MANILA (Philippines) — Officials in the Philippines, which has been hit by large natural disasters in recent years, expect a large number of people to join a drill to prepare Manila for a feared 7.2-magnitude earthquake from an active fault that could kill 30,000 people and displace millions.

Dr Renato Solidum, who heads the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said today (July 30) that the West Valley Fault, which cuts across the capital of more than 12 million people and outlying provinces, could shift anytime based on its seismic history.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:51 PM

Former Apple CEO John Sculley is now a backer of a range of different tech companies — including the Obi Mobiles Android line and enterprise company Zeta Interactive, shortly to IPO — but he will probably be best known as the man who ousted Steve Jobs from Apple in 1985.

Sculley told us recently at the Engage 2015 conference in Prague that it’s a myth that he “fired” Jobs from his own company. Rather, Jobs left after failing to convince the Apple board that they should pursue a discount pricing strategy for the failing Macintosh Office line of computers and printers. Upon losing that argument, the board deemed Steve’s presence in the company too disruptive and Jobs left.

It’s an oft-told tale, but perhaps the most poignant and unexpected was Sculley’s description of how deep his relationship with Jobs was, and the fact that once Jobs was kicked out of the company, they never repaired their relationship.

“He never forgave me for that,” Sculley told me at Engage. And the friendship?

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:52 PM

Why Carbon-Ceramic Brake Disks For High Performance Cars?

High performance car typically have the carbon ceramic composite brake disc rather than regular cast iron brake disks. That kind of high powerful engine and performance car required light weight material and body as well as the dynamic body shape.

If the typical cast iron brake disks fit on the high performance wheel it will wear out too quickly and the cast iron too heavy indirectly will affect it performance while the carbon ceramic brake disks was a high heat resistance and approximately 50% light weight than cast iron disks.

Ceramic is heat resistance up to 1830 degree Fahrenheit ( 982 Celsius ) therefore the ceramic composite brake disc last about 60 X longer than standard cast iron brake disks.
Carbon-Ceramic Brake Disks Advantages

At the IAA (German – Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, English – International Automobile Exhibition) in Frankfurt in 1999, the carbon-ceramic brake disk had its world premiere.

The use of the high-tech material had revolutionized the brake technology. In comparison to the conventional grey cast iron brake disk the carbon-ceramic brake disk weighed round 50 per cent less reducing the unsprung mass by almost 20 kilograms.

Further significant advantages are: improved brake response and fading data, high thermal stableness, no hot judder, excellent pedal feel, improved steering behavior, high abrasion resistance and thus longer life time and the advantage of avoiding almost completely brake dust (minimal brake dust).



This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:53 PM

PERTH — An Australian man was accused on July 29 of allowing seven men to sexually abuse his 13-year-old daughter over the past two years, with police charging all eight men with more than 500 child sex offences.

Western Australia police arrested the men after receiving a tip-off from the public. Police say the father knew all of the men, and arranged for them to meet his daughter and subsequently assault her when she was between the ages of 11 and 13. The father is also accused of assaulting the girl.

The father and the other men, who range in age from 35 to 47, are facing 503 charges, including sexual penetration of a child under 13, stupefying with intent to commit a criminal offence and sexual servitude of a child.

Police Detective Superintendent Glenn Feeney, who described the abuse the girl suffered as “horrific”, said one of the men had 200,000 videos and four million child pornography images. The victim was featured in 149 images, he said.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:52 PM

Danny Davidson, a 32-year-old personal trainer from Essex, drinks 100ml of the thick liquid several times a week to compliment his training regime.

The fitness buff believes breast is best when it comes to building muscle – citing the idea that milk contains growth hormones to accelerate his bulk.

Despite the lack of scientific evidence to support his theory Danny claims it is the secret to his toned physique.

Having said this Danny has revealed he is endlessly mocked by his friends, who have even nicknamed him Bitty, after the popular Little Britain character.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:54 PM

BANGKOK — The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) plans to create two squadrons of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), the first of their kind in Thailand, pending budget approval.

Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Tritos Sonchaeng said the squadrons will be based at Wing 4 in Nakhon Sawan, which is currently made up of four squadrons of Lead-in jet fighters, F-16 fighter jets, and Arava patrol aircraft.

The proposal comes amid reports the air force is about to decommission the fleet of three Arava patrol aircraft purchased from Israel 36 years ago.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:57 PM

Whether or not a young adult will abuse alcohol or engage in risky sexual behaviour could be predicted using brain scans, according to a research team from Duke University in the US.

The team set out to understand the communications between the brain, genome and environment that are the basis for risky activities foretelling mental illness such as depression, anxiety and addiction.

“By knowing the biology that predicts risk, we hope to eventually change the biology – or at least meet that biology with other forces to stem the risk,” says senior author Ahmad Hariri, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:57 PM

Reuters is today backing up earlier reports of a meeting between Apple and luxury automaker BMW. CEO Tim Cook is said to have visited BMW’s headquarters last year, and other executives toured the company’s Leipzig plant. According to Reuters, Apple showed a particular interest in BMW’s i3 electric car and the manufacturing process which produces the vehicle’s carbon fiber body. Only a week ago, Manger Magazine reported on the Apple / BMW meeting and claimed that Cupertino may be eyeing the i3 as the foundation for its own, heavily rumored electric car. Hundreds of Apple employees are working on the secret project, The Wall Street Journal revealed in February.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:58 PM

A new UN study of global population trends predicts that India will overtake China to become the world’s most populous nation by 2022.

The report also says that Nigeria will replace the US as the world’s third most populous country by around 2050.

Africa is expected to account for more than half of the world’s population growth over the next 35 years.

The current world population of 7.3 billion will reach 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, it predicts.

The new projection has India overtaking China’s population six years earlier than previously predicted.

The reports says half of the world’s population growth between 2015 and 2050 is expected to be concentrated in nine countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the United States, Indonesia and Uganda.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:59 PM

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 2 — A year after both Apple’s Car Play and Google’s Android Auto in-car smartphone connectivity systems were announced, the technologies are finally arriving in mass-market cars. So, if you’re looking for a new set of wheels, which marques already offer support for your handset?

Hyundai

In June, Hyundai became the first car company to start rolling out Android Auto on its production vehicles, starting with the current generation Sonata but promising to bring the system to the rest of its model range in the near future.
However, this week it went one better by offering existing Sonata owners the chance to download and install Android Auto themselves, via its myhyundai web portal.

“This is the first time we’ve made a software upgrade available using the MyHyundai portal,” said Michael Deitz, senior group manager of Connected Care, Hyundai Motor America. “Sonata owners can add more value with Android Auto in an easy-to-do upgrade that takes less than an hour. Hyundai is continuing to offer the best user experience possible by leveraging its MyHyundai platform, so customers have the option to update their car — their way.”

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:56 PM

IT certainly feels good to hear the Government announcing that Korea is free from the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak that had kept the whole nation fretting for two months.

Needless to say, it would have been better had authorities dealt with the contagious disease promptly in its initial stage, but it is still fortunate that we could stop the deadly virus after minimising its impact.

South Korea lost so much in its fight with the outbreak. A total of 186 people were hit by the disease, with 36 of them – although most of them had chronic illnesses and were in their advanced ages – having lost their lives.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:56 PM

KUALA LUMPUR/PARIS – Malaysia said today (Aug 2) that airplane debris that washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion has been identified as being from a Boeing 777, the same model as a Malaysian Airlines plane which vanished last year.

Experts hope the 2-2.5 metre wing surface, known as a flaperon, and a fragment of luggage also found on Reunion could yield clues on the fate of Flight MH370, which disappeared without trace in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board.

“We know the flaperon has been officially identified as being part of a Boeing 777 aircraft,” Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:55 PM

KUALA LUMPUR — The ringgit fell for a third day amid contractions in Malaysian and Chinese factory output, dimming the outlook for the South-east Asian economy that is under pressure from a slump in oil.

The currency dropped to a 16-year low as the Nikkei Malaysia Purchasing Managers’ Index of manufacturing held below the level of 50, signalling a contraction for a fourth month in July, while a similar gauge in China was under that threshold for a fifth month. As Prime Minister Najib Razak deals with a corruption scandal linked to state investment company 1Malaysia Development Bhd, data on Wednesday (Aug 5) may show exports shrank again in June, as they have for most of this year.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:55 PM

SINGAPORE – Singaporeans have to start conserving their water use even more because dry weather is affecting the country’s major source of water, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday.

The Republic can draw up to 250 million gallons of water a day, or up to about 60 per cent of its water needs, from the Johor River in Malaysia.

But this is only possible because the Linggiu Reservoir in Johor releases water into the river, preventing seawater from intruding into the river.

Since last year (2014), water levels in the reservoir have been steadily depleting, and have now reached a historic low of 54.5 per cent of its capacity.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 7 2015, 12:00 AM

Construction has begun on a British-designed supertall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The blueprint for the 460m high tower was created by Atkins, as lead architect, and Arup as structural designer.

Once completed it is expected to be the tallest building in Vietnam.

UK prime minister David Cameron said: “Atkins and Arup are leading the way in unlocking the potential for British businesses in Vietnam.

“It’s a testament to their expertise that Ho Chi Minh City’s skyline will be shaped by British design, as they work on Vietnam’s tallest skyscraper. I’m pleased they were able to join me on my trade mission as we look to further export UK excellence and forge stronger links with the fast growing economies of South East Asia.”

The 241,000m2, 81 storey tower is located in Vinhomes Central Park and will be a mixed use development with provision for hotel, serviced residential apartments and retail with a shopping centre at the base.

It is expected to be completed in 2017.



This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 7 2015, 12:01 AM

A Korean who worked as an employee of the Japanese military during World War II testified that the Japanese government controlled Korean sex slaves in many countries including Southeast Asia.

The testimony contradicts Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s claim that Korean women who provided sex to Japanese troops during the war were victims of sexual trafficking.

The Association for the Pacific War Victims, a Seoul-based private organization seeking compensation from Japan, released video footage Monday of the late Song Bok-seop, a Korean who was an employee of the Japanese military.

In the footage recorded in 1992, he said he traveled to Indonesia and Singapore where he worked as a guard at a prisoners of war camp and managed goods supplied to the military.

BERLIN, Aug 3 — Tourists and business travellers visiting Germany are often surprised when they reach to pay for their beer, metro tickets or even a large restaurant bill that their credit cards are not welcome.

Habits, however, are slowly changing in Europe’s top economy, as younger consumers leapfrog from cash to convenient electronic forms of payment.

A deeply ingrained mistrust of credit has long kept cash king in Germany, where the average citizen carries €103 (about RM432) in their pocket.

“Cards have long been the most costly means of payment for merchants while cash transactions cost them almost nothing,” Ulrich Binneboessel of the HDE retail sector federation told AFP, explaining the reluctance to accept credit cards.

More than half of the amount spent in Germany on private purchases, 53 per cent, is paid in cash, according to a study by the Bundesbank central bank—one of the highest rates for an advanced economy.

This post has been edited by 2msia: Aug 6 2015, 11:27 PM

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 4 ― Malaysia’s economy remains fundamentally sound, but the ringgit’s performance is being largely influenced by current global economic uncertainties.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah cited Greece and China as two countries whose productivity had fallen, but Malaysia’s economy was still growing.

“It is not only the ringgit. Currencies globally are being pitted against the US dollar. The greenback had been appreciating against many other currencies,” he added.

He told reporters this after chairing the 2016 Budget Focus Group themed, “Enhancing Inclusiveness for Well-Being of the People”, here today.

This disgraces the real users after the sex links – with indecent images, chats and invitations – are sent under their names to their online friends.

Any user on the social network may read and see these links if the account of one of their online friends gets infected with certain malware.

TH, 27, a worker at a furniture company in Hanoi, said one day she signed onto her Facebook account as usual and received tens of messages from her friends that she did not understand at first.



The messages said things like, “Are you going to get married and want to learn from this?”, “It’s terrible, you are going crazy,” or “You are going mad. It’s OK to read it, but not good to send it to others.”

An avalanche of other comments and questions with similar content filled her inbox.

TH only understood the situation thanks to one of her close friends and had to send out explanations and apologies.

She even sent SMS messages to clarify the issue.

It is not rare for users of social networks to become entangled in such a tricky situation.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Federal Highway



In June, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai proposed a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line along the Federal Highway. The main aim is to ease congestion on the busy road which spans 45 km from Seputeh in KL to Klang. Electric buses will run on ground level, which means that a lane has to be set aside for buses.

Will the proposed BRT line help? Experts, builders and motorists contacted by The Star have mixed views.

Malaysia Institute of Road Safety Research director-general Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon said a BRT would be ideal as bus lanes will be separated by a physical border, but Masters Builders Association of Malaysia president Matthew Tee said the lack of space for the project is a concern.