Google Unveils YouTube New Look

By MALILA Harris
December 02, 2011

The Google empire undergoes another redesign. Now it is with YouTube, the video social network, to bring more identity to the Mountain View products.

The YouTube redesign was made public for every user across the world at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

What's the change to this globally most popular online video service?

The first change to be noticed is the "add channels" button at left-hand top corner under which top ten favorite channels of users can be seen.

A soft gray background has been added to the videos and the logo of it is also been tweaked.

Integration to Google+ social network has got natural look and posting videos on Twitter and Facebook is now easier.

Google wants users to sign-up with their existing Gmail account or else by creating a new YouTube login. This is because Google wants to lock all its users to its huge online empire with just one account.

YouTube is currently the most popular video site on Internet and second most popular site.

YouTube new look

YouTube new look

Read More

December 02, 2011 | 0 comments

Kung Fu Panda 2: A Refreshing Flick For All Ages

By MALILA Harris

The Kung Fu Panda 2 is the new and overwhelming sequel of the first Kung Fu Panda movie, which had become a major box office hit.

Jack Black's voice as the leading figure of the movie, Po - a fat and tubby panda who manages to become the Dragon Warrior in the face of all odds, is as always very sweet and delightful. This time, our hero Po must fight the wicked Lord Shen, a white peacock who has found away to create firearms and make a canon, which is an external threat to Po.

Gary Goldman has lent his voice for this Lord Shen. Po, along with his team of five friends who destroy evil, has to fight this monster to save his homeland, China. But wait! There's more to this movie than only fighting evil people. In this edition of Kung Fu Panda, Po our sweet and cuddly hero comes to know that Mr. Ping, the mongoose is not his real father and that he was adopted by Mr. Ping when one day he had found Po in his noodle shop in a box of radishes. This film shows Po's journey to find his real identity, which brings him closer to his inner peace.

However, this makes his battle with Lord Shen even more difficult as Lord Shen knows fully well, who his parents are and what happened to them. This edition of the Kung Fu Panda is more intense and visually mesmerizing than the the older one. Some parts of the movie are particularly eye-catching as this film is a 3D one and the picture clarity, excellent. The flashback to the war on all pandas or the aerial view of Lord Shen's palace are some excellent visual effects and director Jenniffer Yuh is really to be given credit for this.

The film would be a refreshment for all those kids and their parents who are bored noise and frantic nonsense and are in need of something new on the big screens. The film would be released in 3D and normal HD alike. It is releasing on May, 26th.

Read More

May 16, 2011 | 0 comments

China Orders TV Stations To Hang Spy And Crime Dramas

By MALILA Harris

CHINA NEWS - In its latest imposition, China has regulated all TV Stations across the nation to stop telecasting detective shows, spy thriller, crime dramas and even time-travel series for the next three months. The ordered come from the Chinese head command, commanding to stop all TV shows with immediate effect.

Next month China’s Communist Party will commemorate its 90 years of its founding and the government asked TV stations to program shows that extols the party image and history of red wagon instead entertainment baloney.

In an order Beijing asked TV stations to show the program praising the party, and expect one billion television viewers to glue to TV watching a predisposed patriotic propaganda that will lionize the party image on July 1.

It is not everyone obeys with the order calmly but uproar over the dictatorship is quite dominant in different intellectual and artistic sectors. In an interview Wang Weiping, the deputy chief of the drama department called this a "propaganda period".

There are already dozens of dramas glorifying the party’s founding have been made and could be broadcast by stations.

Many private TV stations have already postponed their regular drama and serials, such as Oriental TV in Shanghai said it had postponed popular spy drama Qing Mang. Instead of spy series, a comedy about mothers and their daughters-in-law has been decided to be shown.

An official in Oriental TV said that the government has time to time instructed them to show what they want people to see. He said they were quite habitual to rearrange things at short intervals.

The next three months people of China will be shown the development of Marxism-Leninism in China, and different success stories of the Communist Party, glorifying the culture, military rules, economics and international diplomacy.

Read More

May 07, 2011 | 0 comments

$49bn Emergency Earthquake Relief Grants In Japan's Budget

By MALILA Harris
April 03, 2011

JAPAN NEWS - Japan has witnessed a heavy damage following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Considering the emergency need of the country, the parliament has passed a whooping 4tn yen ($49bn, £30bn) emergency budget for resetting the whole region. The bill was passed by the lower house Saturday and consequently passed by the upper house budget committee early on Monday.

The bill is believed to help greatly for housing reconstruction for those who lost their homes. The bill also aims to support businesses hit by the natural carnage.

According to a data prepared by Japanese police, 14,704 people are died in the disaster and another 10,969 remain missing.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda expressed his ministry to further raise the budget allocation in coming months. Analysts have predicted that the disaster cost Japan about $300bn.

The budget has also affected on regular funds like pension, child allowances and motorway tolls, which have been cut down to increase the emergency fund.

The good news is the opposition poses no threat to government but the problem will come for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's government in near future when the government will have to push high it taxes and to secure reconstruction funds using the borrowed fund. It is reported that Japan has already a debt burden twice the size of its economy.

On the other hand, prime minister have been severely criticized for lagging rehabilitation of people and failure to restore power and supply in the region.

Fukushima nuclear reactor had been crippled after the earthquake damaged the cooling systems to the reactors. Work is still continuing to repair the systems, water being poured into reactors to cool fuel rods, but this would lead to contaminated waste water leaking from the reactor buildings.

It is estimated nine months to bring the plant fully under control.

Read More

May 03, 2011 | 1 comments

China Starts Moral Crusading Against Kirti Monastery

By MALILA Harris


CHINA NEWS – China in its new strategy to derogate the image of Kirti Monastery, smearing reputation by raising questions on moral character of monks. In the night of April 21, Chinese government drove away over 300 monks of the monastery in Ngaba Country of Sichuan Province, with more arrest seen likely to follow on April 22.

Earlier, on April 19, Chinese foreign ministry had expressed the normalcy in the monastery despite reports of frequent clashes between monks and police. Independent reports say the monastery had been closed by the authority and not even food being supplied at time. Moreover, monks being arrested without charges and tortured and a forceful education in patriotism are being carried out there. International media reporters are banned to enter the area and neighboring Tibetan areas.

China has been thwarting the reputation of the monastery, alleging monks for morally guilty conduct against dissidents. Tibetan monks and lamas had been subjected to such allegation before during Chinese democratic 1959 reform and the Cultural Revolution period (1966-76).

According to the government, the monks are given “legal education” due to some “illegal activities” such as prostitution, drinking in the monastery and gambling. There are also reported by the government authorities to publicized pornographic videos by the monks. They are accused of disrupting social order and blamed for the strife in the Tibetan Plateau.

The government report also publicized an elaborate story of self-immolation and death of the young monk named Phuntsog, creating unrest in the area. While the eyewitness says the young monk was ruthlessly thrashed by the police after the flame was put out.

China also contradicts its own report, which said the young monk was 20 years old, but according to the new government report claimed he was 16.

Read More

April 24, 2011 | 0 comments

Border Clash Between Thailand And Cambodia Resumes

By MALILA Harris

THAILAND NEWS – The clash between Thailand and Cambodia has once again ignited when in an incident four soldiers have been killed, increasing the number of death to 10 in two days.

The clash has started when both sides have exchanged fire in jungle around Ta Krabey temple, which both sides claim. The disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple is spread around 200 km and a place for fatal clashes between two nations. Since February, the scene has turned into a battleground and eventually people were evacuated from the area.

According to a news source, the reason of this immediate violence is still to be known and both sides blamed each other for the clash.

“Fresh fighting started at around 0600 (2300 GMT Friday) with rifles and mortar shelling," said Thai army spokesman Col Prawit Hookaew.

"We are negotiating to stop the fighting," he added.

Both sides blamed each for the killing, as Thai officials said one Thai soldiers had been killed and more than four injured whereas Cambodian officials claimed to lose three of their soldiers.

It is reported that some artillery shelling had also taken place and fighting became more intense in a week.

Indonesia has been playing a negotiator between two countries and appeal for immediate ceasefire.

In 1962, an international court had awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, however, the conflict between two neighbors have been continuing over the surrounding area. There are other parts of the Thai-Cambodian border, which have not yet been formally demarcated.

Read More

April 24, 2011 | 0 comments

Facebook Decides To Share Green Technology

By MALILA Harris

WORLD NEWS/ TECHNOLOGY NEWS - Facebook, a revolutionary social networking giant, also works for the betterment of global climate. The own-developed green technology of social network’s facility in Prineville, Oregon is believed to spend 38% less power than existing centers. In a recent announcement, it has decided to share the design secrets with rival organizations for the more fruitful climate control initiative.

The design technology behind its new efficient data center is said to help other organizations to minimize their power consumption. However, irrespective of Facebook’s claim, some environmental groups have censured the firm over its green credentials.

The new innovation is named as Open Computer Project where the company will reveal its technical specifications and mechanical drawings of the building and its servers.

"It's time to stop treating data centres like Fight Club [do not talk about them]," said Jonathan Heiliger, the company's vice president of technical operations.

The announcement from the social networking site has given a push to other giants like Google, Twitter and Amazon for revelation of their own designs.

According to environmental organization Greenpeace, the total global energy usage of Facebook will have reached 2 trillion kw/h by 2020.

The Prineville plant has built a customized facility with a whooping cost of $188m (£117m) designed in environmentally friendly specifications. One of the unique innovations is the use of outside air for cooling instead extensive use of air conditioning. Those machines are also made to maximize the new cooling system.

Moreover, Facebook has stripped all paints, logos and stickers to save at least 6 pounds of material per server.

Read More

April 10, 2011 | 0 comments

Saudi Woman Acquitted In Trial Torturing Indonesian Maid

By MALILA Harris

SAUDI ARABIA NEWS - Indonesia has strongly condemned the acquittal of a Saudi woman trial, who was guilty of ruthlessly torturing her 23 year-old young Indonesian maid. Talking to reporters, an Indonesian diplomat in Saudi Arabia has strongly criticized the decision, saying the sentence didn’t recognize the torture and it meant all tortures were free.

Indonesian diplomat Didi Wahyudi told BBC about the original three year sentenced given to Saudi Arabian woman and considered as a landmark verdict, but the recent overturned of sentence have brought a dark side of the justice and tortures were readily accepted as a common practice.

It is reported that around thousands of Indonesian women work in Saudi Arabia as a domestic helpers and often complain about the abuse by their employers. Just a few days back two people were arrested for violent death of their Indonesian maid in Mecca.

A number of Indonesian women get employment in Saudia Arabia as domestic workers and there are large number of cases of their abuses and tortures. However, there is hardly any punishment for the tortures, some get a hefty fine and that’s all.

The recent case of Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, 23, was hospitalized after being brutally beaten by her employer. Her bones broke down and her face was burned.

Her case captured global eyeballs, and promoted the Indonesian president to demand justice for her torture. Due to pressure her employer 53-year-old female was arrested and sentenced to three years in Jail in January by a court in the Saudi city of Medina.

She appealed against the sentence and was acquitted on Saturday after a judge deemed there was insufficient evidence.

Read More

April 04, 2011 | 0 comments

Southeast Tourist Mecca Thailand Suffers From Deadly Flood

By MALILA Harris

THAILAND NEWS – Thailand Tourist Island is almost submerged in torrential rains and heavy flood. The unnatural biting cold and heavy rains have cleared through the south of the country.

The rising water has swept away people and many just buried under mudslides caused by torrential rains. The communication system has already on halt where trains have been cancelled and several airports shut. Flights are now landing at Koh Samui, but in a long delay.

The Thai navy has already rescued about 1,200 stranded tourists from Koh Samui and Koh Tao on its only aircraft carrier.


"There are roughly one million people affected in many provinces. At first we thought the flood would last a day or two, but now it has already been one week," Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said.

Rising floods have reached almost more than eight provinces where Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Trang, Krabi and Phatthalung are the most affected. The high water level is also hampering rescue effort and many tourists stuck in the provinces.

Not only communication but also electricity cut to many areas. The government has declared 80 districts in eight provinces as a disaster area and sent rescue teams to evacuate the place.

Koh Samui is one of the major tourist hub where it is reported about 13, 000 tourists have been trapped.

Read More

March 30, 2011 | 0 comments