from Neymar landed on the roof of the net. However, South Africa resisted to add problems on the field for the hosts to a Games build-up already marred by fears surrounding the Zika virus and Brazil's political turmoil. Portugal's stunning summer after winning Euro 2016 could get even more golden as they saw off Argentina 2-0 to the delight of the Brazilian crowd in Rio. Both sides are looking to the future with Lionel Messi having announced his international retirement with Argentina after three final losses and Portuguese hero Cristiano Ronaldo now 31. Gonzalo Paciencia's low drive put Portugal ahead before a horrible error from Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli allowed Pite's long-range effort to sneak between his legs to secure the three points six minutes from time. Honduras beat Algeria 3-2 in the other Group D game. World champions Germany played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with 2012 gold medallists Mexico under a torrential downpour in Salvador. Three goals in 10 minutes in the second-half put Mexico 2-1 ahead as Oribe Peralta and Rodolfo Pizarro struck either side of Arsenal's Serge Gnabry's reply for Germany. However, the only World Cup winner on show at the Olympics Matthias Ginter, who flew 20,000km from Borussia Dortmund's pre-season tour in China to Brazil, earned Germany a point. Fiji and South Korea were in action in Group C later. Nigeria arrived in the Amazonian city of Manaus just hours before their match against Japan as the initial plane intended to take them from their training base in Atlanta on Wednesday was deemed "too small" for the squad and staff. Sweden and Colombia are in action in Manaus in Group B. — AFP   |
| ‘South Park’, ‘Watch Dogs 2’: Ubisoft reveals Gamescom line-up Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:37 PM PDT
Virtual reality games Eagle Flight and Star Trek Bridge Crew will be available on the show floor for visitors to try out, as will multi-faction, historical battle game For Honour, extreme sports excursion Steep, and the self-explanatory Just Dance 2017. Several upcoming 2016 releases in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, Watch Dogs 2 and South Park: The Fractured but Whole will also be present, though not as publicly available demos. Ubisoft is giving the Assassin's Creed franchise time to breathe, but a movie starring Michael Fassbender and Jeremy Irons is set for release December 21. A behind-the-scenes reel will be shown on August 18 and, presumably, published online not long afterwards. Gamescom's 2016 edition takes place August 17-21. — AFP-Relaxnews  |
| Tunisian Shakshuka spices up eggs and tomatoes Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:30 PM PDT
Even though it sounds as if it ought to mean "all shook up" à la Elvis, the word shakshuka actually means "all mixed up", a subtle distinction. Its charm is based on a trio of basic ingredients: Tomatoes, fried or poached eggs and some form of chilli pepper. Sounds simple, but as in all such deceptively easy recipes, the devil is in the detail. In Israel, the cult of shakshuka has especially taken wing, becoming as ubiquitous as hummus and falafel. Introduced to the country by Jewish immigrants from North Africa, it is now found on cafe and restaurant menus throughout the country, served from dawn till dusk. The mother of all shakshuka dishes is served at the eponymous Doctor Shakshuka in Jaffa along with a range of Libyan favourites, but on Tel-Aviv's Ben Yehuda Street you can find small, hole-in-the-wall cafes that serve nothing but shakshuka. Choose the fiery heat level, specify the degree of softness of your egg yolk and select from a range of extra toppings and ingredients such as fresh herbs, eggplant, feta, merguez sausage, tahini or tofu. A daring "green" shakshuka — made with leeks and spinach in a creamy sauce with no tomatoes — is fast becoming popular. A shakshuka baguette I encountered, however, was to my mind an innovation too far — in looks, like something you'd find in a medical textbook; in taste, much the same. A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but to shakshuka mavens the dish would just not have same the exotic appeal if it was simply called baked eggs in tomato sauce. Shakshuka: Debating recipe tips The tomatoes in this dish need to be really ripe and packed with flavour. Peeling is preferable but optional. Canned tomatoes are acceptable, though they don't have quite the same textural quality. On the other hand, some prefer it this way. Red peppers are sometimes fried with the tomatoes, although a strong, vocal faction contends they should be chargrilled separately and added to the sauce once the latter is cooked. Some avoid them altogether. Use very fresh spices, or the sauce will taste flat. Add them at the start and fry gently in olive oil before adding the tomatoes. Popular spices include cumin, caraway and black pepper. Paprika, chilli pepper, cayenne, harissa or a similar fiery spice is the key. Garlic is optional but eminently desirable. Ditto onion. Or both. The sauce on which the eggs will rest should not be too liquidy, so make sure you cook it until it largely evaporates. Use eggs at room temperature, because a cold egg will cook unevenly. The whites take longer to cook than the yolks, so timing is tricky. Some cooks cover the pan to solve the problem, but that tends to overcook the yolk. Still, some folk run a mile from a runny one. Others separate the eggs, cooking the whites till set before adding the yolks. Personally, I feel this lacks the proper aesthetic. If you want to add extra ingredients, do so either just before adding the eggs or at the same time. Shakshuka can be cooked in either a large communal skillet to dish out as required or in individual dishes so you can serve them in the pan in which they were cooked. Mop up your shakshuka with good bread. No argument. Shakshuka: A starting point The recipe is intended as a guide. Regard shakshuka as a free-wheeling dish dependent on personal preferences and ingredient availability. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 50 minutes Total time: 1 hour Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely sliced 1 red pepper, diced 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 pounds tinned tomatoes (or ripe tomatoes in season) 2 teaspoons sugar (optional, depending on the flavour of the tomatoes) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 4 to 8 eggs, depending on size/hunger Salt and pepper to taste Small bunch of fresh coriander or parsley, roughly chopped Directions Heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden, then add the pepper. Fry until both are soft, then stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin seeds and cayenne pepper and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and sugar, if using. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and season, adding more cayenne if you prefer it spicier. Make 4 to 8 shallow indentations in the sauce, and break in the eggs. Season them lightly with salt and pepper, then turn the heat down as low as possible, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the eggs are just set. Sprinkle with coriander or parsley and serve. Green Shakshuka This breaks the shakshuka rules — it has no tomato! — but makes an excellent brunch or breakfast dish. Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Yield: 2 to 3 servings Ingredients 1 large leek, sliced 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or chilli flakes 6 cups spinach or kale, chopped 1/2 cup sour cream A little freshly grated nutmeg to taste 6 eggs 1/4 pound feta or goats' cheese Directions Fry the leek in the butter or oil in a wide frying pan for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and when the aroma rises, add the paprika or chilli flakes, then stir in the spinach until it starts to wilt. Add the sour cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Make shallow dips in the sauce, and break an egg into each one. Cook for a few minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking. Cover the pan briefly if you think appropriate. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately. — Zester Daily/Reuters  |
| Greek Acropolis restorers set to bolster west side of Parthenon Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:16 PM PDT
"Most of the restoration work was completed in 2015, whereby we fixed the most important and urgent problems," the head of the operation Vassiliki Eleftheriou told AFP. "Now we need to address certain other areas such as the west pediment," she said. For visitors to the hill-top citadel, the project means a crane, which has been parked in front of the Parthenon, will now be moved inside the ancient temple to repair the northern wall, she added. Most of the work involves bolstering the pillars of the pediment and removing rusty iron supports dating from the early 20th century that had caused further damage to the monument. No cost estimate was given. The restoration phase will last a year but other tasks are expected to continue to 2020, Eleftheriou said. The Parthenon's western pediment once depicted a legendary contest between Poseidon, god of the sea, and Athena, goddess of wisdom, for the patronage of Athens. Like most of the temple, the pediment was damaged during a Venetian siege in 1687. In addition, the best sculpture remnants were subsequently removed in the early 19th century on the orders of British ambassador Lord Elgin, who sold them to the British government. Despite the economic crisis plaguing Greece since 2010, the Acropolis restoration works have never ceased thanks to European support funds. — AFP  |
| Lily Tomlin to receive SAG lifetime achievement award Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:10 PM PDT
A comedian, actress, writer, and producer, Lily Tomlin is currently being introduced to a whole new generation through ongoing comedy drama Grace and Frankie, which has a third season on the way. She has also received widespread recognition for her work including Nashville (1975), The Late Show, comedy album This is a Recording, TV film The Celluloid Closet, and Broadway play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, as well as children's TV programme The Magic School Bus and animal trade documentary An Apology to Elephants. "Lily Tomlin is an extraordinary actress, as equally adept at narrative drama as in comedy roles," said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris. "But it is through her many original characters that Lily's creative genius fully shines. She has an ability to create diverse and distinct characters that are at once familiar, eccentric and oh so honest — in a way that illuminates life's hidden corners." The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards takes place on January 29 in Los Angeles. — AFP-Relaxnews  |
| Astro show apologises over blackface parody of Yuna-Usher clip Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:05 PM PDT
In the parody by the Malay-language show hosted by comedian Nabil Ahmad and TV presenter Neelofa aired Tuesday, comedian Shuk SYJ, who's in blackface makeup acting as the African-American singer, extends his arms to comedian Jihan Muse playing Yuna as if he wants to hug her, but she bows down instead. The show was a mockery of the live performance by Yuna and Usher on the song Crush at The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, the United States, last June that sparked controversy after he hugged the Muslim pop singer. "We would like to sincerely apologize to Yuna & Usher for our recent parody video, which was poor judgement on our part. #MeleTOP," MeleTOP tweeted from its @MyMeleTOP Twitter account last night. "Rest assured that this does not reflect our values and beliefs. #MeleTOP. We have removed the video and would like to request everyone not to share it. Tq for your cooperation. #MeleTOP," it added. Other parties have been sharing the video of the parody on social media. Blackface was a form of entertainment that started in the mid-19th century in which white men painted their faces black to play African-American characters. The performances made fun of black people by playing on racial stereotypes and downplayed slavery. Blackface is considered offensive. Yuna and Usher trended on Twitter in Malaysia last night, with users criticising the MeleTOP parody. "u might just destroyed Yuna's career bagus malaysia bagus #malaysiaboleh," Twitter user @aimaniskndr tweeted upon retweeting MeleTOP's apology. Twitter user @amirulhisham97 tweeted: "Attitude Malaysian people are so ridiculous.. It's a matter of respecting other races.. That's why Yuna angry about the parody". Some also censured MeleTOP, with Twitter user @_iqah tweeting: "Bodoh la @MyMeleTOP ... shame on yall for doing such a stupid parody on Yuna n for doing " black face ". Others, however, attacked Yuna too. "Yuna so full of herself, if it's not for these lowly melayu uitm yang pergi gig kau you wouldn't be where you are right now," tweeted Twitter user @gmxn_.  |
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